Tired of fighting temptation?

“All the best things in life are immoral, illegal, or fattening." Sex outside of marriage is alleged to be more exciting. Ignoring the law seems the expedient way to get things done. Junk food is full of fats and sugars and McD’s wealth proves its appeal. Believing those lies, too many Christians spend a ton of spiritual energy fighting off temptation dutifully, but without enthusiasm. As they do the right things in life, somewhere deep inside they are thinking that it would be fun to step outside the boundaries carefully drawn around their choices.

The truth is that God's ways are the paths of life! I read a study on sexual fulfillment that revealed that people who are married and faithful to their spouse on average enjoy sexual intimacy more frequently than those who are supposedly liberated from the 'bondage' of marriage! Sex/pornography addicts are a sad lot; full of shame. They engage in superficial relationships that cannot begin to be as fulfilling as deep, lasting ones. I've seen the wreckage that results when a husband/father abandons his family to find some 'real fun.' The deception is just that, a mirage.

Illegality exacts a price, too. Oh, yes, it is true that some ignore the rules of society and seem to get away with it. God’s principle remains true, however. Justice will come! "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:7-9, NIV)

As for what we put into our bodies, let’s talk about those commercials for beer that are ubiquitous during football season. In those 30 sec. video stories, a ‘cold one’ becomes the avenue to social success and great fun. All of the actors are smiling, thin, and surrounded with beautiful people! Never shown is the big beer belly, the ugliness of alcoholism, or the smashed car of an intoxicated teenager on his way home from a party! Yet the deception persists. Having a good time must include a drink, or two, or three.

Temptation is never defeated by higher fences or stronger restraints. Temptation loses its luster when we see through it. So, let the Spirit of God plant a new vision in you! Instead of longing to step over the line, become convinced that “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.” (Proverbs 12:28, NKJV) The Psalmist prays, “Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:24, NLT) Josh McDowell uses a phrase - "God is no cosmic killjoy!" He wants to lead us to a full life that is lived without regrets and that ultimately ends on this earth with a move into His Presence for eternity. We need the wisdom only the Holy Spirit can give that allows us to see through the fog and deception of Satan so we will choose the way of life.

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—


the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.


Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."
(Philippians 4:8-9, The Message)

Shape up or ship out!

Ever been told that? My Mom said it to me when I was growing up. It means - “It's time to make a change.” During World War II, if a soldier was slacking on a Stateside assignment, he was told to "shape up or ship out." In short, he was ordered to do a better job. If he refused, he faced being shipped overseas to a combat zone. A person can be fired from his job for poor performance. An athlete can be kicked off a team if he lets his skills decline. But, if a church tries to exercise spiritual discipline, watch out! Almost always there will be a negative response.

The concept of church discipline is nearly unknown because here in America we put a premium value on autonomy and privacy. A pastor who takes his responsibility to challenge sin seriously, runs a real risk of ending up being the one shown the door! “It’s my life and I’ll live it the way I choose,” is the guiding principle. In recent years, several Roman Catholic bishops have attempted church discipline by denying Communion to politicians who openly challenge the Church’s guidance about the sanctity of human life. It’s a basic Christian value to hold that all life is precious to God. Yet, are these bishops applauded for requiring integrity in the professing Catholics, asking them to choose either political expedience or fidelity to the Church’s teaching? No way! The media and much of the public sees those leaders as meddling where they don’t belong!

That rejects the clear Word. Take a look. "Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith." (Hebrews 13:7, NLT) Your pastor shows the way by his own walk of faith and holiness. If you see that kind of integrity in him, then the Word goes on to say: "Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit." (Hebrews 13:17, NLT)

Disciple, are you responsive to the spiritual leadership that your church, your elders, your pastor provides? Do you hear the Word and bend your will to God’s purpose; or have you privatized your faith, made your personal preference a higher priority than obedience?

A loving leader, a true shepherd, preaches hard truth not because he is on an authority kick or likes conflict. He does so because he knows he is ‘accountable to God’ for you.  Pray often for those who offer soul care for you. Pray that they will hear and live the word from the Word.

"For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." (Acts 20:27-30, NIV)

Really? A baby butt-wipe warmer?

Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15, NIV) It’s a tough concept to grasp living as we do in a culture of more. I am not sure that most of us really understand what true ‘need’ is. My son, Sean and his lovely wife, Natalie, are expecting their first child. His experience in the baby section of the big box store, of which he recently wrote, follows. Enjoy!
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Nat and I headed out today to start our baby registry. I won’t lie. I wasn't thrilled. I don't like "stuff" for stuff sake. Do I know what I need as a soon-to-be dad? Absolutely not! But, I DO know that I don't NEED all that STUFF I am told I must have by the forces that be when a baby is coming. That became oh-so-evident in the middle of the infant aisle today when Nat just stood there and cried. She was totally overwhelmed by the list in her hand and the choices in front of her. I knew what was wrong but asked anyway. Through big, sad tears she said, "I don't know what I need. I have no idea what to get or what's better." Tore me up and made me angry at the ‘system.’

She wasn't overwhelmed about our babies health, the roof over our head, if we were going to be able to feed or love the little one … no! She was totally swamped because she believed (whether she could verbalize it or not in the moment) that we NEEDED all this junk in order to be good, successful parents for our baby; that if we didn't have things, like a butt-wipe warmer, we weren't up to par. Garbage! I hugged her and said, "Babe, I bet your mom didn't have 75% of this stuff when you were a baby and everything was fine. You were loved and cared for to the best of her ability with much less than what you see here today. This stuff doesn't define your success as a future mom."

She just folded up into me. I was so mad! Not at her but at our culture. That message - "you need this to be happy" - is a cancer that's worked its existence into every aspect of our life- everything from smart phones, to the deluxe cable package, to the square footage of our homes. The genius of this commercial monster is that it makes you feel such guilt - like you don’t love your kids/family if you don't provide all the stuff for them! That is what stirs such a visceral reaction in me.

So don't buy into it. Own your stuff, don’t let it own you. Don't be a slave to it. It's not even a sliver of who you are or your worth as a person. 90% of our lives today are made up of "luxuries." Treat them that way.
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Thank you, Sean!
Our current economic crisis is largely the result of wanting more than we can afford. Our current health issues are frequently caused by eating too much. Do you understand what is really need and what is just greed? Are you letting the things you own define you, provide your self-esteem, give you security. Here’s a challenge from the Word.

Jesus said, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear." (Luke 12:21-22, NLT)
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." (Luke 12:31, NLT)
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Using things and loving people
That’s the way it’s got to be
Using things and loving people
Look around and you can see
That loving things and using people
Only leads to misery
Using things and loving people
That’s the way it’s got to be

Being loved is in the giving
All we have is what we share
Loving life is for the living
You have to have a heart to care
And loving things and using people
Only leads to misery

Using things and loving people
That’s the way it’s got to be
So put your hand inside my hand
I don’t know where the road will lead
We may not find the things we want
But we will find the things we need
And all we need is love
Using things and loving people
Brings you happiness I’ve found

Using things and loving people
Not the other way around
‘Cause loving things and using people
Only leads to misery
Using things and loving people
That’s the way it’s got to be
For you and me

For you and me


Using Things, Loving People
Written by: Hal David & Archie P. Jordan

Hear this old song by clicking on this line!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coilrJNX3bM

Over the cliff?

He’s rich. He’s famous. He’s got ‘the girl.’ But, yesterday he drove his Cadillac Escalade over a cliff! It’s a bizarre story about a retired football great, Junior Seau. After being arrested and charged with felony assault for allegedly slapping around his girlfriend, Seau literally went over the edge. Was it rage, confusion, shame, guilt, or ‘just an accident’ as he now claims? We’ll never know for sure, but my guess is that, at least for a few minutes, life became overwhelming. The gap between expectations and reality yawned too widely and he made a choice to escape; except that he survived the plunge with minor injuries!

Disappointment with life is everyone’s experience some of the time. We plan for one outcome, only to find ourselves dealing with unforeseen circumstances. When we cannot change it, when it’s ‘out of control,’ the temptation to act irrationally grows in us. That’s one of the reasons that so many people go totally off track in the 4th or 5th decade of life. After getting the education, finding a spouse, raising two kids, and paying the mortgage they come face to face with the fact that life is not what they hoped it might be, that their dreams are just that. Reality becomes a straitjacket from which they struggle to escape.

There is another way. God invites us to trust Him, to mature beyond our dreams of success and let Him move us into a life that is significant. While some deal with disappointment with a turn to the wild side, those who look up, choose to invest themselves in things that really matter. What are they? The Scripture says, "These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV)

When we respond to the Spirit’s invitation to trust Christ with our lives (faith!) we will never be disappointed. He cannot fail! I am not suggesting He will give us all of our dreams, but He will keep His word to us. This gives us an unfailing hope, the promise of eternal life. The grave loses its terrors for it is the transit point from the temporal world to the Father’s house.

In Christ we find love to live for! The love of which a million songs are written is passing. The full calendar of divorce courts testifies to that sad fact. The things we love break or dim in value. The love of God only grows more precious with time. Adding to the beauty is that fact that His love for us, when we embrace it, gives us a depth of character that allows us to absorb life’s disappointments without going over the edge.

Here’s how the Message reads. Take this thought with you today.
"When the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!

We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!


But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God,
hope unswervingly,
love extravagantly.
And the best of the three is love." (1 Corinthians 13:10-13, The Message)
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The love of God is greater far,
Than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure,
The saints' and angels' song.

The Love Of God
Lehman, Frederick M.
© Public Domain

Relief or Real change?

Crisis is a powerful catalyst for change. People who have lived without a thought of God will start to pray when life turns sour. The cliché reminds us that ‘there are no atheists in foxholes.’ How it must grieve the heart of the Lord when those same people return to their old ways when the crisis passes, when normal returns. And, that is the case, not just some of the time, but most of the time!

33 men were stuck in a mine in Chile for 69 days! We celebrated their rescue last week. Undiscovered for 17 days, most of them concluded they were about to die and they turned their thoughts to God. Each of the miners tells of times of prayer, of deep devotion while they lived in that chamber deep in the earth. One miner, dubbed “Super Mario” by the media, received a trip to the beach from one of the major American news networks. There he ran into the surf, then fell to his knees where he exclaimed: "I adore you, God," he said. "And I promise I will never leave you, just like I promised you when I was buried alive." (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/chilean-miner-mario-sepulveda-dubbed-super-mario-speaks/story?id=11904199&page=2) I hope that Mario’s devotion is permanent and not an expression of his relief.

The richest experience of the Love of Christ is found in consistent devotion, in dedicated worship and service that we offer through the up’s and down’s of our lives. "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36, NIV) Persevere means "to stick with it, to stand up when the pressure increases, to push forward against the current!" Will you?

Are you emerging from some crisis where your focus on the things of God was sharpened, where the temptations of life lost their luster and your appetite for the Lord was increased? Build on your newly deepened faith, don’t neglect or abandon it.

Here’s a word from the Word. Live it, for God’s glory.
"My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me;
he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence." (Psalm 101:6-7, NIV)