Abba Father

One of the absolute joys of my life is when my daughter Amanda calls me "Daddy". Often she'll come running across the room and give me a big hug and say, "I love you, Daddy!" Other times, she'll say, "Look what I made, Daddy" or "Will you play with me, Daddy?" The word Daddy brings with it a special and unique bond that goes light years beyond being just a biological father. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to say no when Amanda's request is followed by that wonderful term of endearment.

In Scripture, the word Abba carries the same meaning as Daddy; even Arabic children use the word Abba instead of Daddy. Now see the privilege we have as God's men that is found in Galatians 4:6-- And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. crying, "Abba! Father!" The previous verse confirms that we have been adopted into God's family through Christ's redemption of our sins on the cross. In the model prayer that Jesus gave his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13), he instructed them to address God as Our Father--the same Greek word for Abba.

Some of us have a less than ideal relationship with our earthly fathers; even to the point where it may be difficult to understand the notion of Abba Father. We must recognize that our Heavenly Father is the definition of love (1 John 4:8) and his perfect love casts out fear (v.18). We must remember that a relationship with us was so important that He allowed Jesus to suffer and die for our sins. He is never too busy, never too preoccupied, never unapproachable and never too tired to spend time with his children. Being disowned or abandoned is never possible with Abba Father.

I find it extremely comforting that the One who spoke the universe into existence and who is the Alpha and the Omega is my Daddy. And you should too!

No Room at the Inn

One of our family traditions on Christmas day is reading the story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2. The angel of the Lord appearing before the shepherds announcing the arrival of the Messiah (v. 8-12) and the multitude of angels praising God and declaring peace to believers (v. 13-14) are a few of the glorious events recorded here. Yet we also find this somewhat sobering truth from verse 7: Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger because there was no room at the inn.

Nearly two thousand years later, as the celebration of our Savior's birth get pushed further and further into a sea of other holidays under the guise of political correctness, we must ask ourselves--is there still no room at the inn? Sure, we can adopt a pharisee-like attitude and look down at those who would water down Christmas by saying "Happy Holidays" while we are pushing and shoving our way through the malls and stores trying to get just one more last-minute bargain. Amidst all of the activities and social events that revolve around Christmas day, do we ever take time to pause and reflect on the miracle that happened in Bethlehem that made these events possible?

Trust me, I'm not advocating a Grinch-like approach to Christmas. I love everything about Christmas: the special church services, the lights, the decorations, the carols, the joy and excitement in children's (and adult) faces as they open gifts, the celebrations. But what I love the most about Christmas is still that old story in Luke 2--the story that reminds us that for unto us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (v.11).

As we enjoy what is truly the most wonderful time of the year, let us not forget the miracle of Immanuel. The Wonderful Counselor. The Almighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace. And as we continue into the start of a new year, let us make sure our hearts are open to Him and that there is room at the inn.

God with Us

Very few of us are in a position at work where we can just waltz into the CEO's office, sit down and have a chat. The larger the company we work for, the more likely we are shuffled further and further away from the one in charge. If the big boss does make an appearance, it isn't likely for the purpose of building a relationship. Rather, it is probably a stress point that starts with cleaning up your work area and admonishment from your supervisor to stay busy and keep quiet while he's here.

As Christmas Day draws near, I am struck by the amazing truth that God chose to come to earth to be with his people. He chose to leave the majesty and splendor of Heaven and come to us in the least spectacular way possible--as a helpless baby born in a manger. Matthew 1:23 tells us that the virgin Mary would conceive and bear a son and he would be called Immanuel which means "God with us".

Announcing the coming of Jesus to the shepherds, the angel of the Lord said "for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Jesus was the Messiah born for us! God himself chose to dwell among his people. He chose to reveal himself in human flesh to those He created in his image. Through Jesus Christ, we get a glimpse of who God is, what matters to him, what brings him joy, what brings him sorrow. We see his love, his mercy, his grace, his forgiveness, his strength, his power. And as those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we continue to have God with us through Holy Spirit, who dwells inside each and every believer.

Jesus himself declared "whoever sees me sees him who sent me" (John 12:45). Let us not forget to rejoice in the greatest Christmas gift ever given. Jesus Christ. Immanuel. God with us.

Click Here

I can't imagine what life would be like now without the Internet. I read the Bible online. I read newspapers online. Most of my communication is online. Sites such as Facebook and Google have become virtually indispensable parts of our lives. The Internet has made global outreach and the ability to share the Good News even easier. So much information is so readily available when we follow a simple command--click here.

Unfortunately, "click here" can also get us in trouble. Our enemy is well aware that men are visually stimulated and the ability to "click here" can make us an easy mark for fiery darts that attack our purity. When we fall prey to this temptation, we can easily allow our guilt to consume us and draw us away from God. The secrecy of this temptation makes it difficult to confess and hard to stop repeat offenses. The cycle of indulging, remorse, shame and indulging again is crippling.

There are now over one million pornographic websites on the Internet; along with countless more suggestive advertisements and shows that are merely a click away. Coupled with an ever lowering moral conscience in our world, the battle for purity is only going to get tougher. As God's men, we must resolve to fight--now and united. Don't try and fight this battle alone. Share any struggle you may have with a close friend who is also committed to spiritual growth and encourage each other to maintain purity.

A good way to fight temptation is to leave up several Internet tabs on your computer that are on God-honoring websites (including this one!). Then we can make "click here" a choice that will draw us closer and not farther from our Savior.

Spit it Out

Have you ever noticed how sometimes people will be telling a story and you keep waiting for them to get to the point? You wonder if they're ever going to get there. The story keeps rambling on and on until you just want to say, "Spit it Out!" How much more do we appreciate people who are direct (and hopefully loving) and get to the point?

In Mark 10, we see the story of Jesus and his disciples leaving Jericho and along the roadside there was a blind man named Bartimaeus. The man cries out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" (v.47). When Jesus calls him over, he asks Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?", to which he replies, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." (v.51). Then Jesus says, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." and immediately Bartimaeus regains his sight! (v.52).

By referring to him as the son of David, Bartimaeus acknowledged who Jesus was--the Messiah from the House of David (Luke 1:26-33). Our Savior then reveals his servant's heart by asking him what he could do for him. Bartimaeus doesn't ramble; he cuts right to the chase in asking for his sight. And Jesus answers his prayer immediately in recognition of the rock-solid faith behind his request.

Failing to get to the point in our prayer life, much like a rambling story that never seems to end, can also make our prayers ineffective. The Lord certainly knew Bartimaeus' need for sight. What he also needed was the faith to believe that God and God alone could meet his need. Our Father stands ready, willing and able to answer our prayers if we have the confidence that says our faith in Him is unwavering. Just spit it out.

Guilt Trips

Many of us love to travel. There is something thrilling about seeing and experiencing new places. We look forward with anticipation to our vacation times; especially if it involves going someplace new or back to a familiar place that brings us pleasant memories.

Unfortunately, the travel reservation we most often make is the dreaded guilt trip. Like it or not, we all struggle with feelings of guilt from time to time. Sometimes our guilt is actually conviction from the Holy Spirit that does require repentance on our part. But more often that not, our guilt centers around past mistakes---mistakes that were dealt with at the cross. John 5:24 tells it like it is: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement but has passed from death to life. Many other verses in the Bible, including Romans 5:17, Ephesians 1:7 and Hebrews 9:14, speak to the eternal security and forgiveness that we have through the shed blood of Christ.

As God's men, we must be able to discern between these two types of guilt. False guilt over past mistakes comes straight from the pit of hell. If we allow false guilt to remain, we will begin to doubt God's promises. We will begin to feel unworthy of his love, mercy and grace. We will begin to become dual-minded and unstable in our ways. False guilt lessens our effectiveness in advancing God's Kingdom and drains the energy we need for more useful purposes.

Drawing strength from our Lord, staying grounded in the truth of His Word, obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and not dwelling on past mistakes are the keys to defeating false guilt. And just as we have choices in where we want to travel on our vacations, a guilt trip is a voyage we don't have to book.

Food and Water

I can think of anybody I know that doesn't love food. We love to talk about our favorite foods and the best places to find them and enjoy them. We even plan our days and events around food. Some of us do a good job of eating healthy while others (like me) crave stuff like pizza, cheesesteaks and buffalo wings. Yes we love food, but we also need food. We won't survive very long without it. And we can only last a few days without water.

Jesus uses food and water to teach us some very powerful Biblical truths. When his disciples were trying to get Jesus something to eat, he said to them: "I have food to eat that you do not know about...my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:30, 32). When Satan tried to tempt him in the wilderness to misuse his power and satisfy his hunger, our Lord responded: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). Regarding water, Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drank the living water that He provided, she would never thirst again and have everlasting life (John 4:10-14).

Just as our bodies can't survive physically without food and water, we can't survive spiritually without Biblical refreshment. Our diet begins with God's Word that nourishes us with His wisdom, knowledge and power. It continues with knowing God's will as he reveals it to us through His Word and Spirit and then carrying it out in our lives. Our spiritual food gives us the strength to accomplish what He has called us to do and gives us the fuel to exercise the spiritual gifts our Father has graciously given to us.

And finally, our Savior provides living water that leads to eternal life; a life not possible without His sacrificial payment of our sin debt on the cross at Calvary. Only Christ's living water can quench our spiritual thirst--a thirst that cannot be satisfied by any other worldly cause or endeavor.

Gentle and Lowly

There are several characteristics that men usually admire. Most of them revolve around power, strength, wealth and success. It's what draws us to leaders. It's probably a big reason why we love and watch sports. It's likely what excites us about thrilling, outdoor adventure that requires skill, endurance and bravery. It no doubt explains why we place such emphasis on winning and personal achievement.

Gentle and lowly are two characteristics that rarely make any one's most admired list, yet these are the very ones that our Lord Jesus Christ used to describe himself in Matthew 11:29---Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Some translations replace lowly with humble. Yet just a few verses earlier, Jesus makes it clear just how powerful he really is: All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (v.27).

Make no mistake, our Lord and Savior is exalted above all in his rightful position at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33) with the name above all names (Philippians 2:9). No one has more right to describe himself as mighty, powerful and supreme than Jesus. Yet he chose to describe himself as gentle and lowly; giving all glory and honor to God the Father. That is the example we need to admire and follow.

Discernment

I've spoken a lot lately on the notion of judging others and how only the Righteous Judge--our Lord--is qualified for that role. But what about making value judgments? Is Matthew 7 telling us not to judge when we have an important decision to make? Should we not consider character when we choose to place a certain trust in an individual? What about those of us who earn a living in the marketplace by making decisions?

As God's men, what we need is discernment. By definition, discernment is the ability to distinguish or differentiate between two or more courses of action to make the right decision. Paul makes it very clear in Hebrews 5:14 how important this is when he talks about spiritual maturity: But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. The solid food that Paul referred to--the diet that brings us discernment and spiritual strength--is the Word of God. Spiritual immaturity, or lack of discernment, is caused by not listening to biblical truth (v.11), not understanding the basic principles of Scripture (v.12) and being unskilled in the practical life application of His Word (v.13).

When Paul prayed for the church in Philippi, he prayed that the believers' love would abound with knowledge and discernment (v. 1:9). When Solomon prayed for wisdom in leading the nation of Israel, God gave him both wisdom and understanding (1 Kings 4:29). James 1:5 is our promise that if we lack wisdom, God will generously provide it to us without finding fault. Bottom line: God expects us to use our brains to make wise decisions--decisions that are passed through the filter of His truth. Time to feast!

Specks and Logs

As the Righteous Judge--the only one who is qualified to judge others--Jesus didn't mince words when he spoke about us judging others. In Matthew 7, he warns us not to judge others and that we will be judged on the measurement that we judge others (v.1-2). Now listen to the salvo he fires in verse 3: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Really hits home, doesn't it?

Just as there is a big disparity between a speck and a log, there is a wide gap in where we should be focusing in on sinfulness. Even though it is much easier to focus on other people's shortcomings, Scripture reminds us that the log in our eye keeps us from seeing things as our Righteous Judge sees them. We probably can see the specks in others because of our own familiarity with sin in our lives. Either way, our Savior goes on to tell us that we must deal with our own sin issues and we are actually hypocrites if we focus first on another person's sin: first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye (v.5). Pastor Greg Laurie says it best, "Forgiven people should be forgiving people."

Our Lord doesn't want us to have unresolved sin in our lives; nor does He want our brothers to continue to stumble and fall. We need to take care of first things first. We need to deal with the log--the spiritual blindness that is caused by our own unconfessed sin--and then allow our unclouded spiritual awareness to deal with the specks and help restore others.

Reasons to be Thankful

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays of the year. You don't have to spend too much time around me to know that two of my favorites things are eating and watching football! I loved playing in Turkey Bowl football games in the morning (until my body began convincing me that it was no longer a good idea!) and spending the rest of the day with family and friends.

Many people don't know this, but Thanksgiving Day started in 1789 by then President George Washington as a national day for giving thanks to God. The unique and abundant blessings that we as a nation enjoy are divinely provided by His hand. Scripture is filled with praises of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. Psalm 107:1--Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever is also found in eight other places in the Bible. His everlasting love, mercy and grace is reason enough to obey the commandment of 1 Thessalonians 5:18--give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I could write for days recalling the many ways God has blessed me. Allowing Christ to pay my sin debt so that I can live with him eternally, my beautiful wife and daughter whom I love with all my heart, my extended family, my church family, my friends, my ministry to the men of Ogletown, my heart for sharing the good news of God's Word, the beauty and majesty of the world He spoke into existence are just a few that quickly come to mind. Remembering these and countless other blessings certainly makes Thanksgiving Day a day worth celebrating.

The Righteous Judge

As believers, we probably don't consider God being the Righteous Judge as often as we should. Maybe it's because we know that Christ's sacrifice paid our sin debt and we've escaped eternal punishment in hell. Maybe it's because we compare ourselves to others and bask in our own self-righteousness. Or maybe it's just too uncomfortable to think about God judging our thoughts and our actions because of unrepentant sin in our lives.

Whatever the reason, we should be eternally thankful that God is the Righteous Judge. Psalm 7:11 is our assurance that He is righteous and is indignant toward wrongdoing. Ecclesiastes 3:17 is our assurance that God will judge all and that He sees all so that nothing escapes his knowledge and awareness. Jeremiah 11:20 is our assurance that because of God's righteousness, we can trust that He will deal with the unrighteous in a manner that they deserve--removing any need we would have to seek revenge. And finally, 2 Timothy 4:8 assures us that the Righteous Judge will reward those who love him and serve him for his glory.

We still need to apply biblical truth to our lives so that we have discernment in making God-honoring choices; which is vastly different from judging others. God's Word makes it crystal-clear that we are woefully unqualified to assume the title of Righteous Judge. Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37 remind us not to judge others unless we want to condemn ourselves from the same judgement. It's sad to think about how much joy and peace we sacrifice because we fail to just let the Righteous Judge be the Righteous Judge.

Bitter, Party of One

A few years ago we use to have a saying at one of my former workplaces for times when somebody complained about an unfair situation. The complainer would be chided with this not-so-sympathetic comment: "Here comes bitter, party of one".

Face it, no one enjoys being around a bitter person. Nothing kills a festive occasion or a positive experience like a person with a sour disposition or someone who is constantly whining or complaining. And for the bitter person, the worst thing is that they almost always are oblivious to the damage they cause themselves--relationally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Charles Stanley once said, "Bitterness is a poison that we concoct for someone else that we wind up drinking ourselves." Hebrews 12:15 reminds us that when the root of bitterness springs up, it causes trouble and defiles us. Since God's mercy to us is unconditional, how can we ever justify harboring any bitterness toward others?

This is serious business for God's men. There are over 300 warnings in Scripture about anger and bitterness and probably the clearest one is found in Ephesians 4:31--Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Allowing any of these emotions to take up residence in our heart has the spiritual effect of rolling out the welcome mat for Satan to enter in. Our testimony to others is too important to allow this to happen. Make "bitter, party of one" an invitation we always decline.

Obtain the Prize

One of the key lessons to be learned in growing spiritually is that God works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). This can be a difficult lesson; especially when adversity seems to destroy the very things that we work hard for and strive to accomplish.

I had the opportunity to witness something special last Friday night. My daughter's school, Red Lion Christian Academy http://www.redlionca.org/ completed their football season with a 51-0 win over a local rival. An impressive win, but what I saw was much more impressive than the final score. Coming off a very difficult and painful week in which they had to forfeit an opportunity to continue their season in the playoffs, these kids and their coaches represented RLCA as true champions in their season finale.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity and lamenting what could have been, the RLCA football team chose instead to go out as winners; playing hard with dignity and class. Rather than speak poorly of those who contributed to the adversity they endured, they chose instead to enjoy the culmination of a great season and celebrate with their fans, friends and family on the field after the game. Among the post game highlights, the team gathered as one facing their fans in the stands and in unison chanted 1 Corinthians 9:24--Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Obtaining the prize involves exercising self control (v.25), not running aimlessly (v.26) and disciplining ourselves so as to not disqualify ourselves by damaging our testimony to others (v.27). God never promised us this would be easy, but he promised to never leave us or forsake us (Joshua 1:5) and that his plans for us are to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

It's Okay to Shout

I can't think of anything that has caused more division in good churches than worship style. I grew up in a church with a traditional style of worship; signing age-old hymns which I still enjoy. But my preference is contemporary worship with guitars and drums. Thankfully, we have both styles at Ogletown; giving us a cross-generational appeal that should be a cause for praise.

While we worship corporately as a church family on Sunday, we should never pass judgement on a person's worship style or preference (as long as it doesn't disrupt the service!). I've worshipped with hands held high toward my Savior in heaven. I've worshipped with my eyes closed in prayerful remembrance of what he's done for me. I've worshipped with tears streaming down my face in sorrow for my sins or in need of intervention from Him. In every case, it is me in my sinful state coming to worship a loving, gracious and merciful Father who allowed his only son to die so that I may live.

During Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Luke records that the disciples were praising God in loud voices. The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the disciples for making so much noise, to which he responded, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40)". Psalms 95, 98 and 100 all speak of making a joyful noise to our Creator. There is no need to question whether God is offended by exuberant praise directed toward him.

Whether your desire is to sing out Rock of Ages or Hail to the King (two very different worship styles!), what matters most are the words of praise to Him and the heart of worship we bring as we lift our voices toward heaven. God would rather hear our joyful noise than the stones any day.

Making Disciples

Jesus' final words to his disciples before he ascended to heaven included this command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Although this instruction seems pretty clear, I often wonder if we really understand the concept of making disciples.

While this command clearly calls us to share the Gospel and witness to unbelievers, I believe the idea of making disciples goes much deeper. A disciple isn't just a believer or a person on the church membership roll. A disciple is someone who commits to serving Jesus as his Master and Lord. A disciple is someone who pours his God-given gifts into the lives of others for God's glory. A disciple is someone who views his life as an opportunity to advance God's Kingdom. A disciple is someone who disciples others and encourages them to make disciples and disciple others.

If we observe the lives of Jesus' disciples, we see a group of men who learned from him and watched him minister to others. The disciples learned by seeing Jesus meet human need with divine resources and they learned life lessons that our Savior taught them through parables and real-life experiences. Once we recognize that our life experiences have value and can be shared with others for the purpose of discipleship, we begin to fulfill Christ's final earthly command.

A person who witnesses and shares the gospel can certainly add to Christ's church, but a disciple who makes disciples actually multiplies the church; which will make heaven a much more populated place.

God's Character

In response to Moses' request for God to show him his glory, (Exodus 33:18) our Heavenly Father instead chose to reveal to him his character. As sinful people, we cannot fully see his glory. We can only know him by what he does and how he acts.

Accordingly, God's response to Moses was "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means will clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children and the children's children, to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7).

The message here is clear: God is faithful and merciful. He stands ready to forgive us. He is abundantly patient with those who seek him. But make no mistake, God hates evil and will not overlook unrepentant sin. As God's men, we must keep our sin accounts short and confess and forsake known sin in our lives. Our sinful actions, as well as our godly influence, impact our children and generations to come.

The bottom line is that we cannot comprehend God as he is apart from Jesus Christ, who promised to show himself to those who believe (John 14:9-21). The only way we can clear our guilty status before the Father is by claiming the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who paid our sin debt and reconciled us to Him.

Every Thought Captive

During a recent discussion with a couple of close friends of mine, the question was raised: Has there ever been a commandment of God that you've heard and then made the conscious decision to disobey it? That's one of the many things I love about hanging out with godly men; men who aren't afraid to bare their souls, drop their pretenses and be real. Talk about soul searching! The question isn't whether I ever have disobeyed, but rather how many different commands and how many times have I disobeyed. Where do I begin?

After spending some time mulling over this question, a Scripture verse (2 Corinthians 10:5) came to mind--We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. I believe this verse explains as well as any why we fail to keep God's commands--we don't take our thoughts captive. Our thoughts, as well as our words, come from the wellspring of our hearts--which are deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The battlefield in spiritual warfare is in our minds. Because of our rebellious nature, our thoughts are often going to lead us away from God and our toward own sinful desires. Taking every thought captive means examining every thing we think in light of what God has revealed to us in His Word.

Listen to the proclamation delivered in Psalm 119:11--I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. The psalmist cannot possibly say this without being immersed in Scripture; seeking to know our Lord's will and practically applying it to his life. Taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ is not possible any other way. And the best part of doing this is that pride, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, malice and hate lose their place in our lives.

Grace is not Optional

If we are ever going to grow as God's men, grace is a notion we absolutely must wrap our arms around. There have been many definitions of grace (my favorite--God's Riches at Christ's Expense) but in practical terms for us, grace is a gift that is given willingly for which there is nothing expected in return.

God didn't allow Jesus to die on the cross so that we would have to earn our way into heaven. The notion of allowing my child to die to save someone else is beyond what I can grasp, but allowing it if it wasn't absolutely necessary in completely unfathomable. Grace takes performance on our part out of the equation; replacing it with faith and trust in Christ alone. Grace is our Heavenly Father saying to us: "I love you and spending eternity apart from you is the absolute last thing I want to have happen." He made a sacrifice that is truly beyond our capability and understanding.

Scripture reminds us that it is by God's grace that we are saved, not by any of our own works (Ephesians 2:8); removing any notion of self-reliance. God's grace is sufficient for any need we face (2 Corinthians 12:9), it is available to all just by asking (Romans 5:15), it gifts us to accomplish his purpose and plan (Ephesians 3:7) and allows us to meet the needs of others (1 Peter 4:10). What more reason do we need to allow grace to permeate everything we think, say or do?

Inherit the Kingdom

I believe we forfeit much of our ability to live a victorious Christian life when we fail to remember the glorious future that awaits us as God's men. The stresses and trials that we face in the present can certainly make it difficult to look beyond today. Yet Matthew 25:34 spells it out pretty clearly: "Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Our Heavenly Father's plan from day one was for us to live with him forever in the presence of his glory. His Kingdom awaits; a place of unmatched beauty and splendor, a place where every desire of our heart will be fulfilled, a place where pain and suffering are non-existent (Revelation 21:1-4). The time we have left on earth, compared to eternity, makes the reality of the Kingdom rather imminent.

It is God's desire to give us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32) as our inheritance because we are his children. Jesus Christ called out to God as "Abba Father" (Mark 14:36) and because he paid our sin debt, we who claim him as Savior have been adopted as sons into God's family (Romans 8:15). As members of the Kingdom, we will shine brightly (Matthew 13:43), we will enjoy complete and unbroken fellowship with Him and we will praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever.

The knowledge of our inheritance gives us the power to live victoriously right here, right now. We can boldly approach God to meet our needs (Hebrews 4:16); knowing he will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), knowing that he will strengthen us and help us (Isaiah 41:10) and knowing that we are more than conquerors through him who loves us (Romans 8:37).

The Need to Simplify

It's probably never been harder for God's men to keep things simple. We go to the workplace where we are encouraged to multi-task, to do more with less, to produce, to perform. Our free time is packed with activities, commitments, things to do, places to see. Our few quiet moments become time to plan our next onslaught of items on our never-ending to-do list. Why have we bought into the notion that life has to constantly move at warp-speed? Why have we allowed our lives to become so cluttered and unbalanced?

Chuck Swindoll once said, "Every time I officiate at a funeral, I'm reminded of the things that really matter--things that last. Stuff that seemed so all-fired important yesterday loses steam when you stand on a windswept hill surrounded by weather-beaten grave markers. At that moment, something from within you cries: Simplify!"

As we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus life, we see a man who never hurried through life, never tried to multi-task, never tried to live up to someone else's (beside God's) agenda. He took time to rest, took time to be alone, took time to enjoy the people he loved the most, took time to rejoice with those who rejoiced and mourn with those who mourned. He served his Father without apology and refused to be sidetracked by meaningless pursuits. He chose a small group of men to pour into so they could carry on his ministry. He avoided tempting opportunities that could drain time, energy and resources.

When his earthly life was about to end, Jesus could boldly and confidently say: "It is finished" (John 19:30). His mission was complete and he did it without burning out trying to meet other people's expectations. Maybe it's time for us to simplify as well. Maybe we need to be reminded that God's creation didn't collapse after he took a day of rest. Maybe it's time to realize that winning the rat race only means you get to be the number one rat. Maybe it's time to remember that if we don't balance our lives, somebody less qualified will do it for us.

Just How Great Is It?

Last time, we focused on the reality of hell and the dreadful state of being completely, totally and permanently separated from God for eternity. Scripture talks about hell much more than heaven; but just as we should never diminish the seriousness of hell, we should never forget the incredible blessing that awaits each and every believer in the person of Jesus Christ.

The book of Revelation includes the vision that the apostle John was given of our final eternal destination. God sent an angel to John to bear witness to the things that are to come (1:1-2). The first 20 chapters deal with the future judgment and destination of non-believers. Verse 21 then gives us a glimpse of the glorious future that awaits those who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven is described as a place where God will dwell with his people (v.3), where there is no death, pain or sorrow (v.4); a place of beauty and radiance (v.11-22).

Its size (12,000 stadia) is slightly more than the distance between Philadelphia and Dallas. The glory of God will shine so brightly that there will be no nighttime, no darkness (v.23-26). There will be no presence of sin or evil (v.27).

While it is relatively easy to see how awful hell is, I believe it is harder to imagine how great heaven is because it is so far removed from the sin-stained world we live in. Human words cannot completely describe the majesty of a place where the presence of God reigns supreme; a place that our Lord himself is preparing for us to receive us unto him for eternity (John 14:2-3).

Just How Bad Is It?

Hell is a place most people don't want to think about. Many belief systems--even some that claim to fall under the umbrella of Christianity--actually deny the existence of a literal hell. Some non-believers think that hell is going to be one big party with all of their friends. If hell really exists (it does), just how bad is it?

The Book of Revelation describes hell as a real literal place--a place of eternal torment (20:10). It is a lake of fire that burns continuously (19:20), the second death (20:14)--not exactly a cocktail party. It's inhabitants include Satan (20:10), those who haven't put their faith in Jesus Christ (20:15) and unbelieving sinners (21:8). 1 Thessalonians 1:9 calls it a place of eternal destruction and punishment and yet worst of all, it is a place that is completely, totally and permanently separated from the presence of the Lord.

Camp out on that thought for a moment--the idea of total separation from God. To be banished forever from his love, his goodness, his provision, his mercy and his presence. Knowing that part of dying on the cross to pay for our sins would require him to be separated from God for just a few hours made our Lord Jesus Christ literally sweat drops of blood in anguish (Luke 22:44). And after the beatings and whippings that he endured along with the crucifixion, it was the actuality of being separated from the Father that made Jesus cry out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46).

Knowing just how bad hell really is should prompt a two-fold response from God's men. First, we should praise God for his mercy and grace in allowing Jesus to pay our sin debt and avoid eternal separation from Him. Secondly, knowing that we have friends, family members and others in this world who are lost should prompt us to share the good news of what Christ has done for us and to pray that their eyes would be open to see that hell is even worse than they could ever imagine.

The Flock

Last time, we looked at God as Yahweh Roi--Our Shepherd--and the many blessings we have as members of his flock. Comparing ourselves to a flock of sheep may not be a comforting thought because, let's face it, sheep have a reputation for being dumb, meek and completely helpless creatures. Not exactly the list of qualities that we men aspire to, is it?

Sheep, by nature, are followers. There is a true story about an entire flock of sheep that was lost at sea because a ram jumped overboard and the rest of the sheep foolishly followed and ultimately drowned. Sheep are also natural wanderers, which makes the job of a shepherd a necessity. They are easy prey for many aggressive animals in the wild and they need to be sheared of their heavy wool coats or they will literally topple over; unable to get up.

Whether we like it or not, we too are often very sheep-like. We foolishly play follow the leader; knowing that the we are being led into destructive behavior. We often wander aimlessly through life and become unaware of the danger around us. And without a Shepherd to protect us, we are easy prey for an enemy who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).

Thankfully, our Heavenly Father knows us and knows what we need. He allowed his only Son to be the sacrificial lamb to take away our sin. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6-7). The Lamb of God is not a helpless follower, but rather the One that leads us from death into life. For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water (Revelation 7:17).

My Shepherd

Have we heard the words of Psalm 23 so many times that they don't even sink in anymore? Even non-believers know the words from countless funerals or other events where this all-too-familiar passage is recited. Before we allow the words of this treasured Psalm to ring hollow, we need to spend some time reflecting on the many blessings our Shepherd provides to us. The promises and truths of the 23rd Psalm are worth camping out on.

Yahweh Roi (Hebrew for Lord the Shepherd) meets all of the needs of those under his care. He provides rest, refreshment and restoration from the struggles and trials of day-to-day living. He leads and guides us in making wise decisions. He directs us in the path of righteousness. He stands with us during times of fear and uncertainty. He protects us from evil and removes the fear of death. He gives us comfort in his power and might. He shows favor to those He loves and blesses beyond what we can imagine.

In Old Testament times, the shepherd was responsible for the welfare of his flock--a flock that was helpless to take care of itself. Apart from our Shepherd, we too are helpless to take care of ourselves. But praise the Lord our Shepherd for watching over us day and night, protecting us and caring for us and keeping us safe in the path of righteousness. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (v.6).

A Wise Man Once Said

King Solomon, whom the Bible tells us was the wisest man who ever lived, penned some very powerful words in Scripture. Proverbs is full of rich spiritual wisdom and a book that God's men should often revisit. Ecclesiastes was written near the end of his life; at a time when Solomon realized that many of things he pursued had no lasting value, meaning or purpose.

Ecclesiastes 5 gives us a great snapshot of things that we traditionally value that ultimately leave us dissatisfied. Verses 1 through 7 emphasize the foolishness of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God. Verses 8 and 9 remind us that while those who rule over us may oppress, ultimately they will be held to a higher standard. Some of the most miserable people in the world are those who try to follow God's holy standards (and fail) without building a personal relationship with Christ. They can commiserate with those who worry and complain about the unfairness of life.

The rest of the chapter deals with the subject of wealth and enjoyment--something Solomon as the wealthiest man who ever lived--was qualified to speak on. He noted that the drive for wealth does not satisfy and can bring on it's own set of troubles, such as attracting dependents (v.11) and causing restlessness (v.12). Verses 13-17 remind us how easily wealth can be lost; making it a very unstable foundation for life.

What a bleak picture Solomon has painted, right? Not so. In verse 18, he unlocks the often elusive key to satisfaction. We are reminded to enjoy the fruits of our labor and to accept our position in life with joy. To cherish the blessings we have instead of coveting what we don't have will help keep us from chasing after the wind. ...to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God. (v.19)

Timeless and Timely

In reflecting on the life of King David, the Apostle Paul referred to him as a man who "served the purpose of God in his own generation" (Acts 13:36). Since we know that David was a man after God's own heart, it makes sense that we as God's men should follow his example. To effectively serve Him, we need to embrace the notion of timeless and timely.

God purpose is eternal and timeless. His purpose remains unchanged since the beginning of time. His desire is for us to know Him, to have intimate fellowship with Him and to tell others of his love for them. In his own generation means we are to be contemporary and timely. We need to reach others and relate to people as they live right now. Abandon your comfort zone. When you read of Christ's earthly ministry in the Gospels, he didn't just hang out in the temple and wait for people to find him. He went out and met human need with divine resources.

Eternal and timeless means the truth of God's Word is still the truth---yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. We should never compromise the truth in the hopes of reaching the lost but rather share and show how God's love has changed us from the inside out. Contemporary and timely means right here, right now. Thankfully, we don't have to carve out the message on stone tablets! We can embrace available technology and share biblical truth with our Facebook friends and send messages of hope and encouragement. When God promised that his Word would never return empty (Isaiah 55:11), he didn't put any conditions on how it needed to be delivered.

To be great at the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) demands that we be timeless and timely. To view where He has placed us as our personal mission field. To be men after God's heart. Like David. In our generation.

The Lords of Hosts

Although there is only one true God who exists in three person---Father, Son and Spirit, Scripture records many different names for Him. Each name reveals a truth or character about Him that is worthy of our worship and praise. One of my favorites, especially when things in life don't seem to make sense and everything seems to be spinning out of control, is Yahweh Tseboath; which means the Lord of Hosts.

Let the Word of God explain what this name means: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (Psalm 46:10-11). The Lord of Hosts means He is supreme over all other beings and events in the physical and spiritual universe. This entire Psalm speaks to God's power and control over all things that have happened, are happening, and will happen in the future. God is always involved, always on the scene, always in control, never late, never out of the loop, never caught off guard and always accomplishing His purpose and plans. Isaiah 14:26-27 assures us that if the Lord of Hosts has planned it, nothing can stop it.

Notice what David said as he faced what appeared to be an impossible situation in fighting Goliath: "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down...(1 Samuel 17:45-46).

It is with that same confidence in the Lord of Hosts that the psalmist can say: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way.. (v.1-2). As God's men, we must have the same confidence in knowing that the battle always belongs to the Lord.

A Familiar Game Plan

I'm a sports guy, so I use a lot of sports analogies. When a football coach scouts his opponent, he watches what type of plays they run and tries to determine what their game plan might look like. The successful coach is often the one who notices familiar patterns in play-calling and prepares accordingly.

In the spiritual battles we face, our enemy may be formidable and relentless, but his game plan is all too familiar. Time to do a little scouting. In Matthew 4, notice how Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. First, to satisfy his hunger, he tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread (v.2-3). Next, he tempted him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple to allow the angels to rescue him (v, 5-6). And finally, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would bow down and worship him (v.8-9). The enemy challenged Jesus to misuse his divine authority by saying "If you are the Son of God" (v. 3, 6).

After all of these years, Satan still calls the same plays. He tempts us to rely on ourselves rather than God. He tempts us to take ungodly actions and then expect God to bless them. He tempts us to take our eyes of the Lord and worship him and the things of the world. He tempts us with promises that he can't deliver so that we will buy into his lies and ignore God's truth. He tempts us to accept cheap imitations rather than the blessings that God wants to give us, which are always His best.

Our Savior's response (v. 4, 7, 10) should be our response--complete and total reliance on the Word of God. Then, our enemy's familiar game plan will once again bring about a familiar result--his defeat.

You Alone

There are times when the words of a song resonate so loudly in your heart that you literally stop in your tracks. A recent song--Matt Redman's "You Alone Can Rescue"--had that kind of impact on me. I mentioned this song to Adam Cooke, one of our worship leaders, and it is now a favorite worship song at OBC. Hear the words of the chorus:

You alone can rescue. You alone can save. You alone can lift us from the grave. You came down to find us, led us out of death. To you alone belongs the highest praise.

What a powerful proclamation of Jesus Christ! Our Savior, God's only son, is the only one who can rescue and save us from our sinful state. Christ alone defeated death on the cross and rose from the dead and He alone can raise us from death to eternal life. Christ alone came down from Heaven and lived among men; giving him the name Immanuel, which means God with us. Christ alone was both fully God and fully man; so he was tempted just as we are and understood human weakness, yet he lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). Christ alone, because of his sinless perfection, could pay for the sins of the world to satisfy the wrath of God. Christ alone, when lifted high, has the power to draw people unto him (John 12:32). And only Christ, because of what he did on Calvary, deserves the highest praise.

Yes, Lord Jesus. You alone.

True Freedom

As believers in the person of Jesus Christ, we probably don't fully appreciate that we have the benefit of true freedom. We probably don't even understand completely what true freedom is. And because of this, we probably don't have as much of an impact in our spiritual life as we could have. So what exactly is true freedom?

True freedom is the security of knowing that our sins--past, present and future--have been paid for by the shed blood of Christ. True freedom is knowing that without that payment, our penalty would be death (Romans 6:23) but with it, we have eternal life with Him. True freedom is knowing that our salvation is based on God's grace alone, through faith alone, in trusting Christ alone. True freedom is knowing that we did nothing to earn our salvation and we can do nothing to lose our salvation. True freedom is knowing that we can't add to or subtract from our salvation. True freedom is knowing that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5) and through Him we can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

True freedom is knowing that serving Him can be completely based on a heart of gratitude for what God has done and not out of a sense of guilt or obligation. True freedom is knowing that we can offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) without having to worry about how we measure up to others. True freedom is knowing that God's Word is always true, always available and always applicable to whatever we face in life. True freedom is knowing that God is all powerful, all knowing, always present and promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). True freedom is knowing that God's grace is always sufficient and his strength is perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God gave us true freedom through his Son so that we could live and live life abundantly. True freedom is ours to honor and glorify Him. It is our blessing to enjoy.

In Case You Missed It

As we read and study Scripture, we should pay special attention to the times that the Lord repeats himself. It is almost as if He's saying to us: "In case you missed it, here is something I've already told you that you need to remember."

In Joshua 1, the Lord commands Joshua to be strong and courageous not once, not twice, but three separate times (v. 6, 7 and 9). God had just reminded him the promise he had made to Moses when he freed his people from Egypt to give them their home and that He would never leave or forsake them (v. 3-5). Along the way, He commands Joshua not to depart or deviate in any way from the Book of the Law and he will be successful (v. 7-8). Why did God need to remind Joshua three times to be strong and courageous?

Imagine for a moment if God had just given Joshua the command to take Jericho as recorded in Joshua 6 without preparing him first. The conversation could have gone like this: "Okay Josh, here's what's gonna happen. Your gonna march around this heavily armed and fortified city for six days. Then on day 7, take seven more laps around it , blow the trumpets and the walls of Jericho are going drop like a bad habit." We can imagine the multitude of ways Joshua might have reacted--probably none of them positive--and certainly fear would have been present.

In our fast-paced lives where we are trying to do more and more as fast as possible, we must remember that the Lord is often working behind the scenes which makes His timing more important than ours. God's calling in our life is rarely crystal-clear and the methods that He chooses to accomplish it are often beyond our understanding. But if our Heavenly Father chooses to repeat himself, we better choose to pay attention.

Ready, Willing & Able

Award winning author Lee Strobel, in his current book The Unexpected Adventure, shares with us the excitement of his experiences in sharing the Gospel. "You don't need to have all the answers to every theological question. All you have to do is authentically follow Christ in your own life and ask him to ambush you with opportunities. Simply put, our role is this: to be ready and willing---because God is always able."

Being ready means spending time in God's Word and allowing it to speak to our hearts and applying it to our lives. We don't need to have the entire Bible memorized in order to share with others how it has impacted our lives. Being willing means taking advantage of God-given opportunities to share the truth with those around us. It involves a desire to embrace the personal mission field He has given you to as his ambassador. God has proven his faithfulness throughout Scripture and it should be great comfort to us in knowing that He uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for his honor and glory. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Samuel are just a few examples of those who were willing to follow God's command and were commended for their faithfulness (Hebrews 11).

The surest part of this equation rests in our Heavenly Father. As the Creator of heaven and earth who spoke everything into existence, He alone is able to accomplish his purposes and plans. His choosing to involve us in his work should be a continual source of praise and worship. There is no greater honor.

Our Internal Friend

One of the major milestones in my personal walk with the Lord was when I started to focus of the third person of the Trinity; the One who is probably least understood but nonetheless vitally important in our lives.

At the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. But the truth is the Holy Spirit began His work long before that. John 6:44 tells us that The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of our sin and the need for a Savior. He is the One who leads us to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Our rescue from death and eternal separation from God wouldn't be possible without his work. And it doesn't stop there. When Jesus told his disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit---He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8)--he made it clear that the spirit's work would be ongoing. He is our guide into all truth (John 16:13).

It's easy for many to mistake this as our conscience; as even non-believers have a conscience which can sometimes guide them to make good choices. But the Holy Spirit is much different. Because God exists in three persons and the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, we literally have God residing inside of us. As God's men, when we feel the inclination to sin, that internal feeling that we shouldn't isn't our conscience. Rather it is the Holy Spirit once again convicting us; not to condemn us, but to help us and guide us in the right direction. He is truly our internal friend.

Impress or Influence

Often we hear certain quotations that have a lasting impact on our lives; things that change how we think and how we evaluate the things we do.

In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren gives plenty of solid, Scriptural advice on how to live a life of purpose to impact God's Kingdom--for His honor and glory. Recognizing that living a life that has Kingdom-purpose requires several fork-in-the-road decisions, Warren offers up this pearl that greatly impacted my life: "At some point in your life, you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people."

If we choose to be really honest with ourselves, we will find that much of what we do and many of the decisions we make are based on the impression we want to give others. Far too often, we want people to think we are smarter, richer and more successful than we really are. If we are going to be great at the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31), we must realize that it is far more important to influence people for God's Kingdom than to try and impress them with our own trumped up image of ourselves.

God's Word gives us plenty of motivation to move in the right direction. Proverbs 13:7 tells us that those who live a showy life actually have nothing of real, eternal value. One day, we will all stand before God to give an account for our life (Romans 14:10-12) and He will certainly be far less impressed with our possessions and our bank accounts. As God's men, we were made for eternity, so it stands to reason that our Heavenly Father is more interested in things that have eternal value. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

The Beauty of Baptism

It is always a tremendous day in God's house when people submit to believer's baptism. I know there are many different views on baptism, but I hold fast to the belief that it symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ---the conquering of death and securing eternal life---which is the basis of our salvation. I also hold fast to the belief that in order to understand the significance of this act, one must have made the decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior and accepted his sacrificial death on the cross to pay their sin debt.

Baptism is also an act of obedience to God's will. It is a public identification as a believer in the person of Jesus Christ. I know there are some believers who haven't taken this step, for whatever reason, and I believe that they are missing out on a tremendous blessing. In Luke 3, we see the public ministry of John the Baptist; a fulfillment of the words of the prophet Elijah--The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord (v.4). John foretold of the coming of Christ (v.15-18) and then in verse 21, we see Jesus submit to baptism. Then watch what happens next: The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." (v.22)

Make no mistake; our Heavenly Father is well pleased when we submit to Him and identify publicly with his Son. If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior and you haven't submitted to believer's baptism, there is a beautiful blessing waiting just for you.

The Majesty of His Creation

I find it interesting that we usually only think about God's creation when we observe some spectacular or unusual feature in nature. Flying into Salt Lake City this week as someone who has spent most of his life in pancake-flat Delaware, I was in complete awe of the Wasatch mountains. To see the rise of these majestic mountains; to observe the great canyons and valleys and then to recognize that they were spoken into existence as just a piece of our Heavenly Creator's work is truly beyond human comprehension.

I've had a few other "majesty" moments in my lifetime--places like Niagara Falls, Diamond Head and the Smokey Mountains--that have made me stop in my tracks in amazement. These moments are reminders that we live in an incredibly beautiful world that is a masterpiece of the Divine Creator. My amazement then shifts to the absurdity of other belief systems that attribute the beauty and splendor of His handiwork to some unexplained scientific phenomenon that occurred by chance.

Yet to take the majesty of His creation for granted or to only recognize it during these "majesty" moments is to rob us of the awesome power of His hand. It diminishes our view of El-elyon--the God Most High (Genesis 14:22). To take time--every day--to pray and reflect on all of the many different aspects of God's creation is the essence of worship.

I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself. (Isaiah 44:24)

The Weapon to Fight Temptation

In our ongoing battle as God's men to fight temptation, we would be wise to observe how Jesus handled Satan's attempt to undermine his earthly mission. In Luke 4, we read about the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness prior to the start of his public ministry. Several key things are worth noting.

First, Satan came after Jesus when he was alone and isolated. After having fasted for 40 days, he was also hungry and probably tired as well. Our enemy knows that we are most vulnerable in any of these states. Secondly, the enemy tries to convince us that God's plan for us isn't really our best option. Twice (vs. 3, 9) he directly challenges Jesus' authority--If you are the Son of God... to tempt him to rely on his own ability rather than on God's provision. Thirdly, the evil one offers the promise of reward without ever disclosing the true cost of disobedience and he's been doing that since the Garden of Eden. He promised Jesus authority over all of the world's kingdoms if he would bow down and worship him (v. 5-7); failing to mention that it was a direct violation of the first Commandment (Exodus 20:2-3).

Jesus fought Satan's temptations by quoting Scripture, which is always our best weapon in fighting the enemy's lies. Our Savior's responses "Man shall not live by bread alone" (v.4), "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve" (v.8) and "You shall not put the Lord your God to test" (v.12) are wise words to live by. God knows what we need, beyond our physical and temporal needs. We must make God the top priority in our lives and seek to serve Him and not our own selfish desires. And finally, we should never try to distort the truth that God has revealed to us to justify ungodly actions.

Search the Scriptures

Since we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 10:9), how are we as God's men to proceed in building on that knowledge? How can we discern godly truth from worldly lies? How can we be sure that the things we've heard presented as Biblical truth are really part of God's revealed will?

Acts 17:11 provides us with a practical and time-honored method. Upon arriving in the Jewish synagogue in Berea, Paul and Silas found a body of believers who eagerly received the preaching of the Word, but it didn't stop there. This passage tells us that they searched the Scriptures to see if what was being preached was actually true in accordance with God's Word. As a result of their effort to study and examine, Luke records that the Bereans were more noble than their counterparts in Thessalonica, who likely weren't as diligent in reading Scripture.

Many sayings that have been incorrectly linked to the Bible, (i.e. "God helps those who help themselves") can be refuted by following the Berean example. Luke encourages searching the Scriptures as a pattern for all believers to follow; knowing that God's Word can be rightly understood as doctrine. By claiming the promises of James 1:5, Proverbs 2:6 and Romans 11:33, we can enjoy the richness of wisdom in understanding God's Word. Eager and diligent searching of the Scriptures with dependence on God for help is all that is required.

The Beginning of Wisdom

Most of us would probably rank wisdom pretty high on the scale of importance. We all seek wisdom in some form before we make big decisions. We'd all probably like to think that we are wise. Or maybe we hide in fear for thinking that we really aren't very wise.

By definition, wisdom is the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action, sagacity (the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations), discernment or insight (dictionary.com). By definition, wisdom implies knowing truth from lies and using it to make sound decisions and take necessary action.

This definition drives home the truth of Proverbs 10:9---The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Wisdom begins when we recognize that because God is truth, he is the One we must seek to discern truth from lies. It is through the wisdom our Lord provides in his Word that we can make the right decisions and take the right actions. Proverbs 13:9 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth through his wisdom. Proverbs 28:26 reminds us that relying on our own instincts over godly wisdom is a foolish move. Colossians 2:23 assures us that worldly wisdom will always drive us to satisfy our sinful desires.

We need never fear asking for wisdom because of the promise of James 1:5---if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who give generously to all without reproach and it will be given him.

Celebrating My Birthday

Yes, today is my birthday and thanks to Facebook, I get more birthday wishes than I could have ever imagined. I've passed all the milestone birthdays that people generally celebrate (without wishing they were at 29 and holding!) so it really isn't a big deal to me. But it does make me think about my real birthday--June 2, 1998--the day I was born-again.

On that day, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I was attending the funeral of a friend's father and Pastor Gary Hayden shared the Gospel during the service and extended an invitation to allow Christ into my heart. The God-sized hole in my heart that I poured so many other things into was finally filled.

My life changed that day, but in reality God had been working on me for years. I was like millions of others who believed in God but didn't know Jesus. I stumbled around through life, convincing myself that I was basically a good person and rationalizing that my sins weren't the really bad ones and God would accept me based on my own distorted standards. Looking back, I can remember hearing the Gospel but refusing to accept the truth that I needed to be born-again. I know that other believers prayed for my salvation. I know that God put people in my path and worked events in my life to bring me to my spiritual birthday. I know that the angels in Heaven rejoiced that day as one more lost soul came home to the Father.

No matter how old you are, the day you accepted Jesus Christ and became birthed into the family of God is a day worth celebrating. Remember it. Rejoice in it. And go share it with someone who needs a birthday of their own.

One Thing I Do

We as people are often defined in terms of what we do. When you meet someone at a social gathering, the question, "so what do you do for a living" or "where do you work" often comes up quickly. Our identity or other people's perception of us is largely shaped by the answers to these questions, yet many of us probably haven't given much thought to having a well-defined personal life mission statement.

The apostle Paul didn't have this problem. As a Pharisee and a diligent Bible scholar, he had credentials that would impress anyone. But notice how his changed life from knowing Christ shaped his statement: But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

In his personal life mission statement, Paul makes it clear that he isn't a jack-of-all-trades or someone looking to multitask. We see that he refuses to rest on his laurels or be bound by past mistakes. He acknowledges that moving forward is difficult and arduous. He recognizes that his goal requires perseverance and effort. He knows the prize of the upward call of God far surpasses anything else he could do in terms of eternal value and significance.

How we finish the statement: "This one thing I do..." says a lot about where God fits into our lives and whether or not we are great at the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31). So how would you finish that statement?

Just Do It

Unless you've been asleep for the last 30 plus years, you've undoubtedly heard the saying Nike made famous: Just Do It! Untold millions of dollars and countless celebrity endorsements have centered around this widely successful ad campaign. The message is to go out and make something happen (wearing your Nike apparel, of course!). I'm a big fan of the Nike slogan and it isn't just because I like their shoes and shirts.

James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers. For the Bible to have any real positive impact in our lives, we must allow it to take root. James uses the analogy of looking at oneself in the mirror and seeing imperfections. A doer will take notice and make necessary changes, while the hearer quickly forgets and goes about his way without any change taking place (v.23-24). We have everything to gain by being doers---but the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (v.25).

As God's men, we have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to illuminate God's truth as revealed in His Word. Knowing the truth, we can be hearers or doers. Just do it!

The Eyes, Ears and Face of the Lord

The Apostle Peter's epistles were written as a source of encouragement to the first century church which was experiencing great persecution under Emperor Nero. Peter knew first-hand the sufferings of Christ and also recalled that his friend and Savior revealed that he too would suffer in spreading the Gospel.

During our own seasons of struggle in our faith, we would be wise to remember 1 Peter 3:12-- For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil. This verse assures us that God is aware of everything we are facing and that he sees how we handle adversity. That his ears are open to our prayers fulfills the promise Jesus made that whatever we pray in His name, God will answer (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-26). We need to fight our battles on our knees and not in our own strength. God doesn't promise that we won't endure suffering, but he does promise to give us the grace we need to sustain us in times of need (1 Peter 5:10).

Seeing evil appear to triumph is often a huge source of discouragement, but Peter address that as well. He urges us to avoid speaking lies and spreading evil and instead pursue peace. (1 Peter 3:10-11). That the face of God is against those that do evil allows us to rest in the truth that his goodness and holiness surpass the powers of darkness. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection from the dead assures us the ultimate victory over evil (v.18-22).

Notice the Response

To understand how God views mankind, sometimes we need to look no further than the Gospel recordings of Jesus' earthly ministry. Our Savior encountered people of all walks of life and in all types of spiritual need. By noticing his response to various situations we gain valuable insight into how God views human interaction.

To an inquisitive and possibly teachable Pharisee who asked him what was the greatest commandment, he replied in a way that pointed out how much his group had missed the mark: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). To those who wanted to stone an adulteress, he said the one who was sinless could go first (John 8:7); a reminder that we in our sinful state aren't fit to pass judgment on others. Jesus later extended mercy to the same woman and commanded her to stop repeating her sin (v.9-11) which reminds us that forgiveness is ours when we repent but repentance also requires change on our part.

Jesus reacted with anger when the money-changers did business in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13) instead of revering it as a place of worship. He rebuked his disciples when they tried to keep children away (Matthew 19:13-15) which shows us that he is pleased when we seek him with the wonder of a child. When his followers were focused on personal greatness, he reminded them that the least would be first (Matthew 20:26-28) and humility was more important than pride of achievement.

Our Savior saved his harshest rebukes for the Pharisees; who abused their religious authority (Matthew 23:16-29) by focusing on legalistic traditions that actually hindered spiritual growth and revealed their blindness to who God really is. He forgave his friend Peter, who just three days earlier had denied him (John 21:15-23) which shows us the value of restored relationships. He showed patience with Thomas who had doubts (John 20:25-29) to remind us the importance of faith in things unseen.

There are many others, but you get the idea. Often the key to understanding the ways of God and seeing things the way he does is as simple as noticing the response of Christ.

Accept No Substitutes

In 2000, a book that tells the history of American advertising was published entitled "Accept No Substitutes". I find it ironic that an industry that usually thrives in enticing people to acquire material things that they want (but don't necessarily need) would have such a title. Why? Because there is an area of our lives that has nothing to do with material things that should be the one place where we accept no substitutes.

As followers of the person of Jesus Christ, we have a formidable enemy who has made it his goal to substitute God's best for his cheap and costly imitations. As early as the Garden of Even, Satan's bait-and-switch tactics began as he convinced Eve to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit with the promise that you will not surely die (Genesis 3:4). Much like a clever ad agency, he plays on our desires and entices us to buy; never allowing us to see the fine print or the warning label that tells the real story behind the product.

Thankfully, we have a spiritual equivalent to Consumer Reports which allows us to make the necessary product evaluation. By taking our sinful desires and comparing them to what is revealed in God's Word, we will clearly see that what our enemy is offering as a can't miss, once in a lifetime, you deserve it, you can't live without it proposition is nothing more than a low-quality substitute. A substitute we should never accept.

In His Own Image

One of the most powerful Biblical truths is found in Genesis 1:27--So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. From this, there are several realities that we must allow to take shape in our lives.

First, we must realize that we are the prize of God's creation. We didn't evolve from some lower species; mankind was the centerpiece of God's creation. His intention was to bless us with dominion over every other living creature (v. 28-30). Up to this point in God's creation, He had deemed everything to be good. Then after God created man, He declared his creation to be very good (v. 31).

Secondly, we must realize that God cares for us and wants us to draw close to him (James 4:8). He knows our needs and stands ready to meet them (Luke 12:28-30). He doesn't want us to be afraid of what might happen, but rather He wants us to rest in the security of his everlasting goodness, mercy and grace (Isaiah 41:10, 13) (Romans 8:28). He wants us to boldy approach him in prayer so that we may find the peace that passes all understanding (Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6-7).

And above all, God wants to transform us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. Because we are born with a sinful nature, God's desire for our lifetime is to grow in Christ-likeness; to allow our thoughts, words and actions to be modeled after the person of Jesus Christ. This allows us to be image-bearers of the One who created us in his own image.

Confession and Repentance

In dealing with the sin problem that has plagued mankind since the Garden, two things are needed from both God and man. God dealt with the sin problem by giving us both mercy and forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ. Our part involves confession and repentance. Confessing our sins and accepting Jesus' payment for our sin debt is part one and is usually the easier part (although a hardened heart doesn't see the need for confession). Part two--repentance--can be a little tougher to grasp, yet is absolutely essential.

Confessing means to admit our sin and see it as God sees it--as an offense to his holiness. Repenting means to feel sorrow for sin as to be disposed to change our life for the better. Without repentance--without a change in our life--we easily fall prey to the same sins over and over again. Notice what happened in John 8 as Jesus charged those who had brought the woman caught in adultery to cast the first stone if they themselves were without sin. When all who had accused her departed because they couldn't meet this impossible requirement, Jesus assured the woman of his forgiveness and commanded her to go and sin no more (v.11). Our Savior knew that repentance is the key to lasting change and victory over our sinful nature.

1 John 1:9 promises that God will forgive us and cleanse us if we confess our sins. 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us that God's desire is that no one should perish and that all would repent. God's already done his part. Now it's our turn.

Good Soil

The survival of any plant, flower or tree depends on how it is planted and the environment in which it is allowed to grow. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 shows us three paths that a believer can take; depending on how their faith is rooted and developed. It speaks about the type of environment in which the truth is planted: rocky ground, among thorns or good soil.

A heart that was sown on rocky ground will hear the truth and joyfully receive it, but because of its lack of a strong root system, will wither under trial and persecution (v.20-21). A heart sown among thorns also hears the truth but quickly lets the thorns of unbiblical lies choke it out from lack of discernment (v.22). A heart sown on good soil is fertile in receiving the Gospel, is receptive to its ongoing teaching and continues to feed and nurture its root system so that is can continue to grow and bear fruit (v.23)

During the intense heat of the summer with no rainfall for days, weeds can continued to grow and thrive while desired plants and flowers continually need water and nurturing to survive. Our spiritual walk can also become choked out from the weeds and thorns of our enemies lies if we fail to plant ourselves in the good soil of God's Word and stay properly watered and fed.

What Your Children Need

Men of Integrity has a very powerful devotional theme this week: How to Be a Caring Dad. Woven throughout this week's writings is the notion that no matter what age they are, our children need two things--encouragement and unconditional love. So the question for God's men is this: Are you providing encouragement and unconditional love to your children? Or better yet, ask your children if they are getting these things from you.

Ephesians 6:4 is a crucial memory verse for every Christian dad---Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Our children need to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we love them and are behind them no matter what. Setting unrealistic goals and expectations will tell our children that our love for them is performance-based and conditional. Sarcasm and criticism will quickly discourage our children and force them to seek approval and validation from other sources; which likely will not be God-honoring. If we don't demonstrate unconditional love to our children, how can we possibly expect them to understand the Gospel and accept Christ's unconditional love?

Our God-given role as fathers is to disciple our children in the instruction of the Lord. It starts by loving God with all of our heart, soul and might. It continues with taking God's Word and binding it to our hearts and allowing our children to see it make a difference in our lives. It is carried out by living and sharing life with our children and using every opportunity to pour Biblical truth into their hearts and minds (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). And finally, it is giving them the encouragement and the unconditional love that best comes from their Daddy!

God Shed His Grace on Thee

My wife Cheryl, my daughter Amanda and I enjoyed a fireworks show after the Blue Rocks game on Friday. During the show, a 10-year-old girl was singing a medley of patriotic songs which was truly a nice addition. As I was taking in the spectacular displays and enjoying the songs, my attention really zoned in on the words of "America the Beautiful".

Notice the marvel and awe in God's creation: Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. Notice the recognition of His favor upon a land that was founded by godly men who desired the freedom to worship Him: America! America! God shed his grace on thee. Notice the desire for His continued blessing: And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. There are actually eight verses to this incredible song of praise with six of them repeating the awesome truth that God shed his grace on thee.

God's grace on our country is not by accident, nor is it to be taken for granted. Our Heavenly Father has blessed America abundantly because we are a nation founded on His principles and His truth. As God's men, let us pray diligently for continued grace for our nation and claim the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14--if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

All Things in Common

God creating mankind for the purpose of fellowship and unity is well documented throughout Scripture. We see this especially in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts. After the arrival of the Holy Spirit and Paul's sermon at Pentecost where over three thousand people were saved and baptized (Acts 2:14-41), notice the description of the believers who comprised the first church:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common (Acts 2:42-44).

What we see here in the early church was a commitment to learning the things of God and spending time together. We see joy and amazement at the things being revealed by the Holy Spirit. We see believers eating together, praying together and ministering to each other. Scripture records that these believers came from many different lands, so there was no hint of prejudice but rather a unity that came through their common bond of belief in Christ. What a great example to follow!

Lessons From Peter

Few Biblical characters can generate a wider range of opinions than Peter. He answered Christ's call to leave his profession and follow him (Luke 5:8-11). He was a devoted follower of Christ; part of his inner circle. He passionately preached the Gospel at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41). Yet he also denied his Savior three times (Luke 22:54-62) after Jesus was arrested and taken away to be crucified; just hours after declaring he would follow Jesus to his death (v.33). What then, can we learn from this man whom Jesus declared he would use to build his church?

First of all, it is critical that we know Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Peter knew exactly who Jesus was. While the Jewish people were all trying to figure out who this remarkable teacher was who had come on to the scene, it was Peter who declared "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Secondly, our Lord is keenly aware of when we sin and deny him. Though he was off in the distance, Jesus made eye contact with Peter after he denied him three times (Luke 22:60-62). Thirdly, our Lord stands ready to restore our relationship with him when we confess and repent of our sins. Jesus forgave Peter and charged him with continuing in the ministry he had started (John 21).

Peter, like each one of us, was created in God's image. God had a purpose and plan for his life, just like he does for us. Peter's mistakes didn't invalidate God's plan to use him to build his everlasting church (Matthew 16:18). And in spite of our failings and our shortcomings, God can do mighty things through us if we are willing to be yielded to Him and not our own sinful desires.

One More Prayer Worth Praying

Sticking with the prayers worth praying theme, here's one that is for those who are absolutely serious about following God's will for their life. James Ryle (http://www.truthworks.org/) shared this prayer with us at Promise Keepers and told us it wasn't for the faint-hearted and he was right! This is a prayer that should come with a warning label---Praying this prayer with all of your heart will radically alter your life. Ready? Here goes: Lord Jesus, do in me anything you need to do so that you can do through me everything you want me to do.

Praying this prayer recognizes that God's will for your life is to become more like the person of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:3). It is in alignment with the model prayer that Jesus gave his disciples that says "Your Kingdom come, your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). It acknowledges that God's ways--righteous and holy--are higher than our ways--sinful and self-centered--and his thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). It realizes that God has gifted us with certain gifts, talents and abilities and they are to be used for his honor and glory (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12).

I believe God is pleased when his men pray this prayer because, more than anything else, it says that we are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and we are willing to let God do whatever is necessary to make us into the men He wants us to be. You can be absolutely sure our Heavenly Father stands ready and able to answer this prayer. Are you ready?

Another Prayer Worth Praying

Father's Day is a call for God's men to celebrate. Unfortunately this time of year, much is said and written about the absence of fathers and its affect on the home and on the multitude of social problems we face. I don't want to minimize the truth of these issues caused by fathers failing to live up to their responsibilities. Rather, I want to encourage fathers to continue to fulfill their God-given role as spiritual leaders in their homes. Nothing you do carries more importance for both here and now as well as eternity.

If you are a father, you've received a special blessing from God in your children. You have the awesome privilege of influencing young lives in a way that no one else can. If you have a godly father who modeled Christ-likeness in your life, you've been blessed with the best possible role model. If you grew up without a father or with a father who was emotionally absent, you have a great testimony in how you overcame those obstacles to be God's man and you (like all of us) are still blessed with a Heavenly Father who never leaves you or forsakes you and loves you unconditionally.

Because our children are an inheritance from the Lord, it only makes sense that praying for them is also a prayer worth praying. I learned this prayer many years ago at Promise Keepers and I've prayed it over my daughter ever since: Father, thank you for Amanda and the blessing that she is. Father, protect her from evil, cover her with Christ's blood, fulfill your purpose in her life. This prayer expresses my greatest desire; that she will come to know Christ as her Savior and spend eternity with Him (and me!). It also expresses my desire to see her walk with God and live a life that honors and glorifies Him. It seeks protection for her from our enemy, who seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

May each of you have a Happy Father's Day!

A Prayer Worth Praying

There are certain Scripture verses I've read that made me pause and think what an awesome prayer to God they would be. My daughter Amanda came home from school one day and shared this memory verse with me: May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14). This would be a great verse to remember whenever our prayer life becomes stale because it is a prayer worth praying.

Our words have the power to bless or curse (James 3:8-10). They can offer hope to those without hope and encouragement to those who are ready to throw in the towel. Yet our words also have the power to damage or destroy others as well as our own testimony. Our actions can also be God-honoring or destructive as well and they begin as thoughts and meditations in our hearts. If those thoughts are not pure, our incorrect thinking will eventually lead us into sin (James 1:13-15).

To refer to God as our rock and redeemer is to acknowledge that all of our power and strength comes from Him. We recognize that it is only by his unmerited grace and mercy that we have an everlasting hope for the future. To pray that both our words and our thoughts would be acceptable in God's sight is to admit that left to our own thoughts, words and deeds; we will fall incredibly short of His holiness.

I am completely confident that our Heavenly Father stands ready to bless and honor a prayer like Psalm 19:14 because it expresses a heartfelt desire to be like Christ.

Daily Time in the Word

I don't think too many days go by where I don't talk to someone who struggles to carve out time every day to read God's Word. And yet, no one I've talked to has admitted that reading His Word isn't time well spent. Scripture tells us that God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), so do we really want to stumble around in the dark?

We all know why this is a challenge. Overcrowded schedules, multi-tasking, family commitments, hobbies, even rest can all rob us from time with our Heavenly Father. Yet just like ignoring the "check engine" light can eventually result in our cars breaking down, failing to feed and be replenished with a daily serving of Scripture can cause us to break down as well.

I've added a section to the right of our website entitled devotionals which has links to daily and weekly Biblical insights from some of the most gifted people who share God's Word. No matter how busy our day can be, we always have time to jump on the computer for a few minutes and now you can turn those few minutes into a time of spiritual refreshment.

If you already have quality and consistent devotional time with God, please keep on doing what you're doing and share with others how you do it. Yet if this is a problem area in your life, take advantage of our devotion section and feed on God's Word. Enjoy!!

Integrity--No Matter What

Integrity, by definition, means adherence to moral or ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty. It also means the state of being whole, entire or undiminished (dictionary.com). As God's men, we'd like to think we do pretty well at maintaining these standards on a big-picture level, but what about the the little nitty-gritty day-to-day details of our lives. How important are the little matters that seem so trivial?

Here's God's perspective as written in Luke 16:10-12: One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? Think about it--has your opinion of someone else ever changed because of how you've observed their actions when no one else was watching? Has your character or reputation ever taken a hit because you were not faithful in the very little (a white lie, an exaggeration of past accomplishments, helping yourself to office supplies from work, spinning a situation to make yourself look better, etc.)?

Patrick Morley of Man in the Mirror Ministries said, "Unless we hold onto absolute integrity in every situation, no matter how big or small, we grieve God and cut ourselves off from the blessing we want and that God wants to give." Integrity--no matter what, is a price we must always be willing to pay.