Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Why Solomon is the Original Superman

Posted: September 29, 2024 in Knowledge
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Most of us have read the Bible story of King Solomon whom God chose over David’s other sons to be the King of Israel. What separates Solomon from any other King, or anyone else for that matter, is the fact that when God came to Solomon before he became King and said “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you”…1 Kings 3:5…and Solomon responded very differently than most anyone would have.

In my mind, this would be the “genie in the bottle” moment multiplied by a million because this was the Creator of the universe asking a human man this question. What separated Solomon from everyone, however, was his response. Instead of requesting long life or riches, he said, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:9

The rest of the segment of this story happened as you might imagine. God was extremely pleased with Solomon’s request and blessed him with what he didn’t ask for…long life and wealth beyond anyone’s imagination. But that is NOT what I wanted to focus on in today’s post. 

When God blessed Solomon, He also told him something I want you to consider because God has never said this before about any man. He said, “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never be anyone like you, nor will there ever be”. 1 Kings 3:12

God told Solomon there would never be anyone like him…ever in human history. To me…That makes Solomon – Superman. Now, understand me here. I am not saying Solomon had super-human strength and could fly around his palace. I am saying that there was never a question asked he could not answer. Taking it a step further, I think it is fair to say that Solomon was the smartest human being ever who lived.

Which leads me to my final point. Solomon is the only example we are given of a human being with that intellect ever existing. Moreover, a person who possessed the human knowledge that would give him the capability to have or do anything he wanted to do. It is one thing to be an heir and have wealth given to you; it is an entirely different thing to have wealth, knowledge, and wisdom yourself. 

Think about this: Solomon was ALWAYS the smartest person in the room.

So if you are Solomon, and possess everything I mentioned above, what do you do with all of that information, knowledge, power, and wealth? Let me put it another way, Solomon possessed everything this world has to offer us. Or…EVERYTHING that Satan can offer us here on earth.

To the question I asked above, Solomon gives us his answer at the end of his life and I think his response will surprise you. That is why this post is so important for us to understand. 

Solomon wrote and contributed to several books in the Bible but the one I want to call your attention to is Ecclesiastes, which translated, means preaching. In this book, Solomon explains in great detail what he did with his life which can be summed up in just two words, self-indulgence. Or maybe we can call it, The pursuit of happiness? 

Guys, he tells us in his own words when he says, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” Eccl. 2:10. 

So here you have a man who was absolutely brilliant, God-gifted, and who indulged in whatever he wanted. On the surface, that sounds pretty good, right? ANYTHING you want…anything you set your gaze upon, you can have it for yourself and experience it however you want…However, from Solomon’s own words, let’s see how things turned out

For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?

All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

Eccl. 2:21-23

So this is painful to read. The smartest man who ever lived at the end of his life looking back and realizing nothing he did mattered. So I have to ask, what went wrong? If you have every possible “thing” this world can offer you how can you not be happy? Isn’t that what we see advertised everywhere?

Guys…here is my point. God already gave us the answers to the “Test of Life” by including this incredible story about Solomon in the Bible. We don’t have to waste our time pursuing every little thing this world shoves into our faces as being valuable. Because God gave us an actual real-world example of someone who pursued everything he could while he lived and ultimately found out in the end, it meant nothing…

LITERALLY NOTHING.

I urge you to consider Solomon’s story if you find yourself thinking there is more to life than what you have. Maybe you think the grass is greener on the other side and you don’t want to miss that. Let me remind you…God already gave you the answer, because Solomon already tried that…and in his exact words he told us, “It was meaningless”

So before we just end this post with all of the pain that Solomon figured out, let me leave you with Solomon’s final conclusion about his life. In other words, what he found meaningful.

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Eccl. 2:24-25

Now you know-

Until next time guys…

The Wisdom of the World

Posted: June 29, 2024 in Something to think about
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I thought a great deal about this title today because the idea of the “Wisdom of the World” continues to bother me. I am speaking directly about wisdom today and not knowledge…and before you ask me, here is the distinction between the two.

The primary difference between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing. 

From my vantage point, wisdom comes from age and life experience, whereas knowledge…well, we have all encountered a REALLY smart person who has never done anything in their life. Maybe book smart versus street smart?

Why do I make this distinction? Because worldly wisdom puts a great deal of effort into ensuring you understand that you are in charge of yourself. And YOU, are the only one that can be, “all you can be” and to just work harder so YOU can achieve all YOU were meant to. You should be a self-starter, self-sufficient, self-driven, self-disciplined, and altogether 100% self-dependent on yourself. That is the Wisdom of the World.

Human self-sufficiency. Human self-indulgence.

Moreover, we are told that if we follow the blue-print above, we will achieve the apex of living which includes happiness and success. The irony for me is that the richest, certainly smartest, and most self-sufficient human being who ever lived on this earth, Solomon, said this about worldly wisdom.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. 

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

You see, when a wisdom that excludes God, and only emphasizes human self-sufficiency and makes humanity its highest authority…well, that wisdom God calls foolishness. Why? Because through the wisdom of the world, humans have failed to find the truth or come to know the Creator. 

It truly is meaningless.

Does any of this sound familiar? Who do you think is behind the Wisdom of the World? Who is the prince of this earth right now? Yes, Satan. That is why Worldly Wisdom makes no sense to believers and the message of the cross is difficult for unbelievers. The Apostle Paul said this:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Guys, if you only hear one thing I say today, hear this; Worldly wisdom leads to YOUR softness, which leads to YOUR moral collapse which leads to YOUR spiritual decline. And that is exactly where the evil one wants you.

I encourage you to watch and listen. You will be able to discern which wisdom you are hearing.

Until next time Guys-

Pride or Humility…It is your Choice

Posted: April 22, 2024 in Heaven Bound
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If you’re like me, the older I get, the more I learn, and the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know…but that is a whole other blog. This post is about my continuing revelation of how God constructed this whole “personal relationship with Jesus” idea and why I think its so hard for men to stay consistent. 

News Flash, yours (and mines) personal relationship with Christ must begin with humility.

Yes, I said Humility. But the problem is that “being humble” works directly against how we feel about ourselves while we live on earth. 

Face it guys, it is HARD to be humble when all we see is ego exhibited everyday of our lives. It seems like very athlete just seems to call attention to themselves. Not everyone…but a lot of them. A baseball player hits a monster home run and he just stands there and admires it as it leaves the ballpark…A body builder stands in front of the mirror and just stares and stares…

We live in such a “Me ONLY” focused world that as Christian men, its so easy to assimilate into that culture. Look at it this way, if you get up each day and don’t think about your relationship with Christ and just start your day with you driving, I can easily say that over time, you will find yourself moving towards prideful behavior. The influence is that strong.

Listen to how The Message translation of the Bible talks about this in Proverbs 16:18, First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. That is pretty self explanatory isn’t it? God doesn’t have any place for pride or egos in His Kingdom. Its all about HIM, not us.

What you and I see around us here on earth was NOT the plan God had in mind. Rather, sin got in the way and it corrupted everything (Genesis 3 to be exact). As hard as this may be to grasp, pride is NOT from God. It was NOT created by God but rather it is from Satan and he is the one selling that crap to all of us through television, or online, or at the gym…

It is everywhere and conditioning you slowly.

Pride IS a wall keeping you from a relationship with God and it blocks your ability to communicate with Him. Once you reach a point that you are so full of yourself that you don’t think you need God, then the enemy has you where he wants you.


Remember the Bible also tells us in James 4:10 to Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. As I have told you before, NOW IS THE TIME to get right with God Guys! You can see the signs all around you just as easily as I can. 

Satan is working overtime to pull as many men and their families down as he can. 

Where do you plan on spending eternity?

My “ask” of you today is don’t let your ego be the reason you walk away from God. You might be very good at something…your job, or a sport, or something else…but remember that skill is a gift from Him and if you thank Him for it rather than act like it came from you, who knows, we just might be playing a pick up game on that Heavenly court in the sky.

I’ll meet you there…

Until next time Guys-

Reminder – 5 Reasons for all of us to have HOPE right now…

Posted: April 6, 2024 in Inspirational
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Almost 10 years ago, I wrote this post based on what I sensed and felt going on in the world at that time; which was only sadness and destruction. Fast forward 10 years later, everything kinda looks pretty much the same. I don’t know about you, but that fact causes me to seek God every day for the very same thing I did back then…a reason for hope.

I know that I cannot provide anyone with the reasons why our world is like this other than the Bible states who is “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, 1 John 5:19)  who prowls around seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8) those who don’t resist him. Believe me, my friends, NOW IS THE TIME TO RESIST THE ENEMY. Don’t give up on yourself but rather look to Christ for your hope. Here is what I mean;

God’s word is clear…” I will never leave you or forsake (forget) you” (Joshua 1:5)

By its very nature, the word hope concerns the future, our future. Now I know that I have written before on this blog that Hope is NOT a Strategy, however, I am not referring to a simple hope such as, “I hope I can get a nicer car or bigger house”, but rather I am talking about Biblical hope, which is very different. Biblical hope consists of assurance inside your heart or just firm confidence about future things because of God’s promises and His revelation to us. 

Guys, real Biblical hope in Christ Jesus is something that never fails when you place your trust in Him. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 15:13;

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, Biblical hope is inseparably linked with a firm faith in Him. They go hand-in-hand with one another. As a result, what is yielded is a confident trust in God that is unshakable when the adversity of life hits you like a wave…(Like right now).

So with all of the chaos our world is throwing at you every single day, I wanted to give you some actual reasons why you can still have faith and HOPE that things are going to be alright…

So here are my 5 reasons for all of us to have HOPE right now…

God is still on the throne – He hasn’t gone anywhere. He is still alive and at work in our world. I know it is very easy to look at what happens in this world and say God is dead or maybe He is just sleeping? Believe me, I have heard that before. But the Bible assures us He is alive and well and knows exactly what is happening on this earth.

With man, things are impossible…but with God, ALL things are possible (Mark 10:27) It is so easy to just give up and give in to all of the adversity that is constantly thrown in our direction because we simply forget God’s promises. The bottom line, God has NO limitations. His ways are NOT our ways and therefore he will not react or think as we do…our response needs to be to simply ask, to trust, and to hope in Him.

You Are Not Alone – We are told in Joshua 1:5, “He will never leave us nor forsake us” and I’ve come to realize that my trying to understand the ”whys” of this world is NOT my job. My job is to completely trust in Him…even though I don’t understand. LET GOD DO THE HEAVY LIFTING. Do you remember the story of Peter when he got out of the boat and started walking on the water to meet Jesus? (Matthew 14:29-30) He was actually walking on water until he took his eyes off Christ and then what happened? He started sinking fast…and what was his reaction? He cried, “Lord save me!” which is exactly what we are supposed to do…

All of what you are going through right now is only temporary – Weeping may last for the night…but joy comes in the morning (Psalms 30:5).  It is easy to “get caught up” with what we SEE. But I am here to remind you that Jesus has prepared a place for all of us IN HEAVEN (John 14:2) and this place we see around us, will all pass away. It is only temporary. Heaven is eternal.

I know how this story ends – All of the difficulties and adversity we face every day sometimes can be overwhelming. It may seem like the bad guy in this world may be winning. But let me assure you with an overwhelming confidence. Have you ever read Revelation? Because I know who wins in the end. You and I will be victorious.

    But you MUST STAY THE COURSE. Don’t give up. Have faith and put your trust in Him.

    He will give you the reason to HOPE…

    Until next time guys…

    What? God’s going to Judge my Secrets?

    Posted: February 22, 2024 in Husband
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    So I recently found myself reading from the book of Romans. I have not spent much time in that book but I came across a scripture that hit me very hard. Honestly, like a brick in the side of the head hard…a scripture that affects all of us…

    This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.    Romans 2:16

    Now, if you are like me,  most of us don’t think about being accountable or the idea of being judged because maybe we don’t know? or we are just focused on what we see in front of us. Either way, this kind of verse typically isn’t at the forefront of our minds. I completely understand that because I am right here with you. 

    Our lives just get in the way.

    I also know with guys…well…our minds are usually running 100 mph, am I right? We tend to think about stuff like our work, kids, wife, vacation, yard work, that cute receptionist…You know I am right! You might as well admit that our brains roam all over the place and sometimes land in areas we know we shouldn’t be. These are the secrets that can get us into trouble. 

    One more thing I will tell you is we can’t use the excuse “We are guys and we’re just wired that way” NOPE…I am not buying that one…Because you DO have a choice…and you DO have control.

    But before I go any further, let me tell you I am NOT judging anyone out there. I fight the same battles you fight and continue to do my best I can to navigate this world just like you. But when I came across that verse…I was compelled to write because we, collectively as men, need to remember that we will be judged on OUR ACTIONS, OUR THOUGHTS, and OUR SECRETS.

    That blew me away. Why? Because I thought that my secrets were MINE just like your secrets are yours. No one else knows what they are and that’s why they are secrets. The problem we have now is they aren’t just our secrets anymore. 

    God not only knows about them, but He is planning on judging us accordingly…OUCH.

    So why do I write this today? Here is how I see this issue; when a verse that asks us (Christian Men) to separate ourselves is NOT in our line of sight, we don’t think about it, right? Maybe some of you never even knew that verse existed. But wherever you fall on that scale now, please understand this, the reason I write is to make you aware. I just want you to think about it.

    My intent is to remind you that what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will do…all of that MATTERS to God. And, more importantly, you and I will be held accountable for our lives and how we lived them…AND, for our secrets. 

    That verse completely changed my mindset and I hope it does yours as well. By knowing, or just being aware, you can adjust. Every one of us has to make course corrections periodically on this journey we call life. It’s just the way it is…

    Until next time guys…

    Eternal Life – What is it?

    Posted: February 3, 2024 in Heaven Bound
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    The Bible talks plainly about eternal life, which is, simply put, living forever with God as His saved people. This means that only those who have a saving relationship with God; meaning one that is active and fruitful, are identified as people who will receive eternal life.

    Humanity, of course, has taken the concept of eternal life and added its dose of limited understanding to bring it down to a level where they can understand it in their terms and not in Gods. They have watered eternal life down to a point where either the concept is so ridiculous that they do not believe it, or they adjust what is required to get there so that they can live their life as they want to. Kind of the “have your cake and eat it too” mentality. I have seen this and I am sure you have as well.

    Maybe you don’t believe in Eternal Life yourself…

    I will be honest with you, Eternal life, without faith, is hard to understand. The idea of living forever is something we only see in the movies. Our collective reality is we are surrounded by death and even though living forever sounds amazing, it is hard to think that could happen. When your loved one passes, they are physically gone and until you die yourself and find out where they went by then it is too late.

    Guys, I want to give you some help with this topic so we can better understand…but I have to warn you…this topic does require faith in what you cannot see. Remember, the author of Hebrews said it this way,

            Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

    First of all, eternal life is more than some endless existence floating around somewhere. I am sure you have seen the cartoon of the guy floating around on a cloud playing the harp…that is NOT eternal life.

    Eternal life will be a special quality of life that we as believers receive when we partake of the essential life of God through Christ His Son…all this means is you have an ongoing active relationship with Christ. And that eternal life I am speaking about is a present reality while you live on Earth. Jesus said it very plainly this way,

    “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

    As I said, the present possession of eternal life requires a living faith…meaning at your very core, you believe. I must make clear that Eternal life is not just secured and maintained merely by repenting and having faith from a long time ago. But rather it involves the present living connection with Christ…Because there is NO eternal life apart from Him.

    Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12

    Finally, there is our FUTURE Hope…

    We have a hope that lives in us because of our salvation in Him. The bottom line for you and me is that our Eternal life is directly connected with the future coming of Christ for all of His faithful believers. We have been given hope, through many scriptures that He will return and fulfill His promises.

    ..which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10

    How can I sum this up for you? I specifically kept this post separated from the topic of Heaven as that is the “where” and I am referring to the “what”. Eternal life can begin on Earth with a saving salvation in Christ Jesus. That is living by the Spirit daily and something that you participate in like going to the gym. Yes, it is like exercising your spiritual muscle.

    That daily and faithful relationship produces eternal fruit for you. But the easiest way to understand is to use the same verse we all learned as children:

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only son so that whosoever believes in Him would not die, but have eternal life. John 3:16

    I know this was short, but hopefully, this helped you grasp eternal life a little bit easier. Your walk in faith takes effort and time but the relationship you develop with Christ is the beginning of eternal life and will be the most rewarding thing you have ever experienced…that I can assure you.

    Until next time, guys-

    Hope is NOT a Strategy…

    Posted: January 29, 2024 in Inspirational
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    Over the last few years, we have seen this phrase trotted out constantly in the media through political campaigns as a reminder that the idea of Hope is actually a bad idea. Why? Because Hope should not be counted on as something that will happen. But, if this were true, then why would anyone feel good about hope in the first place? 

    Today, I hope to change your mind about this topic because if your hope strategy is actually Biblical Hope, then it is by far the best strategy any of us can count on or put our faith in.

    One of the most powerful emotions we can experience as humans is the feeling of Hope. I have experienced this personally as I am sure most of you have too. To go through a situation that is painful or difficult at whatever level, grief or loss or something, and to come out of that ordeal with a solid Hope for the future is a feeling that is hard to describe. Hope not only makes you feel better, but it also makes you feel better also. What I mean is…Hope is healthier for your body because when you are full of hope, you are not full of stress. 

    Think about this; Hope and Stress do not peacefully coexist in the same body.

    I am writing about Hope today because, by its very nature, Hope concerns the future and when I watch the news, the future looks to be very disconcerting. Yet Hope involves so much more than just a desire or a wish for something better in the next week, month, or year. If you haven’t already noticed, I wanted to introduce you to a different kind of Hope and one that is a far more solid version. 

    Yep…you guessed it, Biblical Hope. Here are two hope verse examples below:

    But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose Hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Psalms 33:18-19

    Then you will know that I am the Lord, those who hope in me will not be disappointed. Isa 49:23b

    Can you imagine hoping for something and not being disappointed? This is what I mean… Biblical Hope is a whole different level of Hope because it consists of assurance of the heart and firm confidence about the future of things on this earth. Why? Because these “things” are based on God’s promises. 

    In other words, Biblical Hope is inseparably linked to a Firm Faith and a strong confident trust in God.  These all work together to provide you with a foundation that cannot be shaken. You can be navigating the largest and most difficult situation you thought possible, but because of Biblical Hope…everything changes. I am not blowing smoke here. Biblical Hope can feel physical and can provide the foothold you need to make it to your next step…and the one after that.

    Guys…I cannot emphasize enough how many promises are made in the Bible that are mentioned for no other reason than to give you and me HOPE. God didn’t leave you on an island called Earth without a lifeboat. He filled up an entire book with reasons why you should hang on and not give in to whatever tidal wave you think is coming.

    Bottom line for you and me…Hope is, without a doubt, a strategy if your Hope is in Him…

    Until next time Guys-

    Is Good Enough, Good Enough to Get into Heaven?

    Posted: January 28, 2024 in Heaven Bound
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    Over the last year, I have found myself in conversations with different friends discussing Heaven and the different journeys we are taking to get there. What is clear to me is each of them has a very different viewpoint on how to get there and the direction we each are going is also very different. I think the most concerning takeaway I have gleaned from these conversations is the fact that many of them have a diluted idea of what God says in His word about this very topic. They believe strongly in the idea that being Good Enough, is good enough, to get to Heaven. 

    You have probably heard this a thousand times but how could God send a good person to Hell?

    If you live your life well, meaning you haven’t killed anyone or you haven’t wronged anyone, and although you are apart from Christ, why would living “that kind of life” sentence you to Hell?

    Let’s begin this short blog by ensuring we are all on the same page with this one fact. You, me, Billy Graham, even Mother Teresa; there is absolutely no path available for any human being to earn their way into Heaven. With ALL of the amazing things that Mother Teresa did, literally saving thousands of children’s lives through her efforts…those actions were not good enough to get her into Heaven.

    Billy Graham preached for over 50 years and I would say millions of people came to know Christ through his many years of ministry. Do you think that punched his ticket into eternity?

    Think of it this way…No matter how amazing of a person you are on this Earth, there is NO version of a “better me” or a “better you” where we can achieve something that earns our gift of Heaven. All of us are born into this sinful, unclean world with no way of saving ourselves, and people who rely on “goodness only” as their life plan are going to be disappointed. Trust me.

    Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” He also said, the wages of sin is death” Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23

    The bottom line is, that is why Christ came. God knew we couldn’t do this on our own, so He sent Christ to pay the price we couldn’t pay. When we think that just being good enough is enough, there is an arrogance to that mindset which is the opposite of what is needed. God requires humility from us. We need Him, He doesn’t need us. But, He loves us and that is the difference.

    If you hear just one thing from me today, please hear this, our human version of “good enough” is NOT good enough. Being just a good person is NOT good enough.

    You and I need rescuing from this world but we can’t simply go along in life thinking good enough is good enough, because it isn’t. 

    You are probably NOT hearing this from many people but please hear me today-

    The key is, recognizing that you can’t get to Heaven on your own and that you need to receive forgiveness from Christ first…if you do, it will help ensure your stay at God’s Heavenly Hilton…and your own eternal life. I know these are hard words, but please know they are the truth.

    Until next time Guys-

    Boy, Do We Need Grace…

    Posted: January 15, 2024 in Devotional
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    I have heard that word my entire life but what does it really mean? Or maybe I should say, what should it mean to you and me? I remember saying “Grace” before each meal growing up and I always give gratuity when someones service goes above and beyond what is expected…which is also Grace. 

    The acclaimed author Philip Yancey calls the word Grace, “the last best word”, because he believes that Grace is “still one grand theological word that has not been spoiled”by a society that tends to weaken the meaning of words. 

    I agree with Yancey because when you hear the word “Grace”, the core of its meaning hasn’t been spoiled. Grace still shouts “I’m going to help you!” which is something all of us need to hear. Yancey goes on to ask the question, “Where can the world go to find Grace?” and that is the cornerstone of this post.

    Grace is simple in meaning. I looked it up in the dictionary and it says, “unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration”…which means, something God gives to humans that is completely undeserved. 

    But you can also experience Grace from a friend or even a stranger through kindness or acceptance. Have you ever experienced an undeserved gift from a stranger? Maybe the Grace gift that was provided gave you some needed relief yet was completely unexpected…

    That is what Grace is at the core…

    Recently, I found myself thinking about Grace because there is so much “ungrace” or the opposite of Grace that I see in this world. We like to bully each other especially online. We are a “no mercy” society and when you look around, giving Grace seems to be the last thing on the list.

    Christ provided the greatest example of Grace for all of us by sacrificing Himself for all of us but yet showing Grace to each other STILL does not come naturally.


    So what do we do with this information? How do you move from ungrace to grace? I can tell you from personal experience that the first step is forgiveness…something also very difficult. 

    When you can forgive a friend or family member that has wronged you, you are extending Grace to that person. Obviously, that means some work on our part with God because we do tend to keep score on wrongs committed against us. 

    If we think we have been wronged, the other person needs to make the first move…right?. WRONG…Extending Grace means you take the first step by forgiving. Grace is acceptance, Grace means, I forgive you, and I am there for you…

    Let me put it to you another way. Do you realize that achieving heaven is IMPOSSIBLE without the Grace extended to us through Jesus Christ? That means you, me, or any other famous person ever to live, cannot get to heaven without Gods Grace. 

    That means you must rely on Him…and not on yourself…you need His Grace to make it through each day and ultimately, to Heaven. But that begins each day with a dose of Grace from Christ and Grace that you give to other people who need it too. 

    Remember the words of Christ in Matthew 6:14:

    For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

    Grace freely given and Grace freely received…

    So I again ask the question Philip Yancey asked, “Where can the world go to find Grace?”

    Look in the mirror…It starts with you and me…

    Until next time guys…

    Yancey, Philip. (1997) What’s So Amazing About Grace, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan

    Friendship with this World

    Posted: January 6, 2024 in Heaven Bound
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    Do you think it is possible for a Christian Man or Woman to “ride the fence” so to speak with their relationship to this world and then with God? Can we do what we want Monday through Saturday and then make it all up to God on Sunday? I don’t know about you, but I have a work friend that does exactly that. He knows how I feel about what he is doing and so now he just avoids me.

    So I thought about this issue recently on my way home from work and I realized that all I can do for this person is to NOT judge him, but rather just be there and be me. What I mean is, to show him that I can live in this world by creating boundaries for myself that I choose not to cross. As far as our friendship goes, I can and I WILL continue to be his friend but I just don’t approve of his choices.

    My dad used to tell me right before a spanking, “I love you, son, I just don’t love what you did”…and that is where I am now with my friend.

    Because of this situation, however, I went back and looked at what Scripture says about a Christian’s relationship with the world, and what I found was God has a lot to say on this subject. In fact, scripture is crystal clear on how we are to cohabitate while we are here on this earth.

    Without preaching to anyone, here is how God feels about our relationship with this world. Again…He does not mince words and He starts with this statement below-

    Friendship with the World is hatred toward God

    Secondly, James had some very strong words for his audience when he spoke these scriptures below about their friendship with this world.

    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity (hostile) with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

    Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 

    Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.    James 4:4-8

    I get it. This is STRONG scripture but I think the important points to recognize are:

    1. If we are focused on anything ELSE other than Him. 
    2. If we are spending time on something that is a distraction from our relationship with Him.
    3. If we choose to not attend church to enjoy an activity outside regularly

    Guys, the list goes on and on. But the reality is that if you find yourself compromising your walk or your relationship, then these scriptures, HOPEFULLY, can help bring you back to center so you can prioritize what is really important for your eternal future.

    You, me, we have to separate ourselves from this world…just like scripture says

    Jesus said it this way, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”  Matthew 6:24

    My intent in writing this to you today is simply a reminder that because life does indeed go on, it is VERY easy to lose focus and compromise your faith. And the reality for us is that just because we are not focused on our walk with Him…HE STILL IS… and compromise is the first step towards a fall.

    I care about you guys and want each of you to experience eternal life with Christ. Let me end with what the Apostle John says-

    Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

    1 John 2:15-17

    Please stay strong-

    Until next time Guys-

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