Sheep Food

                                               Have you ever wondered why some sins prove to be more challenging to overcome than others? I bet you know what I’m talking about here. You’re a ‘good’ person and would never harm anyone or do anything to hurt a person, like assault or murder them; but my goodness...that ‘lust’ thing you have in your heart can be overwhelming at times. And when you least expect it – like in church of all places it hits you. Why does your mind get filled with those kind of thoughts and images so often that seem to linger and stir up all kinds of...’feelings’? (Might ask yourself about your ‘viewing habits’ when it comes to movies and TV, etc.) And ‘No’, you are not prone to being a drug addict or alcoholic where some foreign substance takes over you and controls your life; but that tongue of yours...sure can get you into trouble more often than not. If it’s not gossip and back-biting that trips you up, then it’s that sarcastic edge it has which can cut

  When someone is appointed or designated to ‘lead’, the general understanding is those who are going to be led will....follow. Did we not all play that game as children: ‘Follow the Leader’? Have you ever quoted the beloved 23rd Psalm and then stopped to ask what it means when we say this Shepherd of ours ‘leads me in the paths of righteousness’? (23:3). What exactly is a ‘path of righteousness’? Some time back, I had a real ‘lightbulb moment’ when I gave some thought to this verse and what that phrase means. We are fond of the idea to think of Jesus leading us beside ‘still waters’ and making us ‘lie down in green pastures’ (2) which speaks of peace and protection and provision; but in order to be ‘led’ there, we have to ‘follow’. And just showing up at church regularly and avoiding those ‘sinful places’ you once hung out at does not equate to ‘following’ Him. He is rather specific there in saying ‘He leads me in the paths of righteousness’. I can tell you already that those paths

  Do you know why false gospels are so appealing to our flesh? Along with providing a false sense of security that ‘all is well with our soul’ because we got our ‘ticket to heaven punched’, they take the ‘responsibility’ off of us from having to truly follow Jesus; as in ‘obey’ and ‘do what He asks’ of us. (Heb. 5:9; Luke 6:46). I mean seriously...let’s not get so ‘legalistic’ and start teaching we are ‘saved by works’ now, or so our flesh will tell us. By the way, when did 'obedience to Jesus' become 'legalism'? And yet...for all those who profess to be believers and plan on arriving in heaven someday after they die, tell me again how we are to ‘arrive there’ if we are not ‘following’ the One who is the ‘way’ to the Father? (John 14:6) At the close of yesterday’s message, we were looking back at how God sent an ‘Angel’ to “keep them in the way’ and to lead His people into the promised land where He wanted to establish them and bless them and their future generations.

  There is a well-known quote you have probably heard before that says: “Lead, Follow, or get out of the way!” I think I first saw it on a bumper sticker which is applicable when driving- for those of us who have their patience ‘tested’ when behind slow drivers. ;-) And yet....ironically....(dovetailing off of yesterday’s message)...the only way we can truly ‘follow Jesus’...is to get ‘IN the way!” ;- ) I’ll give you a quick moment with that one. A few years back when Kathy, my wife, was working for Baylor Hospital in Dallas (she’s a nurse), she had the opportunity to work with the nursing school there for maybe a year or two. She did it because she simply loves to teach new nurses, sharing her passion and wisdom in a field she was truly suited and gifted to work in. It was a part-time gig where she taught one or two classes that were an introduction to basic nursing skills. And when I say ‘basic’, we are taking about simple things from patient care, hygiene, and skills like tak

  So this deal about ‘following Him’ ...where Jesus kept mentioning it...It really is ‘a thing’; as in - He really meant it. We are supposed to be ‘following’ Him. For real. He came to seek and to save the ‘lost’ and when He found them/us...He told us: “Follow Me!” From fishermen to tax collectors and even rich, young rulers...the command was clear: “Follow Me”. (Matt.4:19; 9:19; 19:21) Someone might be quick to say that Jesus told that to those He was calling to be His ‘disciples’. ......and your point would be....? Was that not the great commission for the church to go in to ‘all the world and make disciples’? (Matt. 28:19) That is, for the most part the very meaning of the word ‘disciple’ – it means to be a ‘follower’, a student of. And back in that day, in order to be a student of this traveling ‘Rabbi’, you had to ‘follow’ Him. That has not changed. You don’t find anywhere in scripture this suggestion that we were called to merely be ‘believers’ or ‘church members’ or ‘good

  When Jesus was asked to describe what would be the signs leading up to the ‘end of the age’ along with ‘His return’, He responded with a very detailed and chilling message. (Matt. 24) One of many nuggets of insight provided is found in verse 12 that is sandwiched in there between how believers will be hated by all for His namesake and ‘many will be offended...and deceived’. I am repeating the verse in multiple translations below so we can develop a richer appreciation and understanding of what He is saying: “Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.” “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” “Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold.” “And many people’s love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah.” (CJB) “Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.” “There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold.” “There will be more and

  How many of you have ever had a deep longing for the ‘good ole days’? And what time period would actually qualify, for you at least, as the good old days? If there really was such a thing as time machines and you could go back in time, what year(s) would you dial it in for? And why? What if it was only for a short stay or visit to that time era, just to get a ‘feel’ for what things were like back then...where/when would you want to visit? For me, I would like to go back and see what it was like in the early days of the church’s inception, maybe just after Jesus rose from the dead and spending time with those disciples who got to spend time with Him, eat with Him and hear His parting words before He left. Then...hang around for when all that glory began to fall on them as people were being filled with His Spirit and revival broke out as thousands were coming to know the Lord. I mean...really...if we want to study church history...why not just go back to when it all began and see the

  Now wait a minute! I thought we were ‘redeemed from the curse of the law’? It tells us so right there in the Bible along with the fact that we are ‘no longer under the law but under grace!” (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 6:14) Good point! So you want to read scripture in ‘context’? That often times means reading it alongside other passages found in other places, and not just the few verses in front and after the passage in question. Take for example, the two passages listed above. When Paul wrote in Gal. 3 that ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law’, you should probably note that he did not infer that the ‘curse(s) had been done away with’, nor had the law for that matter. (Matt. 5:17). And even more importantly to point out- when he says Christ redeemed ‘us’...who is ‘us’ referring to? Anyone who reads that verse? Does ‘us’ include everyone who attends church somewhere? (Matt. 7:21). Or would ‘us’ pertain to those we read about in Rom. 8:14, Gal. 5:24 and 1 John 2:3-6 and 3:6? Or

  When did God change? I ask that question here regularly in my posts because it is more of a rhetorical question in that the answer is clear: God has never changed. He doesn’t...need to change. He is the ‘same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8) And contrary to what seems to be a popular misconception today, during those 400 'silent years’ between Malachi (last book of the OT) and the emergence of the promised Christ child that we read of in the gospels which ushers in the New Testament age, God did not spend that time in ‘anger management classes’. That ‘God of the Old Testament’ is the same God we claim to love and worship today. Yes, reading through many of those OT books can give us heartburn and discomfort because we really don’t know how to reconcile ‘that God’ ... with the Jesus we have been introduced to today. And I don’t know who needs to hear this, as offensive as it might come across to some, but is there a possibility that many were introduced t