Sheep Food

  Whether a professing believer in Jesus should ‘celebrate Christmas’ , or not...is between them and God. I am not about to enter that arena of debate. But the ‘Christmas story’ as relayed by Linus on that stage in the ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ TV special is taken straight from the gospel of Luke; and this you can be sure of: “God became flesh...and dwelt among us”, as in He became a man and was born into this world as a baby infant a little over 2000 years ago. (John 1:1;14) John goes on to write there in the first chapter of his gospel...that ‘in Him was life...and the life was the light of men...to shine in a world of darkness’ (4-5). And yet, even though the world was made through Him and by Him...the world did not recognize Him’ (10). I should also point out that this ‘light’ was made available to ‘every person’ who was in this world (9). You might also jot down Matt. 4:16 and Luke 1:78-79. As you probably are aware of, this young infant born in a stable that night would...

  “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) From the very ‘get-go’, it had to have been an ominous sign...that time when God ‘clothed Himself in flesh and dwelt among us...’ (John 1:1,14)...and would soon discover how crowded people’s hearts and lives had become as they found it difficult to ‘make room’ for Him. It’s been over 2000 years now...and Jesus still... seems to come up on so many ‘No Vacancy’ signs plastered across our hearts (Luke 14:16-20). There seems to be an ongoing tendency we humans display...where we are “always going astray...in our hearts” (Heb. 3:10). And God makes no effort to conceal the fact that this angers Him; so why do we fail to ‘get that message’? (Did you catch yesterday’s post, by chance?) I realize how easy it is for God to be ‘painted’ with so many different brush strokes to where people have quite the varied range of understa...

  It was 1989 when I loaded up my family of five, along with all of our earthly belongings after selling our home in San Antonio (9th largest city in the US at that time)...and we moved to NE Texas and settled in to a small farming/ranching community with a population of 250 people where I began to pastor my first church. I thought...my upbringing as an “Army Brat’ along with the associated nomadic lifestyle that came with it.... had prepared me for such a move; but needless to say ...it was the ‘mother of all culture shocks’ as we readjusted and learned what it was like to live in such a small rural farming community. Personally speaking...I fell in love with that setting. And of the many things I came to learn about farmers and ranchers, one of those was watching the many ‘mundane’ responsibilities they carried out on a daily basis in order to earn their livelihood, that benefits the rest of us. There was one particular ‘chore’ the ranchers had that stood out to me during our f...

  “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” – Jesus (Matt. 6:21-NLT). The Amplified version reads this way: “for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.” I don’t know if it’s a ‘guy thing’ or not, but I am not a big fan of ‘shopping’. I do most of the grocery shopping these days and when I have a list of items, my main goal is go in, grab what is on the list and get out of there as quickly as possible. I’m just not one for ‘wandering the aisles’...unless I’m at Costco, for some strange reason; go figure. And it’s the same when it comes to driving long distances. I just want to ‘get there’ and be done with the drive. I know I’m not alone in this mentality either; almost makes you wonder how many kids develop UTI’s because of Dad’s refusal to stop for bathroom breaks unless it was a dire ‘emergency. We ‘believers’ are instructed, advised, and admonished to ‘set our minds ...

  “…unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain…” (Ps. 127:1) I referenced that verse in the graphic I used for yesterday’s post, and the Lord keeps bringing that back to my mind to ponder. “Unless the Lord…builds the house…” Friends, this is a picture of what ‘grace’ looks like. It’s all Him…who is doing it; it’s not us, never was and never will be us…’doing it for Him’, or ‘in His name’, like those folks in Matt. 7:22. But make no mistake about it…IF…He is doing it, it will be evident to all. “By this…will all men know you are My disciples…”(John 13:34-35) and you will be known by your ‘fruit’ (Matt. 7:20).  And if you are not abiding in Jesus for Him to produce that fruit...there simply...will be none. (Joh 15:4-5) I know this may ‘land’ rough for some who read this, but there are far too many sincere, yet deceived ‘believers’ running around today professing how it’s all God’s ‘grace’ that has them ‘covered’ today, but the only problem is…there is no las...

  If only we had known back then…what we know today… Where does one even begin to pick up those pieces when all that is behind you is a valley of ‘missed opportunities’ and regrets…and what lies before you is a mountain of doubt and discouragement that screams at you… saying it will never be as good as it could have been? But God… That is what had to be going through the minds of many in that remnant of people who Haggai had come to encourage with a word from God, as we have looked at these past few days. (Haggai 2:1-9). Let’s face it…for some of us, it just takes longer than others to begin to ‘figure things out’. And such is the kingdom of God when we discover that ‘His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts like ours’ (Isa. 55:8-9). Whether we are eavesdropping in on those doubts expressed by those disciples who had nothing but a few loaves and fishes, and knew there was no way they could feed the multitudes of people with what they had, as Jesus instructed them to do… or ...

  “Better late than never”...as that old saying goes. And how many areas in our lives can that thought be applied to, although most would advise we not wait to that point in time to ‘get on board’. You think the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus in his last dying breaths might have something to say about that? This past week, I began a series of messages that focused on how God advises us on the best way of seeing that things go well in life for not only ourselves, but also for our children, and their children, etc. – ‘Fear God and do what He says’; pretty simple and sound advice... if you ask me. (Deut. 5:29). Whey even Solomon, the ‘wisest man’ in the whole world chimed in with the same counsel (Ecc. 12:13). It’s just that some of us take longer to ‘see it’ and for that ‘lightbulb’ to come on as we begin to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light’ (1 John 1:7). And if you too, are a bit ‘late to the party’...you are not alone; so why not consider joining in now since th...

  (Picking up from where we left off yesterday...) God is not really interested in hearing about all the reasons and excuses as to why we ‘drifted’ or ‘backslid’ or ‘fell away’. I don’t mean to portray Him as being callused or insensitive and uncaring, but He’s just not wanting to hear about it. He already knows where we are at...and why we ended up in that place. The real question He’s asking us today is: “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6-8) We finished up yesterday looking at the remnant of folks who came out of Babylon to begin the restoration work on the temple of God after being ‘captives’ for 70 years. They got off to a good start, like many of us do when we ‘first come to Him’, but then...’life happens’. Jesus gave quite the illustration as to what takes place in our hearts when we first hear God's word ...when He shared the parable of the sower, in Matt. 13 and Mark 4 and Luke 8. Part of that enlightens us to how ‘Satan comes immediately to steal God’s word from...

  Imagine walking through the aftermath in NYC a day or two after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center towers. When I see those images, like the one I posted here today, I can’t help but wonder if there are similarities to what Jeremiah saw (and thought) when he walked through the ruins of the great city of Jerusalem, following the Babylonian attack that destroyed their beloved temple... as many of the survivors were carried away into captivity. And those people had warning as indicated from what Jeremiah wrote about in his book. The sad part about all that is ...it didn’t have to happen. God’s judgments never...have to take place, or ‘happen’...if we’d just do what He says. If Adam and Eve had just listened to God and not eaten off that one tree....(Gen. 2:17). But here we are. I came across a great quote years ago that said “The only difference between wisdom and experience, is that experience just cost so much more.” If you got the chance to read through those first four...

  We don’t get ‘do overs’ when it comes to raising our kids...or even living out our own personal lives, for that matter. And depending on your age as you read this, that could either land as a legitimate and sobering word of advice to heed...or it may have hit you like a ton of bricks, feeling like the ultimate ‘gut punch’. As we all know...one cannot ‘undo’...the past... But God... “...because you have forgotten the law of your God...I will forget your children” – God. (Hosea 4:6). What would prompt a loving God to even say such a thing? One of the biggest mistakes we can make as a NT Christian ‘believer’...is to try and ‘separate’ the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament, and to dismiss much of what we have come to learn about Him and our understanding of His nature and character. Far too many people prefer to avoid OT readings because they view ‘that God’ as angry and vindictive who placed way too many unreasonable expectations on His people, with all t...

  Well it makes for a heart-warming quote and looks nice on paper. If only we lived out our lives as if we truly believed it, having that kind of foresight...while placing that kind of value on our children. As I asked in yesterday’s message (highly recommend you read first if you missed it), ‘what would we NOT do for our own children?’ We like to think we have that kind of love for our offspring, and many a parents certainly start out feeling overwhelmed with that kind of love, especially when they bring those newborns home from the hospital. And oh...the plans and dreams we have for their future. It can be a mixed bag of emotions that hits you in those early years, for sure. You want nothing but the best for them and yet feel so ill-equipped and unqualified to raise these precious human beings. How many of you have muttered to God on more than one occasion ...that last-ditch effort of a prayer as you beg Him...”Please don’t let me mess this up!”? Or how many of you raised you...

  When the question is asked: “What would we NOT do for our own children?” ...it is usually asked in a rhetorical manner with the understanding that we love them so much that we would do whatever was needed to ensure they have everything they need in this life to thrive and ‘succeed’. This can play out in so many ways, whether it is working extra jobs to pay for a host of pressing needs over time, or to sacrificing your own desires and dreams to help your children pursue their’s. And if a child needed a vital organ transplant, it’s usually the parents who are first in line ready to make that donation if they ‘match’. But have you ever considered who might have even a greater interest in seeing your own children thrive and be blessed beyond your own personal desires? Yep...it would be the Lord, Himself. I mean...did He not already pay the ultimate sacrifice for us all...even while we were yet ‘sinners’ (Rom. 5:8)? So, here’s a question to consider and ask yourself, and let me war...