Buried with Christ!


If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:5-7

Very soon after someone dies we notify the funeral home so they can come and remove the body. In some cultures family members prepare the body for burial, but without professional embalming there is an urgent need to get the body into the grave. If you delay the burial in a warm climate the results will confirm the words of Lazarus’s sister who said that he will be stinking in just four days.

Christians who have died with Christ must be buried with Him! If you delay the burial the results are the same as with a natural death. After you die with Christ the world sees no life left in you. You are no longer of any use to the world. Dead bodies are only useful to bury. Some spend their time trying to convince the world that they are not really dead and are therefore not responsible for the odor. But refusing to be buried will cause you to sink!

You can’t have it both ways. There is no middle ground. Either you are dead to the world and alive to Christ or you are alive to the world and dead to Christ.

The charade is two sided. Many pretend to be dead to the world while they clearly are not and many pretend to be alive to the world after they have died with Christ. The smell is strong on both sides. Those who pretend to be dead to the world are offensive to those who have died with Christ. And those who have died with Christ are odious to the world.

If you have died with Christ quit pretending you are still part of the world and be about your burial!

The Wedding Wonder!


"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

Malachi 4:1-2

When wildfires sweep across Southern California the destruction is “no respecter of persons.” The Movie Star’s mansion burns just like the smallest house in the area. When the fire comes your resume makes no difference! The fires come every year but the people stay on with the hope that the fires will not take away their homes and prized possessions.

“Surely the day is coming,” when fire will sweep across the world and the destruction will be the same. No one will escape because of their position, wealth or power. All the “arrogant and every evildoer” will be lit like a pile of trash in a burning pit. There will be no survivors! This fire will not spare anyone in its path.

But for those who revere the Name of the Lord that day will be a glorious time of rejoicing. The hope that sustained them through the years will be transformed into the present glory of standing and “leaping” before the Lord Himself. It will be an explosion of the Wedding Day Wonder on an Eternal scale!

It will be like a man, blind from birth opening his eyes and seeing the light of day for the first time! You will not be able to contain the joy you will feel. Even the most unemotional among us will be overcome with the thrill!

The Bible talks about “the pleasures of sin for a season.” Satan offers to give us that short term gain for an eternal loss. It is a cosmic scam that will insure that everyone who accepts the deal with have buyer’s remorse forever.

When you hear the offer by Satan remember the fire and JUST SAY NO!

White Knuckle Christian!


Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are."
But Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"

1 Chronicles 21:1-3

I am a white knuckle flyer! Well not every time I fly, but when turbulence or some other anomaly during the flight becomes impossible to ignore I hold on tightly to the nearest solid object. You can try that right now and see that after even a minute or so the color in your knuckles begins to fade for lack of blood.

My most memorable “white knuckle” flight was in a Piper Cub which was older than I am. The pilot and I shared a half inch thick piece of plywood that served as a seat. There was at least one rip in the covering of the plane that had been repaired with grey duct tape. I’m not sure why I agreed to go on the flight. It was sort of like sin. For a fleeting moment it seemed like a good idea and before I could think about it long enough to realize the stupidity of the decision we were taking off! During the brief flight I held on to the plywood seat as tightly as I could. My knuckles were white and I was having a personal time of prayer and repentance as we flew over the city!

Why was it a sin for David to take a census of the people? I would think that he was just being responsible as the King. The reason it was a sin and the reason God punished the people severely for this sin is that David was taking a census so that he could go to war in his own strength while depending on the size of his army and not on the Lord!

White knuckle flyers are depending on the grip of their fist to keep them from falling from an airplane. How stupid is that? King David was preparing to depend on the size of his army rather than the Lord. That will not work as well.

Today I would urge you to stand in judgment of your every thought. “Am I thinking this because I want to depend on something other than God?” It could be the simplest thought about the most inconsequential thing, but if you are depending on something or someone other than God you are becoming a White Knuckle Christian. White knuckle flyers and White Knuckle Christians do not enjoy the ride. They are consumed with the prospect that something could and probably will go wrong and we will all be killed! If you are a White Knuckle Christian, let go of the seat, look out of the window at the glorious view and enjoy the ride!

The First Snowflake!


But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'

Genesis 14:22-23

Abraham saved Sodom before God destroyed the city! It was dramatic. Four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and all their food. They also carried off some of the people of Sodom along with Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living there.

Abraham got the news and with 318 men defeated the four kings and returned the people and their stuff to Sodom. Sodom had suffered a terrible trial and would never have been the same except for the quick work of Abraham and his men!

But was Abraham’s intervention in the tribulation of Sodom a good thing? There is no mention of Sodom’s repentance. Sodom was a wicked city and would soon see the fire fall making it an eternal example of God’s judgment on unrighteousness. If Abraham had not intervened would the suffering of Sodom have led them to repentance and revival? No one knows for sure, but it would have only taken ten righteous people to save them from their fiery fate.

Have we by our political intervention been trying to “SAVE SODOM” once again like Abraham did in Genesis 14? The world has been going through a severe economic crisis. There are many Abrahams among us today. They are working diligently to save the rebellious world from collapse. What we must see is that the collapse of an economy, even a worldwide collapse can be just the medicine needed to bring us to repentance!

Today’s world is like a terminally ill patient. First the doctor comes and delivers the good news that even though the patient is terminally ill we will be able to keep him “comfortable” until the end. There is no rejoicing over that assessment. Then the doctor delivers the message that a cure has been found and the patient will recover even though it will be a struggle and painful at times! Who would choose the “comfortable until the end” option?

Even though the medicine tastes terrible and the rehab is painful it is the only logical choice!

Wake up America, and the world! Anesthesia will not avert the judgment that is sure to come. Repentance will change the course of the world but repentance comes one person at a time! You can choose to be the first snowflake in the blizzard!

GPS!

"But if I go to the east, he is not there;

if I go to the west, I do not find him.

When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;

when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My feet have closely followed his steps;

I have kept to his way without turning aside.

I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Job 23:8-12

I was less than five years old and I had taken my attention off of my mother for only a few seconds. There I was, lost in a grocery store! Little children panic quickly and I did. I remember seeing a coat that looked just like my mother’s. I ran up and pulled on the coat to get my mother’s attention! The woman turned around and it was not my mother. It may sound like no big deal to you, but almost sixty years later the memory is vivid in my mind. Of course my mother found me soon and all was well once again, but being lost and knowing it is terrifying.

Before the days of GPS (Global Positioning Satellites) you could travel for hours on the wrong road and never know you were lost. But when you discover the fact that you are lost, every bit of your attention is focused on getting out of that desperate situation.

The Bible is God’s Positioning System. The Bible let’s you know where you are in life. If you want to know if you should be assured that all is well in life and you have nothing to fear, then read the Word of God. God’s GPS like a satellite hovering above the earth will let you know exactly where you are in life!

Confidence and self-assurance in life mean nothing unless they come from knowing God! David brought down Goliath not because of his confidence and self-assurance. Goliath fell because God was with the shepherd boy!

When you, like Job cannot see God in your life, closely follow His steps and treasure His Word more than your daily bread.

A little boy who knows he is lost is terrified. An old man who knows he is lost is also terrified. The little boy cries out for his mother. The old man must cry out for God. God’s Word promises that He will always answer that cry!

Sleep in Your Clothes!


Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14

Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden men and women have spent a significant part of their time paying attention to clothing! The decision of “what to wear” is often a big one in the day of many women. And well to do women are concerned that no one else wears the same dress they are wearing at a public event. Men also have been told that “clothes make the man.” They are told how to “dress for success” and how to impress other people by what they wear.

We teach our children to always wear clean clothes if possible and not to sleep in their clothes.

God tells His people what to wear. He tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

When you see another person the way to describe the sight is significant. “I see a man in a blue suit.” You don’t say, “I see a blue suit containing a man.” Even though you may see no skin at all you still say that you see a man wearing a blue suit.

As children of God we are seen as men and women displaying Godly characteristics. So we are seen as compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. Without being draped around a child of God those things are impotent and irrelevant. President George Bush spoke about “compassionate conservatism.” Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are not characteristics of a philosophy. They are relevant only in the lives and actions of people.

A man may have many clothes in his closet, but he can only wear one suit at a time. A man wearing two or more suits quickly becomes a spectacle. However, as followers of Jesus we can wear all of our clothes every day. Today put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

As a Christian you never have to change your clothes and sleeping in your clothes is not only acceptable, it is expected!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat!


For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21

Rowing, even a small boat can be a very tiring experience. First you have to be totally coordinated. If you pull even a little harder with one arm or the other the little boat will simply go in circles. Then you can’t row a boat unless you are looking where you have been instead of where you are going. It is the way our bodies are constructed. To get a good pull on the oars you must be looking back not forward. It is very helpful when rowing a boat to have a passenger who can help you tweak the direction you are going.

But when you find the current in the river rowing gets easier and may become altogether unnecessary. If your little rowboat enters the rapids in the river rowing is not helpful at all. That’s when you hang on to the boat and see where the rapids will take you.

Life as a Christian can be like rowing a boat. Many believers row around in circles, never really getting anywhere and not even looking where they are going. They spend their days pulling hard on the oars just proud as can be to be in the boat. Then sometimes, even by accident we wander into the current of the Holy Spirit. It is a little scary at first. The boat is moving faster than we are rowing. What is happening? The Holy Spirit is obviously taking us places we never intended to go. But the most exciting part is when the current takes us into the rapids. As a believer all we can do is hang on to Jesus as our lives are tossed about from foaming current to rocks that threaten to sink our boat. Then, as there is sometimes in a river there is a beautiful placid calm just before we reach the precipice of a deep waterfall.

At this point we may be tempted to row against the current to see how long we can keep from going over the falls. But sooner or later our strength will run out and we will give in to the current and take the plunge. The giant waterfall of death waits for us all. If by faith you have learned to trust the current and even the rapids of the Holy Spirit’s leading then you can even embrace the waterfall as the next step on your journey through eternity. You still go over only by His power! Until the Holy Spirit takes you over the falls there is work for you to do here.

So there may be more than meets the eye to the 19th century nursery rhyme:

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream!