A Sinner in God's Court

LOL (Lame Object Lesson): Bug Bites

2010-05-15T13:22:00.002-06:00

I really need to start posting on here more often...

I have a bug bite on my leg. The other day it was itching really bad, so I scratched it just a little. I know you're not supposed to do that and that it doesn't really work, but I tried it anyway. Sure enough, it worked for only a second or two, and then the itch came back even worse. So I did it again. And it got worse. Finally I gave up and asked Mom if she had any anti-itch stuff.

So this morning I got to thinking, isn't that kind of like giving in to sinful desires? Sometimes we want to think that if we "scratch the itch" just enough, it'll go away - but it only works for a second or two, and then it comes back wanting more. That's not the solution.

On the other hand, sometimes we tend to focus too much on trying to avoid sinning. I know that in the past, I've made the mistake of viewing "not sinning" as an end in itself, instead of a step on the road to becoming more Christlike. This is legalism - trying to keep God's commandments, but not for the right reasons. How can we become more like God if we're focusing on sin rather than Him?

"... you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God..." (1 Thessalonians 1:9b, NASB)

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16, NASB)

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Romans 13:14, NASB)

Killing sin is not an end in itself. It's not about making ourselves better people by conforming to a set of rules. It's about serving God. It's about loving Him and, therefore, hating the things He hates. It's about giving up our selfish, sinful desires for the glory of God.

I've never been a big fan of hip-hop...

2010-01-04T13:26:00.003-07:00

But lately that's changing.

It's hard to find really good lyrics, even in Christian music - theologically sound lyrics that truly honor God and focus on Him rather than us and our felt needs. However, my family has found some Christian rap/hip-hop artists with really good lyrics. Here are two songs I really like:

"Atonement Q&A" - Shai Linne feat. Stephen the Levite

"Who Is He" - Json feat. Lecrae

The second of the two songs I just posted is available on a free sampler recently posted by Lamp Mode Recordings on their website:
http://www.lampmode.com/resources/grass-roots-2/
The sampler is called Grassroots Vol. 2, and I highly recommend it. Vol. 1 is also available elsewhere on the website... I haven't listened to it much yet, but from what I've heard of it, it's also good.

Do you love God?

2009-10-18T21:01:00.001-06:00

I was reading in 1 John the other day, and got to thinking about love. A lot of times, people - like, especially teenagers - will say they love a certain someone, but it's really not love. Maybe they get a rush of emotion when they see that other person, or think a lot about them, or whatever, but it's not really love. As life goes on, the feelings go away - and the person moves on. I've heard this type of fake love called a "crush" or "infatuation".

Real love, on the other hand, is not just a feeling. It's being determined to put your own needs aside and focus on the needs of someone else - whether the person is a friend, family member, or whoever else. It's "regarding one another as more important than yourself".

My question to you is this: how many people in the world today who claim to be Christians only, in a sense, have a "crush" on God? I've heard statistics recently (like in the sermon in my last post) that say most Americans would say they were Christians. Take a look around at our culture today. Do you see, for the most part, a Christian culture? I don't. I have to wonder how many people have been to "Christian" events and such, have heard the touchy-feely stories the speakers tell and the songs they sing, and had their emotions stirred up to the point where they "responded" to the gospel - but in reality, it was only infatuation, a purely emotional response... while they didn't really understand what it means to be a Christian, to love God.

Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Do we love Him? Are we willing to give up earthly comforts and passions to obey God and His Word? That is what it is to be a Christian.

"Do not love the world nor 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 lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17 (NASB)

So I heard this youth message the other day...

2009-10-16T14:52:00.003-06:00

and it was REALLY good. check it out:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=52906154239

Witnesses

2009-10-11T15:31:00.002-06:00

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

This morning, my pastor pointed out something that I found interesting. He said that in a court, the witnesses don't need to have a degree in law. They don't need to have all this extra knowledge. They just "take the stand and tell the truth".

I know there are plenty of Christians in this world - myself included - who tend not to think they know enough to preach the gospel. We tend to be afraid that we won't have all the right answers, or that we're somehow not qualified. Sadly, I have used that before as an excuse for not witnessing, in order to justify it in my own mind. However, in Matthew 28:18b-20, Jesus's command to the disciples is this:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

He doesn't say, "Keep silent until you have a degree in theology and can answer any question a person could possibly ask". He says, "Go therefore and make disciples".