Living Holy and Godly Lives.

2 Peter 3:11-12 (New International Version)

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

In August 1961, Paul Toaspern was a theologian living in West Berlin. Suddenly, the Soviets decided to erect the concrete Berlin wall dividing East Berlin from West Berlin. Quickly recognizing the situation, Toaspern took his young family and moved to East Berlin, the opposite direction from the thousands of refugees who were pouring into the West.

Toaspern realized that the church in East Berlin would be persecuted and would need his theological expertise and his passion for missions. He quickly became one of East Germany's Christian leaders.

In 1986, American preacher Robert Roxbergh visited Toaspern. Roxbergh asked: "How are your kids doing? Are they at university?"

Toaspern replied: "Oh, they don't go to university. My children are very bright and academically would go far in university, but they will not join the Young Communist League, so they cannot go to university. But praise God, they're all training for the ministry."

Roxbergh then asked: "How about your parents, Paul?"

Toaspern answered: "Oh, my parents are dead. The sad thing is that when they were dying, the government wouldn't let me back to see them, so I had to shout to friends over the wall and ask how they were doing."

Toaspern willingly gave up his freedoms to follow Christ.

Holiness and godliness have a price, but the price is small in comparison to knowing Christ more deeply.

Dear Lord we thank You for always being there for us. Help our faith be strong so that we can show Your love to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He Will Carry You - Scott Wesley Brown (With Lyrics) (No problem too big...

Are You Working for the Lord?

Colossians 3:23-24 (New International Version)

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

When the famed Bible teacher Harry Ironside was a boy he worked for a Christian cobbler named Dan Mackay. Harry's task was to take a piece of cowhide that was soaked in water and to pound it with a hammer until it was hard and dry. Then he found out that other cobblers took a short cut and would attach the leather to the shoes before they were dry. "They come back all the quicker this way, my boy!" one cobbler said. Harry brought up the idea of Mr. Mackay. Mr. Mackay replied: "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Harry, I do not cobble shoes just for the four bits and six bits (50c or 75c) that I get from my customers. I am doing this for the glory of God. I expect to see every shoe I have ever repaired in a big pile at the judgment seat of Christ, and I do not want the Lord to say to me in that day, 'Dan, this was a poor job. You did not do your best here.' I want Him to be able to say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"

No matter who your employer is, Christ should be the one you are working for and serving. Who do you work for? Today in prayer, thank Christ for your job and do it unto Him with all of your heart.

Dear Lord please keep us awake in the duties of our callings so that we may bring honor to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Would You Deny Your Love for Jesus?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Communist soldiers had discovered their illegal Bible study.

As the pastor was reading from the Bible, men with guns suddenly broke into the home, terrorizing the believers who had gathered there to worship. The Communists shouted insults and threatened to kill the Christians. The leading officer painted his gun at the pastor's head. "Hand me your Bible," he demanded.

Reluctantly, the pastor handed over his Bible, his prized possession. With a sneer on his face, the guard threw the Word of God on the floor at his feet.

He glared at the small congregation: "We will let you go," he growled, "but first, you must spit on this book of lies. Anyone who refuses will be shot." The believers had no choice but to obey the officer's order.

A soldier pointed his gun at one of the men. "You first." The man slowly got up and knelt down by the Bible. Reluctantly, he spit on it, praying, "Father, please forgive me." He stood up and walked to the door. The soldiers stood back and allowed him to leave.

"Okay, you!" the soldier said, nudging a woman forward. In tears, she could barely do what the soldier demanded. She spat only a little, but it was enough. She too was allowed to leave.

Quietly, a young girl came forward. Overcome with love for her Lord, she knelt down and picked up the Bible. She wiped off the spit with her dress. "What have they done to Your Word? Please forgive them," she prayed.

The Communist soldier put his pistol to her head. Then he pulled the trigger.

Most of those facing persecution today could have escaped if they had denied their faith. The question is not whether we are persecuted, but whether we are willing to lay down our life for our faith in Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord we pray that our faith in You would be strong enough and real enough that we would never deny our faith in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Are You on the Path God Wants You to Be?

Matthew 7:13-14 (New International Version)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Marisa was a stubborn creature. As a child, when the neighborhood boys told her to go away, telling her she could not play rough and tumble sports because she was a girl, she was determined to prove them wrong. Prove them wrong she did, and it was not long before Marisa gained a reputation of being a "Tomboy," you know, the old fashioned phrase folks used long ago to describe a girl who acted more like a boy.

Through adulthood, this stubborn, independent, and determined streak carried Marisa through many a difficult situation in and out of the workforce, but sadly, from a spiritual perspective, it was a thorn in Marisa's side as she often struggled between God's will and her own.

Never was this so evident than when Marisa, now a longtime married woman, found her self sitting in a counselor's office pouring out her soul when asked to tell why her marriage was failing.

"When Adam and I first married, we were so happily in love, and boy, did it show!" replied Marisa, her eyes seeming to twinkle in delight at reflecting back on a better time. "I don't know how or why, but I just was no longer filled in my marriage. There was an unexplainable emptiness that I wrongly presumed was due to a dying love," she continued. "I would look at Adam, and no longer did my heart pound with excitement. I wanted the passion, romance and thrill of love we once had, and it seemed nowhere to be found." "How did you resolve that?" asked the counselor.

Marisa replied, "Even though I knew through my Christian upbringing that I should cleave to God, I took it upon myself to try to solve the matter in my own ways, rather than God's ways."

"What happened then?" asked the marriage counselor.

"A path of personal and spiritual destruction. Of course, I didn't see that then, but I see it all so clearly now," replied Marisa as she looked down to the floor in shame.

"I did everything to fill that void; drinking, abuse of prescription drugs, got involved in hobbies that pulled me further away from God, and what I'm most embarrassed about, I had an affair."

"Did these resolutions help?" asked the counselor knowingly.

Marisa continued, "They only made matters worse. Much worse. Not only were they temporary band-Aids, but they left me feeling emotionally, physically, and spiritually ill. The guilt and shame I carried around soon became heavier than my actual marriage problem, and that is why I finally dropped it, and why I am now here."

What the woman in this story learned the hard way is that, in life, the roads we are offered are very clear. There is the right way, and the wrong way. God's path of righteousness, or own path which is typically filled with temporary human resolutions that can never be as satisfying and fulfilling as the truth and all-encompassing love of our Creator. What Marisa perceived as a lack of love in her marriage, was actually just a marriage that needed a jolt of life blood; the hard work of two people who need to make and create the intimacy Marisa so missed in her relationship with Adam. Even greater than this need, was Marisa's hunger to be fully loved and accepted in a way no mere human could possibly do. Why? Because, as Marisa finally learned, this place in her being was empty due to her own neglect of her spiritual relationship with God.

In time, Marisa and Adam began praying and playing together again as a family. The dark cloud of shame that hung over Marisa's head from her destructive behaviors was removed after she offered God her sincere repentance from her past sins. For so long, Marisa had been fighting God and her marriage, and now it was time to end the war.

As you read this message, can you think of ways in your own life that you are not going down the path God wishes you to, but you are instead taking a detour which will result in a dead end? Now is the time to follow Marisa's example, and to know that God is not here to condemn you, but to love you.

Dear Lord we pray that we would stay on the path that you have for each of us to follow. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What is Important?

Joshua 24:15 (New International Version)

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Have you ever heard of Hank Greenberg? The year was 1934. For the first time in 25 years, the Detroit Tigers were a strong team who had an excellent chance to play in baseball's prestigious World Series. Hank was a key player on a team that had come to rely on his superb skills at first base, and his strong batting, to win games. An important and decisive game was scheduled on Yom Kippur. Hank, the son of Romanian immigrants to the United States, announced that he would not don his uniform and play on this day, one of the most sacred of He­brew fasts.

The city of Detroit was outraged. Citizens screamed that the Day of Atonement could be cele­brated any year, but this year the Tigers may go all the way to the Series! Anti-Semitic remarks were viciously hurled, but Hank Greenberg remained resolute.

The Detroit Tigers indeed lost that day, al­though the team did secure the pennant that year. And Hank, when more rational minds prevailed, at­tained the respect of the community. In fact, a poem was written and published honoring the man who held steadfastly to his beliefs. The tribute ended with this verse:

Came Yom Kippur - Holy fast day world-wide over to the Jews, And Hank Greenberg to his teaching and the old tradition true Spent the day among his people and he didn't come to play.

Said Murphy to Mulrooney, "We shall lose the game today! We shall miss him in the infield and shall miss him at the bat, But he's true to his religion - and I honor him for that!"

Hank still teaches us an important lesson in how to live effectively. He decided what was im­por­tant to him and, regardless of pressure applied, he honored his own values. Hank Greenberg -- not the team, nor the coaches, nor even emotional De­troit fans -- set his agenda. What he did required tremendous courage. He let nobody lower stand­ards he had chosen for himself. And though the team lost that day, the city of Detroit won be­cause it gained an important role model in a young man who courageously followed an inner voice.

Choosing our own way may not always be easy. But effective living occurs once we decide how we will live our lives and, regardless of outside pressure, we honor that decision.

Are you struggling with a difficult decision today, what is your inner voice leading you to do? Perhaps that is the voice that should be honored.

Dear Lord we pray that we would always take the time to listen your voice. We pray that we would be strong and that we would do what we know is right. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let's Remember the Scars.

Isaiah 53:5 (New International Version)

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

   he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

   and by his wounds we are healed.

John Gordon was a respected general for the South in the Civil War. After the war, he was running for the United States Senate, but a man who had served under him in the war, angry over some political incident, was determined to see him defeated. Everyone knew this man would fight Gordon's bid to become a senator.

During the convention, he angrily stamped down the aisle with his anti-Gordon vote in hand. As he saw Gordon sitting on the platform, he noticed how his once handsome face was disfigured with the scars of battle -- marks of his willingness to suffer and bleed for a cause he believed in.

The old soldier was stricken with remorse. Overcome with emotion, he exclaimed, “It’s no use; I can’t do it. Here’s my vote for John Gordon.” Then, turning to the general, he said, “Forgive me, General. I had forgotten the scars.”

What a difference it makes in our lives when we remember the scars! With so many things to distract us, we don't often take time each day to reflect on what Jesus went through on the cross for us. But, when we are tempted to stray, it is a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice that has the power to draw us back to him.

Let’s remember to take a moment today to pause and "remember the scars".

Dear Lord we thank You for the scars. We thank You for what You did for us, we pray today that we would never forget it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.