The Biggest Fool
“You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?”
Luke 12:20
Jesus Christ tells of the biggest fool. “A certain rich man was very productive and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do since I have no place to store all that I have?’ He decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones and then store all his grain and goods. Then he said, ‘I have many goods laid up for years to come; now I’ll take it easy and eat, drink and be merry!’”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is required of you and now who will own all that you have?’ So is the man who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.”
Question: When are you going to pause long enough from pursuing bigger barns and dreaming of how to fill them up, to start thinking about your soul? All that counts is “Do you know God?” and “What have you done for God and your fellow man?” Quit playing the fool and get things right with God through Jesus Christ. And do it today!
Legalism
“There shall be one stand for you…for I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 24:22
Legalism is not true faith. It’s often confused with dedicated faith, but real faith is not about obeying well-intentioned, man-made rules. That only leads to frustration, resentment, and unnecessary guilt. In today’s world, there are not only religious legalists but secular legalists. The “tolerance police” and politically correct Gestapo are intensely passionate about enforcing their well-intentioned man-made rules. Resentment and frustration are the result.
If you suffer from well-intentioned legalism, I have great news for you. Jesus battled legalism throughout His whole ministry. He understands your pain. He wants to save you from it, just as He wants to save you from sin.
He will clarify what God calls sin and give you the desire to obey Him. God’s commands enrich our lives. Man’s legalisms enslave our lives. The only way to know the difference is by looking to Christ through God’s Word. You’ll discover the truth and the truth will set you free.
Jesus And Scripture
“…if you knew me, you would know My Father also.”
John 8:19
Who is history’s most influential person?
I believe it’s Jesus Christ. Every time we write the date, it’s a testimony to Him. But it’s important to remember that we are directly dependent on Scripture to give us the full view of Jesus. To know Jesus we need to know Scripture. Jesus said, “Do not think I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” All scripture, from Moses and the Old Testament prophets to the Gospels, Paul, and John’s Revelation, reveals to us Jesus.
If we ignore Scripture, we will not know Jesus. When we choose what we like and ignore what we don’t, we get a distorted view of Jesus. We get a man-made, politically correct Jesus who is not Jesus at all. Scripture reveals the true Jesus. Jesus reveals God to us. Get to know Jesus and you get to know God.
The Great Wall
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Romans 8:35
In January of 2000, I had the privilege of seeing the Great Wall of China. It was magnificent. The construction of it began over four hundred years before Christ and was completed in the 1600’s. It’s built over some of the toughest terrain imaginable. You could stretch it from Atlanta to London and still have wall left over. All that effort to stay separated from their enemies.
Yet, as big as the Great Wall is, it’s not as big a wall as the wall of sin that separates man from God. I know sin is not a politically correct term these days, but it’s what separates us from God. No man can overcome this barrier on his own. Yet God offers us a way through Jesus, His sacrificial death, and our faith in Him. He removes the barrier.
Do you feel a barrier or separation between you and God? Look, in faith, at what God’s Word says about Jesus. He’ll remove the wall between you and God.
Secularism
“No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him.”
Psalm 49:7
“National polls in the U.S. show a steady rise in the number of people declaring ‘no religion’ when asked about the religious affiliation (up from 2.7 percent in 1957 to 16 percent in 2009). More Americans now profess ‘no religion’ than all Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists and Lutherans combined. Their number has nearly doubled since 1990.” (What is God? By Philip Yancey, FaithWords, New York, NY, 2010. Pp 2-3)
What is secularism? It’s the view that man is the ultimate authority and not God, that consideration of the present well-being of mankind should predominate over religious considerations in civil affairs and public education.
Secularism is all about man. Yet, here’s the irony—secularism leads to disillusionment with man and hopelessness at death. But Christianity is all about God and His desire to redeem sinful man through Christ. Christianity’s worldview leads us to understand that man only finds ultimate meaning in how he relates to God. It is realistic, yet filled with hope.
An Outrageous Claim
“I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”
Matthew 5:17
One of the most outrageous claims ever made by a man was this: “Do you think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets? I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
The man who made that claim was Jesus and the law and the prophets He referred to were scripture. Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of how to live a good and moral life. He claimed to be the fulfillment of the prophets of old like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Wow! What a claim!
He showed this through His life, His death, and His rising from the dead. To believe Scripture, is to believe Jesus. To believe Jesus, is to believe He fulfills the Scripture. But even more, He shows us how to fulfill the commands of God.
He was asked what the greatest commandment was and He replied, “Love the Lord your God with your heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself.” You can’t obey one without the other. Jesus is the only one to perfectly fulfill God’s Word.
Hope
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…”
Hebrews 6:19
There’s an old saying: “When a person loses hope, they begin to hope for
death.” Life is hard without hope. Life becomes drudgery, misery, meaningless. One reason people lose hope is that they put their hope in the wrong things—beliefs that disappoint, dreams that are unrealistic, but, most of all, in other people who disappoint and disillusion us about life and, sadly, even about God.
But God never disappoints. He gets blamed for a lot of evil that people do, but He is the one we want to put our hope in. For He always wants the best for us. His word says, “I know the plans I have for you, to give you hope and a future.” He always loves us. He’s always faithful. Even in death He gives us hope. In His son Jesus, we see He understands the pain of death and gives us the hope of victory over death as well. When we have hope over death, we can begin to live hopefully every day.
Overcoming Rejection
“Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21
Rejection is never easy, but rejection from people we care about really hurts. Maybe it’s the rejection of losing your job or having a spouse walk out on you. Sometimes rejection can be so devastating that we’re not sure we are going to recover. Here are a few thoughts that may help:
Jesus understands. On the cross, He faced the rejection of the whole world on the cross. Be honest with God about your feelings. He understands.
Don’t seek revenge. Trust God to bring about ultimate justice. Ask God to help you forgive. After all, Jesus forgave us for rejecting Him on the cross.
Don’t confuse forgiveness with a lack of accountability. Holding wrongdoers accountable is good—for them, for us, and for others.
Choose to get better, not bitter. The best way to get even in a good way is to get better. Remember, “bitterness is the poison we swallow while hoping the other person dies.”
These four insights can help you to overcome rejection. Put them into practice and rejection will not defeat you. Rejection is never easy, but overcoming rejection is a key to successful living.
A Life Well Spent
“An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”
Proverbs 20:21
The track record on second-and third-generation wealth is a disaster. That famous philosopher, Anonymous, once wrote, “The best way to create a small fortune is to inherit a large one.” The Bible tells us it’s good to leave an inheritance to our children—but if we focus our inheritance only on money and material possessions, that’s a problem.
In the book, A Life Well Spent, Russ Crosson wrote that our primary focus should be on posterity over prosperity. When it comes to our heirs, we need to invest in their life, help them to build faith and character, teach them hard work, and how to handle money wisely. If all the focus of our inheritance is on prosperity, our posterity will be severely handicapped when it comes to faith, responsibility, generosity, and character.
We want to help our children become producers more than consumers. That calls for a lot of love, time, and, most of all, a great example.
Parents, when it comes to inheritance, what are you going to leave your children? Let’s leave an inheritance more valuable than money.
The Future
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…”
Romans 15:13
What’s going to happen next year, next week, 15 minutes from now? Many people waste time now worrying about what might happen in the future. The Bible gives us a wonderful promise: “[God says] I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Can we know the future? No, we can’t. But we can face the future with confidence when we know that God is in control and He is working for our good.
No matter what circumstances come our way, we know He’s there for us. And, frankly, when I read the newspapers or see the evening news, I don’t always feel optimistic about the future. But when I put my trust in God, knowing that He is in complete control, I have hope for tomorrow and strength for living each and every day.
The Facts Vs. The Truth In Gossip
“…whoever spreads slander is a fool.”
Proverbs 10:18
A pastor went to visit a woman in his church before she was to have serious surgery. As he walked into her hospital room, he found her in the arms of a man who was not her husband. Stunned and embarrassed, he silently walked out. Later he discovered that this woman’s brother had flown in from California to comfort her before her surgery.
Later, the pastor said, “I could have told others I saw that woman in the arms of a man who was not her husband and it would have been a fact, but it would not have been the truth.”
The press often does this in reporting what people have done. They confuse the facts with the truth. This results in half-truths that are really the worst form of lies, because they are so believable. Gossip and slander are big on facts and short on truth. They unfairly destroy people’s character.
So the next time you hear something bad about another person, be sure you have more than the facts. Be sure you have the whole truth, for it is easy to confuse the facts with the truth.
Signs Of Jesus’ Return
“But of that day and hour no one knows…”
Matthew 24:36
One of the teachings of Jesus is that He would come again. He very clearly teaches about signs of his coming:
An increase in false teachers and messiahs. False teaching is contrary to God’s written word and we see this today not only in modern cults, but also in false teaching inside and outside of the church.
Wars and rumors of wars. The 20th century was the bloodiest and worst century in all of history. What will the 21st century hold?
Increase in natural disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, famines and floods.
He says these occurrences are like birth pangs. With the onset of labor, birth pangs increase in frequency and intensity the closer to a baby’s birth. This is very revealing in reflecting on the “signs” of which Jesus speaks.
Yet he clearly states, “No one knows the time.” If someone sets a time, you can be sure they are a false prophet because no one knows the time. Yet, we need to be ready all the time. One thing is for sure, ‘birth pangs’ keep increasing in intensity and frequency.
Heart Condition
“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”
Hebrews 3:15
I once read about a certain head coach in the NBA who had drifted away from God. He was dabbling in Buddhism, Zen, and other different things. He told a reporter that when he went back to his father’s church, at times it felt like the preacher was preaching directly at him with a message about the need to repent and to be saved through Jesus Christ.
The reporter asked, “Well, how did you respond?”
And he said, “Well, I just hardened my heart until the service was over.”
I cringed when I read that. It’s such an honest, graphic description of how the majority of the world today responds to the good news of Jesus Christ. Many just harden their heart one more time because they’re more interested in doing their own thing than in following God. But the Bible tells us, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”.
I urge you, don’t harden your heart again. Instead, choose to trust Christ and follow Him today and forever more.
Re-Defining God
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
John 14:7
A weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article entitled, “Re-Defining God.” It told how so many in our modern world are re-defining who God is. One seminary professor said, “People seek out new gods the way they seek out new products in the marketplace.” How would you describe God?
1. The first two of the Ten Commandments say there is but one God and no others. More than anything else, we need to get this right. God gets angry about worshiping false, man-made gods.
2. The best way to define God is through a man—Jesus. He is God’s ultimate revelation of Himself.
So how do you understand Jesus? The most authoritative word is the Bible. Scripture gives us the complete and full picture of Jesus. Otherwise, it’s just somebody’s opinion.
So how do you define God? Get to know the Jesus of Scripture.
I promise, you will not be disappointed.
Advice about Religion and Whiskey
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
Matthew 23:15
“Bryant,” my Daddy always told me, “religion and whisky are a lot alike—too much of either one will get the best of you.” That was a co-worker’s advice when he heard I had decided to leave the business world for the ministry.
I laughed and had to agree with him, for religion and whiskey can get the best of you. Go overboard with either one and you can mess up your life and others’ too.
Jesus said to the Pharisees (who were very religious, guilt inducing, and self- righteous) that “their converts became twice the sons of Hell that they were.” Because Jesus knew religion can get the best of anyone, what He came to offer was a relationship, a healthy relationship, with God. Christianity is not about being religious but about having a relationship with God that gives meaning to our life.
So if religion or whiskey is getting the best of you, you might try Jesus and enjoy a healthy relationship with God.
How To Know Christ
“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord…”
Jeremiah 24:7
God’s Word makes it clear—the goal of life is knowing Christ. Now think what knowing Christ doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean knowing about Him.
I love to read biographies, especially of presidents. At the end of a great biography you feel like you know the person. Yet I’ve never met a president, I know a lot about them, but I’ve never known one personally. Most people know a lot about Jesus but that doesn’t mean they know Him personally. So how can you know Him personally?
1. God’s Word. Through His Word you can know Him. But scripture without faith is just knowing about Him.
2. Have faith. That’s a key to believing what Scripture says is true.
3. Pray. Talking and listening to God allows you to know Him.
4. Attend a Christ-centered church. This helps you know Him through worship, fellowship, and ministry.
When it comes to Jesus, do you know Him or just know about Him? Really knowing Him makes all the difference.
The Goal Of Life
“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Philippians 3:8
What is the goal of life? What is your goal for life? What does God’s Word say should be our goal for living?
Is it finding happiness? No.
Is it accomplishing much to leave a legacy? That can be good, but that’s not it.
Is it being good and helping your fellow man? That’s good, too, but there is something more.
Read the words of the apostle Paul: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.”
Knowing Christ is the ultimate goal of life. If you know Christ, you don’t have to worry about finding happiness, being good, helping your fellow man, or leaving a legacy. All that flows out of knowing Christ. The ultimate goal of life is to know Christ. Do you really know Him?
Inner Peace
“For You have been a defense for the helpless…a refuge from the storm…”
Isaiah 25:4
A contest offered a valuable prize for the best illustration of the concept of peace. Many artists entered. There were renderings of beautiful sunsets over calm seas and hazy scenes of tranquil rivers in lush valleys. The prizewinner’s depiction was very different from these tranquil scenes. Painted in black and gray, it depicted the terror of a violent storm. Lightning split the clouds; rain and hail pounded the ground. In the center of the painting was a storm-tossed oak tree. Holding on with all its might to one of the limbs of the tree was a little bird, singing at the top of its lungs. That’s true peace.
You see, ultimate peace is not the absence of storms but inner peace amidst storms. And man never finds lasting inner peace until he finds peace with God. For when you find peace with God, you begin to experience peace within.
Have you found that peace? I hope that you will. It begins with knowing Christ as Lord.
Marriage And Civilization
“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Genesis 2:23
Even though every major religion has defined marriage as a lifetime commitment between a man and a woman, some in the 21st century want to redefine it. But even if you leave God out of the discussion, there are good reasons why mankind defined marriage that way:
1. For the civilization of men. Men have a tendency towards violence and to be animalistic when lustful passion strikes. Society has seen marriage as a protection against that.
2. For the protection and security of women. Men tend to be physically stronger, and because of men’s animalistic tendencies, marriage has historically been for the physical protection and security of women.
3. For the welfare of the children. Growing up in a family with a healthy and stable marriage between a man and a woman has been the best environment for a child’s development and maturity. It’s how children learn to deal with men and women responsibly and respectfully.
The civilization of men, the protection and security of women, and the welfare of children are three key reasons that marriage is to be between a man and a woman.
Loyalty And Devotion
“…where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
Ruth 1:16
Loyalty is a precious commodity. Many profess it, but few have it (especially when life goes sour). And yet there are few gifts greater than another person’s loyalty, especially when we feel like the whole world is against us.
Probably the type of relationship where there is little loyalty is with in-laws. This is why some relationships with in-laws are challenging because the only reason you have a loyalty to them is that you both love the same person. When that person is gone, there is often little to tie you together.
Ruth is one of the Bible’s most inspiring women. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, lost her husband and her two sons. One of those sons was Ruth’s husband. But listen to Ruth’s words to Naomi: “Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge and your people shall be my people and your God, my God and where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.” She not only said it, she kept her word. Loyalty is a precious commodity, especially when life goes sour.
World Views
Secularism, Islam And Christianity—Three Competing Views
“Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
1 Corinthians 15:12
Secularism often lumps Islam and Christianity together as being one in the same, seeing both as equal threats to their cherished world view. Yet Islam and Christianity are radically different.
Followers of Islam tend to lump Christianity and secularism into one lost group. When they see the decadence of American media and entertainment and know that most Americans claim to be Christian, Muslims see a failed and corrupt religion.
But Christianity sees Islam and secularism as radically different. But they share one common belief, the belief that Jesus is not God. They believe he was just a man. They don’t believe that he rose from the dead.
All of Christianity rises and falls on Jesus’ resurrection. If He did, He’s different from every man and every other worldview. If He didn’t, Christianity is a colossal hoax based on a lie and you don’t want to believe it.
So what do you believe? I’m putting my faith in Jesus.
Hope After Divorce
For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce…
Malachi 2:16a
Very often people who face divorce feel hopeless. Sadly, many who turn to the church for help feel rejected not welcomed. Many have told me they felt outcast and shunned, even if they were the spouse left behind. Sometimes this is a perception, but sometimes it is very real. Tragically, the Christian army sometimes appears to be the only army in the world known to shoot its wounded.
Yes, Scripture teaches that God hates divorce, but just because He hates divorce doesn’t mean He hates the divorcee. He loves the divorcee. God hates divorce for many of the same reasons the divorcee hates divorce—most of all, for the pain and suffering it causes in so many lives. There is no doubt that divorce always results from sin, but it is not the unforgivable sin.
Divorce is never what God wants, but Jesus teaches us that we have a God of second chances—a God of forgiveness. When we trust in Christ and confess our sins to the Lord, we begin to realize He loves us and forgives us completely. We can find that total and complete healing in the person of Jesus Christ.
Theories on the Resurrection
“I am the first and the last, and the Living One; I am alive forevermore…”
Revelation 1:17-18
Do you want to disprove Christianity?
The key to doing this is to prove that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead. You prove that and Christianity is a joke.
In the 1930’s, a British lawyer by the name of Frank Morrison took on that challenge. He was convinced that the resurrection was a myth. Using his skills as a lawyer, he sought to do the world a favor by exposing this fraud once and for all.
So he began to study the evidence, examining it just as he would in a court. In the course of his work, an amazing thing occurred. This skeptic began to realize that the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus was so strong that it had to be true. As a result, the first chapter of his book, Who Moved the Stone?, was titled “The Book That Refused to Be Written.”
How about you? Have you examined the evidence objectively? I urge you to consider the evidence, then decide—fact or fiction? I’ll go with fact.
Power
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5
Do you have it?
Do you want it?
What are you willing to do in order to get it?
The misuse of power is a constant reality. People have a tendency to sacrifice anything or anyone in order to attain and retain influence. How many relationships have been damaged because one person took advantage of his or her position of power? How much disappointment and heartache could be avoided if people with power had the correct perspective on how it should be exercised?
The most powerful person who ever lived is Jesus Christ. He gives us the picture of the proper use of power. Although He could have commanded whatever He wanted, He chose to live a life of sacrifice and servanthood, as exemplified on the cross. In the process, He accomplished what He set out to do—to become the Savior of the world.
Because of His life, death, and resurrection, you and I can use His power for good. Now that’s real power!
