Isn't the Old Testament...just old?

 

“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge 
but to change our lives.” D.L. Moody

 

Have you ever had a TV show that for you was a “must see”? I’ve had a few; 24, Star Trek Next Generation and Band of Brothers. The only one with depth and life lessons would be Band of Brothers. The others were just “entertainment.” The Bible is so different. It’s life changing, both for this life and eternity. 

  This morning we’re picking up our series in 2 Samuel with chapter 5. Unlike most TV shows, Scripture doesn’t have happy endings. The heroes often act terribly unheroic – just like us. And rarely do most TV shows have an ongoing story. Everything is tied up in a nice, neat package in less than an hour. But life isn’t like that. Our failures often have long-term consequences, affecting us and our descendants. So, 2 Samuel, like the rest of the Bible, isn’t about good people. It’s about a great and gracious God.

  Like us, David truly loves God and wants to do the right thing, but he has a sin nature. When he succumbs to sin, it has huge ramifications. God though loves to take our messes and transform them into His masterpieces. It’s why we need a Savior and someone to rescue us…from ourselves. As we work through 2 Samuel, I hope it encourages you to read and study not just 2 Samuel but all of the Old Testament. So, here are some reasons why New Testament Christians should study the Old Testament.  

  The Old Testament was Jesus’s only Bible and makes up 75% of our Bibles. If word count says anything, the Old Testament matters to God. The Old Testament was His first special revelation. It sets the foundation for the fulfillment that we find in Jesus in the New Testament. The Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus and the early church (e.g., Luke 24:44; Acts 24:14; 2 Timothy 3:15). It’s a major part of our Bible. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). “The Law and the Prophets” that Jesus is referring to is the Old Testament.

  The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. The book of Hebrews begins: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The same God who spoke through Old Testament prophets like Moses, Isaiah, and Malachi speaks through Jesus! The same God who had His hand on David’s life is the same God who had His hand on the early church in the book of Acts.

  Sometimes someone will ask, “Isn’t the Old Testament’s God one of wrath and judgement, but the God of the New Testament is about grace and freedom?” Yet God is as just and wrathful in the New Testament as He is in the Old. That’s because He’s holy and has perfect justice. Certainly, there are numerous expressions of God’s righteous anger in the Old Testament, just as there are massive manifestations of blood-bought mercy in the New Testament. Wonderfully, in Jesus all saving grace reaches its climax. In the whole Bible we meet a God who is faithful to His promises. He takes both sin and repentance seriously, and so should we!

  The Old Testament announces the same “Good News” that New Testament Christians enjoy. The word gospel means “good news.” It refers to the truth that, through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, God reigns over all and rescues sinners who commit their lives to Him. Paul wrote, “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Galatians 3:8). Abraham knew of the message of global salvation that we enjoy. Prophets, like Isaiah, anticipated the day when the Messiah, and the many servants identified with Him, would share comforting news to the poor and broken, news that the saving God reigns through His coming King and deliverer. Reading the Old Testament is one of God’s ways for us to better grasp and cherish the gospel.

  Jesus said that all the Old Testament points to Him. After his first meeting with Jesus, Philip told Nathanael, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote” (John 1:45). Do you want to know as much about Jesus as you can? The Old Testament authors wrote about Him! Speaking of the Old Testament, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me” (John 5:39). Following His resurrection, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).

  That doesn’t mean we limit teaching about Jesus’ to a few messianic prophecies about His first coming. The Old Testament clearly anticipates both the first and second coming of Jesus, David’s greater Son. If you want to know Jesus, read the Old Testament as well as the New. It’s vital that we read, teach, study and live out the Old Testament like Jesus and the Apostles did for our own personal spiritual growth and the good and spiritual growth of God’s church.

  New Testament authors expect us to read and study the Old Testament. The New Testament quotes the Old Testament in ways that encourage us to look back to the original context. For example, Matthew 27-28, portrays Christ’s pain and triumph at the cross by referring back to Psalm 22. To fully understand their words, New Testament authors lead us back to the Old Testament through their quotations, references and allusions.

  In our study of 2 Samuel, we’ll see both the highs and lows of a man of God. We’ll see the heavy destruction of giving into temptation. We’ll discover that like us; David needed a Savior. From a human perspective David had it all – power, fame, wealth – but like us, without Jesus, it’s never enough. 

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

"Flowers" Aren't Enough?

 “You know the perfect storm? Not when you fail, but when you succeed and you finally get your perfect life, with you at the center. It’s the poison of your kingdom coming, 

and your will being done.”  Ray Ortlund

 
At the 2024 GRAMMYs, Miley Cyrus’s hit, Flowers, took home two awards for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record Of The Year. Following her first win
, she performed her song featuring the unforgettable ad lib, “I started to cry and then I remembered I just won my first GRAMMY!”

  Flowers is one of the top songs of the year. It has a catchy tune and unlike too many popular songs isn’t laced with profanity. The song is focused on self-empowerment. Many fans believe it’s aimed at Cyrus’s ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. In the song she nods to her prior relationship with near Taylor Swift levels of easter eggs. It’s a song of independence and a freedom of need from anyone else. As the chorus states:

 

I can buy myself flowers

Write my name in the sand

Talk to myself for hours, yeah

Say things you don't understand

I can take myself dancing,

I can hold my own hand

Yeah, I can love me better than you can.

 
  It appeals to a culture where the greatest achievement is self-sufficiency. Yet, despite her popular song that hasn’t worked out very well for Cyrus with her much publicized bouts of depression, drug use and alcoholism.  
  Like other stars who seem to have it all, I fear for her. The failure of the myth of independence, self-sufficiency, fortune, sexscapades, fame is all around us. The list of celebrities who struggle with addiction, depression, and relationship stability is legion. Though just thirty-one Cyrus is already known for having a dozen different romantic relationships. Based on her past record, it is highly doubtful that independence, self-sufficiency, or empowerment will be in her future. But what about us?
  God designed us for Himself and a relationship with Him. The only thing that will ultimately fill that hole in our soul is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is there to help ease human loneliness. Yet, God also designed us for relationships and community. Sometimes Christians foolishly suggest that Jesus should be enough, but that never was God’s plan. Remember that the only thing declared “not good” in the Creation was man alone. Jesus encouraged us to meet with each other to find Him: “When two or more gather in my name, I will be there” (Matthew 18:20).
  As we read Scripture, we see a myth attacked that even many Christians hold – marriage and family is enough. Yet, the message of the Bible is about finding connection to Jesus and a believing community, along with one’s biological family. Family is not enough. The message of Scripture is of loving our neighbor and lifting up our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s a message of timeless truth that a lonely culture desperately needs to hear. 
  In our hunger for relationships American Christians are waking up to a need to move away from the attractional church model or a consumer driven one. People are starving for meaningful relationships. It’s not about “what’s in it for me,” it’s about glorifying Him and loving each other. Thinking too much about yourself will wreak havoc in your life. It’s why we need a church family.
  A family of believers helps us stay grounded in the Word. It’s not just about our feelings, God’s Word is our true north. It speaks truth to us, grounds us, gives us wisdom, and a whole lot more. We’ll have healthy relationships as we’re all in the Word consistently, growing in grace.
  A church family helps us stay more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. It’s vital that we’re biblically literate and feeding our souls on God’s Word. The Spirit uses the Word to cultivate spiritual growth, godliness, and unity. We need a healthy discontent that motivates us to seek to be more like Christ.
  A church family encourages you to serve the Lord and those around you. As believers, we’re invested in the spiritual wellbeing of our brothers and sisters because we’re invested in God’s kingdom. God designed us to serve Him and each other. Together we unite for a vision and mission so much bigger than ourselves.
  As a church family, we love those who apart from grace we probably wouldn’t like and definitely wouldn’t socialize with. Because of the cross, we’re blood brothers and sisters. We believe that others have the potential and ability to achieve what God has called them too. We become their cheerleaders and encouragers. We continually share hope.
  When you love your brothers and sisters, you give away one of your most limited assets – time. Selfishness shrinks. As we take the time to listen to someone who is burdened or struggling, we demonstrate God’s love. Life is not just about us or even our family. Praying for and with others helps us fight our sinful nature of being self-absorbed.
  A healthy church family has an open circle. They’re continually looking to welcome others into the family. They’re not cliquish. A healthy church grows warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry, and larger through outreach.    
  A healthy church family is future oriented. They recognize that they’ll never be “home” on this earth. Their heart beats with Christ’s love for those who don’t yet know Him. Their hands reach out and their feet are ready to go wherever the Father leads them. They desire more than addition — they desire multiplication through evangelism, disciple-making, more small groups, and church planting until He returns to take us Home.
  The key to happiness isn’t from self-empowerment. A major source of depression is the societal problem of lost connections. It’s why an all-wise God designed us for community. The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) grows in the garden of healthy Christian community.

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Jesus' Resurrection: The Answer to Hopelessness

 

“Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength 
and beauty and happiness.”  Floyd W. Tomkins 

Dr. Charles Johnson wrote in “Psychology Today”: “I find the degree of cynicism that permeates our world today striking and troubling…It is rare that a young person I work with expresses real hope about what lies ahead…I’m not in fact sure whether hope is warranted. Our times confront us with an array of truly existential challenges—climate change, nuclear proliferation, the specter of pandemic, and digital technologies that could run amok.” In other words, how do we cope with hopelessness?
  If you google suggestions for coping with hopelessness, they’re little more than suggesting cough drops for cancer. Suggestions like…stay present and focus on what’s happening now instead of worrying about the future. Name your feelings. Lean into your friendships. Find hope in a new hobby. Understand what’s behind your feelings. Be gentle with yourself.
  Is it any wonder that ours is such an anxious and often overmedicated culture, whether it’s prescribed or self-medicating with alcohol and illicit drugs? Yet, the world of the first century was similar, if not worse. It was only Christ’s resurrection that brought hope and was world changing.
  Christ-followers have a hope that scientific facts can’t explain. Martha, (John 11), understood this kind of hope. After her brother, Lazarus, died (and had been dead for four days), Martha met Jesus as He was arriving in Bethany. She said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Even now? Four days after her brother was dead, she still has hope? Yes. She desires her brother to live again and fully expects Jesus to make that a reality.
  In the face of death, Martha’s hope was centered on Jesus. Her faith was in the One who is the resurrection and the life. As Christ-followers, we have that same hope. It’s a hope that goes beyond rationality but is not irrational. It requires belief, and to many seems unbelievable. It goes beyond the purview of scientific investigation, and yet is historical fact. We have the hope of the resurrection of Jesus.
  Jesus’s resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that death, man’s worst enemy, is defeated. We have hope that we will be fully redeemed. We have hope that there is a new creation coming. We have hope that everything wrong with the world will one day be made right. Our desire to see everything made new, mixed with the expectation that it will be, is what makes life worth it now.
  Resurrection hope is life changing. It defies medical wisdom. It comes face-to-face with death and says, “you lose.” It stares into the face of insurmountable odds and demands the impossible.
  In his book, Surprised by Hope, New Testament scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way, “Hope, for the Christian, is not wishful thinking or mere blind optimism. It is a mode of knowing, a mode within which new things are possible, options are not shut down, new creation can happen.”
  Christian hope is anchored in Jesus’ resurrection. It looks beyond the brokenness of this world and into a future of renewed creation. It’s our reason to live and look forward to the future. We know the worst “hell” of this life is temporary, yet life with Christ will be perfect for all eternity.
  The resurrection moves the credibility of religion from the stage of belief onto the stage of history. It breaks us out of the circle of personal experience. Frequently, those who are not Christians respond to Jesus’ resurrection with, “That’s just your interpretation.” That objection suggests that Christian faith is subjective: I believe it because I want to. However, the resurrection is not a matter of religious faith—it’s a matter of history, open to investigation by anyone who will honestly examine the facts.
  The historical evidence shows that: the grave was empty; the grave clothes were neatly left behind; the stone enclosing the tomb was rolled away; the body of Jesus was never found; the grave had been guarded by Roman soldiers; and no one ever claimed to have stolen the body.
  The presence of the grave clothes is very significant. The spices attached too had value. Anyone removing the body for profit would have taken the wrapped body away and separated out the valuable mixture. The placement of the grave clothes, like the placement of the stone, perfectly fits with the resurrection as the cause, rather than with human agency as the cause.
  Then, there are eleven eyewitness accounts (not counting Paul) recorded of Jesus appearing to people proving that He was resurrected. These appearances were to: men and women, individuals, couples, groups, and at least one crowd of 500. The appearances were inside and outside, in different locations, and at different times of the day. Jesus was physically touched, audibly heard, visually seen, and ate food in the presence of witnesses. None of these witnesses believed that Jesus would rise from the dead before He rose from the dead. All of them knew Him before His death, so they knew He was the same Jesus who died on the cross.
  Many of the principal eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus were killed because of their claim that Jesus was resurrected. Their lives would probably have been spared if they had recanted. This is very significant. We know that people will die for a cause, but these men and women died for a set of facts. They went to their grave rather than say that the facts were untrue. They died because they said the facts of the crucifixion and the bodily resurrection of Jesus were true.
  Christ-followers have a trustworthy hope based on historical fact and faith in God’s Word. We’re blessed, forgiven, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing eternal life. We can now live according to our identity as children of God. This world is not our home. We have a new Home and perfect life awaiting us because our Lord is alive! And because He lives, as He has promised, we will live with Him forever! Now that’s true hope!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Power at the Magazine Rack

 

“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” Edmund Burke

 
In 1990, James Baker, President George H.W. Bush’s closest friend and at the time his secretary of state, delivered a remarkable address before the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. In it, he told a story to illustrate the fleeting nature of power. While his driver took him to work one morning in his sleek black limousine, Baker noticed a man walking down the street alone. He recognized him as a former chief of staff. Baker said, “That mental picture continually serves to remind me of the impermanence of power and place. That man had it all, but only for a time.”
  Power and influence – here today, gone tomorrow. We humans crave power. Yet, we forget how temporary all power is.
  The Christian acknowledges that all power belongs to God. This means that God is the giver of power and that any power we possess should be used to bring glory to Him. Yet ever since the Fall, we humans are power brokers, looking for ways to use and amplify power for our own ends.
  In her book, None Like Him, Jen Wilkin focuses on four of the most common sources of power in our world. To discover them, we don’t need to look any further than the front covers of the magazines in the store checkout line. Our culture gives power to the strong, the beautiful, the wealthy, and the charismatic.
  Sports Illustrated: Physical strength is power. The physically strong wear Super Bowl rings, boast Olympic medals, endorse sport drinks. But we often cross the line into an idolatry of physical strength. It’s seen in the way we glorify physical fitness and most evident in the way we marginalize those who don’t possess it: the elderly, disabled, children. Yet, when we employ our physical strength to glorify God, we protect the weak among us with every bit of energy that we can employ.
  Glamour: Physical beauty is power. Our culture gives power to the attractive and beautiful. There’s an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry dates a beautiful blond woman named Nikki, using her attractiveness to gain preferential treatment wherever he takes her. At one point he intentionally tests the boundaries of what she can get away with, breaking the speed limit and boasting of his top speed to the cop who pulls him over, confident Nikki will get him out of the ticket. And she does.
  The attractive among us live a charmed existence where power isn’t earned or coerced; it’s simply granted. It’s why we’re willing to spend thousands of dollars and hours to achieve or maintain attractiveness. The beauty industry feeds us the tantalizing lie that if we fix the outside, we’ll fix the inside. Products and services promise we’ll feel better if we look better. But for the believer, how we look doesn’t rank high on the list of that which gives us joy and peace or helps us serve God and others.
  True beauty begins with internal change, not external. True beauty will withstand the passage of time. It’s why we must cultivate the beauty that points toward eternal purposes: the unfading beauty of a godly and gentle spirit. True beauty has staying power. It doesn’t fade on its owner but points others toward its origin. How hard we work for external beauty versus internal beauty reveals where our treasure lies. Inner beauty sees the least among us and sees them as beautiful even when others do not.
  Forbes: Wealth is power. The wealthy receive either admiration or envy. Nothing opens opportunities like money. We may not be a Warren Buffet, but all of us have some experience of the power that money conveys, whether it’s because we have it or because we don’t. Wealth gets better seats at the game, a better table at the restaurant, better nutrition, better health care, better education, better clothes, even better legal representation. Anyone who’s moved up the economic ladder can identify with writer Beatrice Kauffman, “I’ve been poor and I’ve been rich. Rich is better.” There’s more truth there than we’d like to admit.
  To be poor is to be powerless. In a culture of “self-made” financial success stories, we can easily view our personal wealth as our rightful possession, along with the power it grants, to be enjoyed and employed solely by us and for us. Precisely because wealth confers power, the Bible goes to great lengths to give us a correct understanding of how it’s to be viewed. It contains multiple warnings against greed, arrogance, and self-sufficiency that often accompany wealth.
  Regardless of how much money we’ve been given, for the Christian, the question must always be, “Do I control the money, or does the money control me?” A believer unable to give liberally has lost control of stewarding the wealth entrusted to them. We must do so joyfully, knowing we have nothing that we didn’t receive from our Father in heaven.
  People: Charisma is power. We grant power to those with outgoing personalities. Gifted with persuasive speech, humor, or the ability to cast a vision, they draw us in with their communication skills. They form networks of relationships they use to forward their causes. They’re the CEOs and NFL coaches, self-help gurus and news anchors. They’ve discovered the tantalizing truth that words have power to destroy and to create. In everyday life, they rise to the top of the mommy group, the PTA, the dinner party, or any other group they bless with their presence, even churches. Most of us don’t have the charisma of a presidential candidate, but we all taste the power of personality to some extent. Believers who are extremely likable face the challenge of drawing others to themselves rather than to Christ. The rest of us must guard against following the cult of personality. Wanting to be in the entourage of someone perceived as influential shows a desire for collateral power.
  Physical strength, beauty, wealth, and charisma—these are just a few of the most obvious sources of power we chase. Today is Palm Sunday. Rather than enter Jerusalem on a white horse, a symbol of power, Jesus came on the back of a donkey, the epitome of humility. Our Lord didn’t impress or overpower anyone with His physical strength or wealth. Though His ministry and message convinced many, He chose silence rather than persuasive speech when facing His accusers. Knowing that all power belonged to His Father, He walked humbly among us, leaving for us an example of how true power is nowhere more clearly understood than through the filter of human weakness. Unlike the passing power of our world, His power transformed human hearts from stone to flesh and it’s still transforming them today. He’s King Jesus! My friend, have you let the truly powerful One transform your heart and life?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

 

Worse than being chased by a moose...

 

“If God were not my friend, Satan would not be so much my enemy.”

                                                    Thomas Brooks

 
Recently, skiers and snowboarders in western Wyoming got a big surprise on a mountain trail when a large moose tested out the run with them. The wild encounter was filmed by skier Kenny Rynearson who recorded the moose running down the snowy mountain behind him. His footage captures the moose sprinting down the mountain with powder kicking up behind its heels and, at one point, appearing to chase Rynearson as he continues to film the beast.  
  For more than two minutes on film, the moose cruises downhill as other skiers and snowboarders weave around it to avoid crashing into it. "Unbelievable," someone is heard shouting as the moose runs along a tree line. Rynearson's friend, snowboarder Bill Fohey, called the appearance surprising. “I caught a little bit of air, and the moose was within 10 feet of me” he told Good Morning America. At one point, he told the outlet, the moose started to close in and appeared to bolt for his friend. Eventually, the moose veered off the trail and ran away.
  Most of us aren’t concerned about being run over by a wild moose, but we do need to be concerned about a “lion,” a “snake” and a “dragon.” In the Bible, our greatest enemy, Satan, is compared to all three of these vicious creatures (1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9).
  While people are justifiably frightened by a wild moose, they never give any consideration to a much more violent and evil, enemy – Satan. Good Friday is a reminder that evil has a face. It was Satan who entered into Judas and led him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3). It was Satan who was the catalyst for the coldblooded murder of the innocent Son of God. Yet, none of the other disciples had any suspicions of Judas. His life is a warning to us of the seduction of sin. Judas spent three years with Jesus. He preached, did miracles, went on mission trips – yet betrays the Son of God. Because of God’s plan, Jesus had to suffer, but Judas didn’t have to be the traitor.
  Satan is the root cause of all of the evil in this world and all of the world’s problems. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t receive news of another example of evil. People often wonder why there is so much evil in our world. The source of all this evil is often overlooked. One we must never forget – there exists in this universe a living source of evil: Satan.
  Jesus recognized him. In fact, Jesus gave us Satan’s job description: He kills; he steals; he lies; he destroys; he tempts, he accuses; he shames; he confuses; he discourages. His name is Lucifer. The title Satan means “adversary.” What do we need to know about his diabolical strategy?
  Satan not only lies but is the father of lies, John 8:44. The first time he appears in the Bible in Genesis 3, the very first words on his lips are questioning God’s truth (“Did God say, you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”). The second words he uttered were a complete lie (“You will not die”). John 8:44 says that Satan “has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.” When we deal with Satan, we must remember that we’re dealing with the essence of falsehood and deception.
  Satan is the one who tempts people to sin. It’s what he did unsuccessfully to Jesus in the wilderness. Satan wanted Jesus to abandon God’s plan and will of suffering and obedience (Matthew 4:1-11). It’s what he did successfully to Judas in the last hours of Jesus’s life. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, the Apostle Paul warns against this for all believers: “I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Satan’s agenda is to derail us from devotion to Christ to end in spiritual destruction.
  Satan plucks the word of God out of people’s hearts and chokes faith. Jesus told the parable of the four soils in Mark 4:1-9. In it, the seed of the word of God is sown, and some falls on the path and birds quickly take it away. Jesus explains in verse 15, “Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which was sown in them.” Satan snatches God’s word because he hates faith which the word produces (Romans 10:17). So, he distracts us or gets us busy about the insignificant. Satan wants us to be people of doubt, fear and skepticism of God and His truth.
  Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He not only says what is false, he hides what is true. He keeps us from seeing the soul cure of the gospel. He lets us see facts, even proofs, but not the life and eternal destiny changing truth. His top priority for unbelievers is to keep them from God’s forgiveness and coming to faith in Christ. The devil is like LeBron James defending a shooter to prevent him from scoring. He tries to prevent people from hearing and responding to the gospel. He wants them to believe that being moral, going to church, getting baptized, obeying the ten commandments, etc. will “hopefully” get them into heaven. He turns the focus away from Jesus’ cross and His sacrificial, sufficient death for all of our sins and deceives us into thinking that it’s not quite enough, that we humans have to add to it with our own efforts. It’s a vile lie.  
  Yet once you become a Christian, the devil doesn’t give up on you. He just changes his strategy. From that point on, he tries to stop you. Paul said he wanted to visit Thessalonica, but the devil stopped him, or he hindered him. That’s a strategy he uses with us as believers. The devil wants to stop you. He and his demons want to stop you from reading your Bible; stop you from praying; stop you from attending worship; stop you from spending time with other believers, stop you from giving to God; stop you from witnessing; stop you from serving God; and stop you from growing in your faith. You get the idea? He wants to stop you from doing anything that God wants you to do.
  And when he stops us, he wins! You can almost hear his vile cackle. But he’s a defeated foe and has no authority over a Christ-follower. Unlike that moose he won’t get bored and wander off. But he’s a toothless lion, an impotent dragon, a beheaded snake. Jesus won the victory 2,000 years ago. Now it’s up to us to live in that victory. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you really lose an hour?

 

“If there is no God, then there is no real significance to our lives, time simply becomes something to be filled and got through.” Melvin Tinker

 
For the next few days some will be complaining that they lost an hour with daylight savings time and the time change. Yet, if one doesn’t have a theistic worldview – so what? What does it matter if you “lost” an hour?
  Worldview makes all the difference when it comes to time. If there is no God (or if you live like there’s not one), then life has no ultimate meaning. If this short life is all there is, then it’s nothing more than what’s described in 1 Corinthians 15:32: “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’.” If all that ultimately awaits us is death, then hedonism makes sense – have fun, party, have all the pleasure that you can.
  But it’s not. Often, we foolishly think this is “the land of the living” and when you die, you go to “the land of the dying.” The Bible teaches the opposite. This world is “the land of the dying” yet for those who have trusted Christ as their Savior, they will live for eternity and are headed to “the land of the living.” The Bible also teaches that those who reject Christ are destined to eternal death or “the second death” (Revelation 20:11-15).
  Because this life is short, we need more of the intensity of a Dr. William Dodd. In 1777, Dodd, a well-known London pastor, was condemned to be hanged for forgery (the penalties were a bit more severe back then!). When his last sermon, delivered in prison, was published, a friend commented to famed English writer, Samuel Johnson, that the effort was far better than he had thought the man capable of. Dr. Johnson’s reply was so insightful: “Depend upon it, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”
  None of us have a certainty of tomorrow. It’s why we must be wise with the time that we have today. Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Yet so often we waste time. I know that I do. Here are some of the more common ways.
  We waste time through procrastination. When there’s a task to be done, stalling wastes time. For example, you don’t need to check your social media accounts before you begin a task. Instead, you can take short breaks to reward yourself with social media interaction after you complete a task.
  We waste time through perfectionism. Some important jobs merit careful, mistake-free work, but often, “good enough” will get the job done. Unless it’s surgery or the formula for a nuclear bomb, 80% is usually sufficient. It’s okay to let the little things go and not be obsessed with perfection in everything you do. It’s also okay to delegate things to others if you have too much on your plate.
  We waste time overanalyzing. Spending excessive amounts of time deliberating over inconsequential decisions fritters away time. For example, does it really matter what you have for lunch or what route you take on your next trip? If you struggle with overanalyzing, ask a couple of trusted friends or family members to help you arrive at a reasonable choice.
  We waste time overindulging. It’s not wrong to spend time shopping, watching TV, checking social media, or reading news stories. But these activities can crowd out more important pursuits. Ask God to help you discern what’s vital and should be your priorities. Then, recognize the feelings underneath your desire to overindulge and open your heart to receive His leading, encouragement and comfort instead. For any of us to be wiser time managers though, three things are necessary…
  We must know our purpose. For Christ-followers, our purpose is fairly simple – we’re to glorify our Heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 10:31). Our purpose is to become mature in Christ. After receiving His free gift of salvation, we seek to be useful in His service, and by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, become more and more Christ-like in character.
  Spiritual maturity can’t be hurried. It takes time. In fact, it will take a lifetime. As Bruce Wilkinson, said, “God doesn’t want you to do more for Him. He wants you to be more for Him.”
  We must know our priorities. Once we know our purpose, we can evaluate our priorities. Prioritizing just means knowing which things are more important and which are less. Have you heard the story of Charles Schwab and Ivy Lee? Schwab was president of Bethlehem Steel. Lee, a consultant, was given an unusual challenge: “Show me a way to get more things done with my time.” Schwab agreed to pay him “anything within reason” if Lee’s suggestion worked. Lee handed Schwab a sheet of paper with this plan written on it:
  “Write down the most important tasks you have to do tomorrow. Number them in order of importance. When you arrive in the morning, begin at once on No. 1 and stay on it until it is completed. Recheck your priorities. Then begin with No. 2…then No. 3. Make this a habit every working day. Pass it on to those under you. Try it as long as you like. Then send me your check for what you think it’s worth.”
  That one idea turned Bethlehem Steel into the largest independent steel producer in the world within five years. How much did Schwab pay for that idea? He sent Lee a check for $25,000, with a note attached saying that this was the most profitable lesson he’d ever learned.
  If our priorities aren’t clear, we attempt more things than we should and don’t do any well, which causes stress. Setting priorities is tough because we must make hard choices and say no to some things. Often, we must say no to good things so we can say yes to the best. There’s never enough time for everything, but there’s enough time for the most important things.
  We must plan. That’s what Paul advises in Ephesians 5, “Be very careful, then, how you live…” We need to plan good habits like going to bed, getting up, spending time with the Lord, spending time with those we love, exercising, etc. Then, list out the tasks that are important for the day and week. If you can, plug them into a reasonable schedule (that’s difficult for mothers with young children or those whose priorities are set by their work superior), but it works well for the rest of us. If we fail to set some time boundaries, we tend to give a task more time than it requires.
  Each day is a gift from God. When we know our purpose, we can prioritize and plug those into a daily plan. In the end we can be confident that our Heavenly Father knows the last chapter of our earthly story and will bring us safely Home. As Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

When Holiday Inn was kind...

 

“Kindness is a readiness to do good, to help, to relieve burdens, to be useful, to serve, to be tender, and to be sympathetic to others. It has been said,

‘Kindness is love in work clothes’.” Alexander Strauch

 
Was this your experience? One of our children had a special blanket that they couldn’t sleep without. I remembered that when I read recently of a toddler who left his beloved toy behind at a Holiday Inn Express in Richmond, Virginia. Wonderfully, that’s only the first chapter in this story.
  The family contacted the hotel and the employees helped reunite the little guy with his beloved plush toy, a little dog. The four-year-old was traveling with his family when they stopped to stay at the Holiday Inn Express. After departing, the family realized their son had left his stuffed animal toy behind. Those Holiday Inn employees were so kind. Not only were they quick to find the missing toy and promised to ship it to the family as soon as possible, they went the extra mile. They took that stuffed animal around the hotel, placed it in various spots and snapped pictures. One shows the animal getting some work done on a hotel computer. Another of the animal greeting guests in the lobby — with employees noting that he was “the star of the show.” They even took the toy to the hotel fitness room where he sat on the seat of an exercise bike. 
  The dad of the toddler, named Michael, said in a media statement that the pictures the hotel employees took helped ease the pain of the missing toy. “He was really upset that it was missing, as it’s one of his favorite toys. He was so happy to see how much fun his snuggle puppy was having and wanted me to read it over and over so everyone could hear.”
  It takes so little to be so kind. Yet, when we are kind, we are so like Jesus.
  A current cultural phenomena are Swifties – fans of Taylor Swift and considered one of the largest, most devoted fanbases. They’re known for their high levels of participation, creativity, community, and fanaticism and are the focus of widespread coverage by the media. With her fame, it’s not hard to be kind to a Taylor Swift. Everyone wants to be near a celebrity.
  While most of us don’t interact with celebrities, we are easily focused on the powerful, wealthy, popular, talented and attractive…even in the Church. They’re the ones that we go out of our way to be kind to, but that’s not Jesus. Our Lord was kind to everyone…the rejects, the nobodies, the social outcasts…sometimes people like me and you. As His followers that’s who we’re to be kind to – EVERYONE.
  Jesus was kind to lepers who were the outcasts of His day. Because of the contagiousness of their disease, they were isolated and “untouchable.” Not only was Jesus kind to them, He broke social etiquette by touching and healing them.
  Would you be willing to dine with a gang banger, a known drug dealer? Zacchaeus may not have been a convicted criminal, but in the eyes of the Jews, he might as well have been. In Jesus’ day, tax collectors abused their power to legally steal as government agents, but Jesus asked to have lunch with him.
  Xenophobia is a big problem in our world, but it’s not new. In John 4, Jesus not only talked to a Samaritan woman, He asked her for a favor, for a drink of water. Jesus broke all the societal boundaries and demonstrated for us that kindness is to be universal.
  Jesus was not only kind, but He also forgave those who betrayed and crucified Him. He knew Judas was going to betray Him yet hours before that Jesus washed Judas’ feet.
  Forgiving those who’ve wronged us is one of the greatest acts of kindness you can do. Forgiveness, more than any other act, shows we truly know the Forgiver of our souls. It’s not easy. Yet, as those who have been forgiven an unpayable debt, it’s what we’re commanded to do (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  God has called us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). BUT God has never called us to be hateful or unkind. The Lord Jesus died for the sins we find the most repulsive. There are many moral and social problems today. While the sin is wrong, those who commit them are victims of the Enemy (Satan), not our enemy. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world” (no one is excluded). As Christ-followers, we’re to be kind to those who humanly we might shun. We’re called to live out Jesus’ supernatural love.
  If we’re going to be Jesus to our world, we must show His love to the victims of sexual sin from adulterers to pedophiles…and everything in between. If we’re going to be Jesus to our world, we must show His love to abortionists and murderers…and everything in between. If we’re going to be Jesus to our world, we must show His love to those who are atheists and Islamic radicals…and everything in between. If we’re going to be Jesus to our world, we must show His love to those on the extreme right politically and to those on the extreme left politically, and the ones in the middle.
  When someone is arrested, no matter what the crime, the Christ-follower should be one of the first to reach out to them. When someone is going through a divorce, the Christ-follower should be one of the first to show grace to both parties. When someone has been fired, the Christ-follower should be one of the first ones reaching out and encouraging them.
  Our world slights and ignores the poor, the obese, the mentally ill, the homeless, alcoholics, addicts and even smokers. We can’t do that! We are commanded to show Christ’s love to them.
  I’ve now been the pastor at Grace for over 35 years. Over the course of those years, I’ve angered a few people. From my perspective, some have badly mistreated me and our church. Am I tempted to give in to anger and bitterness? Yes, but it would be wrong and a sin. By God’s grace, I seek to live out Romans 12:14-21. I pray for them and ask the Lord to love them through me. It’s not always easy yet we’re not called to do what’s easy. We’re to do what is right! As someone who has been forgiven so much, it would be so evil to hold back what I have been so undeservingly given. My adopted Dad often said, “I’ve never regretted being too kind.” I try to live by that. I too have never regretted being too kind and you won’t either.

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.