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Camping is nice, but it’s not like home.
Camping is nice, but it’s never like home.
Growing up, I didn’t go camping much, maybe once or twice. Oh sure, us kids played tent in the dining room a few times; draping an old sheet over the table.
I camped a couple of nights in Rocky Mountain National Park, up around Manitou Lake, when I was a teenager. From our tent we had a gorgeous view of Pikes Peak’s north slope.
Camping is nice, but compared with a place called home, there’s no way it can measure up.
You see, camping is at most temporal. No matter great the tent is, it isn’t designed to last forever. The material eventually wears out, begins to leak, and must be discarded.
When that happens, the resident must move out.
And go home.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV)
The Apostle Paul referred to our human body as a tent. Just an outward shell, a temporary house. Not the forever one everyone gets someday.
Man is a three part being; spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit and soul are the eternal parts, while the body is the temporal.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 – 5:24 ESV)
God’s plan, as demonstrated through His Son Jesus’ death and resurrection, is for you and I to make the most of our “camping experience”, by learning to hear His voice, trusting Him explicitly, and obeying Him unreservedly.
In other words, allowing Jesus His rightful place as Lord of our life.
That way, when the tent finally “gives up the ghost”, and mortality yields to immortality, our final home will be Heaven.
However, without Jesus’ Lordship and righteousness, the best a person can hope for is to keep patching the tent for as long as possible.But may I remind you, your tent will not last as long as you (spirit and soul) will.
When you finally leave the tent, there will be a momentary visit to Heaven, but it won’t be home.
It will be an appearance before the Judge of the Universe,
Jesus.
So, let’s review a few certainties:
1. Your tent won’t last forever, but you will.
2. You will have a face to face encounter with Jesus; on His terms, not yours.
3. You will go to Heaven sometime after you die; for a brief visit, or as a permanent resident.
4. As only a visitor, you will be judged for your sin, with the penalty being eternity in hell.
5. As a resident, you’ve already been judged for sin, but the Blood of the Judge was shed in your place. Faith in Him has brought a not guilty verdict from the Judge.
Therefore, how’s your tent? Are you ready to move in to your permanent home? Do you know where it will be?
I hope so.
If not, let’s talk about it.
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There are no accidental men of God.
What is a man of God? Is it someone who imitates His speech and actions? And how does one reach attain that status?
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV)
I believe the term “man of God” has more to do with ownership than vocation or ministry.
A man of God is a man God has formed into His likeness, and has the life of God in his lungs. Therefore, the man of God is owned by God; he accepts his place and knows he’s been created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying a guy becomes a man of God overnight. The Hebrew word for “formed” is “yatsar”, which means “to mold into form; to squeeze into shape”. The word also carries with it the idea of purpose.
Formed on purpose, for a purpose.
God, the Creator/Father uses a number of different ingredients and experiences in forming a man/woman of God.
Here are three general parts to the process.
Just as He took a handful of common, ordinary dirt to make the first man of God, Adam, today’s man of God is formed out of the common, ordinary things of life.
God takes the ordinary and, with His special wisdom and grace, makes it extraordinary.
Why doesn’t He use gold dust, or something that can only be found in Heaven?
For one thing, He doesn’t form the man of God to be venerated or mounted on a pedestal.
God doesn’t form icons.
Besides, just as God created the dirt, so it is with us. He knows us, and what it will take to reshape us into His image.
The man of God is formed to be God’s representative; relating with His creation, and revealing His will to the world He loves so much.Formed out of life’s experiences and challenges, with His mercy and grace mixed in to help the form keep its shape.
Formed into the image of God through squeezing and shaping; life experiences which have the ability to affect our life forever.
Summarizing the first step: one must stay close to God, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Another part of the process: He uses other men/women of God to help frame, restore, mold, and put us all in order.
There’s a Greek word, “katartizo”, which is used in a number of verses – Matt. 4:21; Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:12; Heb. 11:3. It’s translated as mending, restoring, equipping, and framing.
Ephesians 4:11,12 reveals God uses apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting (equipping, mending, restoring, and framing) of people like you and I, so we in turn are able to minister to others.
Bypass this part of the process and God cannot finish His work. There must be an active relationship between God’s equippers and “equippee’s”.
In other words, to become a man of God one must be connected to others in God’s kingdom, and be teachable.
The third part of the process?
Stay with the process. God has promised to finish what He starts, so it’s up to us to stay with it.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV)
What is a man of God? Maybe it’s better to ask “who is a man of God?”.
People who let God get close enough to breathe into them His breath of life. That special, creative life also known as the Spirit of God.
People who allow godly men and women to sow into their lives doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
People who remain faithful, steadfast, and unmovable, in spite of the pressures or uncertainties which may arise.
The world desperately needs men and women of God.
Will you be one?
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Passion, Knowledge, and Morro Bay
A few weeks ago a good friend and I did something I’d never done before.
We fished from a boat (The Fiesta – pictured above) in the Pacific Ocean.
I have enjoyed fishing for as long as I can remember, and have caught a lot of fresh water fish through the years; but I’d never hooked a saltwater fish.
It was such an experience!
That day I caught five different kinds of fish; fish I had never even heard of until that day.
Lingcod, Gopher, Vermillion, Blue Bass, and one fish I don’t remember the name of.
We arrived in Morro Bay, at a place called Virg’s Landing, at 5:30 in the morning. Dark and cool. But when you are getting to do something you only dreamed about, well, even 4 a.m. wouldn’t have been a problem.You see, I have a passion for fishing. Yes, I love to do it. It’s not the most important thing in my life, but it is a passion of mine.
Climbing onto the boat with thirty-four other people prepared to fish, along with the three guides, was one of the biggest thrills of my life.Catching a twenty-five inch Lingcod only added to the thrill.
(I took a picture of the guide and my fish)
And while I had a tremendous time, one I’ll never forget, something which I’d never thought of suddenly came to my mind this evening.
The difference between passion and knowledge, and the need for both.
To me, passion is the inner drive to do something, accomplish something, or try something new. With passion, a person will weather any hardship, overcome any obstacle, in order to obtain that certain thing they’re passionate about.
Knowledge isn’t nearly as demonstrative, outspoken, or visual as passion. Knowledge just looks and listens for an opportunity to give input. It can, at times, become sidelined or outvoted by the extremely vocal passion.
But both are needed.
You see, it was passion that woke me up that day, not my alarm clock. It was passion that kept me standing for ninety minutes while we traveled to our first fishing spot.
But it was knowledge that put us onto the fish. It was knowledge that told us what techniques to use, and how to rig our tackle.
And not my knowledge, either. I had to rely on the knowledge of those three guides.
Trust them enough to pay them, and then follow their instructions.
The same is true with life in general. Many people are passionate about life; but passion alone doesn’t make anyone an expert.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the “I’m gonna grab as much of life as I can, and just as quick as I can” kind of guy.
And I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions along the way.
I had the passion but not the knowledge.
I finally realized there’s only One Person Who has ALL PASSION and KNOWLEDGE.
Jesus Christ. The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
He IS life. He IS the wisdom of God.
And He died, and rose again, for you and I.
Guess what? None of us need to try and do this life thing on our own. Not when there is a Savior Who’s promised to never leave us or forsake us.
Not when He has declared His love for us in no uncertain terms!
Yeah, it’s a cool thing to trust a fishing guide with your six hour fishing trip.
But try and imagine life beyond your wildest dreams, both now and forever, trusting in the actual Giver of Life.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15 – 1:17 NASB)
The perfect blend of passion and knowledge; Jesus Christ.
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If God blesses the tither, why am I still broke?
Tithing is not the magic key that unlocks all of God’s riches in glory.Tithing by itself does not test, or prove, God.
Tithing is not a special lever connected to God’s giant slot machine in the sky.
Do I have your attention?
Sure, I’ve heard it, as well as taught it: “Tithing is the only thing we’re to prove God with.” But just because I taught it doesn’t make it right.
(By the way, you can find out a lot more about this subject from my book, “Breaking the Spirit of Poverty with the Spirit of Generosity”. Go to “Our Books” page and click on the appropriate link.)
I didn’t say we shouldn’t tithe. I did say it isn’t something magic. Supernatural yes, magical no.
But a lot people preach it, and believe it, like it’s something mystical.
We’ll get to Malachi three in a moment, but let’s first look at something Paul wrote to Timothy.
“…people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Timothy 6:5 – 6:8 ESV)
Tithing isn’t a fruit of holiness or godliness. Just because someone tithes doesn’t automatically mean they are godly.
They could be a tither and meaner than snot.
Besides, godliness isn’t a means of gain. Neither is tithing.
Sorry if your spiritual bubble is falling apart.
Think about this: if tithing was the key to financial blessing, what would that do to the grace and favor of God?
Okay, on to Malachi three…
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:10 ESV)
“See? The prophet said to bring the full tithe…”
Yes, but he said some other things before that.
“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” (Malachi 3:7 ESV)
God reminded them they had “turned aside” from His statutes. His word to them was “return”, which raised the question in their minds, “How?”.
God responded with a specific. Your tithe.
Why? That’s how they turned aside.
In other words, the Lord was telling them, “Look folks, you’ve stopped obeying My Word and it is not going well with you.”
It may be good to note who the contemporaries of Malachi were: Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. All of them had a role to play in the reestablishment of Jerusalem and Israel after returning from seventy years of exile.
Haggai focused on a different area, but the main focus was the same as Malachi’s word.
Haggai spoke to the people about ignoring the House of God; building and repairing their own homes while the House of God lay in shambles.
“Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.
“Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” (Haggai 1:5 – 1:11ESV)
Looks somewhat like Malachi’s word, doesn’t it?
It would have meant the same if Haggai had said, “You have have turned from God by focusing on YOUR needs rather than God’s glory!”
Read the rest of Haggai one, and you’ll notice the governor, priest, and a remnant of the people obeyed the prophet, and God turned things around.
Funny how Haggai’s word isn’t as popular as Malachi’s. Maybe it’s because Malachi’s word looks a little more exciting, and can appeal to our carnal side.
But the focus of both prophets was plain, ordinary, OBEDIENCE.
Obedience opens the windows of heaven. Remember reading Matthew’s account of Jesus’ water baptism?
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16 – 3:17 ESV)
Remember this passage?
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (Proverbs 3:9 – 3:10 ESV)Honor God with what you have, who you are, and what you get. Then He’ll make certain you are taken care of.
God doesn’t need our money, or anything else we may have. He did quite well before we came along.
But obedience to His will releases our grip on things which hinder our relationship with Him and our trust in His ability to provide.
The clenched fist of greed and selfishness receives nothing from the hand of God. An open hand is in position to be filled by God.
Obedience to God’s word, His will, is the key to understanding Malachi three.
Because it’s obedience to God, obedience born out of a love relationship with God, that opens doors no man can open, and shuts what man can’t shut.
From Genesis, and the Garden of Eden, to Revelation and the church in Philadelphia, obedience has always been the key.
And maybe it’s the key for you. Maybe you’re a very generous person but disobedient in another part of your life.
Like Isaiah wrote, “‘If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword,’ for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:19 – 1:20 ESV)
Willingness is a start, but obedience is the key. Obedience is the natural response to faith.
Believe? Then act like it.
And watch God do what He said He would!
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Here’s why there are less perverts in the world.
Many folks believe the world is a greater, much better, place to live these days.
“Things are much better than before”, they’ll say. “People are more tolerant of one another, and mankind is finally outgrowing their need for a god of some kind.”
“But what about the condition of a person’s heart?”, I ask. “Nothing seems to have changed. People appear to be more tolerant of perverts than ever before.”
“You’re looking at everything all wrong”, I’m quickly reminded. “Statistics prove there are less rapes, less sexual crimes, and even extramarital affairs haven’t increased much over the past twenty years. When people are allowed to express their true selves, there is less reason to be uptight.”
“People are showing greater respect for diversity. Mankind is finally realizing they have the power within themselves to make the world a better place.”
Nice tune, but I don’t buy it. It doesn’t play well when compared with the original record. Mankind is not evolving into perfection.
But I do believe there are less perverts, less perversion, in the world today; and I’ll tell you why.
I looked at these areas of society; things that are are commonly accepted as good.
Language of people conversing while walking in a public mall.
Advertising campaigns.
Men’s and women’s fashions.
What people refer to as entertainment.
Educational standards.
Just to name a few.
After thinking about those things, I went to the dictionary:
Pervert – a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard.
Did it smack you in the face like it did me?
The world has less perverts these days for one reason; the standard has been lowered!
It’s not because man is getting better. It’s not that we’re finally figuring out this thing called life.
And why do we keep lowering the standard?
Because man still believes they can make a utopian world without God.
Ask them, they’ll tell you.
Or better yet, read the bible.
“…They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:19 – 1:23 NLT)
Truthfully, it’s easy to see just how far we are from the Creator’s intent.
But these days, truth isn’t very highly received, much less believed.
So that’s why there are less perverts in the world.
By the way, we not only live in accordance with our beliefs, we also die in the same manner.
Wanna talk about it? Let’s!
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Where will you be on that great and terrible day?
If you were alive on September 11, 2001, and living in the United States of America, chances are you know exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news about airplanes flying into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
I was at work, at the West Des Moines Post Office, on the workroom floor (the southeast corner of the room, when one of the letter carriers told me some idiot just flew his plane into a building in New York City.
There have been other times in recent history when tragedy struck our nation; times when we probably can recall what was going on in our lives.
On November 22, 1963, I was sitting in my fourth grade classroom at Casady Elementary School when the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy came across the school’s public address system.
There have been a number of notable days, but none can compare to the Great and Terrible Day which was prophesied by Joel.
“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth – blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.” (Joel 2:28 – 2:31 NLT)
Whether he was referring to a particular day, or a series of days, make no mistake about it; it’s going to happen.
When? I don’t know. But I do know it’s closer than yesterday.
Where will you be? What will you be doing?
Life has a way of startling us at times, don’t you think? A lot of things happen that take us totally by surprise. There’s no way to plan for them, so we simply have to do our best and cope.
But that great and terrible day shouldn’t take anyone by surprise. Why? Because we’ve all been warned!
Oh, there’s a lot more said about that day, and you can read all about it if you just take the time to do so.
And if you would, you’d eventually discover the only way to know EXACTLY where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing when that day arrives.
I’ll give you a hint…
“And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven – Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NLT)
The Lord has delivered His people from the wrath to come. So I already know where I WON’T be on that day.
Believe me, folks, I’m not trying to scare the hell out of you, but I am hoping the truth just may scare you out of a hell-filled eternity.
So maybe I am.
Like it or not, believe it or not…it’s going to happen. The United Nations can’t stop it, the Pope can’t stop it, and neither can the Rothchild’s, Rockefeller’s or Buffet’s.
Money, legislation, nor the Boy Scouts can do anything to delay it.
You might want to give this subject a little more time than you have up to this point.
Go ahead, turn off the TV, your smartphone, and your video games. Open up a bible and do a search regarding the End Times. Read about the coming Great Tribulation, (earthquakes that will rival the earth’s great upheaval during the beginning days of the Great Flood).
It’s all in there, and it’s all gonna happen.
So, once more, where will you be?
If you’re not sure, let’s talk about it.
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Can ministry be measured as good or bad?
We’re so used to rating everything using a good/bad scale. Kind of like pass/fail.
I suppose that works well with something that is easy to judge, like food, for instance.
But even with food it could be deemed bad for several reasons; yet, it might be incredibly good.
It could be a matter of taste.
However, when it comes to determining whether a particular ministry is good or bad, I think we can run into some real problems.
I’m not referring to judging whether a ministry is/was scriptural or not, for that is fairly easy to determine.
But good or bad?
“Wow, what a good sermon!”
“The worship service was bad today.”
“The worship leader did a good job today.”
How can we really place a good/bad sticker on something we have no true way of measuring?
What would make a song service good or bad? It’s length, volume, instrumentation, key range, tempo, song selection, few words, lots of words, hymns, choruses, old songs… And who makes that call?
How about the Sunday sermon? Easy to understand, short, few scriptures, expository, topical, loud, altar call, no altar call, intellectual… And whose job is it to do the grading?
Some may call a sermon good because they agreed with all the points. You know, someone in the choir.
Someone else might call it good because they received a piece to their life’s puzzle…
Same thing with worship. Good because… Bad because…?
How could we be so small minded as to think we can know what God is doing in and through the lives of those who hear us sing or speak? We sometimes miss what God is doing in our own life.
If we live to hear someone say, “Good job!” each time we minister, we’re being set up by the adversary for a hard fall.
And if someone is critical of our ministry, and we’re down in the dumps for days, that’s just as bad. We’re getting picked off by the enemy.
Maybe we shouldn’t call something good or bad.
I don’t know.
Do I want people to think well of me and my ministry? Of course. But I cannot let that be my focus.
Whether I lead worship or preach; before, during, and after, I should be looking and listening for one thing. I want to know if I’m doing exactly what Father God has instructed me to do.
“When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come…”, and it’s just the Lord and I, I’m wanting nothing less or more than a simple “That’s exactly what I wanted today” from Him.
To me, that’s good.
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It’s more than a bathroom issue…
Originally posted as “How to face this strange, crazy world.”
First off, at the end of this post I offer you some advice about how to face this crazy, strange kind of world.
Okay, on with the facts.
I just read where, a couple of days ago, the Target Corporation restated their commitment in allowing “transgendered team members and guests to use the…facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”
They went on to say, “Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.” Full statement here: https://corporate.target.com/article/2016/04/target-stands-inclusivity
They wanted everyone to understand their stance on what many were calling “the bathroom bill”.
My mind is spinning, but my heart is grieved.
Why?
Because of the confusion which exists in many lives.
Those who are confused about their sexual identity, as well as those who want to support such confusion and deception, regardless of the possible physical harm and emotional trauma many others (both team members and customers) risk encountering.
It’s one thing to have a sexual attraction to someone of the same gender. It’s unnatural. It goes against the physical and emotional makeup of men and women.
And, it is contrary to God’s original blessing and command to the First Couple.
“Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it…” (Genesis 1:28 NLT)
So although I am emphatically against same sex “marriage”, I can at least come much closer to understanding that level of deception (for that’s what it is) than understanding how someone could be confused about their gender.
Growing up I had a number of identity issues I needed to sort out (probably still do). Some I didn’t do so well at, but even though I was given a girl’s name, was told I walked like a girl, and had hardly any facial hair until I was into my early twenties, I always knew I was a guy.
Yes, I was confused about a lot of things; things like who to believe, who to pick as friends, and many other things teens can have trouble with.
But, and thank God, I always knew I was a male.
Always.
So, like I said, I cannot understand that level of confusion and deception.
But neither can I understand a major retailer, who claims to be sensitive to the needs and wants of everyone, showing such insensitivity toward their team members and customers who aren’t confused about their sexual identity.
To me their words are: “We care, but not enough to do the right thing”.
Men in women’s restrooms, and women in men’s restrooms. At one time it was only confusion, deception. How people dressed on the weekends was their own business.
But that’s all changed. Now, whatever a person thinks they are, everyone else is called upon to validate their feelings; accept them for whoever, or whatever, they want to be or think they are.
What’s next? People who believe they’re an animal or a bird?
Do I think men who believe they’re women should be made to feel uncomfortable by forcing them to use a men’s room?
If that’s all there is, why not?
How uncomfortable will women feel when a big hunk of man, dressed as a woman, comes marching into their restroom?
If it’s all about acceptance and comfort, why can’t Target and others remodel and create more private, “unisex” restrooms?
But maybe it’s not about that kind of acceptance. As I said before, I believe it’s more about forcing the public who ISN’T confused to validate those who are.
“Yes, dear one; it’s perfectly normal for you to question your gender. Everyone does…”
Like I said, it’s a strange, strange world.
And it’s gonna get worse, before it gets better.
“…when you see all these things, you can know His return is very near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:33 NLT)
My advice? Three things.
Pray, love people (even if you don’t understand them), and wait until you get home to use the restroom.
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How to face this strange, crazy kind of world.
First off, at the end of this post I offer you some advice about how to face this crazy, strange kind of world.
Okay, on with the facts.
I just read where, a couple of days ago, the Target Corporation restated their commitment in allowing “transgendered team members and guests to use the…facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”
They went on to say, “Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.” Full statement here: https://corporate.target.com/article/2016/04/target-stands-inclusivity
They wanted everyone to understand their stance on what many were calling “the bathroom bill”.
My mind is spinning, but my heart is grieved.
Why?
Because of the confusion which exists in many lives.
Those who are confused about their sexual identity, as well as those who want to support such confusion and deception, regardless of the possible physical harm and emotional trauma many others (both team members and customers) risk encountering.
It’s one thing to have a sexual attraction to someone of the same gender. It’s unnatural. It goes against the physical and emotional makeup of men and women.
And, it is contrary to God’s original blessing and command to the First Couple.
“Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it…” (Genesis 1:28 NLT)
So although I am emphatically against same sex “marriage”, I can at least come much closer to understanding that level of deception (for that’s what it is) than understanding how someone could be confused about their gender.
Growing up I had a number of identity issues I needed to sort out (probably still do). Some I didn’t do so well at, but even though I was given a girl’s name, was told I walked like a girl, and had hardly any facial hair until I was into my early twenties, I always knew I was a guy.
Yes, I was confused about a lot of things; things like who to believe, who to pick as friends, and many other things teens can have trouble with.
But, and thank God, I always knew I was a male.
Always.
So, like I said, I cannot understand that level of confusion and deception.
But neither can I understand a major retailer, who claims to be sensitive to the needs and wants of everyone, showing such insensitivity toward their team members and customers who aren’t confused about their sexual identity.
To me their words are: “We care, but not enough to do the right thing”.
Men in women’s restrooms, and women in men’s restrooms. At one time it was only confusion, deception. How people dressed on the weekends was their own business.
But that’s all changed. Now, whatever a person thinks they are, everyone else is called upon to validate their feelings; accept them for whoever, or whatever, they want to be or think they are.
What’s next? People who believe they’re an animal or a bird?
Do I think men who believe they’re women should be made to feel uncomfortable by forcing them to use a men’s room?
If that’s all there is, why not?
How uncomfortable will women feel when a big hunk of man, dressed as a woman, comes marching into their restroom?
If it’s all about acceptance and comfort, why can’t Target and others remodel and create more private, “unisex” restrooms?
But maybe it’s not about that kind of acceptance. As I said before, I believe it’s more about forcing the public who ISN’T confused to validate those who are.
“Yes, dear one; it’s perfectly normal for you to question your gender. Everyone does…”
Like I said, it’s a strange, strange world.
And it’s gonna get worse, before it gets better.
“…when you see all these things, you can know His return is very near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:33 NLT)
My advice? Three things.
Pray, love people (even if you don’t understand them), and wait until you get home to use the restroom.
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Are we too comfortable to walk by faith?
Maybe this is something just for me, but probably not; I don’t believe I’m the only one who’s ever too comfortable to walk by faith.What do I mean?
I wonder if part of our walk of faith includes moments, times, incidents (or whatever you’d like to call them), when God pulls back and allows life to happen.
Why?
Because He wants/needs us to go a certain direction but we’re quite content to hang on to His latest blessing.
He’s prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and we’ve called in the construction crew to build us a permanent dwelling.
But David said, “Though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death…”. The table was intended to be a temporary place of refreshment and nourishment, not a retirement home.
We find an oasis in a desert and want to turn it into a resort.
But God wants us to walk by faith.
He has divine appointments for us to keep; appointments we don’t know anything about, but will learn of when it’s time.
When we walk by faith.
Elijah was a person just like us. Sure, he was a prophet, but he wasn’t perfect. James declared Elijah “was as human as we are…” (James 5:17 NLT).
So let’s look at how the very human prophet acted after he told the king of Israel, “As surely as the Lord , the God of Israel, lives – the God I serve – there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word” (1 Kings 17:1 NLT).
God instructed Elijah to go to a brook called Kerith, and set up camp. Elijah, walking by faith and obedience to God’s word did that very thing.
Sure enough, where God guides He provides, and a flock of ravens arrived every morning and evening with meat and bread for the man of God.
So Elijah had food and water, though a famine was hitting the nation.
But Kingdom living was never intended to be a selfish kind of existence. As God told Abraham in Genesis 12, “I am blessing you, so you can bless others”.
Elijah was blessed, but God needed to move him along so he could bless others.
Elijah was becoming too comfortable to walk by faith; so he needed a little nudge.
What happened next? Elijah’s blessing dried up.
It’s amazing how ready we are to hear from God when trouble hits home.
God tells Elijah to go to a certain town and find the widow who’d been instructed to feed him.
Now if that had been me, I’d have driven into town and looked for a woman who looked like she had money to burn.
But God had Elijah’s attention, and was able to lead him to the right person, who by the way, needed a miracle before she could help anyone.
But isn’t that just like God?
Elijah could bless someone because he obeyed God and left his blessing.
He left his place of comfort for a place of obedience.
Another example. Do you recall Jesus, on more than one occasion, telling His disciples to “Go into all the world…”? He told them they’d be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and everywhere.
So what did they do?
Stayed home. The church was growing like wildfire at home. It was exciting and no one was leaving town.
Until they became too uncomfortable.
Until persecution arose.
Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ. The whole area came into salvation. Miracles, excitement, great offerings…; who’d want to leave?
But the Lord said, “Arise and go down toward Gaza, which is desert” (Acts 8:26).
What did Philip do? “He arose and went.”
And Ethiopia was soon to receive the gospel.
What’s God doing in your life? Are you blessed? Are you comfortably blessed?
Are you too comfortable to walk with God?
One last example.
Genesis eleven. The Tower of Babel.
After the flood, God instructed mankind to replenish the earth. He wanted them to spread throughout the world and start communities everywhere.
But they had a better idea. They became too comfortable to walk by faith.
They rebelled, demonstrated their rebellion with a tower meant to be an display of defiance.
What did God do?
He fixed it so they HAD to move.
Kind of like He did with Elijah.
Sort of like He did for the early Christians.
And possibly like He’s trying to do in your life.
Well?
Jan Grace
adding God's Word into my world…
Jan Grace 