stubborn ole mule!

How does the old saying go? “Stubborn as a mule” I believe is what people say. Are you stubborn? Before you answer, listen to these definitions: 1. a. Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded. b. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute. 2. Characterized by perseverance; persistent. 3. Difficult to treat or deal with; resistant to treatment or effort. I will admit that at times I can be stubborn…just ask Kim. But what if you had a sickness, or you were in some major predicament that just made your life miserable and someone came along with the solution. Do you think you would listen to them? If they said, “Do this and that and you will be rid of your situation,” would you do what they said? I’m sure you are nodding your head yes right now. Have you ever read the story of Naaman the leper in 2 Kings 5? Naaman was the captain of the Syrian army. He was a man of prominence. He was powerful and he could show no weakness. People obeyed his commands and they feared him. Yet this mighty warrior had a disease, leprosy. Even his accomplishments and medals couldn’t hide this disease. Namaan heard of a man of God named Elisha that could heal him if he would go and see him. He did yet Elisha didn’t even bother getting up from his seat. He sent a messenger to Naaman and told him what he needed to do. his directions were to Naaman was to dip seven times in the Jordan River. Simple enough wouldn’t you say? But not Naaman! He was furious. He was upset because Elisha didn’t come and meet him and he wanted to dip in one of the “cleaner” rivers in the area. In fact, Naaman was so mad he left in a rage! His servants found him and talked some since into his head and said, “look big fella’, if you want to be healed just do what the guy said and dip yourself in the Jordan seven times.” He finally wised up, obeyed, and was healed. Now, I ask you again, “Are you stubborn?” Why is it that we know what God wants but we refuse to do it? Whether it’s to obey his Word for salvation, do a particular task, live a certain way, or abstain from certain things, etc. Why do we act like Naaman? Think about it! There are so many people who have heard the Gospel message yet they continue to live with leprosy. They live with the pain and stench of sin and think nothing of it. Or what about us as Christians? We come to church, we know what God’s Will is for us yet we refuse to obey His directions! What are you NOT doing that you know you SHOULD do for God? My prayer is simply this, “Lord I believe…help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) Don’t be stubborn as a mule… Randy

Paid in Full!

When I was a 15 year old skateboarder we talked this lady, who had a shoe shop, into selling skateboards. One huge mistake she made was letting teenagers charge stuff. There was no way we could pay for it! We didn’t have jobs. We were not responsible with money, or at least I wasn’t. the only time I got money was if my mom gave it to me. I was down at the shop one day and she said she needed her money. What was I to do? I was a skater kid…a broke skater kid. I scrounged up some money, probably begging my mom for it, and took it to her, hoping it would please her for a little while. Some time later I came up with a little more money and I went to pay on my bill. She said she didn’t my money, that my mom had come by and paid it off! Woo hoo! I was debt free. My debt was paid in full! My mom did this several times. She is the greatest! I love you mom!
This is exactly what Christ has done for us. He has paid our debt. We owe everything to God. We have run up a huge bill that we could never repay because of sin so God says, “No problem…I will pay it.” And he gives us a Passover Lamb, Jesus. He nailed our sins to the cross. He rose victorious from the grave, and He now sits at the Father’s right hand making intercession for us. You see, if we are Christian, that is, if we belong to Christ, God does not see our sin…He sees the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ washes our sins and cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness! Our debt is paid in full! Thank you Jesus! Let me leave you with these verses from Romans 3:21-27 (NLT) 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[a] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Trinity?

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit… These three separate entities make up God yet they are one. To make something complicated easy let me say it like this: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one in the same yet they are different! Are you confused yet? Many people believe that God is God and there are no three separate entities. But this can’t be the case! For example, when Jesus was being baptized by John the baptizer in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove and landed on Jesus, and a voice from Heaven (which would be God the Father’s voice) said, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.” Get it? There is God the Father or God, God the Son in that came in the flesh, and God the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as Christians today (Acts 2:37-39).
Still confused? Let me try again. If you were to look at the book of Genesis and read chapter one, you would come across the word “God” several times. There were two words used for God throughout the Old Testament, Yahweh and Elohim. The word used in Genesis 1 is Elohim which is plural. Plural means that there are more than one. Verse 26 even says, “Let us make man in our own image.” Notice the plurality. If it was singular, God would have said, “Let Me make man in My own image.” So if Elohim is used which is the plural word for “God” then more than one entity must have been present at the creation. And they were! Obviously God the Father was there because He spoke all this great stuff into existence. What about Jesus? Take a look at John 1. This chapter is all about Jesus. Verse one and two say this, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” What about the Holy Spirit? Genesis 1:2 says “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. You see, it’s really simple. All three, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were present at creation and are still with us today! I don’t know why so many people want to complicate things. I know this is not a exhaustive study and there are numerous arguments, but I think you get the point. Thank you Lord for your creation, including us in your plan, saving us by Your grace, and leading us as we journey toward Heaven. Amen.