Category: Encouragement

Your Life is a Gift

With Jesus having taken His ministry public, the crowds began to follow Him, leaving the ministry of John the Baptist to drift into obsolescence. When the Pharisees questioned John about the fact that Jesus and His disciples were baptizing more people, John set the record straight.

In a passage that includes notable scriptures like “He must increase, but I must decrease,” John explained that His ministry was fulfilled as people followed Christ. Christ was the groom, John was the best man. John had an honored position, but it was really all about Christ the entire time.

John’s initial response, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven,” is actually quite profound. In that response, John not only glorified God, but gave the Lord the glory for his own life and being.

Think about it. It was God who created John. It was God who chose his parents, the time in which he was born, placed the calling upon his life, and brought the people to him to be baptized. The only reason John had a ministry at all was because God gave it to him. And God was the one who made John’s ministry both pivotal and historic.

It works the same for everyone. Pilate told Jesus during his trial that he had the power to put the Lord to death. Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me except it were given to you from above.”

Again, it was God who created Pilate, chose the time period in which he lived, the location in which he grew up, placed him on a track that landed him in the governor’s chair in Judea, and placed him in front of Christ on trial day.

And yet, His order to allow the crucifixion of Christ was still an act of rebellion against God, despite the fact it was foreknown and planned for.

Mordecai told Esther, “Who knows if you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Esther’s ascent to being queen was highly unlikely and a statistical anomaly. Yet, there she was, queen, who was in a unique position to save her people from persecution. God set it up and ordained it.

It works the same for us. God created us, placed us in this time and community, chose our parents, gifted our skillsets, and placed us in this unique position to honor and glorify Him.

Look around, and realize everything you see is a gift from God.

Now, how are you using that gift?

When the Crowds Leave

Let’s face it. When it comes to church, we often feel validated by how well our services are attended. If attendance is increasing, we must be doing something right.

Conversely, if attendance is dwindling, we must be doing something wrong.

However, neither attitude is correct. Often, doing the right thing means fewer people are willing to walk with you, which means attendance will be lower.

Jesus saw this in John 6, when He told the multitudes that He would not be feeding them miraculously every day, and that they must fully trust in Him to enter the Kingdom. Scripture says the multitude departed and would not walk with him anymore.

John the Baptist saw this in John 3, when Jesus launched His earthly ministry, and people began following Jesus rather than John.

The idea of being validated by attendance, and by how many people walked with you is not new. The Pharisees often validated themselves and respected each other based on how many disciples each one had.

So, when the Pharisees observed John’s following dissipating while the Lord’s following skyrocketed, they asked him about it. John’s response?

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John’s confession was not one of resignation or defeat, but rather of victory.

The entire ministry of John the Baptist centered on the idea of preparing the people to meet Christ. Once Christ arrived, it only made sense for the people to follow the Lord instead of the prophet that heralded the Lord.

So, when John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” in essence, he was saying, “mission accomplished.” He then compared his feelings to that of a best man at a wedding, who rejoiced to see the groom with his bride.

One major struggle of the Christian life is the ongoing battle with the temptation to make everything about us. We want the Lord to validate us in this life, to show us victory in this life, and to bless our dreams and ambitions in this life.

In reality, this life is about glorifying the Lord and leading people to salvation. In order to do that, we have to make our lives about the Lord, not about ourselves. The struggle is that this goes against the natural impulses of the flesh, which seeks to glorify itself.

If you live in the South Plains of Texas, join us Sunday morning at First Baptist Church in Hermleigh, TX, as we explore this concept further, in a message I’ve entitled, “The Shrinking Baptist.” Sunday worship is at 10:50 a.m., with Sunday School beforehand at 10 a.m.

If you are not located near Hermleigh, the message will be posted on this blog the following day. May God continue to bless you as you look to Him.

Come and See (John 1:35-51)

In John 1:35-51, the Apostles began following Jesus.

The following began when John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Understanding this to be a reference to the forgiveness that the Christ would bring for the sins of all mankind, John and Andrew left the Baptist’s side and followed Jesus.

Andrew went on to find his brother, Simon (now called Peter), and told him that “We have found the Christ.”

Jesus found Phillip, who went to find Nathanael, whom Jesus described as an Israelite “in whom there was no deceit.”

In reading about these interactions, three things are said of Jesus.

He is the Lamb of God (who takes away the sin of the world.)
He is the Messiah, the Christ, our Deliverer.
He is the King.

In the above-posted sermon, we examine each of these claims more thoroughly, and we explore more fully who Jesus is.

Faith under Fire

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words do hurt, especially when they slander your good name and undermine your life’s purpose.

A false accusation, a baseless rumor, and malicious gossip can ruin your reputation, disrupt your marriage, sideline your ministry, and undermine you career or business. Often, when these false accusations are raised, there is little you can do, because proving something didn’t happen is almost impossible.

For most people, the best you can hope for is that your track record of integrity and good deeds outshines the falsehoods being spoken. That’s hard to rely on, however, as people’s memories are becoming shorter with the proliferation of social media.

This is exactly the situation (minus the social media) that King David faced in Psalm 7. Cush the Benjamite had made serious accusations against David and cursed him. We don’t really know who Cush was, or exactly what his statements were. We do know, the words were severe enough that David took the situation to the Lord, not only through a spoken prayer, but David actually took the time to write this psalm about it.

In the opening verses of Psalm 7, you see the intersection of David’s faith and fear. David proclaims that he is putting his trust in the Lord, while at the same time expressing his fear of what his enemy may do.

“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: ²Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” – Psalm 7:1-2

David professes that he places his trust (faith) in the Lord, and prays for deliverance so that he is not destroyed by the false accusations. He goes on in verses 3-5 to ask the Lord to hold him accountable should there be any truth to the false accusations.

These verses demonstrate the power that faith can give us in these hopeless situations. Furthermore, it shows us the power that comes with a clear conscience toward God and toward those around us.

David was able to ask God to examine his actions and hold him accountable because David knew that he was innocent of the charges being leveled toward him.

Living according to God’s word, doing right by others and glorifying God through our grace and mercy shown to others can help fortify us against situations like this. When the false accusation is leveled, we can in all confidence say, “Search me! For I am clean!”

Furthermore, our faith enables us to trust God to fight this battle, because we are completely incapable of securing the victory on our own.

In verses 6-10, David prays that God will rise up in anger against the wickedness that has come against him. He also proclaims and looks forward to the judgment of God. Again, this is the blessing that comes with a life of faith and a clear conscience.

David doesn’t fear God’s judgment because David knows that he will withstand the judgment because he has been made pure through his faith in the Gospel of God. David knows the judgment will vindicate God’s people, and destroy the wicked.

If you know the Lord as your Savior, you have no reason to fear God’s judgment, and you actually have a reason to look forward to the judgment, because it is the judgment of God that is going to restore everything to what God intended on it being.

David concludes the psalm in verses 11-17 by warning the wicked that the Lord is preparing to make war against them. Therefore, repentance is in order.

So, Psalm 7 teaches us the value of letting faith shape our lives and actions. We learn that we need to trust the Lord through the adversities, conflicts and perils of life. Meanwhile, we also learn the value of having a clean conscience toward God and toward man. When we have those ingredients, we have facilitated the Lord’s defense of us when the attacks come.

So trust the Lord today, and glorify him through your lifestyle.