Is The Cross of Christ Foolish?

"The message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved, it is God's power." ~Apostle Paul in first letter to the Corinthians.

Manipulating God

"You, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth" Psalm 97 

Lawrence beamed at the capacity audience in San Francisco; the sixth stop of his Worldwide Evangelical Movement tour. "God is sitting on his throne, waiting for you to give him a hint. That's right, God is leaning forward, anxious to hear your requests so he can give you what you desire in the deepest place in your heart. He made you to abide with him some day and until that day, he wants to make you happy and satisfied. 

"Have you been passed over for that promotion? God knows and wants to release the blessings of that new job to you. Can't find that special person to complete you? God is aware of that missing piece in your puzzle of life as well. What about the home you keep driving by, wishing it was yours? Yes, my friends, God is fully aware of your needs and he wants to fulfill them, make you happy and give you the greatest, most fulfilling experience that life has to offer. 

"I know some of you are thinking something like, 'How can I ever afford that home I truly want? I need a better job and less debt.' Friends, God is the God of satisfaction and delight. He made you and knows how to make you satisfied and content on this earth as you prepare for eternal life with him.  

Lawrence became silent, walking back and forth on the platform, scanning the audience as he moved. And then, "What is the key to unlocking God's blessings, you ask? Sacrifice. Yes, it is sacrifice. Think of how he showed his love for us. Sacrifice! He sacrificed his own Son so we could have this wonderful life. And now he expects us to learn that same sacrifice. God GAVE so we could live and now it is our turn. We must sacrificially GIVE to release those blessings from heaven."  

By now Lawrence was commanding the audience with his fine-tuned and powerful voice, it was as though he hypnotized them...Give, give give. Sacrificially give. Give when you don't think you can. God is waiting. Release those blessings from the throne of God." They were on their feet as the army of ushers passed buckets across the rows of excited, believing people. 

Does this scenario sound familiar? Do you have, perhaps secretly, desires that you hope God will bring to pass to make your life better? Desires of more money, better job, better marriage, better body, bigger house? If you do, admit it to God. As the famous southern pastor, J. Vernon Mcgee once said, "You might as well tell Him because He knows anyway." 

God does understand our secret desires of wealth, health, homes, trips, etc. But what he wants for us is far better. Does anyone really believe that God sent his only Son, Jesus, to live and die for us so that we could have more money, bigger homes, better cars, and more fun? Jesus did give sacrificially, didn't he? His sacrifice was given freely so you and I could experience redemption and forgiveness of sins. Surely we can see clearly that Christ did not experience such an excruciating torture and death so we could accumulate more stuff on earth. 

Psalm 97:1-5  The Lord rules! Let the earth rejoice! Let all the islands celebrate! Clouds and thick darkness surround God. His throne is built on righteousness and justice. Fire proceeds before him, burning up his enemies on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees it and trembles! The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of the whole world! 

Our lives are actually spiritual. As such our warfare is taking place in the spiritual realms, every day...every hour. God's great sacrifice has made it possible for us to walk in the spirit, guided by the Holy Spirit. As we gear up each day with the Armor of God, we engage in the battle prepared and protected by God. Do you see material things as important in this daily battle for souls and lives? 

Ephesians 6:10-17  In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.  

Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women. 

Men and women who claim to speak for God but seek to gratify their flesh are, in truth, serving the enemy of our soul and feeding their own flesh. The Bible tells us to die to the flesh: 

Romans 8:12-16  So then, my brothers, you can see that we have no particular reason to feel grateful to our sensual nature, or to live life on the level of the instincts. Indeed that way of living leads to certain spiritual death. But if on the other hand you cut the nerve of your instinctive actions by obeying the Spirit, you are on the way to real living. 

All who follow the leading of God’s Spirit are God’s own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear—you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, “Father, my Father”. The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes, if we share in his suffering we shall certainly share in his glory.    

A man left his house early one morning to attend a Bible study. It was then he saw an obstacle! A flat tire. Not low but dead flat. He had no time to change a tire. He pondered his situation and felt God nudge him to have faith that He would take care of the tire. So, he prayed and believed that God would do the impossible. 

He drove three miles to a gas station, filled the tire with air and drove to the study. The tire never leaked or deflated again. Life is spiritual! 

Faith Not Feelings

We live by faith and not by sight!  2 Cor. 5:7

Unlike any other book, the Bible is God's living, eternal Word, filled with absolute promises that enable us to live an extraordinary life with no fear. However, because we do have weak moments when we do feel afraid, we have only to call upon the Lord, to read His words and see His promises to bask in the peace and security He freely gives.

Regardless of our circumstances, He will never leave or forsake us. Not only that, He awaits for us at the door of our mansion in Heaven with a perfectly fitted robe of righteousness, washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah!

At a meeting, the leader, when talking about our feelings said, “Feelings are neither right or wrong, they just are!” At first some of those present stood against his description but after considering what he said, they all agreed it was true. Feelings are part of who we are but when they cause misdirection, confusion, fear, or more negative responses, we know they are to be controlled. And only God can come to the rescue. He can replace negative feelings with His promises of care and eternal salvation.

            John 11:25-26  ²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

            John 10:10-11  I came that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly. ¹¹"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

            1 Peter 1:3-5   ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

            John 10:27-30  ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

            John 6:35-40  ³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. ³⁷ However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. ³⁹ And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

            1 John 4:4   ⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people (false teachers, spirit of the anti-christ), because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

            Romans 8:38  ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

            2 Corinthians 5:17  ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

            Matthew 11:28-30  ²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

            The teenage boy told his father, “Dad, I don’t feel like mowing the lawn today.” To which his father replied, “Then I guess I don’t feel like feeding you dinner.”

Solid Food!

“You need milk, not solid food.” Hebrews 5:12

            By the third grade, all the students and teachers realized that Daniel always brought an insulated lunch bag to school to keep his milk cool. That in itself, was not a radical thing to do. But in his case, milk was all his lunch bag contained. Finally his teacher met with the principal and they decided to talk with Daniel’s parents.

            “This may seem strange to you, Mrs. Phillips but we are concerned about your son’s diet in that he seems to only be drinking milk; no solid foods.”

            “Once we realized how packed-full of protein, vitamin D and calcium milk is, his father and I decided there was nothing better Daniel could take-in each day,” said Mrs. Phillips.

            “Do you mean to say you son eats no solid food?”

            “That’s correct, he only drinks milk. Of course we add little flavor treats at home and on weekends like chocolate, vanilla, and ice cream. We all need a little variety in our diets!”

            Fortunately for Daniel, the school provided professional dietary help for the Phillips family which included adding vegetables, grain, and fruits.

            Although this fictionalized version of extreme behavior seems silly or worse to us, we are warned by God to move away from a spiritual diet based on milk alone. Specifically, we are cautioned that instead of being able to teach others and understand more of His teachings, we remain as children, with stunted comprehension.

Two Decades Inside

He came in alert,

Eyes avoiding mine.

Rail thin, shaved head

And deep scars.

“Hi there, I'm David”

I hoped I sounded real.

“Roger,” he mumbled,

Darting a look.

“Roger's been inside

For twenty years or so,”

Explained his friend.

I hoped he wasn't looking,

My feelings were visible.

We prayed and asked God

To guide and give grace.

Bibles were opened and

The study began.

The topic eludes but his

Heart was pierced.

Silently at first, streams of tears

Then sobs shook him deeply

We closed in prayer,

We shook firmly.

“I'll be back. This was good.”

God was at work,

It wasn't me.

New Beginnings

Another Christmas day is about to dawn upon us in 2009. And this year, unlike many in the near past, finds millions of Americans shaking their heads in bewilderment, wondering how their fortunes, futures, homes, and jobs have slipped away. Believing they could trust in investments, loan officers, and corporations, many have proven not worthy of this trust. Some, unfortunately, have proven to be scoundrels and thieves, plundering the financial security of millions.

So, this may prove to be a rather sad Christmas, bereft of piles of presents beneath those trees, replaced with notes of love and hugs, reminding each other that families and love outweigh things any day. And for those who not only lost most material possessions but have no family to hug, I offer the love of Christ; a never-ending or failing love, transcending all disappointment and failure in this world. His love for you, proven on Calvary's cross, written in His own blood flowing down that cross, can give a new beginning and eternal hope for all of us.

God bless us, everyone...