Love * Sacrifice * Service

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the brave and noble men and women who have faithfully served the United States of America. I would also like to give my condolences to every family who has lost loved ones during their duty. I can’t even describe in words how much I admire every person who serves in our military.

I think every weekend should be a memorial weekend. It is so important that we remember the love, sacrifice and service of others who have selflessly given their lives to make ours better. Actually, Sunday morning Christian church services are a memorial time when we honor the greatest life-giving act of all time. This act was Jesus Christ sacrificing his life on a cross for our sins.

Those three words: love, sacrifice and service are very powerful. When a person possesses these qualities, they can do amazing deeds of courage. Whether it was Christ on a cross, or the multitude of men and women who have died for our country, you can be assured that they all imbibed these attributes.

Love: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:3

Sacrifice: “By one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14

Service: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

All of these Scriptures refer to the sacrifice of Christ. He is the one we should follow because He is the one who shed His blood for us.

When we desire comfort, convenience and personal pleasure over love, sacrifice and service, we set ourselves up for destruction. If the citizens of America will once again make these qualities the ambition of their lives, our nation can regain its greatness. As we honor our veterans on this Memorial Day who sacrificed their lives for our country, I hope we remember and treasure the example they set for all of us to follow.

Please pray for our military personnel all this week, and ask God to help you live a life of love, sacrifice and service.

Born to be Born Again

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Can you imagine getting a chance to live your life over again? What would you do different? I am quite confident that every person on the planet would do things differently if they received a do-over in life.

Experience and maturation teaches all of us that we make many mistakes in life. In fact, every single person on the planet sins and falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Take a moment and think about the heartache and pain your sin has brought to your life. Do you wish you made different choices while growing up? I know I sure do.

When people do not want to admit they need to change, they justify their sinful behavior by proclaiming this is the way they were born. In their attempt to make an argument that would allow them to continue participating in immoral behavior without condemnation, they actually state very clearly what they Bible teaches in regards to human nature.

Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

It is true that we are born to sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, sin entered the human race. The consequence for their disobedience is that every person born after them would now possess a sinful nature from birth. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Our actions reveal our nature.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:1-5).

Even though Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of this Jewish party that saw the way to God as being through obedience to the law, he knew he needed more than just “good deeds” to be in right standing with God. Nicodemus, like all of us, still had to deal with his sins. He needed to be born again.

The reason we need to be born again through God’s Spirit is because the wages of our sins is death (Romans 6:23). We have all sinned, and therefore, we are all dead in our trespasses.

So the next time someone tells you they were born that way when they try to justify their sinful behavior, don’t argue with them. Tell them they are absolutely 100% correct. Then, speak the truth in love by telling them their conduct is sin according to God’s Holy Scriptures. After that, tell them they need to repent of their sins, and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, so they can become born again with a new Christ-like nature.

Remember…our actions reveal our nature. Are you born again?

Possessing a Proper Perspective

Has anyone ever demanded your attention when it was inconvenient to respond to him or her? My three young boys seem to have a knack for possessing this attribute. The latest incident involved my six-year old son Ethan while I was shaving.

I have been shaving since the seventh grade, so it is safe to say that I have a few whiskers. For those of you who shave regularly, you know how important it is to shave when your skin is properly prepared for the razor. For me, shaving right after my shower while my facial hair is soft is the key to preventing my own version of the chainsaw massacre.

Last Thursday I was shaving and in a hurry to get to a Dave Ramsey event we were hosting at the church when suddenly the bathroom door almost came flying off its hinges. Ethan had stubbed his toe and it was bleeding. Since Ethan has an older brother, he has learned for the sake of his own personal survival how to be tough. However, mighty Ethan has never warmed up to the sight of blood, especially his own.

As he was screaming and in a panic like death was certain, I glanced down to see if his toe was still attached to his foot. When I looked at his toe, I observed that it was just a little scrape. It was the sight of blood that had him all freaked out.

I was relieved to know that his toe was fine and I would not have to interrupt my shaving routine. While I finished shaving, I kept reminding him that he was going to be just fine. Despite my most convincing plea, I could not get him to believe me.

After I finished shaving, I grabbed a cotton ball out of the cabinet, put some first-aid antiseptic on it and magically rubbed off the remaining blood. As soon as Ethan saw that the blood was gone, he was off to the races. One cotton ball soaked in antiseptic proved that it was not the end of the world, as we know it.

Years of experience in dealing with my own bumps and bruises, and three sons who daily acquire new scrapes and scratches, has produced in me a perspective that my son Ethan does not possess. One glance and I knew Ethan’s toe was going to be fine.

This incident reminded me of how important it is to have a wiser person help process the circumstances of life. In times of uncertainty like we are living in today we must gain a proper and eternal perspective. The best way we can do this is by looking to the omniscient God.

Jesus taught his followers to not worry. In Matthew 6:31-34 says, “31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In times of war, economic crisis and potential pandemic, we can have peace because we are focused on the one who possesses a greater perspective. We can trust in God’s goodness and His love for those who faithfully follow Him.

Do you possess a proper perspective by trusting in God?