Category Christian Living

Gay Marriage & the Christian

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Free to marry or Free to speak?
Today, The Supreme Court has found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, striking down bans in 14 states. Christians have been wrestling with this issue. Not because of the Biblical truth, rather, we have been branded as haters, bullied into silence when we preach the Biblical truth. This issue is not about whether homosexuality is sinful, or that it is a worse sin, i.e., “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like” Galatians 5:19-21, but it’s about the freedom to preach on Biblical topics.

CHRISTIAN SHARIA?
Am I advocating for a form of a Christian Sharia Law? Certainly not. I have no interest or authority from Scripture to compel people into compliance with the Law of Christ [Galatians 6:2]. Folks are to comply with Him willfully, not out of compulsion [1Co 9:17; 2Co 9:7]. What then is the problem? The problem is that the court ruling has now given the anti-God crowd more strength in condemning the Bible, and to continue to push God out of our society.

They do this by belittling our beliefs, chiding us, calling us ignorant. A statement made by Jesse Ventura sums up what is happening to Christians, “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.”

How is a Christian to respond to gay marriage?
The way we respond to all sin. Homosexuality is a sin [Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Jude 1:7]. Yet, it is no worse a sin than any other sin. All sin will keep a person out of heaven, separating us from God [Mt 7:23; 1Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21, 1John 1:5-10].

When we encounter folks walking in sin, homosexuality being just one of those, we need to do what the Bible has taught us to do; preach Jesus. When Paul met the philosophers on Mars Hill, he didn’t condemn them for their false religious beliefs, rather he taught them the truth about the One True God [Acts 17:22-34]. He let the word of Truth prick their hearts and their hearts convicted them, and some believed.

If we go around convincing folks to quit sinning, all we’ve done is made the lost well-behaved. Surely that could make life more pleasant, but if they don’t know Jesus, we’ve accomplished nothing. Remember also, we too are dealing with sin, [1John 1:8].

The only remedy for sin
Sin is cured by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ [Mat 26:28]. People, in order to be cured, have to hear about the Gospel and obey it [Rom 10:14-17]. They have to come to fully believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God [Mat 16:16; Acts 8:37]. They must “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins” [Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4; Gal 3:27]. Then each person must continue in the doctrine of Christ, remaining faithful until death [Mat 28:18-20; Rev 2:10]

Stay off the bandwagon
The desire to fit in, or to jump on the bandwagon so as to avoid ridicule is to approve of sin, in this case homosexuality. Let us remain faithful, Jesus DID speak on gay marriage when He told us that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” [Matthew 19:4-5]

By specifying who is to be married, male and female, He prohibited every other combination. This is a foundational principle of logic and reasoning, let alone Biblical authority. That which is stated is to the exclusion of all other options.

If we accept this sin, or any other, we become guilty of that sin. “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” [Romans 1:32-2:5; 2Jo 1:11]

What is True Love
They said that this case was about love. No, not even close. True love is telling people about Jesus Christ. [1Co 9:22; 1Ti 4:16] True love is desiring that people be saved, that is why we preach. [Mark 16:16]

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” [1Corinthians 9:16]

Let us preach the truth about Jesus Christ, which will include the truth about sin. It will include the truth about His plan of salvation which includes baptism. When we do, let us preach it in Love, let our words be seasoned with salt, let us pray so we may know how to answer each one. [Colossians 4:6]

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” [Ephesians 4:15]

 

Ferguson, Deflategate & Johnny Depp

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The country has been on fire as of late, literally. Cities being burned because folks are angry, protesting the supposed abuse by police among African American communities. We’ve tolerated the looting and destruction by calling it a protest. We’ve also tolerated some authorities to be above the law they’re sworn to protect!

In another story, a lot of folks are commenting on the “deflategate” scandal that has rocked the football world. Most are suggesting that this is no big deal. Making comparisons to the many sports figures receiving lighter punishments, that have beaten their wives or girlfriends, they suggest that this is a non-issue.

Then this morning I heard a story about Johnny Depp. It’s alleged that he smuggled his Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo into Australia, skirting the law that requires them to be quarantined to be certain they are rabies free.

How these stories are related you ask? Simple, it’s a growing trend in our culture that allows people to be above the law if: they’re famous, rich, or angry. In all of these examples we will hear; “the facts don’t matter”, “It doesn’t change the results” or “what’s the big deal.” This is very troubling.  If facts don’t matter, or the end justifies the means, or it’s no big deal, then how is our society to function?

Ferguson – Tom Brady – Johnny Depp

The driving attitude behind all of these stories is ARROGANCE. Arrogant is defined as; having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities. In each example, the parties involved believed that they are above the laws that govern the rest of us.

The abusive officer is above the law because he’s got a gun or is an authority figure. It’s ARROGANCE. The offending character is above the law because he’s poor, or black. It’s ARROGANCE. The protestors are above the law because they feel abused or pushed down. It’s ARROGANCE. Tom Brady is above the law (rules of the game) because he’s a great quarterback. It’s ARROGANCE. Johnny Depp is above the law because he’s rich and famous. It’s ARROGANCE.

We’re all becoming more arrogant and it’s sinful. The Bible, God’s word, talks about this;

“A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,” [Pr 6:17]

God is very clear about arrogance and pride, He hates it!

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” [Pr 8:13]

When Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, he condemned their arrogance in overlooking sin; “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” [1Corinthians 5:2] The problem is that they thought they were more important than the commands of God! When we ignore His commands, ignore His will for our lives, ignore what He thinks is right, we’re ignoring Him, THE CREATOR. We’re really saying, “the facts don’t matter”, “It doesn’t change the results” or “what’s the big deal.”

If we ignore God, we miss all the blessings He’s promised, we miss the lessons that help us to avoid trouble in our lives, and we miss the mark. If we continue to ignore God, thinking more of ourselves, we miss heaven! We miss heaven because when we ignore God, we also ignore Jesus, the Christ….

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” [John 12:48-49]

If we fail to learn the lessons about arrogance, continuing to think more of our own importance, we’ll never learn to obey God. We see it already in our homes, disobedient children [Ro 1:30], and in our work places [Ephesians 6:5], and we see it in our country [Romans 13:1-6].

There’s only one reason when we’re permitted to disobey man’s law,

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” [Ac 5:29](KJV)

Spencer Blackwelder, is an Evangelist in Borger, TX and has been working to recover from his own swollen head.

5 ways to overcoming Sin

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Throughout the Bible, we’re warned about the effects of sin. The problem is less about the knowledge of sin, rather on how to overcome it in our lives. Paul wrestled with this himself saying, “O wretched man that I am!” [Romans 7:24]

How do we overcome sin?
  1. Sin is overcome by Faith – Joh 8:24 except ye believe;
    1. 1Jo 5:4-5 For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith.
  2. Sin is overcome by obedience – Heb 5:9 and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation;
    1. Conduct worthy of the Gospel – Phil 1:27; Rom 12:17-21; Eph 5:22-6:4
  3. Sin is overcome by faithfulness to Christ – 2Ti 4:6-8 [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:
    1. Re 2:10 Fear not …. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
  4. Self-control – Prov 16:32 ruleth his spirit; 2Pet 1:5-6 add to faith; James 1:19 swift to hear; 3:2-10 bridled tongue
  5. Fruit of the Spirit – Gal 5:22, 23

There’s a very good reason we need to remove sin from our lives……

To obtain an incorruptible crown – And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [1Corinthians 9:25]

 

The Bible talks about the internet

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Cyber Bullying

1-23-15          BORGER, Texas – There is a viral video that is of a father’s response to kids’ cyber bullying his daughter. In the viral video, Brad Knudsen found out about videos being sent to his 14-year-old daughter Dee Dee, who is African-American, via Snapchat videos, which called her horrible things using the N-word. He sought to speak to the parents, but when that failed, he called police.

Rather than press charges, he requested to speak to the parents of the children involved. That ended poorly. The parent of the bully not only didn’t care, he supported what his child had done. It was this attitude that prompted Brad to make his video response, garnering millions of views and the attention of the media.

Then it got ironic, for his own daughter sent out videos of herself using the very same racial slurs.

That is the basic background of the story, if you want more information you can do your own research. The media is doing a good enough job addressing the bullying, so I will make no further comment beyond how wrong it is. They’re also doing fine showing the error of the daughter, which needs no comment from me.

What is missing from all of this is the discussion of the free, unsupervised use of today’s technology by our children.

Where is the discussion about these children having access to these powerful tools without any real limitations?

Let me interject that these devices have no sinful nature in and of themselves. They are very helpful tools of communication. However, children have yet to learn how to navigate our dangerous world. That’s the parents’ job, to train them, to protect them by supervising their activities. [Pr 22:6; Eph 6:4]

Why were these children given complete access to the internet through these devises? Were there no limits, no boundaries?

I recall when my children were given their first cell phones, facebook accounts and email. Because we were so afraid of their immaturity allowing the dangerous world to touch them, we made some very clear guidelines for the use of these things.

There were no private computers, email, facebook or whatever. Computing, via any device, was limited to public areas of our home. They were not allowed to use the computer behind closed doors. As they grew older, and hence better educated about the perils, these restrictions relaxed, but accountability never was.

Could we have done better? Yes. Technology is constantly changing, but that is no excuse to close our eyes to the dangers. To do nothing is to shirk our parental responsibility.

To help other parents, let me suggest 4 rules that you can establish in your home.
  1. No private internet / phone access
  2. Parental access to all passwords
  3. Random spot checking of all of their accounts / devices.
  4. No talking with strangers online

Any infraction should be met with a zero tolerance policy. Your child should learn that these devices are a privilege and not a right. These are for THEIR protection. If you don’t train them about the world, someone else will, and you’re not going to be happy with the results.

I would also recommend you download the “10 commandments for kids online” from the Kim Komando website.

DOES THE BIBLE TALK ABOUT THE INTERNET?

I’m a believer that the bible covers every situation in our lives. Though the internet is never mentioned in the Bible, the PRINCIPALS for its use are clearly stated.

  • Pornography – Mt 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. [Ga 5:16; 1Jo 2:16]
  • Cyber Bullying – Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
  • Wasting Time – Pr 24:30 ¶ I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
  • Friendships – Pr 27:17 ¶ Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
    • Pr 17:17 ¶ A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Friends, the standards of the world should not be the standards for the Christian. Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

This doesn’t mean we are to not be friendly, it simply means that we need to seek God first, Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; so that we can be a positive influence on the world, Mt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world.

Nor does it allow us to overly separate ourselves, 1Co 5:9  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

The world thinks we’re odd for not participating, 1Pe 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

We need to be lights, and our parental light should be shining on our children.

Spencer

Under the Influence

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As the New Year fast approaches, I know that many will be celebrating the new year, often while drinking adult alcoholic beverages. You’ve heard about driving under the influence? That is when a person decides to drink alcohol unto intoxication, or imbibing in some other mind altering drug, and then decides to get behind the wheel of their vehicle. In a recent news story, a woman driving while under the influence, ran a red light plowing through a crosswalk, killing 3 people including a child and his mother.

Here in Borger, Texas, it’s listed as DWI; Driving While Intoxicated. According to the Texas DoT website, a first offense DWI charge can get you; “A fine of up to $2,000, Three days to 180 days in jail, Loss of driver license up to a year and an Annual fee of $1,000 or $2,000 for three years to retain driver license.”

Just the first offense penalty would be enough for me to avoid DWI. When you consider the human costs with the possibility of causing someone’s death or even my own, then without a doubt I would never drive under the influence of alcohol.

But that is the secular human side of me. As a Christian, I abstain from alcohol use. I don’t drink. As I pondered this thing called DUI or being under the influence, I was reminded of a passage I had recently studied in Ephesians;

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” — Eph 5:18

            This verse instructs us to NOT get drunk, but rather to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Some would suppose that we should be under the control of the Holy Spirit, losing our own control and free will. But this just doesn’t fit with the rest of the scriptures. Paul had just written in Chapter 3 of the same book:

“…if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,  4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),”– Eph 3:2-4

            When you consider these verses from the same letter together, what you will see is that we need to read and to study our Bibles, allowing those teachings to influence us. To “BE FILLED” with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the Helper promised by Christ;

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”– Joh 16:13

We have the Bible, the scriptures, because holy men of God were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down the things of God. [2Pet 1:20-21] It’s through the study of the scriptures that we can know the will of God for our lives, to know how to live on this earth and how to get to heaven.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”– 2Ti 3:16

            Jesus charged the Apostles to teach the people “all things that I have commanded you,” and this they did as they traveled, speaking to people, and also as they, with others, wrote these commands down for us today.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. — Mt 28:19

Knowing all of this, let us not be drunk with alcohol or drugs, rather, let us be filled with the Holy Spirit by studying our Bibles, learning what is the will of the Lord.

7 things Jesus said that made me work harder

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While sitting in my office here in Borger, Tx, I was wondering, Why does one person seem to be more active as a Christian and another does not?  Said another way, why do some remain faithful and others fall away? Pondering this question, 7 verses of Jesus came to mind that are motivators for me and my faith.

1)“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” [Mt 22:37]

  • Certainly we should start here. This is the ultimate motivator, IF you believe in the existence of God. For me, obedience to an all powerful God makes perfect sense. He created me, He gave me life, He deserves my life service. Related to this saying are these:
  • “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [John 13:34-35]
    • Our love, including our demonstration of love, has an impact on my evangelistic efforts. It reminds me of David’s sin. He certainly committed adultery, lying and finally murder, but his real sin was, “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, “ [2Sa 12:14]
  • “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” [Mt 5:44]
    • Elevated even further, love our enemies. This really gets at the heart of the matter because in this one thing we see the truth of the love of God, the love of an enemy. [Rom 5:10]

2)“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” [Mr 8:36]

  • This verse showed me the vanity of worldly pursuits, and that these pursuits can interfere with my ability to win heaven. This verse clearly shows that nothing can be compared to heaven. What’s surprising, not that we sell our souls, but that we sell it so cheaply.

3)“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Lu 9:62]

  • It’s very easy to get lazy and unmotivated as a christian. This verse reminds us that our service toward God is an active service. James reminds us of this when he wrote, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” [Jam 2:18]

4)“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Mt 5:20]

  • So many people believe in an, “I’m ok / you’re ok” kind of life. This verse shows us that our righteousness is to EXCEED another’s. When you also look at this other verse, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” [Mt 23:23] we see that He was critical of their lack in the heart issues. Please note that He said, “without leaving the others undone.”

5)“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:” [Mt 25:35]

  • How do we do this? How do we feed our Lord? When we read the context we see very clearly that it’s done through the care and feeding of our brethren. He then goes on to say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” / “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

6)“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” [Mt 22:29]

  • Can there be any more sobering words from our Lord than these? “Spencer, you’re mistaken.” In what were these mistaken? You may say, “It’s got nothing to do with salvation.” My question for you is this, CAN YOU BE MISTAKEN ABOUT SALVATION, By not knowing the scriptures or the power of God?

7)“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” [Joh 3:5]

  • When Jesus says things like, “except ye______, he cannot enter….” we need to pay attention. So much verbal gymnastics are performed attempting to explain away baptism. When you take the entirety of scripture, [Mrk 16:16; Acts 22:16] you can only come to the conclusion that baptism is essential.

So, there you go. Seven amazing quotes from our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. What will motivate you to serve Him better? If not these, what?

One more bonus quote I will share: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” [Mt 7:21]

Influencing Lot

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The New Testament calls Lot righteous. (2Pet 2:8) However, in that same verse he is said to have been “vexed” day to day. I bet you feel like that too sometimes when you look around and see all the troubles, sins and evil that surround us. Unfortunately, Lot and his family were influenced by their surroundings.

Lot had “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Ge 13:12). He had made his choice of place to live based on earthly reasoning (Gen 13:10). It says that the men of Sodom were “wicked”.

Lesson 1 – If you make your choices about relations, callings, dwellings, being guided by the “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1Joh 2:16) you cannot expect God’s blessings or presence.

God had judged the people of Sodom, and therefore sent 2 angels to destroy it. Unable to find even ten righteous souls, they urged Lot to take his family and flee the city. He went to his sons in law, but they looked at him as if he were joking. (Gen 19:14)

Lesson 2 – The influence of our surroundings can draw away our families from a righteous influence. 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

But Lot lingered. The angels had a sense of urgency about them. They knew that when God gives a command, it’s to be done. (Ge 19:15;) They even grabbed him by the hand and took him out of the city. Then his wife looked back, disobeying the order to not look back. (Gen 19:17, 26)

Lesson 3 – Why do we linger? Why do we delay to obey the Lord? And why do we look back? (Lu 9:62; Heb 11:15)

This is not a lesson on moving out to the wilderness and to create a commune. The main difference between us and Lot, is that the world is pitching it’s tent toward us. Paul warned us in (Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world:) The Lord prayed for us to be kept from evil (Joh 17:15) not to be taken out of the world. And Paul tells us to not keep company with fornicators (1Co 5:9) but not so much that we have to leave the world. This is wise, because otherwise, how would evangelism occur?

We are to influence the world, not the other way around. ( Mt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.)

What influences us today?

Is it TV, movies, our culture? Are we driven to make choices based on “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”? Yeah, me too.

Let me remind you, if sin were always painful, no one would do it. Sin appears to us as fun, and entertaining. Moses experienced this. (Heb 11:25) Sin can be likened to rat poison. It is 98% corn meal and 2% poison. Why do you suppose it is? If rat poison tasted nasty, no rat would ever eat it! It attracts it’s victim and then it’s influence kills.

There is a remedy to sin. When we remove something from our lives we should replace it with something else.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

I’m praying for you, we’re all in this together.

 

How to goof up relationships in easy 1 step

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Everything we do, and everything we have, comes through the activities of people. If this is true, then we should be better than we are with our relationships. With so much practice, you’d think that we would be better at our human encounters.

Over the years I’ve noticed that everyone suffers from the same human condition. Some more than others, but all of us have the same disease. I call it, Big Shot Syndrome. That’s the condition where we show off to people in hopes of gaining new friends or impressing them. The problem is, it seldom works.

Step 1 to goof up your relationships

You see, we all have a deep seated need to be liked. To provide this to ourselves, we think we need to impress folks. It shows up in our conversations. A friend will begin telling us about their day, and instead of listening, encouraging or offering compassion, we butt in and say something like, “You should hear what happened to me!”

It matters not whether a person is speaking about happy events or sad events, we interrupt them with how our lives are better or worse than theirs. Oh stand back if we talk about our children!!

So, to goof up any relationship, talk about yourselves more than you listen to them. It shows how much you don’t really care about what’s happening in their lives. It will show how little you really think of this friend or family member, after all, you’re better than them.

The 1 rule that can save your relationships……….

…….and make them like you. To fix this problem, I will offer you a simple single rule that can save any relationship, let people think you care AND it will make them LIKE you, which is the very desire from the beginning.

The Platinum rule

You’ve heard of the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but this is often misinterpreted to mean, do unto others AS they have done unto you. We treat others the way they treat us. Another way this is misinterpreted is by thinking, “I will do unto people what I don’t mind having done unto me.” This never wins friends, it just makes people annoyed.

I recommend, as do the scriptures, that we “Esteem others better than self.” Phil 2:3 The whole passage says this….

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Php 2:3 KJV

Think about it, when we avoid strife, vainglory (bragging), with humility in our hearts, interacting with people by thinking more of them than we do ourselves, they LOVE it. You do to, that’s why you’ve been trying to get it through your bragging!

Here’s how it looks in a conversation, our friend is telling us about their day, life, kid whatever. How do we use the platinum rule? We shut our mouths and LISTEN. That’s it. Simple. Just listen. Then, and this is the advanced instruction, ASK ABOUT THEM! 

When we listen, or ask about them, without selfish commentary, people will suddenly, instantly think more highly of you. They’re gonna like you. People are going to want to be around you, they’re gonna want to get to know you. It’s almost like magic!

Why does this work?

I told you before, folks just want to be liked. They want to feel included. When we allow that to happen for them, you’re giving them a gift that satisfies one of their basic psychological needs. Then, they attach that feeling of satisfaction to the person that gave it to them, YOU. Try it. More magic than I can describe here will happen for you.

Do you want more friends? Be one.

Do you want a happy spouse? Be a happy one.

Do you want great service at restaurants? Be a great customer.

The reason we don’t GET what we WANT out of relationships, is because we don’t GIVE what we CAN.

 

spencer
Borger, Tx
806/274-5021
Ask me how to make your calling and election sure. 2Pet 1:10

  

10 keys to a balanced life

The Preacher Leave a comment

To a workaholic, Balance is equivalent to failure. A sluggard will bemoan the fact that balance includes work. The truth is, if we fail to take time for important things, we get off kilter and fail to enjoy life to it’s fullest.

Regardless of how busy we are, here are 10 keys for a balanced life…

  1. Think: is the beginning of anything. God gave us the ability to reason, to think, and we fail to do it enough.  Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,Ps 119:148 My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. The trouble with people is that they just don’t think.
    • Adding this to your day;  take 15 minutes everyday to come up with 10 ideas on how to improve your life and those around you.
  2. Work: it’s the price of success. From the very beginning, man has been given work. Ge 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Retirement is not in the Bible.
    • Adding this to your day;  get a job, and treat it as if you were the owner, or better still, as if you work for God. Eph 6:5
  3. Play: – this can only fully be enjoyed after we’ve worked hard. In order for YOU to play, some work had to be done (usually by MOM).  Ecc 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. Ec 2:24; 3:12,22; 5:18; 9:7; Jesus went to a wedding,  Joh 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.  A Friend of mine uses the opportunity of play to meet people, to get to know them and share the Gospel with them.
    • Adding this to your day; All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Use it for exercise, use it to meet people, but never let it separate you from enjoying the rest of life. All play and no work makes jack a POOR boy!
  4. Read; I remember commercials back in the 70’s saying, “RIF Reading Is Fundamental.” How many books do you read? Kings – De 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them. 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God. Jesus asked in Mt 19:4 “Have you not read…”
    A man that refuses to read is no better than the Illiterate man.

    • Adding this to your day; Read a little bit every day. The average person reads less than 1 book a year. Read 1 book a month! (I’m not talking about only reading trashy novels or sci-fi, but include biographies, or I don’t know……..the BIBLE!
  5. Worship; It is for our benefit. It helps to add focus to our lives. 1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
    • Adding this to your day; Pray without ceasing, 1Thess 5:17, Assemble with the saints every Sunday, Acts 20:7.
  6. Help & enjoy friends: our friends ultimately are going to be a major source of comfort and happiness. The cure for most psychological ills come through the company we keep. Consider the friendship of Jonathan for David in 1Sa 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:1-42; 23:16-18. Everything we will ever have or enjoy will come through other people. Do you want a friend, be one. Do you want good service, be a good customer.
    • Adding this to your day; Make friends of God’s people. God calls Christians His CHILDREN, If that is so, how should we treat them?
  7.  Love –Though we achieve all success and substance, Without love, we are nothing.  Yet this is the most missed–element in our lives. In 1Cor 13, Love is described perfectly, never failing, never boasts, is kind and patient. Take time to Love.
    • Adding this to your day; Read 1Cor 13 and compare that to your behavior. Are you patient,  kind, do you envy others, are you rude, do you think evil?
  8. Dream: it is the foundation upon which hope is built. Another way of saying this is to set Goals. Little goals, big goals. The average person only plans til the next paycheck.  Before a ship sets sail, it lays in a coarse, it knows where it’s going. Where are you going? How will you know when you get there?
    • Adding this to your day; Do you feel you’re without hope? In Christ we have a hope of heaven. Rev 22
  9. Laugh; did you know it’s in the Bible? Have you ever seen a laughing baby, so cute. Laughter is healthy and all of us love to laugh. In Ec 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh.  Ro 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore. Php 4:4; Luke 6:21 you shall laugh.
    • Adding this to your day; hang out with your friends, listen to good clean comedians, or look up videos of laughing babies.
  10. Plan: It’s the secret of being able to have time for the first nine things. This is different from dreaming, this is about taking control of your day.  God is a planner – 1Pe 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
    • Adding this to your day; In the morning, get up just a bit earlier, and after you’ve prayed, map out your day. Include time to work on your dreams. If you take control of your days, your life will take care of itself. Today is the only day you can manage.

Before BALANCE can happen, one must be in Christ. Are you in Christ? If no, then your life will always be out of balance.

spencer
Borger, Tx
806/274-5021
Ask me how to make your calling and election sure. 2Pet 1:10

  

I’m unworthy to serve

The Preacher Leave a comment

What do you do, as a Christian, when your life is a shambles?

We attempt to disappear, becoming invisible. By becoming less involved.
We feel we’re unqualified to serve, assist, give aid because we have been such a failure.
We feel we’re unqualified to evangelize. Why would anyone believe us since we’ve failed in so many ways?
The worst is we feel so dejected, thinking our lives should be better now that we’re saved. We begin to think and act as if saying, “What’s the point?”

Is that you? Don’t be shy, because many times it’s me also!

So what is a Christian to do when it seems that nothing is working?
  • We can look at Moses….
    • losing the ability to enter the Promised land, pleading to go in. De 1:37; 3:23-29;
    • yet at the transfiguration of Jesus, Mt 17:3-4
  • We can look at Joshua….
    • He and Caleb had to endure 40 years of wandering also, Nu 32:13,
    • yet entering the promised land to lead the people of Israel to serve God. Nu 27:18-23
  • We can look at David….
    • Committed adultery with Bathsheba, lied, caused another to get drunk, conspired to murder; 2Sam 11
    • yet still called, “..a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Ac 13:22
  • We can look at Elijah….
    • requested that he might die; and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life;” 1Ki 19:4
    • yet continuing on passing his mantle to Elisha 2Ki 2:1
  • We can look at Paul….
    • made havoc of the church, Acts 8, persecuting, death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. Ac 22:4
    • yet becoming a great evangelist and Apostle, writing 13 books of our New Testament.
  • We can look at Peter….
    • Denier of Christ, cursing & swearing, Mark 14:70,71
    • yet a preacher of the gospel, preaching in spite of imprisonment, Acts 2 & 4

How sad it is that we fail to serve fully because we feel so unworthy, being so imperfect in our lives. I’ve got news for you, we are all unworthy! (Lu 17:10 We are unprofitable servants)

The reality is this, we are BETTER servants because of our failures. We are able to identify, have compassion and empathize with one another. As humans together, we can sympathize with one another, facing the same trials as everyone else.

Paul himself had a major “thorn in the flesh” that he pleaded with the Lord three times to have removed. Look at what the Lord said to him……

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2Co 12:9

Paul’s response gives us even further encouragement…..

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2Co 12:10

Let us serve in spite of our troubles. Through Christ, our weakness gives us strength. So let me give you a little PEP talk……(inspired from a talk given by Scott Futrell)

  1. Pray – ask God for strength, boldness, help. In 1Co 10:13, it says; There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
  2. Engage – get involved, become a servant of God despite your sorrows and your pains. An incredible thing will happen, you will get strength. From God, from other members, and you just may be able to help someone else. Mt 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
  3. Persevere – stick with it. Remain faithful, for a reward awaits you at the end of this life when the Lord comes to receive His own. Re 2:10 …be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

One more thing, we have a sympathetic Savior…..

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:15, 16

spencer
Borger, Tx
806/274-5021
Ask me how to make your calling and election sure. 2Pet 1:10