Tag Archives: Bible

We have no excuse, July 15, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I’ve been thinking the last few months about the fact that 160,000 people within a five mile radius of my church have no church affiliation. When asked, they indicate they belong to or affiliate with no church or no denomination or no religious group…at all. None. That’s a tenth of the population of San Antonio, but just in our little corner of the city. It’s a bigger number than the population of most of the towns and cities around the world.

Let that sink in just a little. That number of people around my church put none as their religion. And that is the most popular answer when asked about religion in the United States today. None. People say they are spiritual, but affiliate with nothing. There is a problem with that.

Jesus is coming. God made the rules. He said, “Believe in me and have eternal life. Don’t believe in me and be eternally separated from God in a place of eternal punishment called hell.”

Those who follow and obey his teachings are called Christians. We are supposed to share his message of love and peace and inner joy. The institutional church hasn’t done such a good job of doing that if 160,000 people within five miles of my church check “none” as their preferred religion on surveys.

If you check the people living around your church, you’ll find the same percentages and the same appalling statistics, I’m sure. The institutional church has turned inward and failed to spread the message the way God intended or we would see smaller numbers professing “none” as their faith.

So here’s the other problem with where we are in history with that particular statistic. Jesus said he would return when everyone heard the gospel. Hmmm. Has everyone heard? If you poll high schools in my city, you’ll find that many of those teenagers know little about the Bible and San Antonio is still considered part of the Bible Belt. So has the message been heard?

I think it has. And here is why.

Yesterday’s lectionary included these verses from Deuteronomy chapter 9:

Then, in whatever you do, the Eternal your God, will give you more than enough of every good thing—children and cattle and crops—because the Eternal will once again delight to do you good as He delighted to do good to your ancestors. All this will happen if you’ll return to the Eternal your God, heart and soul, and you’ll listen to His voice and obey His commands and remember His regulations, which are written in this book of the law.

After all, what I’m commanding you today isn’t too difficult for you; it’s not out of reach. It’s not up in the sky, so you don’t have to say, “Who will go up into heaven and get it for us and tell us what it is, so we can obey it?” It’s not across the sea, so you don’t have to say, “Who will go beyond the watery abyss and get it for us and tell us what it is, so we can obey it?” No, the words you need to be faithful to the Eternal are very close to you. They are in your mouth (always talk about these laws, as I’ve commanded you) and in your heart (treasure them there).

Now what does that have to do with everyone hearing the message?

A little of everything. It’s hard to find a solid reference, but estimates range from 4 to 6 billion copies of the Bible have been sold. That doesn’t include the number given away. According to the world population clock, there are just over 7.7 billion people alive as I write this. And that only counts Bibles, not just New Testaments, or just books of the Bible. So enough Bibles have been printed and distributed to put one in the hands of every person alive.

Now, everyone doesn’t have one. I probably have 30 or more in my house. That means 29 or more of those 7.7 billion don’t have one. But you get the point. There are more than enough Bibles to get the word around the world.

That is just the printed word. Radio reaches everywhere. Today, there isn’t a population spot on earth that cannot be reached by satellite or some kind of air wave traffic. And all those air waves carry the message. Since the 1940s pastors and churches have used the air waves to carry the message of the gospel.

So what does that mean?

It means no one has an excuse. It means what Moses said to the Israelites as he departed from them is applicable to us today. “After all, what I’m commanding you today isn’t too difficult for you; it’s not out of reach. It’s not up in the sky, so you don’t have to say, “Who will go up into heaven and get it for us and tell us what it is, so we can obey it?” It’s not across the sea, so you don’t have to say, “Who will go beyond the watery abyss and get it for us and tell us what it is, so we can obey it?” No, the words you need to be faithful to the Eternal are very close to you. They are in your mouth (always talk about these laws, as I’ve commanded you) and in your heart (treasure them there).”

God’s word is available to everyone in every city, every nation, every continent. No one has an excuse for not hearing his word. Our only problem is our failure to listen and follow him. But ignorance is no excuse.

If you speed through the school zone, the police officer who pulls you over doesn’t listen to the excuse you didn’t see the sign as he writes you that $250 ticket. God will not listen to your excuses as he metes out his judgment that you didn’t know about him when he returns.

His word is available. His message is clear. His warnings are everywhere. What he commands is not too difficult for us; it’s not out of reach. We don’t have to go anywhere else to find it. It’s in every book store, every library, almost every home. All we have to do is pick it up and read it. All we have to do is tune our radio to listen to his word. All we have to do is put forth a tiny bit of effort and we will know him.

We have no excuse today. Those who proclaim “none” as their faith are in trouble. Those of us who claim “Christian” as our faith may be in trouble, too, if we just check the box and fail to do what he commands. Remember Moses’ words, “What he commands is not too difficult for you; it’s not out of reach.”

When we accept him as our sovereign Lord, he empowers us to live according to his commands. We just have to be willing to be subject to his Lordship. We must be willing to serve him instead of ourselves. We must understand that he is God. We are not and can never be God.

Jesus’ return is getting closer. We have no excuse for not knowing him. Have you read his word today? It’s not too late.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

But we’ve always done it that way, October 22, 2018

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

We’re still talking about change, and this one phrase can disrupt your ability to change more than any other. Here it is: But we’ve always done it that way. It can deal a death blow to any efforts you may undertake for change.

I’m sure you’ve heard someone say that phrase more than once in your life. In fact, you might be guilty of using it a time or two yourself. But what does that phrase really do for you except keep you stuck in the past?

My church just went through a mission and strategy review. Every business and church and really every individual should do that every once in a while. It’s healthy to figure out where you want to go in the next few months or years. What you want to look like by a certain time or what you want to accomplish in a certain span. We all need to examine entities at different levels to make sure our resources are used wisely.

Some in your church and mine will jump up and vigorously fight the process and tell you that God will lead whatever he wants done and we don’t need to make such long term plans. We don’t need to try anything different. We don’t need to waste time and energy thinking about what we should do next month or next year because God will just take us where he wants us to go.

I would argue that God inspired the book of Solomon which instructs us to plan and prepare throughout the book. Jesus talk about the wise builder and the wise king. They planned ahead to avoid disastrous results. God gives us a brain to use, not just to sit in that protective shell of bone and such up nutrients. He expects us to use resources wisely and to do that we need to plan and prepare for the days ahead.

So looking at our mission and vision and strategies to do those things is important. So where am I going with all of this. Well, with every vision for every church or business or person, I would hope it encompasses something larger and grander than the present state of things. That seems reasonable, doesn’t it? If our church has 200 in attendance today, we would like to be reaching another 200 unchurched in a few years, right? We’d like to know that we are making a difference in the community and helping win others to Jesus, right?

But there is a problem. What if over the last ten years we have only grown by two or three people a year? To reach another 200 would take us a hundred years. That seems a little unreasonable, doesn’t it? But that’s the result of doing what we’ve always done. That’s the pattern of the church for the last decade so it will not change unless we do something different. And almost every church across the nation has that same problem, not just my church. That’s why half of the United States citizenry doesn’t claim to adhere to any religious organization. Not just Christian, but any religious organization. We Americans bow to the god of self.

So understand some of those dynamics, there are a few questions a congregation and each member of that congregation must answer truthfully before we can embrace a renewed sense of mission. Just for the sake of argument, we will use a universal mission for all churches that I think all of us can hopefully agree on. Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost. That’s a very clearly stated, simply worded mission. I think every church could agree, as his followers, our mission, then, is to seek and help save the lost. Before you blast me with the truth that we can’t save anyone. I agree, but as we share the gospel, the Holy Spirit can. The church, you and me, are instruments of God’s saving power. We bring people to him, share the gospel, so he can do his work in them. We are instruments of salvation. We don’t do it, but we help. So for arguments sake, let’s accept that short mission statement for just a moment. We seek and help save the lost.

Here’s the first question. Do you believe God’s word? That might sound like a silly question, but it’s not. The Bible is the foundation for that mission statement. It says Jesus is the only means for our salvation, the only path to heaven. It says there is a heaven and hell. It says every person will end up in eternity in one of those two places based on their acceptance of sacrifice for sin. Those statements are clear. If you believe God’s word to be true, Islam, Buddhism, whatever other path you might take doesn’t get you there. The only path to heaven is through Jesus. So do you really believe God’s word?

The next question is this, do you care about the lost? All hands go up in the air and some wave vigorously. Sure I do. What kind of question is that? Look hard at your church and yourself. Do you really care about the lost? When is the last time you shared what God is doing in your life with an unbeliever? When is the last time you invited an unbeliever to your church? When is the last time you invited an unbeliever to your house? Now chase the money. What percentage of your church budget goes toward reaching unbelievers instead of taking care of the congregation? 50%, 25%, 10%? Did you know the average church spends less than 5% on activities to reach the unchurched? Do we really care about the lost? Should we wonder why the unchurched think we are hypocrites? Ouch.

The next question. Am I willing to sacrifice to win the lost? Jesus said take up our cross and follow him. But what crosses am I talking about? What sacrifices do we have to make to win the lost? Here are some things with which my church leadership and my congregation must struggle over the next months if we are to meet the goals our vision put before us. Remember that phrase we used at the beginning? But we’ve always done it this way.

Well, many of the unchurched in today’s society, even in the Bible belt, have never been inside a church. Hard to believe for those of us who grew up in a church and go there several times a week, but it’s true. We often forget that’s true, but it is. And my church, like many others, maybe yours, doesn’t think about guests. Sure we greet them with a smile and hand them a bulletin, which they call a program, by the way. See, they go to the theater or ball games or other events and get programs, so a bulletin doesn’t mean anything to them. Then they have to ask the embarrassing question of where things are because even though I know the men’s room is just around the corner, there is no sign when you come in that tells you where to take your little boy who has an urgent need after the drive to get here.

Then as the service is about to begin, “Ms. That’s My Seat and You Can Have It” makes visiting family climb over her and her purse and her bag with her giant print Bible, Sunday School literature and gift for her friend to get to the empty seats beside her. The people on either side of family have shades of a smile as they sing “Victory in Jesus”, but give the new family an icy glare when they don’t immediately jump to their feet when the music starts. The last Amen is said and the family exits as soon as they can get past “Ms. That’s My Seat”. No one talks to them. Everyone is already in their own little clumps deciding where they are going for lunch. So will those first time unchurched visitors be back? Would you come back? Do we care about the unchurched or the lost? Am I willing to sacrifice for them?

Maybe we could give up our favorite seat. Maybe we could act like they are visitors to our home and welcome them. Maybe we could show them around and make sure they know where everything is so they don’t have to hunt for things. Maybe we could give them some hints about what is about to happen so they’re not embarrassed as the last people to get it when something changes in the service. Maybe we could at least act like we’re really glad they are with us. Maybe we could make the atmosphere of the church more pleasing and comfortable for guests instead of for us. Maybe we should think like Paul, as he said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

Am I willing to sacrifice the music I most enjoy to reach the lost? Am I willing to sacrifice the décor I’ve always thought was most sacred to win the lost? Am I willing to sacrifice chatting with my friends for those few minutes after the service to win the lost? Am I willing to sacrifice my church language and change bulletins to programs, platforms to stages, foyers to lobbies, and all those words that separate us from unbelievers to help win the lost? Am I willing to sacrifice my routine, my comfort, my time and energy to win the lost?

If the mission is to seek and save the lost, then I have to be willing to do those things. That’s what we are called to do. Jesus said, “Go make disciples.” To do that, I must first be changed by the power of his blood. Then I must change. I cannot do things the way they have always been done and expect the outcome to be different. If I am to meet the call of the Master, I must be willing to sacrifice for him and his kingdom.

Are you ready to throw away the phrase, but we’ve always done it that way. The past is not bad. We can learn from the past and we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water as they say. But also, if we are really want to reach the unchurched, the lost, they will not come to us, we must go to them. And when they walk in our doors, we must be inviting enough for them to stay. Take a look at the place where you worship. I gave you a glimpse of the atmosphere of 95% of all the churches in America. If that glimpse were not true, all of our churches would be overflowing every service. Except for that very small percentage, they are not. Chairs are empty. Parking lots have plenty of space. We do not weep over the millions in our land headed toward an eternity separated from the one who can save them from that destiny.

Are you ready to change? Now is the time.

What if it’s all a sham? (John 8:21-24), February 21, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
What if all this Christianity stuff is just a sham? Some of those early listeners thought it was. Many people today think it is? How do we know it is real?
Scripture
1. John 8:21, 23-24
2. Jesus: Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

Devotional
1. We in the Christian community sometimes scoff at those outside the Christian community and wonder why others can’t see things the way we do. We just don’t understand why something so clear to us is so foreign to everyone else. But we forget that we live on this side of the cross and we have God’s spirit living in us to guide us and teach us His truth.
  1. Perception is real in the mind of those who perceive it
  2. How do we know we are right and others are wrong
  3. Can we trust what Jesus says is true?
  4. What is His word isn’t true and we’re just chasing the wind?
2. Many have raised that argument over the centuries
  1. God isn’t real
  2. He can’t be seen so how can we know He is there
  3. What makes us think there is a divine being interested in our eternal well being?
  4. Why should we follow His command and His teachings?
3. Take a look at Jesus’ words and how they fit into history
  1. Same story of man’s salvation handed down from the time of the first sin
  2. Everything pointed toward Jesus
  3. Nothing since the crucifixion and resurrection has refuted His act of salvation
  4. God’s word has stood the test of time
    1. No other book transcribed and translated through centuries without change like God’s word
    2. No other book preserved like God’s word
    3. No other book treasured like God’s word
  5. Testimony of thousands attest to the truth of what He says
4. What happens if we follow His word as truth and it is not?
  1. We treat each other well
  2. Communities thrive
  3. We live peacefully with other
  4. Conscience clear
  5. Die happier and more content than most people around the world
5. What happens if we don’t follow His word as truth and it is?
  1. We live only for ourselves
  2. We are at war with others trying to gain things for ourselves
  3. We sin against others and against God
  4. We stand in judgment at the end of life
  5. We suffer eternal judgment apart from Him
6. It doesn’t take much faith to realize His word is truth
  1. Takes much more faith to think it is not and live apart from Him
  2. If He is the final judge we need to listen to Him since He will determine our final destiny
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Today there is no excuse (Luke 12:42-48) November 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 17-18

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 12:42-48
Jesus: Imagine the stories of two household managers, and decide for yourself which one is faithful and smart. Each household manager is told by his master to take good care of all his possessions and to oversee the other employees—the butlers, cooks, gardeners, and so on. One servant immediately busies himself in doing just what he was told. His master eventually comes to check on him and rewards him with a major promotion and with more responsibility and trust. The other household manager thinks, “Look, my boss is going to be gone for a long time. I can be complacent; there’s no urgency here.” So he beats the other employees—the women as well as the men. He sits around like a slob, eating and getting drunk. Then the boss comes home unexpectedly and catches him by surprise. One household manager will be fortunate indeed, and the other will be cut into pieces and thrown out.
Now if a servant who is given clear instructions by his master doesn’t follow those instructions but instead is complacent and apathetic, then he will be punished severely. But if a servant doesn’t know what his master expects and behaves badly, then he will receive a lighter punishment. If you are given much, much will be required of you. If much is entrusted to you, much will be expected of you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

What should we think about God’s instructions and how much He has given to us? Some might want to claim ignorance because they haven’t heard about Him and don’t know His rules. How could they be expected to follow Him if they haven’t read His word or been exposed to the gospel? How can God hold them accountable if they have never darkened the door of a church or heard a sermon from a pulpit? Will God really hold them accountable for not following the things He put in that dusty old book that sits on their grandmother’s shelf? Surely most of the world now fits into that category of not knowing means a light punishment, right?

I’m not so sure that’s true. It’s a nice thought, but who has not heard the name of Jesus? We get blasted by the controversy every time the Christmas holiday comes around. We hear the world’s anger rise about Easter and why do we need to celebrate and raise the name of Jesus in public. ISIS has certainly heard about Jesus. Everyone they meet that mentions His name they execute. We push to take His name out of schools and courts and every other public place. So His name is certainly known around the world.

So the next question is how hard is it to find out what Jesus wants from us? Well, how hard is it to type His name into the search engine of your favorite browser along with some terms like salvation, Christian, or faith. In the first nanosecond, yahoo delivered four and a half million results. It would probably take some time to read through all of those, but I expect in the first page or so of results you would find information about the Christian faith, the simple sinners prayer, and the tenets of the Christian faith.

How hard is it to find a lot of information about what Jesus wants from us? It takes another nanosecond of search to figure out the Bible is the book Christians use to guide their faith. And to make it fair to all the other books published in the world, the Bible is never listed as a best seller. I’ve always wondered why it’s not included, because if you do a simple search of published works, you’ll find the Bible tops the lists of titles sold by a wide margin every year.

So all it takes to have the knowledge you need to follow Him is to pick up a Bible and read it or go to a website and download the Bible or read it from the web or use an audio app. There are dozens of churches with lots of empty seats every week. Of course, just going to church doesn’t mean you’re following the things Jesus said we must do. So, now how hard is it get the information you need to follow Him? Not very hard. It’s pretty easy, in fact. With our communication abilities today and the knowledge network we brag about, there is no excuse for not knowing about Jesus and what He wants from us.

If everything I’ve said in the last few minutes is true, then listen again to Jesus’ warning. “If you are given much, much will be required of you. If much is entrusted to you, much will be expected of you.”

Much is entrusted to you whether you use it or not. It’s available. We have no excuse for not using the tools God has given us. None. I don’t think He will accept, “I didn’t read your book.” or “I didn’t hear those sermons.” or “I didn’t know.” as an excuse. There is no reason we can’t know today. It’s all at our fingertips, we just need to pick it up, read it, and follow it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God’s word, proof enough (Luke 11:29-32) November 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 10-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 11:29-32
Jesus: This generation is evil. These people are seeking signs and spectacles, but I’m not going to play their game. The only sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
The queen of Ethiopia will stand to condemn the people of this generation on the day of judgment. She, an outsider, came from so far away to hear the wisdom given to Solomon, but now, something greater than Solomon is here: how are the people of this generation responding?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Why is it that people inside the church are often the hardest to convince of their need for salvation? So many just assume because their name is on the role as a member of the church, their name is in God’s book of life. But that’s not necessarily true. Think about the conflicts Jesus had with all those leaders in the temple and synagogues while He traveling among us. The scribes and Pharisees were among His most vicious opponents, yet should have been His most ardent supporters. After all, He came to fulfill the Law they kept preaching to the people that came to their institutions every week.

Jesus pointed to all those prophecies that said the Messiah was about to burst upon the scene and save men and women from their sins and He showed evidence that He was able to do just that. But when He rocked the boat of their neat little religious empire, they opposed Him at every turn. They couldn’t accept that this backwoods carpenter was the Son of God and Savior of humankind.

There are some today that rock the boat of the institutional church. I hope I’m counted as one. When we allow some of the perversion of God’s word to take place and say it’s okay, something is terribly wrong. When we hide blatant sin as just cultural change and accept the sin in our society and civil progress, something is terribly wrong. Satan has crept into our institutions and blinded us to the truth. We allow him to twist and turn and water down the scriptures and accept his lies because we don’t want to hear the truth and worship God for who He is. It means we would have to change our ways and we just don’t want to let God be in charge. We want our way.

So when someone begins to speak the truth, we yell out, “Prove it! Show us some sign that what you say is true and not the man or woman that stands in our pulpit.”

The problem most of us have is that we just fail to read God’s word. If we would sit down with the book He gives us, we would see the truth. We would figure out the false teachings in many of our progressive churches quickly. It’s not okay to pick and choose your favorite verses and forget the rest. It’s not okay to ignore those things you don’t like and only live by the scriptures that support the life you want to live. It’s not okay to twist God’s words to make them say what you want them to say.

There are dozens of translations. Pick one or two or three. Read them all. If you don’t like the way one translates the Hebrew and Greek language, read another. What you’ll find is that they all say about the same thing. Unless you can find one that has perverted the language, you’ll see that dozens carry the same message, the same language, the same warnings and admonitions. The truth hasn’t changed, no matter how much people want it to.

Yes, there are some things that we know are cultural in God’s word. But the flavor of God’s word speaks to us through the ages despite the culture or time or political theories you hold. God’s truth is still viable for every generation and if we follow His word, we find peace with Him now and throughout eternity. He will be the one to judge us at the end of time. We should read His instruction manual and do what it says. We will be judged by that book.

Regardless of whether we want to set up some other method of measurement, He gave us the rules to follow. Don’t you think it makes sense to follow the manual He gives instead of something someone else made up? It certainly does to me. Moses told the Israelites to meditate on God’s law day and night. When you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. When you sit down and when you stand up. Meditate on it all the time. We don’t do that. Apparently neither did most of them or they wouldn’t have fallen as far from the path as they did.

Everybody wants a sign. Everybody wants proof. What we really need is to read God’s word. When you do, that will be proof enough. Trust me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Do you need to argue? (Mark 11:29-33) August 31, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 102-104

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:29-33
Jesus: I will answer your question, if you will answer one for Me. Only then will I tell you who gives Me authority to do these things. Tell Me, when John was ritually cleansing through baptism for the forgiveness of sins, was his authority from heaven or was it merely human?
The priests, scribes, and elders huddled together to think through an answer.
Leaders (to themselves): If we say, “It must have been from heaven,” then Jesus will have us. He’ll ask, “Then why didn’t you listen to him and follow him?” But if we say, “John’s cleansing was only human,” the people will be up in arms because they think John was a prophet sent by God. (responding to Jesus) We don’t know what to tell You.
Jesus: All right, then don’t expect Me to tell you where I get the authority to say and do these things.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times do you get into one of those kinds of arguments with your non-believer friends? “Well, if God made everything in six days, what happened to the dinosaurs?” “If God is real, why can’t I see Him?” “If the story of Noah is true, then why hasn’t anyone found the ark after all these years?” “If God really cares about us, why doesn’t He stop all these bad things from happening to innocent people?” “If God only makes good things, then did He make evil? Does that mean evil is good?”

If you haven’t heard any of those, then you probably have your head stuck in the sand and just aren’t witnessing to anyone at all. You probably aren’t telling anyone you believe in God and the truth of His word. See, there are a lot of people who think they have the corner on the market on intelligence and will try to spin up all kinds of arguments that are pretty meaningless. There will usually be one person who thinks himself super intelligent leading the charge with spectators sitting on the sidelines to see what happens.

What happened to the dinosaurs? Don’t know. Don’t really care. The Bible doesn’t tell us because it’s not a science book. It’s the story of God’s redemptive plan for our salvation. Did God create everything in six 24 hour days? Don’t know. Don’t really care. The word we have translated day in most of our Bibles can be translated as day or time period. So is it the time it take for the earth to spin on it’s axis or the time it takes the earth the travel around the sun or the time it takes the sun to travel around the center of our galaxy? Don’t know. Don’t care. God spoke everything into place from nothing. That’s all the science we’re given because His word isn’t a science book. It’s the story of His redemptive plan for our salvation.

Can you see God? Well, can you see a black hole? Do you believe they exist? Why? No one has ever really seen one up close and personal. So how can anyone really say they exist? Can you see an electron? Do you believe they exist? No one has ever seen one of those, either, but quantum physics is based on the theory of their existence and behavior as negatively charged particles in atoms.

We pick and choose what we want to believe sometimes and those who choose not to believe in God have a lot more faith than I do. It’s a lot easier to believe God created all that we see around us and as an intelligent-designer put all the laws of physics and gravity and all things necessary to hold everything in place, than it is to believe it all just happened. That’s like believing I can put all the parts to a watch in a bag and by shaking it, eventually a running watch will fall out.

It doesn’t work that way. After you shake the bag long enough, it’s not a watch that falls out of the bag, but dust from all those parts banging against each other. Random coincidence can’t put together the universe. But God speaking into nothingness can.

So what do you say to those who want to start one of those stupid arguments with you? What do you do when the ones who think they are so super intelligent start spouting numbers and theories and scientific mumbo-jumbo to tell you there is no God and you must be crazy to believe that stuff.

First, pray for them. They need it. Second, if you feel you really must argue a point (which you don’t, by the way, Jesus didn’t), ask where everything came from originally? Then just keep pushing back, and where did that come from? And where did that come from? And where did that come from? Finally, you’ll probably get them to talk about the Big Bang. Everything started from a spark at the center of the universe. Ok. And where did that Big Bang come from? The Bible says, God spoke. Any better explanation? Squinty eyes, tight lips, gritting teeth. Argument over. Spectators on the sideline laugh at the smart guy.

Third, and this is the one I like best, don’t argue. Just remind them. One of us is wrong. If I’m wrong, no harm done. We’ll both die and there is no judgment, no accountability for our actions, no heaven or hell. We’ll both rot in a grave and turn to dust. If you’re wrong, there’s a pretty terrible price to pay for snubbing your nose at the God you say doesn’t exist. Spectators on the sideline get deadly quiet.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Follow God only – you won’t be sorry (Isaiah 8:11-22), July 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 8:11-22

Set – Isaiah 8; Hebrews 8

Go! – Isaiah 8-10; Hebrews 8

Isaiah 8:11-22
¹¹ See, this is what the Eternal told me. God leaned in close—His strong hand on me—to keep me from following these people.
¹² Eternal One: Don’t call for an alliance, like all the rest of this people do.
Don’t fear what they fear, or dread what they dread.
¹³ After all, only the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, should terrify you.
Only God is holy. Only God should leave you trembling.
¹⁴ Look what I’m going to do in Zion:
The Eternal will be for you a sacred place,
But for both houses of Israel I’ll also be a stone that blocks their way
and a rock that trips them up;
For those who live in Jerusalem, I’ll be a trap and a snare.
¹⁵ Many will stumble over them. They will trip and be broken;
they’ll succumb to capture and be grabbed up.
¹⁶ Now take care to keep this message as it is.
Seal up this teaching
and hand it over to my disciples.
¹⁷ As for me, I will wait for the Eternal, even though He feels absent, even though He has hidden His face from the family of Jacob. I will put all hope in Him. ¹⁸ You see, I and my children whom the Eternal One gave to me, we personify the promise. We are signs of what God intends and will do in Israel, what amazing things the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies has in mind, the One who is indeed present in Zion, this heaven on earth.
¹⁹ People might tell you to ask the fortune-tellers, consult the babbling astrologers, conjure the dead to tell the living what’s to come, but shouldn’t they ask their God? ²⁰ Go to God’s teaching and His testimony to guide your thoughts and behavior! If any response disagrees with the word of God, then it’s muddling and wrong and not the least bit illuminating. ²¹ It leaves the people bedraggled and desperate, drifting here and there. In their hunger, the people are bound to be infuriated and curse their king and God. They’ll look up to the heavens ²² and down to the earth, yet see nothing but trouble, gloom, anguish, and darkness. They will be driven out into the darkness.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Be careful in who and what you listen to all the time. Some today will tell you the Old Testament is irrelevant. I will tell you it isn’t. You learn a great deal about Me and about yourself from reading and understanding it. Isaiah talks about his determination and about the path of those who don’t follow Me. I consistently see people running to the wrong sources today for information that will lead them the wrong way.

Isaiah described today pretty well. “People might tell you to ask the fortune-tellers, consult the babbling astrologers, conjure the dead to tell the living what’s to come, but shouldn’t they ask their God? Go to God’s teaching and His testimony to guide your thoughts and behavior! If any response disagrees with the word of God, then it’s muddling and wrong and not the least bit illuminating.”

If you will stick to My word life will turn out well for you. If you don’t you will suffer through consequences that you won’t like. You can trust My word. As creator of all things, you know My word is true. You know I will guide you correctly through life with it. I will not lead you down a path that takes you away from Me, but will draw you closer to Me each day if you let Me.

What the fortune-tellers, astrologers, and others tell you might sound appealing. They might tell you things you want to hear, but they won’t be the things you need to hear. They won’t tell you the things that will lead you to a life of righteousness. You might like what you hear, but it doesn’t help you. Just like going to the doctor, sometimes the treatment is painful, but necessary for the cure. That’s how My teaching and discipline can be. Sometimes the things you need bring some pain but it’s necessary to bring you the growth you need.

Just because you experience pain in your spiritual growth doesn’t mean I don’t love you, though. I do. If I left you to your own devices, you would wallow in your sin and never enter My eternal rest. You would find yourself left out of heaven because of your evil. My remedy sometimes hurts, but will eventually bring you to the realization that I am God and you are not. I know what is best for you each step along the way. I can free you from the chains that bind you. I alone can give you the keys to the joy you long for.

Listen to Me, trust Me, follow Me, you won’t be sorry.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Two sisters you need to know (Proverbs 7), May 28, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Proverbs 7
Set – Proverbs 7; Romans 9
Go! – Proverbs 7-9; Romans 9

Proverbs 7
¹ My son, live according to what I am telling you;
guard my instructions as you would a treasure deep within you.
² Stay true to my directives, and they will serve you well;
make my teachings the lens through which you see life.
³ Bind cords around your fingers to remind you of them;
meditate on them, and you’ll engrave them upon your heart.
⁴ Say to Lady Wisdom, “My sister”;
recognize that understanding is your best friend,
⁵ And they will keep you from the arms of another woman—
protect you from the enchantress who entices men into her bed.
⁶ One day I was at the window of my house,
looking out through my lattice shutters,
⁷ And there among the usual crowd of the gullible people
I spotted a naive young man.
⁸ He was going down the street near the corner where she lived—that mysterious and evil woman—
taking the road that led directly to her house.
⁹ At the end of the day, as night approached
and darkness crept in,
¹⁰ I saw her! A woman came out to meet him.
She was dressed for temptation and devious with her affections.
¹¹ Here’s what I know about her: she is loud and obnoxious, a rebel against what is proper and decent.
She’s always on the move—anxious to get out of the house and
¹² Down the street; at times in the open,
at others lurking around every corner.
¹³ As I am watching them, she grabs him and kisses him,
then shamelessly tells him:
¹⁴ The Immoral Woman: It was my turn to offer a peace offering,
and today I paid my vows,
¹⁵ So now I come to see you.
I really want to be with you, and what luck! I have found you!
¹⁶ You’ll be impressed. I have decorated my couch,
laid colorful Egyptian linens over where we will be together,
¹⁷ And perfumed the bed with exotic oils and herbs:
myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come in, and we will feast on love until sunrise;
we will delight ourselves in our affections.
¹⁹ You don’t need to worry; my husband is long gone by now,
away from home on a distant journey.
²⁰ He took a bag of money with him,
so I don’t expect him home until next month.
²¹ It worked! She enticed him with seductive words,
seduced him with her smooth talk.
²² Right away he followed her home.
He followed her like a bull being led to the slaughter,
Like a fool caught in a trap
²³ (that is, until an arrow punctures his liver),
Like a bird flying straight into a net.
He had no clue his life was at stake; everything was about to change.
²⁴ This is why it is so important that you listen to me, my sons,
and pay attention to all I am telling you.
²⁵ Do not let your mind wonder about her ways;
do not lose yourself and drift down her path,
²⁶ For she’s claimed one life after another,
victim after victim, too many to count.
²⁷ Her house is the gateway to the grave;
every step toward her is a step toward death’s dark chamber.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Wisdom and understanding. Sisters you should get to know. Let them become your confidants. They will serve you well if you let them. But if you ignore them, you will suffer immeasurable pain in every area of life.

Solomon wrote about these sisters in the opening chapters of Proverbs. He used illicit sexual relations as an analogy to going through life without them. You know about the sexual drives that can bend you toward evil so easily if not kept under control.

The young man in Solomon’s story let smooth words and enticing sounds lure him into a trap from which he could not escape. Once down that slippery slope that ignorance and rash decisions takes you, you’ll find it difficult to recover from the consequences of those illicit acts.

The sisters, wisdom and understanding, aren’t just about sex, though. They carry you through every situation in life. Relationships. Marriage. Finances. Parenthood. Retirement. Illness. Even death. Wisdom and understanding help you see clearly through every aspect of life because they were with Me from the beginning and saw every situation in which people find themselves throughout time.

So, how do you make friends with them? How can you get to know these wonderful sisters so they can help you through those pitfalls that so many fall into in life? It’s really not so hard. Just read My instruction book and follow its rules. It’s been the number one best seller for decades. In fact, it’s been the number one best seller so long it isn’t included on the best seller list. That doesn’t mean it isn’t the best seller, though.

So pay attention to Wisdom and listen to her sister, Understanding. You’ll find life works a lot smoother if you do.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Meditate on God’s word (Joshua 1), Mar 18, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Joshua 1
Set – Joshua 1; 1 Corinthians 3
Go! – Joshua 1-2; Psalms 37; 1 Corinthians 3

Joshua 1
¹Moses served the Eternal One faithfully until the end of his days. After his death, the Eternal singled out Joshua, the son of Nun, who had walked at the right hand of Moses during the wilderness wanderings.

Eternal One (to Joshua): ² Since My servant Moses is now dead, you and the Israelites must prepare to cross over the Jordan River to enter the land I have given you. ³ I will give you every place you walk, wherever your feet touch, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ From the southern deserts to the northern mountains in Lebanon, from the great Euphrates River in the east—including all the land of the Hittites—to the great Mediterranean Sea in the west, all of it is yours. ⁵ No one will be able to oppose you for as long as you live. I will be with you just as I was with Moses, and I will never fail or abandon you.

⁶ So be strong and courageous, for you will lead this people as they acquire and then divide the land I promised to their ancestors. ⁷ Always be strong and courageous, and always live by all of the law I gave to my servant Moses, never turning from it—even ever so slightly—so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸ Let the words from the book of the law be always on your lips. Meditate on them day and night so that you may be careful to live by all that is written in it. If you do, as you make your way through this world, you will prosper and always find success.

⁹ This is My command: be strong and courageous. Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, and I will remain with you wherever you go.

¹⁰ When Joshua had heard God’s commands, he gathered the leaders of the people of Israel and gave them their instructions.

Joshua (to all the leaders): ¹¹ Go through the camp and tell your people, “Gather whatever you need because in three days you will pass over the Jordan into the land the Eternal One, your God, has given you to possess. Soon it will be ours.”

¹² Then Joshua spoke to the leaders of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua: ¹³ Remember what Moses, the servant of the Eternal, told you: “The Eternal One, your God, is making a place for you to settle and will give you this land as your own.”

¹⁴ Your wives, your children, and your livestock will stay on this side of the Jordan in this land that Moses awarded you. But all of you who can fight must lead your brothers in battle formation over the Jordan and help them ¹⁵ until the Eternal gives them rest from their enemies, as He has given rest to you. Fight with them until they, too, occupy the land your God, the Eternal One, is setting aside for them. Then you may cross the Jordan again and return to this land that Moses, His servant, has given you east of the Jordan and live here.

Leaders (agreeing): ¹⁶ We will do all you have commanded, and we will go wherever you send us. ¹⁷ We will follow your orders just as we obeyed Moses in all he told us. May the Eternal One, your God, be with you as He was with Moses. ¹⁸ Anybody who rebels against or disobeys your words—all you command—will be put to death. Always be strong and courageous!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

After Moses died, I put Joshua in charge of leading the Israelites into the promised land. One of the most important things I told him was recorded in this first chapter of the book that bears his name. “Always be strong and courageous, and always live by all of the law I gave to my servant Moses, never turning from it—even ever so slightly—so that you may succeed wherever you go. Let the words from the book of the law be always on your lips. Meditate on them day and night so that you may be careful to live by all that is written in it. If you do, as you make your way through this world, you will prosper and always find success.”

Those are the words Moses gave the Israelites about any king they chose. Never be afraid, but meditate on My word to make them a part of you. When you consume My word until it consumes you, you will prosper and always find success. But you’ll also find that your prosperity will happen for Me, not for you. You’ll become generous in your care of the less fortunate. You’ll learn success isn’t measured in dollars and cents, but peace, comfort, souls you introduce to Me.

David talked about meditating on My word in his songs. Moses encouraged the Israelites to do so. Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness by the use of scripture. Paul complimented the Berean’s for their searching the scriptures. He reminded Timothy to preach the word. My word must become a constant source of information for you. It is My guidebook for your life. I want you to read it and know it. The more you engage in My word, the more you will learn of Me and My plan for you.

I’m always surprised people think they can follow Me without reading My word. How do they know what I want if they don’t read about Me or what I’ve said to them? How can they know My commands if they’ve never read them? People will read the instructions to their TV but not the instructions for their life. It’s really amazing the priority people put on things. Don’t you think My word should become one of those top priorities? After all, it tells you how to live. How to be successful and proper. How to find eternal life. I’d think that rates better than a sitting on a shelf and only opened on Sunday. Don’t you?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.