Lessons from evil people

Believe it or not we could learn a lot from evil people. Look at how zealously they serve there god, Satan and look at in comparison how apathetic we serve the true God. Consider the words from Living Zealously by Joel Beeke and James A. La Belle

We should be motivated by people who are violent ways of sin, lest they serve Satan better than we serve God. People of this world are industrious, vigorous, and resolute in the ways of sin, while we are negligent, cold, and inconstant in the service of righteousness. They disregard all reproofs and counsel, they grieve friends and relatives who stand in their way they readily venture into great dangers, they waste their wealth, macerate their bodies, and in the end die martyrs to lust and sin. They are zealous in following the way to hell, while many of us are sluggish on the path to heaven. They break bone and body for hell, while we are afraid to break flesh and skin for glory.

You have to give evil people credit they love what they do and they do it well. What about the Christian?

Are you ready?

Do you recognize any of these symptoms in people today?

Love only themselves and their money
Boastful and proud
Disobedient
Ungrateful
Consider nothing sacred.
 Unloving and unforgiving
Slandering others
No self-control
Cruel and hate what is good
 Betrayal of friends
Reckless
Puffed up with pride
Love pleasure rather than God
 Act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly

If you’re honest your answer is yes and you shouldn’t be surprised. Is this list one I just came up with in my dealings with people yesterday? No, but it could have been. This list came straight out of 2 Timothy 3 with the heading of Dangers of the Last Days. I’m not running around saying the end of the world is near, but it could be. To be true to scripture no one knows when that day will come. However the signs are there, there are indications, signs or whatever you want to call it, that the end of the world is approaching. And I can’t wait. How about you? Are you ready for the end of the world? You don’t get ready by stocking up on food, water, and guns. You get ready for the end of the world by trusting in Jesus.

Be Prepared

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Luke 14:25-27  

²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Section from the book
And when Jesus really does come first, life becomes filled with risks. You risk the loss of family, reputation, prosperity, and more—for the world is hostile to this kind of allegiance and worship and hates the renunciation of those things the world loves to worship.

Simple thoughts

This is one of those cases when the section from the book really speaks for itself. However the key words are the first 7, and when Jesus really does come first.

If you have never lost anything for the sake of Jesus, I’m not sure you really have him first.  When you put Jesus first be prepared because the Bible is clear the world will come against you. The question is do you trust Jesus enough to take on the world?

You're UGLY

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage  John 17: 1-3
17 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. ² For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. ³ And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Section from the book

Good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves—that we are men and women made in God’s image, who exist for his glory, but have turned inward and ugly through our own sin. Without the hope of the gospel we are objects of wrath and await destruction
Simple thoughts

Theology is an interesting word, it brings up images of really smart people. I had a pastor one time tell me that I had a theological mind, I thought to myself this guy is not to smart. However as I have come to realize that theology is not all about being really smart. I like what was said in the section above, good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves. Good theology is when you come to the realization that you are not who you were created to be and that indeed you are a sinner (you’re ugly) and the only way to fix it is to trust in God. Otherwise you are headed for wrath and destruction aka. Hell. For some theology leads to pride and for others it leads to Jesus. Make sure you practice good theology.

A complaint is nothing but a lack of trust

Scripture passage Philippians 2:14

Do all things without grumbling or questioning.

Section from the book

Let’s get something straight. You complain, and you know it. The problem with your complaining is that you do not see it as a problem. You view it as harmless venting. You believe you are just stating facts, that a certain circumstance is frustrating. Your justification of complaining is truly unfortunate, because it certainly bothers God. The reason you complain is the reason it is wrong.

You complain because you misunderstand (or just miss altogether) the grace you have received and the purposes of God in your life. You misunderstand the grace you have received by not recognizing it and receiving it with gratitude. Life, breath, and all of God’s provisions for your life are acts of his kindness and are truly wonderful, and yet they all seem to disappear when the small inconveniences of life appear.

And no, you do not get a pass because you can handle the big problems in life but not the small ones. Perhaps when sickness, death, and affliction come into your life, you run to God and his promises and find comfort that gives peace and patience. Maybe it is just the small stuff that you sweat. So what is the big deal? Everything! In fact, your complaining about the small stuff is more dangerous than complaining about the big, because life is made up of the small stuff. Tragedies punctuate periods of your life, but it is the smaller inconveniences that make up the bulk of your existence, and this is what most people will see you handle. Those situations are the most obvious testing ground of your faith. If God’s grace is big enough for you to handle the big problems, why isn’t it enough for you to walk meekly though the smaller issues?

 Simple thoughts

It is hard for me to say and it may be hard for you to hear but anytime you complain you may think you are only stating facts but the truth is you are really ungrateful for what you do have and questioning God for the circumstances He gave you for your own good. Ouch! I’ve done it and you have too, the key is recognizing it and fixing it. Because complaining is draining and complaining is not a conversation, although there are some who would be mute if they couldn’t complain. The next time you are about to complain or hear someone complaining think about it as a lack of trust in God and address it accordingly. Because God causes ALL things to work together for good for those who love him, even what your complaining about.

Confidence is looking in the mirror and seeing someone else

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Isaiah 44:22

I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”

Section from the book

You can, and must, return to God daily. His promise is that he will receive you as you come—in faith, not in moral purity. This is what gospel confidence looks like. It is not an insincere approach to God that dismisses our corruption while presuming on his grace, but a heartfelt dependency on the grace of Christ to make us acceptable at all times. Gospel confidence is not found in our best religious performance, be it guilt-penance or law keeping, but in the merit and mercy of Jesus on our behalf.
  Simple thoughts

Gospel confidence is something we should strive for. But it is something that we can never achieve on our own. In fact the more we try to achieve it, the more distant it becomes. It is in a sense just like today’s picture, when you look into the mirror you need to see someone else, Jesus. When you can do this that is when you will have gospel confidence.

What's behind your good works?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 2: 24-25
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
²⁵ Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
Section from the book
Your progress in the faith, your sanctification, is not a result of will power or education but the consequence of Christ’s atoning work
 Simple thoughts
Did you do a good deed yesterday? Did you memorize a Bible verse? Did you have some quality time with God? If you did and your motives were pure it was only possible by the death of Jesus. Prior to that you were a slave to sin and everything you did had a selfish motive. Even today some of the good things you do still have a selfish motive, but Christ’s death has made it possible for good and pure motives. Kind of like helping an old lady across the street did you do it out of a love for her or just for street cred. Be honest with yourself and think of how many times you have done “good” things for selfish reasons. Good things don’t happen because of what you do, they happen because of what Jesus has already done.

Tipping for poor service

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged

Section from the book

Are you merciful, compassionate, and forgiving, or do you gravitate toward giving people what you believe they deserve? How do you receive people who are hostile to the gospel? How do you speak to or of people who are your social/political opposite? Here’s a good test for yourself—how do you tip servers at a restaurant? Not just the good servers but even the bad ones. Have you considered that tipping generously, even if the service is bad, is a demonstration of grace that is not likely to be lost on the server? Stop judging. Let the gospel compel you to live by grace and demonstrate it to those around you.

 Simple thoughts

This one hurt, I’ll be honest I never thought about tipping poor service as grace, but that is exactly what it is. I think of the poor service I gave Christ before becoming a Christian, and yet after; yet he chose and chooses to love me anyway, it humbles me. I still to this day struggle with wanting to give people what they deserve especially when it’s not good, like less of a tip for poor service. I even become self-righteous when people do something wrong or do not live up to my standards. Sometimes it makes me feel good or even superior to them. But yet again when I look at the example of Jesus and how he was perfect and sinless and how I am a sinner and don’t even come close to His standards and He still loves me anyway. That is what grace is and how I should think about it. Does a poor waitress deserver a bad tip, you bet! Do I deserve Hell, I do! Thankfully God is a great tipper. I’ll never look at tipping the same again.  

Stop your complaining

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Psalm 73: 1-3, 17

Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.² But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.

Section from the book

You know that God is sovereign and good, and that should be enough to comfort and direct you. It should calm and quiet you. It should stop your complaining and start your worship even in the midst of the most painful experiences of life.
  Simple thoughts

If you realize that God is truly sovereign and good why in the world would you ever complain? Perhaps you don’t realize how sovereign and good He really is. The sooner you do the quicker you will get out of the complaint line and into the gratitude line. Just remember everything works for the good of those who love Jesus. You may not like it but whatever it is you are going through God as a purpose for it. Thank Him for it.

Not satisfied?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Philippians 4:11-13

¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[c] who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Section from the book

Are you satisfied? It is pretty obvious that the answer is often no. I am not saying it is wrong to want things in this life, but why do you find yourself so frustrated with the absence of those things? The problem is not that you want evil things. The things you want are generally good, or at least harmless in themselves. But more than wanting, you become frustrated by not having. You become jealous, envious, and discontented with your life. It is true; you need what you lack, but what you lack is satisfaction in Jesus.

 Simple thoughts

I could not help but use this now infamous picture of Mckayla Maroney that has went viral. I will be the first to admit I am not sure the reason behind this now famous face. I can only assume that she was not satisfied with the silver medal. The fact that she worked her whole life (like 17 years) for Olympic gold and came up short left her disappointed and frustrated. Who could blame her? Before you answer, remember what you just read in today’s scripture and the excerpt from the book. It’s really okay to want things but the problem comes when you become dissatisfied without them. When this happens you slowly become jealous, envious, and discontent. When this happens the good things you want become bad things. The reason, because you have elevated them above Jesus. My kids used to get frustrated with me when I’d to explain the differences between the wants and needs in their life. We need air, food, water, and shelter but after that most things are wants. To me the most noticeable change in my life since becoming a Christian is that my wants have dramatically decreased. As Philippians 4:11 say I have learned to be content with what I have. Now I would be lying if I said at now I never wanted anything, but hopefully when my wants start leading me to not being satisfied or discontent I will remember what I am truly lacking in is my satisfaction in Jesus. When you have Jesus silver is more than enough and gold still does not compare to the value of knowing Christ.

Do you have Him in focus?

Time to fire up the blog again, I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage Philippians 2: 8-11

When he appeared in human form,
⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Section from the book

Take note—your view of Jesus tends to shrink over time. It is not that your theology itself drifts, but sometimes you so focus on one aspect of Jesus that you tend to forget the rest. The result is a shrinking Jesus (in your faith). And as your shrinking Jesus becomes small Jesus, he is easily eclipsed by your idols and ego.

 Simple thoughts
Stay focused on who Jesus is. Some people focus so much on the aspects of Jesus that they like or need that their overall view of Jesus becomes smaller, unfocused and distorted. Jesus has so many characteristics but for the sake of time let’s just look at two of them. Jesus is love we all know that but Jesus is also judge. So for the person who elevates His characteristic of love far above the fact that Jesus is judge can tend  not to feel the weight of their sin then never repent of it. That person may think that Jesus will let their sin slide because after all He is love. When in fact He is also the one who will judge everyone and the Bible is clear that not everyone goes to Heaven. But even for the believer we too can start to let Jesus get out of focus in our lives, let Him shrink in importance to us. When this happens Satan gains an advantage. Life for the Christian is hard enough so why give Satan more of a foot hold? We all must everyday stay focused on who Jesus is through study, prayer, meditation, and worship. Don’t forget that someday God Himself said that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  So for you today focus on this Jesus is who he is not who you want Him to be.  

Feeling bad is not enough

Time to fire up the blog again, I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage Psalm 100: 4-5

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Section from the book

As you consider your sins and feel their weight, you decide to embrace the guilt and even heap it on. Then, only after you have felt sufficiently bad about all that you have been and done do you begin to feel better about it all. It’s as if amassing feelings of guilt becomes a perverted kind of penance in which you pay for your transgression by making yourself feel bad—as if your guilt is a means of getting clean

Simple thoughts

Many think that feeling bad about something they did wrong is good. While you should feel bad for the wrong you’ve done sometimes feeling bad is not enough. Often people get feeling bad and repentance confused. They think that if they feel bad enough about what they did, that will make it better. Feeling bad for what you did is like trying to take a bath in mud. You may get wet but you won’t get clean. The only way to get clean is to trust in Jesus and repent of your sins. Repentance is not feeling bad, it is truly hating what you’ve done and turning around and walking away from it and back towards Jesus. So don’t just feel bad about the sins you commit, repent of them, hate them, and turn back to Jesus then experience what it feels like to be clean.   Kind of reminds me of 2 Peter 2:22
They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”

What are you afraid of?

Time to fire up the blog again, I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage Matthew 10:28

²⁸ “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell

Section from the book

The problem with this kind of worldly fear is that it will lead you to toe party lines instead of correcting and challenging the people you are close to. It will compel you to try to live a safe life, free from risk or danger instead of being willing to make the hard and “risky” choice of following Jesus in a culture that rejects him. It will lead you to so prize the good gifts of God that they mutate into idols that you are unwilling to let go of.

Simple thoughts

I have never been to a movie that I would call scary. What horror movies I have been too I usually end up laughing at the so called scary parts.  The reason is I know nothing in the movie can harm me. But I do not do so well when it comes to life. I am afraid of what people might think of me, I am afraid of being challenged for what I believe, I am afraid of conflict. The sad thing is these things are not even close to killing me like Matthew 10:28 says. However if I’m not careful these things could dominate my life. The idol I fight against everyday is comfort. I too often try to live safe from the risk or danger of speaking up for what I believe in. I need to ask myself if I won’t stand up for it do I really believe in it. Following Jesus is risky as far as the world is concerned, but consider the danger of not following Him, that is where the fear of God has to overcome the fear of man. 

Be Prepared

The more and more I read the headlines of the day the more I see the persecution of Christians rising in the United States of America. It is a scary thing and is only going to get worse. We have seen how Tim Tebow has been vilified, I see so called sports experts run him down continually on TV. Some cities are banning home Bible studies. And now with the ongoing controversy with Chick-fila, and a lesser known ordeal in Colorado where protests are being organized against a bakery who refused to do a wedding cake for a gay couple. I have been in discussions where we say at least there is not really any serious persecution in this country but that is changing for the worse. More and more serious things are beginning to happen in this country to those who profess to be Christians. But we should not be surprised because Jesus told us it would happen, and that it will get worse before it gets better. In fact the die has been cast and it’s all downhill until Jesus returns. We have to know this and be prepared for this because Jesus said in Luke 21:12 “before the end of the world there will be a time of great persecution.” But he also said in verse 13 “but this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”  Now is the time to make sure that you understand this and you tell your children and grandchildren because it is coming and we all need to be prepared. When it happens to you in whatever form just remember Jesus’ words “ But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”

Luke 21: 10-18

¹⁰ Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. ¹² “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. ¹³ But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.^{[c] 14} So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, ¹⁵ for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! ¹⁶ Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. ¹⁷ And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.^{[d] 18} But not a hair of your head will perish! ¹⁹ By standing firm, you will win your souls.

Are you smarter than God?

Have you ever been asked what major factor or event made you what you are today? Well Sunday I was asked that and I came to a very interesting conclusion. The standard answer was and should have been when I was saved or when I gave my life to Christ, but on Sunday it came to me in a different way. The event that made me who I am today was the very first time I was obedient to what God told me to do. When I did this everything changed. Now I have to ask myself why is it that I can still be disobedient even now? The greatest source of fulfillment is setting aside ones desires and accomplishing the will of God yet so few of us do it as often as we should. By chasing our own desires we think we are smarter than God. It really makes me mad that everyday there are times when I think that I am smarter than God, when I know that I am not. These are the times when I dive in head first to accomplish what I think needs done rather than stopping to think or ask what does God want done. If I would just stop and remember that the biggest event in my life was when I did obey God perhaps I would try it some more. What about you? You would never say you were smarter than God but do you live like you think you are?

Locked Up Abroad

The following words are right off of the home page for the TV show Locked Up Abroad

Locked Up Abroad tells first hand experiences of unsuspecting travelers who embarked on what they thought would be a vacation, only to barely make it home ...

I may have seen 5 minutes of the show one time but I get the premise. Today as I was reading 1 Peter 2 and was reminded of this show when it said

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

Everyone is on this earth only temporarily and we don’t think of this enough. For the Christian we are locked up abroad, we cannot yet go home.  Some day the Christian will be released, either when they die or Jesus comes back again, and not a minute sooner. As the trailer for the National Geographic show says “only to barley make it home” So it is with the Christian, we do not have the right within us to be released from this place and to enter Heaven it is only by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus that we are able to get our pardon and return home. Now for the ones who don’t trust in Jesus even though they think this place is Hell on Earth they have no idea that as bad as it is, this is as close to Heaven they will ever get, compared to Hell this is paradise. Then for the Christian some think that they should be on vacation here until it’s time for Heaven but that is far from the truth because Satan, the jailer of earth makes it difficult for those who love Jesus thus why we all long for home so much and praise God for His promise to get us there.

The line is not as fine as you think

Satan wants every Christian to fail in what they are called to do and he has many ways of stopping or at least slowing them down. The ways he uses depends on the person he is trying to stop because even though Satan is not God he does have enough power to know every single persons weak spots and he will exploit them to the fullest. Satan has been recently trying to stop or slow me down and he almost succeeded when he got me to question if the things I were doing was making a difference. As a human I would like to see results instantly and when I don’t see them I get all worked up. So I started asking myself is this a sign that I am doing the wrong things? Then I became aware that probably it was a trick so the evil one became even more subtle and got me to think that there is a fine line between a sign and Satan and that I should be careful and consider what I’m doing very carefully. But that is all wrong when it comes to what a Christian is called to do there is no fine line Satan just wants you to think there is. For what the Christian is called to do is extremely well defined. And we are called to be obedient and persistent and to listen to what God has to say though His word for what we are supposed to be doing and not to worry about the tricks of the Devil. When it comes to a sign or Satan the line is not as fine as you think.