Judgment Day

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  Matthew 7:1-2

With the latest news headlines and outpouring of public opinion on social media, I wanted to write today about the dangers of judgment.  We must be careful when we judge others, because we simply may not know or understand all of the facts or circumstances.  I have had my fair share of people make unfair evaluations about me and I know that I have done the same to others throughout the years. 

Before we jump to conclusions about others, it helps to recall the hurt we have experienced in the past when we were wrongly judged.  It helps us to avoid looking at people through a negative filter that gives us a distorted point of view.

It’s when we see others as Jesus sees them-as God’s children-that we begin to offer love, grace, and mercy rather than judgment. Just because we don't agree with someone doesn't mean that we cannot get along with them...

God Bless The U.S.A.

I urge you, first if all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  1 Timothy 2:1-2

On this 4th of July, we celebrate our freedom and independence here in the United States of America.  Too often, we take for granted the sacrifices of the many brave men and women who have fought to defend this country and continue to keep us safe.  One of the greatest things we can do as Christians, is to offer our prayers for this nation.

We can pray that our nation is protected by God's might hand.  We can pray for our leaders to discern what is good, noble, and right for our country, seeking God's wisdom in the process. We can pray for the least, the lost, and the last to be taken care of.

I am proud to be an American and we all must remember to pray for this country.  A nation that collectively seeks God and worships Him will stand firm and live in peace!   

  

Birthday

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5

My blushing bride was was born today back in 1978.  In addition to wishing her a happy birthday, I also wanted to write about how special each one of us is to our loving Father…

God knew each of us long before we were conceived or even born.  He thought about each of us and made us a unique creation in which He thought about us and planned for us.

If you are ever feeling discouraged, just remember that God loves you and has always thought of you as valuable to Him.  He has a purpose for each of us and we are all "appointed" by God to serve out our specific purpose.

Communication

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

Not including my music and vinyl record groups, I have really become disenchanted with some of the social media sites like Facebook over the past few months.  I am sure that people have always posted negative comments on Facebook since its inception, but it rubs me the wrong way when I read all of the negative comments, self-absorbed posts, and other 'crap' that people post, which they truly have no business posting on the internet in the first place.  Not to mention, that most people wouldn't say half of the 'junk' that they are willing to write if they were face to face with other people. This happens quite often at work now that most people rely on email as their primary source of communication....passive aggressive behavior is alive and well, folks! 

I don’t have any control over what others do and can only be held accountable for the things that I write or post.  After reading the above passage from Hebrews, I am reminded of all of the mercy and grace God has shown me over the course of my lifetime.

As Christians, we are to pursue holiness, which means that we are to do our very best to treat others with the same mercy and unconditional love that God has shown us.

It's hard, but we must seek God's guidance the next time we are feeling confrontational or short-fused.  The more we understand what our loving Father has done for us, the more we will want to live the holy life He desires for us to live.

Just The Two of Us

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.  All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.  Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16: 1-3

As our summer has kicked into high gear, it has become obvious that Alicia and I are in desperate need of quality time together.  Don’t get me wrong, as we both love doing stuff with the boys, but I think that we are both overdue to spend some time doing adult things like hiking, going to see a movie, or going out on a dinner date, just the two of us.

Finding the right  balance in life always proves to be more difficult than it sounds.  For us to live up to our true potential and follow the plans God has made for us, we must seek to achieve balance in our lives.

Our first priority should always be to seek the Lord each and every day, though prayer, reading of the Word and worshiping on a regular basis.  I know too many people that consider Sunday their day of rest and will make up any excuse to not go to church.  I look forward to going each week and feel like something is off if I am out of town or miss a service.

Our next priority should be to spend time with our family and friends.  Married couples with children should always make time for each other.  A strong marriage will work wonders with your children…

Vacation

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

It’s been a wonderful, but extremely busy summer with some major changes taking place at work recently. I know I am not alone when I say that I could use a vacation...

All of the extra stress has left me with very little peace as of late.  I know that I will be fine and that God will not let me down in this circumstance, but I cannot help but feel stressed.

Through the Cross, God has made Himself available to us at ALL times.  Jesus invites us to come into the presence of God to find the grace, mercy, and peace that we so desperately need.  We need no middle-man to speak to God either; it's as simple as getting on our knees to pray.  God is always there and ready to listen to your inner most groaning and moaning.

God loves you and is available to you whenever you need Him...

It's A Real Good Thing

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  Psalm 103:8-10

Being the proud father of two wonderful and strong-willed sons, I have recently found myself having to be very patient and forgiving with our oldest, who is often times hot-tempered with me when it comes time to be disciplined.

Why is it so easy for us to say hurtful things to the people we love the most, especially our family? The more I reflect on the things Elliott has said to me out of anger, I can't help but be overwhelmed by how loving, forgiving, and slow to anger God is with me.  What if God actually gave us what we deserved?  What if God kept a list of our wrongdoings and we were repaid according to our sins?  Thankfully, the ultimate price has been paid for our sins and we will never have to experience God's wrath for our shortcomings and iniquities.

Just has God forgives us, we are to extend forgiveness to others who have hurt or wronged us.  It's not as easy as it seems, but it's the only way to mend and repair a broken relationship and move forward in love.