2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT)
10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
The Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about a specific incident that took place. The incident caused sorrow and pain for several because there was an issue of sin that had been neglected by the church. The church felt regret for not dealing with the sin. But the Apostle tells them there should be no regrets; for the pain and sorrow they experienced brought them closer to Christ.
The Webster’s dictionary tells us regret is a sorrow caused by circumstances beyond one’s control or power to repair. Regret is an emotion that dwells on the past. Regret makes us long for something different and is outside of our control to correct or repair. Regret will keep us bound to the past hurts, pains, wounds, sorrows and other negative emotions. There are many regrets in this world that range from experiencing pain and trauma as a child to making bad decisions as an adult that have severe consequences. The sad part is we cannot change those regrets. We cannot go back into the past and fix the abuse we may have experienced as a child by the hands of an adult. We cannot go back to change a decision that took us down a wrong road. We cannot undo a sin that hurt us and other loved ones in the process. Fortunately we have a God who can change those things because He doesn’t just exist in the present, but instead exists in the past, present and future.
God can take away our regrets and transform our sorrows into useful and meaningful works. For instance a person who abused others said God changed him and now he works to punish abusers and inform others about abusiveness. I have heard the testimony of criminals and how God changed their lives and put them in a position of ministry to serve others. Former drug abusers once addicted to drugs serve as counselors to lead others away from drugs. Abuse victims have used their pain to help others face the same pain they experienced. Cancer patients in recovery give hope to those with cancer. The widowed show others life goes on even in the face of death.
Sorrow may still be present, but God takes away the regret and lets others see how the trials they faced can be transformed into something good. God knew what was happening the past and He planned for good without regret to come from the sorrow. As Joseph said to his brothers who sold him into a miserable slavery, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Heaven and hell
Matthew 13:47-51 (NLT)
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.”
Jesus spoke often in parables that were examples meant to give a simple explanation. As fishermen know, the net does not discriminate and catches many things. The contents of the net must be sorted out and that which meets the criteria for the catch is kept and the rest is tossed aside. Jesus makes a statement which should be noted, “Angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace”.
Christianity has the concept of an eternal life that is either spent in heaven or hell. From the Bible’s description heaven is beautiful place. It is a place where people worship and praise the Lord. It is a place where no sadness remains and no tear is shed. It is a place of comfort. It is a place where we are restored to what we were meant to have before the earth fell to sin.
Hell on the other hand is a place of suffering. Painful memories are recalled. Regrets are forever on the mind. It is a place where God’s presence does not exist and without God the pain of sin abounds.
There are religions that only have heaven or an afterlife of peace, but they do not have a hell. If a person is not rewarded with a heavenly afterlife they simply pass into non-existence. As a Christian I wish that were true. I wish those who do not receive heaven did not have to suffer the consequences of hell. I wish there was no required payment for sin, but that is not what the Bible tells us. And as Jesus clearly said above the wicked will be separated from the righteous and thrown into a fiery furnace.
Jesus however paid the price for sin for all those who place their trust in Him. Jesus paid our debt that we might reap the reward of heaven instead of hell. Jesus offers this gift freely to anyone who accepts it. As a Christian it is why it is important to share our belief in Christ so that others may believe in Him too and find the comfort of heaven instead of the pain of hell.
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.”
Jesus spoke often in parables that were examples meant to give a simple explanation. As fishermen know, the net does not discriminate and catches many things. The contents of the net must be sorted out and that which meets the criteria for the catch is kept and the rest is tossed aside. Jesus makes a statement which should be noted, “Angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace”.
Christianity has the concept of an eternal life that is either spent in heaven or hell. From the Bible’s description heaven is beautiful place. It is a place where people worship and praise the Lord. It is a place where no sadness remains and no tear is shed. It is a place of comfort. It is a place where we are restored to what we were meant to have before the earth fell to sin.
Hell on the other hand is a place of suffering. Painful memories are recalled. Regrets are forever on the mind. It is a place where God’s presence does not exist and without God the pain of sin abounds.
There are religions that only have heaven or an afterlife of peace, but they do not have a hell. If a person is not rewarded with a heavenly afterlife they simply pass into non-existence. As a Christian I wish that were true. I wish those who do not receive heaven did not have to suffer the consequences of hell. I wish there was no required payment for sin, but that is not what the Bible tells us. And as Jesus clearly said above the wicked will be separated from the righteous and thrown into a fiery furnace.
Jesus however paid the price for sin for all those who place their trust in Him. Jesus paid our debt that we might reap the reward of heaven instead of hell. Jesus offers this gift freely to anyone who accepts it. As a Christian it is why it is important to share our belief in Christ so that others may believe in Him too and find the comfort of heaven instead of the pain of hell.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Peace from God
Psalm 119:165 (NLT)
165 Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.
Psalm 119 is much different from the other psalms. Twice as long as any of the other psalms this chapter stands out within the book of Psalms. It is as though David took the journal of his life and reflected on God’s presence in his life and pulled together a digest of his thoughts. In this verse David tells us there is peace in following God and in doing so we can live a life without fault.
Thomas A Kempis in The Imitation of Christ wrote, “First put yourself at peace, and then you may the better make others be at peace. A peaceful and patient man is of more profit to himself and to others, too, than a learned man who has no peace.” How can we bring peace into other lives if we do not have peace ourselves? Thomas Edison said, “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.” When a person is in a state of turmoil they do not bring out the best in themselves or the best in others. David reminds us to focus on God and follow His instructions that we might have peace in our lives. It is God’s peace that allows us to live a joyous life even in the face of difficulties. It is this peace that we can share with others to also bring them hope. It is this peace that reaffirms God in our lives and the hope we have for tomorrow.
165 Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.
Psalm 119 is much different from the other psalms. Twice as long as any of the other psalms this chapter stands out within the book of Psalms. It is as though David took the journal of his life and reflected on God’s presence in his life and pulled together a digest of his thoughts. In this verse David tells us there is peace in following God and in doing so we can live a life without fault.
Thomas A Kempis in The Imitation of Christ wrote, “First put yourself at peace, and then you may the better make others be at peace. A peaceful and patient man is of more profit to himself and to others, too, than a learned man who has no peace.” How can we bring peace into other lives if we do not have peace ourselves? Thomas Edison said, “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.” When a person is in a state of turmoil they do not bring out the best in themselves or the best in others. David reminds us to focus on God and follow His instructions that we might have peace in our lives. It is God’s peace that allows us to live a joyous life even in the face of difficulties. It is this peace that we can share with others to also bring them hope. It is this peace that reaffirms God in our lives and the hope we have for tomorrow.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Anger management
Romans 14:1 (NLT)
1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
In this verse the apostle addresses the church in the danger of criticism. New believers to the church are just beginning to understand their faith. This would be the time to guide them gently into understanding the teachings of God. When there is a difference of opinion it is not to be voiced in a strong argument, but instead time should be given for the new believers to seek answers from God that they may grow in their faith.
When we have a need to do so our arguments should voice factual statements and feelings that lend to a positive process of reasoning. Arguments should never be carried out in bitter and angry ways. These arguments do nothing more than to harm the credibility of the speaker. Also instead of bringing persuasion they tend to bring rejection because the listener tunes out factual evidence in response to negative feelings arising out of the hurtful argument. The apostle James wrote we should always be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Peter’s words tell us how an argument should be carried out. We should first listen to the feelings of one another. We should gain an understanding of how the other feels before we make our own interjections. Then we should be slow in our response as to give time to our own reasoning. We do not want to respond out of anger, but we should respond out of love to address one another’s feelings. Lastly we want to temper our arguments so they do not turn into angry battles. We do not want to let the emotion of anger get out of control and lead us into sin. When it does lead us to sinful rage instead of trying to understand feelings and gain facts we have a tendency to hurl insults and argue over insignificant facts. This again does nothing but harm the relationship between the people having the argument.
Lord I know there have been many times I have argued incorrectly and against the way You would have me present an argument. I pray for myself and so many others who have done the same. Father I pray you would help us to do as James taught us so that we would honor you. In Jesus name, Amen.
1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
In this verse the apostle addresses the church in the danger of criticism. New believers to the church are just beginning to understand their faith. This would be the time to guide them gently into understanding the teachings of God. When there is a difference of opinion it is not to be voiced in a strong argument, but instead time should be given for the new believers to seek answers from God that they may grow in their faith.
When we have a need to do so our arguments should voice factual statements and feelings that lend to a positive process of reasoning. Arguments should never be carried out in bitter and angry ways. These arguments do nothing more than to harm the credibility of the speaker. Also instead of bringing persuasion they tend to bring rejection because the listener tunes out factual evidence in response to negative feelings arising out of the hurtful argument. The apostle James wrote we should always be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Peter’s words tell us how an argument should be carried out. We should first listen to the feelings of one another. We should gain an understanding of how the other feels before we make our own interjections. Then we should be slow in our response as to give time to our own reasoning. We do not want to respond out of anger, but we should respond out of love to address one another’s feelings. Lastly we want to temper our arguments so they do not turn into angry battles. We do not want to let the emotion of anger get out of control and lead us into sin. When it does lead us to sinful rage instead of trying to understand feelings and gain facts we have a tendency to hurl insults and argue over insignificant facts. This again does nothing but harm the relationship between the people having the argument.
Lord I know there have been many times I have argued incorrectly and against the way You would have me present an argument. I pray for myself and so many others who have done the same. Father I pray you would help us to do as James taught us so that we would honor you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Family Impact
1 Kings 15:11 (KJV)
11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.
Asa brought into the house of the Lord those things he vowed he would give to God out of the spoils taken from the Ethiopians. King David, his great-great-grandfather, had also made the same vow, but was unable to accomplish it in his lifetime. Asa was a good King who not only learned to avoid evil, but also sought after that which was good.
This verse illustrates the generational impact of family upon family. Asa sought to accomplish what his great-great-grandfather David was unable to do by conquering the Ethiopians and giving their possessions to the Lord’s temple . Asa followed the teaching of God which had been passed down through David. Asa was zealous in maintaining the traditional worship of God, and in rooting out idolatry, with its accompanying immoralities. Asa’s life was obviously impacted by His belief in God passed down through the generations.
Often we forget how much family impacts our lives, both in positive and negative ways. I have seen children following their parents; doing well for others. I have also seen children following their parents committing the same sinful acts of their parents. We need to remember to act as we would have our children act and not have the mentality of “do as I say and not as I do.” We need to remember to honor God and show future generations how to be respectful and reverent towards Him. Establish the good in your children that a good part of you may be passed down generation to generation.
11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.
Asa brought into the house of the Lord those things he vowed he would give to God out of the spoils taken from the Ethiopians. King David, his great-great-grandfather, had also made the same vow, but was unable to accomplish it in his lifetime. Asa was a good King who not only learned to avoid evil, but also sought after that which was good.
This verse illustrates the generational impact of family upon family. Asa sought to accomplish what his great-great-grandfather David was unable to do by conquering the Ethiopians and giving their possessions to the Lord’s temple . Asa followed the teaching of God which had been passed down through David. Asa was zealous in maintaining the traditional worship of God, and in rooting out idolatry, with its accompanying immoralities. Asa’s life was obviously impacted by His belief in God passed down through the generations.
Often we forget how much family impacts our lives, both in positive and negative ways. I have seen children following their parents; doing well for others. I have also seen children following their parents committing the same sinful acts of their parents. We need to remember to act as we would have our children act and not have the mentality of “do as I say and not as I do.” We need to remember to honor God and show future generations how to be respectful and reverent towards Him. Establish the good in your children that a good part of you may be passed down generation to generation.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Faith
Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[d] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
This is the familiar story of Jesus walking on the water towards the disciples who are in a boat fighting the wind and waves. The disciples could not believe what they saw and feared it was an apparition coming towards them. But when Peter heard the voice of Jesus he went over the side of the boat and towards Jesus. However fear or loss of trust took hold of Peter and he began to sink.
Over the holidays my wife and I traveled to Savannah. We knew the address of where we were going and plugged it into the GPS. As it usually does, the GPS gave instructions we followed to arrive at our destination. This particular GPS has a feature that will route you around troubled traffic areas. Sometimes you wonder what the GPS is doing as it starts giving instructions to take a detour, but just about the time you start detouring you see all the traffic stopped ahead and you are glad the GPS knows what it is doing. As my wife and I were driving home listening to the GPS giving step by step instructions my wife said, “We sure place a lot of trust in the GPS getting us to where we want to go. We listen to what it says. We follow the directions. When it presents unexpected turns we listen and still follow.“ Then she made the most important statement, “Isn’t it a shame we don’t always trust God to direct our lives like we trust our GPS.” What a true statement. Like Peter we know what we want to do or where we want to go but we don’t always look to God for the directions or listen when we hear what He has to say.
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[d] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
This is the familiar story of Jesus walking on the water towards the disciples who are in a boat fighting the wind and waves. The disciples could not believe what they saw and feared it was an apparition coming towards them. But when Peter heard the voice of Jesus he went over the side of the boat and towards Jesus. However fear or loss of trust took hold of Peter and he began to sink.
Over the holidays my wife and I traveled to Savannah. We knew the address of where we were going and plugged it into the GPS. As it usually does, the GPS gave instructions we followed to arrive at our destination. This particular GPS has a feature that will route you around troubled traffic areas. Sometimes you wonder what the GPS is doing as it starts giving instructions to take a detour, but just about the time you start detouring you see all the traffic stopped ahead and you are glad the GPS knows what it is doing. As my wife and I were driving home listening to the GPS giving step by step instructions my wife said, “We sure place a lot of trust in the GPS getting us to where we want to go. We listen to what it says. We follow the directions. When it presents unexpected turns we listen and still follow.“ Then she made the most important statement, “Isn’t it a shame we don’t always trust God to direct our lives like we trust our GPS.” What a true statement. Like Peter we know what we want to do or where we want to go but we don’t always look to God for the directions or listen when we hear what He has to say.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Success in the New Year
Nehemiah 4:19-20 (NLT)
19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”
These passages relate to the rebuilding of the wall around the city of Jerusalem. The wall had been destroyed by enemies of the Israelites. Nehemiah set out with the help of God and others to rebuild the wall. We see here Nehemiah recognizing the workers are few but they can come together to help each other when times become difficult.
God gave Nehemiah a vision to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so Nehemiah came up with a plan. As with all plans there are tasks to be performed and there are people required to perform the tasks. The success of the plan is not built on a single individual, but instead success is built on those who come together to see a plan through. As we live our lives include God. Include others who can help and those who have the knowledge and skills to perform specific tasks. When you bring everyone together with the love of God there will be success. Let this year be a year of success.
19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”
These passages relate to the rebuilding of the wall around the city of Jerusalem. The wall had been destroyed by enemies of the Israelites. Nehemiah set out with the help of God and others to rebuild the wall. We see here Nehemiah recognizing the workers are few but they can come together to help each other when times become difficult.
God gave Nehemiah a vision to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so Nehemiah came up with a plan. As with all plans there are tasks to be performed and there are people required to perform the tasks. The success of the plan is not built on a single individual, but instead success is built on those who come together to see a plan through. As we live our lives include God. Include others who can help and those who have the knowledge and skills to perform specific tasks. When you bring everyone together with the love of God there will be success. Let this year be a year of success.
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