Tag Archive | #JesusChrist

Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas!

Question: In the hustle and bustle of the season, how can I make sure I’m keeping Christ in Christmas?

Answer: Even dedicated Christians can sometimes find themselves consumed with every tradition of the holiday season except what’s most important. They can forget that Jesus really is the reason for the season! Christians know that this is the time of the year we choose to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should make the time and make the effort to keep Christ in our Christmas! But, if we know this, then why don’t we do it?

Unfortunately, some Christians can get as consumed with creating the picture-perfect Christmas experience as the world does. They fill themselves with anxiety trying to get the best super sales on the most popular gifts. Adults get worked up over seeing their peers gifting themselves with the latest “must-have” gadgets and new technology. They wear themselves out trying to keep up with the trends of the crowd. They forget to pause, reflect, and be thankful for the greatest gift – Jesus Christ.

Likewise, many Christian families find themselves in turmoil during this season. Married couples fight over which in-laws they are going to spend Christmas Day with. Parents argue over how much money they are going to spend to make sure their children have this year’s hottest toys. They fill the family calendar with so many seasonal activities that they find themselves exhausted. Yet, they fail to make time for the most important things – reading, meditating on, and discussing God’s Word.

Most importantly, during this season of spending extra time with family and friends, too many Christians fail to include in their discussions talk of their walk with the Lord. They tend not to share with their family and friends how God has brought them faithfully through this year. They are willing to talk about everything else but Jesus. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas! See that you and your family are keeping Christ in Christmas. There are many ways you can do this. For example, plan to take your family to a church Christmas program that tells the story of Christ’s birth. While decorating the tree, play or sing Christmas hymns that give praise to our Lord. Make sure to share with your family and friends how God has blessed you this year. And, always make sure your family knows the story of the birth of our Savior. Luke 2: 1-20 spells out in detail how Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This Bible passage may be one you’d even want to read aloud together. Listen to a reading of this account by clicking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKpwaRxIww&feature=youtube_gdata .

And, have a very Merry CHRISTmas!

A Family Needs a Firm Foundation

Jun10

Question: In these challenging social times, how do I help my children be strong Christians?

Answer: It’s true that traditional Christian values are being challenged from every direction. If your son or daughter attends public schools or universities, they are most likely being taught to believe ideas and ways that are contrary to God’s biblical teachings…in addition to the regular reading, writing, and math. Most parents are not aware of this. That’s why parents need to be very active in keeping up with what’s going on in their child’s school. However, the bottom line is that parents cannot be with their child every minute. Therefore, it becomes even more important that parents are teaching their children from a very early age what exactly their family believes. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This training will be their firm foundation.

Sadly, too many Christians today don’t even know themselves what God teaches us in His Word-The Holy Bible. As Christians, we need to read and study the Bible for ourselves. Plus, it is extremely important to attend a true Bible believing, Bible teaching church. Be aware that many places call themselves a church, but they don’t even teach that the Bible is the true word of God. If you are in a church like this, you and your family need to leave NOW! Pray to find a church to join that actually follows God’s Word!

Also, know that having that firm foundation starts with you and your children understanding that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is that Savior. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserved for our sins. He rose to life again on the third day and now lives at the right hand of our Father God in Heaven.

Once we ask Jesus to forgive us our sins, repent, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we can go on to grow in our faith! Know that we cannot strive in this world by our own strength. God gives us His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us through this life…until we die from this world, and move on to eternal life in Heaven!

So remember to pray for the Lord to strengthen your family in their faith and help them live their lives to please Him! Pray for them to keep God as their firm foundation!

(Reposted and updated from my March 22, 2012 Blog Post)

Weak-kneed about standing strong for God?

Aug5

Question: How do I stand strong for God in a hostile environment?

Answer: It’s not always easy to stand strong for God when those around you are hostile towards His teachings. Therefore, you must always remember to share God’s teachings respectfully, in ways that reflect God’s love. Make sure you don’t come across as hostile yourself by being mean, uncaring, or hypocritical. Instead, let your interactions with others reflect kindness, joy, and peace. (Read about these and other “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23)

Still, even when you try to be loving when sharing your beliefs, there may be people who will accuse you of acting like you think you’re better than everyone else. Others may say you’re being too judgmental. They may even try to prove you’re wrong by quoting the verse, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1 NKJV)

However, they fail to give the rest of that passage. For Jesus goes on to warn first against being a hypocrite — someone who points out the sins of others without acknowledging and repenting of their own sins. Using symbolism for sin, He asks,” And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” Then, He goes on to say, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Read Matthew 7:1-5) Jesus does want us to speak His truth to others about the consequences of sin and help them understand God’s Word.

Unfortunately, many people just don’t want to accept that it’s God — not man — who determines what is good and what is evil. Therefore, they may attack you verbally or even physically try to keep you from speaking God’s Truth. You may be ridiculed, not invited to parties, denied job promotions, be fired, or even sued for practicing your unpopular beliefs. This is all because you choose to stand strong for your Christian faith.

Even some Believers may get combative or turn against you for calling out sin in today’s culture. They may react this way for many reasons. But one reason might be that your boldness for the Lord makes them embarrassed and ashamed. Deep down, they know they have been failing to stand strong for their faith like God wants them to do.

In fact, Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

In order to deal successfully with any of these situations, you must start with prayer! Our loving Heavenly Father hears our prayers and is with us to help us through our daily trials. His Word tells us to, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) God always wants us to turn to Him — including when we face attacks.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that these fights we face are actually spiritual battles. They are conflicts between those who support what God calls evil and those of us who support the goodness and righteousness of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul reminds Believers to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

When we face challenges because of our faith, we, like Paul, should pray for God’s Holy Spirit to help us. Paul urged the Believers of his day to be praying for other Believers and for him, “……that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel… that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Read more about putting on “The Whole Armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-20)

So, don’t be weak-kneed. Boldly share your beliefs with grace, kindness, respect, and love. In doing so, you’ll be helping to fulfill The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) given by Jesus, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

****Enjoy this beautiful song of encouragement by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir entitled, “Take Up Your Cross.” (Click on this link: https://youtu.be/77RHISYAD_E)

A House Divided

Jul1

Question: How important is having unity in the Christian community?

Answer: Unity can be very important as long as you’re united for the right reasons.

Jesus says in Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (NKJV) This teaching can be applied in a variety of situations from whole communities to churches, families, and even marriages. Combine this knowledge with what is revealed about Satan, the thief in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal. and to kill, and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may it more abundantly.” Satan knows that one of the most effective ways of destroying something is attacking it from the inside out. Therefore, an important goal for every group is to stay united in living your lives to please Jesus. God, through the teachings of His Holy Word, should be the referee and final decision maker in settling disagreements and divisions whenever they arise.

How many times over the years have you heard of church congregations splitting apart when some members disagree with their new pastor? As a result, hurt feelings and bitterness can last for years. Obviously, if the church leaders are teaching that the Bible is not true or saying that Jesus is not our only way into Heaven, they are wrong. You should leave such a church and find one that teaches that the Bible is, indeed, true. Otherwise, when your Bible-believing, Bible teaching church is having some disagreements within the congregation, pray for God’s Holy Spirit to bring unity to that body of believers. You will have trouble taking the Gospel out to the world and making new disciples, as Jesus commanded in Matthew chapter 28, if the current disciples are spending most of their time fighting with each other! As a church, repent of your sins and forgive each other. Then, your church can be united in showing God’s love in a variety of ways to the local communities and beyond. Check out this minute and 35 second video by renowned Pastor Tony Evans as he explains the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5x1Zfd1b_8.

Also, be aware that if Satan will try to destroy the unity of a church congregation by attacking from within, he will also try to destroy a marriage or a family the same way. Far too often, we hear of marriages and families breaking apart as a result of various disagreements, or sinful temptations such as adultery, pornography, greed, and deceit. Seeing how often this happens, we need to be better prepared spiritually. Dedicate your marriage, family, and yourself to the Lord. Pray for God’s Holy Spirit to protect you, your spouse, and your family from the temptations of Satan. Pray for you all to be united in believing in and living by His Word.

Remember that God has provided us with the Bible as a manual for living life His way. So, study His Word, the Holy Bible, and follow its teachings to help keep you from being in a house divided by Satan. Instead, you will be in a house united by Jesus!

(Re-posted from my August 2013 Blog)

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network www1.cbn.com

World Magazine www.worldmag.com

Being thankful for NOT getting what you wanted!

Nov5

Question: Should we give thanks for unanswered prayers?

Answer: Yes, give thanks to God because He always answers our prayers. Remember, His answer may be yes, no, or not yet, but He always answers. We are reminded of this in 1 John 5:14-15, ” Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (NKJV) Note that what we pray for must still go along with God’s will for our lives. God’s will and our desires may not match. That said, God very much wants us to continue to pray to Him for the things we feel we want or need. We usually enthusiastically give God thanks when He answers our prayers with a “yes.” Of course, when we do this, we are doing the right thing. However, it’s very important to remind ourselves to give thanks even when God’s answer is “no.” Believers know that while we may think we know what is best for us, God truly knows what’s best for us in every situation of our lives. We must also know that our ways are not necessarily His ways, and our preferred timing for things to happen, is not always His timing for things to happen.
Here are two examples of God knowing what’s best for us better than we do. Consider the twenty-something young lady who has a strong desire to get married and even has her eyes set on the exact young man she considers her perfect match. He’s handsome, successful in his career, and regularly attends church. She prays to God to bless her to get married to this fine young man. After the two have dated for a while, the young man seems to lose interest in her and goes off to eventually marry someone else. Our young lady is crushed, and she doesn’t understand why God didn’t answer her prayer with a “yes.” Twenty years later, we find our young lady happily married to a wonderful man she first met in her thirties. She is surprised to learn that the young man she prayed to marry decades earlier is now on his third divorce. According to his ex-wives, he had been a terrible husband. Our lady is now very happy God answered “no” to her earlier prayer.
A different example: a middle-aged man prays to God to get a new career position that he thinks is just right for him. He’d be working for a great company and making a much larger salary than he’s making in his current position — something especially important as he starts to get closer to retirement age. However, this man watches in disbelief as someone else gets that prized position. He can’t understand what he had done so wrong that God would not reward him with the job of his heart’s desire. Later, it turns out the person taking his dream job lasts less than a year. The company down-sizes and that position gets eliminated. That person is now unemployed. Our middle-aged man is happy he still had his job. He’s also very happy that God answered his earlier prayer with a “no.”
If we are being really honest with ourselves, most of us can probably recall times in our lives when we were very upset when God said “no” to us. Likewise, as in these two examples, we can look back at one or more of these “no’s” and be thankful. We now shudder at the thought of how things would be if God’s answer had been “yes.” As believers, we know that we will never understand in this lifetime, why God answers us in the ways He does. Also, God knows, understands, and cares when we are hurt and disappointed when He doesn’t answer all of our prayers with a “yes.” He wants us to trust that He knows what is best and take comfort in this knowledge. We must pray to have stronger faith and trust in God. Then, we will be spiritually equipped for those times when we need to be thankful for NOT getting what we wanted!

(Reposted from my November 21, 2013 Blog Post)

Follow me on Twitter: @ValClarksPlace

Helpful Links:
Focus on the Family    http://www.focusonthefamily.com
Crown Financial Ministries   http://www.crown.org
The Christian Broadcasting Network   http://www.cbn.com
World Magazine        http://www.worldmag.com

Are you doing His will or your will?

May11

Question: I’ve been praying to get a job at a certain company for years. I keep applying, but I still haven’t gotten the job. Why won’t the Lord answer my prayers?

Answer: Maybe He already has! Just because you haven’t gotten the answer you want doesn’t mean God hasn’t answered. There could be many reasons you haven’t gotten that job. One reason being that you may not be ready for it due to your lack of having the necessary skills needed. Or, maybe God knows that you need to work at a different company for some reason. The bottom line is that if God wants you to have a certain job, He will make sure you get it. Our God is all-powerful! Also, since He is all-knowing, He knows what company is best for you. Still another possibility is that God does plan to give you a job at that company… just, not yet!

Too often, we think we already know, on our own, what is the best path to take in our life. But we fail to pray for the Lord to guide our thoughts, plans, and decision-making. We must always pray to follow God’s will for our lives even when we find this to be difficult. Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead…. make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” ( NKJV )

Therefore, we must not put our trust in ourselves to plan what is best for us. We must seek Jesus, through prayer, to give us wisdom and direct our paths. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us why we need to do this. Here God says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (NIV)

Thankfully, we can always trust that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. He knows what paths we need to take. He knows the desires of our heart, and He wants what is best for us. So, as we make these important decisions in our lives, remember Matthew 6:33. In that verse Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV )

Remember: God knows what’s best. Stay in His will for your life!

Follow me on Twitter: @ValClarksPlace

Does love really mean not calling sin…sin?

Feb11

Question: Shouldn’t Christians just show love to others and stop trying to shame them about their sins?

Answer: That depends on what you mean by “showing love.” Consider this: a good and loving parent teaches their child right from wrong and lets that child know that doing wrong (sinning) will lead to negative consequences. For example, the loving parent will teach their child not to play with matches. They will tell him what could happen if he started a fire that caused himself or others to be seriously burned. The parent would let the child know that his disobedience could even lead to the entire house burning to the ground. If that child still goes and plays with the matches, the parent will tell the child, again, why this was wrong and punish the child to discourage him from doing it again. Likely, that child will feel ashamed when being called out for doing wrong.

But, better that parent tell that child what he was doing was wrong than keeping the child ignorant of the dangers of his actions… actions that could possibly lead to catastrophic results! That parent telling the child his behavior was wrong was actually showing love to that child. For it would not be very loving to let that child remain unaware of his dangerous behavior and the potentially deadly consequences.

Likewise, God wants Believers to tell the world His Gospel. In fact, Jesus left us with the Great Commission to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” ( Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV) Of utmost importance in what His Holy Word teaches is the deadly consequences of our sin. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Since Romans 3:23 says that we “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we all need our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Therefore, it would not be very loving to keep people ignorant of the dangers of their sinful behavior. Letting people know what sin is and the consequences of their sin is actually a loving thing to do. Just always let them know in ways that are compassionate and caring – remembering that we were all lost in sin until we accepted Jesus as our Savior. Thank God for His saving grace!

Follow me on Twitter: @valclarksplace