Salad Bar Christianity

This morning as the first moments of awareness were creeping into my brain I had a phrase flash across my thoughts – “Salad Bar Christianity”.  I lay there pondering on this and allowed the Holy Spirit to bathe my heart with understanding of what this meant. 

The Salad Bar came into our lives back in the late1960’s in restaurants.  The concept was simple – everything you could possibly want on a salad was laid out in individual bowls on a table and you chose which items you wanted and how much you wanted.  There were even new inventions developed to protect the foods on the salad bar – the ever popular “sneeze guard”! J Today everyone is familiar with the salad bar concept and it has even grown to now include hot foods, soups and desserts. Here in our area there is a restaurant that touts having 7 bars of food!  Amazing, isn’t it?! J

It is a grievous thing to realize that so many modern Christians have relegated their walk with the Lord to a salad bar mentality.  They have decided that the Holy Scriptures of God are the menu items and they pick and choose which items are pertinent for their spiritual appetite.  There are the basic items that we always have: Sin, Crucifixion, Resurrection of Christ, and Heaven – oh, yes, no one has a problem with adding Heaven to their plate. Some of the items are fresh and enticing: Prosperity and Freedom in the Lord are very popular and must be kept fresh and refilled at all times. These are the ones that everyone wants to add to their line-up. 

But it is the older items that seem to be left behind to become stale and not so appetizing anymore, such as: sacrifice, dying to the flesh and serving others without the newspaper covering it. How often I open a newspaper and see a church here or a youth group there who are giving out food in a poor neighborhood or going to the nursing home to sing Christmas carols.  It always makes me wonder why this was needed to be publicized.  Does the scripture not tell us- “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:1-4

It is so important that we recognize and understand and accept that the Holy Word of God is not a pick and choose prospect.  We live under the New Covenant which was established through the sacrificed Blood of Jesus Christ.  The Old Covenant was an example and shadow of what was to come in the New.  We cannot throw it all out and say it is not pertinent to us, but we must examine it closely in relation to the Light that we have received by Christ.  Much of the daily walk is clearly spoken in the Old Covenant and it is a valuable resource for us. 

As I type this out I have to go back repeatedly and read what the Lord is having me type.  This happens often when I am writing articles because, I believe, the Holy Spirit is guiding my fingers more than my brain is.  That is what I want because anything that I may choose to write would be useless and unimportant.  It would be tainted by my personal opinions and therefore polluted.  Many people have trouble believing that the Holy Scriptures were not tainted by the writers.  How many times I have heard it preached that the Apostle Paul wrote not by inspiration of God but through his own opinions. 

When we begin to assume that the Holy Scriptures were not completely and totally the inspired Word of God and perhaps some human reasoning was added in with the words then we also begin to allow disrespect and compromise to enter into our accepting it.  That is the point where we allow ourselves to throw out the portions that we do not like and make us uncomfortable.  God forgive us!  Just because you think that a scripture is not “for today” doesn’t mean that you are right.  Ignoring the truth and self-imposed blindness are not going to stand up before a Just God.

The Word of God is alive.  Why is it that we keep adding in cultural importance to determine the validity of the Scriptures?  Do you think the Lord Himself did not realize that it would be read by people thousands of years after Christ?  Do you think that He is not a big enough God to make His points clear to those who didn’t live “way back then”?  Ridiculous!  He knew the culture of each human on this earth then, now and in all time to come.  He knew that modern society would call us to a more and more ungodly lifestyle.  He knew “way back then” how we “now-a-days” would think, feel and assume.  HE IS, WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE AN OMNISCIENT GOD!  All-knowing, All-seeing, All-powerful.  I want to add in huge flaming letters – GET REAL!!! 

There must come a point in time where we face the truth and say – God is God and His Word is TRUTH!!!  You cannot pick and choose what you like and add it to your plate and then pour the dressing of “God is Love” all over the top to cover the error.  Yes, God is Love – but Love doesn’t allow sin.  It doesn’t close its eyes to compromise.  It doesn’t say – “Oh, Honey, that’s okay.  I know this part is hard so I am not going to make you do this part!”  Again I say, GET REAL!

I want to encourage all to seek the Lord about those areas that they may be skipping over.  All concepts in the Word of God are “. . . given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Tim 3:16

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. ...For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Ps 33:6, 9

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.

Heb 11:3

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Matthew 24:35

For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.

Psalms 33:4  

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32  

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  2 Peter 1:20  

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.  1 Thessalonians 2:13  

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 

Proverbs 30:5  

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalms 119:11

I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.   Psalms 119:16 

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Peter 1:23  

Misplaced Trust

 Today was a beautiful day!  It got a little warmer than I would have liked for the last day of September but last night was very cool indeed.  So when I awoke this morning and went outside with my cup of coffee – I could hear Olivia’s voice in my mind “Momma, this would be a good day for Chili!”  Indeed it was.  We love a big pot of chili when the weather turns cool and Olivia is a Chili fanatic.

About 10:00 I got the dried beans rinsed and started them in a pot to begin the 3 to 4 hours of simmering that they required.  It was a busy day and we accomplished many things.  The Lord blessed us by prospering the work of our hands and many things on our “To Do” list were accomplished.  Finally about 4:00 I had finished putting all the ingredients in with the beans and we had a beautiful pot of Chili ready for supper.  I decided that I wanted to move the pot to another eye on the stove so that I could wipe it down where little spots had dripped out.  It was incredibly hot and so I took two heavy duty pot holders – one on each handle and lifted it gently to the next eye. 

As I was setting the chili down I heard in my spirit “You certainly have a lot of trust in those handles!” If you have done any reading on our website you have learned by now that the Lord deals with me in very simple ways because that is the way my little brain can take it in.  So when I heard this statement spoken to my heart I had to stop for a moment.  I stood there staring at the bubbling mass on my stove and realized that had just one handle broken, had my hand slipped, had the pot holder not been at just the right spot – had everything not have been just so, I could have been seriously and permanently injured and in horrendous pain.  I have had many burns while working in the kitchen.  To this day I have scars on my hands and arms that bear the mark of past accidents, but this time I knew that the Lord was revealing to me something that I take for granted.  It is in Him that I must keep my trust.

How often do we place our trust in things that cannot- will not protect us?  There was a time in my life that payday was where I put my trust.  There was a time in my life when doctors were where I put my trust. There was a time in my life where my family was where I put my trust. Oh, how I think back now to all of the people, places and circumstances that have been my hope.  My faith was in them and I just hoped against hope that they would not let me down.  How sad!  How truly sad!

There is nothing in this world that is worthy of our trust.  No human, no amount of money, no circumstance, no place, no machine, no object, no church that can be worthy of our faith.  Recently a friend made a comment about how people have more trust in doctors and medicines than in the herbal remedies that the Lord has given us.  Another friend replied – “My faith is in the Lord not in any medicine or herb.”  Amen!

The world is so obviously trusting in its own strength.  Armies are built and equipped against any threat.  World wide organizations prepare for famine and environmental disasters constantly.  I think of those precious souls in New Orleans that put their faith in levees and mayors and national guardsmen.  And today I put my trust in handles on a cooking pot. Yes, that is a ridiculous comparison but is it not true?

There is nothing of this world that is worthy of our trust, except our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our Father God is the only surety that we have and everything that touches us – everything – is under His eye and His power.  He is a loving Father, but a just Father.  He is not a Santa Claus or an Easter Bunny.  He is not a giant with a lightening bolt gleeful at the thought of torturing those who make a mistake.  He has set His Word and established the path for His Children and He has also clearly stated the end of those who will not trust Him. 

If you are a born again Christian and have devoted every breath of your life to the Lord Jesus Christ then I encourage you to ask yourself, honestly, is there anything or anyone that has become your place of trust besides the Lord.  Our God is a jealous God and He will have nothing taking His place.  As you go through your day today and tomorrow, submit yourself to Him and examine those things that have priority in your life.  Make yourself observant to where your faith truly is leaning.

If you are not born again and live your life according to the whims and leadings of your own desires and motives, then allow me to boldly and firmly state that your future is clear.  You have a guarantee from the Creator of the Universe that you will not reap a reward of eternal glory.  The lack of peace that you suffer now is nothing compared to the torment of separation from God for all eternity. 

We must all examine ourselves to determine the truth.  Have you misplaced your trust?  Make it right – NOW! When the moment of accountability comes He will not regard any excuse. This night your life may be required of you.

The Problem with Expanding Visions

  It’s been a while since I wrote a new article and I apologize. It’s not that the Lord has stopped giving them. It’s just that I neglect to spend the time and write them down. This particular one has been around for a year or so, simmering in my spirit.

  I’m going to talk about visions. It seems that everyone has a vision these days. I’m not particularly talking about dreams and angels floating through your bedroom. The visions that I’m writing of are the ones that people or groups set as goals to accomplish.

   Given my almost fifty years of walking this life, I have accumulated a small amount of wisdom. It seems that most of it has come from my dumb mistakes and the more dumb ones seem to produce more wisdom. But as the Scripture says, if we’ll ask He will give it.

     Two observations that I’ve made on visions are: firstly, visions are good for people and secondly, people tend to expand them. What I’m talking about is this. Let’s suppose that a church gets a vision for a new building. Their present one seats around one hundred people and it is full most of the time. Everyone begins to pray, at the pastor’s request, and seek God on what to do. Generally, a decision is made to build a new building and make room for the church to grow. Up until this point the church is seeking God and asking particulars like “how many people do we want it to hold” and “how much money are we going to spend”.

      Let’s suppose that the number two hundred is arrived at and $250,000 will be spent. The funding begins and building permits are acquired. And then it happens - the expanding vision. As money begins to come in, some get the notion that they can do “more” than that. It might be a larger sanctuary or an additional room. Perhaps they decide to build a parking deck or some other building that was not in the original vision. Without fail, they will always make a mistake.

     In my years, I have seen people go beyond what the Lord has shown them, possibly believing the old adage that “if some is good, more is better”. They always do things that are not sanctioned by God when they do this.

A few years ago our family read “The Plain Reader” by Scott Savage. We read night after night and discovered that he had set a goal for his magazine “Plain” to get publication up to a certain number. When he reached that goal, he stopped. The demand for the magazine was high and mind you, he could have hired more employees, bought more equipment and invested more money to continue his business. But wisely, that was not his goal. Another story was of some Amish dairymen who had an opportunity to expand and get really big commercially with their operation. They chose to remain where they were as it was the original vision. They did very well.

A failing logic of humanity is “Success breeds success”.  We hear this all the time.  I say that it is false because it is not consistently accurate.  When the Lord places a vision upon our hearts, He does so with a specific purpose in mind.  He has a work for us to do and He has provided, in the spirit, all that we need to do accomplish that vision.  So as we step out in faith to follow the vision and do the work we begin to see it succeed.  Why?   Because it was planned and orchestrated by Almighty God.  It must succeed.  And then we add in our part. As I said before “if some is good, more is better”.

We see this repeatedly in scripture – Isaac was the vision, Ishmael was the human addition.  Almighty God as Lord and King was the vision, Saul was the human addition.  A sling and stones was the vision, armor and weaponry was the human addition.  To wash Peter’s feet was the Lord’s desire, Peter’s head and hands also was the human addition.  The point is that the human addition is sin and it is where disaster always strikes. 

   If we truly have a vision of something to accomplish and we feel in our hearts that we’ve heard from the Lord, we should remain at that even if we reach it quickly. The Lord knows the future and what we can and cannot do. He knows when enough is enough. We should really listen to what the Spirit has said to us when we have asked for the answer. The answer will not change!

What Current Carries You?

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:24

First of all I want to say that it strikes me funny the ways that God finds to reveal something to my heart. Let me explain….

This afternoon, when we had all finished dinner, I went out to the deck and jumped in the pool. It’s a small, round, above ground pool that we bought several years ago. It’s only about 4 feet deep but it is a welcome relief after a long and hot Alabama summer day.

I love to swim, but you can’t really swim straight in a round pool with a diameter of about 16 feet! So the alternative is to just swim in circles along the sides, but this does cause a side affect. After doing that for any length of time, it starts to build a strong current in the direction you’re swimming.

So I started swimming. Round and round I went in the direction I had chosen until I had built a current up without even noticing. I guess I must have just been lost in thought because I did not realize that I wasn’t even swimming any more! The current that I had created around me while swimming, was now actually carrying me around the pool on the path I had begun. (Do you see where I am going yet? Okay stay with me…)

When I realized the strength of this growing current I had created, I decided it was time to make a change.  The first thing that you would think to do would be to turn and go the other way, right? So I turned and began to swim in the opposite direction. I tried to swim and push through, but that current was so strong that I was swept back and hit the ladder behind me!  (Did I ever feel silly! It’s only 4 feet deep!)

Okay now to the point on this article, and this is what I mean about the way God chooses to show me things.

As I sat up on the ladder waiting for the current to die a little and my back to stop hurting from that collision with the ladder, He revealed to my heart that we build currents like this in our lives. Every life functions in a current that we create. As Christians, however, we are to strive in the direction of holiness and Godliness. When we first begin our personal walk with the Lord, our “currents” are very weak but they grow stronger and stronger as we grow in our faith and understanding. Then, just as my current did for me, when we go through times that we are weak and need rest, if our currents are strong enough, that force of faith and spiritual strength will carry us through. If we do not strive and build that strength in our selves, we will never find rest. Our lives will be a constant struggle because we never spent the time to create a substantial “current”.

On the other hand, the world “swims” towards whatever is pleasing and will satisfy their fleshly wants. This current, however, is built up of sin and the feeding of the flesh. The more sin and evil that you consume, the stronger it grows. The difference is in who we build and create our currents in. As followers of Christ, we build on Our Heavenly Father and allow him to have complete control of our lives. But when we build on sin and our own understanding, when that current grows so fierce and strong, it literally drags us on until we are swept under and consumed.

We do have a chance to escape this fate though. But even with every ounce of strength that you possess, it is not enough to break past that force that your past created.

Only by accepting the grace that God bestows and the hand which He offers to truly repentant hearts, will you ever be able to be free from the old current and create the new.

We must ask ourselves... which current carries us? Is your life built on the desires of your flesh? Or is God in control of the direction your swimming?

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.. Amos 5:24

But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Isaiah 57:20

...Sarah

Too Much Of A Good Thing

(This story was written last fall.)

      As many of my stories say, we hear the voice of God through our farm activities. It’s as if He intended us to till the soil so that we could fully understand. If we look back to Genesis and the fall of man, we will see an amazing statement from the Lord. In chapter 3 verse 17 He stated a curse toward man. The curse was that the ground would bring forth thorns and thistles and that we would work it in sorrow.

    But what I looked at was the statement “for your sake”. Think about someone doing something for your sake! I have looked through the Word and compared that phrase “your sake”. It always means for someone’s final outcome to be favorable. It’s never a punishment but rather a discipline!

   Well, getting back to my story, Angie and I have had some garden problems of late that God has really taught us with. Over the last month we’ve had a tremendous amount of rain. There were two hurricanes that came in the Gulf and right up through our area. During that time it was so wet we couldn’t get in the garden to work it. So last weekend we finally got down there and dealt with the mess. The grass was waist deep between the rows. The tomatoes had died back from viruses that the constant moisture had brought. An entire row of sunflowers were lost.

    After we’d been there about an hour, Angie said, “You know, this is all a result of too much blessing.” “How’s that?” I asked. “Well, the rain and sunshine were blessings from God that we’d prayed for. Only the garden had received too much!” Once again, a sermon was preached on our farm.

   We both began to discuss people’s lives as examples to see if the thought was true. We talked of children who had received all good things and never had time for the tilling in their lives. As we went through these examples, we both realized that all good with no cost makes us all overgrown gardens. Just think of examples of people that you know! Perhaps you, yourself?

   If we get nothing but the finest food, snacks and drink nothing but the best fluids for our bodies and yet never have exercise, we will end up in poor health. A garden that receives the best fertilizer and soil and gets plenty of rain and sunshine will be overgrown with weeds.

   I found an interesting scripture the other day in the Old Testament. It says that the Lord would only allow Israel to overcome the enemy little by little or else the wild animals would overtake them. Ex 23:29-30 -Wow! That’s amazing, isn’t it? In fact, God’s Word is full of examples of taking little and working with it slowly.

   We live in an instant society. It’s microwave cooking, electric toothbrushes, power tools, fast cars and food. Folks want quick money, fast weight loss, and instant success. No one wants to work and be patient anymore. That is God’s way. His way is slow and perfect.  We are impatient by nature. God is trying to tell us something here.

    So don’t let your garden get out of control. Work the soil, whatever it is. Don’t worry if the blessings aren’t as numerous as you’d like. Our Lord gives good gifts to His children, and in the right amounts. It’s for your sake!

The Moral of the Story

     I’d like to tell you a little story. It is not unlike one of those that your mother read to you when you were young. Just like her, I’m going to tell you that it has a moral.

    There once was a war going on between two armies. It was fierce and had lasted for many, many years. It was not likely that this war would end anytime soon. Both sides were trenched in to stay whatever time it took to be victorious. Both sides had determined to win at any cost.

The soldiers on each side were highly trained and amply supplied. They were provided with equipment and ammunition to do what soldiers must do to win. Their training provided them the knowledge to stay alive and to succeed in their duty. They were also equipped with special body armor to keep the enemy from penetrating and mortally wounding them. Each knew who the enemy was. At least they had been trained in boot camp and given a special manual to identify them. But that is where the problem began.

  It seems that one of the two armies began to have difficulty in determining just who the bad guy was. The problem was quickly seen by the commanding officers as a tremendous weapon of the other side. It had reached critical stages by the time that it had been diagnosed. A special task force was formed to see what must be done in defense. It was even given a code name to represent the problem. It was called PRIDE.

   You see, the soldiers of one army had been given everything that they needed to recognize the enemy and his tactics. But this tactic of the enemy kept blinding every soldier it touched. It was one of the most effective secret weapons of the other side. And it could strike at any second after lying dormant for years.

  The problem was documented again and again for years without decline. In one case study, two soldiers were passing through a mine field. One of the two had let up his guard and had felt he had mastered the mine detector that he held. One day, his comrade noticed that he was walking directly onto a mine. He had clearly spotted it as he had actually been hit himself in the same spot some time back. He called out to his friend and warned him of impending disaster. Immediately, the enemy’s weapon was launched and the second soldier was hit with it. He replied back that he didn’t need any help locating these mines. He was, after all, an expert with a mine locator and was doing just fine passing through the course that he had chosen. He had successfully passed through for many years in this mine field.

   But it was too late. The enemy had not only succeeded in blinding the soldier with the secret weapon. He had a carefully placed mine that was, just as predicted by his friend, in his path. The impact of the two weapons, used in a one-two punch was devastating.

 In another story that was documented repeatedly, soldiers began to shoot each other in the back after the secret weapon was launched. It seems that they had decided that a soldier that had fallen must surely be the enemy. In their minds, true soldiers would surely never fall on the battlefield. To their eyes, a fallen soldier must surely be a double agent and working for the other side. It was even noted that actual squads formed to hunt out this kind. A sort of witch-hunt went on, contrary to the Commanding Officer. This blinding of their eyes seemed to be one symptom that the enemy’s weapon had done it’s work.

   But it was not the only way that the weapon worked. It also blinded the minds of the soldiers. In a final category of documentation, there was the confusion as to exactly what the mission was in this war. After all, it had started so many decades ago that the ultimate objective was somehow lost. Soldiers began to start thinking of their jobs as a profession and that the enemy was actually good in the sense that he kept their business going. Instead of helping their brothers in arms do better on the battlefield, they saw them as competition and actually took the enemies side. They used every means necessary to talk about them including two way radios, email and other forms of modern communication.

   The logic was that if you made others look smaller it would make you look larger, thus increasing your firepower in this war. This seemed to be a weapon of the good side but was in fact a scheme of the enemy to let his opponent dispense his weapon, saving him the trouble. It seemed that once it started in this way, it was very hard to stop. This form of it affected many more soldiers with a single strike so it was much more efficient for the enemy to use. It was a lot like a hot potato that was thrown into a foxhole. No one threw it out. They just kept passing it around.

   “There must be some way to stop this”, said the Captain. “It seems to penetrate every form of defense we have. Why, the soldiers actually allow it to come into their camps and share it like it’s something that is good.” But the only way found to defend against it was already documented in the Manual given at boot camp.

  Now, you’ve probably read this far and have seen exactly what is going on. We have an enemy who uses wily methods and schemes like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We have been given what we need to identify pride, which is the secret weapon in the story. But what you may not have seen is that it has worked on all of us to blind us to problems.

   Who among us has not been given a cautious warning from a friend, only to get our feathers ruffled and mad at the insinuation? How dare they? Even if the message was given in total love, it can be received in a prideful heart. This is also awkward to be in the messenger’s role. There is nothing more frustrating than being misunderstood. But I’ve been there, and keeping silent would have only been sin for me. Ezekiel 3:17-21

What we often don’t realize is that those who truly love us often have the best insight to see deeper problems in our lives. We attack back and since we know them equally well, we feel the need to counterattack with their “sins”. After all, they are just hypocrites to show you your problems when they have their own, aren’t they? If we are wise we will see that our true friends are the best observers to “watch our backs”. In fact, I think that the Lord meant for it to be that way. It’s called accountability. In Proverbs 27:6 it says that a friend’s wounds are faithful whereas an enemy’s kisses are deceitful.

   The other way pride works is that we begin to believe that we are no longer sinful and in need of a Savior. We have been mature for so many years that we have forgotten that we still fall. We are professional soldiers. In doing so, we will surely fall every time. Proverbs 16:18–we will miss seeing the forest because of all the trees that are in the way.

And finally, we see pride in the gossip that is passed around. I mean, isn’t that really pride? Often the “prayer chain” is the most powerful method to pass around a little gossip inside the church. Instead of going to the Father with the problem, we go to someone who turns out to be the greatest talebearer of the county. It’s like a wildfire out of control. Then it is too late. Be careful who you share problems with.

  Yes, pride is a blinding thing. Often we don’t see that it is in us until we have felt its sting. We are on the same side, my Brother. None of us will make it alone. We need each other, you and I. You watch my back and I’ll watch yours! No one fights alone.

In Christ -  Paul