you’re invited

Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.”

- Luke 5:32 (MSG)

 

I’m not usually a “Message translation” kind of person.
I looked up how the Message translation came about and was interested to find that it was written between 1993 to 2002 as a desire of the author to engage his congregation in the Word of God in a way that would make its relevancy obvious in their lives, (Christian Book Distributors)  combining the authority of God’s Word with the cadence and energy of conversational English.  (NavPress).
I mean, that seems pretty normal, right? 
How many novels have been translated from French to English (Les Misérables), how many songs have been translated from German to English (Silent Night)?  
People say that everything loses something in translation and sometimes they are right.
People say that different translations of the Bible are sprinkled with human opinion instead of being the true word of God.

Here is an invitation for you: read any translation of the Bible – you pick the translation – and when you finish, tell me that your life is not changed.
Jesus didn’t come to visit the healthy, He came to heal the sick.

Jesus came to redeem the enslaved, find the lost, mend the broken, and reclaim the sinner.

Your soul will thank you.

 

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changing the world

Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought to do.

- 2 Timothy 4:5 (TLB)

 

Those who know me well know that I belong to a motorcycle ministry called Christian Motorcyclists Association.
Our motto is “Changing the world, one heart at a time”. 
I have seen it happen. 
Our chapter has been in public on more than one occasion when someone has approached us, asking for prayer.
We have been on a ride and pulled off to the side of the road to check on our riders and had people in a vehicle stop with us because they knew they would be safe.

The New King James Version translation of this verse is But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

This is what we do.
We aren’t afraid to suffer or endure afflictions because we know that God is putting us in the right place at the right time so we can share His love.
Not just His word, but His love. 
We may not have said one thing about God to the people in the vehicle, but they knew they were safe.
We fulfill our ministry by telling people about our God, by showing people the wonderful things He can do, and by living everyday for Him.
   

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what to wear

Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

- Luke 12:23 (NKJV)

 

It’s Halloween weekend, some of my readers are going to stop right there because they don’t “celebrate” Halloween.
I understand. 

For many, Halloween is a pagan celebration filled with evil.
Did you know that Halloween was originally known as Samhain, an ancient festival created by the Celts in Northern Europe, and translated in modern Irish, “Samhain” means “summer’s end”.
Throughout the centuries, different cultures adopted various elements of Samhain, including sacrifice, costumes, and celebrating the lives of the dead.
Hang on, we celebrate the lives of the dead on Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and a handful of other holidays.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that no matter how you dress it, the body is more than clothing.
We are trying so hard to be a culture of acceptance, but we forgot that we were first accepted by God.

Perhaps I chose the wrong verse or perhaps I am interpreting it wrong (that has happened, I am not above admitting that I am wrong).
But when we look beyond what we are wearing and understand that underneath the layers we are all children of God, and He loves us enough to tell us multiple times that it doesn’t matter how rich we are, how much we have, or how we dress.
What matters is that we put Him first, we live according to scripture, and we tell others about Him.

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we are diamonds

I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.

- Isaiah 45:3 (NKJV)

 

Did you know that some of the most precious jewels are made in the earth.

Depending on the minerals that are present and the climate surrounding the area, you might find a sparkling diamond, a deep red ruby or a shockingly blue sapphire.

But you have to dig deep in the layers of the earth, hidden in the darkness to find the jewels.

Sometimes we have to  dig deep into ourselves to find what is precious.

How often are you faced with a challenge that you just don’t think that you can get through, and you come out on the other side refined and beautiful?

The struggles are real, the pain we go through is not easy, but hang in there!

God knows our layers.

Hawk Nelson released a song called Diamonds in 2015:
Here and now I'm in the fire in above my head

Being held under the pressure don't know what'll be left

But it's here in the ashes

I'm finding treasure

He's making diamonds, diamonds

Making diamonds out of dust

He is refining and in His timing

He's making diamonds out of us

I'll surrender to the power of being crushed by love

Till the beauty that was hidden isn't covered up

Oh it's not what I hoped for

It's something much better

He's making diamonds, diamonds

Making diamonds out of dust

He is refining and in His timing

He's making diamonds out of us

Oh the joy of the Lord

It will be my strength

When the pressure is on

He's making diamonds

Today I am thankful for the hidden treasures that God has given me.
I am thankful to be a diamond.

 

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no argument here

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’

- Isaiah 45:9 (NLT)

 

I can remember being very annoyed and angry whenever I would ask my mother “why” and she would respond “because I said so”. 
I swore I would never do that to my kids. 

Guess what?

I said it too.

Sadly, many times when she said “because I said so” she was right about whatever it was that I was questioning.
Why do we ask why all the time? 
Why do we question those who obviously know better than us? 
It isn’t always a bad thing to ask why, just remember that sometimes (often) the person that we are asking “why” knows better than we do.

 

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listen

Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

- Psalm 116:2 (NKJV)

 

I think that it is fair to say that we have all felt like we are talking to a wall at some point in our lives.
Whether we are kids trying to explain our point of view to our parents, or parents trying to keep our kids on the right path, even sometimes at work when we defend our opinion on how a situation is handled, sometimes it feels like our words mean nothing.
God hears us. 

He listens.
We are never talking to a wall when we bring everything to God. 
How lucky are we that God is always there when we need him?

 

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it’s all good

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

- Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)

 

It’s all good.

We hear that a lot, don’t we?

I do want to point out the New King James version of this same verse: And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
I like the New Living translation for the “problems and trials” but “perseverance” is huge, and it is not a synonym for “endurance”.

OK – back to the verse.
It is all good. 
We really go through some craziness in this life, but somehow, it all works out, we keep going.
Everything we go through that threatens to take us down, God is going to work something good out of it.
No, I don’t always understand it. 
What “good” can come out of someone dying? 
What “good” can come out of losing a job, a home, a marriage? 
I don’t have the answer, but I do know that if we hang in there and trust God, we will find out.
And as we hang in there, we learn things like patience, character, and above all, hope.
Without hope, we have nothing.

 

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really, it’s ok

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

- Romans 5:6 (NKJV)

 

When someone asks “hello, how are you?”, the natural response is “fine” or “good” or “ok”.

But what if you are not fine, good, or ok?

Many of us struggle with depression, whether it is short term or long term, it is there.

It is OK to not be OK.
Josh Wilson released his song “OK” in 2018:

Shame says you've gone too far this time

Shame says you've finally crossed the line

Shame says you have to hide away

But shame is shattered by amazing grace

So come just as you are

Bring your broken heart

Your secrets and your scars

You were never meant to carry all this weight

Let your walls come down

And let the tears fall out

And know that Jesus loves you just the same

It's ok not to be ok

It's ok not to be ok

This, this is where the healing starts

This is where the light can crush the dark

Here, inside your pain, inside your doubts

Here is where He's gonna meet you now

Several other artists have released music that gives a similar message – it is OK if you aren’t OK – the recurring message is that you aren’t alone.

Whenever you feel unloved, unimportant, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.

You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you.

 

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offensive truth

I know very well how foolish it sounds to those who are lost, when they hear that Jesus died to save them. But we who are saved recognize this message as the very power of God.

- 1 Corinthians 1:18 (TLB)

 

Let's face it, the Gospel is offensive and tasteless to some.

I can understand that.

I can find a lot of verses in the Bible that are harsh, it is very clear that we are all sinners, every single one of us.

I know there are a lot of people that don’t believe, but those of us who do, those of us who have seen His work, we know His power.

The beauty of the Gospel is that we are FORGIVEN.

That is right, forgiven.

There is nothing that you can do that God won’t forgive, but the caveat is that you must come to Him, you must repent, and you can’t keep living life the way you have.

God’s power is amazing, talk to me about faith, it might change your life and your heart.

 

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the time is now

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

- Psalm 95:6 (NKJV)

 

It’s an open invitation, you know.
God is always ready to hear us, no matter what is on our mind. 
We can be sad and alone, crying out to Him for help, or we can be overjoyed and thanking Him for the blessings.
Brian Doerksen released a song in 2008 called Come, Now is the Time to Worship, it is a very simple song, but it speaks volumes:
Come, now is the time to worship

Come, now is the time

To give your heart

Come, just as you are to worship

Come, just as you are

Before your God

Come

One day every

Tongue will confess

You are God

One day every knee will bow

Still the greatest treasure

Remains for those

Who gladly choose You now

We should never stop thanking God for who He is and what He does.
Did you wake up this morning? Thank Him. 
Did you have breakfast? Thank Him.
Did you get to work? Thank Him.

I could go on, but you get it.

Thank Him.

 

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all the noise

I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I do not have love, it will sound like noisy brass.

- 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NLV)

 

As I have become older, I am a lot more sensitive to noise than when I was younger.
Concerts are loud, one comes to accept that, but when you are in an office or a store or anywhere in public the loudness can be overwhelming.

Listening to others speak can open our eyes in ways that we couldn’t imagine, are they speaking from a place of love, or do they have anger and hate in their heart?
I find it interesting to listen to politicians, you can tell the ones that are reading a pre-scripted speech from the ones who are passionate about the topic on which they are speaking.
Sometimes I overhear parents talking to, yelling at, or disciplining their children in the store, you can tell when a momma is at the end of her rope but still loves her children dearly, and you can tell when the parents see their children as an obligation.
And the children can tell too. 
When you speak, are your words coming from a place of love, or are you just making a loud noise?
 

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no favoritism

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

- Acts 10:34-36 (NLT)

 

I often tell my kids that they are my favorite.
I have my favorite youngest son, my favorite middle son, and my favorite oldest son.
They often remind me that they are the only youngest, middle, and oldest, and there is that, but it is nice for them to know sometimes that they are a favorite.

Israel was often considered the favorite of God’s children.  

But as Peter pointed out in the book of Acts, God doesn’t have favorites.
God loves you, no matter who you are and what you believe, you are His child and God loves all His children.
He only asks that you return that love by doing what is right and living according to His guidance.

That’s not so hard to do, is it?

 

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don’t hide

No one can hide from God. His eyes see everything we do. We must give an answer to God for what we have done.

- Hebrews 4:13 (NLV)

 

Did y’all notice that it is Friday the 13th?

I sure did because it’s one of my favorite days.

Come on, for real, there is nothing anywhere that proves that Friday the 13th is unlucky.

Many think that the reason for the number 13's bad luck comes from the Bible!

Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is thought to have been the 13th guest to sit down to the Last Supper.

There is even a word for it: paraskevidekatriaphobia.

So, if you have paraskevidekatriaphobia, go ahead and stay in bed today, hide under the covers or in the closet.

But know this – you can’t hide from God.

God is always with you, and He is bigger than your fear.

We also need to know that we can’t hide our sin from God.
We might be able to lie, cheat or steal from our friends and family, but God sees everything.
We might never get caught by those we have wronged, but we all have to answer to God.
Don’t be afraid of Friday the 13^th, it’s just a day, let your faith be bigger than your fear.
Don’t spend your life trying to hide, but instead be open and honest with everyone, especially God.

 

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all in all

The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

- Exodus 15:2 (NKJV)

 

Sometimes I feel like giving up.
Pressure from work, family, the extra things I take on can be completely overwhelming.
I feel weak, tired, and just running on empty. 
Dennis Jernigan wrote a song in 1989 called All in All: 
You are my strength when I am weak

You are the treasure that I seek

You are my all in all

I'm seeking You like a precious jewel

Lord, to give up I'd be a fool

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God

Holy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God

Holy is Your name

Taking my cross my sin my shame

Raising again I praise Your name

You are my all in all

When I fall down You pick me up

When I run dry You fill my cup

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God

Holy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God

Holy is Your name
When we are at the point where we have nothing left, we should turn to God.  

He will pick us up and set us back on our feet, filling us when we are empty, giving us the strength we need to get through each challenge we face.
He is our All in All. 

 

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follow the leader

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

- Deuteronomy 13:4 (NKJV)

 

One of my favorite childhood games we played in school was “follow the leader”. 
The teacher would line us up and we would walk around the classroom, maybe sharpening a pencil, hugging a stuffed toy, putting a pin in a bulletin board.
We got to take turns being the leader, and the teacher would give us little hints on what we should lead our classmates to do.
It sounds like it was all fun and games, but in reality, this process was teaching us things!
We learned to put trash in the bin, to pick up piles of toys, to stack blocks, to be kind.
When we follow the Lord, we learn things too. 
We learn to love one another, to help each other, to respect those in authority. 
I think the word “fear” has a negative connotation though, fearing the Lord does not mean fear like a fear of clowns or spiders.
To fear God involves recognizing that He has the power to punish those who arrogantly disobey Him, yet He loves us enough to forgive us when we repent.

To fear God means that we stand in awe of Him, and that we honor Him in all we do.
Follow Him. You’ll learn a lot.  

 

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God only knows

 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

- Psalm 139:1 (NKJV)

 

There are so many times that we are going through a struggle, through pain, through heartache, that we feel like no one understands, God knows.
When we hurt so deeply that all we can do is cry, God knows. 
On the days that life is so overwhelming we can barely crawl out of bed, God knows.
God knows us, inside and out, our hopes, our fears, our pain, God knows. 
For King and Country released a song God Only Knows in 2019: 
Wide awake while the world is sound asleep and

Too afraid of what might show up while you're dreaming

Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you

Nobody, nobody would believe you

Every day you try to pick up all the pieces

All the memories, they somehow never leave you

Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you

Nobody, nobody would believe you

God only knows what you've been through

God only knows what they say about you

God only knows how it's killing you

But there's a kind of love that God only knows

God only knows what you've been through

God only knows what they say about you

But God only knows the real you

There's a kind of love that God only knows

There's a kind of love that

There's a kind of love

You keep a cover over every single secret

So afraid if someone saw them they would leave

But somebody, somebody, somebody sees you

Somebody, somebody will never leave you

God only knows what you've been through

...

For the lonely, for the ashamed

The misunderstood, and the ones to blame

What if we could start over?

We could start over

We could start over

Oh, for the lonely, for the ashamed

The misunderstood, and the ones to blame

What if we could start over?

We could start over

We could start over

'Cause there's a kind of love that God only knows

...

God only knows where to find you

God only knows how to break through

God only knows the real you

There's a kind of love that God only knows

...

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

The lyrics of this song just made me stop in my tracks, they hit home.

I could try to explain it, but For King and Country says it all in an interview:

"God Only Knows" is one of those songs that you know... there are inward songs that were written about specific circumstances, and you hope someone else resonates with them. This was a song looking out. There seems to be a lot of you saying this, you did this, how dare you. The song is a question mark of well, first of all, do we understand each other fully? Our histories, our family heritages, the struggles in life, the things that have been done to us that no one knows about. The shame that we carry. Some of it we've done to ourselves, that's self-sabotage. Some of it other people have done to us. You're just seeing a brief moment in time of that person. What if we pulled the lens back? Even if we did, there are some things that God does only know. We've got our shame, we've got our troubles, we've got our prejudice, we've got our judgements. God knows your heart and in turn, the flip of that is, God also carries this love that is sort of the superman of all love. We kind of are image bearers and so we emulate it, but it's just this wonderful superhuman love that if we lean into it'd be a beautiful thing. But so often we don't understand because we're stuck in a human variation of it.

God only knows.

We are not alone when we have God, and we may not understand what it is we are facing, but God knows.

God knows.

 

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how can you not

Then He will be like the light of morning at sunrise when there aren’t any clouds. He will be like the bright sun after rain that makes grass grow on the earth.

- 2 Samuel 23:4 (NIRV)

 

It’s a beautiful morning.
Even if it is not a beautiful morning where you are right now in this moment, look around and tell me how you can not believe in God.
I heard this song How Can You Not by Leanna Crawford for the first time this weekend:
I see the sun rise in the morning

And a million stars at night

I hear the birds, they can't stop singing hallelujah

I see His goodness when I fall down

And it's grace that picks me up

Every day, I can't stop singing hallelujah

How can you not see God

In every little thing, in every little moment?

How can you not feel loved?

How can you not? How can you not?

'Cause He's in the middle of

Every little thing and every little moment

How can you not see God?

How can you not? How can you not?

I see the sunset and I wonder

If He paints it just for me

Nobody else could make a world so beautiful

How could I question His love when it's everywhere I go

Wherever I look, I find another miracle

How can you not see God

In every little thing, in every little moment?

How can you not feel loved?

How can you not? How can you not?

'Cause He's in the middle of

Every little thing and every little moment

How can you not see God?

How can you not? How can you not?

Everything is evidence (ooh-ooh)

Showing me that You exist (oh-oh)

All creation singing hallelujah

Everything is evidence (oh, everything)

Showing me that You exist (He's God)

All creation singing hallelujah

How can you not see God

In every little thing, in every little moment?

How can you not feel loved? Hmm-mm

'Cause He's in the middle of

Every little thing and every little moment

How can you not see God?

How can you not? How can you not?

Oh, how can you not see God (everything is evidence)

In every little thing, in every little moment? (Showing me that You exist)

How can you not feel loved? (All creation singing)

How can you not? How can you not? (Hallelujah)

'Cause He's in the middle of (everything is evidence)

Every little thing and every little moment (showing me that You exist)

How can you not see God? (All creation singing)

How can you not? How can you not?

Whoa.
How can you not look at the face of a sleeping baby, human or animal, and not see God?
How can you look at a freshly bloomed flower and not see God? 

He is every where and in everything.

Like the song says, how can you not?

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shake it up

I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.

- Haggai 2:7 (NIV)

 

I believe that Jesus' return to earth will be the biggest event in human history, leaving no heart or mind unchanged.

Earlier this week I asked people if they were ready.
Are we? 
I think that we may be closer to the end times than we would like to be. 
It’s craziness out there, who should you listen to when the world starts shaking?

 

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