A WHOLE MAN

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that is Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.4- On Abortion The debate around abortion seems to be one that is unending, but when understood biblically, life begins upon conception (Job 10:8-12) and therefore should be both treasured and cared for. Additionally, regardless of how life was conceived whether it is between two consenting adults or a case where rape is involved, terminating life is always wrong and is murder of life (Gen ...

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that is Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.3- On Alcohol A growing area of ambiguity can be found on a Christian’s relationship with alcohol. Are there cases when drinking is prohibited and others when it is allowed? According to Scripture, drinking alcoholic beverages is not a sin and in some cases it is even spoken of in positive terms (Ecc 9:7; Ps 104:14-15; Amos 9:4; Isa 55:1; 1 Tim 5:23 [To name a few]). However, just because it is...

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors…” 2 Corinthians 5:20a (NIV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that are Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.2- On Sexuality We live in a time where sex is everywhere. We see it in our movies, hear it in our songs, drive past the billboards about them, and even get spam e-mails about it. The inundation of sex has been detrimental to our society by devaluing it and stigmatizing those who practice abstinence. However, this is not something that is new to our generation but rather has existed for many millennia. When addressing the view of Biblical sexuality it is important to de...

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” Proverbs 24:11 (NIV) In the last post, I briefly touched on the point of how the Word of God is relevant in all areas of our lives and that when we are faced with temptations of any kind at work, school, home, etc, we should firmly stand on the Word in order to overcome. I concluded by claiming that we should ask ourselves the question WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) to all areas of our lives as we live with a Christian Worldview.  WWJD.1- How did we get here? We have come a long way since the times of the early church yet the message of the Gospel has not changed in the slightest, the power of the Gospel has not diminished and the relevancy of it in our lives has not expired. The problem, as I see it, is the same mistake that Eve fell into when she “saw that the fruit of the tree was …desirable for gaining wisdom” (Gen 3:6). The problem was that her desire and love for God was turned away from Him ...

“If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.” Proverbs 24:10 (NASB) When faced with temptation, what is your reaction? When falling into temptation what is your response? Too long has this generation gone by thinking that they no longer need to heed the Word of God and as a preacher and teacher of His word I am held accountable for what I teach and do not teach. We must understand that the Word of God is still very relevant in our lives today as it was back then. It is useful in guiding our moral decisions and training us in righteousness so that we may be equipped to do God’s will (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is unfortunate that so many people have incorrectly made up their minds about God’s word in their lives that they refuse to heed advice or listen to correction when anyone tells them that the Word of God says differently. Walter Kaiser said it well in his book What Does the Lord Require Of Us? when he asked if "those excuses and realities pass the te...

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18 (NIV) Every once in a while we are all going to need help. I remember a night a few years ago when I was driving up to Dallas and got a flat tire. "A flat tire? No big deal," I thought for I had changed many a tire before. Unfortunately, on that night I did not have a tire iron, nor a jack. Having the spare tire served me no good if I did not have any way to change the tire. What made matters worse was that no one was willing to stop and help me out. I eventually had to call a tow truck to bring some tools to change the tire for me. Now imagine if I had called the towing service and instead of sending a truck, they prayed with me over the phone? What good would that have done? So many times, we see people around us that are in need of some help. Too often, a Christian brother or sister will say, "I will be praying for you." Now I am not saying that you sh...

"Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! 2 Take words with you and return to the Lord." Hosea 14:1-2a (NIV) I am sorry for all my readers for my abrupt absence. Recently I increased the number of responsibilities I have and have been neglecting posting anything up. It is not an excuse, but I will do a better job of sticking to my Monday postings (I know it is Tuesday). I recently preached on the passage above and I thought I would share some of my sermon notes to sort of ease myself back into the flow of blogging weekly devotionals. This verse is an important call for both the Israelites and us in modern times. We need to return to the Lord. In fact, if that is not a word for all mankind, I do not know what is. When you look around at all that that is going on in around the world, and even locally here in Houston (Bing "Annice Parker Subpoenas churches") I believe that this is a word that is necessary even more. Hosea tells the p...