Believer, it really isn’t worth your allegiance ever! Married couple, it ain't worth it for you, for your family.
A marriage committed to any idol -- i.e., worship of materialism, or towards each other, having your loved one first is no good.. or to the American dream i.e., living for that big home, or property, or towards a career, a hobby, money, drinks or drugs, or towards some lover etc.
Listen, it won't be fulfilling for you!
Idolatry will never satisfy you or glorify God!
Think about it. God has much better things for you. He never created you so that your life will be built on shifting sand.
No need for the destruction from one or two storms of life! Don't build your house on the sand.
And he never thought up.. invented marriage so that it’ll be built on shifting sand. Build your life upon the rock, Christ Jesus instead.
He wants you, all of you, all of her. Yes, God wants your spouse too ..to build her life on the Rock. Build your life upon Christ that trustworthy solid Rock.
Why does he want this firm foundation for us, your life built on his word? To properly establish and bless our socks off. Yes to bless you, and to bless your kids too.
It’s so that married people can go the distance his way in righteousness. It’s so that families can too..go the distance with Jesus as Lord, and endure all the horrific storms of life. Let's face it, they'll show up the storms will. We've got to prepare and be ready in advance.
Sure even in our day storms arrive.
God wants to bring his people together in marriage when they can more glorify his Son together than apart. He does that to be glorified, so they will praise and exalt Christ wherever they go and work in harmony totally blessed together with His worldwide plan! His Great Commission is our mission.
I say.. Worship and witness for the Lord daily -- that's what a marriage is to be all about! Put him first.
Can I tell you of my parents Kim and Betty -- they will have been sober for more than 50 years (come this November 2020). They have served what many call drunks and druggies at AA in SoCal for a really long time now. Some have come to Christ and been freed.
And my parents have been married now for over sixty years to each other, wasn't always a cakewalk for em, but they can tell you that the idol of alcohol almost ripped them off completely.
Many let it reduce them to rags, poverty -- to the streets and filthy gutters. For many to stormy-destruction. But you, build your life upon the Rock -- the Christ Jesus of the Bible.
Repentance and biblical faith in Jesus -- those are such good things for us all. Saving faith is the best kind of faith and regeneration is still God's greatest miracle he does!
Grateful for my parents. God gets the credit -- all the glory for my parents and for me too. I remember repenting of my own party life in the Spring of '77. And I remember praying for them daily.
I remember witnessing to my dad in late 70s too, and then he turned and trusted Christ at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (they played the movie Distant Thunder and Jimmy Kempner gave a simple Bible altar call). Dad responded to Christ there. And Christ has continued to help him to this very day, even with some loss of memory (they are in their mid 80s now).
I feel so SO grateful for Jesus’, so merciful and gracious is he! Still is.
I remember how the children of Israel would have severe problems; getting judged by the Lord for their disobedience. You remember too right? ..how they would then turn and cry out to God in sincere prayer. And then God would deliver them and bless them once again. But after a while they would forget him or overly focus on their blessings. They’d forget God and worship idols (life from other nations around them) all over again, thus bringing upon themselves God’s judgement again? Why don’t we believers learn so well? That was truly a viscous cycle for them!
We all need to remind.. yes, and to remember that Old Testament Israelite Bible pattern to learn from: God delights to blessed his people. Always has -- he loves us. They gradually.. slowly they would grow distracted and proud. They went off into idolatry, and then God allowed the pain to come their way often via enemies. His judgement can get our attention if we’re still living. So the Jews prayed, yes, they humbly prayed earnestly some more.
They humbled themself worshiping God only. It’s only right. So God delivered them, God blessed them. History shows us how it all repeated, but we today can learn.
Questions for ya. Do you need his deliverance today?
Have you humbly prayed to him in Jesus’ name (that’s his Son)?
Was it always idols connected to that pain?.. is it that way for us believers.. or just trials to get our attention again.
Trials allowed to keep us from getting proud and hardhearted, and sinful. Allowed to keep us from going off into full tilt idolatry?
What idols take up your heart’s love, your attention and your time today? What do you think about most, do most gladly, and talk about the most?
Felt ticked before at God or man? I have. Yeah, I have felt mad at God at times for allowing such pain and loss -- how could he allow such unfair treatment to us (towards my sweet wife Liney and I) this getting ripped off over and over again? Not always, but it’s happened.
Storms happen here. Like with people's career, with a church ministry, with home and some kids etc.
My wife has had some trials at her work before.
The expectations of future blessings for Liney were long built up in her mind by lame middle management where she worked so hard. They let her down where top management (that were very busy and so blind to what middle managers did to discourage workers of all departments there) for years said she was the very best worker in her department. That's how it goes for sold out Christians in many workplaces in this fallen world. They often get passed over, and ill treated. Forgive them and walk with Jesus.
Sure, we’ve had a whole lot of blessings mixed in with trails..with people burning us for years, but that's part of kinda normal Christianity for us Christians until the Rapture. Sometimes there are wise things you can do, and at others times.. not so much.
Check it out in history.
Religious people in the world and lost kids of the world have caused problems for many.. and they often will burn Christians over and over again today too. Sinners sin cuz they're sinners -- it's their nature to. All need a new nature inside.
You can't expect (as you have perhaps done before..) that things will always go good, favorable or fairly for you here, believer.
Think about the early Church believers and how they were burned. It happened. It’s been happening in our day as well.
They didn't expect to get treated any better than they were treated by the lost people of back of that day.
I’m blessed. I know I certainly don't deserve my dear wife, my decent parents for so many years of my life, my sweet grandkids, my nice house, or my income. God keeps blessing me with far more than I deserve. Felt ticked.. felt mad at God at times though, I admit it (have even to him).. for allowing so many trails.
So much pain and unfair treatment from religious and arrogant people towards us, but now I thank and praise you Jesus. What you do is for a purpose. Help us all remain faithful to you.
I had to repent and see him as he really is. Loyal, kind and good.
Wanna remember...
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].”
At the heart of Saul’s revenge, bitterness and anger (his spiritually depraved condition) was foolish, close friends, a strange spirit to oppress him (due to his rejecting the Lord’s authority) and the fact that something that was valuable to him was lost.. or yes taken away.
His position of power meant more to him than righteousness. He lived for the applause of the masses, but they were singing their love songs to David?
Have you lost something too? Has something been taken away from you—a dream, personal investments, possessions, the physical health and beauty of youth, a cherished relationship, a career, a ministry?
Long ago, I was going to marry this one girl but she bailed for more money and a red sports car offered from her adulterer dad who wanted her to ditch me and stay in college. He pressured her. Now I praise God for that -- God knew better for me, what I really needed.
I was all ready to go be a missionary after 12 years of preparation, but then all my raised support fell through due to more than one TV evangelist scandal that broke.
Liney and I were paid real well working in and pastoring in an another..a second 11,000 member Dallas mega-church, but then I taught the Bible truth that no real Christian could have a demon inside him/her and we were then fired because others there believed otherwise. It was at least a two year trail for us. We were isolated, pressured, harassed, but stayed loyal to God and his Essentials.
Have you ever been ousted for telling the truth or due to cruel, political nepotism? Do you ask yourself:
How could a God who really loves me allow bad things to happen in my life -- how could he allow this to happen? In the 70s how could he take something away from me that was so very dear to me? Was it due to some of my own foolish choices as well?
Did I unwittingly make an idol out of my Christian soon to be wife? Not sure. I mean that brought back the loneliness of my singleness. We live in a sin-cursed world. Adam and Eve fell in the garden and this has impacted us who have also sinned. All of creation here has suffered cuz of our falling. Our sins put Jesus up on that Cross. You know he’s 100% alive and can help us today. Live forgiven and idol-free. Ask.
May I ask you? What has God allowed in into your life, believer? Blessings, or challenges. cancer, or a time of poverty, or a rejection, or a job loss? Lost people have troubles that world against them, but we Christians experience trails the whole way through.. that work for us as we turn to Jesus in them. Romans 8-28-29 is still in the Bible.
Hey Christian, we all sin though we try our best to avoid sinning. The lost, don’t avoid it all, but Jesus can forgive any of us. We all need him.
Was it due to my sin that removed the blessings? Whatever it was? May I ask you: Do you love God most, worship him only.. or serve him for what He can give to you—you know.. more blessings?
Please carry an optimistic, pure, upbeat spirit in his Holy Spirit, regardless of the trials, loss, or pains. Regardless of how challenging the circumstances of life now are for you. I cannot explain it, but that makes real success more certain as you pray, seek, worship and remain faithful to Jesus Christ.
Stay more focused on the Blesser rather than on his blessings or on the distractions of life. No time for distractions, hard hearts, idols or lame excuses.
Trials come to test us, will you pass the exam? In school the teacher often remains silent during testing time.
God wants to know the answer to that question? Who or what do you really live for at this time? What’s your idol. What do you currently prioritize ahead of your heavenly Father, his Spirit and Christ Jesus your Lord?
Then why aren't you regularly in a decent, healthy, Bible teaching Christ-honoring-church? Why haven’t you sought for one, for fellowship’s sake? Until you found one? Or have you?
What’s your master-passion in life? Only Jesus can fill up that empty void so to speak inside your heart. Nothing else satisfies us.
Live for the Blesser rather than for His good blessings! Good things can become bad for us if we put them before the best thing -- that relationship with God through Christ.
Are you like.. Have you been acting like Saul or like David who lost a whole lot while on the run from that creepy religious murderer of a leader that he used to look up to?
Will you backslide after the pain of rejection..or after suffering the loss of something or of someone you just love?
Can you say like Job:
Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the holy One because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son. Give thanks from the heart.
Let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord has done for me.. for us.
Give and take away.. yep, he gives and takes away what is in the way. He meets needs and yet that’s what life seem
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Go on with God, move forward in his Spirit. Yes, walk in close fellowship with Christ ..and with spiritual Christians as close friends.. in connection with a healthy Bible teaching, soul-winning church that is led by a spiritually mature born again pastor with the right doctrine (keeping the main things the main things) and with a right spirit. You know a pastor with a shepherd’s heart -- one who consistently practices what he preaches the word!
"To see Your lovely face
Ever before my eyes,
This is my prayer,
Make it my strong desire.
That in my secret heart
no rival love competes,
Yes, no rival throne survives,
And I serve only You."
(Sung on Sundays by my pastor Chuck Smith Sr.)
Ask God to use you again. He will. You watch, you wait, you’ll see. His great love for you hasn’t at all dissipated or gone away.
“We say little about the idols but hold up Christ crucified. He will draw them away from these vanities… Oh that we may walk humbly before Him, for we have never seen His power on this wise before.”
I remember seeing Keith Green say: Do you know who the Christian idols are? I happen to be one of them. So is Andrae Crouch, Evie and B.J. Thomas. You can even idolize your pastor. They don’t want to be idolized, they never asked for it. Remember that applause you gave me when I walked out? I didn’t hear you applaud the Lord like that anytime today.. We’re more excited about a Second Chapter of Acts concert than we are about the Second Coming! SIN!”
Remember the "Show Me the Way Lyrics" by that band called Styx?
Billy Graham used this song to win some sinners: "Every night I say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven
And every day I’m more confused as the saints turn into sinners
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to idols of clay
And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I’ve lost my faith."
We kids are so loved. We have loving chastisement some, trails and discipline too.. from our caring Father. Think it not strange. We were born to live free.
