Discernment never confuses:
Charisma for Godly;
Position for credible;
Expedient for eternal; or
Persuasive for truth.
Author: Plumbline Faith
Simple Truths from a Lifetime of Service to the King of Kings
Sometimes, facts are not important to others …
Until you first acknowledge their pain.
Why is it that those who consistently fail at establishing any real vocation, fail at being part of a functional local church, and fail overall at life in general …
Seem most inclined these days to promote themselves as “apostles,” apostolic “workers” or some such nonsense …
Where they only succeed at reproducing their failures in others?
When you begin to grasp God’s majesty and omnipotence …
You can’t help but live a life of reverence and gratitude.
Spiritual warfare is not waged in a prayer closet …
But by going forth to assault the gates of Hell.
The prayer closet is simply where we get our marching orders.
God heard the cries of His people …
And humbled the proud and haughty.
Now the real work begins.
Let’s be worthy of His mercy.
When your ministry becomes your source of validation …
It truly is “your” ministry.
Don’t confuse God’s grace with His delight.
You can experience His grace, which is unmerited …
But then miss His delight, which comes from doing His will and obeying His commands.
If you doubt this, just do a quick online word search for “delight” in any good Bible translation.
Those who deny this distinction with their hyper-grace teachings …
Know neither the authentic God of Scripture nor His authentic joy.
When faith is reduced to little more than personal piety, then of course our politics are reduced to personal angst …
Because both are all about us rather than the Sovereign Lord of all.
No matter what happens at the polls, it’s not too late:
Learn His ways;
Repent of making it all about our own wants, needs and fears; and
Pledge to never again be embarrassed by candidates who so mockingly reflect our own poverty of spirit.
Until we get to the end of ourselves …
We’re not much good for the Kingdom of God.
What we mean by “worship” today seems to have become a distraction …
From what God means by “worship” in the New Testament.
In the original language of the New Testament, the Greek words translated “worship” mean a lifestyle of Godly sacrificial obedience and reverence …
Not music or musical performances designed to press our feel-good buttons.
In fact, there’s not a single use of those Greek words in the New Testament, or in the context of the common vernacular of the day when the New Testament was written, which even hint at such a thing.
Nope, not, nada …
Just ain’t there.
I’m all for singing God’s praises together, but let’s leave behind the self-absorbed counterfeit “worship” that’s so common today …
And begin to actually worship God by living holy lives of obedience and reverence, as He defines it.
It’s easy to be naïve …
When others bear the price.
This Sunday when you go to church, look around and make an effort to see those who have no family or are going through hard times …
Then ask if they’d like to share Thanksgiving with you and your family at your home later this month.
If space allows, also invite others in your neighborhood and community who are isolated, struggling or maybe even homeless.
This is love.
This is being the church.
You will form friendships that will last a lifetime.
Marianne and I do this each Thanksgiving – as well as throughout the year – and it has enriched our lives beyond measure.
The key to effective ministry …
Is becoming less and less indispensable.
Faith is not so hard to find …
It’s just outside your comfort zones.
A government that wants the power to solve all of our problems …
Soon becomes the problem.
Idolatry takes many forms …
As does its bondage.
May God’s people have the wisdom to resist both.
For me, there’s no greater joy than seeing lives redeemed …
Through the one-on-one ministry of confession, forgiveness and surrendering our associated burdens to the Lord.
There, true repentance happens …
And freedom begins.
Faith presumes no outcome rooted in our own wishes …
But simply trusts God’s goodness.
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
True liberty is the freedom to pursue virtue …
Not autonomy to pursue vice.
I think I need to be sent to millennial sensitivity school.
Back in 2016, I was having lunch at a fast food joint with two bros who often ministered with me in the local jail.
We were minding our own business at our own table, talking privately between ourselves about the upcoming elections and the Second Amendment, when a thirty-something dude walked up and told us to stop talking because it was “hurting his feelings.”
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Forgiveness isn’t saying what they did is ok …
But letting your heart fully acknowledge how wrong it really was and then release it to God.
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