Worthy Words

There is a term our culture uses to reflect the lack of thoroughness when putting forth a plan or project. Someone will say, “Well that was a half-baked idea” as they witness a person’s failed action towards a goal. Noting is accomplished after a certain amount of eagerness, effort, energy, and dough. The lack of thoroughness created compromise making the process worthless and good-for-nothing—half-baked. Nomadic people in biblical times baked their bread on hot rocks. If the dough wasn’t turned, one side of the loaf would be burned and the other side uncooked. Hosea used this familiar cooking faux pas to point out Israel’s lack of thoroughness in living out God’s Word. They were to be a people separate and set apart as God’s nation yet they compromised and mixed their culture with the political systems of other nations and got “burned” by Assyria.   “The people of Israel mingle with godless nations, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake!” (Hosea 7:8) ...

Why is our nation disintegrating before our very eyes? Why are we seeing violence in our homes, in our schools, with our teenagers, and within our neighborhoods, like we have never seen before? Why does life have less value in America than it has ever had in its history? It is very simple. We have totally lost the fear of God in America. It is not even on the radar screen anymore. Totally! In our nation today politicians fear public opinion and polls more than they fear God. Our teenagers fear the disapproval of their friends and unpopularity more than they fear God. People fear criticism and being accused of being intolerant and being politically incorrect more than they fear God. We fear cancer more than we fear God! “Help, Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth.” These are the supplicating words of David in Psalm 12. This prayer is so for today. It is short and to the point. As David mourned the fewness of God fearin...

Every now and then I find myself describing someone as "solid." It describes a person who cannot be moved, not by tragedy or criticism or bad luck or even a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — the kind that calls for NO compromise of one's values. You can count on this immovable person to be who they are, regardless of their circumstances. This is a character quality that I admire, and it's one that I aspire to. When I see it in a person, I want to be around them, and I want to be like them. Guess what? So does God. He is looking for this kind of individual in you so that He can use you in a mighty way and pour out His blessings on your life in abundance. How do you become solid? It's all over the Bible, but there is passage in particular that has jumped out at me recently. Psalm 15, written by King David. He talks about the kind of person who lives a life pleasing to God, the kind of person who "dwells on God's holy hill— in other words, in His...

When the maneuvers of others place your life into a crisis a quick response time overrides debating and deliberation. This was the situation King David found himself in when his son Absalom made a deceitful move to replace him as king by deadly force. Absalom was a handsome man whose charm was hard to resist.   Even though he was of royal blood he was not a true leader. He had no character. He counterfeited his concern for the people to get them to follow him by telling them what they wanted to hear and gave them what they wanted to have. Absalom was a complete liar simply advancing his own interests through affecting the devotion of the people by manufacturing an image of himself that the people couldn’t resist. David was the nation’s servant, Absalom was its celebrity. Because of the dishonest maneuvering of Absalom David left his throne in order to protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem.   The Bible says 2 Samuel 15:23 that; “They crossed the Kidron Valley and then went ...

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a sport of high energy, a relentless melee between two opponents in full combat mode. I’ve not been a fan of MMA or boxing for that matter. Maybe that’s because in Middle School I experienced boxing for the first time and quickly discovered I didn’t like getting hit in the face on purpose. When I got punched in the nose that first time I staggered for a moment but my knees didn’t buckle the coach then yelled out—“Fight on!” There is also a combat mode in every Christ-follower’s heart that consists of two opponents in constant struggle with each other. It is the fight between what the apostle Paul calls the old nature and the new nature. “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” (Galatians 5:17) T...