I recently asked a suffering soul to tell me how he knew he was saved. From what he told me it was obvious that he had not been saved – but merely dry cleaned.

Friend, can you tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love? In Acts 10:34-43 you read about it:

• He came to be baptized by John (:37).

• At that moment “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (:38).

• “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree” (:39)

• “But God raised him on the third day” (:40)

• “And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (:42)

Once you know the story of Jesus you realize that being a Christian is NOT something that you are REFORMED into BUT a new TRANSFORMATIONAL birth into Jesus (Rom.6:3; Gal.3:27; John 3:3-5).

It is for this reason that after telling the old, old story, Peter commanded… “them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…” (Acts 10:48).

Contentment is an important component of Christian living. We do not need to continuously strive for a better job, a better house, a better car, a better vacation, or a better bank account. We should be content in all our circumstances as Christians. In fact, Paul speaks of contentment in all circumstances when he writes, “I can do all things through the One who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

Nevertheless, in the same letter, Paul does say one thing that he strives for and longs after. He is willing to throw everything aside – money, status, power, friendships, his life – to attain this goal. He strives for this:

“That I may know [Christ] and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:10–14, ESV; emphasis mine).

Brothers and sisters, we are no longer our own. We are paradoxically both slaves and sons of the Creator of the universe. We were bought at a price (1 Cor 6:20). We need to lay aside every weight that hinders us from attaining this goal which Paul sets before himself and before us. I realized that I needed to sell my video game console because I knew that it wastes my time. I also realized I need to watch less TV and spend time benefiting to others or myself. I need to spend less money on things I want and give more to the poor. I need to stop seeking sources of pleasure and be satisfied in Yahweh, in whose presence is “fullness of joy” and in whose hand is “pleasures forever” (Ps 16:11). This is the best life you and I can live in this world. Why settle for less?

I really like honey.  It is not only the taste, but also the smell and the memories of my childhood.  I remember my grandfather’s beehives, the smell of the old smokehouse after the frames were cleaned. I can still see in my mind’s eye, my grandmother pressing the honey thru a sieve into mason jars and handing me a piece of honeycomb to chew on.  I really like honey. 

Many consider honey a medicinal source as well.  You have a cough, take a spoonful of honey.  Is your disposition sour, take a spoonful of honey.  Do you have allergies, take a spoonful of local honey each day.

Honey is mentioned in the Bible 62 times.  Remember, John the Baptist’s diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.  Proverbs 24:13-14 states:

“¹³Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.  ¹⁴Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”  

We listen to or “turn an ear” to wise sayings.  The following appeared in the Cedar Grove Church (Fairburn, Ga.) bulletin:

When entrusted with a secret, keep it.     It’s never too late for an apology.       Look people in the eye when you thank them.     If you have made your point, stop talking.     Words may lie, but actions will always tell the truth.    An hour spent with grandparents is time well spent.    A clean conscience makes a soft pillow.     Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, FAITH looks up!      Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

The words of God are far more important than what I listed above.  David wrote in Psalms 19 that the decrees of the Lord were sweeter than honey from the honeycomb.  The words of the Lord can sooth a troubled soul, lift a sagging spirit, replenish the oil in our lamp, give joy to our heart, and give us warmth.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12: 12-13:

^…12Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.   ¹³Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

These are the sweetest and wisest words of all.

One of the most parasitic and destructive sins is a thankless spirit. To lack gratitude is to lack faith in God himself. This sin manifested itself in the wilderness generation, who complained and mumbled constantly to Moses and to God. It even reached the point where they wished that they had never left Egypt and were still slaves (Exod. 14:12)!

How does ingratitude manifest itself in our lives? It can manifest itself through complaining about our circumstances, be it a traffic jam, standing next to a smelly, annoying person at the DMV, or about having to skip a meal and being hungry. Ingratitude also occurs in our consumerism, when we are not satisfied with what God has already given us and feel the need to buy bigger houses, more expensive cars and clothes, go on more lavish vacations, and try more exquisite foods.

We are often like the Israelites in the wilderness, only we are in air-conditioned homes while they had to live in a hot desert. We can eat any food imaginable, they only had manna and quail. If we complain about our lives, it is an offense against God who furnishes our needs. It likely means you have not thanked God in a while for all that he has given you. It means you do not truly believe the promises in the Bible that God can satisfy every longing (John 4:14), that we can be happy with little (1 Tim 6:8), that God will give us all we need (Ps 107:8–9; Matt 6:25–34). We can always want and pray for a better world, but no matter how bad the world gets, we should not be ungrateful for we have an eternal habitation with God, and we know that God will make all things new (Rev 21:5).

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Ephesians 5:15-17

I had the privilege to teach the Wednesday night, adult class during Vacation Bible School.  The lesson was on the Apostle Paul and his ‘system’.  We talked about him ‘redeeming his time’ as the New King James writes, or making the best use of his time, as the ESV translates.  We see many examples of Paul making the best use of his time, in learning, and teaching and evangelizing.

A question we all can ask ourselves is, “Am I making the best use of my time?”  We all have times where we are more productive and times where we are less so.  What if we looked at our day in ten-minute increments, what would we find?  How much of our time was spent on creating the value that we seek? Also, what was our focus and emotional energy spent on? There is generally a big gap between what we say we did all day and what we actually did.  There is often a large divide between what we did and what we wanted to do. 

We all have the same 24 hours, or 1440 minutes, a day.  How are you spending your time?  Are you taking time to read, to study, to learn, to teach or to share?

When we give away our day, we give away our future.  

It wasn’t until my 21st birthday that going to church became important to me. Before it had just been about religion and admiring the few in the “holy huddle” who seemed to have their lives together. But the day I met my future wife things started to change. I found out the church was so much more than what I had previously been led to believe.

The day I walked into the Church of Christ, for the first time, I felt love in a way that I cannot describe. This was a group of people who genuinely were interested in each other. It was in this unique bond that my heart and love for Christ was nurtured to grow. Without this anchor for my soul, I am sure I would have continued to slip spiritually.

As I looked around me, I also found several people who wanted to be my friends. I realized that I would no longer need to go through life as a Lone Ranger. Now there were a group of people that I could call at 2:00 AM to help me in an emergency. I have never ever found this anywhere else.

What was also interesting was the way this new spiritual family would work together on projects. For instance, during Vacation Bible school, there were some people who were good at art, there were some people who were good at cleaning up and setting up, and there were some who were excellent at teaching. The whole was much stronger than the individual.

So, as you can imagine, I started to wonder how I could become part of this family. And then one day it came- an invitation to be baptized into the body of Christ. One year later, on my 22nd birthday, I was baptized into God’s Forever Family.

Discontentment is one of the most detrimental qualities a person can have. It ruins relationships and inhibits experiencing joy and fulfillment in life. Yet most people in our society are not content as our society is partially built upon making us feel discontent. Every advertisement manipulates people into feeling discontent so that they will purchase their product. We teach our children to always strive for more and to be ambitious and never satisfied with their current state.

Yet the Bible teaches that we need very little to be content and joyful in this life. Paul says to Timothy, “But piety actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” (1 Tim 6:6–8). Physically speaking, we only need food, shelter, and clothing to be content in this life, and Christ himself provides these things (Matt 6:25–34). We do not need a bigger house, a Porsche, or a bass boat to be joyful. Paul says that he has learned to be joyful in all circumstances through Christ (Phil 4:11–13) and we can, too. Do our bank statements and attitudes reflect the contentment that we ought to experience in Christ? Do we buy things we do not need to fill a void within us that only God can fill?

There is only one thing we should strive for in our lives — to “know [Christ] and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil 3:10). All other things should be used for achieving this goal or discarded as trash. We need to leave behind worldly covetousness and discontent. We must lay aside every weight that encumbers us so that we can run with endurance the race set before us (Heb 12:1). Christ alone is sufficient and he alone can fill us with true joy and incomprehensible peace.

After completing my undergrad Bible studies in Africa, I left for the “Institute of Practical Ministry” certification in Dallas, TX. However, when I arrived, I noticed they also offered a graduate program (through Oklahoma Christian USA). Unfortunately, my undergrad studies were not recognized as a BA degree and so I was not allowed to start the MA program. But I had a dream of doing everything at the same time. What made this even more impossible was that I did not have the finances nor the time. But I did have the dream. When the director of the program heard what I wanted to do, he told me it was impossible. Because I was not listening, he suggested they send this crazy African back to Africa. It was during those days that I found out the value of a big crazy dream.

Joseph was also a “dreamer.” On several occasions he gets told what to do through a dream. As a result, Joseph does not divorce Mary, instead he obeys God’s voice at every turn. I believe Joseph was successful in life because he not only had the big crazy dreams, but he also obeyed God without any hesitation. For instance, if your fiancé told you that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit would you have believed her or would you have thought she was gaslighting you?

Friend you never have to fear those big crazy dreams if you obey God’s will and not your wants.

The first superhero movie I remember watching as a kid was Spiderman (with Toby McGuire). Even at such a young age, the movie left enough of an impression on me so that I remembered the wise words of Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Uncle Ben either was drawing upon his own wise observations of the world or he knew his Bible. Jesus ended his parable of the lazy servant by saying, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 12:48; ESV).

This verse terrifies me. It terrifies me because I know how much God has given me and I constantly misuse it. Oftentimes it is because I’m incorrectly thinking that I can do what I want with my time and my money so long as it is not blatantly sinful. I can watch TV, wear nice clothes, eat delicious food at every meal. Yet Jesus’ words call me beyond this. God intends for me to enjoy his blessings, but even more so he intends for me to use these gifts properly.

If God gives us time, it is not so that we can waste it on pursuing our passions and desires, it is so we can devote ourselves to him and help others. If God gives us money, it is not so that we can purchase nice things for ourselves or achieve vain goals. God intends for us to share what we have that we do not need. For Paul said, “if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim 6:8). Jesus also said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matt 6:19).

The next time I want to buy something for myself, I am going to ask if I really need it or if I am trying to buy something because I am bored or vain. I will also ask if what I am purchasing can benefit others. The next time I am tempted to binge watch a TV show, I will ask if I truly need this break or if I could be using this precious time God has given me for something more useful to his Kingdom.