16

Jump Start # 2080

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2080

Hosea 7:16 “They turn, but not upward, they are like a deceitful bow; their princes will fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.”

God is describing a nation that has potential for God’s help, forgiveness and blessings. But rather than trust God, they have made alliances with other nations and have not followed God. The verses leading up to this illustrate this so well:

 

  • They have neither returned to the Lord their God, nor have they sought Him, for all this (10)
  • Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me. (13)
  • They do not cry to Me from their heart (14)
  • They devise evil against Me (15)

 

Our verse today, concludes these thoughts. They turn, it says, but not upward. That’s a great expression. People turn for many reasons. We might call this turning process repentance. However, repentance is more than simply turning or stopping wrong.

 

For instance, a person may stop the hard partying, drinking and drugs because it’s killing his health. Literally. He’ll stop, but he may not replace it with anything good. He hasn’t filled his heart with Christ. He has stopped the bad, which is wonderful, but he hasn’t turned upward.

 

Someone else may stop bad behavior because they are threatened by home or work. They’ve missed so much work that they are about to get fired. They stop the bad behavior that is keeping them away from work. Others might be told to straighten up or else they are kicked out of the house. Parents might have to do this. A spouse may have to do this. A person realizing that the worse is about to happen may stop the bad behavior simply because he does not want to sleep on the streets or see his marriage end. He turns, but not upward.

 

Yet, another stops bad behavior because he was arrested and now sits in a jail cell. He is unable to continue his bad behavior. His turning was forced upon him by the state. While in jail, he may decide to stop doing what put him there. He may turn, but again, it may not be an upward turn.

 

Godly sorrow, as Paul told the Corinthians, leads to salvation. It begins with an inward turning. A person turns to God. The prodigal got up and returned home. His turning was upward. Little Zacchaeus, promised to no longer cheat or defraud people. He turned upward.

 

The upward turn is more than being nice. It’s more than stopping bad behavior. It’s filling your heart with Jesus Christ. The upward turn is looking to God and following His ways. The upward turn invites God into our lives and results in a life that becomes spiritual, godly and righteous. New way of seeing things. New definitions of what is important in life. New perspectives. New goals. Real hope. And, with all of that a better person.

 

The Ephesian and Colossian letter details the old man being put away and the new man taking ownership of our heart. Without this upward turn, we can change the exterior things, but it remains the same ole’ place. Same thinking. Same values. Same attitudes. Same heart.

 

Too much emphasis is placed upon changing exterior things. More laws. More rules. More legislation. More people hired to watch. More exterior things. All of those things will not change the fact that some people are mean and they hate. All of those things won’t make people be nice. It’s turning, but it’s not turning upward.

 

This is why we speak of words such as conversion, a change. This is why Jesus said we must deny ourselves if want to be his disciple. This is why Paul declared, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Upward turning.

 

Stopping bad behavior doesn’t bring forgiveness nor an assurance that things will get any better. Some simply go from real bad to not so bad. Yet, they remain bad. It’s the upward part that we all need. It’s getting up and coming home to God as that prodigal did.

 

The way of the cross leads home, we sing. Are you turning upward? It’ll make a difference in your heart and in your walk with the Lord.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 2079

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2079

Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Anger is an emotion that can erupt like a volcano. Our day can be going smoothly and just like that, very suddenly, something happens and we are angry. We can get angry with ourselves. We forget to do something very important and we know it was our fault. But most times, we get angry with other things and other people. When you get two angry people together, you’ll probably witness a lot of yelling and possibly even a fight. When two nations get angry, troops and ships are positioned for a possible war. Our best work isn’t accomplished when we are angry.

In these verses, Paul lays down a series of three “do nots.” These are stop signs. Don’t do these things. Lets take a look at these red lights on the anger highway.

First, we are to be in control. The very idea of telling us what not to do implies that we can stop. Anger is not at the wheel, we are. We may be upset, mad, even angry, but we remain under control. These next actions are choices. You decide how far your anger is going to take you. Fans of Law and Order and other courtroom shows recognize that a common defense for criminal activity is “heat of passion.” A person declares, “I wasn’t my self.” Or, “I just lost control.” God’s words remind us that you must take control.

Second, DO NOT SIN. One of the great questions folks like to kick around is whether or not anger is a sin. Our verses begin with “Be angry.” You’d think if all anger was wrong then the Holy Spirit wouldn’t say, “Be angry.” Better words would be, “Don’t be angry.” There were times when Jesus was upset. I doubt He was smiling when He turned over the tables in the temple. However, anger moves quickly. It’s like cars on the highway. In just a moment, anger takes us to sin. Violence. Saying offensive, cruel and mean words. Character assassination. Cursing. Wrath. Slander. Strife. The words associated with the works of the flesh, are born out of anger if we are not careful. Be angry, but do not sin. Hit the brakes. Don’t go to far with your mouth, thoughts or actions. Remain under control. Don’t sin. Don’t think for a moment that your anger gives you the right to sin. Don’t do things that you’ll regret later. Don’t ruin your influence, nor shut the door on someone spiritually because you are angry. Don’t sin.

Third, DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER. Get over it. Get over it quickly. The more you let it simmer in your heart, the worse things become. Deal with your anger. Pray to God. Find positive solutions. Anger can turn to revenge quickly. The angry person isn’t thinking about forgiveness. He’s thinking about settling the score. Later in the same Ephesians chapter, we find, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” You cannot control what happens to you, but you do control what those things do to you. When we are really upset with someone else, we feel compelled to share that with a sympathizing ear. Now, we have several who are upset along with us. We’ve formed a mob of angry people. Anger will keep you up at night. You’ll replay the events that upset you over and over. The more times you think about it, the worse things become. The next day, you’re still talking about it. You take those emotions with you to work. You complain to people you barely know, telling them how terrible you were treated. You blast your feelings on Twitter and Facebook. Get over your anger. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

Fourth, DO NOT GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPORTUNITY. Don’t invite the devil to this situation and into your heart. Anger can give the devil a key to roam through our mind and heart and come up with all kinds of evil thoughts and wicked things to do. If you and I were having a get together, a birthday party, an anniversary celebration, and we were sending out invitations for family and friends to attend, we certainly wouldn’t invite Satan. He’d never be on our list. Yet, anger puts him on every list, usually near the top. Anger gives the devil a green light to do whatever he wants. And once the devil is behind the wheel, things always go south. He’ll lead us to making things much worse than what they are. Things will get very ugly and very messy when Satan is around. Paul’s words are: DON’T GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPORTUNITY. How? Ditch the anger. Get over it. Forgive. Move on. The last verse of Ephesians 4 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Can’t do that? Hurting too much? Thinking you’ll never forgive? I’d recommend you read yesterday’s Jump Start. If you won’t forgive, God may take back His forgiveness of you.

When angry, walk away from a situation for a moment. Collect yourself. Calm down. Pray. Gather your thoughts. Deal with the issue. Shouting doesn’t help, nor does it strengthen your argument. Slamming doors, punching walls, making threats, just makes your blood boil. It’s at those moments, if you peek outside your window, you’ll find Satan standing at the door, ready to come in. You are running through stop signs. You are forgetting these three Do Nots. You are losing control. You are not acting as God wants you to.

I know these things. I’ve run through several of these stop signs in the past. So angry that one doesn’t think clearly. Words come out of your mouth that shocks even you. Take hold of your emotions. Grab the wheel. Tap the brakes. Slow down. Remember Jesus. See the big picture.

There is an old story that takes place right after the Civil War. Robert E. Lee was passing through an area where there once was a beautiful plantation that had been lined with massive trees. The aftermath of the war ruined most of those trees. It was ugly. The woman who lived there came out and complained about what the war did to her trees. Lee said to her, “Madam, cut them down and forget it.” Good advice then and good advice for today.

We bump and bruise one another. We can point fingers. We can get angry. We can be helpful and forgive. Maybe it’s time to cut things down and forget it.

Three Do Nots. Stop signs on the road of life. We do well to pay attention to them. Running through them is dangerous—for others, as well as for ourselves.

Roger

12

Jump Start # 2078

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2078

Matthew 18:34-35 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

 

Our verse today comes from the parable about forgiveness. Parables teach the principles of Heaven. They are not happy stories in which everyone lives happily ever after. Case in point, our verses today are the concluding thoughts of that parable. It ended with a man who was once forgiven being tortured the rest of his life. Not a pleasant thought, nor the way we’d expect a parable ought to end.

 

This all began with Peter’s question about how often should one be expected to forgive. He suggested up to seven times. The Lord magnified it to seventy times seven. Then the parable. The books are opened and the king finds out that one of his servants owes him 10,000 talents.

 

A footnote in the New American Standard says “a talent was worth more than 15 years’ wages of a laborer.” This man owed 10,000 talents. Ten thousand times 15 years equals 150,000 years of wages. The time from Adam to Jesus was less than 150,000 years. The time from Adam to us is less than 150,000 years. The earth itself is probably not 150,000 years old. It’s hard for us to understand how this one person got into such a financial hole. Obviously, there was no limit on his credit. He was in big trouble. There wasn’t enough years left in him to even get close to paying this back.

 

The king orders the man and his entire family to be put in prison. He falls to the ground and begs for forgiveness. It is here that we find the Biblical definition of forgiveness. “The lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.” He was free and clear. Today, he’d be calling in on Dave Ramsey’s program to scream, “I’m Debt Free.” He owed nothing. A new life. Hope. Freedom. All of this is wrapped around the concept of forgiveness.

 

The forgiven man finds someone who owes him. The amount owed is 100 days wages, about 3 months of pay. Not enough to buy a car. Just a bit more than a security deposit and first month’s rent on an apartment. Easy to work out. The forgiven man began choking the man who owed him. He refused to have patience and ordered the man to be thrown into prison. It seems the forgiven man could not do what was done to him, and that is, forgive. He lacked patience, mercy and kindness. Anger and hatred ruined his heart and colored his vision. He was violent and mean towards the man who owed him. The man says the same words, “Have patience and I will repay you.” Those were the words used from the man who owed 10,000 talents. Those words brought compassion from the king. But now, those same words mean nothing to the forgiven servant. He demanded the man to be thrown into prison. No mercy.

 

Now, word gets back to the king about what the forgiven man did towards another. This is where our verses are found. This is how the parable ends. The king reversed his ruling, and ordered the man to pay the 10,000 that was owed. The forgiveness was taken back. The debt was put back on the books. He was sent to the torturers until he should repay ALL that was owed to him. The man was back in trouble again. He owed 150,000 years of wages. He would die in the hands of the torturers.

 

Jesus adds a concluding thought, “My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” What does that mean?

 

Some thoughts:

 

We have come to believe that once we are forgiven those sins are gone. They have vanished. They are no where to be found. As Micah states, they are in the depth of the sea. We are washed and we are clean. God has forgotten them and we are set free. However, these verse teach us something else.

 

First, my forgiveness can be reversed. That’s what happened to the man who owed 10,000 talents. He was forgiven, but later it was reversed because of the way he treated someone else. He owed all 10,000 again. Not just some, but all of it. So, it is possible that all of my sins that have been forgiven can be reversed? I may owe God everything? All the debt? From high school? From college? Decades and decades of sins? This puts us in a hopeless situation. This is the worst thing that could happen. Our sins back on the ledger? We thought they were blotted out. We thought they were washed away. And, here they return.

 

I haven’t heard many talk about this. I think we hold the view of once our sins are gone, they are gone forever. But this passage doesn’t allow that. The forgiveness was reversed and the what was owed was put back on the books. For us, that means we are not saints, but sinners. What that means is that we do not have Christ. What that means is that we are lost. I wonder how many among us may be like this and do not realize it. I wonder how many continue to worship on Sunday, read their Bibles and believe that they are Heaven bound, but in truth, they are owing God everything. All their sins are back. They are not forgiven. God has reversed things because of how they have treated others.

 

Second, how we treat others impacts how God treats us. We can’t be mean toward others and expect God to be kind and merciful to us. James says there is no mercy to the one who has no mercy. If we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven, is found in the Lord’s example of prayer. So, we best be forgiving others from our heart. Let the bitterness, the demands, the expectations of perfection and the hatred go. Forgiveness is a choice. To forgive is to release a prisoner and to find out that the prisoner was us. Not forgiving chains us to the pain and the hurt. It compels us to tell everyone about it. There’s no moving on, until forgiveness takes place.

 

The magnitude of this and the seriousness of this is found in that if we can’t forgive someone of something minor, like 100 denarii, God will not forgive us of our 10,000 talents, even if He already has. God can reverse what He has done because of the way we treat others.

 

Third, nothing is more like Jesus than forgiveness. Anyone can be generous. You can be generous and still and old fool. Anyone can open a door for someone, smile at someone and speak kindly to someone. There are many good parents in the world who are not Christians. But to forgive, is to stand in the shadow of the cross and to take on what Jesus has done to us. Forgive each other, the Ephesians were told, just as God in Christ has forgiven you. God doesn’t owe us forgiveness. God has suffered the hurt. God was the one who was wronged. We are the ones who owe God 10,000 talents or 150,000 years of wages. We are the ones who are in trouble. His compassion, His love, His mercy is what allowed us to have another chance. He released us and forgave us. We owe nothing. That’s the standard. That’s the example. That’s what we must do when we’ve been hurt.

 

“Well, they at least need to say that they are sorry and that they’ll never do it again.” That means they owe something still. That means they have not been fully released. There’s one final payment and you won’t consider it paid in full until they do that. The king released the debt to the servant. He was debt free. He owed nothing.

 

It is a haunting thought to think that forgiven people could fall back into massive guilt and debt that is owed to God because we refused to forgive others. Do you want God to demand that you repay all that you have owed to Him? Do you want God to say that you are not forgiven? All your sins are back? All of them! This is not a little thing. Sent to the torturers was the worst thing that could happen. Losing our soul, after we have been forgiven is the worst thing that can happen to us. Losing our soul because we won’t forgive someone else.

 

Our sins back…what a thought. Forgiveness reversed. Instead of the debt being canceled, the forgiveness was canceled. All because we won’t forgive someone else. The next time you say, “I’ll never forgive him for what he did,” you best think that out. Decades of sin back. Forgiveness canceled. Freedom gone. Back in ruin. Destined for Hell. Why? Because you refuse to forgive.

 

“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you…”

 

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 2077

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2077

Romans 12:11 “not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

A grand quote that Robert Kennedy stated, and later was used by his brother at his funeral, said, “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” Within this Kennedy quote lies the concept of vision. Throughout history, it was the men and women of vision who forged ahead in unknown lands, made new inventions, and were not stopped by the obstacles before them. We stand upon the shoulders of those who have found ways to conquer diseases, make things safer and make life easier and more efficient. They truly dreamed of things that never were.

One of the great challenges today is developing leaders in the church who have spiritual vision. Many are content to just go with the flow and to continue to do things as they have always been. But what worked in an earlier generation does not always work today. Still water can become stagnate in a short time, and stale churches can die even faster.

Our verse today, found in that section of many admonitions to the Romans, reminds all of us to “not lag behind in diligence.” Don’t be left behind. Don’t drag your feet. Don’t be slow about it. Keeping up with everyone else is not as important as keeping up with the Lord. Be diligent. Get to it. Get serious about things. That’s the thoughts here.

I wonder if the lagging part can be connected to a lack of vision. Going no where in particular. Just taking your time. Not seeing the need of the hour nor the shortness of life that is before us. Could vision change that? Could vision help?

Jesus told the disciples to lift up their eyes and see the fields. They were ready for harvest. They lacked the vision to see those things.

How do we inspire others to have vision? How do we inspire leaders to have vision? Inherent with the concept of leading, is knowing where you are going. The green pastures and the quiet waters of Psalms 23 weren’t found by accident. The shepherd knew where they were. He knew where he was going. Even the dark valleys of the shadow of death was part of the plan. It was a necessary part of the journey to get where he wanted them to be. Vision. Seeing beyond today. Seeing what is needed.

Here are some basic visionary questions:

In five years, in ten years, what will this congregation look like? Who will likely still be here and who will not?

In five years, in ten years, who will be leading this congregation? Who will be preaching here in five years, in ten years?

In five years, ten years, will this congregation outgrow the current building? What then? In five years, ten years, will the facility be in great need of repairs?

In five years, ten years, what will the demographics of the congregation look like? Will the church be mostly senior citizens? What will the finances look like in five years, ten years?

Asking questions, like these, opens the door for visionary thinking. It’s just a start. Ideas shared and borrowed and learned also opens the door for visionary thinking. Asking the question, “Why?” and “Is there a better way?” makes one look not only to how things were done in the past, but whether or not they still work in the future.

What Robert Kennedy’s statement shows is that some are visionary by nature, and some are not. Some are content with the way things are and some are not. Some have ideas and some do not. Some see what could be and others do not see that. Is it wrong if a person isn’t visionary? I don’t think so. I think that’s simply how God wired us. Some are problem solvers and others are not. Some are thinkers and others are doers. So lead and others follow. Is one better than the other? No. Is one necessarily wrong? No.

But there can be conflict when dreamers and people of vision sit in a meeting with those who are content with the way things are. The visionary folks want to try something new. The other crowd doesn’t see the need for that. Change or keep things the way they are. That’s a tough call. Change, just to say you’ve changed, isn’t any good. Change ought to make things better. It ought to help things out. Change must be Biblical or there is no need for any further discussion. If it’s not Biblical, it’s tossed out. However, some things are just a matter of taste, and not necessarily right or wrong. Some things are just a fresher way of doing what has been done.

Here are some thoughts about ideas.

First, think them out and think them through before you float them to everyone. Shooting from the hip may work in the Old West, but it’s not a good way to introduce ideas. Consider reactions. Look at it from several standpoints. Consider the costs. Look at it from the different age groups within the congregation. Think. Think. Think. Then, when you are done thinking about it, start praying. Pray about it.

Second, present your idea to the shepherds of the church. Let them hear you, question you and give them time to think it out. Remember, you’ve been sitting on this for a long time, so give them some time. Remember they are thinking of the whole group. They may see things that you forgot about. They may know things that you don’t know.

Third, don’t pressure, threaten or put the shepherds in a corner with your idea. Don’t claim that you’ll leave if you don’t get your idea. Don’t stir things up by talking to a whole bunch of people before you’ve talked to them first. Don’t put them in a tough situation. You’ll come out looking bad and not only may your idea fall flat, but so might you because of the way you presented this.

Fourth, don’t pitch a fit if they decide otherwise. They are responsible for the wellbeing of the congregation. What you suggest may just not work. They know the people. Don’t be like the teen who runs off and slams doors. I heard of a guy who got so mad in a meeting at church, that he broke the door slamming it so hard. Not good. Not like Jesus. Trust your shepherds. They are good men of wisdom, experience and love for the congregation.

Fifth, if your idea involves time and people, volunteer yourself. Be part of the project. Get involved.

When traveling, bring back ideas from other places. Share them with the shepherds. This shows to them that you are thinking and connected to the work.

Ideas—vision– team work. Help one another. Not lagging…fervent…serving—key words from our verse and key thoughts for our hearts.

Roger

10

Jump Start # 2076

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2076

Acts 1:3 “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”

Recently I led a teen study. Love the energy and hearts of those young people. We started with a video showing several college age students. Everyone of them claimed to be an atheist. Two remarkable things stood out about their claims. First, most admitted to giving up on God around the age of 14 or 15. It wasn’t when they went off to college, it was before. And, one by one, they all said the same thing, ‘there was no evidence’ for God. Parents and shepherds in the church ought to be concerned about this and do all that they can to overcome this growing wave of nothingness.

 

Our verse, one of several like this in the N.T., states that Jesus presented many convincing proofs of this resurrection. Proof. Convincing Proof. How can I know that God is? Paul declared in 2 Timothy, “I know whom I have believed.” Can we have such confidence?

 

Four Proofs. Learn these. Share these. Know these.

 

  1. The natural world. The world about us does not point to chaos, chance and weirdness. It shows design, order, structure and connection. The Romans were told, “His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made..”. Proof for God? Get out of the house, get out of the city and go look around nature. The video the kids watched talked about one of the strongest proofs, DNA. DNA is the book of life. Every living thing has DNA. Trees do. Kittens do. People do. DNA is the code that determines a tree will be a tree and a human a human. But it’s more than that. DNA is so complex and so detailed, it determines what kind of tree a tree will be. It will determine what color of rose a rose bush produces. It determines our skin color, hair color, height, eye color and bone structure. If stretched out, our DNA would reach the sun. So detailed and so complex is this DNA that it has to be completely right to make what it makes. It can’t be close. It can’t be 75% right. Remember the movie, The Wizard of Oz? When Dorothy first meets the Scarecrow, they come to an apple orchard. As they pick up some of the apples, the apple trees talk. They then throw apples at Dorothy and the Scarecrow. Cool part of the movie. If evolution was true, why don’t we find trees that talk? In theory, there ought to be whole forests of talking trees. But what nature does show us is a tree is a tree, a bird is a bird and a human is a human. DNA. Right every time. Chance? Luck? God? Convincing proofs…look around the world we live in.

 

  1. The Bible. There is no getting around the DNA topic. But there’s more proof, the word of God. If there is no God, then there is only one other option about the origin of the Bible and that is human. Who? How when it was written not in a month, but over centuries? Explain specific prophecy being fulfilled? Explain the accuracy with sciences and history and geography. Explain the impact the Bible has. Why hasn’t it been disproven? Why do people stay up at night reading it? Why is a Bible app one of the number one downloaded apps of all time? Why have people risked their lives to sneak the Bible into places where it was outlawed? Why have people died believing this book? Each of these questions deserves an honest answer from those who deny God. Why has no other book been produced like the Bible? If man wrote the Bible, why can’t man write a similar book? Nothing comes close. Why does it appeal to our hearts like it does? Why has it changed and helped so many people? Convincing proofs…just open the book and read it.

 

  1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Acts 17 shows Paul “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” The resurrection of Jesus is the exclamation point of the Bible. Through that resurrection, death was conquered, Satan was defeated, and hope for better things became a reality. The resurrection of Jesus wasn’t done in a secret. The tomb of Jesus was secured with a large stone, Pilate’s seal and Roman guards. There was no getting out. There was no stealing the body. Yet, up from the grave He arose. And, He appeared, first to women. Women, whose voice didn’t count in court. Women, who had little freedom and few rights. Then He appeared to the apostles. Then to more than 500 people. Not for a moment. Not a glimpse. As our verse today says, for over 40 days. They saw Him. They heard Him. They were with Him. And that eye witness story was told all over the known world. How simple it would have been to discredit that small band of believers. The Jews would have loved to do that. The Romans could have easily done that. Show the body. That’s all that was necessary to kill this movement. Yet no one could. No one did. And those early disciples died violently, proclaiming that Jesus was the resurrected Savior. Even at death they would not renounce their story. Even at death they knew. Some would say they were deceived and disillusioned. Easy to say that centuries later and without any proof of that. Or, it could be that these folks had actually seen Jesus. Where’s that proof? The New Testament. The enduring faith that has survived for generations and centuries. Convincing proofs…the resurrection of Jesus.

 

  1. The human heart. Built within each of us is a sense of goodness, right and wrong and morality. Everyone has a line, and once that line has been crossed, it is wrong. Why is stealing wrong? The only thing atheists can say is because there is a law and it hurts others. Change that law and they’d be hard pressed to claim that stealing is wrong. Gun violence is taking center stage of many discussions. Arm the teachers. Ban guns. Lots of talk. Why? If the Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest is true, then shooting others seems logical. Animals kill other animals. That’s nature. And, if all that we are is an animal, then why is killing other humans wrong? We know it’s wrong. People that do not go to church know it’s wrong. People that haven’t read the Bible know it’s wrong. People from different cultures know it’s wrong. People in other nations know it’s wrong. Why? Because built within us is a sense of right and wrong. We are wired to know that certain actions are shameful, harmful and not appropriate. It’s not because of laws, it’s because these things are just wrong. We won’t allow a 50 year old man to marry an 8 year old girl. That’s wrong. It doesn’t matter if there is a law on the books about that or not. It’s plain wrong. It’s beyond reason, logic and our moral compass within us screams that this cannot happen. Where did that moral compass come from? Just happened. Evolved? From nothing came everything? Does nothing every make anything? One answer. Only one answer makes sense. Only one answer is backed with proof. Only one answer, GOD.

 

Four simple, yet complex reasons to know that God is. When doubters claim, ‘there is no evidence,’ they are wrong. The evidence is there. It’s everywhere. It just may be that their unbelieving heart has blinded their eyes and they refuse to see what is before them. To acknowledge that God is, means I am accountable, responsible and must know Him. It means that His ways, not my ways are ultimately right. It means that happiness isn’t a right, nor the most important thing in life. What is, is holiness and walking with God.

 

Convincing proofs. It’s there. There are lots of books that will lower the nets upon these topics. But this is enough to begin discussions. This is enough for a non believer to think. This is enough for someone to realize that there is no evidence for atheism. It’s an unsupported myth. It lacks logic, reason and proof. It tries to prove itself by discrediting God. It fails every time.

 

I know whom I believe…

 

Convincing proofs.

 

Roger