Forward to the Kingdom!

1. The Christian calling requires self-examination to make sure we are growing and overcoming.

The Christian life requires introspection and self-evaluation...

“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40-41; see also 2 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Peter 3:18 and Revelation 21:7).

2. If we judge ourselves, we won’t have to be corrected by God and others.

“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31).

3. When all is said and done, we want to hear this evaluation from our Master:

“‘His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord”’” (Matthew 25:21).

For more about spiritual self-evaluation and the change it produces in us, see “What Is Repentance?”

What Bible tips would you add?

1. Lack of self-control will be a sign of the end time.

Self-control trumps out of control...

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good” (2 Timothy 3:1-3, italics added throughout).

2. Godly self-control comes through the Holy Spirit and is necessary to overcome the works of the flesh described in Galatians 5:19-21.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

3. Godly self-control requires making no provisions for the flesh—not allowing backup plans or harboring thoughts that could sprout into sins.

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

For more on self-control, see “Self-Control: Governing Your Life by the Power of God.”

What Bible tips would you add?

By guest blogger Sherrie Giddens

Riches and power, a life full of bigger and better things—happiness in this world seems to be measured by how much we accumulate. People are encouraged to indulge themselves and experience life at every level.

Have you ever been offered something of great value, only to realize that you already have what you are being offered?

Satan showed Jesus Christ all of the kingdoms of the world, explaining that if Jesus would only worship him, Satan would give him all of these things. Jesus answered: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10).

Satan offered the One who created this world, a small part of it. He asked the very Creator to fall down and worship him. It may seem absurd when you stop to consider the irony of the situation.

What about us? Every day we are offered the same choice. Do we realize who we are and our role in God’s plan? We are asked to serve Satan and this world by living his way and putting value on the things of this world.

In reality, though, we already have more than anyone else could offer us. We have Jesus Christ living in us, and He has overcome Satan. We have the ability to share in His inheritance, and to become more than Satan could ever offer.

Riches can be a trap...

Yes, every day we are offered the riches of this world. Every day we have a choice. If we choose to worship the true God, nothing that this world or Satan offers us will hold any value in comparison. Isn’t it ironic that Satan offers those who will inherit the world tomorrow a chance to be a part of his world today? He is making the same offer to you and me that he made to Jesus Christ.

The most valuable offer comes from the very One who overcame Satan. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

What we are offered now can never compare to what we will inherit later in the Kingdom of God!

Recently I was reading one of the wonderful psalms of praise and thanksgiving, and all of a sudden there was a shift in mood and tone. From thankful and joyful it suddenly became an ominous warning. It sounded an alarm about a spiritual health condition that God warns us about throughout the Bible: the hardening of the heart.

The Psalm I was reading is actually quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 3:7-8. There the author of Hebrews is showing parallels between Moses and Jesus Christ, and of course making the point that the Son of God is more glorious than His servant Moses. But also notice the parallel between the Israelites heading for the Promised Land and Christians today headed for God’s Kingdom:

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness.’”

The ancient Israelites, as typical of all of us human beings, grumbled. They worried, they feared, they didn’t remember what God had done—they disbelieved that God could take care of their real needs for food and water or that He could give them the Promised Land—the land of rest He had promised. They rebelled when they heard about the giants in the land. They disbelieved and disobeyed.

So they didn’t get to enter that rest, as it says in verse 11. They looked downward, at their own needs and the harsh desert, when they should have looked up to see and remember what God had done.

Do we look down and just see our problems, maybe just one set of footprints in the sand?

What about us? Do we look down and just see our problems, our challenges, maybe just one set of footprints in the sand and feel all alone? If we allow Satan to get the better of us and our focus turns inward and downward, we are also in danger of hardening of the heart. Like hardening of the arteries, it can happen over time and we might not even notice it. But when a trial comes, it can cause an unexpected spiritual heart attack.

What’s a solution to this? Let’s look back at the Psalm that Hebrews 3 quotes from. Psalm 95 has two distinct sections with two distinct moods. Verses 7-11 have the somber warning that is quoted in Hebrews. But verse 1 through the first part of verse 7 is joyful and uplifting! And I think we can find clues about how to avoid the hardening of the heart it warns of.

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1-2).

Recognizing that He is the Rock of salvation includes remembering what He has done in the past, strengthening our Christian faith and hope.

Coming before His presence means looking up! It means focusing on God and what He has done, rather than on myself, my problems and what He hasn’t done for me yet. As an elderly gentleman in our congregation says, the hardest thing to do is to be a Christian, and the second hardest thing is to wait on God. God is teaching us patience and tenacity and endurance.

Verse 2 also mentions “thanksgiving”—the reasonable result of remembering the incredible mercy, blessings and promises of God. All these make the joy in our singing and praise real and growing.

So I think Psalm 95 is constructed this way, with encouragement to praise and thank God first, then the warning to avoid disbelief and hardening of our hearts, so that we can see the connection. If we “come before His presence with thanksgiving” and “shout joyfully to Him with psalms,” we will be focusing on Him, remembering His blessings, believing what He has promised. We’ll be exercising our hearts, and they won’t become hardened.

So let’s use this season of Thanksgiving to remind ourselves what God has done, to look up to Him with praise and thanksgiving and to believe and obey. Then we can avoid the hardness of heart, and enter His rest—the wonderful promised Kingdom of God!

Yesterday I got this note from our intrepid intern, Jeremy Lallier:

“For all the intrepid and stoic stargazers out there, the Leonid meteor shower will be occurring tomorrow morning from about 1 a.m. to daybreak. Here in North America, they’re predicting we’ll see a meteor (on average) once every two to three minutes, which is about three times more than usual. If you’re not willing to rough out the wee hours of the morning, at least try to make it outside around 4:30, when the shower will peak.”

Meteor shower! Well, I saw two...

I told Jeremy I would give it a try if I happened to be up at 4:30. Sure enough, a neighbor’s dog barked at 4:22 and so I got up and started on my morning run an hour early.

Have you ever tried to run down the street while looking up? My neck rebelled at maintaining that position, and my glasses restrict my field of vision. Plus about half the sky was covered with clouds. So, even though I added three additional culs-de-sac to my route, I saw nary a shooting star.

Fighting my disappointment, I decided to sit on our front step for a moment and look up through the bare tree branches for a few moments. Focusing upward and not being distracted seemed to do the trick! In just a couple of minutes I spotted two of the burning bits of space rock! Meteor showers rock!

Of course my inner blogger saw a deeper lesson in all this. Colossians 3:1-2 says: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

So I hope I can meditate on that lesson of not being distracted by the things below, and can truly focus on the spiritual things above.

The view is awesome!

God gives a number of signs, standards and identifiers of His people. The Sabbath is a sign (Exodus 31:13). Having the Spirit of God is the definition of a Christian (Romans 8:9). Christians are to believe, obey and bear fruit (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 5:29-32; John 15:8).

But though many of these things are visible to our neighbors, what was the one thing that Jesus Christ said would be the way “all will know that you are My disciples”?

Love. “If you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

But don’t all groups, from animists to atheists, have love for their own members? How does God’s Church stand out in this?

There are many possible answers to this question, and they are worth meditating about. What can I do this week to truly show the love of God to my brethren? Though we do not do it to be seen of men, Jesus said our light will shine and someday help others glorify God.

So consider two possible ways our love might stand out:

1. When our brethren are much different from us. If we were picking a church, we might gravitate toward one where we felt comfortable, where everyone looked and thought like us. But God casts a wider net and has called people from many different backgrounds to learn to love each other in His Church.

Before being struck down on the road to Damascus, Paul was the archenemy...

It’s not always easy. Can you imagine how hard it would have been to welcome Saul, the Christians’ archenemy, into the Church after God struck him down on the road to Damascus? Consider also the Corinthians and their many factions.

But we are to rise above the differences, to the point that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). A love like that can stand out.

2. When the love is sacrificial. Jesus defined the kind of love this way: “As I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

Christ gave His life for us! That is a love so unselfish, so giving, so sacrificial that we could never duplicate it on our own. But that is the kind of love God is growing in us if we will yield to His Spirit and allow His mind to be in us (Romans 12:1-2). Then, no matter how others treat us, we can love, do good and lend, “hoping for nothing in return” (Luke 6:32-35).

When the world around us looks at our actions toward each other and sees Jesus Christ’s completely unselfish love—then they will know we are His disciples.

What are we going to do about it—today?

When you think of Halloween, you probably think of costumes. On Halloween, we see people, young and old, dressed in ghoulish, outlandish and even risqué costumes.

They even have weird and disturbing costumes for toddlers and babies. One site lists its 15 Weirdest Toddler Halloween Costumes, and I have to admit, many of them were pretty strange. Things like dressing your baby up as a Las Vegas showgirl or a pimp, as Hitler or Darth Vader, or even as an exploding body parts scene from the Alien movies or as a victim of an ax murderer. I don’t even want to imagine what the adult costumes are like.

Since I knew costumes would be a trending topic today, it got me thinking about a passage the apostle Paul wrote about what we put on—and what we should take off. His meaningful analogy shows how we can stop looking like the evil world around us and start looking more like Jesus Christ.

Paul used the analogy of changing clothes...

Stripping off filthy garments

Colossians 3:8-9 talks about the costume we humans naturally wear. “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.”

What a list! These describe the attitudes of hate, disrespect and deceit that Satan spews all over this world. He certainly doesn’t take off for Halloween, a day that celebrates evil, darkness, masquerades, charades and shenanigans. Paul tells us to “put off” these things, and the NIV Bible Commentary explains that the imagery “is that of putting off clothes—like stripping off from oneself a filthy garment.” We must take off the filthy uniform of this world, and stop doing the things that someone wearing that uniform would do.

An amazing change of clothes!

Paul continues by telling us what to put on—and why. Verse 10 says: “In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you” (New Living Translation throughout).

This new self is like a brand-new suit of clothing we are to put on. But it’s not like any clothing you have ever seen or heard of. These amazing clothes don’t wear out or decay, but are renewed every day. And they look more and more like their Creator! The Bible sometimes speaks of clothing as representing what is inside us spiritually, in our minds or hearts. This isn’t just an outward costume, but a complete commitment to become like Jesus Christ.

Verses 12-14 give details of the clothing we are to put on.

“Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Think about that description—who does it remind you of? Jesus Christ showed tenderhearted mercy and kindness to publicans and sinners, to the lame and the blind and to the parents who brought their children to be blessed. He showed humility and gentleness to the soldiers who beat and crucified Him, even though He could have called down fire on them. And He has shown incredible patience in dealing with me and you and every other human being.

Verse 13 continues: “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Again, Jesus Christ is the image we are striving to reflect. His forgiveness to me should be reflected in my forgiveness of others.

The most important piece

Then in verse 14: “And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

So as we step back from these verses, we see that God is clothing all in His Church with the same uniform, like a well-coordinated sports team or a symphony orchestra all wearing perfectly matched tuxedos. Since God is love, if we focus on loving each other and loving God, we will look more and more like God. Love is like an outer garment that covers and brings together all the other parts of our godly apparel.

So, when you see kids and adults dressed in weird and disturbing costumes, remember that God has called us to put off all that, and to instead put on Jesus Christ. We are to put on tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and over it all, love.

Then we will be continually looking more and more like Jesus Christ, and we’ll be dressing for true spiritual and eternal success in the Kingdom of God.

Today would have been my mom’s 73rd birthday. I was feeling nostalgic and rather sad. We lost her Jan. 2, 2008, and I miss her.
My nostalgia took me to the basement, and what I discovered was a gift, and a lesson, from my mom.

Tucked inside a copy of a Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cook Book, 1954 edition, with my mom’s name on the inside, was a note. It seems like it was a note and a Bible study Mom had prepared for me. It says:

Sharing
For God loves a cheerful giver. II Cor. 9:7
Are we cheerful givers of our time?
When Mom asks you for some help, how do you answer? Dad? Brother or sister? Neighbor?
What does it mean to share?
What are some things we share with others?
Smile–Toys–Time–Cooky–

I don’t remember when she wrote that or even when she gave me the cookbook, but I feel like she gave it to me again today. Instead of receiving gifts, Mom was always giving.

Thanks, Mom, for always sharing. I will try to be a cheerful giver till I see you again–and forever!

In a previous blog post we asked if Jesus would celebrate Halloween, with its dark themes and sordid past. We think not.

But most Americans would say: It’s for the kids. It’s all about dressing up in costumes, eating lots of candy and having fun. It’s all just make believe.

Is it all good fun or is there a sinister aspect to Halloween?

But is it? Is the horror, gore and ghoulishness just good fun? Or is there a sinister aspect to this holiday that masquerades as innocent fun for children and a not-so-innocent fun for “adult” revelers?

Is it really harmless to dress up as ghosts, witches, wizards, demons and other denizens of the spirit world? If the spirit world were totally make believe, maybe so. But the Bible says what many of us suspect in our heart of hearts: The spirit world is real. Satan is real. Evil exists and should be left alone, not dabbled with. (Our booklet Is There Really a Devil? goes through a thorough biblical study of this subject. Read it online or order a copy to be sent to you.)

I have not seen, and don’t plan to see, the low-budget but high-impact film Paranormal Activity. But I’ve read enough about it to know that it taps into real fears that lie just beneath the surface of our minds. The moviemakers’ magic may not be real, but the spirit world it invokes is all too frighteningly realistic.

Of course God is in charge, and if we stay close to Him, we don’t need to fear Satan (James 4:7-8). But when we stray from God and take evil lightly, there is reason to fear.

We don’t have to blindly follow the customs of our increasingly godless society. Many Christians are choosing not to participate in Halloween’s celebration of evil. If you are one of them, let us know. We are happy to encourage you in this positive decision.

Please take a moment to check out some of the links to related articles. We pray they will be interesting and helpful to you in growing in your relationship with our loving Creator.

Related Resources:

Is Halloween Harmless?

Halloween’s Dark Roots

Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins

Can Halloween Be Christianized?

Who’s Getting Tricked by Halloween?

The man ESPN selected as the “Coach of the 20th Century” turns 99 years old today! John Wooden’s incredible winning program at UCLA gained the basketball coach legendary status and 10 NCAA titles in 12 seasons.

John Wooden's latest book is being released today...

But to me, the wonder of this heroic figure is his humility and his down-to-earth common sense. He considered himself not just a coach, but a teacher—a mentor. Although I only saw him once in person, he has been an inspiration in my life in pursuit of teamwork and excellence.

Here are some of my favorite John Wooden quotes from a list of “99 Things About John Wooden” in the Los Angeles Times:

• “Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be.”
• “Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
• “Talent is God given; be humble. Fame is man given; be thankful. Conceit is self given; be careful.”

The promoters of his latest book, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, being released today, are trying to get 9,999 people to send best wishes to this great mentor. I was happy to be one of them.

The kind of mentoring John Wooden believes in goes beyond coaching outward actions to shaping inner character. In this book he wrote:

“A personal mentor…can often teach us the most about effective living—about humility, contentment, interactions with family and friends, and how to keep our priorities straight in a world that often threatens to invert them. A personal mentor may encourage us as well as correct us when we find our focus shifting from the things that truly matter in living a life worthy of respect.”

Those matters of priorities and focus go far beyond athletics. This is the kind of mentoring the apostle Paul taught: “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Coach Wooden set out to be that kind of mentor himself for his players: “I was teaching them how to share the glory, how to win and lose graciously. I sought to teach these boys about more than basketball. I wanted to teach them how to live.”

What have you learned from John Wooden or other mentors?