Better And Better, Or A Downhill Slide?

"Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly."
Job 8:7 (NKJV)

Different people have different views on things, including overall philosophies on life and success.  Some people believe that life is just one struggle after another, and they believe that success is an elusive thing that is rarely achieved by people like them.  Some people believe that life is filled with "ups and downs" where we are often successful, but just as often unsuccessful.  Still others believe that life can be great, and success can be achieved, but once you reach a high point of life, things just go downhill.  But what we see in the Bible is that life with God is good, and it keeps getting better.

The various views and beliefs that people have about things are formed in different ways, but the best way to develop a proper belief in something is to see what the Bible has to say about it.  Some people think we hit a peak in our life and relationship with God, and from there, things just level off or even go downhill somehow.  The idea some people have about life and a relationship with God is that it can be very good, but even in our walk with God, we can be in a great position with God at some point in our life, but it is only temporary, and we cannot stay in that place forever. 

With God in our life and on our side, things can go from good to better.  But some people say this is not possible, because we all face problems in life.  While this is true, we do not base our relationship with God on our life experiences.  Some people look at Job, and they identify with his struggles.  But at the end of the Bible story, Job was better off than when his problems started.  Yes, we will all face challenges in life, but in our everyday walk with God, and in a crisis, we can be confident that He is with us and will help us.  As we keep our faith in God and His unchanging Word, we can go from where we are now to something even better!

Are You In The Right Lane, On The Right Path?

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. 
Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."
Proverbs 4:25-27 (NKJV)

There is something that I have seen happen several times while driving in the USA, but it is something I do not think I have ever seen while driving in Europe.  Sometimes, in the USA, I have seen someone quickly cross over one or two lanes to try to get to an exit or into another lane that they should have already been in, or that they realized at the last minute they should have been in.  This is something that is very dangerous, and it shows the need to be sure that we are in the right lane at all times, so we do not have to make a last-second lane change.

We are all going somewhere in our life, at least figuratively speaking, and it is very important that we are going in the right direction.  Just like following some road, if we are in the wrong lane in life we can have problems.  If we are doing things in our life that are negative and harmful to ourselves and others, we need to "change lanes," but we should not wait until the last moment to do so.  We need to pay attention to the things we are doing and what is happening in our life, to be sure we are on the right course, so we do not have to make any last-minute changes to avoid problems.   

Proverbs 4 talks about the need to stay on the right path, to focus on what is ahead of us, and not get off course.  People can be in such a hurry in their life that they do not take the time to consider if what they are doing is really what they should be doing, and they tend to try and make last minute radical changes in an attempt to get to where they should have been all along.  God will guide us through His Word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we can be sure we are on the right path in every area of our life, avoiding last minute lane changes, and following God's plan. 

What's In The Bag? Check The Receipt

"These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
Acts 17:11 (NKJV)

Recently, I was shopping for groceries in Germany, and I used the self-service checkout to pay for my groceries.  As I packed up my things and started to leave, a man approached me and introduced himself as the "store detective" saying he wanted to check my receipt and groceries, to see if they matched.  This had never happened to me before, but I gladly showed him my receipt, and he checked what was in my bags against the receipt.  At the end of this, he thanked me for my cooperation and I left the store, because what was in the bag matched the receipt.

Many stores have people who might check our receipt against what we are trying to leave the store with.  People in these stores could just expect everyone else to be nice and think that no one would try to steal anything from them, but unfortunately, this is not the case.  It is a good policy to check things, whether it is groceries, some electronics purchase, or even concerning Bible teaching.  When we hear someone teaching something in a church, a special meeting, online, or even in a book we read, we should check what we have received in that teaching against what is written in the Bible. 

Acts 17:11 talks about something that every Christian should be doing; searching the Scriptures, daily, to see if what we hear is true.  In a store, someone may want to check what is in our bag against the receipt we have.  In the same way, we need to check the Bible to see if what someone else and their teaching is giving us is really in line with God's Word.  If we do not do this, we could end up with something that does not belong to us, and that would not be good.  There is good teaching, and there is bad teaching, and the best way to tell the difference is to check the Scriptures, daily.

What Do You Remember?

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

Memories can be wonderful, or they might not be so great.  It is good to remember the nice trip we took somewhere, a special time with family, or some good thing that happened in the past.  But, memories of something bad that happened to us are not things we want to remember.  Memories are something we have about something in our own life, and we don't usually remember what happened to other people, unless we were somehow involved.  But if I was the only person who remembered something, then it would not be a memory shared by other people, and it would only be relevant to me.

Everyone has some memories of the things that have happened in their life, and of course, we want to remember the good things, and we want to forget the bad things.  If all someone remembered were the bad things that happened, that would not be good, it is best to leave those things in the past.  This is something that applies to everyone, and it can be especially important in the lives of Christians.  Everyone makes mistakes, but we need to move past the mistakes and not dwell on them.

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul gave us some great advice: leave the past behind and move forward towards the goal that God has given us.  We all make mistakes, and we usually remember those mistakes in a more negative way.  And our enemy, the devil, never forgets our mistakes and he is always quick to remind us of the past problems we have had.  We need to move on, leave the past behind, ignore the devil's reminders, and remember the goodness and mercy of God.  If all we do is remember the problems we have had, it is difficult to move forward in the plan that God has for us.

Deposits And Withdrawals

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
Luke 6:45 (NKJV)

One basic principle of banking is that you cannot withdraw more than you have deposited.  This is a very simple concept, but there are times when people somehow think that they have more money in their account than they actually do, and that creates a problem.  In the past, when more people wrote checks, you could write a check, mistakenly thinking you had some funds available, but if they were not there, the check bounced.   Today, when you make a deposit in a bank account, some of your money may not actually be available right away, so that is also something to pay attention to.

The principle of deposits and withdrawals can be seen in other areas of life, besides banking.  For example, if you have "deposited" some knowledge, wisdom, or experience into your life, then that is something you can "withdraw" when a situation arises.  This principle also carries over into spiritual things.  If we have some spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and experience that has been deposited into us, we could make a withdrawal of that for ourselves and for others.  But we cannot make a natural or spiritual withdrawal of something that has never been deposited. 

In Luke 6:45, Jesus talked about a good man and an evil man both having some "treasure" in their hearts that could be brought out.  Whatever deposits of "treasure" we make into our life are things we will be able to "withdraw" for the benefit of ourselves and others.  We need to spend time in God's Word, talking with God in prayer, and even serving in our church and elsewhere to gain deposits of spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  As we make these spiritual deposits in our life, we will be able to make the necessary spiritual withdrawals for ourselves and others.

Warning Labels

"But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless."
Titus 3:9 (NKJV)

At different times, and in different places, we will see warning signs or labels.  We might see a sign that tells us to watch out for some animals that might cross the road, we could see a warning sign about the danger of high voltage from something, or we might see a label on a product that says it is poisonous, and it should not be consumed.  All of these warning signs and labels have something in common, someone put them there for a reason.  And, whoever was responsible for the warning sign, or label, knew what the potential danger was so that they could warn other people about those things.

There are things that can be hazardous to us in some way, but how do we know?  If a baby or small child is left unsupervised, they can do things that could be dangerous, or try to eat things that might hurt them, but normally an informed adult would know better and not do the same thing.  This is also true with spiritual things.  When someone is a young or inexperienced believer, they might do things, or eat things, spiritually, that could be harmful to them.  Fortunately, we have some spiritual warning labels in God's Word to show us what is good and what is bad. 

In Titus 3:9, the Apostle Paul warned people about things that were "unprofitable and useless," and really harmful to their spiritual health.  Paul was placing spiritual "warning labels," so to speak, on things that he knew would be dangerous for a believer's spiritual health.  Warning labels from people like Paul are good, but we all have a responsibility to know the Word of God for ourselves, and to test all things so we can hold on to what is good.  By paying attention to the warning labels we learn about through God's Word, we can avoid getting involved in the things that would harm us in our relationship with God.

Take Step 1 Before You Take Step 2

"Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
And he said, "Who are you Lord?"  Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"  Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
Acts 9:4-6 (NKJV)

Have you ever bought something at a store with instructions that said, "Some assembly required"?  Most people have done this, and when you look at the instructions, there will usually be various steps to take to assemble what you purchased.  While you might be in a hurry to get to the completed product, if you try to skip steps, you might have a problem.  It could be that by just using your best judgment you were able to successfully complete your project, but usually the best thing to do is follow the instructions you were given and do step 1 before you do step 2.

It is hard to find a true Christian who does not want to follow the will of God and do what God says.  In 2 Corinthians 5:7, it says we walk (we live), by faith.  Faith is not based on what we see or feel, but it is based on what God has said.  To successfully do the will of God and follow His plan, we have to do things His way and take the steps that He gives us, as He gives them to us, or we may end up wandering away from the plan God has for us.  We need to take the step that God gives us, and trust God's guidance in our life, even if it is only one step at a time.

When Saul, who would later be known as Paul, met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he asked what he should do.  Jesus told him to go to the city, and he would be told what to do.  This is the same way that God will guide us. God will give us a step to take, something we can do now, that will lead to another step.  Often, by taking the first step, which may be the only step we have, we will learn something or gain something that will help us in our next steps.  If we try to skip steps, if we try to figure out the next steps on our own, or we want to wait until God gives us several steps, we may miss the plan God has for us. 

What Do You Call Him?

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent for the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
Galatians 4:4-6 (NKJV)

When I was growing up, I had friends from school and family members that I called by their first names.  Also, because of my parents, there were other people that I had some relationship with, they were people who I always called Mr., Mrs., or Miss. something.  Those were people I never referred to by their first name.  But as I grew older, my relationship with those people changed, and most of them told me I should now call them by their first names, that I no longer had to use the more formal title.  What I called these people changed because the relationship changed.

There are many people in the world who follow some kind of god.  In Christianity, we talk about God Almighty, and that is a correct term to use to refer to our God.  Even people who do not follow Jesus might refer to "God," but they do not have a real relationship with Him.  The good news is that once we are born again, we come into the family of God, and we are now in the position that we can refer to God as our Father!  This intimate relationship we have with God is unique to all the religions of the world, who have some god, but their god is not their father.

One of the most wonderful things about Christianity is the close relationship we have with our God.  He is not just God to us, He is our Heavenly Father.  In Galatians 4, Paul talked about how God sent Jesus at just the right time to redeem us, so that we could be adopted into God's Family.  Once we are saved, we become children of God, and our relationship with God has changed, because we have been adopted into God's Family.  Now we can talk to God, as our Father.  He is not just some powerful being somewhere, but He is our loving Heavenly Father!

Who Are You Looking For, And Why?

"The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain;
but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me.
The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day - and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus."
2 Timothy 1:16-18 (NKJV)

At one time or another, we have all been looking for someone for some reason.  Often, the reason we are looking for someone, is that they have something we need, something we want, or they know something that we do not.  Of course, sometimes we are looking for friends or family members in some place because we want to see them and reunite with them, but even when that happens, most of the time when we are searching to find someone there is a reason for it that has more to do with us than it does with them.

Most of the things we do are done for our own benefit, but in the Bible, we are told that we should really be more interested in what helps others rather than just focusing on what is good for us.  If all we do is look for people that we think can help and benefit us, we have the wrong focus.  What if we were to think about ways we could help other people and do good things for them, and what if we had something special, or just learned something great, and then we go looking for someone to share that with?

The Apostle Paul did some great things to help build God's Kingdom, and people probably wanted to meet Paul and listen to him, but how many people wanted to help Paul?  In 2 Timothy 1, Paul talks about a man named Onesiphorus who Paul said "often refreshed" him and ministered to him in many ways.  Onesiphorus was not some famous Christian, but he was someone who went looking for Paul, to help him.  What about us, who are we looking for, and why are we looking for them?  We need to be like Onesiphorus, and when we look for people, it is because we want to help them.

Retraining Ourselves

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)

Whenever you learn a skill or you are taught to do something, what you learn is based on who was teaching you.  But what if you were taught to do something, like driving a car, playing an instrument, or using a computer program, and the way you learned it was not actually the best way to do that thing?  Or what if some lessons you learned in the past are now outdated, or you moved to a different city, state, or nation?  That could happen, and the result might be that you would have to learn how to do those things differently, you would need to be retrained.

Every day, we are learning, and even relearning, how to do things.  As Christians, we are, or should be, in a continual process of being retrained to think, act, and speak the way God wants us to.  It is almost impossible not to be influenced in some way by the things of this world, church traditions, family history, or something else that is contrary to God's Word and His will.  This is why we must be growing and developing spiritually to retrain ourselves to live the kind of life that God has planned for us, and not live a life based on anything else.

Romans 12:1-2 talks about presenting our bodies to God as a living sacrifice and renewing our mind so that we are not conformed (shaped) like the world.  It is easy to think, act, and speak like everyone else, but we need to think, act, and speak according to God's Word.  This can only happen as we spend time in God's Word, spend time with God in prayer, follow the Holy Spirit, and get involved in our local church.  Retraining ourselves by lining up our thoughts, actions, and words with God and His Word is something that we should always be doing.

Light In The Darkness

"Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
Psalm 112:4 (NKJV)

We have all been in situations where we did not know what to do.  Whether it was a question about the future, our family, our job, or if it was a question about how to best handle a problem we were dealing with, we have all had that feeling of not knowing what to do.  Just like everyone else, I have been there too, and it is not a nice place to be.  When it seems like we are in the dark, when we do not really know what to do, one thing we can be sure of is that we are not alone.  God knows about our situation, and He wants to help us, and He will.

Our life as a follower of Jesus should be just that, following Jesus.  But what does it mean to follow Jesus and allow God to guide us in our life?  Does following Jesus mean that we always know the way that we are going, or are we walking by faith and following God's direction?  If we are following Jesus, if we are doing the will of God and being led by the Holy Spirit, does that mean we are doing our best to figure things out for ourselves, or are we looking to God, the wisdom of His Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit to give us the direction and help we need in our life?

Psalm 112:4 talks about light rising up in the darkness for the righteous, but what does that mean?  If we are in some natural darkness, we need some light to see where we can and should go.  If we seem to be in some spiritual darkness, because we do not know where to go, or how to do what we need to do, we can trust God to give us the light, wisdom, and direction that we need.   We have to trust God and get light and understanding from His Word, and by the Holy Spirit, to do what we need to do, and not just try to figure something out on our own.  Even when it seems dark, God will give us light.

Don't Lose Your Smile

"that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."
1 John 1:3-4 (NKJV)

The other day, I saw a group of young children on the way to their school.  One thing I noticed is that several of the children were talking with each other, laughing, smiling, and playing around as they walked along.  Of course, not every child was doing that, but several of them were.  As I saw these things, I thought to myself that while so many of these children are smiling, it usually happens that when the children become adults, they seem to lose their smile.  This seemed a bit sad to me, and I thought that none of us should ever lose our smile.

When we are happy, and when things are going great, we smile.  One reason we might say that children laugh and smile so easily is that they are not dealing with a lot of the things in life that we all have to deal with as we become adults.  But, as Christians, we should never lose our smile, because our life is not based on our circumstances and the things we deal with in life.  Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength, and if that is true (and it is), then Christians should have a smile on their face no matter what the situation may be.  

In 1 John 1, the Apostle John wrote that he wanted believers to have fellowship with each other and that their joy would be full.  John made two important points here: having proper fellowship and focusing on what has been written in God's Word will help us be full of joy.  It is easy to look at life and our circumstances and lose our smile and lose our joy, but if we stay in proper fellowship with God and we stay focused on God's Word, we can have joy in the midst of the challenges of life.  Our joy, and our smile should not depend on our outward circumstances, but on our relationship with God.

Even Snails Don't Quit

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)

Recently, as I was out for a run on a trail through a forest, I saw a snail moving across the path I was on.  The snail was not going very fast, and I wondered how long it would take that snail to make the journey across the path, which was a dangerous thing for it to do as the snail could easily be crushed by someone.  But then I had another thought; no matter what, that snail is not going to quit.  That snail had a goal, and it was going to do everything that was necessary to get to the other side of the path and to where it was going.

One thing we all know is that life is not always easy, because we all face challenges.  We are all making our way through life, and hopefully doing what we can to live out the plan God has for us.  It is easy to have great ideas about what we want to do in life and how we want to serve God, but it can be just as easy to quit when things get difficult.  The real test comes when we are challenged to quit.  But rather than just quitting when things get hard, and things will get hard, we need to be committed to doing whatever it takes for us to reach our goals.  

In places like Hebrews 12, the Bible talks about our running the race that is set before us.  Our life and the things we do in our relationship with God are all a part of that race.  We must run our race with endurance, and we must never quit.  Starting a race is easy, and it is something anyone can do.  But finishing a race well is something else.  We need to keep moving forward in the race that we are running for God, and no matter how difficult it may get, and no matter how long it takes, we never quit, but we keep going until we reach our God given goals. 

Whose Directions Do You Follow, And Give?

"The former account I made, O Theophilius, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,  
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen."
Acts 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Imagine building something, working on a project, or going to some place, and you need information to be successful in what you want to do.  Whose direction and guidance would you want to have for these things?  Would you look for information from anyone other than someone who has knowledge and understanding about what you wanted to do?  It would be foolish to ask someone about building something or about work on a project who had never done those things, and it would not make sense to ask someone for directions to a place that they had never even heard of.

At one time or another, we will all need some information and directions, and we may even be the one who is asked to give that information and those directions.  As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, and He can help us with the information and directions we need for our own life and for the information and direction we may need to give to other people.  If we are just making things up on our own, following traditions, current trends, or doing things based on what someone else has done, we may end up giving information that will only be of minimal value.

In Acts 1:2, it says that Jesus gave His disciples commandments through the Holy Spirit; Jesus was not making things up on His own or just sharing what some other person had taught Him.  In the same way, through God's Word and by the Holy Spirit, God will give us what we need to know, and what we can use to help others.  We may have some nice ideas, and maybe even a good amount of wisdom and experience, but rather than just following and giving out directions from things we come up with on our own, we need to follow and give guidance from the Holy Spirit; that is the best way to do things.

More Questions Than Answers?

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia - remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 
nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith."
1 Timothy 1:3-4 (NKJV)

When we have questions, we want answers, and when we don't understand something, we normally want to have that thing explained to us.  It would be very strange for us to ask someone a question, and instead of them answering our question, they only ask us a different question.  It would be very unusual for us to talk to someone about something we do not understand, or even take a class to learn about something, and at the end of the conversation or class we are more confused about that thing than we were before.

No one really wants to be completely ignorant and not know things.  There may be some things we are not interested in, but generally speaking, in life, and especially as Christians, we want to learn about things that are relevant to us and things that will help us be successful.  It would be sad to attend a church, some special meeting, or even a Bible school, and when the service, meeting, or school is over, we understand even less about what we are taught than we did before, and we actually have more questions than answers.

In 1 Timothy 1:3-4, Paul encouraged Timothy to teach correct doctrine and to avoid getting involved in "fables and endless genealogies" because those things cause disputes.  The Greek word that is translated as "disputes" here means "a searching or seeking" of something.  Paul told Timothy to teach the things that bring godly edification rather than things that just bring up more questions.  We should teach things that build people up and not confuse them, we should teach things that edify and help people rather than just leaving people with more questions than answers.