Category Archives: Christian Living

Blogs in this topic are designed focus on living a life that’s honoring to God.

A bird feeder and its subtle reminder to trust in the Lord

Posted on December 11, 2013 by | Comments Off on A bird feeder and its subtle reminder to trust in the Lord

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[This entry was originally written on Friday, December 6, 2013, but for some strange reason, it did not post as scheduled.  It has now been posted and has not been altered since its original “failed” publication.]

Since Monday, the National Weather Service has predicted that my town. like most of the tri-state area, is under the threat of a severe winter storm. Expecting a severe storm, many people are rushing to grocery stores everywhere to buy bread, milk, and other goods they believe are needed to survive the approaching winter storm. While being ready to for this storm is wise, these same people are totally blind and unprepared for the spiritual storms that are rapidly approaching; even some who consider themselves Christians will be caught unprepared and unsure where to turn.

Since 1996, I have had at least one bird feeder in every place I have lived.  I have enjoyed watching the various types of birds and other animals that have come to depend on the feeders.  I often think of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ where he teaches how He cares for the sparrows and would care for us all the more if we would just let them, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and oneHPIM0003.JPG of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). Through my love of nature, God allows me, a mere sinful man saved by His grace, to take part in providing food for his creation. Throughout the year, regardless of the weather, I make sure that the feeder is refilled each time it is empty.  There is a real blessing that I get out of hearing the chirps and squeaks from the various birds and the other animals that regularly visit the feeder. During the winter months and particularly after a good snow, I enjoy the natural beauty of the picture created by my feathered visitors.

HPIM0240.JPGJust as the birds and other animals have learned to depend on my bird feeders, we also must learn how to depend on God in a similar manner.  There’s no membership fee, no special tasks, or other hard tasks required of us before he offers his grace to us. There comes a point in every believer’s life where we must realize that we must let go of our own understanding of what we think life means.  Solomon, considered one of the wisest of all rulers in the Old Testament, wrote, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). There is no doubt that he had learned this crucial concept from his father, the man who was described as by God as a man after his own heart (I Samuel 13:14b). David wrote that phrase, Trust in the LORD, seven times in the book of Psalms. David offers us several reasons why we should unquestionably put our complete faith in God: Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (Psalms 37:3), Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man (Psalms 118:8).

According to Biblical numerology, seven represents completeness and spiritual perfection. If we are ever to have a near complete and perfect walk with the Lord Jesus Christ while we are living within the flesh, we must learn to look to Christ for his guidance and not depend on our own sense of right and wrong. When we face trials and tribulations, we must remember what the prophet Isaiah wrote, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).  Just with this verse in mind, we see the importance of not trying to find our own solutions for the problems we face; we simply must trust in the Lord. David wrote, Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and there is a lot of wisdom in this verse of only sixteen words. This verse reassures us that the Lord is what will not only deliver us but will defend us when we seek his will in handling the trials and temptations we face.  There’s not a more reassuring thought than knowing that God will give us safe passage if we will turn to him and seek his will.

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What happens when Christians forget

Posted on December 3, 2013 by | Comments Off on What happens when Christians forget

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They are located in every town and city in our nation.  We have all seen them and wondered what happened that would cause it to happen.  In my town of Henderson, Kentucky, a ride through the older neighborhoods contain a half-dozen churches that are now silent and cold.  No more does Amazing Grace ring from its sanctuary; no more do its members walk down the aisle to pray at the altar.  No more does the nursery hold the younger generation of church faithful; no longer does the church impact the community.

Within the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah wrote A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God (Jeremiah 3:21). After all that God had done for the children of Abraham, Jeremiah is bearing witness that they forgot God.  The prophet Ezra wrote Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening (Ezra 3:2-3). Not only did the children of Israel forget God but they also neglected to keep up the things that God had prescribed – which is why Ezra recorded that they had to “set the altar upon his bases” – essentially rebuilding the altar that had fallen down after years of neglect.

We read those scriptures and similar passages in the New Testament and wonder how God’s chosen people could allow such a thing to happen – how the altars were forgotten, neglected, and allowed to deteriorate.  We wonder what could3450741598_382a81c3e5_o have caused those of so long ago to forsake the teachings about the deliverance, goodness and grace of God and act with indifference when we find ourselves following the same path. Just as the altars of Israel had fallen in decay, there are churches across America that are in the same shape.  The question must be asked is why?  Why did this happen to the church?  Unfortunately all we have to do is to look what happened to those Old Testament lessons and we can see exactly why the church is in decay.

They forgot to teach their children about the things of God 

During the exodus out of Egypt, the Lord, through Moses, was trying to teach the children of Israel and the mixed multitude that accompanied them the importance of remembering the mighty work that God had done. According to the leading of the Holy Spirit, Moses wrote Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons (Deuteronomy 4:9). Those that were brought out of Egypt had a divine obligation to teach their children and their grandchildren of the mighty works that God had done. Somehow, they even ignored the warnings given by God, Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day (Deuteronomy 8:11) and continued to ignore the responsibilities to teach the younger generations.  Within a few generations, the nation of Israel found itself with its altars broken and God had left them to their own devices as He had warned: And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

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Taking a stand within the “old tyme faithe”

Posted on November 22, 2013 by | Comments Off on Taking a stand within the “old tyme faithe”

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One of my favorite places to go for a day trip is St. Louis, Missouri.  From where I live at in Henderson, Kentucky, it takes about two and a half hours to reach the east side of the city.  Two of my favorite attractions are the St. Louis Metropolitan Museum and St. Louis Metropolitan Zoo.  One Saturday morning, while wandering along the various art exhibits, I encountered one of the museum’s star bronze statues – called The Puritan.  As I took the picture above, I remember overhearing a couple of young people commenting that the statue looked menacing, judgmental, and angry.  As I thought about what the young girls said, I knew that the reason they felt this way was because of the world’s perception of Puritan life and culture.

During his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ did teach his disciples and all that listened in that day, Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets (Luke 6:22-23).  What is it about the Puritans of Colonial America that the lost world still hates?  What is it about the Puritans that the lost world ridicules, mocks, and scorns? What is it about the Puritans that the lost world sees as menacing, judgmental, and angry?  The answer is simple from the perspective of a Christian – it is their stand on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The legacy of the Puritans in Colonial America bears witness to the very thing that Christ taught – If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:18-19).

As an American historian by trade and training, I have always enjoyed studying the faith and life of those early American settlers. Because of this background, when I saw that sculpture I didn’t see the same things that the young people saw; in fact, I saw someone who was sincere, dedicated, firmly rooted in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a staunch defender of his faith hating the very things of the flesh that tend to weigh down the typical Christian of our day. In fact, the Puritan faith of Colonial America can be summed up in three verses: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment (Mark 12:30), But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Matthew 5:37), and No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). These three verses are the keys to understanding the reason for the stand of the Puritan.

Because of their love and devotion of God and the things of God, they tended to live a life as close to their understanding of Biblical principles as possible.  While a part of their faith was based on the concept of Calvinism – the belief that God has predestined some to Heaven and others to eternal damnation – they did believe that one’s lifestyle determined their eternal destination.  This was driven by the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:16-20). While I do reject the teachings of Calvinism, I do believe that a holy lifestyle does show a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The drive for a holy and chaste lifestyle also came from a second scriptural reference: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Their dedication to the teachings of Christ, especially the importance of drawing others to Christ was also based on this verse: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).  In their personal lives, and as a community of believers, they felt compelled to live a lifestyle that reflected the holiness and love of God and would serve to remind the lost world of the offer of salvation available to those who were willing to submit their lives to God.

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