Dead Sea Christians

How many of you know why the Dead Sea over in Israel is called 'The DEAD Sea'?

Nothing grows in it. No fish or wildlife. And for a very simple reason: there is a river that flows into it and feeds it, but there is no outlet--no river running out of it. So it stagnates.

Perfect illlustration of some Christians I know (and unfortunately it fits me too often). I have a couple friends (they are brothers) who are at church every time the doors open-- choir practice, bible study, prayer meeting, church plays, sunday school, church service, etc. Am I criticizing them for this?

Sort of.... the problem is how "self"-ish it tends to be. All that good stuff flowing in but nothing going out. When I invited them to a homeless ministry my wife and I are involved in to help out, they were too busy with "church". Just seems a bit pharisaical to me.

What is the message of James? "Be DOERS of the word, and not hearers only." We all need to evaluate our use of time and make sure we are serving in the way we as Christians are called to serve, not just becoming theological swellheads.

Jesus didn't say, "I was ignorant, and you enlightened me" or "I was theologically a little off, and you corrected me" but rather "I was hungry, thirsty, naked and in prison".

"Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me." Psalm 139:23-24

Quiet Time

"Be still and know that I am God." Isaiah 46:10

"We have all heard the saying, Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. " But how often do we really do this? Are we just too busy being busy? Too busy even for God?

Be honest, I can't read your mind: how often do you sit down and just listen to God? LISTEN. Not pray, or ask for His help, or even pray for others. Just quietly listen for His still, small voice.  Ask Him what His will is for you this day? Or just "commune" with Him.

Isaiah also says, "In quietness and in confidence will be your strength."

This "quiet time" with God is where all our spiritual strength and fortitude comes from, yet we neglect it regularly.

I love this:

I'd dare to make mistakes next time, I'd relax, I would limber up. Would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers, I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have more actual problems, but fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, and day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I'd travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances, I would ride merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies. I had my life to live over, I would laugh more, love more and tell them. What would you do?

We spend so much time preparing to live the Christian life, studying, going to church, "doing" things (most often very good things) but do we ever take the time to simply enjoy God. Meditate on who He is and His great love for us, and what it will be like to spend eternity in His presence, His immediate presence.

I think we would come  back from quiet sessions in His presence with a renewed ability to handle all our lives busy-ness and challenges.

BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Living a Joyous Life

"The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart." (Ps. 19:8).
"The joy of the Lord is my strength." (Nehemiah 9:10)

What brings you joy? Your answer will reveal much about your priorities and the direction your life is heading spiritually.
The psalmist wrote, "How blessed [happy] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers". Psalm 1:1-3That psalmist knew that true joy and happiness come from knowing God and abiding in His Word. That was David's confidence when he wrote, "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (Ps. 19:8). "Precepts" in this verse speaks of divine principles and guidelines for character and conduct. God created you and knows how you must live to give glory to Him. And He revealed in His Word every precept you must know to do so.
Every divine precept is "right." It shows you the path that is right and true. What a wonderful confidence that is! While many around you may be discouraged or despondent because of their lack of direction and purpose, God's Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Ps. 119:105).

It guides you through the difficult mazes of life and gives your life eternal significance.
Don't live simply for your own pleasures. Your life has a high and holy purpose, and each day can be filled with joy as you see that purpose unfold.

12 Great Questions to Ponder

The Focus of Holiness

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  Colossians 3:1-2

We all know we should do this and most of us are probably familiar with the passage in Colossians. But how in our everyday lives are we to practice this?

I have always both enjoyed and learned from stories and parables that teach me lessons from Scriptural principles. I read this one about 40 years ago and what follows is my paraphrase from memory.

In an ancient eastern kingdom the monarch had become a Christian and was learning the principles from the Bible on how to both live the Christian life and rule in a way pleasing to God. One of his most faithful servants had become a Christian through the king’s example, but he was struggling mightily with sin and the difficulty of leading a holy life.

He came to the king one morning to ask how he could better live the Christian life, how to become holy. In answer the king did the following:

He had the servant fill a silver goblet to the very brim with oil. Handing it to his servant, he commanded an officer of his guard to follow him with a drawn sword.

Now it is necessary to the story to know that a carnival was going on in the streets of this great city, a weeklong mardi gras. There were singers and fools and animals throughout the streets.

The king handed the goblet filled with oil to his servant and said, “I want you to walk through the city and come back to the palace without spilling a drop. If you spill a single drop, my guard will immediately cut off your head.”

The terrified servant yet trusted his king and began walking. After hours and hours he successfully made it back to the palace with no loss of his head.

The king said to him, “So tell me about the carnival…did you enjoy it?”

“What carnival?” answered the servant, “I saw no carnival. I was concentrating on the goblet.”

The king immediately said, “Concentrate and focus on God in the same way, and you will lead a holy life.”

This is the task of the Christian:  to set and keep our mind on Christ. For if we “turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face…the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His wonder and grace.”

Probably the absolute best passage of scripture you can memorize to remind you of this need to focus on the Lord and His word is Psalm 1, just 6 verses. I would encourage you to do so.

”The look saves, but the gaze sanctifies…”

THIS ONE THING I DO

"...but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.." Philippians 3:13,14

Paul lived this. He wasn’t on the local church softball team. He didn’t watch American Idol religiously. He didn’t play chess or bridge....or golf at the local country club. He didn’t get together with the girls for bunco.  Paul lived FOCUS.

Jonathan Edwards, considered by most to be the greatest philosophical  and theological mind America has ever produced, once said, “Resolve to live with all my might while I do live, and as I shall wish I had done 10,000 ages hence.” I hope you will stop and think about that.

Steven Covey in his bestseller “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People”, listed one of the habits as “Begin with the end in mind.” A suggested exercise was to write your own obituary. A bit morbid, but actually a great idea. What do you want your family, friends, and the world to say about you when you are gone? What life do you want to have lived?

While building Microsoft in his 20s Bill Gates DID NOT TAKE ONE DAY OFF for ten years.  “They then do it for a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

One of the wisest short sayings I love is “Do things on purpose.” Most of us live accidental lives. Not much comes out of an accidental life.

A W Tozer wrote an essay titled “On Breeding Spotted Mice”

 ( http://tinyurl.com/c45v6mo  ). It would do you a world of good to read it. He tells the story of a man who retired wealthy and proceeded to spend the rest of his life trying to breed spotted mice. Tozer’s point is clear: what a waste of a precious life.

When asked recently what most surprised him about life, Billy Graham said: “Its’ brevity.” John Piper recently wrote a great little book, “Don’t Waste Your Life”. Are you?

….only one life, ‘twill soon be passed; ONLY what’s done for Christ will last.

Come Help Change the World

Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade, wrote a book back in the early 1970s he titled “Come Help Change the World”. I read it while in college and have never been able to forget that challenge.  It has been my dream ever since, that in my own small way, God would allow me to change our world for His glory.

I believe after years of His preparation, I have found His calling that will result in His using my small talents and gifts in the best way for the kingdom. We have called it Bible Memory Coins (http://www.BibleMemoryCoins.com).

From a young age I was led to study and memorize large portions of the Bible. It started in Sunday School where our teachers would have contests (the prize was candy bars—it worked!) to see who could recite the most verses. I made sure I won every contest (hey, I liked candy bars…). Then in the Christian elementary school I attended, to get an A+ in Bible class you had to memorize 100 verses in a semester. Being a normal competitive male, I made sure I got that A+!

In junior high school, our church gave a beautiful leather Bible to anyone who read the Bible through in a year…I can still remember getting up late at night because I had forgotten to read, and reading my couple of chapters.

Early high school led me to Navigators Topical Memory System and I learned all those verses pretty quickly. Then my junior year I attended a Bill Gothard seminar and was challenged to learn chapters and whole books of the Bible, which I have been doing ever since. (I won’t mention my foray into learning in the original Greek…might make some of you think I am a nerd or something….)

There have been times in my life when I am not sure I would have persevered in my faith or made it through the difficulties and trials had I not been a memorizer. It has been the defining, most important discipline of my Christian faith and life experience. Yet we do not typically now encourage our kids to learn God’s Word. I find this appalling, and very sad.

Every Christian leader and pastor today I most respect—men such as John Piper, John MacArthur, Rick Warren, Dallas Willard, Howard Hendricks, Billy Graham, and the list goes on—places huge importance on Bible memorization. Dr. Louis Evans, the late pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church, had memorized the ENTIRE Old and New Testaments. He was a phenomenally effective pastor.

Below are just a few quotes from some of our most deeply spiritual leaders:

Billy Graham: "I am convinced that one of the greatest things we can do is to memorize Scripture." Billy Graham, Personal Thoughts of a Public Man p. 88
Charles Swindoll, Insight For Living/Dallas Seminary,  "I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture...No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified." Seasons of Life p53 (emphasis mine)

Rick Warren of The Purpose Driven Life, says "Scripture memory is a habit that most Christians have never even tried, but getting your members to hide God's word in their hearts brings personal revival and renewal.It is the single most important thing I have ever done in my spiritual life."

Dr. Howard Hendricks, Dallas Theological Seminary "One of the most important Christian disciplines is Scripture memory. If I had it my way, every student would know 500 verses word perfect with the references before leaving Dallas." spoken to Drake Mariani at a men's conference 11/15/98.

C.H. Spurgeon said of John Bunyan (who wrote Pilgrim's Progress), “Prick him anywhere; and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God.” (Quoted from his Autobiography in Iain Murrya, The Forgotten Spurgeon [Edingburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1973]
p. 34)

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” (“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7).

If all these men of God who have served and studied His word for a lifetime agree on the critical importance, indeed, primary importance of Bible memory and meditation, why are we not practicing this discipline? We believe we love the Lord and want to follow Him yet we are disobedient. Over and over in scripture the Lord calls us to “hide His word in our hearts.” Psalm 119:9-11, Colossians 3:16, Psalm 1, Joshua 1:8…the list is endless.

We wonder why we are defeated Christians, not bearing fruit, frustrated? We need to get back to the basic of filling our hears and minds with God’s Word.

I have set my life mission for as long as the Lord gives me breath to facilitate, teach, and train people, especially youth, to study and memorize the Bible as a lifelong discipline.  The tool for doing this is a beautiful set of actual coins approximately the size of a half dollar, each with 2 memory verses, front and back. We have developed this program over the past 3 years and are now in production.

But we need your help. We will not go into debt for this program. This is a commitment we have made as a Christian company. So creatively we have developed a simple “Bible Memory Society” to fund the development and manufacture of the Bible Memory Coins and training programs to go along with it.

You can be a part of this mission by joining the society: the cost of membership is a one-time fee of $50.00. You will receive our booklet on memorization and meditation “The Word Filled Heart”, a certificate that is frame able and shows your family and friends your support for and belief in the Bible, and a 10% lifetime discount on all coin sets, booklets, publications, and other products BibleMemoryCoins might sell.

Many of you have followed me on Twitter and been a part of our #MKBiblechats as well as many of our Comedy Hours (we don’t have to be morose to be Christians). I have personally devoted between 60-70 hours per week the past 7 months without pay to develop the chats and Bible Memory Coins. We are now at the point where in order to maintain that commitment, we need a minimum of 100 Bible Memory Society memberships.

If you value what we have done and are doing, I would encourage you to join. You will be supporting and enabling us to get God’s Word out all over America in the form of coins which will literally last for generations. I dream often of having millions of coins in circulation that say things like, ”What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”…and “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.”

Will you join us and ‘Come Help Change Our World”?  God’s Word and the love of Jesus Christ on the cross is the only hope for our many personal and societal difficulties. This $50.00 fee will help us to move forward and begin what I hope and dream will become a great work honoring our Lord and His Word.

Email me at MyTweetBuds@gmail.com or Direct Message me on twitter at @BibleMemCoins and I will send you the information on how to sign up and make payment.

It is my  hope andprayer you will pray and consider this very seriously. In this awesome time of the year when we celebrate our Lord’s birth,  “May the Lord bless you, and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”

God's Richest Blessing,
Mike