Two Seconds?

I read of an interesting case in Rhode Island involving parking rules.  It seems that Sarah had permission to park in her spot... but not between the hours of 8am and 10am.  Problem is, she slipped quietly to a stop in her parking place at 9:59 and 58 seconds.  The clock on her dash said it was already 10am... but the parking enforcement watch disagreed and Sarah was fined for her discrepancy. 

Two seconds. 

To many (including the judge who threw out the case)... two seconds is nothing.  It’s close enough.  It’s almost.  Problem is 9:59 and 58 seconds is not 10AM.  

But it’s close.

Living together without a commitment isn’t marriage... but it’s close.   

Loving most of the people we come into contact with isn’t what God asks... but it’s close.

Putting God second on our priority list isn’t what we’re told to do... but it’s close.

Close to the bullseye isn’t the bullseye... and anything outside of perfection is what the Bible calls sin.  What we deserve as a result of that sin is far worse than a parking fine.  Let’s look at that punishment as stated in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What we deserve for our imperfection is death. 

But the scripture doesn’t stop there... it tells us that because of Christ, we can achieve eternal life.  Live forever with Him.  Get our tickets torn up and our handcuffs taken off... free to live knowing that our eternity is secure.  It just takes a decision.  In fact, it’s the most important decision you’ll ever make. 

Have you been living a life that’s “close”?   Are you thinking that you are too far gone to be accepted by God?  You aren’t.  God hasn’t given up on you and never will.  He wants a relationship with you more than you could ever know.  You are His child and you matter.  And no matter how many times you’ve missed the bullseye, there’s still hope and forgiveness waiting for you on the other side of this most important choice.   Are you ready to ask Jesus into your life?  Tired of trying to do it all on your own and struggling?  He’s ready to hear from your heart today.   How do we make God the Master, the Lord, the CEO of our life?  Three simple steps:

1)  Admit that you make mistakes

           

First, you must admit where you are with God.  We can't make excuses or blame others and our circumstances for our actions. "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23).   We all sin and none of us can get to Heaven on our own.

2)  Believe that Christ died on the cross for you.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God..." (I Peter 3:18).   It was through Christ's sinless life and willingness to sacrifice Himself on our behalf that we can spend eternity with God.

The Apostle Paul said, "...the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

3)  Commit your life to God

The word "repent" means "to change your direction.  God commands us to repent. You must be willing to turn away from the things that miss the mark with God.  Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). It is essential that you come to Jesus as you are... receive Him and allow Him to do the "cleansing." Jesus said, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).

If you are ready to admit, believe, and commit your life to Jesus Christ, say a prayer today right where you are like this one to Him. 

"God, I know that I have missed the mark and that my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past mistakes and come to you.  Please forgive me. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayers. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule in my heart, and to guide my steps.  I give everything I understand about myself to everything I understand about You.  Salvage me.  Save me.  Thank you God.... Amen.”

My sincerest hope is that you prayed that prayer today... or shared it with someone who needed it.  It’s time to stop living “close” to what God wants and instead establish a relationship with Him and allow Him to guide our steps.   Blessings to you today and always.    

Wash Your Hands

A curator had a difficult time keeping guest’s hands off of the precious furniture and art in his museum so he made a sign:  “Please don’t touch”.   Only problem was that guests ignored it.   Now stressed and desperate, the creative curator had an idea.  The next morning when guests arrived, a new sign sat boldly on a pedestal.  It read:  “Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!”

Fear is quite the motivating factor.   When we think something will hurt us, we are far more likely to heed the warning than if we are just told to stop.  So is the case with sin... and until we understand the complete destruction that sin can cause in our lives, we will be tempted to continue in it.  Deuteronomy 6:24 tells us that we should follow God’s leading (and avoid as much sin as possible) as a matter of survival.  Put yourself in a position to live the best and most God-honoring life you can... understand what uncontrolled sin can do in your life and work hard to keep your heart and hands away from what the enemy means to bring you down.

Escape

Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kept his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. 

Harry Houdini was trapped.  The clock was ticking....and he was genuinely scared.

The mind is a powerful thing.  For some of us, we’ve been trying to figure out how to be happy... how to break free... for a long time.  Every time we think we have it solved, we struggle with the lock... and hear the sound... 

click.  

We try something new... we beg God... we act nicer... we treat people a little better... all trying to somehow impress God so He will lift the burden of the prison we’re in.

click.  Still locked.

Anger, frustration, and doubt all begin to replace what little hope we had left.  We are in prison... and it seems that it is where we are bound to stay.  That bad decision, word that was said, past discrepancy... all gatekeepers to a cell that seems permanently sealed.  The lock won’t budge... and whatever happiness we may have once had is a memory. 

Is there a way out?  What will set us free? 

What does God suggest we do about it?  

Before we discover that... let’s go back to our story of Houdini:

Finally, after laboring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell.

Houdini escaped the cell because he stopped struggling with the lock on a door that wasn’t locked to start with.

We do the same thing every day.  Our mind holds us prisoner in a cell that isn’t locked.  

God tells us to handle it this way: 

Psalm 46:1 “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”

Be still.  Hardly our first reaction to being locked down...beaten up... or shaken.  

Ever used a finger prison?  Those gags where you put the tips of your index fingers into the ends of a braided paper cylinder.  When you tug on them, you can’t get your fingers loose.  The trick?  Don’t tug.  Relax and slowly remove each finger individually. 

When we quit struggling... when we stop pushing... when we cease trying to force it... when we let God be God... He reveals that what is holding us back isn’t our circumstances, it is our perception of the power of the lock.  

In fact, if you look closely at the lock, you can see the manufacturer.  Can you see it?  It isn’t Master or Yardley or even Black & Decker.

It says Satan on it... and he wants you to think it’s the strongest lock ever made.  What you did is unforgiveable... who you are is unchangeable... what happened is irreversible.  

Not true.  

God wants to be God in our lives.  He wants us to relax...refocus...and realize that He is working ahead of things... that Grace is for us too... and that He is key to our happiness.

When Christ resurrected, the door to every cell in every prison in every mind sprung open.  Don’t focus on the lock of your circumstances... push on the door.  It’s open.  God made sure of it.  If you’ve been bound... stop struggling.   Give those heavy chains to God and gently push against what seems to be permanently holding you in.

Trust me... that door will open and you will be released.

Released from pain, guilt, inadequacy, low self-esteem, past failure... Does the pain go away?  Not immediately, but the only way to start the process...the first step to true freedom from what has held us in... is the release from the unlocked prison.  

I can hear doors swinging open all over the world.  Let the healing begin.  

One Little Sin?

It’s amazing to me how many wild animals are kept as pets.

One man living in a New York apartment raised a tiger from a cub until it got out of control. He eventually moved out of his own apartment and let the tiger take over. He would go once a day and throw in a raw chicken, but authorities learned of the captive tiger when the cat waited by the door and bit his owner. 

Since 1990, at least six adults and two children have been killed by tigers in the United States. More than 60 others have been seriously injured in tiger attacks. There are now three times as many tigers in captivity, and kept as pets, as there are in the wild.

Why do this?  Why invite potential danger into our lives knowing that it could hurt us at any time?

Good question.  

I would ask the same question to the person who watches pornography on their laptop when their spouse goes to bed.... or the family who refuses to talk about problems openly ... or the disloyalty we spread at work because we don’t like our boss... 

It starts simple enough... we invite a tiny sin into our lives.  Just like that cute Tiger cub it sits there purring innocently.  We don’t think anything of it.  We have total control, don’t we?  It’s not long before we realize that it requires more food... more of our attention... and it grows.

Ever had something sinful start innocently in your life start to grow out of control?

Before long, what we felt we had control over begins to take over.  We can’t stop it... we just hope it doesn’t pounce and cause damage.  Sometimes irreparable damage.  

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  1 Peter 5:8

That sin that once seemed so innocent is now fully grown... controlled by the enemy... a big ferocious animal... ready to take you down.  To take your family down.  To take your career down.  

Seem overly dramatic?  I’ve watched one little sin grow and tear apart multiple generations in the same family.   One “easily controllable” little white lie destroy a marriage.  One teeny tiny sinful habit ruin a business.  All the devil needs is a toe in the door and he’ll tear the whole place up.  

How do we avoid it?  Don’t let the sin in.  The Bible calls this self-control.  Restrain yourself when sin seems the easiest way.  Confront what the world tells you is right when you know God says it isn’t.  Repent at the first sign of a crack in your values.  

If you don’t control yourself...and I don’t control me... the world will be glad to do it.  The enemy will be glad to do it.  He’s looking for a chance to gain influence in our lives anyway.  Don’t let him trick you into opening the door (even a little) to the heart that you have given to Christ.  Control yourself, your influences, your habits, and your tongue... and watch God bless your life immeasurably.  

Boasting

Lee Dye, a columnist for ABC News, told a story about a rather interesting former colleague.   He said, “A reporter I once knew sashayed across the newsroom one day with his colossal ego draped across his chest, just as an old veteran mumbled, ‘I’d like to buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth.”

There’s a fine line between confidence and ego... in believing in yourself and believing yourself better than others.  And if left unchecked, we can begin to believe our own hype.  The Bible warns us against this in Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”   Scripture tells us to check our arrogance.... and if we feel the need to boast, we should choose to do so about God’s greatness and not our own.  Why?  It’s not because He has a desire for affirmation...He is far from insecure.  Instead, we should praise God because He is worthy of our praise.  He gives us everything... every talent, opportunity, and resource... why not take those same hands we use to pat ourselves on the back... and lift them toward Heaven praising the One who makes all things possible.

Missing

In a recent USA today poll, 87% of U.S. adults believe in the existence of sin.  The paper defined sin as “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.”  The top two sins mentioned?  81% of the people said adultery followed up by 74% condemning racism.  What surprised me was the decline in other things once considered sin... only 45% said that sex before marriage was one... and just 30% said the love of money was a problem.  

What were once clear issues seem a bit clouded.  What used to be considered by most to be wrong is now much more accepted as “normal” behavior.  Problem with a poll like this... Fundamentally, we don’t get to decide what’s sin and what isn’t.  Scripture tells us in 1 John 3:4... “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.”  Sin is when we miss the mark... but not a mark drawn by us, society, or man-made law.  It’s missing God’s standard.  Regardless of what the world says is right and wrong... the only real measuring stick is the truth of God’s Word.  It’s one thing to believe in the existence of sin... it’s something else to remember Who defines it and why avoiding it is important.  

Measuring

In January of 2013, an interesting story came to light about a young man named Matt who lives in Perth, Australia.  After entering a Subway sandwich shop and ordering the footlong sub... he came away sorely disappointed.   You see, he returned to his seat and actually measured the bread.  The result?  It wasn’t even close to the advertised 12 inches that the word “footlong” implies.  When challenged in the media, Subway responded that the word “footlong” is a used to describe the sub and not to be used a a measurement of length.

This got me to thinking about a verse that says the same thing about us... Romans 3:23 tells us “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”    No matter how good we try to be... no matter how much we do... none of us will ever measure up to perfection.  Why?  Sin.  And it’s because of sin that all of us miss God’s mark from time to time.  But take heart.   If we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, that sin is forgiven and we are separated from it forever.  Let’s live as advertised... not perfect but exonerated.  Not flawless but faithful... striving toward our God-potential.  

Wash Your Hands

A curator had a difficult time keeping guest’s hands off of the precious furniture and art in his museum so he made a sign:  “Please don’t touch”.   Only problem was that guests ignored it.   Now stressed and desperate, the creative curator had an idea.  The next morning when guests arrived, a new sign sat boldly on a pedestal.  It read:  “Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!”

Fear is quite the motivating factor.   When we think something will hurt us, we are far more likely to heed the warning than if we are just told to stop.  So is the case with sin... and until we understand the complete destruction that sin can cause in our lives, we will be tempted to continue in it.  Deuteronomy 6:24 tells us that we should follow God’s leading (and avoid as much sin as possible) as a matter of survival.  Put yourself in a position to live the best and most God-honoring life you can... understand what uncontrolled sin can do in your life and work hard to keep your heart and hands away from what the enemy means to bring you down. 

Easy to Dismiss

In the Bible, we frequently read of people contracting leprosy.  This flesh eating bacterial disease caused scarring, disfiguration, and sometimes death by those who suffered from it.  Good thing we don’t have to worry about that anymore...right?  Actually, the truth might surprise you.  Leprosy is still a big problem in many parts of the world.  In fact, in 2011, there were 200,000 new cases of the terrible disease.  

It’s easy to dismiss leprosy as outdated and ancient... even though it isn’t.  Trouble is... some think of sin the same way.  Like it’s some old Biblical idea that doesn’t apply in our lives anymore.  Unfortunately, sin...or missing the mark... is very much a part of today’s world.  Scripture tells us that if we leave sin un-dealt with in our life...scarring happens...pain happens...and we find ourselves drifting further from God’s plan.  How do we deal with sin?  Confess it to God.  Ask Him to forgive us.  He promises to give us grace and a fresh start.   There may not be a cure for sin... but we do know the cause.  Let’s make every decision one that honors God... and we’ll live healthier lives as a result.

Right and Wrong?

In a recent USA today poll, 87% of U.S. adults believe in the existence of sin.  The paper defined sin as “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.”  The top two sins mentioned?  81% of the people said adultery followed up by 74% condemning racism.  What surprised me was the decline in other things once considered sin... only 45% said that sex before marriage was one... and just 30% said the love of money was a problem.  

What were once clear issues seem a bit clouded.  What used to be considered by most to be wrong is now much more accepted as “normal” behavior.  Problem with a poll like this... Fundamentally, we don’t get to decide what’s sin and what isn’t.  Scripture tells us in 1 John 3:4... “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.”  Sin is when we miss the mark... but not a mark drawn by us, society, or man-made law.  It’s missing God’s standard.  Regardless of what the world says is right and wrong... the only real measuring stick is the truth of God’s Word.  It’s one thing to believe in the existence of sin... it’s something else to remember Who defines it and why avoiding it is important.  

Measuring Up?

In January of 2013, an interesting story came to light about a young man named Matt who lives in Perth, Australia.  After entering a Subway sandwich shop and ordering the footlong sub... he came away sorely disappointed.   You see, he returned to his seat and actually measured the bread.  The result?  It wasn’t even close to the advertised 12 inches that the word “footlong” implies.  When challenged in the media, Subway responded that the word “footlong” is a used to describe the sub and not to be used a a measurement of length.

This got me to thinking about a verse that says the same thing about us... Romans 3:23 tells us “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”    No matter how good we try to be... no matter how much we do... none of us will ever measure up to perfection.  Why?  Sin.  And it’s because of sin that all of us miss God’s mark from time to time.  But take heart.   If we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, that sin is forgiven and we are separated from it forever.  Let’s live as advertised... not perfect but exonerated.  Not flawless but faithful... striving toward our God-potential.  

**Note** It was great to see so many 1st time guests at our campuses this weekend!  Enjoy the books... and join us for our book study starting October 30th - 6AM at our Cooper City Campus in South Florida!

Wash Your Hands

A curator had a difficult time keeping guest’s hands off of the precious furniture and art in his museum so he made a sign:  “Please don’t touch”.   Only problem was that guests ignored it.   Now stressed and desperate, the creative curator had an idea.  The next morning when guests arrived, a new sign sat boldly on a pedestal.  It read:  “Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!”

Fear is quite the motivating factor.   When we think something will hurt us, we are far more likely to heed the warning than if we are just told to stop.  So is the case with sin... and until we understand the complete destruction that sin can cause in our lives, we will be tempted to continue in it.  Deuteronomy 6:24 tells us that we should follow God’s leading (and avoid as much sin as possible) as a matter of survival.  Put yourself in a position to live the best and most God-honoring life you can... understand what uncontrolled sin can do in your life and work hard to keep your heart and hands away from what the enemy means to bring you down.  

The Table

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  Romans 3:23

I read of a small boy who had been consistently late for dinner. One particular day his parents had warned him to be on time, but he arrived later than ever. He found his parents already seated at the table, about to start eating. Quickly he sat at his place, and then noticed what was set before him--a slice of bread and a glass of water. There was silence as he sat staring at his plate, crushed. 

Sometimes we make mistakes.  Sometimes we repeat the same mistakes.  Again and again and yet again.  Our plate sits in front of us... and we feel far more than hunger pains….regret.  sorrow.  guilt.  shame.  sadness.   We hurt.  

We stare at disappointment and realize that we caused it... We sinned... we did the wrong thing.  Will we hurt forever?  Will they ever forgive?  Will God ever see us the same way?  Am I broken?  Unloved?   If only we had one more chance...one last conversation...one opportunity to wind the clock back and make things right.

This young boy’s story wasn’t over...

Suddenly he saw his father’s hand reach over, pick up his plate and set it before himself. Then his dad put his own full plate in front of his son, smiling warmly as he made the exchange. When the boy became a man, he said, "All my life I’ve known what God was like by what my father did that night.

What is God like?

Sacrificial and unconditionally loving.

Full of grace...not condemning judgment

Full of hope...not unending despair 

Full of forgiveness...not relentless blame

God reaches across the table and replaces what we deserve with what we haven’t earned.   As Christ-followers, when we ask for forgiveness, He takes our bread and water... our sin... our punishment... our condemnation... our mistakes... and allows us yet another chance. 

Grace from a loving Father.

Love from a graceful God. 

Feeling discouraged by past failure?   Afraid to show your face around God’s table?

Don’t be.  

There will always be a chair waiting... plenty of food... and a warm embrace from the One who knew that you would sin and created you anyway.