Show Some Respect!

Yesterday I talked about ALWAYS being ready to apologize (to give someone a reason for your faith in Christ). I quoted 1 Peter 3:15. I want to point out something crucial in that verse that you and I MUST always remember. Here again is what Peter said, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." Did you see Peter's last seven words? Did they really sink in? As we defend our faith - we must do so with gentleness and respect. I wish we Christians would remember that more often!

Here is a story from my past that illustrates what I am driving at. Between my freshman and sophomore years in college, I had a job at Hershey Park. I worked from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. I was part of the park clean up crew. This crew consisted of mainly college aged guys who spent all night hosing down the park. One night on break, one of the other guys approached me and began asking me spiritual questions. When we were done, he thanked me and told me the following: While attending college (he had just graduated that May), he had many Christians who approached him to talk to him about their faith. In his words, they tried to jam their beliefs down his throat. But he said I was different - and he appreciated that. How was I different? I believe it was that I tried to treat those around me with respect. Too many Christians that I have known have been downright rude while trying to apologize. Let's heed Peter's words ... and always remember to share "with gentleness and respect!"

Thanks for listening,

pj

P.S. I will be heading to Indiana this morning. I will be back to posting next Tuesday. "See" you then!

Be Always Ready to Apologize!

From the time I was just a little boy, my parents taught me the need to apologize whenever I wronged someone else. And simply saying, "I'm sorry" was not enough. We had to state exactly what we were sorry for. I must admit there were times I was telling my little brother that I was sorry for punching him (while on the inside I was glad I had done so!).

The Bible calls all of us who follow Jesus to be ready to apologize. In 1 Peter 3:15 we read, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The words translated "to give an answer" come from the Greek word "apolgia," the verb form meaning "to make a defense." Our English word "apologetics" comes from this Greek word. What Peter is driving at here is that we must ALWAYS be ready (look at the verse again) to give a rational reason for our faith in Christ. God does not call us to "check our brains at the door" when we come to Him. Our faith is a reason-based faith. I get a bit irked when I hear people talk about faith as if it involves disengaging the mind. Nothing could be further from reality. How about YOU? Can you give good, solid reasons as to why you believe Christianity is true? If you need help, one of the best (and most readable) books to read on this topic is Paul Little's book, Know Why You Believe: Connecting Faith and Truth.

Happy Apologizing!

pj

Driving in Unfamilar Territory

Last week, Sharon and I logged about 1500 miles on our car. We began our journey by driving to East Rutherford, NJ. More than once, I made a wrong turn and got a bit "bewildered" (never lost, though!). We then drove from East Rutherford to Rocky Hill, CT - and then from there to Bar Harbor, ME. Having never driven in these areas before, there were times we had to double check our maps and even stop and ask for directions! (yes this did happen, even while I was behind the wheel!) With help, we always made it to our destination ... and eventually back home!

Every day we are surrounded by people who are lost ("bewildered"). Sadly, many do not even realize that they are lost. But the Bible is clear. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). If one of these lost people were to ask you for "directions," would you be able to point them to God? Could you explain to them the gospel? Only in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ will people be able to find their way to God and freedom from their sin. So let's be sure that we can give those around us the directions they so desperately need to hear!

Thanks for listening,

pj

North to Maine!

Hello from Acaida National Park! That's right. Late Saturday afternoon, Sharon and I left East Rutherford, NJ (where we attended a "family" wedding) and headed north to Maine. We are staying in Bar Harbor which is adjacent to Acaida National Park. Here is a photo that Sharon took of me this evening as we enjoyed the view from the summit of Cadillac Mountain. For those of you who have visited this place - you can relate when I say the view of the harbor and surrounding park from Cadillac's summit is stunning. And for those of you who have never ventured here, Sharon and I HIGHLY recommend it! I will be back to my regular posts next week. Until then, keep your eye on heaven and your mind on the cross.

Thanks for listening,

pj

It's Your Serve!

I used to play a fair amount of ping pong, tennis and volleyball. In all of these activities, participants get the chance to serve. I especially loved to serve when playing ping pong. A former pastor of mine (way back when I was in high school) taught me how to put all kinds of "english" (a.k.a. "spin") on the ball which causes it to fly off the opponents paddle in a lot of weird directions. So serving while playing ping pong is FUN!

As we live out our lives, God calls us to serve. Not just when it is convenient or comfortable - but often when it is not. We need to pay attention to the Word of God when in Galatians 5:13 we are told, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." We need this reminder because all too often we want to use our freedom to serve ourselves. Don't go down this path. Rather, each day when you wake up remind yourself that you are called by God to be a servant. Indeed, "It's YOUR serve!"

Thanks for listening,

pj

Are We Almost There Yet?

What parent has not heard those words coming from a child in the back seat of the car? Or is there a child that has never asked that question? For an active child, a 25 minute ride can seem to last forever (let alone a trip that drags on for hours!). Every child simply wants to get where they are going! And every parent, tired of hearing this question wants the same!

Are we almost there yet?

As Christ-followers, we are on a journey. I call it the JOURNEY OF GRACE. It is the path toward spiritual maturity that we all must walk. If I had to select one word concerning making progress on this journey it would be the word "intentional." Far too many believers are NOT intentional when it comes to their spiritual walk with Christ. Believers as a whole are too casual about their walk with God. For a lot of us, our walk with God takes a "back seat" to our many other activities. How about YOU? Take out a sheet of paper and begin to list the intentional steps you are taking to grow in your faith - to get to know God better. You just might be surprised at how little you are doing! Why not begin TODAY and get more INTENTIONAL about making forward progress in your own journey of grace!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Me and My Fish Pond

Back in April of 2004, I began a sabbatical leave that was graciously given to me by my church. The previous year proved to be a difficult one for me for a number of reasons. High on the list was the death of both of my parents a mere six weeks apart. I needed some time "off" to renew and re-energize my spiritual batteries.

One of the first things I did while on sabbatical was to put in a small garden pond adjacent to our front porch. I had done this in the back yard of our previous house, and really wanted to do the same at our current house. I thoroughly enjoy sitting by the pond, listening to the water fall from the barrel into the pond and watching the gold fish lazily swim about. I also enjoy feeding my gold fish. For three years now I have been feeding them twice a day. Instead of the more expensive fish food, I feed them oatmeal. It's a lot cheaper and my fish are growing and healthy! And they LOVE it! (I think I would grow tired of a twice-a-day diet of only oatmeal - but then again, I am not a gold fish!)

Now suppose for whatever reason, I stopped feeding my fish. All of a sudden, their food supply would be greatly diminished. And if I continued to not feed them for a long period of time, my guess is that soon some would start to die (or at the very least stop growing and become sickly). Gold fish, like any creature, must eat in order to survive - and grow.

Guess what? We are no different from gold fish. We must eat if we want to maintain healthy bodies (do I need to remind you that we must eat HEALTHY!). What is true of our bodies is also true of our souls. If we want to grow and maintain a healthy soul - we must feed our souls. And the food that God provides for our souls is HIS WORD! So if we want to grow in our journey's of grace - then we must be REGULARLY interacting with the Bible. But, regrettably this is not the experience of many Christians today. Survey after survey shows that biblical illiteracy is up over a generation ago ... in some cases dramatically so. God's people just don't know God's Word as they should! The result? A floundering Church, dysfunctional families, personal sin and addictions that "cannot" be broken.

My friends, if the only regular interaction you have with God's Word is on Sunday's at church - that is NOT enough. What would happen if you only ate dinner on Sunday? Let's all purpose together to get into God's Word in a more consistent manner. That's the path toward spiritual growth and health!

Thanks for listening,

pj