Something to Think About During the Long Memorial Day Weekend

As you can see from my book list, one of the books I am currently reading is titled, A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger than You. The book was written by Paul David Tripp, a writer, conference speaker and adjunct professor at Westminster Seminary and the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation - both located in the Philadelphia suburbs. In the very first chapter of this book, I ran across a quote that I want to leave you with .... and ask you to ponder during this holiday weekend. Are you ready? Here it is:

"We were never meant to be self-focused little kings ruling minuscule little kingdoms with a population of one."

Think about it! And thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

P.S. - For info on this excellent book, go to the following Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Quest-More-Living-Something-Bigger/dp/0978556747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243005678&sr=8-1

The Role of the Ten Commandments

Usually when people in America think of the Ten Commandments, they either think of the old Hollywood blockbuster film staring Charleston Heston as Moses or they think of litigation they hear about in which a group sues to have the Ten Commandments removed from some public venue. Beyond this, little thought is given to them. This is tragic. Why? The Ten Commandments are the foundation of God's moral law. Listen to what the NEW TESTAMENT says about God's law:

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Romans 3:20).

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'" (Romans 7:7).

"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 2:24).

You see, it is through God's law that a person becomes aware of his guilt before God. And it is then and only then that a person will see his need for Jesus Christ. The good news of the gospel will only be good news when one realizes the bad news of his guilt as a lawbreaker before a holy Judge. Below is a clip from The Way of the Master. It begins with a clip showing just how ignorant people are today of the Ten Commandments. I hope you take the time to watch it.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

The Ultimate Escapologist!

Ehrich Weiss was a truly remarkable man. He travelled throughout Europe and the United States, performing before large crowds who were spell bound by his accomplishments. And just who was Ehrich Weiss? You might know him by his stage name, Harry Houdini. Houdini was a magician who is best known for his feats of escape. Houdini would allow himself to be bound with ropes, chains, handcuffs or straitjackets. Sometimes he would then be hung upside down and dropped into a container of water. Other times, he would allow himself to be buried alive (while bound). Always he would emerge free, awing the crowd by achieving what seemed to be impossible! There is no doubt, Houdini is one of history's greatest escapologists!

But as good as Houdini was at escaping ... and in his most daring stunts ... seeming to escape even death, he failed ultimately. That's right. He could not escape death when it came calling for him on October 31, 1926. At the age of 52, Houdini died of a ruptured appendix.

There has only ever been one man to really escape the clutches of death. And that is Jesus Christ. Yes, He died. But He did not stay dead. On the morning of the third day following his death, he arose from the dead. In doing so, He did far more than merely escape death. He conquered death! As a result, we no longer have to fear death! Because HE lives - we (who place our faith in Him to save us from the just penalty of our sin and rebellion against God) too will live (see John 11:25-26; Hebrews 2:15)!!! So we can stop fearing death and start cheering the grace of God and the gift of eternal life that is ours in Christ!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Honoring Law Enforcement

Every third Sunday in May for the past 26 years, our church has honored the men and women of law enforcement. This past Sunday (being a third Sunday in May) was no different. During the second of our two on campus morning worship services, we conducted our Peace Officers Appreciation and Memorial Service (for a brief news article on this event, go to: http://www.wgal.com/news/19490613/detail.html#). We do so because we want the men and women who serve Lancaster County in this arena to know that they are appreciated MORE THAN THEY KNOW! And they need to know how much we all appreciate them! Their job is a thankless job. They put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniforms. And they work long hours for a salary that will never make them rich.

The next time you see a cop, smile their way! Or even better, say a word of thanks! You will make their day!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

PS - One police chief in attendance wrote these words to me the morning after the service: "Church and community expressions of appreciation for law enforcement during the service gives great pride and encouragement for the tough jobs that we, you and I and the many others working in law enforcement take on 24/7."

Good News for Tough Times

With the U.S. unemployment pushing 9%, many Americans are facing difficult economic times. A verse in Psalm 65 speaks good news to those who are struggling. Listen to these words from King David (and inspired by God Himself!): "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it" (v. 9). God is behind the provision for our needs. And his streams are not a mere trickle of water - they are FILLED with water to provide! Now God does not promise to meet our every wish -- but He will meet our every need as HE defines our needs.

So the next time you begin to fret about how you are going to pay this bill or that bill - consider taking the following steps: First, evaluate your budget and how you are spending your money. It just may be your struggles are self-imposed. You are spending more than you can afford to spend. If this is the case, take out your budget ax and start chopping! Reign in your spending. However, if you find that this is not the case and your struggles stem from a job loss or a job cut (or an unexpected medical bill or costly auto repair) - take heart. God's streams are full. Commit your need to Him in prayer and watch Him provide!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

How to Say "No!" to Temptation . . . ASAP!

Most Believers in their struggle against temptation - often find themselves battling one particular temptation more than others. Not surprising. The Enemy knows our weaknesses, and will often attack us at our point of greatest vulnerability. Therefore, we must be diligent and intentional in our battle to say "No!" to temptation. And in saying "No!" - we must do it ASAP! We cannot give temptation any "hearing." We must respond quickly and decisively. Consider the following strategy:

Avoid (as much as possible) situations and circumstances that add "fuel to the fire" of the particular temptation you are facing. The Apostle Paul puts it this way when he writes in Romans 13:14, "Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." So if your temptation is lust, don't spend time alone surfing the Internet. If you are an alcoholic, don't hang out at the neighbor bar. Stay away from the things that can arouse temptation in your life.

Stop the tempting thought from implanting itself in your mind - and do so within the first five seconds! In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." It is clear from this passage that God always gives us a "way out" from any temptation we face. But that "way out" must be grabbed within the first five seconds of the temptation. If it is not, we will most likely be overwhelmed by its power (see yesterday's posting as to why this is the case). So the "way out" is always at the front end of the temptation!

Apply the Philippians 4:8 test to your "thought life!" Philippians 4:8 reads as follows: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." When any thought enters your head, evaluate it against the standards God establishes here in this verse. And if the thought fails to measure up - then get rid of it! And replace the tempting thought with thoughts that do pass the test. When your mind is filled with thoughts that fit the standards of Philippians 4:8, there will be no room for tempting thoughts to take root!

Pursue a life of good works! It is true that good works don't save us. But that does not mean good works have no place in a Believer's experience. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God is at work in us, shaping us, so that we might DO GOOD WORKS! And if we pursue the doing of good works, temptation will have less opportunities to entice us. As someone once said, "Temptation grows fast in the garden of idleness!"

So .... don't wait until temptation comes calling. Look over this strategy and begin putting it into practice, ASAP! Together, let's grow stronger in saying "No!" to temptation!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Why It Is So Hard to Say "No!" to Temptation

Temptation comes knocking. And when it does, it is so hard to keep the door closed. Why is this the case? Why is it so hard to turn away from the temptation, no matter what it might be? Here are some of the reasons why this is the case:

1. Temptation always come gift wrapped in attractive packages. It says to us, "Open me and I will bring you much pleasure." In Hebrews 11:25 we are told that Moses "chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time." Sin does bring pleasure -- but it is very, very short lived! What is delivered falls way short of what is promised! But we tend to lose site of the brevity of sin's enjoyment and so when tempted to sin - we open the gift wrapped package, forgetting that the enjoyment of doing so will be gone almost as soon as we experience it! (Not to mention forgetting the devastating consequences that sin brings in its wake!).

2. Our fallen human nature is wired to respond positively to temptation. James refers to this when he writes in James 1:14, "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." It is as if we have bits of metals sprinkled throughout our flesh and when temptation comes along like a giant magnet, it pulls on that metal in our flesh with what seems at times like an irresistible force.

3. This world in which we live (24/7/365) is, according to 1 John 5:19, under the control of the Evil One. That means that much of our world system in which we work and play and go through our daily routines is pushing and pulling us away from God and His kingdom. Sometimes we simply get worn down in this ongoing tug of war and so in moments of weakness, we give in to temptation.

4. Finally, the Enemy is not only tempting us indirectly through this world system that he controls, but he is directly seeking to tempt us through the agency of his vast hordes of demons. Paul speaks of this spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-12, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The devil has his schemes. And one of his schemes is to tempt you and me to sin. Because when we sin we are saying, "I can live my life independent of God!" And that is something Satan desires to see us do!

Now this is not meant to be an exhaustive list ... but it is my attempt to give some of the more significant reasons as to why it is so hard to say "No!" to temptation. Tomorrow I hope to talk a bit about how to go about saying "No!" the next time temptation comes calling!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj