One Thing!

In Psalm 73, Asaph, the writer of this particular psalm expressed his heart's single desire when he wrote, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."

So ... if this were true of you and me ... if we desired nothing on this earth as much as we desired God, what would this look like? Consider J.I. Packer's answer to this question: "It is a matter of wanting and valuing 'fellowship . . . with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ' (1 John 1:3) more than I want or value anything else in this world. And it is a matter of making knowing and loving and pleasing and praising God my life task, and of seeking to lead others into the same God-glorifying pattern." 

Hmm. Seems like I have a ways to go (and I am guessing you do as well!). So let's take a step or two today toward making this a reality in our lives: to have one thing at the top of our priority list: living for God and His Son Jesus by the enablement of the Holy Spirit!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Think on This!

A.W. Tozer met Christ in Akron, Ohio as a teenager. The journey that began there, continues to influence many today as Tozer is among the most read Christian writers of the 20th century. As I was reading from one of his many writings last evening, I came across the following and thought ...hmm, I need to pass this on. So take a moment and think about what A.W. has to say. You will be better for it!

"The lack of spirituality among men and women today is embarrassingly evident. Tozer zeroed in on one of the primary causes. 'I am convinced,' Tozer said, 'that the dearth of great saints in these times even among those who truly believe in Christ is due at least in part to our unwillingness to give sufficient time to the cultivation of the knowledge of God.'"

How much time are you giving to cultivate your knowledge of God? And remember this: getting to know God begins with getting to know HIS word!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The World's Wisdom ... or Better Said ... FOOLISHNESS! (part 3)

Today is the final installment of my evaluation of some advice offered up in a recent issue of Good Housekeeping.

6. Be gleefully grabby: Every once in a while, you should take the last cookie. We tend to suppress that instinct, but a little bit of "me-first"-ism can make you giddy. 

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Listen. "Me-first"-ism is the root problem of our world. In fact, every single crime, offense, evil deed, slanderous word, malicious thought can be traced back to "me-first"-ism. What is the middle letter of the word "sin?" Yep! That's right. As followers of Christ, he calls us to a higher standard. Just as he did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many ... he calls us to serve (Mark 10:42-45). The Apostle Paul also directs us to consider others and their needs before we consider our own (Philippians 2:3-4). Certainly does not sound like the path of Jesus is about ME FIRST at all!

7. Get mad and stay mad: Instead of adhering to the adage, "forgive and forget," it's sometimes wiser to remember - at least for a while . . . of course, common sense dictates that you shouldn't hold a grudge for too long or your might drive a wedge between yourself and others. 

OK. How does this advice align with the Bible? For starters, consider Ephesians 4:26 where we are told to not allow the sun to go down on our anger. Also, take a moment and read the parable Jesus told about the need to forgive (Matthew 18:21-35). And if you any more encouragement to put off anger ... and to put on forgiveness, see Colossians 3:13).

I hope as a result of my brief evaluation of the advice of this article . . . you have seen how our society is moving further away from biblical norms for life and practice. This means that we must redouble our efforts to saturate and renew our minds with God's Word! Failure to do so will only leave us open and vulnerable to this kind of ungodly influence.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The World's Wisdom ... or Better Said ... FOOLISHNESS! (part 2)

Today ... I continue with an evaluation of the advice given in the Good Housekeeping article, Why it feels so good to be just a little bad! 

4. Procrastinate, then tell yourself you're being creative: You won't necessarily be lying. Putting something off can ratchet up inspiration, especially if you're the type of person who works well under pressure. While you're wasting time, be sure to check out plenty of videos of kittens on treadmills and cute puppies in baskets. 

Hmm. "You won't necessarily be lying." Really? And what about "wasting time?" What does the Bible have to say about these things? The first is a no-brainer, as God always speaks truth and desires the same of us. As to the use of time, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are to make the best use of our time (Ephesians 5:15-16). Too many of us waste our time pursuing such trivial things. Instead, we need to be wise and invest our time in the things that will count for God and eternity!

5. Don't censor yourself: Swear when you stub your toe. Believe it or not, there is some evidence that colorful language can ease pain and may even help you bond with others. Plus, sometimes you just have to toss an F-bomb. 

Did I just type what I think I did? I mean, do we just HAVE to toss an F-bomb from time to time? Really? Again, the Bible is clear. How clear? You be the judge: "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving" (Ephesians 5:4). 

Are you beginning to see why I have titled these posts as I did? You talk about foolish advice! More tomorrow! Until then . . .

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The World's Wisdom ... or Better Said ... FOOLISHNESS!

Recently I was given an article published in Good Housekeeping. Right away the title grabbed my attention: Why it feels so good to be just a little bit BAD! The opening words of the article made me want to read on . . . "Behaving badly, at least once in a while, can ease stress, put a smile on your face, and make your heart beat faster."  The article went on to list a number of guilt-free ways to misbehave. This week ... I will take a look at several of these and evaluate this advice in the light of the wisdom of God's Word.

1. Gossip: the next time an acquaintance does something selfish or unethical, spill every gnarly detail. 

The Bible is clear on this one. Gossip is wrong (see Proverbs 11:13; 26:20-22; Romans 1:28-29; 2 Corinthians 12:20)! And just what is gossip? It is the spreading of sensitive information (true or not) about another person with people who have no business knowing it. If we were all honest, we would all admit to gossipping (or listening to gossip). But this is something that we ought not to do! No one is better for it! So the next time an acquaintance does something selfish or unethical, pray for him or her. But don't go wagging your tongue to others!

2. Flirt with a man who's not your husband: Make eyes at the waiter when your husbands in the loo. Wink at the UPS guy. If you don't turn it on once in a while, you risk switching off permanently. 

Really? Flirting with a guy when you are married to another is a good thing? Seems to me this is how extra-marital affairs get started. One "innocent" flirtation leads to another ... which leads to another ... which leads to . . . !!!  If a wife (or husband for that matter) is going to stay true to her spouse, there is no way "flirting" in any way is going to strengthen that commitment. If one plays with fire often enough, eventually he or she will get burned! So ... you can chuck out this piece of advice with the first!

3. Spend the days in your PJ's: If the beds don't get made and the dishes don't get washed, the Earth will not crash into the sun. On the other 364 days of the year, including weekends, you are busy, busy, busy. You deserve a whole day of rest. 

OK. Just so you know that I am not all about bashing Good Housekeeping, I actually find some merit in this advice. The Bible does encourage rest (the 4th commandment is all about a day of rest). And in our busy and hectic society, all of us need to take some time out to just "chill!" We also need to be sure that when we take some time to slow down, that we spend some of that time cultivating our relationship with God (Mark 1:35; 6:31). But do me a favor. If you decide to spend the day in your PJ's, if you find that you must take a run to the store, PLEASE put on some clothes first!

More to come . . . and thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Here are some more or less random thoughts for you to enjoy with your favorite cup of morning coffee ... and if you don't drink coffee, you should!

1. Here are a number of alleged benefits to drinking coffee: It helps to fight depression, it may be good for your liver, it may help you lose weight, it will help boost performance (especially when you are tired), it may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's Alzheimer's, and skin cancer, and it may even make you smarter! Sounds like some good stuff to me!

2. Last week while on vacation in Erie, PA . . . my wife, Sharon had to make an unexpected trip to the local Emergency Room (poor wording there ... isn't every trip to the ER "unexpected?"). Ends up she had a kidney infection and had to be admitted so she could receive antibiotics intravenously. Now as we drove to the hospital and then spent the next four hours in the ER (from 10:30 pm to 2:30 am) ... I was obviously concerned for my wife. And then when she was admitted, I was relieved to finally have a plan of action. But as we drove on the deserted highway back to the family's home where we were staying (minus my wife) - I must admit that I found myself complaining about losing sleep, the soon to appear hospital bills, and the change this would make in our departure time later that day. God convicted me of this downright sinful attitude just this morning. I was viewing a video about the current situation in the Central African Republic. In the video, the narrator mentioned that the pediatric center in the capital of Bangui is the only operating medical facility in the entire country! And here I was complaining ... taking for granted ... that when my wife needed health care (and quality health care at that!) ... it was only a short drive away! Ouch! How I lack the gratitude I should have for how abundantly God has blessed me here in this country! How about YOU? Do you also take God's many blessings for granted?

3. Finally ... here is a very sad article that reports how the Presbyterian Church USA voted to exclude the hymn "In Christ Alone" from their hymnal. At the end of the article is a video of Kristen Getty singing the song written by her husband, Keith and Stuart Townsend. Thank you Keith and Stuart for not compromising what you believe!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings .... enjoy!

1. Here is a video posted this week on recent happenings in the Central African Republic .... please pray. And to fuel your prayers, check out Augustine Hibaile's prayer updates on our Friends of CIDEL web site.

2. I would guess that most if not all of you reading this would not be able to name the top missionary sending country in the world! For the answer, click HERE! 

3. This coming Sunday at our church, some Gideons will be present to share about their ministry. Of course, the Gideons are probably best known for their practice of placing Bible's in motel rooms. Here's how that practice got started. 

4. For all you C.S. Lewis fans (and even those of you who are not), here is a great read as Andy Naselli has taken each of Screwtape's letters and reduced it to one sentence (Screwtape is a demon mentoring a less experienced demon on how to care for his "patient" - a newly converted Christian).

5. What affect does losing sight of eternity have upon us as Christians? Paul Tripp has some answers. 

6.  On a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj