In the first post of this series, “What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up”, we looked at Elijah at Carmel. Elijah wanted to live life excellently and do great things for God. He had great dreams to bring Israel back to God. But things did not turn out like he thought and he was tempted to quit. We talked about how fatigue factored into this and the importance of keeping up with your physical needs. In part two of this series, let’s look at some other factors like comparison and focusing on facts instead of feelings.
Author Irving Stone has spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing novelized biographies of such men as Michelangelo and Vincent van Gogh. Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of all these exceptional people. He said, “I write about people who sometime in their life…have a vision or dream of something that should be accomplished…and they go to work. “They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified and for years they get nowhere. But every time they’re knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they’ve accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do [ 1. Crossroads, Issue No. 7, p. 18].” It’s important to persevere, that’s a great fact. But, what do you do when you hit an impasse? What do you do when you feel like giving up?
Today’s post is in answer to the following question which came in. If you have a question you would like answered, please consider making contact. We would love to hear from you. Here is the question.
“Would you please answer this question for us or if you have something already written on this subject would you please send it to us. What happens when a person dies? If a Christian dies what happens after they die and when an unsaved person dies what happens? We know what the Bible says about death but some ministers teach that saved Christian’s when they die they lay in a state of unconsciousness until the rapture. While others teach that the saved Christians go immediately with the Lord and are rejoicing with Christ on the streets of gold and the unsaved are burning in hell.” – Cotia & Ford
Sometimes alien thoughts buzz in people’s heads like bees hovering around a hive. Even people wishing to do God’s complete will get stunk with the question, “What if I married the wrong person. What should I do? How do I correct the mistake and get back into God’s will?” Let’s look at the all the hum coming from this question in this weeks podcast.
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It only takes two and people have been pairing up and fighting since the fall of man. It started with Adam and Eve’s children. And so, siblings fight. Nations fight. Politicians fight. Neighbors get it on. Animals fight and documentaries are made of it. On and on it goes. But is it ever right to fight? Does a Christian lose ‘cool points’ for losing his cool?
Years ago there was a series on TV called “John Doe”. John Doe is about this person who wakes up on a desert island and has no idea who is. He suffers from retrograde amnesia. He has no clue about his past but he finds that has an extraordinary encyclopedic knowledge of everything else. If you name any town in the United States, he can tell you the population to the exact number. He can tell who the mayor was in that town, what year he was born and how much his tax return was the previous year to the exact dollar. He knows all about science; he knows all about plant life; he knows all about mechanics etc. and he uses this extraordinary encyclopedic knowledge of everything to help solve crimes. But all the while he is helping other people, he is trying to find out about his past. John Doe knows everything about everything except WHO HE IS. That is what this post is about – it is about the John Doe’s in the body of Christ, many of them know a lot – they know Bible stories – they can quote Bible verses – they have been church and Sunday School their whole lives. They know all this ‘churchy-anity’ but have no heavenly clue who they are and why God left them on this desert island called earth.
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How to Display Spiritual Maturity as A Servant
The opening verse of James (James 1:1) shows the apostle’s penetrating humility. His maturity pops out like a pumped up vein. James knew Jesus. After all, brothers know brothers. The siblings flourished in the home of Joseph and Mary. They played and laughed together. They developed into men of God together. James shared his toothbrush with the Messiah. Except he didn’t know he was the Messiah then. Jesus was just his kid brother. Despite knowing the star maker, James chooses not to reference it. What he does mention is the link that mattered most to him. “James a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Put yourself in his place. How would you write this opening? Would you have written, “James the half-brother of Jesus?” A mature Christian understands the spiritual is higher than the physical. Blood is not thicker than water, in the Spirit realm. The new birth fuses believers together into an everlasting inseparable family. Two blood washed disciples living unknown to each other on separate continents have a greater bond than the closet unsaved relatives living under the same roof. These opening words of James are a sharp picture of what maturity looks like, an image the world knows nothing about. Service is life. Those playing the world’s game would have taken advantage of knowing someone as famous as Jesus. Can’t you hear the worn expression, “it’s not what you know but who you know?” Name-dropping, networking for status and positioning “for self-promotion is the game. Call it Selfishness Inc.; against this, the words of James stand in stark contrast.
This podcast is a joint venture between my daughter Sophie West and I. We discuss her blog post
Words Have Power . The notes below are hers.
I suppose it’s only fitting that I introduce myself to you, as that is what most people do upon meeting each other. I am the youngest born to my father Emery and my mother Sharon. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but you may call me Sophie West, and I’m a twenty something year old whose passion revolves around three things; My God, my family and words. These areas that I have centered my life on are seemingly typical responses to the age old question “What is important to you?” Well the first two are in any happenstance. Americans the world over have professed a deep and abiding love for God and family. But the two that I’m going to focus on are My God, and my words.
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Dr. Tom McGuiness, a counseling psychologist in New Jersey, gives this explanation of why many affairs take place: Married people seek out or succumb to affairs when they feel devalued or less than fully alive. They are bored. Overburdened. People who have affairs have a child’s deep longing to be touched, caressed, held, hugged and kissed, whether they admit it or not. They want happy surprises. That might mean a sentimental unexpected gift every once in a while. More important, it is the dependable gift of time and caring. The present of shared ideas, experiences, stories, nonsense and games, including sexual games. They want the world to butt out. They want a loving friend, a pal who isn’t judgmental. They want someone to convince them they’re still loved, lovable and very special. For a little while, now and then, they want out from under the grown-up responsibilities that have become predictable, dreary and difficult. . These are some of the preventable feelings that couples have. As the old saying goes to be forewarned is to be forearmed. What are some things that married couples can focus to help affair proof their marriage?
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Angels are spectacular mysterious beings. In today’s age, there’s much conversation about them. This is nothing new. Paul speaking to the Colossian church warned them about worshiping angels (Col. 2:18). While we are not to worship angels or put them on pedestals, the Bible does speak much of them, 295 times to be exact. So, what can learn from them? What practical lessons can we learn about God from them?
Marriage is a precious God ordained institution. The marriage bond mirrors the bond between Jesus and the church. We use the phrase ‘a marriage made in heaven’. The marriage institution does come from heaven. In each individual marriage, however, God gives the couple a “Do It Yourself Kit.” We are to work out marriages on earth. This “kit” consists of the teachings of the Bible about marriage . Follow these teachings and your marriage will flourish. Here are some rear view mirror musings on the subject. They come from thirty three years of walking the walk.
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#030: What’s Communion Simply Defined [Podcast]
Communion is the most solemn and holy of the ordinances of the church. It is the sacred of the sacred. The holy of the holiest. But what does it mean? What do all the elements convey? A.W. Tozer had his opinion. He said “The communion table will not have ultimate meaning for us if we do not believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is literally present in the Body of Christ on earth.” . Today we are going to look at some of the Bible words surrounding this most revered ceremony. We are going to look at Communion in simplest terms.
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