Ten Commandments #1

Good Tuesday morning everyone. I had an amazing day yesterday! I killed my first turkey. It was a great morning and I just praise God for allowing me to enjoy a beautiful morning and to harvest a bird. I hope you had a good day yesterday too!

Now for the devotion.

Commandment number one says: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

I wonder if it bothered God to have to tell us that He is God?? I have a hard time understanding how people can deny the that there is a God. It seems to me if people will just open their eyes it easy to see God all around us. Creation itself shouts praises to the Creator God! So not only did God feel it was important to remind us He is Our God but He also need to remind us what He has done for us. Israel needed to be reminded what He had done by bringing them out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt and now was going to be lead to the promise land although this generation would not make it the next would. God has brought us out of bondage too! If you have received forgiveness of your sin through the blood of Jesus Christ you have been freed from the slavery of sin!! Thank you Jesus!!! I hope and pray God doesn't have to remind us of that very often! Now God is leading us to the promise land, an eternity in heaven. Wow we are so unworthy. Thank you Jesus for making us worthy by your death on the cross.

I want to challenge you this morning to look at Israel's journey. Often we we laugh at the disobedience and laugh and say I can't believe they would turn their backs on God like that, but when we examine it closer we are just like them...stubborn and hardheaded! It is a shame God has to remind us of Himself but it is a blessing He loves us enough to do so!!!

Have a great day in the Lord!!!

Tom

Ten Commandments

Today I am starting a new series as I am sure you notice called the Ten Commandments. The commandments are so important for Christians. The first reason is it is a guide by which God has given us to live our lives by. I hope each day you will examine yourself and see how you are doing in lining up to God's commands. The second reason is it is a great witnessing tool. When you tell somebody about Jesus if we will take them through the 10 commandments it easy to show that person how we have broken every commandment and need redemption through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So lets look at some scripture.

Jesus said..."Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matt.5:17

Jesus said..."Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt.5:19

I have heard many folks over the years make comments that we are not under the law anymore but under grace...which is true and it is false. Let me explain. We are still to live by the Ten Commandments and some other commandments that Jesus gave but we are also not held by the old sacrificial systemwhich was part of the law as Jesus replaced that by the ULTIMATE sacrifice....Himself on the cross for our sin.

I have not found any place in the Bible that tells us that the ten commandments are null and void. I believe we should look at them often. It should help us strive to keep our lives in order. It should also humble us daily as we see how often we fall short of what God expects from His people. Jesus Christ was fulfillment of the ten commandments as He is the ONLY ONE who ever kept the commandments perfectly.

So I hope you will join me as we look at each commandment and examine our lives to see how well we are holding up the Word of God.

God bless you my friends...Tom

p.s....I am posting this on Sunday for Monday as I will be on vacation tomorrow!

Lukewarm #18

Well folks today is the last Lukewarm. On Monday I will come up with something new. I hope you have enjoyed the lukewarm series and remember it is meant to be used for self-examination. I am by no means the judge...God takes care of that.

Now for today's devotion.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matt. 23:25-28

Examination of ourselves is very important. Jesus words can hit us quit hard this morning. Who are we fooling? God knows all about us. On the outside we can look very spiritual but the inside...the heart is what is the main concern. If our hearts are right with God everything else will be clean. Have you ever caught your self reading about the Pharisees and thinking "What is wrong with those people?" I sure have. But when I sit back and think about it, many times I am just like them!!! Selfish, wanting recognition, worried about following the law instead of growing in my relationship to Christ....Wow what about you??? Again this morning I want to end with a question....when you examine your life and compare it to an unbeliever is there much difference??? Christ was radically different and if we are to be followers of Him we should be radically different than the rest of the world!

Have an awesome weekend and live for Jesus!

Tom

Lukewarm #17

We just finished Revival Services last night! It was an awesome week. I was thinking this morning how great it was to worship the Living God with brothers and sisters in Christ four nights in a row and guess what? It didn't hurt one bit to miss all those T.V. shows...lol!!! Maybe we should have Revival everynight now that I think about it we would be much more in tune with God!

Now for today's devotion.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens---they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them---they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live---they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis--- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

"And He told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21

Now let me be clear before I make my comments. A man should prepare for the future and it is taught in scripture. If you need some examples let me know and I will give some to you.

Now with the corruption and greed taking place in our headlines right now...AIG, Mandof, the banking bailout, ect. How much more appropriate can this topic be??? The last question in the lukewarm paragraph is worth asking again....would your life be any different if you stopped believing in God?? Wow you talk about a slap upside the head this morning. We are so caught up in preparing for our future right here on earth that we very seldom think about our future in heaven and that is what the Bible tells us we should be doing...storing up treasures in heaven!!! The example that comes to mind this morning to me is missionaries. They give up the extravagant lives we live here in the U.S and go to countries where there is very little....many times not even electricity or running water and serve God with their lives. Now you tell me who is better off? Us or them??? I have never met a missionary who regretted serving God with their lives. They are not worried about their 401K or when they can retire...you know why???? God doesn't have a retirement plan....or well maybe he does it is called heaven and we are not suppose to stop until we get there!!!

I am praying you will stop and chew on this awhile today....I could say much more on this but I need to do some praying on this myself this morning....please God help us stop worrying about our treasures on earth and start storing treasures in heaven where nothing can take it away!!!

God bless....Tom

Lukewarm #16

Ahhhh the refreshing sound of rain! God is blessing us here this morning with much needed rain! I have a thought for ya this morning. Sometimes I am very selfish when it rains and inter fears with some plans I have. Even though the farmer and we need to rain for the crops and food. Now if I am praying for it not to rain and the farmer is praying for it to rain who does God answer? Think on that for awhile!!

Now for today's lesson.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the old testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label "Christian" or because some people persist in calling us a "Christian Nation."

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matt. 7:21

This is one of those subjects that God has laid near to my heart for a long time now. I believe the church in the U.S.A. is in great danger as a whole. We have watered down the gospel message of God so much that 85% of our nation thinks that they are Christians. I don't think we have to look very far to see that as a whole we are not a Christian nation any more. If 85% were Christians our nation would be VERY different. The Bible is very clear on how to become a Christian. Ask Jesus into your heart, turn from your sin's (repent), your are now a new creation and should be a different person, be baptized, now live your life for Him and tell others about Him. The church of today is full of people who say the are saved but their lives are not new from their old lifestyle.....do you know what that means??? They are not a Christian!!! Look at the verse above....WOW....I am afraid many will be turned away because they were never born again!! Billy Graham said this "If 5% of the church today is in heaven, I will have a smile on my face." Wow....do the math in your church! Not very many huh? Of course he was talking about the church as a whole but still this is serious business! Now don't get me wrong we can be secure in our relationship with Jesus but I am of the opinion that our lives will show it if we truly are saved by the grace of God. So what about my brothers and sisters are you right with God this morning?? No better time than the present than to give your life to Christ and follow the narrow way for it leads to the gates of heaven but be wary of the wide path for it leads to destruction!!

I love you all...Have a great day and praise, honor, and glory to the King of Kings...Jesus Christ.

Tom

Lukewarm #15

Well I got up again this morning and headed for the woods to listen for some gobblin turkey's....no luck there but I did have a deer walk up to about 15 yards. I want to encourage you to do something. If you are a hunter you do this often if you are not get up while it is still dark and grab a flashlight and maybe a cup of coffee and head to the woods. Not just the edge of the woods but get in there a little piece but make sure you don't get lost! Find a good stump or tree to lean against and have a seat. Relax and fellowship with God and listen and watch nature burst forth in life. If you never have done this you are missing one of God's greatest blessings....give it a try and then they to tell me there is no God!!!

Ok now for today's devotion.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE are continually concerned about playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command then to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be gentle and willing to share." 1 Tim. 6:17-18

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt. 10:28

Why do I try to control my life and keep a chain on how far I am willing to go to serve God? I have asked myself this over the years. I have done a little bit better in recent years but I stll have much room for improvement! I direct your attention to the Bible this morning. The one's who made a difference for the Kingdom of God are the one's who did not play it safe at all but risked it all and on many occasions risked even their life!!!! Wow! The devil has put fear into us and we accept it even though God has told us not to be afraid over and over for He is our Strength and Comfort and we can do all things through Christ our Lord and Savior. Can I ask you a question? Thanks for letting me..lol! When is the last time you took a risk for God??? One simple thing to take a risk on is sharing your faith with a neighbor or a friend. They might laugh at you or slam the door on you....chances are they won't though. You just might lead that person to Jesus! You might save that person from hell!!!! Wow is it worth the risk....you bet it is. One other question....When is the last time you gave up some of your valuable time to serve God? How about giving up part of your vacation this year to serve God on a mission trip??? Or to go down everyday to your local soup kitchen and serving there for a week and tell some homeless folks about the love of God! Now before you say now wait I only have six weeks of vacation and yada, yada, yada, think about who bought you with a price and who owns you and wants you to be full of good deeds...Jesus Christ. When you serve others in the name of Jesus I can promise you one thing....you will be more blessed the the one you serve....give it a try and then tell me I am wrong!!

God bless you my brothers and sisters......Tom

Lukewarm #14

God is good isn't He!!! What an awesome weekend! We started Revival Services yesterday at church and boy did God do some speaking. Oh how he loves you and me!! I hope your Monday is off to a good start, lets jump into today's lesson.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling to guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them.

They ask, "How far can I go before it's considered a sin?" instead of "How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?"

Why do we get as close to the edge of the cliff instead of not even attempting to get close of the edge?? If we continue to try this eventually we will fall off the edge...so strive not to even get close!!!

They ask, "How much do I have to give?" instead of "How much can I give?"

Why do we give as little as possible when we have been blessed so much???

They ask. "How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible?" instead of "I wish I didn't have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer!"

Oh how we need a desire for God's word and to spend some quality time in it often!!!

"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." 1 Chron. 29:14

"The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matt. 13:44-46

The right life with God pretty much comes down to this....give God all you got....it is His anyways you are just borrowing it....and He will bless you with more than you can imagine....Don't believe me....try it and then tell me I am wrong!!!!

Have a great Monday in the Lord!!!

Tom

Lukewarm #13

I got up this mourning and rushed out to the woods to see if I could hear any turkeys gobbling ....I did far off but what a beautiful sunrise God blessed us with this morning and spending a little time with the Lord in prayer starts a day off great....I hope your Friday is awesome!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is." Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel "called" to minister to the rich; very few feel "called" to minister to the poor.

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.....I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me." Matt. 25:34,40.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter----when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Wow most of the days when I write these devotions the Word of God is abusing me! I fall so short in many areas in my walk with God. I may do many of God's commands to a degree but I am not totally sold out to Him. Today's subject is one of those areas. Sure I have given to some homeless folks, and I sponsor a Compassion International child named Lourdes, and I am involved in my local food pantry but is that enough. I don't think so. God has bless me so much and I don't deserve one bit of it!!! His great love for me is demonstrated everyday.and then when I think about Jesus gave His life form me...it is too much for me to fully comprehend. God expects you and I to be giving out of our abundance daily. I know for a fact I don't do that. One thought that comes to mind of many folks including me is well their are alot of con artists out there who take advantage of those who give. That's right there is! BUT we need to let God judge and handle that we are to sharing the blessings God has given us and if we really get right down and think about it how many times are we the con artists with God...OUCH!

So my brothers and sisters let us give and give freely for God has given to us more than we can ever give to others!

I love you all in the Lord...Have a great weekend!

Tom

Lukewarm #12 3-19-09

Good Thursday morning to you. As we get into today's devotion I want to ask you what is on your mind right now??? School, work, kids, what is it? Let's jump into our lesson for today and see where our mind's focus should be.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this weeks schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis wrote, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most pf the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

"For, as I often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." Phil. 3:18-20

"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Col. 3:2

In our world of run from here to there to everywhere the devil is easily setting a trap for us to keep our minds focused on everything except heaven above. In recent months I have read this thought many times by different people. I think God may be trying to tell me and us something. SLOW DOWN and keep your focus on the most important thing and that is preparing myself for thy heavenly Kingdom and doing all I can to prepare others for heaven too!!! When C.S. Lewis made that quote above we really need to think about what he said. In history and now the most effective Christians are those thinking and working for their eternal destination. Look at the new testament for example....Peter, Paul, James, Stephen, ect. All of these had heaven in mind and worked for that goal until their life ended. Then their is our ultimate example...Jesus....his whole ministry worked to get us right with God and then to our heavenly home....oh what a day that will be when I see my Jesus face to face!!!

So I close with the same question I stated with...what is on your mind right now?!!


Have a great day in the love of Jesus!

Tom

Lukewarm #11

What a beautiful day it was yesterday and they say today will be the same but if Christ is in your life everyday is beautiful. Lets get into today's devotion.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.

"'All these [commandments] I have kept since I was a boy,' he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'"

As I am pondering the words of Jesus here the first thing that pops to mind is the good ole USA! Compared to the rest of the world we are extremely wealthy. Jesus bluntly tells us here is is very hard for the rich to enter heaven because our riches get in the way. Look at the shape we are in morally in America right now. One of the main reasons we are in the shape we are is our money, our energy, and our time is not being spent on the ways of God but on the ways of man and man's own desires. I must admit this morning when I look at this verse I am not where I need to be. I am not totally 100% sold out to God. Are you? If Jesus came and told you to sell everything and follow Him would you? How about if he said just do something on a smaller scale like get rid of that hobby and serve Me or spend that vacation money you have saved up on a mission trip to serve Me could you and would you do it???

This is one of those lessons we can spend some time in prayer with God and ask Him to help us be totally sold out for Him and then be faithful and serve Him

God bless and tell someone about Jesus today!

Lukewarm #10

Well....one never knows what is in store for a day. My daughter woke up will the slap face measles this morning. These are not serious but the when I got to work my pastor's son who is 4 had a seizure this morning so I am asking your prayers for him this morning as of know that he is at the hospital getting tests run.

This mornings devotion in my opinion is one of the hardest for mankind in general. Why is it so hard to love others????

LUKEWARM PEOPLE love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little left over for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?" Matt. 5:43-47

"Then Jesus said to his host. 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'"

The answer to my first question "Why is so hard to love others?" is pretty simple...selfishness. Again I took a kick in the pants this morning!!. It is as the Word puts it very easy to love those who love us back...Church we have got to show our love to those who are hard to love. This is the way we show the love of Jesus!!! When we read our Bibles Jesus is our example. I mean think about it, outside his disciples who did Jesus gravitate to??? Those very people who were mentioned above..the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ect, we should be of the same mind of Christ. We must help meet the needs of these folks and thus show our love for them. Showing love for others is not just for those whio are in great need it may be just showing our neighbor who has it all the simple love of Christ through kindness and humility. As I was writing this morning a thought popped in my head. What if for our child's next birthday we invited not only their friends but also those kids who are not invited to anything or may have handicaps. What a great example we could set for our kids and their friends but also we will be being obiedient to Christ.

Loving our enemies is overwhelming but it is commanded by God and shows our enemies how great our God is because onlt through Him can we show love for those who hate us. Something to chew on for awhile. Look at the picture can you show love to this person???

Have a great day everyone and see you tomorrow

Lukewarm #9

Good Monday Morning everyone! Wow what an incredible weekend I had with my youth worshiping God. We went to Acquire th fire Friday in Nashville and it was awesome and very challenging. The Sunday night we went to Winter Jam in Nashville and boy did we praise the Lord! Toby Mac brought the house down. Well enough of that lets get into our devotion for today. I am afraid what we discuss today describes most Christians today...ask yourself....Do I love God with everything I have??!!!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you they they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for the pastors and missionaries and radicals.

" Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."

I would say if Jesus tells us the is the GREATEST commandment then He made it possible for all of us to do. Why do we think that pastors or missionaries some how have more of God then what the average church member can have. I am a pastor and trust me....God has given me no more than He has given you. He doesn't show favorites. The problem is many Christians just can't or I should say won't give all they have to love God. It takes effort and commitment and we have become very lazy in our relationship with God! Oh how I can't stress enough this morning my brothers and sisters we aren't living life to the fullest until we give God all of our love through our minds, our hearts and our strengths. Oh how God loves you and me this great Monday morning....as you spend time in prayer this morning maybe God is calling you to rededicate your life to Him this morning....saying " God I am done giving you my seconds, today I am giving you everything". God is waiting to hear those words and then for you to live those words out in your life. If you have never given your life to Christ....do it today!!! You will never live life the way God has in store for you until you totally surrender your life to Him. If you need help in doing this it would be my honor to help you just send me a note. God bless each of you today and remember Love God with everything you got...He is the only one who truly deserves it!

In Christian love...Tom

Lukewarm #8

LUKEWARM PEOPLE sat they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives.

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.' He said to another man, 'Follow Me.' But the man replied, 'Lord first let me go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' Still another said, 'I will follow you Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"

WOW take a moment and think about what you just read. Jesus is basically telling us that following Him is no walk in the park. It even sounds very harsh in what Jesus is saying but Jesus wants to be Lord of our life in all areas! My Pastor, Mark Warren, has preached to us many times that we are guilty of putting our lives in compartments. For instance we have family, church, work, hobbies, spouses, money, ect. We tell Jesus ok you can be Lord of my life at church but when it comes to my money...ahh I will take care of that or Jesus you can be Lord outside of work but at work I have got to handle things. That is not what Jesus wants and that is not what we should do. Jesus is Lord over all of our life and that is what he desires. This is very hard for us...I know. We always want to keep our hands on the steering wheel but to live the life Jesus desires for us take our hands off the steering wheel and as Carrie Underwood sings let "Jesus take the Wheel". You will never experience life to the fullest and receive all the blessings God has in store for you until you do!!

Chew on this devotion a little today...it is worth thinking about!

Have a great weekend! Talk to ya on Monday!

Tom

Lukewarm #7

A nasty cold day here this morning but when you have the SON in your life it is a great day! I hope this mornings devotion finds you praising the Lord. The devotion should touch most of us as we all seem to want to look to see how others are doing in their faith and judge ourselves by how they are doing...as we shall see this is not the right way! So here we go!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.

"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men---robbers, evildoers, adulterers----or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'" "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Early in my walk with the Lord I was bad about judging myself to others who either were or claimed to be of the faith. As I grew in my own faith and studied and read my Bible I found out looking to others to judge myself is the WRONG way to go about my walk. There is only ONE who we should be looking to to judge ourselves and that Is Jesus. I am not going to tell you anything new this morning but guess what??? He is Perfect...so when we judge ourselves to Him we come up drastically short. Following Jesus takes effort. The Bible tells us our righteousness is like filthy rags. The ONLY way to get cleaned up is through Jesus who cleansed us with His blood on the cross. Thank you Jesus!!!! So this morning I want you to look to Jesus and judge yourself. How are you doing? I can almost hear what you are thinking...."Well there is no way I can match up to Jesus." That's right you can't but the good news is through the shed blood of Jesus you are made perfect! Praise the Lord!!! One other thought before I close. Be careful about judging sin by what our human minds want us to do. We put value on different sin such as adultery is way worse then telling a lie. Well not in our Holy God's eyes cause to him sin is sin...no value points!! That is hard for us to comprehend I know but it is true!! So remember judge yourself to Christ not your neighbor!!

God bless!!! Tom

Lukewarm #6

Good Wednesday Morning!!! Thank you Jesus for another day. Today's lesson gives me a swift kick in the rear end because I know I can do way more witnessing than I do. I could throw out all kind of excuses but guess what??? None of them are good enough. So here we go!


LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.

" Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matt. 10:32-33

Folks this is some very serious business. Our Christian voices are being silenced very quickly and much of it is our own doing by not being obedient to our Lord's command to tell the good news of the gospel. Have you ever noticed how easy we strike up conversations about the weather, sports, news, cooking and the list can go on and on. But for some reason we don't talk about the most important issue in our lives....Jesus Christ. If nothing else today will get you think on this.....How many people will die and go to hell because I never took the opportunity to share Jesus Christ with them? Wow I had to stop and just think about that for a moment. Every single day God brings somebody through our lives to share our faith are we taking advantage of the opportunity? The devil has made us feel like we need to keep quiet about our faith....I have never found anything in scripture that says that all I have found is Where it says " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

So what are we waiting for lets get busy!

In the Love of our Lord...Tom

Lukewarm #5

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Lukewarm #7 3-12-09

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A nasty cold day here this morning but when you have the SON in your life it is a great day! I hope this mornings devotion finds you praising the Lord. The devotion should touch most of us as we all seem to want to look to see how others are doing in their faith and judge ourselves by how they are doing...as we shall see this is not the right way! So here we go!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.

"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men---robbers, evildoers, adulterers----or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'" "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Early in my walk with the Lord I was bad about judging myself to others who either were or claimed to be of the faith. As I grew in my own faith and studied and read my Bible I found out looking to others to judge myself is the WRONG way to go about my walk. There is only ONE who we should be looking to to judge ourselves and that Is Jesus. I am not going to tell you anything new this morning but guess what??? He is Perfect...so when we judge ourselves to Him we come up drastically short. Following Jesus takes effort. The Bible tells us our righteousness is like filthy rags. The ONLY way to get cleaned up is through Jesus who cleansed us with His blood on the cross. Thank you Jesus!!!! So this morning I want you to look to Jesus and judge yourself. How are you doing? I can almost hear what you are thinking...."Well there is no way I can match up to Jesus." That's right you can't but the good news is through the shed blood of Jesus you are made perfect! Praise the Lord!!! One other thought before I close. Be careful about judging sin by what our human minds want us to do. We put value on different sin such as adultery is way worse then telling a lie. Well not in our Holy God's eyes cause to him sin is sin...no value points!! That is hard for us to comprehend I know but it is true!! So remember judge yourself to Christ not your neighbor!!

God bless!!! Tom

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Joel Hubbel at 9:54am March 12

Thanks for the encouraging words! keep up the good work cuz.

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Brittany 'Hoyle' Hubbel at 11:36am March 12

alot of people also don't go to church because of bad experiences where people judge or treat them badly, when we should be showing love with open arms to everyone

Michael L. Ledbetter at 11:36am March 12

Wow - this goes along with what I posted today in my journal. If I didn't know better I would think I had read yours for the idea. Interesting.

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Lukewarm #6 3-11-09

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Yesterday at 8:59am | Edit Note | Delete

Good Wednesday Morning!!! Thank you Jesus for another day. Today's lesson gives me a swift kick in the rear end because I know I can do way more witnessing than I do. I could throw out all kind of excuses but guess what??? None of them are good enough. So here we go!


LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.

" Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matt. 10:32-33

Folks this is some very serious business. Our Christian voices are being silenced very quickly and much of it is our own doing by not being obedient to our Lord's command to tell the good news of the gospel. Have you ever noticed how easy we strike up conversations about the weather, sports, news, cooking and the list can go on and on. But for some reason we don't talk about the most important issue in our lives....Jesus Christ. If nothing else today will get you think on this.....How many people will die and go to hell because I never took the opportunity to share Jesus Christ with them? Wow I had to stop and just think about that for a moment. Every single day God brings somebody through our lives to share our faith are we taking advantage of the opportunity? The devil has made us feel like we need to keep quiet about our faith....I have never found anything in scripture that says that all I have found is Where it says " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

So what are we waiting for lets get busy!

In the Love of our Lord...Tom

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You, Brittany 'Hoyle' Hubbel and Rhonda Vaughn Rinker like this.

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Bill Lowe at 9:14am March 11

mark me ,, guilty as charged!

Rhonda Vaughn Rinker at 10:29am March 11

So true! Most people are guilty of this! I know I am at times!

Brittany 'Hoyle' Hubbel at 3:03pm March 11

It is hard to talk to people about Jesus sometime! I remember I used to daily pray and ask God for opportunities to show His love and be a witness, thanks for reminding me to start it up again!

by the way, do you have a blog? you should start one with these!

Joe Morrow at 8:47pm March 11

Christ teaches if you are his you bear his stripes. It also says to rejoice in your persecution because you are going to be persecuted if you are doing God's will. If you are not being persecuted in this life for standing up for the Lord, you need to ask yourself if you are really standing up for the Lord.
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live ... Read Moregodly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Mar 13:13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Mar 4:17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.

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Lukewarm #5 3-10-09

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Good morning everyone! Another great day to serve God. That is what today's devotion is about. Christians are to be people of action not waiting. When God speaks we need to move. So lets look at today's thought.

LUKEWARM PEOPLE are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all his followers.

" Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:17

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered I will sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? The first they answered." Matt. 21:28-31

This is the first thought that comes to my mind.....why are folks not coming to Jesus today???? Because we who call ourselves "Christians" are not serving Christ and others. If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior we are called to serving Him and others through love. I am amazed at how the church today is so lazy or maybe I should say selfish. It is hard to determine if we don't serve because of laziness or if we just don't want to give up our OWN time. I hope and pray people will say that Tom Jehnzen is a Jesus freak or he is a radical because the bible tells us to serve Jesus with all we have. Oh brothers and sisters I could preach on this all day. I believe our walk with God is tied hand in hand with our service to Him. He bought us with a price and we are to serve Him with EVERYTHING we got!

So this is the question for all of us..Are you giving God all you have and serving him or are we serving our selves!

There is a song by Matthew West you can find on Godtube called " The Motions". This has become a favorite of mine and talks of this issue...check it out!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=679d46a2f43beaf5ae02

God bless my friends!

Tom

Lukewarm #4

Good Monday morning everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. This mornings devotion is really something to chew on. It is amazing how God works because my pastor preached on this very thing yesterday. So here we go!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.

" I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10b)

" What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

I think we all need to ask ourselves these same questions. Do I really hate sin? Or are we just scared of the punishment of sin? If we truly hate sin won't we try our very best to flee from it? I know we all sin from time to time but ask yourself this morning am I honestly striving each and everyday to live my life like my Lord and Savior did....sinless? When we dabble back and forth in sin with little thought to it we are living dangerously and causing the grace of our Lord to be of lesser value. If we died to our sin then we need to live victoriously and strive to perfection. I have been on both sides of the street. Deep in sin....and deep in love with Christ...and there is no doubt Jesus gave me life and now I am living life to the fullest....not because of anything I have done but only by His grace and mercy. Thank you Jesus and may we all be totally sold out for you not trying to have the best of both worlds!

Talk you tomorrow....have a blessed day in the Lord.

Tom

Lukewarm #3

Today's devotion speaks right to the heart of the good ole USA. Why, why why do we care what anybody thinks other than god??? God desires that relationship with us and to grow deeper each day. The devil himself convinces us we need to be popular and fit in with those around us but that is clearly not what the Bible says.


LUKEWARM PEOPLE tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of hearts and lives.

" And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Rom 12:2

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." Rev. 3:1

"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how the fathers treated the false prophets." Luke 6:26

"Every thing they do is done for man to see: they make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the market places and to have men call them Rabbi" Matt 23:5-7

It is very important for us to live our lives trying to please God not man. This life is not about ME! I was bought at a price! That price is the blood of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I am here to grow relationship with Him and serve Him. We are not here to please men. Be very careful not to get caught in this trap of the devil of trying to look good in the sight of man instead of God.


I will be praying for you and myself. Stay strong in the Lord and STAND for HIM!!

Lukewarm #2

First I need to clarify something from yesterday. I may have sounded kinda harsh on the Sunday evening worship when I know there are other churches who gather in small groups on Saturdays and others gather at other times of the week. My point was if we are only gathering on Sunday Mornings and think we have done God a favor there is something wrong in our lives and we need to see how our relationship with Christ really is. There should be a desire to spend time with God and believes in Worship.

Ok now on to today! This can be very tricky one! With the economy in shambles our money is very scarce! So today's lesson may be even more difficult for us than ever!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE give money to charity and to the church.....as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. Afetr all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?

King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." 1 Chron. 21:24

"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. I yell you the thruth, He said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on"

As I thought on this I will have to say I am guilty as charged. Compared to the rest of the world we are filthy rich! I read once if we have a job, have food on the table, a roof over our head, and clothes on our back then we are in the top 4% of the richest people in the world!!!

Why then do we give God the very least we can. Everything we have is God's and he expects us to share with others. Do we really trust God??? Even in hard times??? I have seen time and time again being on staff at church that when times get hard people quit giving which says God I don't trust you to get me through. I can honestly say since I learned to give to God I have never been without things I need. Matter of fact I can say anyone that I know who has given to God have never been without things they need. Notice I did not say wants I said needs.

In closing today I will admit I must trust and give more than I am. God put us here to share and help take care of others and show the love of Christ....so how are you doing?

God bless and have an awesome weekend....and hey tell somebody about Jesus!

Tom

Lukewarm

Today I am going to start a series of thoughts on this title. I recently read a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan that talked about living our lives that is crazy in love for Jesus. So much so that we are overwhelmed by that love and when we would compare our lives to the world it would look crazy.

Sadly today to many folks who call themselves Christians are what the Bible calls lukewarm. God warns against this very thing in Revelation 3:15-16 when He says " I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth." Wow I don't think God can get any more straight forward than that with us. As I was thinking about this I could think of many people I know who call themselves Christians but fit right into this lukewarmness the Lord has just describe and God says it makes him SICK!!!!! Now I am not hear to judge anybody but I am here to point out some things from God's word to help make each of us think including myself as to where we stand with God in our lives. So here we go I hope you come along for the ride and share it with your friends and please comment freely!!!

For several days I am going to describe lukewarm people to you as given by the word of God and by Francis Chan's " book crazy love and from my own personal view.....so here we go!

LUKEWARM PEOPLE attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go.

Isa. 29:13 "The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."

Heb. 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Have you ever noticed how Sunday night services are about one quarter the size of Sunday morning?? Some churches have even stopped Sunday night services because nobody was coming. When I was saved I wanted to be at church everytime the doors were open and I still do. Today we think we have done our duty if we make Sunday mornings. Wake up people!!! It don't get any better than worshiping God with our brothers and sisters in Christ EVERY chance we get! Instead I hear folks come up with all kinds of reasons why they should stay home. Desperate Housewives is NOT a good reason or Nascar and yes I am a fan of Nascar. I hear we don't have time with our kids during the week...well make some!!! Most of the time even if you stay home your not spending with your kids anyway as they are in their rooms playing video games and you are in the living room tuned into the t.v.! What better place to spend time with your kids than in church worshiping the true and living God!

Well that is it for today, evaluate yourselves and let me have it on what you think!

Jesus loves you and so do I! Have a great day!

Tom