Marriage-the beginning

I have had a request to a devotion on marriage. Sadly the divorce rate is sky high (over 50%) and what is even more troubling is that the church divorce rate is no better! So I can't cover marriage in one devotion as I try to keep them as quick reads. I will do several devotions over marriage in the next few days. Let's start where it all began!



Genesis 2:20-24

20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23 And Adam said:



“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.



Well here it is my friends, where God instituted marriage. There are several things I want you yo notice here.



1. In v.20 We are told "there was not a helper comparable to him". This is very important to catch. Men we are not above our wives, nor are wives above the husbands. We are helpers to one another. We must keep this in the front of our minds!



2. This should have been first! As I said earlier God instituted marriage not us! We are told in we are not to break what God has brought together here:



Matthew 19:6

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”



Take your marriage very seriously.



3. In v.24 the Word tells us to leave mom and dad and be joined to each other to become one flesh. This is very important not to read over without thinking about it. When married we are to be one flesh with each other. Make decisions together. Have children together. Live together. A problem comes about when we keep brings mom and dad from one side to our business. Now there is nothing wrong with getting advice from moms and dads as long as we are both agreeable to it, but big problems come when inlaws are in our business on a regular basis!



4. On a final note...marriage is man and woman. No where in scripture do you see it any other way!



That's it for today, we will dig deeper tomorrow, God bless.



Tom

Envy

In the past several weeks we have at times we have looked at the "seven daily sins" study we are doing at church right now. Today I wan to continue that and look at ENVY. We see envy in the very front part of the bible:



Genesis 4:2-8

2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;[a] and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.



Wow! Among other things we see here that Cain was envious of Able that God accepted his offering and not Cains. It made Cain so mad that he killed his brother over it. I hope and pray our envy will never lead us to that! But envy can cause us much harm if we do not keep it under control.



Envy is dangerous to us because it is a direct disobedience to God's command "to love our neighbors as ourselves".



Matthew 22:39

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’



We are also told in the Word that "love does not envy!"



1 Corinthians 13:4

4 ; love does not envy



So let me sum all this up for you. You see when we envy it is selfish! What I want, how I want it, and when I want it. We resent others for what they have and we are at odds with their good. Godly love on the other hand is being selfless, sharing, giving, wanting others to have good before yourself!



So this morning, does envy have control of you or do you have control of envy? If envy has a hold on you this is what you have to look forward too:



James 3:16

16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.



Tom

Are we getting next Generation ready?

My Pastor spoke about this yesterday morning. If you think about the difference from your grandfathers generation to your dads generation and now to our generation...it is a sad state when we think about spiritual things and morals. Look at these verses:

Judges 2:6-13
6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.
7 So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.
11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

A couple of things here I want to point out:

1. V.7 tells us Joshua and his generation followed the Lord.

2. V.10 tells us that the next generation did not know the Lord or what He had done for Israel! Something is very wrong here. It tells me that Joshua and his generation may have been faithful but they did not a very good job of passing along the Lord to the next generation. Let me be clear here that we have a job to do with the next generation. This is the most important job we have! This job is to train our children in the Lord! Ask yourself...how are you doing in this training right now?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It is not the churches job, they are to help you but the main responsibility is yours!

3. V.11-13 tells us what happens when our children do not get the training from us!

Brothers and sisters look at society, look at our schools, colleges, even our declining churches...what are we doing? Failing God! Failing ourselves. Failing our children. Don't compare to everyone else, do what God wants you to do, train your children and yourselves in the Lord!

Tom

Know you are saved!

I have heard many folks say when you ask them if they are saved say "Well I think I am." The Bible tells us we can know! Look at this verse:



1 John 5:9-13



9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.



This is what these verses tell us:



1. Witness of men is good, but witness of God about His son is greatest! God has told us through man and through the Word that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. What else do we need?



2. When we believe in the Son we then become witnesses ourselves because we experience the awesome power of the Holy Spirit! Until a person has surrendered their life to Christ one does not know how great and peaceful a life can be knowing we have eternal life with God!



3. If we don't believe in Jesus, well we call God a liar. Not much more I need to say about that!



4. v.12 says if we have the Son (in our hearts) we have life....life now and eternal life in the future. Thank you Jesus! Plain and simple.



5. Finally, we see in v.13, this is how we know we have eternal life! How? Refer to point #4!



So do you know this morning? I know I do! I want to leave you with one more piece of security from scripture!



John 10:28

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.



Tom

Expose unfruitful works!

In some recent reading I ran across these verses. It made me do some think as scripture tends to do. What jumped out at me is the verses I have highlighted:



Ephesians 5:8-14



Walk in Light

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:



“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”



We are to expose sin and its destruction according to these verses. Take a moments and think about that. First we have to be in the light. That means we have to be saved in Christ Jesus. We need to be light to a dark world, which means living as Christ desires for us to live. Gives us an example of what this kind of living should be in verse 9 goodness, righteousness, and truth. Acceptable living to the Lord.



So what about verse 11? Many thoughts came to mind: drunkenness, abortion, corrupt business dealings, homosexuality, false teachings, folks in the church who are power hungry instead of serving and loving, and the list can go on and on. We are told to expose those things! Are we? It can create major problems if we do right? God's Word says we must check all things by the light of Jesus Christ. His Word has made clear what is right and wrong. We are not the judges He is but according to these verses we are to expose darkness! If more light shines less darkness is found!



Look at verse 14....we are told to awake! Rise from the dead! Christ provides the light....lets be using that light!



Tom

Greed for God!

To wrap up our look at greed after a short break yesterday let's look where our greed needs to be!



Luke 12:13-21



13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”



This is such a good picture that God has given us here in these verses. First, brothers are having a problem over an inheritance. Greed has split so many families over the years. This is a sad thing and no doubt it saddens God. Jesus warns the one brother to be very careful for covetousness can cause major problems. Then Jesus tells us a parable about a rich man who is basically preparing for retirement. So he can sit back and take it easy. Look very closely at this. First we never know when life will end, all our hard work to accumulate things goes to someone else when we die. They do us no good! Second, retirement from work for money is not a bad thing in itself but there is no retirement plan i serving the Lord...NONE! Third, The key to defeating greed is being greedy in serving God! Be greedy in your time, money and service TO GOD! Be rich toward God and you ca not go wrong for one can not out give God!



So this morning are you greedy for God or greedy for self?



Tom

Struggles!

It seems I am in a time of my life where so many people that I love and care about are struggling with various things. The big item seems to be cancer. I have an Uncle and a step sister who are giving it there all against cancer. Several friends who are also battling cancer. Then I have several folks in my life who are battling other sicknesses. Then there are those who are battling spiritual sickness, not having a relationship with Jesus which is the WORST SICKNESS of all.



So what do we do about all this? I have 3 suggestions for us this morning as I know many of you are struggling with the same things I am this morning.



1. Pray.



Matthew 18:20

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”



God is listening to His followers. Pour your heart out to God. Join with your brothers and sisters at church and pour your heart out to God.



1 Thessalonians 5:17

pray without ceasing



Keep praying yourself every time you can. Our God loves us, he hears us, and he will answer!



2. Know God is in control.



Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.



One thing we must remember is what God decides is good and best may not always be what we think is best. God is much smarter than we are. He loves us more than we can fathom and what ever He decides we must give Him glory and honor!



3. Trust God



I will be the first to say this is very hard when you or a loved one is suffering. We often want to question God instead of trusting Him. Resist that temptation to not trust!



2 Samuel 22:31

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.



Psalm 62:8

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.



1 Timothy 4:10

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.



Oh my brothers and sisters, struggles are here, the devil wants us to lose hope and faith in our God, but I agree wholeheartedly with the scripture that says:



Joshua 24:15c

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord



Pray for me as I pray for you my friends!



Tom

Greed #3

Lets close this week out by continuing our look at greed. I don't know about you but it has really hit me between the eyes! Our greed leads us to may kins of sin that is a result of our greed. Look at what Paul said here:



1 Timothy 6:10

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.



This verse has been quoted many times. Look at what is says....loving money is root for all kinds of evil! It goes on to say this greed brings many sorrows (like debt). Wow how many of us have had to find that out the hard way. Just think about what you see and read in the news and how much of it results from greed for more money or things. Murder, robbery, unethical business practices and the list goes on and on.



The main point here is this: when we open the door to greed, we also let in all types of other sin that goes along with it. Also we worry about non-eternal things when our minds should be on the eternal things of God!



Brothers and sisters, when you hear greed knocking at your door, don't let it in!



Tom

Greed #2

Continuing from last devotion in looking at greed. Have you ever noticed how greed seems to be unsatisfiable? We want more and more and more stuff or money. Once you get what you think you need, shortly there after something else is in your sights that you know need or think you need anyway!



Look what this verse says:



Ecclesiastes 5:10

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.



Wow is this ever true! Let me be clear here, there is nothing wrong with making money! BUT when it becomes your primary focus you have a problem! Greed can grab a hold on you and not let go!



There is a deceiving going on that says "once I get to enough then I will stop pursuing". The problem is where is "enough". We never get there! Look what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24:



Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.



Plain and simply put here! Who is our boss...God or money? This will slap you in the face really quick when you stop and think about it!



So this morning it is short and too the point...where you at my brothers and sisters? Be honest with yourself. God or greed?



Tom

Greed!

This week in our study at church "7 daily sins" we are looking at greed. Ouch. We are a greedy people if you get down to it. If you have ever been to another country or even go to places right here in the states it is easy to see how greedy we are when others struggle to make it day by day.Look at these verses:



Ecclesiastes 5:10-12



10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;

Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.

This also is vanity.



11 When goods increase,

They increase who eat them;

So what profit have the owners

Except to see them with their eyes?



12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,

Whether he eats little or much;

But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.



Matthew 19:23

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.



Money and things are not evil in themselves. When they consume our lives instead of God they become sin. We tend to think we are not greedy because we compare ourselves to somebody to has much more than we do. That is the wrong thing to do. When we have money and things they tend to take our eyes off off God and onto self which is the reason for Matthew 19:23. Look also at this:



Mark 10:17-22



17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.



We are much more like this young ruler than we want to admit. Think about it. If you lost all your possessions and wealth today, would you still be happy, content, and not mad at God? This young man could not do what Jesus asked and I wonder how many of us could? This shows our own greed! I pray and hope I would be like Job and stay faithful to God even after losing all including my family!



Let us not get our lives so oriented around things that we lose our focus on God! Take a moment right now to see where greed lies in your own life and make adjustments where needed!



Tom

Serving others! GREAT JOB TNDEER!

One of the best ways we can live out our faith is by serving others. A group of friends of mine did this very thing on Saturday. I am a proud member of www.tndeer.com It is like a family. We joke, we talk about all kinds of hunting, we disagree about politics lol, we pray for one another, and as we seen this past weekend we help one another. Now I don't know the beliefs of all these men and women but I do know many are followers of Jesus like myself. Let me give you the details of this weekend.



We at tndeer have a friend named Curtis. Curtis is wheel chair bound. That doesn't stop Curtis from living life to the fullest. Curtis has recently had some other health problems build up. A life threatening blood clot in his leg, and some other infections have kept Curtis in the hospital or in bed at home for several weeks. Curtis has been wanting to get a deck built at his house for some time now but with the health issues he just couldn't get it done. So the family at tndeer pulled together and went to Curtis's house Saturday and worked all day and built his deck!!! Finished, done, complete! These fine folks fulfilled this verse:



Galatians 5:13

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.



I wish I could have been there myself Saturday but I wasn't. I did pray for this group and for Curtis that he will get well soon. My friends if we would take these men and women's example and serve others this world would be a much better place. They world would see Jesus through our love in serving others. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about what you all have done for Curtis. I want to personally thank those who served, I am honored to call you my friends! Keep up the good work!



Tom

Be an example. (cont)

Is it arrogance for the writers here to say follow my example? Paul was the author for Philippians and 1 Corinthians passages, possibly the Hebrews passage but we are not sure on that one. My thought on these scriptures are they lived lives worthy of following as they represented Jesus in an awesome way. Read over these verses:



Philippians 3:17

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.



Hebrews 13:7

7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.



1 Corinthians 4:16

16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.



1 Corinthians 11:1

11 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.



When we go back and review the lives of the early followers of Christ, they were the real deal! They made mistakes sure but they were on fire for God and lived their lives for Jesus. Often dying for the cause of Christ. The key is what we see in the 1 Corinthians 11:1 passage "as I also imitate Christ". Don't follow anyone who is not trying to live for Christ. As believers we are to do our very best to imitate Christ. To do that we must know how Christ lived and what he expects from us in representing Him everyday. To know these things we must be in our Bibles! How can you know the things of Christ without reading your bible? You can't. I can not stress enough how important it is to read and study your bibles. It is of utmost importance to a Christians life!



When you are in the bible you also see how the disciples and apostles and other believers lived their live which show us the way too. So this morning as we close out the week, examine your life and walk with the Lord and see if you are being a good example. If you don't know, get in that Word and find out!



Tom

Be an example.

Continuing from the thought process of yesterday (if you didn't read go do that now! lol) Paul was a great example to Timothy which we see here:



2 Timothy 3:10-12

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.



As followers of Christ we are to be good examples to other believers in our faith. Let's look at a few things Paul pointed out to the young Timothy:



1. Follow my doctrine. Now what was the doctrine of Paul? The Word of God! It wasn't his opinion of what the scriptures say, Paul had divine revelation straight from God. He wanted Timothy to be sure to carefully stay true to this doctrine. We should be teaching others that God's Word is truth and absolute. Stick to it, don't turn from it no matter what anybody else says!



2. Follow my manner of life. What was Paul's manner of life? Christ like. Once he was converted his life was one of trying to be like Jesus at all times. Did he fail at times? Yes. But he lived for Jesus. Are we being good examples of living a Christ like life? It can be a great witness to others!



3. Follow my purpose. What was Paul's purpose? This very easy...to share Jesus. Is that our purpose in life? It should be.



4. Follow my faith. What was Paul's faith in? This is easy also...Jesus! No doubt as he devoted his life to Jesus! Is your life devoted to Jesus?



5. Paul was longsuffering. Which means Paul suffered long in his walk with the Lord and with dealing with others. I wonder how many of us would still be followers of Christ if we had to go through what Paul did...snake bit, beaten many times, left for dead, ship wrecked, imprisoned!



6. Paul loved. If Paul didn't love God and people he would have given up early in his ministry!



7. Paul showed perseverance. Wow did he ever. He was like the energizer bunny...he just kept going and going. Nothing but death could stop him!



8. Persecutions/afflictions. I already talked about these in #5. Wow did he suffer!



Now here is the key to staying faithful to God even in hard times: And out of them all the Lord delivered me. When we are faithful to God and follow with all we have, God will take care of his own! Praise God! What a word to a young person or for that matter anyone who is new to the faith! Then comes the promise we need to look at very closely: 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Notice Paul did not say may or might, He said WILL! This a a sign for our walk with God...if you are not suffering some sort of persecution for your faith in Christ it is a good sign you are not doing much for Christ. An example of this might be someone calling you some sort of name because you talk about Jesus with others.



This is our goal:



1 Peter 2:11-12

11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.



So my friends, are we teaching these traits to others? We must be an example! It is not really a choice as a believer it is our duty!



Tom.

Qualities of a saved man or woman.

Check this verse out:



Titus 2:6-8

6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.



These verses show us qualities of a saved person. Look at them and then evaluate yourself.



First, we see self control. This is a pillar in our faith. We must have self control. To have this the help of the Holy Spirit is a must. For we need that warning from the Spirit when we are about to do wrong. When we have self control we can faithfully live the Christian life.



Second, we see model of good works. Good works are a sign you are a follower of Jesus. Good works do not save you but prove you do what your faith tells you to do such as helping others, loving others, being a good husband or wife, ect.



Third, we see teaching. No matter what you may think, the bible is clear we must teach our faith to others. Family, friends, co-workers, and anybody who will listen!



Fourth, we see integrity. Live your life honestly. Do what you say. Let your yes be yes and your no be no!



Fifth, we see dignity. Treat others with respect no matter who they are. Jesus did and he expects us to do the same.



Sixth, we see sound speech that does not condemn. Talk to people in a loving way. When we jump on people they will not listen to what we have to say. When we talk to people with love chances are they will atleast listen to what we have to say.



When we live our lives this way, we live in a way that honors Christ for He is our example. Also it is very hard for anyone to speak evil of one who lives their life this way because others know it is a lie!



So do you have these qualities child of God? You can! Start today and pray for help from the Holy Spirit!



Tom

Gluttony...the hidden sin.

As we have continued in our study at church called "Seven daily sins" which is based on the 7 deadly sins in the bible, we study this week on gluttony. Why do we not talk and preach on this sin? Maybe it is because we love food so much! I have to admit this lesson really spoke to me. So let's see what the scripture says:



Proverbs 23:2



2 and put a knife to your throat

if you are given to gluttony.



Proverbs 23:21-22



21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

and slumber will clothe them with rags.



1 Corinthians 6:12

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.



Galatians 5:16-26

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.



Philippians 3:19

19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.



Now here is the key to gluttony....the sin is not the food itself, the sin is over indulgence. Over eating or drinking hurts us in many areas not just our health. The most hurtful way is sin against God. God desires for us to have self-control. Eat what we need not gorge ourselves so that we feel miserable. How much food do we waste in our bellies that could be used to help those in need. Ever thought about that?



So think on gluttony today...hope you are not like me cause this one hit me right between the eyes!



Tom

Sin has consequences!

One thing I have found is that the bible clearly teaches that our sin has consequences!



Judges 2:1-4



2 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.



Over and over God had mercy on Israel in the old testament. He forgave them many, many times. Just like a good parent, God loves his children but when they do wrong, punishment will come. Thank God that he forgives us but we still have to reap what we sow. Look at verse 2 again, can you hear the hurt in God's voice?



2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?



How many times does God say the same thing to us when we disobey?



Then in verse 3 God tells them the consequences for their failure to obey:



3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’”



Now for us we are not always told what our consequences will be, sometimes we do know. The point to catch here is sin brings consequences, it is a clear teaching from the start of the bible...Adam and Eve and the curse brought on by sin.



The peoples response in much like ours:



that the people lifted up their voices and wept.



When we get caught we feel bad. The key here is to obey from the beginning and reap God's blessings!



So this morning let us think about everything we do, obey the Lord, and not have to face the consequences of sin!



Tom