Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t give-up on wayward loved ones.”

 

Shortly after Linda and I joined our first church, we were in a Sunday night service when the Pastor was preaching about committed Christian marriages. At the end of the sermon he invited all the couples who would like to rededicate their marriages to come forward. Linda and I went forward, as did many other couples. It was a touching and powerful conclusion to a very good sermon.

 

As we were headed back to our seats I saw a middle-aged woman sitting alone in a pew quietly crying. At the time I didn’t understand what she was upset about. Later, as I got to know her, I discovered that her husband had drifted away from the church and for many years, had been cold and hard and completely uninterested in anything to do with the Christian life. But this woman never stopped praying that the Lord would get hold of his heart and bring him back into right relationship with Him, with her, and with the church. At that point she had been praying that prayer for years, but with no discernable effect.

 

However probably within six months of that night the man suddenly did have a change of heart and decided to begin attending church again. Slowly he was drawn back into right relationship with the Lord and with his wife. Not long after that, he became active in ministry again. After a few years he started moving into positions of leadership within the church. That was over twenty-five years ago and as far as I know, that man has walked closely with the Lord ever since.

 

We’re all familiar with stories like that, probably more than we can count. The lesson we learn from those examples is that we must never give-up on our wayward loved ones. As long as a person is still breathing there’s still a chance the Holy Spirit can break through to them.

 

Whether it’s a spouse, an adult child, a teenager, a brother, sister, parent, or friend, don’t stop praying for them and also, don’t shut them out of your life because of inappropriate behavior.

 

When inappropriate behavior is involved, it’s important to make clear to the individual that we don’t endorse or approve of their choices; and it may be necessary to erect boundaries and put in place safeguards to protect ourselves from the impact of the other person’s bad behaviors; but it is also important to maintain lines of communication as well. As long as you have an ongoing relationship of some kind with that person, the Lord can still use you to influence them.

 

We all have people in our lives who we’re worried about because they’re not in right relationship with the Lord. Don’t give-up on them! It may take many years for the Lord to reach them but as long as you keep praying, and you take advantage of your opportunities to gently, lovingly, and subtly guide them in the right direction, then there is still hope.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I was sick and you took care of Me…” Matthew 25:36 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Persevere in caring for those who are sick.”

 

Some of you have probably been following the touching story of country music artists Rory and Joey Feek. Joey has cervical and colon cancer which is terminal and the hospice nurse says she will die any day now.

 

Rory and Joey have been very open about their long journey together as Joey battled this cancer, even blogging about it and posting pictures along the way. Their love for each other, and Rory’s total devotion and commitment to his wife as he cared for her through this, has touched the hearts of many millions of people. This is how it should be.

 

Years ago I read the story of the President of a Bible College who was also a popular author and conference speaker. His wife developed Alzheimer’s disease which progressed rapidly and it quickly rendered her an invalid. Even though this man was at the height of his career, he left his position at the Bible College and devoted his full attention to caring for his wife. He explained, “At this point in my life my ministry is to my wife.”

 

Providing long-term care for a close family member with a serious illness can be difficult and wearing on the primary care-giver. It requires perseverance over the long-term. There was once a family in our church in California who had a severely disabled son. The boy was so physically and mentally handicapped that he was unable to communicate or even to feed, dress, or bathe himself. Many parents would have placed that child in an institution for long-term care. Not them. They committed to caring for him, day-in-and-day-out, for years on end, even into adulthood. I once asked Bill how he did it. His response was, “I begin each day asking the Lord to give me the strength to care for him again today. He always does. Then tomorrow I pray that again.”

 

In Matthew 25:36 Jesus said that when we care for the sick in His name, as far as He is concerned we are providing that care directly to Him. Helping to care for the sick is always the right thing to do, but that’s especially true if that sick person is a close family member. The Apostle Paul made reference to this in 1Timothy 5:8 with respect to a family’s responsibility to care for widows in their family.

 

In yesterday’s devotional message the focus was on persevering through your own times of sickness. Today it’s all about perseverance for those who care for the sick. Let me offer you two suggestions:

 

First, let others help. You don’t have to do it all yourself. And second, take care of yourself. In order to take care of others you have to first take care of yourself. The more worn and frazzled you get, the less effective you will be at caring for those who need you. You won’t have much to give to others if you don’t first take care of yourself. So give yourself plenty of breaks. Rest, eat well, exercise, and make sure you have times just for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Persevere in times of sickness.”

 

The Apostle Paul was a man with a mission. He had been tasked by God to help establish and spread the Christian faith in the Middle East and Europe. It was a huge undertaking. It would require him to travel constantly, to eat strange foods, sleep in borrowed beds, and endure bad weather, bad roads, and bad people. It would be a hard life and he needed his health.

 

But Paul was not healthy. He had some sort of sickness or disability which hindered him. We don’t know exactly what it was, Paul never said. Bible scholars believe it was very poor eyesight, almost to the point of being legally blind. What we do know is that Paul pleaded with God to please take the sickness away. But God said “no”. God decided that Paul would need to learn how to live with it, and even to thrive and succeed despite whatever that physical limitation was.

 

The apparent reason, according to 1 Corinthians 12:8-9, was so that it would be clear to everyone that the great things that were happening in and through the life of Paul were due to the power of the Holy Spirit, and not because of any greatness on Paul’s part. “Power is perfected in weakness”. God got the glory, Paul didn’t.

 

Over the years I’ve seen examples of this more numerous than I can count. There was Bob, a man who was dying a terrible and painful death from emphysema. It was a great struggle just to get his decimated body out of bed. But he was in church every Sunday, wheelchair, oxygen bottles, adult diapers – in church right up until just a couple of weeks before he died and happy to be there. What an inspiring example for the rest of us!

 

There was the Christian woman, a friend of mine, who suffered through a terrible and excruciatingly painful form of cancer – the treatment for which was more uncomfortable and painful than the disease itself. But she never complained, she never whined, there was no “Woe is me!” or “Why me?” She got the treatment she needed and she got on with life.

 

Losing your health is one of the scariest and most difficult circumstances any of us will ever face. When it happens it’s natural to want to give-up and shut down. We want to just curl-up in bed, pull the covers over our heads, and do what we can to minimize the pain and discomfort. But if we allow it to, sickness can quickly come to define our lives.

 

A better response is to do whatever you can to push through it and to continue to live the fullest life you are capable of under the circumstances. Like Bob, that could be little more than just showing up at church for an hour on a Sunday morning. But that’s ok. You do what you can, but you do all that you can.

 

Being sick stinks, but we have to persevere through the sickness. Don’t give-in and don’t give-up. Live life as fully and as completely as you can under the prevailing circumstances.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t give-up!”

 

The great British preacher C.H. Spurgeon once wrote, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” That’s funny but true. It’s only by perseverance that a snail gets anywhere, ever. And yet, snails do get places. Somehow, someway, eventually, they do get there and it happens because they don’t give-up.

 

Giving up is a primary reason that so many people end up living lives that are much less than what they could otherwise have been. On day one of a college student’s freshman year, acquiring that Bachelor’s degree seems like an impossible dream. But if that student will focus on completing one class at a time, and then the next one, and then the next one, slowly but surely they will complete them all and one day they will find themselves on a stage wearing a cap and gown and being handed their degree. “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”

 

Persevering is the key to succeeding. It means that we push through obstacles and hardships and we just keep moving forward. That’s what Paul was writing about in Philippians 3:14. Nothing was ever easy for Paul. He faced obstacle and hardship after obstacle and hardship, but he never gave-up. He just kept going. He had a worthy goal that was worth the effort and so he never stopped trying, he never stopped moving forward.

 

Paul’s life was a success largely because he never gave-up, and the same will be true for you. Your issues and challenges will be different from Paul’s, but if you will just lean into it and keep moving forward, the Holy Spirit will guide, empower, and protect you just like He did with Paul.

 

Whatever difficult situation you are dealing with today, I encourage you to stick with it. Persevere. Push through it. At the moment it may seem insurmountable but that is seldom the case. With time and tenacity and lots of prayer, most things can be handled.

 

I once read a statement made by a man who had been held captive by terrorists for an extended period of time. Despite his long and frightening ordeal he never lost hope and he never gave-in to despair. After he was rescued he was asked by a reporter how he kept his spirits up through all of that. His response is a great lesson in how to stay focused and hopeful in difficult circumstances. He said, “Nothing is over until you give-up!” And I believe that to be true. As long as you continue to try, there is still hope. It’s not over until you quit trying.

 

So, don’t give-up!

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Let’s learn to persevere.”

 

The word “perseverance” is a close cousin to the word “endurance”. The words are often used interchangeably. The dictionary says that persevere means, “To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in spite of obstacles.” To endure is, “To carry on despite hardships; to suffer patiently without yielding.”

 

Synonyms for both include, “stamina, backbone, courage, grit, pluck, guts, diligence, resolve, and determination.

 

In the Bible God tells us that we have to learn to persevere and endure. Why? Because life is hard. Nobody said this was going to be easy – and it isn’t. The Christian life is a great adventure, true, and we have wonderful rewards waiting for us at the end of the journey, but the journey itself includes many peaks and valleys along with lots of trials and struggles. And so, we must persevere, we must endure.

 

That’s the point the writer to the letter of Hebrews was making in 12:1, but he didn’t stop there. In verse 2 he went on and told us how to persevere, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” Life wasn’t easy for Jesus either. He had to endure and persevere too. But, as we see in the Gospels, He also had great joy along the way. There was much He enjoyed about life, there were many people that blessed and pleased Him, there was much work that was richly rewarding, and then there was that eternal reward (He sat down at the right hand of God).

 

He is our example. He is also our cheerleader. He has completed the race and is now in heaven waiting for us to complete ours. He urges us onward – telling us to just keep our eyes focused ahead, focused on Him, and to just keep moving forward.

 

Do you know people who fit the dictionary definition of those who persevere? These are people with stamina, backbone, grit, and courage; people who carry on despite hardships and who suffer patiently without yielding. People like that are inspiring for the rest of us. Maybe you are one of those people. Or maybe you would like to be.

 

This month we will explore the important Christian virtue of perseverance. We will learn why it is so important for us to persevere and we will see how we, and those around us, benefit from our perseverance. We will look at many passages of Scripture which teach about perseverance and we will consider inspiring examples of perseverance.

 

Hopefully, by the end of the month we will all be stronger, more confident, and more determined to persevere through out own trials and struggles – just keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and always moving forward towards the prize in heaven.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.” 2 Kings 17:13-15 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Pray for our nation”

 

Those words in 2 Kings 17:13-15 were written about the nations of Israel and Judah but they could just as well as have been written about the USA in our day. God gave us a Christian heritage. Our nation was founded on Biblical principles. They’re written into the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This was intentional on the part of the Founding Fathers and for most of our history, as a nation we lived by those principles.

 

That doesn’t mean that all of our citizens were or are Christian, they’re not. And it also doesn’t mean that all of the Founding Fathers and the leaders since then were all Christians, some of them weren’t. But it does mean that Biblical principles were recognized as being the best principles to found our nation upon and for our citizens to live by, and for more than two hundred years we have thrived because of it.

 

Not so much any more. We have become like those ancient Jews who rejected the Word of God. We have turned from His decrees and the covenant He made with our Founding Fathers. And our nation is largely not heeding the warnings He has repeatedly given to us. We idolize and worship worthless principles, worthless leaders, and worthless objects, and as a result, like the Jews in ancient Israel and Judah, we are ourselves are becoming worthless. And yes, we too could certainly be described as a “stiff-necked people”.

 

As we conclude this month of devotional messages on the theme of “Playing by the Rules” I want to encourage all of us to pray for our nation. To a large extent we no longer plays by the rules God so clearly gave to us and as a result, the very fabric of our society is unraveling.

 

Whereas our laws were once intentionally Biblically based, we now live in a time when many new laws are diametrically opposed to Biblical principles, and that is celebrated by many as being a good thing. Standards of conduct which for hundreds of years of our history were recognized as being good and decent are now ridiculed and even condemned; while conduct that used to be widely condemned is now celebrated as good and normal. Our standards and expectations have become confused and twisted and the moral fabric of our society is unraveling.

 

But, Jesus is still on the throne and He is still sovereign over the affairs of nations. And, prayer still works. So please pray for our nation. Regardless of whether or not society as a whole lives by Biblical rules, we as individual followers of Jesus Christ can. So I encourage you to be force for good in your sphere of influence. In your home, in your neighborhood, in your school, and at your place of work be the one who does play by the rules.

 

Each of us can make a difference right where we are and if enough of us do that, it will make an impact on society as a whole. So don’t despair and don’t give up. Regardless of what others do, you be the one who does play by God’s rules.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement, sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Our focus should be on God and on others.”

 

Barnabas is one of my favorite New Testament characters. The Son of Encouragement was a blessing to all those he encountered. Not only was he evidently an upbeat and pleasant person to be with, but he was a sacrificial servant. Every time we see Barnabas on the pages of the New Testament he is doing something for someone, or giving something to someone, or in some way serving and assisting others.

 

Barnabas obviously understood that he was there to serve the church, rather than the church being there to serve him. He didn’t go to church for what he could get out of it, he went in order to worship God and to bless others. This attitude is Biblical and it’s what’s expected of devoted followers of Christ.

 

Jesus Himself was a servant of others and He instructed His followers to do likewise (John 13:12-15). In 1 Corinthians 12:4-26 the Apostle Paul teaches that everyone is endowed with spiritual gifts and with skills and abilities by the Holy Spirit so that we can then utilize those abilities within the context of the church for the benefit of everyone. In Ephesians 4: 11-12 he wrote: “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.”

 

“…for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.” The purpose of Sunday school and Bible studies are to teach and equip individual Christians so we can then participate in acts of ministry. The purpose of worship is to give to God the honor and the reverence that He is worthy of, it’s an expression of our love for Him and our devotion to Him. Like Barnabas, we are to go to church to give. We are to give worship to God and we are to give service to others.

 

The worst comment on a worship service any Christian can ever make is “I didn’t get anything out of that service.” My response is, “You weren’t supposed to!” You don’t go to church to “get” you go to church to “give”. Rather than asking “What did you get out of the worship service?” a better question would be “What did you put into the worship service?”

 

When you go to church this weekend I encourage you to play by the rules. Focus on giving; give worship to God and give service to others.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Christians need to be in church”

 

It’s unmistakable how important it is to God that His people gather together for worship. From the Fourth Commandment to “keep the Sabbath holy”, to the examples of nation of Israel consistently gathered in their places of worship, the Bible shows us examples of the people of God gathered to worship God. Jesus was frequently in the temple; and for the Apostle Paul, meeting with gathered believers was his regular practice.

 

In Psalm 122:1 we read of King David rejoicing over the thought of being able to gather together with other believers. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews makes it clear in 10:24-25 that believers are not to skip the regularly scheduled gatherings of their church family – and he doesn’t seem to offer any escape clauses such as “I was tired”, or “The weather was bad”, or “My dog was sick”.

 

In his book “This Day in Christian History” author Robert Morgan tells the story of how the Puritans in New England in the early days of our country’s history were so committed to going to church, regardless of the weather, that ministers would often preach wrapped in layers of coats, with woolen caps pulled down over their heads and heavy mittens on their hands. Members of the congregation would bring small personal foot stoves filled with hot coals to keep their feet warm. One man was reported to have routinely brought his big old hound dog to curl up at his feet during the service to share its body heat. Judge Samuel Sewall recorded in his diary one Sunday that it was so cold in the sanctuary that the communion bread froze and rattled around in the plate. And yet, they gathered.

 

In Acts chapter twenty we find the Apostle Paul in the city of Troas. The church was gathered late into the night as Paul continued preaching, and continued, and continued. Finally, around midnight, a young man named Eutychus became so drowsy that he fell asleep and tumbled out of a second story window, crashing to the ground and dying. Paul, undeterred, ran downstairs, prayed over him, raised him from the dead, then ran back upstairs and continued preaching. And the people stayed!

 

In China today it is illegal for Christians to gather for worship except in government authorized churches, under the supervision of government appointed monitors. Those Christians who are not willing to gather under such restrictive circumstances meet illegally in what is known as “the underground churches”. They meet in secret, often in the middle of the night, in remote barns, or in clearings in the woods, or in carefully closed and concealed basements. And if they’re caught, they go to jail.

 

In the USA we have none of those problems. If you go to church on Sunday, nobody will put you in jail on Monday. And it’s unlikely that you will need a personal coal-fired foot warmer or a big old hound dog to keep you warm.

 

And yet, how many of us will stay home this Sunday because …. well … just because.

 

From the earliest days of the faith God’s people have faithfully gathered together for worship. Doing so is Biblical. It is the normal Christian experience. It is for our own good. And, it is commanded by God. It’s one of the rules God has given to His people.

 

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We need Jesus!”

 

Jesus told us straight-out that in this world we will have trouble. Wow, talk about an understatement! I don’t know about your life but mine sure does seem to be filled with lots of trouble. Fortunately most of my problems are small, especially when compared to what others go through but still, life often seems like a roller coaster of highs and lows, good times and bad.

 

So Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in Him we can find peace in this midst of those troubles. We can also find strength and courage. He has overcome the problems and trials of the world and in Him we can share in the victory. That doesn’t mean that our problems will all magically go away (they won’t), but it does mean He will give us strength and courage and peace so we can deal with them.

 

I’m inspired by the stories of other Christians. I read one last night in the book, “On This Day in Christian History” by Robert Morgan. Morgan tells the story of a man by the name of Polycarp who, although not mentioned on the pages of the Bible, did live during the time of the book of Acts, and we know from Christian history that he was a friend and ministry partner of the Apostle John.

 

Polycarp was the Pastor of the church in Smyrna, which was only twenty miles away from the church in Ephesus where John was the Pastor. The church in Smyrna was one of the seven churches of the Revelation that John wrote about in the book of Revelation and it is notable because there were no critical words written about it.

 

Polycarp went on to become one of the most influential leaders of the early church and he bravely led the church through some times of intense persecution. Polycarp himself ended up being imprisoned, tortured, and eventually burned at the stake because he refused to recant his faith in Christ. It’s an inspiring story of someone who relied on Jesus to help him handle times of immense trouble and hardship.

 

Most of us will probably never have to face those kinds of trials for our faith, but we will have problems and challenges of our own. We will face things like sickness, money problems, unemployment, an unfaithful spouse, rebellious children, etc.

 

Jesus cautioned us to expect problems in this life. Problems are simply part of life and we all have them. But He has also promised to help us through it, to give us peace and courage and strength, and ultimately, victory.

 

How do people make it through life without Jesus? I don’t know but I’m sure glad I don’t have to. He promised that if I call on Him, He will be there for me. It’s one of the rules for living the Christian life. Call on Jesus. He will help you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” 2 Kings 12:2-3 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “A little disobedience leads to a lot of disobedience.”

 

I was reading this morning in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings when I came to chapter 12, which tells the story of good King Joash. I say “good” King Joash because during a period in Israel’s history when many of the kings were very bad, Joash was relatively good by comparison, at least in the early years.

 

But still, he wasn’t fully committed to God over the long-term. He did a pretty good job in the early years when the priest Jehoiada was still alive and providing solid spiritual leadership. But even during the best and most obedient years, Joash still was not fully committed to the Lord and therefore, neither were the people. To a large extent they did worship and obey the One True God, but they still engaged in pagan practices too.

 

I’m amazed at how common this theme is in the history of God’s people. We certainly see it in the history of the nation of Israel. Even during their most faithful times, they still allowed into their individual and corporate lives just enough ungodly influences to be a snare to them, and ultimately those ungodly influences always resulted in their downfall.

 

This is true for us too. As we consider the Christian community in the USA today we can see a lot of secular influence woven into the fabric of our individual and corporate lives. There are many individual Christians who pray, read their Bibles, and go to church, while also viewing pornography, listening to music with foul lyrics, and cheating on their taxes.

 

There are churches that sing praises to God during the song service, but then the preacher gets up and preaches a sermon that is mostly pop psychology and feel-good themes. It’s also not uncommon today to find individual Christians, whole churches, and entire denominations that embrace and promote both the Gospel of Jesus Christ, along with cultural agendas which are popular in the secular world, but which are clearly unbiblical.

 

In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 the Apostle Paul challenged this sort of intermingling of the things of the world and the things of God: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?”

 

That passage goes on for several more verses to teach that there is supposed to be a clear and observable difference between the church and the world, between Christians and non-Christians. A blurring of the lines is a clear sign of spiritual weakness and impending defeat. Such was the case with the nation of Israel and it will be the end result for us too if we don’t change our ways and remain fully committed to God, in both word and deed.

 

We have to play by the rules. In the Bible God has made it clear what His standards for our conduct are. We know how we’re supposed to live. But just a little deviation from God’s standards, just a little disobedience, leads to a lot of disobedience and the end result is always bad for us.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim