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Healing is three-fold
After reviewing the course of our lives and the things the past has brought about, it is clear that many of us are dealing with hurt levied against us. A damaged root is not always the fault of the wounded. Nevertheless, issues remain and may cause lifelong struggles. Life has a way of grounding even the most positive person. Yet as we will learn through the scripture, God has the remedy for all afflictions. The Lord knew the heart and conflict of people. The Creator prepared the way for full redemption even before we came to be. He redeemed us from…
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Nuclear family
At the most basic level, a healthy Family is critical to a healthy church. In fact, the family unit, also called the nuclear family, is the basic building block of all peoples, nations, and lands. There is no other structure that can take the place of the Family. God’s first institution was the marriage and that marriage was intended to result in the Family. Therefore the Root of a strong Church is a strong Family. There is no such thing as a healthy church filled with dysfunctional families. If we are to let our light shine unto men, then it…
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The Root was pride …
Carelessly Esau sold his birthright away for a bowl of soup. Notwithstanding Jacob’s deception or Rachel’s complicity, Esau did not live a sober life. He was so confident in himself that he considered his own ability greater than his priceless birthright. Unfortunately at the end he found himself empty and without the final blessing of his father. The Root was pride. Arrogance made him numb to the value of the birthright. A haughty spirit possessed him as it does in so many people who think that they can recover, regardless of their flippant approach to the most sacred things in life. Esau…
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Take Root
2 Kings 19:30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. Isaiah will repeat this prophetic word in his self-titled book. The promise was simple: Those that remain faithful; dutiful; retaining the covenant from old time, shall take root downward which will be manifest outwardly or upwardly. Within the prophecy lies a basic truth that mirrors the Law of Harvest and in that law lies the Root. The Root is the origin, the genesis, the tuber that brings life and nutrients to the trunk and then to…
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Freedom came at a cost …
America is 240 years old this year. The earliest settlement began May 14, 1607 in a place called Jamestown. Before that this land was occupied by natives and tribes of people who lived here and raised their families in their traditional way. America has a rich heritage hosting opportunities and windows of possibilities. Through the course of time and the belief in natural law, we established ourselves upon religious principles. Those biblical fundamentals guided this land with a clarity until a few decades ago. With the abolishment of slavery, voting rights for women, and the progress made through the civil rights…
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The Value of Forever
Quick. What is the most valuable thing you can think of? Gold? Diamonds? Rubies? How about property somewhere in Manhattan? I would concur that each hold great value. but Jesus asked the most probing question of all pertaining to worth and value. He asked, “What would a man give in exchange for his soul?” The fact is that the soul is the most valuable thing in this world. Not land or jewels; not money or precious metals. All of those things will one day fade from view, but the soul of mankind will exist forever. If we are truthful in…
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“We would see Jesus”
John 12:21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. It was a great feast which hosted a large number of people. These feasts might be considered festivals with visitors coming from surrounding cities. Attractions and readily available merchandise lined the narrow, cobblestoned streets, but of all the things accessible, the Greeks sought out Jesus. “We would see Jesus.” Philip went to Andrew, who in turn took action. These traveling Greeks bypassed the celebration and festivities. They seemed uninterested in the temporal times afforded them. They just…
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We must Walk after the Spirit!
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? NIV Romans 8:8-9 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. I could not escape Paul’s admonition to the churches in both Corinth and Rome. It seems that his…
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The LORD is on my side
Psalm 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? It’s a small passage of scripture that often captivates my thoughts. In most cases I begin with the end in mind, i.e., the result based on the premise, but in this case the psalmist puts the Lord in His place. The Lord is where? “on my side.” It is His location to me that provokes faith and not fear. It’s where He is that makes all the difference. He is beside me and that fact alone changes the setting and scene. Yet…
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Sacrifice of Praise
It was David, the ultimate worship leader, who wrote that God inhabits the praises of His people. David presented this idea that praise is a form of construction in which the Lord Almighty dwells. Most Christians of any length of time have heard this truth. Yet I wonder if we have considered the cost of our praise. Hebrews 13 speaks of the “Sacrifice of Praise” given to God through the fruit of our lips. It implies that we must praise even when our emotional hearts are not fully engaged. It means that praising God is a sacrifice in the same…