TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN

TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN

Thursday, June 30, 2016

One Valid Motivation

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
(1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESVST)

This seems like a simple, yet direct command. We must be watchful in that our enemy is relentless. For us to act as if he is not relentless is nothing more than in invitation for him to destroy us.

We are told to stand firm, and we indeed have that capability in that God is a rock that cannot be moved. As we choose to take a stand with Him, there is no worldly force that can move us. The winds of this life may blow, but the rock will not, and those who are anchored to it will be standing when the storm has passed.

To act like a man is a specific and direct statement. Men are those who are entrusted with leadership, who protect, who guide, and who ultimately give up their lives for the good of others.

There is only one valid motivation for those who will be deemed successful, and that is the motivation of love: obedience to God and care for others. There is no other way.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Since we know....

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESVST)

Since we know we will one day be victorious, we need to be steadfastly immovable. Why would one who is sure of victory waver? Why would one who knows the outcome fear the outcome? Why would those who know, live as those who did not know?

We know that death, the end of life on earth as we know it, has no power to destroy those who are in Christ. We know that death is doorway, not a wall. We know that this life is a training ground, a proving place, and a preparation for what is yet to come.

Since we know these things, we live as if we know them, and Paul tells us what that looks like.

Those who know are not stubborn, but steadfastly immovable. Those who know always abound in the King's work, for they know that the return in investment is guaranteed.

One day, when this life is over and we stand before God, we will look forward to Him saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant," but we must remember that God will not lie.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Why Invest Now?

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1 Corinthians 15:50 ESVST)

This life is a war zone, not a final destination. There is no way that we can stay here and enjoy all that God has for us to enjoy. The flesh and blood that now represents my life must die for me to inherit my eternal life.

Those who cling to this life are clinging to a war-torn land in hopes that the war has ended, when in reality, the war continues to rage. There is no possible way to have our best life now, for now is the time to fight, not to rest, and those who seek comfort in this war zone will live frustrated, angry, and meaningless lives.

All that I see around me will perish apart from the people God has placed in my life. People will  last forever, whereas money, time, etc. will pass away. Spending time with God and people will have a huge return on investment.

Why would we invest in the things that are guaranteed to deliver a 100% loss?

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Confusion


We are a confused nation. Confusion is something that fuels helplessness and hopelessness. It does not need to be this way.

Many have abandoned God and thereby abandon reason. Those who reason have a set of absolutes with which to evaluate their reasoning upon, and without such a structure, it is impossible to have reason.

Those who are Godless are unreasonable.

When someone subscribes to the idea that there are no absolutes, they become the absolute. Imagine the shock and horror that will take place when they discover that they never were and are not in that position.

Our thoughts and ideas have evolved throughout the years. We kindly make fun of those who at one time thought the world was flat, and at medical professionals who did not realize the importance of washing their hands inbetween patients. Landing on the moon was a someday dream at one time, and Alexander Graham Bell was brilliant in providing to us a gadget that enabled us to talk to one another even though we were separated by miles.

We often think of ourselves as having come a long way, and we have. Yet, fifty or one hundred years from now, the very things we now consider modern, sophisticated, and necessary, could be looked upon as simplistic, naïve, and well, nice, for those who were so limited in understanding.

We seem to always look at ourselves as the measure of success, and avoid absolutes in that they have the possibility of destroying our carefully designed deceptions.

Reasonable people embrace absolutes, for they allow us a simple understanding of life, death, significance, and security.

Here’s an example.

In the beginning God, not Dave.
God created, meaning that there is an ultimate “force” in the universe, and that the created has meaning and purpose.
The revealed purpose of creation is to allow us to love God and each other, and in doing so, display who God is in our very flesh.
I did not choose the day of my birth, and I will not choose the day of my death.
I will die and actually be dead much longer than I was ever alive on this earth.

In reality, the simple rules. The simplicity of God’s plan transcends time. Our knowledge will change, as will our perspectives, understandings, health, wealth, and so on, but our God will not. His purposes will remain. They are simple and direct.

Satan seems to worm his way into our lives and culture whenever and however he can. He seems to enjoy helping us elevate ourselves so that it is our feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts, and more that rule and not God.

When this happens, we become a confused people, and have all the ‘fruits’ of confusion evident in our lives and nation. 

One might ask in what ways have we made the simple complex?

Here are some illustrations.

Gender: Each of us is born either a male or female. God made it simple. Abandoning the simple has made this confusing. 

Marriage was intended to be a covenant between one man and one woman. Abandoning the simple has made this confusing. 

Sexual intimacy was meant to be between a male and female who have committed to faithfulness to each other.  Abandoning the simple has made this confusing. 

This list could go on and on in that Godless people make things complex in order to hide their desperate and hopeless ways. Complication fuels complacency.

The tax code, ObamaCare, and other laws of the land demonstrate how complexity fuels complacency. I doubt that many have read the entire tax code and really understood what it said. I also doubt that many have read the entire ObamaCare regulations and are able to grasp the entire concept.

Often what starts our simple becomes complex as we twist and turn the ideas in ways that sound good for everyone, but somehow benefit us.

When you think about it, our highest governmental officials do not use ObamaCare, and the richest people in the world pay little in taxes.

I have no idea why.  It is way too complicated for me to understand. So, I just ignore the whole mess, demonstrating, once again, that complexity fuels complacency.

It is time to get back to the basics, to the simple. If we do we will re-engage many into the processes of life. If we do not, we will continue to slide towards meaninglessness.

For now, the choice is ours.

Friday, June 17, 2016

The Important Things In Life....

It was a  wonderful privilege to be able to speak, once again, to the junior/middler campers at Silver Birch Ranch at the beginning of our 49th summer. Each year I get more reflective, more thankful and better positioned to see what God is and has done.

For many, while on our grounds, the world and its problems fade away and kids are able to be kids. They laugh, cry,  have good times and struggles that are a part of learning to grow up and make decisions independent of mom and dad.

Every day we pause several times to talk with the campers about God’s love, plan and purposes for their lives. We are able to begin the process of clearing up the confusion that seems prevalent in our world.

Summer camps value has exponentially increased over the years. Young people now more than ever need to escape the pressures of every day life and enjoy being a “kid” for a while. They need to ride a horse, tube behind a boat, raft a river, buy a pizza with friends, stare at a campfire, play large group games and listen, several times a day, to what God has to say about love and life.

Summer camp is a connection point for many that creates a bond to God, to friends and can clear some of the confusion that seems ever present in the public arena.

Silver Birch Ranch has become a place where people can see God clearly. If you look closely at what God has provided in a physical facility you cannot help but be awed at His provision. In the last few years we have seen tremendous provision. We have been able to build a gym and chapel and maintenance building (which will become a storage building soon) and have them paid for and are in the process of building a new recording studio and auto/wood shop as well as pay or normal bills which total over $6,000.00 per day.

This is all accomplished without fund raising campaigns, arm twisting or having any endowment money. These “things” have clearly demonstrated God’s provision.

Even more incredible are he lives that challenged on these grounds. In a crazy, mixed up and confused culture we have the opportunity to clear the fog. After one of the chapel times I was able to watch the campers respond to an invitation to place their trust in Jesus as their savior. There were about 60 young people that night who wanted to talk with their counselor about their need for Christ.

As I watched the campers walk out of the chapel with their counselors, who were going to spend some additional time with them, pray with them, etc. I saw one counselor walking out with kids who, when he was 8 years old, made that same decision in our old chapel. Our chapel may have changed but our God and His love for these campers has remained the same.

Age has its advantage in that, at times, we have the opportunity to enjoy some of the fruit from the trees that were planted years ago.

There have been so many faithful men and women who have served our nations’ youth on the gourds of Silver Birch Ranch throughout these past 49 summers. God has been and is evident. I personally am grateful beyond words to have been a part of such an obvious and mighty movement of God.

I have no idea where or who our next provision will be supplied from. The cost of doing what we do steadily increases as does the opportunities.

I think the challenges that lie ahead continue to revolve around how we can provide an effective, safe, fun and affordable place for young people.

Camp is vital and expensive. It would be wonderful to be able to have a revenue stream from somewhere/someone that would allow us to reduce our summer camp prices.  This may seem like a crazy wild idea to many and perhaps  it is. However, it is yet another way that we can clearly show who God is in this world where His view is blurred.

God is faithful and I would encourage you to take a moment and reflect on His faithfulness and rejoice with us as we think of the many transformed lives, friendships and hope that has been a part of the past 49 summers.

Having faith however is not just for those who are in ministry, it is the only way any of us please our Heavenly Father. Those who live outside of faith have no way to demonstrate who God is in this life, no way to please God, no way to be significant, no security and ultimately no purpose or hope.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 ESVST)

Spend some time today enjoying God. It will be the most important thing you will do.