So....You Think You're A Good Person.

 How many of us have family and friends who think that they are good people? They can't believe that they aren't invited to things, included in conversation. "I can't believe that I wasn't invited to that party or event." "I can't believe that I've been left out of (whatever it is)". "I can't believe that nobody is talking with me." They go around complaining about all of this and then make the statement, "I'm a good person." "I don't know what's wrong with people." That is where we go wrong with that kind of thinking.

The Bible tells us a different story about people, and their goodness.

Psalm 14:3 New Living Translation

3 But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!

You see, in our minds we are good. We do good things for our community. We have families. We aren't out committing any crime. We are productive members of society. This is our flesh speaking. We don't see anything wrong with how we are living. We think that we are good people.

Micah 6:8 Amplified Bible

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

How many people have you come across that really live like this? I can think of a lot of people who are  not kind to anyone, nor show any compassion to anyone. Over blown ego's. They think that the world revolves around them, and they let you know it. No one lives up to God's standard. We think that we do, but alas we do  not.

Romans 3:23 New Living Translation

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

So I urge everyone tonight to continue to chase after God. Continue to seek Him and what He has for you. Humble yourselves. 

Ephesians 5:1-2 Amplified Bible

5 Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; 2 and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

A couple of weeks ago I was having one of the worst weeks of my work life. No matter what I did or tried to do, nothing seemed to go right. My schedule was crammed packed with deliveries of product and  outbound shipments. Those who know, I work by myself. I am the shipping/receiving department. So I was overwhelmed with trucks. Then I had spacing, electrical and time issues. Everything just seemed to keep piling up on top of one another. Not a good week.

I figured out that during that week, I had changed the music that I was listening to on my way to work. I took out my worship music and put in some classic rock. I just wanted a change. Boy did it change. Not for the better either. Not that I was listening to anything aggressive like Slayer or Pantera. Just some REO, Styx, Journey. You get the picture. So while I'm listening to this music, I keep hearing a voice saying "the joy of The Lord is my strength." I heard this over and over again. I'm like "yes Lord, I know that, but I just want to listen to this stuff." So I kept on rocking out to the classics. And my week continued to go down hill. Everyday I kept hearing, "the joy of The Lord is my strength." And then He added 'Rend Collective' at the end of that statement. They are a worship band from Ireland. I know that they have a song titled "The Joy of The Lord Is My Strength". 

So  Monday rolls around and I'm gearing us for another super busy week. Before I pulled out of the garage, I changed cd's (I'm still old school). I put in Rend Collective and low and behold, that song came on as I was driving. Crazy right. Not with The Lord. He knew. He just wanted me to know. So when I got to work, I check my calendar and what do you know. The work load lessened, by quite a bit. Thank You Lord. Sometimes I can be a bit stubborn! No, you are saying. But The Lord kept after me, reminding me of who He is.

1 Kings 19:11-12 New Living Translation

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

So I encourage you today to be careful of what you allow your eyes to see and ears to hear. Music, movies, tv shows, whatever. It can affect you in a very dramatic way! Good & bad.

And never ignore the still small Voice of God!!

Good Friday Plans.

 Like me, some of you might have Good Friday off of work. What are your plans for the day? Shopping, movie, hiking, biking, whatever else you could do today. I'll tell you what. Whatever you have planned for the day, is nothing like what Jesus did for us on this day! 

What did He do for us exactly you may ask.

1. He was betrayed by one of His disciples (Judas).

2. He was tried and convicted in an illegal trial.

3. He was sentenced to crucifixion.

4. He was beaten beyond recognition.

5. He had to carry His own cross to His place of execution, all the while being spat upon, insults hurled at him. People hitting Him.

6. He was nailed to a cross and raised up between two other criminals.

7. His side was pierced with a sword to make sure that he was indeed dead.

8. He was taken down and placed into a tomb and a big rock was rolled across to block the opening.

All of these events can be found in The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 11-19

We call this day Good Friday. Doesn't seem like a very good day to me. Everything He went through was horrific. An accurate representation of this event can be seen in the movie 'The Passion of The Christ'.

So while we go about enjoying this day off of work. Let's remember what it is really all about. Jesus died a sinners death for us, so that we may live sin free.

Lets live a life worthy of His death and everything that He went through for us. We deserved that punishment, not Him! That's the kind of God we serve. He was willing to die for us.

Romans 5:8 New Living Translation

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.