Don't Be Fooled

These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 

 

I recently read a story about a woman who had just graduated from a prestigious culinary academy in France.  She decided she had to put her new skills to the test at a elegant reception at the home of a prominent physician, so she prepared a pate, put it on some imported crackers, topped the pate with an imported cheese wedge, bacon chips, and a sliver of pimento.  She put her hors d'oeuvres on shiny silver platters and placed them on the reception table.  The guests at the reception raved over the treats and tray after tray disappeared quickly.  What she didn't tell anyone was her pate came from a can of Alpo dog food.

 

Remember how many times Lucy could convince Charlie Brown to kick the football only to to fool him time after time as she yanked the ball away at the last moment?  We are rather like Charlie Brown and the reception guests if we are not careful.

 

I used to attend a church where the pastor delivered amazing sermons complete with incredible power point presentations.  Eventually it was revealed that the pastor did not study for his sermons, nor did he even write them.  He downloaded them from a subscription service and merely read them verbatim.  I had been fooled into believing the pastor I admired was spending a LOT of time in prayer and study each week.

 

Listen, just because something looks good doesn't make it good.  Just because someone has words that seem plausible, does not make them true.  It is OUR responsibility to study for ourselves the Bible so we won't be fooled by pretty sounding messages.  I am extremely leery of any "pastor" who does not reference the Bible, rather delivers a "feel good" talk.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of pastors who preach gloom and doom all the time either.  What I want to hear is the TRUTH!  And I will study to see if what I am being told is true.  How about you? 

The Real Deal!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Colossians 3:16 

 

We have gone to GREAT lengths to improve our currency in order to make it much more difficult to counterfeit.  Designers also go to great lengths to make their products difficult to counterfeit.  Yet the sad thing is the fact that many designer goods are simply to expensive for the average consumer, so the counterfeiters make lots of money with their "knock-offs."

 

What's the best way to tell if something is real or fake?  Study what is real!  Ruth Graham once said to a Scotland Yard Investigator, "You must have to study the counterfeits endlessly to make sure you catch them."  The Investigator replied, "No Ma'am, we only study every single detail of the genuine so that when a counterfeit comes in, we can pick it out immediately."

 

Now think for a minute, if we take that Investigators counsel and apply it to our lives in Christ, would the results be the same?  If we are so ingrained in Scripture that we know the truth, shouldn't we be able to pick out the false teachers?  Yes!  But are we willing to study the Scriptures for ourselves or are we willing to just believe whatever sounds right?

 

Just as counterfeiters can make their knock-offs just good enough to fool some people, counterfeit preachers and teachers can do the same thing with Scripture, and too many people fall for it.  How about you?  Do you want the genuine message of Christ, or what someone tells you is the "truth"?

Friday Ponderance!

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 1:12 

And this is something NO ONE can steal from you!!!

True Friend or Sneaky Enemy?

An open rebuke
    is better than hidden love!

Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Proverbs 27:5-6 

 Do you have friends that you trust without question?  True friends are those who will be truthful with you whether you like it or not.  They have earned your trust and respect, so they have also earned the right to speak the truth to you without fear.

I have a friend who is in no way afraid to tell me when I have said or done something wrong, and I can do return the favor.  If I go to my friend complaining about some situation, I will usually hear something along the lines of "stop being a jackass" or "how DARE they".  True friends aren't afraid to tell the truth.

Now....I am HIGHLY suspicious of those who are tell me just what I want to hear all the time (most of the time I figure they are trying to sell me something or trying to get money out of me).  I would rather you tell me the truth than tell me sweet lies!

 

"Give What To WHO?"

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. ¹⁶ They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. ¹⁷ Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, ²⁰ he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
²² His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Matthew 22:15-22 

You have to give it to the Pharisees.....they were bound and determined to trip Jesus up so they could get rid of Him.  And today's passage is no exception.  

Let's look at 5 points here:

   1.   Beware of those who flatter you!  The Pharisees said, "We know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don't play favorites."

    2.  Beware the hook!  "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

    3.  Be prepared to side step the trap! Jesus asked for a coin used to pay taxes and received a denari.  Then He asked the Pharisees, "Who's picture and title are stamped on this coin?" 

    4.  Be prepared to speak the truth!  "Caesar's," [the Pharisees] replied. Then Jesus told them the obvious: "If it is Caesar's then give it to Caesar, if it is God's then give it to God!"

   5.  When the TRUTH is told, "Pharisees" of all kinds will be flabbergasted! 

How Much?

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
Matthew 9:27-29

I've read this story hundreds of times, and perhaps you have too, and it wasn't until this morning that something in this brief narrative jumped out at me. In this story, Jesus was going about his ministry when two blind men followed Him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"  This in not the part that jumped out at me, but it is interesting that the Bible doesn't mention anyone helping these blind men follow Jesus, it merely states that they followed him.  

Jesus went into the house and the blind men came to Him. And here's the build up, Jesus asked them both: "Do YOU believe that I am able to do this?"  Jesus is asking these men if they REALLY believe Jesus can heal them or are they just looking for to see what they can get out of Jesus.  

Both men say they believe Jesus can heal them.  Then Jesus touched their eyes (and here's the part that jumped out at me) and said, "Let it be done for you ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH!"  What I took away from that is that half-hearted belief is no belief at all!  

How many times have we prayed during a situation expecting God to handle our situation the way WE have it planned?  How many times have we prayed half-heartedly and were disappointed when nothing happened?  Remember this phrase spoken by Jesus to these blind men: "ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH!"   

If You Say It...Prove It!

Just say a simple, ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’ 

Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:37

Words! We use them all the time.  In fact, many of the words we speak are so automatic that they have lost most, if not all, of their meaning.  When asked "How are you doing?" our automatic response is usually "Fine."  What does that really mean?

 

We are quick to spin our words so that we appear either the "victim" or the "hero" depending on the situation.  Why? It's uncomfortable for us to actually take responsibility for our words and actions, so we seek to deflect responsibility OR we seek to gain adoration by spinning our words to make us appear more than we are.

 

Would it be nice to be able to "Say what we mean, and mean what we say"?  Want to know what's stopping us from doing just that? Look in the mirror!

 

One of the lessons that was drilled into my rock hard stubborn noggin was "If you say it, PROVE IT!"  If I said I was going to do something, I was expected (and required) to actually do it.   As a result, I have come to expect the same of others.  

 

Think about this:  

     *   How many times have I said "I'm praying for you" or "I'll pray for you"?  And was that word kept?

     *   How many times have we promised to make changes and then slip right back into our comfort zones?

 

Think of your spouse....have you ever not been honest with them?  Can you talk with them about anything and everything (even if it is painful or you know it will upset them)? 

 

Jesus tells us to keep it simple!  If you mean "Yes" then simply say "Yes."  If you mean "No" then simply say "No."  On our abundance of words or absence of words our reputations are build.

 

My mentor told me many years ago, "Words without meaning are wasted breath."  Thus, if you say it.....PROVE IT!

Get Your Simple On!

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

~Matthew 5:33-37

 

 I like things that are simple.  That's not to say that I like things that don't challenge me to think, but I do like simple things.  

I was called to be a witness in court not too long ago, and I was instructed that I must take an oath given to me by the Judge.  "Do you promise to tell the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God."  After my part was over, I started thinking about what Jesus said.  Jesus, in case you haven't figured it out yet, was all about SIMPLE!

In fact, He specifically tells us that we should keep our answers simple: "Just say a simple 'Yes, I will' or 'No, I won't' because anything more than that is of the devil.  Imagine how different our own little part of the world would be different if we kept things just that simple!  

 

"Honey, did you eat the last doughnut?"  

"Yes"

"Are you supposed to have doughnuts?"

"No"

"So you're going to exercise a little extra today to work off that doughnut?"

"Ummmm......no."

Simple!  Confucius has been credited with saying, "Life is simple...it is WE who complicate it."  I do believe there's quite a lot of truth in that!