The Way To a Balanced Life

For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light. -- Proverbs 6:23

I don't like struggle. Yet, I find myself struggling much more than I think is fair. However, this week I found an antidote to struggle ... getting into the Word!

Charles Stanley makes it so clear in one of his devotions from God's Way this week:

Time With the Word

If you want to know what the Holy Spirit thinks about something, read the Bible. The Scripture is His thoughts on paper. It doesn't get any clearer than that. You and I are not left to discern the mind of the Spirit through the presence or absence of peace and the voice of conscience alone. We have His thoughts written on paper!

The most balanced Christians I know are those who spend time in God's Word on a daily basis. The most unbalanced Christians I know are those who do not. It is that simple.

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Internationally-acclaimed author and preacher Charles Stanley adds to his impressive legacy with a year's worth of devotionals drawn from his previous writings including best-sellers Success God's Way, Seeking His Face, and Enter His Gates. This best-selling devotional is loaded with life-changing thoughts and beautiful four-color illustrations. Divided into twelve months but not dated for a specific year, this book promises to become a perennial favorite. - Amazon.com

Get a copy of God's Way Day by Day now!

Newsweek's Tweaking of America

"The End of Christian America?"



Writer Jon Meacham and Newsweek play a little premature smash-mouth with Christians, fueled by an erroneously interpreted survey. Be sure to catch The Scrooge Report story: Newsweek Misuses Poll, Flies ‘The End of Christian America’ Banner.

What Did Jesus Say About Religion?

A discussion thread titled Religion vs. Spirituality over at social networking site BlogCatalog prompted me to search the Bible...and that's always a good thing!

The author of the thread added this under his subject head: Some folks cleave to Religion. Some to Spirituality. Some say it's either/or. Some embrace both. How 'bout you?

Here's how I responded:

I'd like to answer this question with some scripture. But, first let me say "religion" has caused a lot of damage. However, "faith" or one's spirituality based on seeking truth can do more good than we can even understand sometimes. It's also important to recognize that the pursuit of truth, doesn't mean pursuing relative truth, or the truth as you know it now, but real truth.

What does the Bible say about "religion"?

Here is Jesus talking to his disciples and a crowd that gathered around Him:

"Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven." (Matthew 23:9)

And a moment later He says:

"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned." (Matthew 23:13-15)

These verses are from "The Message" Bible version. I think it pretty much sums up the "importance" of religion. I'm sure that if I did some more searching, or if any of you who already know some of Jesus' own words would point out to me, there are other references to how Jesus felt about religion.

So, what do I embrace? More accurately who do I embrace? In my case, and I know many others, I "cleave" as best as I can to Jesus, not religion.

How 'bout you?

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report and TheBigRuski Goes Healthy.
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Delayed Gratification

Some of us may be addicted to pleasure. We want the easy way out...the less painful...the less work...the most fun. Let's face it, some of us are pleasure junkies. We may have even kicked our serious addictions, such as alcohol or drugs, but we still seek pleasure at an unhealthy rate. It could be food, sex, TV, gambling...even laying on the couch too much...but we are still seeking escape.

So, what do we do to lead a life of fulfillment, even when we seem to never be satisfied? How do we accept a life that can't always be about pleasure?

The apostle Paul said, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time" - Galatians 6:9. Weeds (of pleasure) spring up quickly. Good crops (from hard work) grow more slowly and must be tended steadily, even before we can see anything sprout. It's only in time that we will enjoy the fruit.

Jesus suggested that we expand our perspective even further, with a view toward eternity. "Jesus said to the disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?'" - Matthew 16:24-26.

It is God's will for us to have a rewarding and fulfilled life. It may be easier to live a productive life if we remember that denying ourself immediate pleasures will bring a harvest of rich rewards in this life and in the life to come!

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Parts of this devotion were taken from the Life Recovery Bible, New Living Translation. When I was first reading this version of the Bible with notes it was a total awakening. I view this Bible as the power of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous mulitplied by 1,000! Get a copy now!

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

A Prophetic Book

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible, Part III - The Power of Prophecy

Our final post in this series on the origin of the Bible is a look at the book's amazing fortelling of the future. Like some of us, I have a tendency to every so often just leave my Bible on the night stand for awhile without opening it up.

In doing this series I am reminded of how powerful this book really is and that I should not leave it unopened for very long. We will beginning a new "Today's Evidence" series later this week. Again, this from AllAboutTruth.org.

Part III

The origin of the Bible is God. It is a historical book that is backed by archeology, and a prophetic book that has lived up to all of its claims thus far. The Bible is God's letter to humanity collected into 66 books written by 40 divinely inspired writers over a period of over 1,600 years. The claim of divine inspiration may seem dramatic (or unrealistic to some), but a careful and honest study of the biblical scriptures will show them to be true. Powerfully, the Bible validates its divine authorship through fulfilled prophecies. An astonishing 668 prophecies have been fulfilled and none have ever been proven false (three are unconfirmed). God decided to use prophecy as His primary test of divine authorship, and an honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show the supernatural origin of the Bible. Skeptics must ask themselves, "Would the gambling industry even exist if people could really tell the future?" Again, no other holy book comes even close to the Bible in the amount of evidence supporting its credibility, authenticity and divine authorship.

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible - The Reliability of Ancient Manuscripts

Today, we will be looking at the origin of the Bible. In proving or disproving God's existence, it is important to discuss "God's Manuscript," as some would call it. I've taken the following from AllAboutTruth.org. Stay tuned for more of Today's Evidence. Have a blessed day everyone! - Alexander

Another challenge against the origin of the Bible is the reliability of the manuscripts from which today's Bibles are translated. Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for absolute reliability. There are more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts and fragments copied throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions that agree dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some time during the 3rd century BC.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text.

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

Prayer is Not Rubbing Bottle For a Genie

I want a home on the Big Island of Hawaii, a beach home in Southern California, and a mountain home in Colorado. Oh, and also an RV loaded to the max. Please, Lord, I pray these things for you to bless me with...Amen!

Isn't that how we often pray? "Rubbing" on God as if He was a genie, instead of praying for His will.

Praying is an important part of our life with Christ. Let's pray in earnest, knowing we truly are connected to Him. Let's pray with a desire to get closer to Him.

This from Greg Laurie's daily devotion:

THE PERIL OF PRAYERLESSNESS

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. - James 1:5

The Bible's first recorded prayer of Jacob's is found in Genesis 32:9–16. Up to this point, seven chapters of Genesis have been devoted to Jacob's life, with no mention of prayer on his part.

It makes me wonder if Jacob had ever prayed up to this point. It is possible, but the Bible doesn't specifically mention it. It may have been Jacob's very lack of prayer and lack of dependence on God that made him feel as though he had to manipulate his circumstances.

It was commendable that Jacob was reaching out to God, and there are even some good things about his prayer. He acknowledged the God of Abraham and Isaac as the true God. He confessed his own unworthiness. He brought his petition to the Lord.

But it would have been better if he had said, "Lord, what should I do now?" Instead, he prayed and made his plans. In other words, he decided what he was going to do and then asked God to bless it.

Is that not like us? We make our plan and then ask God to bless it. But that is not really praying about a matter. Instead, we should pray along the lines of, "Lord, give me wisdom from your Word and from godly people who will guide me scripturally. Help me do the right thing."

But Jacob did not do that. He wanted what was right, but he went about it in the wrong way.

God helps those who can't help themselves. This is what Jacob needed to realize. Let's learn to seek out God's will rather than bypass it.

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Books by Greg Laurie can be found at Amazon.com.

Asking For Wings

No one guarantees that life transforms into a rose garden when one becomes a Christian. I know that for me, accepting Jesus eight years ago was thrilling, somewhat scary, and a high like I have never felt. However, the years since He first entered my heart, have not been lived in a continual state of euphoria...nor should it be...(aw, shucks). For a feel-good junkie like myself, this concept is a difficult one to accept.

Today was a rough day...oh, nothing extraordinary happened, but I feel tired and weary. Fortunately, at 7 pm, I went to the Word...and as I go over a devotion by Billy Graham, I am refreshed in a quiet way...knowing that it doesn't matter what mood I'm in...God still loves me! I just need to ask Him for my wings.

This from Billy Graham's Hope for Each Day:

SOARING IN VICTORY

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:3

In the third chapter of John, Jesus teaches that the new birth is something God does for us, as we yield ourselves to Him and put our faith and trust in Christ. We do not have within ourselves the seed of the new life; this must come from God.

One day an ugly caterpillar climbs into a tree and spins a silky robe about itself. It goes to sleep, and in a few weeks emerges a beautiful butterfly.

So we...discouraged, unhappy, hounded by guilt, confused, depressed, vainly looking for and escape...can come by faith to Christ and emerge a new person. We can be born again! It sounds incredible, even impossible...and yet it is precisely what happens. We become members of God's family, looking forward to our eternal home in Heaven.

Do you feel you are in a cocoon? Turn to Christ and ask Him to give you your beautiful wings so that you might soar above your problems and be victorious over them.

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In 'Hope for Each Day,' Billy Graham offers spiritual comfort to guide us through our daily lives. Graham is considered a national treasure and has counseled numerous political leaders and provided comfort in times of public crisis.

Celebrating the Case for Easter

The Easter season is upon us and maybe it's time we reflect on what this celebration really is all about. I've selected some tools here to maybe help us along.

It's not enough to just say, "Well, Jesus was this great guy who lived a long time ago." There's more to it than that. Simply put, He died and rose from the dead for our sins. It's His resurrection that's more than just a big deal. It is our hope and our salvation.

So, to sum it up, this is just a blog post you're reading...but, right there, while you're staring at your computer screen, you can pray that He enters you life.

May you find Him now!

Happy Easter!

- Alexander

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Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead?
Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity.

But a dead man coming back to life? In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously? Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross. Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect. And post-crucifixion sightings of Jesus have been explained in psychological terms.

How credible is the evidence for-and against-the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines:

The Medical Evidence-Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax?

The Evidence of the Missing Body-Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb?

The Evidence of Appearances-Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross?

Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality? The evidence is in. The verdict is up to you.


Also, consider The Case for Easter Book & DVD Set.

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If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. Best-selling author Max Lucado leads readers through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage that he calls the "Hope Diamond" of Scripture. (Amazon.com)

Get 3:16: The Numbers of Hope now!

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Don't pay attention to the critics on this one. The Passion of the Christ is a classic. Mel Gibson's movie focuses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film begins in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.

Unconditional Love

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:7

This from Henry Blackaby's Day by Day:

Love has no limits. Love never says, “You’ve gone too far. I can’t love you now.” “All things” means everything is included. Christlike love leaves no doubt in the mind of another that you will continue to love steadfastly. Do those close to you know that they can fail and do foolish things, yet you will not falter in your love for them? Are others assured that, even when they hurt you, you still love them, holding nothing against them?

Love assumes the best about others. If someone inadvertently offends you, you choose to believe the offense was unintentional. If someone seeks to harm you, you “bear all things,” forgiving unconditionally. If a positive light can be shed on a difficult encounter, you grasp it. If someone continually provokes you, you “endure all things.” You never lose hope in the ones you love. You practice the same unconditional love toward others that Christ gives to you.

Paul said that he was nothing if he had the faith to move mountains, the tongue of an angel, and the gift of prophecy to understand all mysteries, yet did not have God’s love. It is unacceptable to say, “Well, I just can’t love people that way!” When God loves people through you, this is the only kind of love He has! Read 1 Corinthians 13 with gratitude that God has already expressed this complete and selfless love to you. Pray and ask Him to express it through you now, to others.

Much of the ministry of Dr. Henry T. Blackaby flourished with the publication of his book Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Seeking God in the matter which Blackaby spells out in his book has helped propel life-changing events for a countless number of people.

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Find Books About Love - Click Here!

Where is Your Focus?

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following. . . .Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" - John 21:20-21

This from Henry Blackaby's 'Day by Day:'

The first thing you do after God speaks to you is critical. Jesus was telling Peter what type of ministry he would have and what type of death he would suffer (vv. 18–19). It was a sacred moment in Peter’s life, as his Lord pulled back the curtain to his future. His was not to be an easy life but a life ordained and blessed by his Lord and Master.

Rather than responding to what Jesus told him, Peter looked around at his fellow disciples. His glance fell upon John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. “But Lord, what about this man?” Peter asked. Peter had just been given the somber news of his future death. How natural to compare his assignment with that of the others! This is the great temptation of God’s servants: to compare our situation with that of others. Did God give my friend a larger house? Did God heal my friend’s loved one and not mine? Did God allow my friend to receive appreciation and praise for his work while I remain anonymous? Did God allow another Christian to remain close to her family while I am far removed from mine?

Jesus assigned Peter and John to walk two different paths, but both Peter and John have enriched our lives. Jesus knew how dangerous it is when a servant takes his eyes off the master to focus on a fellow servant. Where is your focus? Have you become more concerned with how God is treating someone else than you are with how He is relating to you?

Much of the ministry of Dr. Henry T. Blackaby flourished with the publication of Experiencing God. Go to Blackaby Ministries International to learn more.

Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God

He Loves You With an Everlasting Love

As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him. - Psalm 103:11

This from Max Lucado's 'Grace for the Moment, Volume 2:'

The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you; not that you can know God but that God already knows you! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him; he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached his verdict; he loves you still. No discovery will disillusion him; no rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love.

'Experiencing God' by Henry Blackaby

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. - Exodus 19:10-11

This from Henry Blackaby's Day by Day:

Meeting with God requires preparation. God is awesome and perfectly holy. Barging into His presence unprepared is an affront. When the children of Israel were to meet with Him, God commanded them first to take two full days to prepare. Once the people were ready, however, God spoke to them with thunder and lightning, with fire and smoke and the sound of loud trumpets (Exod. 19:16–25). It was through this encounter that God revealed such marvelous truths as the Ten Commandments, establishing the standard by which God expected His people to live.

You cannot spend day after day in the world without its affecting your mind and will and heart. It doesn’t take long to become disoriented to the ways of God. The world has a dulling effect on your spiritual sensibilities. God established the Sabbath so His people could take an entire day to refocus on Him and His will for them after spending six days in the world.

How do you prepare for your times of worship? What fills your mind the night before? Often the last thing you put into your mind at night is still on your mind the next morning. Genuine worship requires spiritual preparation. Your experiences of worship reflect your spiritual preparation. Prepare yourself now for your next encounter with God.

Much of the ministry of Dr. Henry T. Blackaby flourished with the publication of Experiencing God. Go to Blackaby Ministries International to learn more.

Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God