THINKONGOD

A music video classic from 1990 came to mind as I thought about the sermon from last Sunday on Biblical fruit and what grows, or doesn't, on the branches of our lives… Commands in the Bible are not merit for salvation. They are imperatives for bearing fruit. We bear fruit to show our faith, not earn it. We must bear good fruit. Many would recognize that bearing bad fruit is not a positive thing. Most would not hesitate to admit that. Yet, I believe many would say that bearing

Is God a fixed mark on your heart, or just one of many scribblings, having been written, erased, or written over again? "Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.” – Deuteronomy 4:39 Is God, and what the Bible tells us about Him, laid to our hearts, with permanence and authority over all our beliefs? The Bible tells us that before Spiritual maturity we are like children, tossed to and fro

Is Jesus really our copilot as the popular bumper sticker says? It sounds Biblically solid on the surface, but let’s look at how Jesus himself addresses His relationship with us. We put on our Thessalonians hat, testing everything and holding fast to what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). (Everything. Even bumper stickers.) First we must define copilot, and what that relationship implies. The copilot is one who serves as a backup to the main pilot, and, in case of advanced maneuvers

​ Are we to judge or not? Our thoughts on this can affect our sharing of the Gospel, and it merits a closer look. “Judge not, lest ye be judged!” This phrase is often thrown out in haste by believers and non-believers alike when it is brought to their attention that the Bible contradicts something people like to do or think is ok. It comes from the first four verses of Matthew 7. "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and w

One of the quickest ways to destroy your reputation as a follower of Christ is with spoken (or typed) words. “…How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” – James 3:5-6 The old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is simply not true. Words cut de

Fact: Man-made ultra high voltage power lines can carry 800,000 volts. Fact: A God-made tall thunderstorm cloud can hold over 100,000,000 volts of potential. “Ascribe power to God... whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary... he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!” – Psalm 68:34-35 As humans we love to think we have power. We may try to gain it in success, wealth, friendships, work position, knowledge, retweets, the

Wednesday Devo: And he[Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. - Matthew 22:37-39 Do you ever feel like this picture portrays how to operate your Christian life? If you can turn this knob while pulling that lever and minding this dial, then you are kind of doing it right. All these instruct

Wednesday Devo: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” - Proverbs 16:9 Some days the wheels just fall off our best laid plans. A great reminder this morning to all of us who like to plan (and think our plans are the best). Sometimes our human plans just do not work out the way we want or expect them to. No matter what though, we can look to God’s word. We know His plans are set for us and have been written for us(Psalm 139:16). His p

Wednesday Devo: "...the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." - Romans 8:21 There is so much to be excited about when Christ returns. We first get to read about God’s glory filling the earth early on in the Old Testament(Numbers 14:21). We read as David sings praises to God and his earth-filling glory throughout the Psalms(Psalm 57, 108, et al). We continue to read about it on into the Ne

Wednesday Devo: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” – Colossians 4:6 Gracious speech. Everyone knows all too well this is easier read than done. Yet we are called to do it. So what is the salt then? Jesus himself answers that question. We are the salt of the earth and light of the world. As followers of Christ we are called to be living examples of the Gospel. Paul is pointing out that our speech

Wednesday Devo: "This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life... and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army." - Ezekiel 37:5, 10 Picture this: An entire valley blanketed with dry bones. Then by the Word of the God, they are pieced back together, sinews rejoined, skin reupholstered, the works. To end up a standing army. In the context of the chapter, the bones are symbol

Wednesday Devo: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” – James 1:17 Technology is a gift. A beautiful, wondrous gift from God. The things He has shown us how to do with technology is incredible, and with it the ability to share the Gospel worldwide is like never before. The device pictured can splice together two glass fiber optic strands, both being the size of a hair on your head, end to end with near perfection. Mind blown. It is hard to think of life wi

Wednesday Devo: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." - Romans 1:16 Paul was under obligation to share the Gospel because Jesus had called him specifically to do just that. Since it was his specific assignment to share the news of Christ, he was not embarrassed by any means, he was eager to preach(Romans 1:15). It seems to be prevalent these days to simply keep to one's self. To hunker down and back into

Wednesday Devo: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." - Psalm 139:13-14 Newborn babies are simply spectacular. They are truly miracles from God, every one of them (James 1:17). It is amazing how intricate their bodies are and the process that took place to form them, knitted together by God, observable by science. What evolution has trouble accounting for is the creation of in

Wednesday Devo: And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19 What did Jesus mean when he said “fishers of men(all people)”? He was talking about catching people for Christ, by sharing the Gospel with them (Matt. 28:19). This was the task given to every believer before Jesus left the earth. So now we know what we are supposed to be fishing for, but are we fishing for other things instead? Everyone is trying to catch something. Fishing

Wednesday Devo: "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" - Psalm‬ ‭105‬:‭4‬ What a wonderfully encouraging thought, seeking the Lord continually. Though it is often easier read than done. As a child of God and a follower of Christ there may be times when we love God, but we have no drive to seek him. The furnace of our heart no longer rages hot for Him. What then? Do we give up or give in to indifference? By no means! We must do our very best to s

Wednesday Devo: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…” – John 14:6 What powerful words spoken by Jesus himself that is the core of the Gospel message. We often hear that there are many ways to God and heaven through other religions, and that it is fine. You believe what you want and I believe what I want. All roads lead to the same destination, right? What does it matter how you get there? This plainly

Wednesday Devo: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” - Psalm 1:2-3 As we head into summertime and leave the school year behind, schedules and routines begin to change, a little more time frees up. Perfect. What a wonderful time to begin to create the habit of getting into God’s Word and committing some to memory.

Wednesday Devo: But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:4 When we see leaves on the trees begin to turn colors, it means one thing, they are dying. As the amount of light in a day begins to shorten, leading up to autumn, the green begins to leave. Despite their beautiful appearance, eventually, the leaves will fall. Jesus tells us that we can only live by His Father's Word a

Wednesday Devo: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24 The Bible makes it pretty clear. Build your life on obeying Christ and His words; abiding in Christ. When we abide in Christ, we glorify God(John 15:7-8). Every aspect of our lives should be built around giving God glory. Straight from Jesus’ mouth to us - Loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and