Category: God - River of Life Church

Two Truths for the Dying

12/27/2013

Steve is a member of our church who is battling cancer. The cancer is winning and Steve’s body is dying. He has lost a significant amount of weight, eats very little and simple tasks exhaust his energy.

I visited Steve yesterday. He was in a hospital bed set up in the living room, so he could be near family activity. Steve is married and has two young children. His daughter is in first grade and his son is in preschool.

I shared two truths with Steve and his wife.
Psalms 103:2-5
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all His benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Fact: a benefit from the LORD is that He heals ALL diseases. We are praying for this healing and link other Bible verses on God answering prayer offered in faith as our basis of belief.

The second truth comes from Hebrews 9:27-28
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Fact: every human being will die sometime.
The Bible teaches us that God heals all diseases and yet, everyone will die sometime.

Two truths.
We pray for a miracle healing for Steve.
We acknowledge God’s holy timing when Steve will pass from this life into forever life with the LORD.
For those whose faith is in Jesus Christ, these are two truths that should not conflict our faith, but complete our faith.

Hunting for God

9/17/2012

This past Saturday was deer hunting opener for bow hunting and it was also grouse hunting opener in our state. I think it was a quiet deer opener because I did not hear much shooting going on. You do not have to laugh because I made that joke up and I think it is funny!

The leaves are turning colors, but will not drop for a few more weeks. For both deer and grouse hunters, you are not able to see too far into the woods. It takes extra keen senses to spot what you are looking for.

There are times when God is difficult to spot. He seems far away when life is falling apart. It takes extra keen senses to see the Lord when the foliage of life is blocking our view. At times God is intentionally elusive in our lives. It is as though He is playing hide and seek with us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find me when you seek Me with all your heart."

God wants you to seek Him with all your heart. If you are not intentionally looking for God, you may not see Him. God assures you that when you look for Him with all your heart, you will find Him.

Happy hunting!

What, not Why.

8/16/2012

Asking the right question is the key to getting the right answer. I believe in a God who has all the answers to any and every question. Many people become frustrated because they do not get an answer. It could be because they are asking the wrong question.

A frequently asked question to God is, “Why?”.
Why did this accident happen?
Why is this relationship not working?
Why is my friend or family member suffering?
Why did they die so young?
Why?

People feel compelled to tend to give an answer in an effort to bring comfort, but often give a wrong answer. Wrong answers include: “God is punishing you”, “You do not have enough faith” “God is bringing suffering so you realize that you need Him to help you” and “God ended their life because He needed help in heaven.”

You are most likely to ask God, “Why?” during a crisis in your life. There are no good answers other than understanding that our world has a sin stain that goes back to Adam and Eve. Because of sin and the free choices of humankind, bad things happen to good people. Even this does not answer why God has chosen to step into our world and directly make changes by healing or resolving in a direct manner.

During a crisis, the answer God has for you is what He wants you to do or in response to the situation. The best question during a crisis is “what?”.
“What do you want me to do, Lord?”
“What do you want me to learn about you?”
“What do you want me to be in response to this?”
“What, Lord?”

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Primary

8/14/2012

The primary elections are held in our state today. Primary means something that is first in order, rank or importance. A primary election is an election that narrows the field of candidates before the general election. It is an election which people rank the candidates by their votes.

I have done my research, heard or read the candidate’s reason why they are running and what they will work to accomplish if elected. Some elections appear to be a battle of who can promise the most. It is a great disappointment to place a person first in rank and they are unable to make good on their promises.

God is the only true God, yet there are false gods on the ballot that try to take God’s place. They promise to give us what we desire; recognition, satisfaction, and protection. They are completely unable to fulfill those promises, yet aggressively campaign for our vote every day.

The first of the Ten Commandments is to prevent us from expecting something true from false gods and having God as our one and only God.
Exodus 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Today, make God your primary choice in your life. Place all your expectations in Him to bring protection and satisfaction in your life. You will be recognized by God as His own and He will never disappoint.

Is Everybody A Winner?

8/6/2012

The culture in the United States has a strong movement towards tolerance and acceptance in particular areas. Declaring somebody a winner means somebody is a loser and we are not real comfortable with that outcome. A more acceptable approach is that everybody is a winner. Our local rodeo days has moved from having one princess winning and reigning as rodeo ambassador for the year to having four princess ambassadors reigning. More young ladies are winners and fewer are losers.

In the religious world there is a pluralistic pull that declares every belief, no matter what religion, is a winner. As long as you believe in something sincerely, you will get to heaven. It does not matter if you put your faith in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, or Islam; you will get to heaven when you die because everybody is a winner.

The challenge with that belief is that each religion has a different cure for wrong doing. Christian Science, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Positive Thinking beliefs view sin and evil as illusions to be overcome by right perception. Eastern religions consider sin as a necessary struggle between forces or gods of good and evil; it is solved by one side winning or it is necessary for balance in the world (yin/yang). Atheists consider sin a random chance of a godless cosmos. Some eastern mysticism view sin and evil as the result of a finite god who is morally evolving. Wrong will be solved when god matures and grows up. Christianity views sin as the result of disobeying God. Adam and Eve brought the stain of sin into the human race and all have sinned from that time forward. The only way our sin is removed is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Each one of these religions views sin and the cure for sin vastly different from one another. No matter how much nicer it seems to declare all religions as winners, it is simply illogical to make that declaration.

The burning question is to discover which religion is true. Each one has a book describing the tenets of its faith. Each one has a central figure. Each main figure has died. Only one main figure died and rose from the dead, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ told the world that He was the way, the truth and the light, He declared that He was the only way to a relationship with God. Jesus offered proof through profound miracles. He invited people to follow Him and see if He is everything He said He is. If you follow Him, you will find that Jesus Christ is the only One worth pursuing.

Psalms 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

35W Bridge Collapse and What to do When the Unshakeable Shakes

8/2/2012

Yesterday, my home state of Minnesota, remembered the collapse of Bridge 9340 better known as 35W. Five years ago at 6:05pm CST on Wednesday, August 1 the eight lane bridge suddenly gave way. Approximately 100 vehicles plunged 115 feet down to the river or on its banks killing 13 people and injuring 145.

Survivors and witnesses of the collapse recall the day the fifth busiest bridge in the state failed and fell. Many could not believe what they saw happened really happened. Mighty structures that seem unshakeable do not collapse and crumble. Similar words are expressed about 9/11. Planes do not fly into skyscrapers causing them to burn and collapse. People who experience earthquakes talk about the alarming feeling of having everything that was solid and stable now shaking and swaying.

You have likely lived through emotional shakings where the world around you became unsure and unsafe. An accident, a terminal diagnosis, or a tragedy shakes our world and nothing seems dependable anymore. The morning comes and your first hope is that it was just a terrible dream. Then a heavy realization hits you and sickens you with the truth that it is not a dream, but real life.

What can you do when your world shakes and nothing seems unshakeable anymore?

Wait before God – when you want to panic.

Hope in God – when everything else can be shaken.

Trust in God - for protection and victory.

Pour your heart to God – let Him know your fears and hurt.

Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in Him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in Him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to Him,
    for God is our refuge.

What To Do When God Says No

7/11/2012

I have a magazine or two in the car to pull out and read during times I am waiting for a meeting, to pick up someone, or waiting for an appointment. I was on a short wait before six this morning for the weight room to get unlocked and read a great article by Perry Stone titled, “What to Do When God Says No”. The full article can be found at http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/features/2012/april/32607-what-to-do-when-god-says-no.

Perry Stone, an evangelist, Bible teacher and author writes that God opens doors for His people. Open doors from God mean that something good is happening to us. We are to pray for open doors from God that leads us into a deeper measure of His will for our lives.

Each of us experiences times when we have prayed for open doors, believed for open doors, and expected open doors, but the door was closed. God did not answer and we wonder why. Most of the time, God did answer by doing what we did not expect. He closed the door and said, “No”.

I have prayed for God to open doors that I was certain was His desire and His will for my life. My wife and I saw the door close for buying the farm I grew up on and we pursued options of buying other farms. We wanted an operation that allowed more time for ministry and each time we thought we had something that would work the door closed. When I finally sensed God may be leading me to the path of Bible college and preparation for full time ministry, all the doors opened widely.

Stone reminds us that if God says no, we are in good company. The Bible tells of many people who had a “no” from God. Sometimes God’s answer “No” is a delay of His “Yes”. Abraham and Sarah were promised a child, but the answer was no, until they were past child-bearing years.

Sometimes the no is unexplainable such as the death of a child or a loved one. Stone gives four facts about the unexplainables in life.
1.       We are all going to die. Sooner or later, we all will pass away, so it is not a matter of if, but when.
2.       We live in a violent world. Because of the stain of sin, bad things happen to good people.
3.       We run “red lights”. There are times that God warns us about potential danger and we ignore the warning. People try to beat the red light and crash because they ignored the signal.
4.       God is sovereign. He alone fully sees, fully knows, and fully understands the past, present and future. Determine to trust Him through the good and the bad.

Dependence Day

7/3/2012

Tomorrow is the 4th of July celebrating our independence from England. It is a day to consider positions taken by our founding fathers regarding our dependence upon God.

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
-- Patrick Henry

"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics."
-- George Washington Farewell Address to Nation

"The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
-- President Thomas Jefferson in an address to Danbury Baptists.

Joshua was a leader of Israel in the Old Testament. He was old and was passing the leadership to another. His farewell speech to the leaders contains an admonition to remain dependent upon God.

Joshua 23:6-11
6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

Joshua 24:14-18
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God. ”

During your picnics, gatherings, fireworks and rocket’s red glare, remember our dependence upon God this Independence Day .

What Does God Think About?

6/8/2012

Do you ever think about what God thinks? Not what God thinks about a certain situation or what He thinks about the world today, but what do you think God thinks about when He thinks?

God has no beginning or end. He has always been and always will be. God is able to look forward into time and backwards to the beginning of earth’s time. God is eternal.

God is everywhere at the same time. He is Spirit and not limited by space or location. There is as much God present at this moment in China, Australia, Canada, Venus, and Neptune. God is omnipresent.

God knows everything. He is brilliant, wise, and nothing is a mystery to Him. The most intelligent genius on earth appears foolish alongside of Him. God is omniscient.

God is all-powerful. He created all things out of nothing. God spoke and stars, sky, land, plants, and animals were formed. God is omnipotent.

So, what does God, who is unlimited in every ability and facet, think about? God thinks about His crowning creation the most. He thinks about the generation of boys and girls who are not yet born. God thinks about mothers and fathers, students and teachers, aged and infants who are living now.

God thinks about you. He thinks about plans and purposes He has for you. God is aware of trials and difficulties that you face as a person living in a broken world. He grieves about the pain that comes when you chose a path apart from Him. He thinks about the victories you will have partnering with Him.

What does God think about?
Psalms 139:13-18 NLT
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    You are still with me!