John 14:1- “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believed in God, believe also in me.”

Today would have been my brother’s 60th birthday! He passed away unexpectedly about 3 weeks ago. Actually, right after attending my nephew’s funeral. Needless to say, we were shocked when we heard the news!

The purpose of my blog today is to just honor the memory of my big brother, so if you don’t “get it” I can completely understand.

Melvin was about two years my senior, born the 6th child and first male of the family. I think when he went to kindergarten he fell in love with education because he always had a love for learning. I well remember Melvin coming home from school teaching me anything he had learned that day, creating even in my own heart a love for learning.

I learned fast, because I remember he had a nickel and I had a dime. He decided he wanted that dime and tried to convince me that since he had the bigger coin he would be willing to trade me it for the smaller coin. Well, he had taught me well because I refused to give him my coin! He wasn’t too happy with that, but I hope he was proud!

We had a musical family. We loved music and listened to it a lot. We grew up of course with the Jackson 5 and I remember he took me to hear them in concert. We also thought we could sing and dance and he and I entered neighborhood contests hoping some day to make it big. Well, we never made it big, but we made big memories. There are some songs I hear that make me stop and remember those days like, “Betcha by Golly Wow” by the Stylistics, and “Rockin’ Robin” by the Jackson 5.

Melvin joined the Navy after college and I remember when the Lord spoke to me about joining the Navy that he was excited for me and wrote me frequently while I was oversees.

Over the years our relationship changed. I was married and he never did marry and often didn’t care for not being the most important man in my world or the world of any of his sisters, but he adjusted.

I was just remembering how a few years ago he went to teach English in the Middle East. We tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t be deterred. He called one day after several weeks saying that if I didn’t hear from him in 2 days to call the Embassy. Of course, when he made it back to America and discovered I had told the family, he wasn’t too happy with me. I told him I didn’t care and he shouldn’t have called me up scaring me like that. We laughed afterwards and I thanked God it turned out to be a situation we could laugh over.

In case you are wondering, he wasn’t perfect and I am not trying to make him sound that way; but I just wanted to remember some of the good times I had with him because I will have no more on this earth. I also want to say how very much I truly loved my big brother. He is missed!

Melvin came to know Jesus in the last couple of years of his life. He would send us texts with a scripture or just loving words of encouragement. With all of his education and degrees he finally learned something of great value: eternal life in Jesus was the most valuable information he could have come across. I asked him personally and so did our younger brother about his spiritual change and he confirmed that he wasn’t just quoting scripture but had encountered Jesus! So this is not really good-bye, but I’ll see you later, Melvin!

I realized that tomorrow truly is not promised to any of us and while I am grateful that I have eternity with the Savior settled in my heart, my hope is that you, my reader, has the same assurance. If not, don’t hesitate to get this settled because we don’t know what the next minute holds, let alone tomorrow.

Pray this prayer out loud if you can mean it or pray your own way: Father God, I truly don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know that if it holds the end of life for me, I am not ready. But I need to be. I believe the truth of your word as mentioned in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to You except through Him. So right now, I repent of my arrogance in thinking that I was alright without You and without Jesus! I repent of trying to live for myself. I ask You to forgive me. Jesus, I have been blinded to the truth that You are not only the Savior of the world, but You died to be my Savior. Again, I repent for my sin of unbelief towards You. Please forgive me and I declare that I believe in You Jesus, as the Son of God, and I give my life to you right now. Receive me into the Kingdom of God and lead me by your Holy Spirit into a life filled with getting to know you better. This I ask in Your Name, Amen!

If one person prays this prayer in faith and receives the precious gift of salvation, then this was not in vain and God used it to reach you for His Glory! Wonderful Jesus!

Isaiah 41:10 -Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Have you looked at the news today? Maybe you read a newspaper, watched CNN, or googled the breaking news today like so many people every day of their lives. Well, that news isn’t always good news! As a matter of fact, that type of daily investment in the news will cause your heart to fear, but I have great news for you today! God said, “Fear not!”

I can hear the worrier saying, “Oh yeah! Easier said, then done!” And they are correct! But it can be done! You can live today, free of fear!

What are you afraid of today? Are you afraid of nuclear attacks? Maybe it’s terrorism? Maybe your fears aren’t so nationally involved. Maybe they are closer to home: afraid your loved one will die, afraid the bills won’t get paid, afraid you’ll never meet someone to love and to love you, afraid you’ll never have a child, afraid you will die and go to hell…

There are a lot of things that we can be afraid of, but God said, “Fear not!” And then He goes on to tell us why: for I am with you!” When you have the assurance in your heart that God is with you, He says that you are to not fear! Don’t be afraid of all of these things because I am with you, He says!

And then He said, ”don’t be dismayed” or stressed out!! Now I know this is even tougher, but God doesn’t want us afraid or stressed out! Why are we to not be “dismayed”? Because “I am your God!” Is He your God today? Because if He is, then He is saying, “Don’t let this stuff stress you out, I’m your God!”

Life is a challenge for many today! When I was given a bad report about my health, I went to God in prayer, and He led me to this scripture in Isaiah. Since choosing to accept the truth of this verse, I’ve walked in great peace in spirit and in body. This isn’t the first time I’ve read it, or had to be reminded  of it, but I am so grateful that He brought it to me at this time, reminding me that He is with me and He is my God!

Then it gets even better! God promises to strengthen, help, and uphold you! He’s not telling you to not be afraid on your own power, He is saying that He will strengthen you to keep you from being afraid and stressed out. He will help you and uphold you so that you are not fearful and stressed out.

When ever Rick Renner takes a look at a verse of scripture and breaks it apart, he usually rewrites the verse with the Greek meanings inserted. Although I have not taken this apart via the Greek, I would like to share the Message version with you: “Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” The Amplified Bible calls the “right hand of my righteousness” “a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation.” Now how could we remain in fear with a promise like this?!

I encourage you today, and myself, to determine to let go of fear. Someone wrote a song that has this phrase, “Let go, and let God!” That’s sound advice for us all! Wonderful Jesus!

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, when He makes this profound statement about the Father: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Although the whole of Christianity is about being born again, the Bible only mentions being born again in two places: John 3 and 1 Peter 1. The born again experience is also interchangeable with having eternal life. But what exactly is eternal or everlasting life? Jesus mentions to us in this passage that we must be born again and continues the dialogue with Nicodemus about us having eternal life if we believe in Him. Are they one and the same? What do we know about it?

We know from John 3 that in order to have eternal life, we must believe in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. We know that if we have eternal life, we will not perish, or spend eternity in hell. Any believer should be able to explain this in its simplest terms. But is there more?

In John 17:1-3 it is written, “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

For about a week now, this verse has been resounding in my heart. This is eternal life, to know God the Father and the One He sent, Jesus!

When Jesus mentions that eternal life is to know the Father, He is not saying that we get to know of the Father to experience eternal life. For example: If I was in a conversation with you and you asked me if I knew Beyoncé, I would have to say not really! While I know who she is and what she does, and some details about her life, I don’t know her. We have never had a conversation, and she is clueless as to the fact that I am alive on planet Earth.

Many people feel that because they know of Jesus, and know of the Father, that they know them. This is so inaccurate.

To know, in this verse, is more accurately understood as to recognize or to perceive. Throughout the Old Testament God continuously let it be known that His desire was to be known by His people. (Isaiah 1:2-4; Jeremiah 9:2-3; Jeremiah 31:33-34)

God’s one desire for mankind is that we might recognize that He is the One true God and that Jesus, His Son is the only Savior. Much has been done by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to aid us in the process of recognizing Him, and yet, even to believers, He seems to be hard to understand.

I believe the difference between the person who prays the prayer of salvation and there is no change and the person who prays and there is a marked difference is in the recognition of the person of Jesus Christ and the One who sent Him.

Eternal life is given and received when your spirit hears the voice of the Eternal One and responds with a conviction that you have been touched by heaven and can now see (perceive) that which you were not able to receive before. Jesus!

So what is eternal life? It’s recognizing Jesus as your Savior, recognizing He is the Son of God, recognizing the great love the Father had for you in sending Him, and recognizing that you now have been offered the chance of a lifetime: to know Him; then you act on that knowledge and receive Him as the truth He is and you are born again.

I would say, John 3:16 gives us the motivation of God’s desire to be known by us and John 17 gives us the insight of what that born again experience looks like. They actually go hand in hand. It’s a wonderful thought to know that eternal life is not a destination, but the person, God the Father through Jesus His Son. I hope this encouraged you as it did me. Wonderful Jesus!

1 Chronicles 16:34- “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for HIs mercy endureth forever!”

Wishing you and your family a very safe and happy holiday season!

Wonderful, wonderful Jesus!!

Exodus 15: “So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet…”

I’ve been writing about bitterness. The bitter water of Marah and the bitterness of Naomi’s soul, and today I want to talk a little bit about the path to victory.

In this chapter in Exodus, we read how the children of Israel were three days in the wilderness looking for water when they came to Marah. It was called Marah because of the bitter water.

After they discovered the bitter water they began to complain against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?

In the verse above we read that Moses cried out to the Lord. I want to first point out that Moses cried out to the Lord. This is not my topic for today, but I believe crying out is a form a prayer. (Numbers 20:16, 1 Kings 17:21, Psalm 18:6). The first key to your victory over bitterness will involve your crying out to God! He is the only one who not only truly understands the circumstances and root of your bitterness, but He is the only one who can effectively deal with it.

After Moses cried out to the Lord, the Lord showed him a tree. And when he cast it into the waters the waters were made sweet.

I googled the area to see what it looks like. It is located in modern day Saudi Arabia and it looks like a typical desert: dry, arid, barren land. The same as a bitter soul.

But the Lord showed Moses a tree. A tree He had already prepared for their deliverance. Even if there were several trees around, this particular tree had an assignment from the Lord. It would be used to purify the water for the use of His people.

Before the children of Israel had ever arrived at the wilderness, before they had tasted the bitter water, God had a tree marked with their deliverance. And the fact that Moses prayed (cried out) to the Lord, He was able to see the provision.

It just doesn’t make any sense that throwing a tree in a body of bitter water would cleanse it, and yet it did. And now that this water is no longer bitter, it is useful for drinking, (for both man and animals) and for cooking, and whatever else they need for the sustaining life. Things are looking better!

Same thing with Naomi. She was complaining about her situation from the bitterness of her soul, but God had already provided her deliverance. Ruth!

Ruth 4:14-15- “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter -in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.’”

These were probably the same women who asked, “Is this Naomi?” And the Bible states that the women named him Obed (Servant).

So here God has provided Naomi with an heir through Ruth, someone to love her and provide for her in her old age. But she didn’t recognize this when she was filled with bitterness. As a matter of fact, it is as if the women had to point it out to her: Obed for her would be a restorer of life and would be a nourisher for her old age, and Ruth was better than seven sons!

In other words, there’s no more reason to be bitter Naomi, look at all that God has provided for you!!

I think bitter people are short sighted, ungrateful people. The Bible mentions other examples but time won’t allow for me to bring them up. But thankfully He doesn’t want us to stay there!

After God brings healing to the waters of Marah, He establishes a statue with the children of Israel that He is Jehovah Rapha the God that heals. (Another topic to deep for mentioning here.)

Then in the last verse, verse 27, they arrive at a place called Elim. In this place they discover 12 wells of water and seventy palm trees. Just as Naomi’s story ends on a high, the children of Israel’s story ends on a high. God provided them with more than enough! He provided them with plenty of wells, and plenty of shade after their experience at Marah.

When we allow God, in the midst of bitterness, to “sweeten the water” our future will be much brighter than our current situation. The tree of life still cleanses and purifies bitterness. Allow it to cleanse the bitterness of your soul.

Don’t wait another day to cry out to the Lord. Then look for His provision in the situation. Whatever He shows you, whatever He asks of you, grab hold to it as your provision, and receive a cleansing of your soul. Let the rest of your life be the best of your life! Wonderful Jesus!!

Ruth 1:19-20 – Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “ Is this Naomi?” But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

In my last post, I wrote about the children of Israel stopping at a place called Marah. Today I want to continue my discussion of the sin of bitterness.

If you are familiar with this story, then you are ahead of my thinking; but for those of you who are not, I will go back a little.

Naomi and her husband went to the land of Moab with their two sons to avoid the famine in Bethlehem. After they got to Moab, her husband died. Her two sons married Moabite women and they lived together for about ten years. Then they died. Around this time, Naomi hears that there is food in Bethlehem and decides to return. Her daughters-in-law decide to go with her; but in the end Ruth is The only one to remain with her.

When they get to Bethlehem everyone is excited to see her. It’s been at least 10 years since she departed, maybe longer. One commentator mentions that she is altered in her appearance somewhat because of time and circumstances which cause the women of Bethlehem to ask “Is this Naomi?” (Bitterness will cause the most beautiful person to look unattractive).

Naomi immediately tells the women, “Don’t call me Naomi (Pleasant), call me Mara (Bitter). And then she explains why:

• The Lord has dealt very bitterly with me.

• I went out full (with a husband and two sons)

• And the Lord has brought me home again empty (although they were dead, she did have Ruth)

I’m not judging Naomi, but it’s pretty obvious here that she is bitter. So bitter, she wants to be called bitter. So bitter, she believes the Lord has dealt very bitterly with her. Again, I am not judging her because I can only imagine the devastating heartache that would accompany the loss of both husband and children. So I get it.

What I have a problem with is, just like Naomi, people have a tendency of blaming the Almighty God for their heartaches and disappointments. The Bible doesn’t elaborate on how her husband and sons perished, but whatever caused their deaths, she laid the blame at God’s door.

Just like the children of Israel at the place called Marah. In the past when they complained, it was always about how they should have stayed in Egypt; in Egypt we had this, and in Egypt we had that! I could just hear them saying, “In Egypt we had water to drink!” Basically, it was better when…

Have you ever felt like that in your walk with God? Things were better before I got saved; before I started tithing, before I went into the ministry…these are words of bitterness.

In my opinion, bitterness short-circuits a heart of gratefulness. In the case of the children of Israel, they had just finished celebrating the crossing of the Red Sea, and yet they quickly forgot that God had done a mighty work on their behalf. At that water, they should have been asking Moses, “What has God instructed you to do about this water because things are looking ripe for a miracle? Or they should have just continued to praise Him in the wilderness for all He had done with an expectancy of Him getting ready to do something greater.

Naomi was still alive! Ruth had come with her to help provide and take care of her. She had made it back to Bethlehem without an trouble. She had much to be thankful for. But she wasn’t concerned about anything but the fact that she had loss so much! Ruth was also a widow. A very recent widow. And yet, Naomi doesn’t seem to care. Another thing she didn’t care about was her daughters-in-law spiritual well-being. After all, she encouraged them to go back to their people and back to their gods. Her bitterness was so deep that she could only see her pain and her losses. Nothing else. No one else.

Rightly she said that she should be called bitter because she was a very bitter woman.

But Naomi had a loving Father. One who doesn’t easily offend. One who knows we are imperfect beings. One who understands.

God was not responsible for her losses, but He was certainly preparing to bless her. In my next post I will conclude the matter. Wonderful Jesus!

Exodus 15:23 -Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.

The children of Israel found themselves in an unwelcome place. They have been wandering in the desert for three days unable to find water. And when they finally find water, it is undrinkable! It’s bitter!

If you read the fourteen chapters before this verse, you can well understand that for them, this is just another disappointment in a whole list of disappointments.

They were slaves for over 400 years under Egyptian rule and hard taskmasters. When Moses came to deliver them, instead of things getting better, they got worst. When they got to the Red Sea, the Egyptians came up behind them and they were sure they would be slaughtered. And typical of human nature, they were probably feeling “If it’s not one thing, it’s another”.

But God! In the midst of their situations, God was mindful of them and working things out for their good. They couldn’t see it at the time, but it was happening nevertheless.

While they were in bondage, Moses was born. And even though it took him 80 years to get to the place where God was ready to use him, God was still working on the deliverance of His people!

While Pharaoh was constantly saying no to Moses and God; God was demonstrating His power to deliver; and when He did, they came out of Egypt with great wealth.

And when they got to the Red Sea, (after having been led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night) God parted the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry land.

And now they are in the Wilderness of Shur for three days without water and they are not happy. And they have forgotten the goodness of God!

Exodus 15:24 – And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

Wouldn’t you think that after all of the miracles before the Exodus and the latest miracle of crossing the Red Sea that coming to bitter water would cause them to look forward to what God was about to do instead of complaining? Hind sight is twenty twenty!

How many times have you and I seen the hand of God move on our behalf? For me, I have been healed of paralysis, one of our daughters was healed of abnormal seizure activity, another was healed of larynx Malaysia, while yet another was healed of “the issue of blood”, to name a few. Many times He has provided finances, jobs at just the right time, favor in a situation, protection from an incident or accident…How about you? What has He done for you through the years? Any healings? Any financial breakthroughs? Any protections?

And yet, just like the children of Israel, when something happens contrary to what we expect, we find ourselves dealing with bitter waters. I know, we don’t like to admit that we can become bitter with the Heavenly Father, but it happens all too frequently.

Bitterness is a terrible place to camp out at. The bitter water was good for nothing, and so are bitter people. Life can at times be filled with disappointments, setbacks, and even heartaches. God knows this! And so does Jesus. Didn’t He say in John 16:33-“ In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”?

In other words, we are not to allow these things to stump us, to cause us to become bitter. We are to understand that He overcame that we might overcome!

So if you are stuck at the waters of Marah, feeling bitter about life, it is time to change your location. Time to move from this place of bitterness to your oasis. I’ll explain how in my next post! Wonderful Jesus!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This has been a challenging week. A week filled with sorrow and grief with two of our church family members losing a loved one suddenly. And if that wasn’t enough, my family experienced a similar situation when my nephew was suddenly taken from us because he was hit by a car. And yet, we are to give thanks!

I think it is interesting to note that Paul didn’t say that we are to give thanks for everything that happens to us. Religious people give thanks for being in all kinds of devastating situations, believing that it is God’s will for them to do so. But even common sense would say to us that when a loved one dies, only an insensitive individual will tell the grieving family that it was the will of God. When a child is born blind, or an accident leaves you maimed, or you lose your home, or your spouse walks out on you is not anything to give anyone thanks for. And Paul understood that things could be really tough.

So that’s why Paul didn’t say, “For all things give thanks,” but in all things. And that’s a huge different. 

To give thanks to God the Father in all things, means to say, “Father, I don’t know the why, but I do know that I can trust you! And I’m so thankful that I can.”

You see, religious people believe that because God is sovereign He either does these bad things or allow these bad things to happen. It’s just not true!! (I will address this at another time.)

Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) I like to think of it like this: If the thing going on is stealing from me, killing something in my life, or bringing destruction, then Satan is directly or indirectly involved in it. Also, we do still live in this earth realm and since he is the prince of this world, bad things do happen. And lastly, this one is tough but I have to mention it, some things happen because of the bad choices that we make. But, having said that, we have got to stop blaming God for all the bad things that happen in our lives. “The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!”

So I am not thankful that my nephew’s life was cut short, but I am thankful that we had a good relationship. And I am thankful that I have fond memories of him. And I am thankful that the last time I was home I got to see him and his beautiful family. And I am thankful that I will be able to make it home to attend his funeral and to see my family. At this terrible time, in this terrible situation, I am thankful for the God of all comfort who wraps me in His arms. And I am thankful that my sister and her daughter-in-law don’t have to go through this alone.

As I turn my grateful heart to the Lord, I am able to find forgiveness for the one who hit him because I can only imagine how traumatic this situation has been even for her. Yes, we are hurting, we’re shocked, and we still can’t believe it; but she is probably traumatized knowing that she was driving the car that hit him. If I had hit someone I know that I would be devastated right about now. And as my heart hurts for my family, it hurts for her and her family. I ask God to bring comfort to us all. 

So even in this, I give Him thanks! Yes, it is His will, but it is also necessary for me to do so; because only then can I find the peace that I need to continue on during the hard times that come my way! I want to encourage you to try giving thanks if you are in a difficult place right now. Not for the situation, but because you have access to an amazing God! He still heals, He still delivers, and His ear is still bent towards the righteous! And He is still the Resurrection and the Life! All those who die in the Lord, we will see them again, if we also die in Christ! Wonderful Jesus!

Psalm 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

The psalmist king, David, loved God! Since those of us who read the Bible are familiar with his entire story, we know that he didn’t always do the right thing. Yet, the psalms of King David draws on the hearts of us all because he so eloquently expressed things that we at times feel inadequate to express. Whether he was telling the Father of his love for Him, or repenting of sin, David had a way with words. And yet, here he is basically saying to the Lord I want my words to please you.

In this psalm David wrote: “Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight…”

David understood that his words carried power. After all, when he wrote a letter to Joab to put Uriah at the front of the battle and to back away, Joab had to have recognized that the king was having Uriah killed. Rather he agreed with this decision or not, Joab followed his instructions to the letter. So David understood the power of his word and yet he is asking the Lord to “allow his words” to be acceptable in his sight.

Then he took it a step further and asked that “the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight…” In other words, not only did he desire that his words would be acceptable, but his thought life.

Many people quote this verse, and then loosely walk away from the responsible they have in regards to this verse. Although David’s plea to the Lord was, “Let my words…let my meditation..” David had the responsibility to make sure that his words and his thoughts were acceptable to the Lord!

As Christians, we have the same responsibility over the words from our mouths and the things that we allow our hearts to meditate on. With the upcoming elections, I have to admit that it seems the nation could use a sermon right now on the value of watching their words and watching what they are meditating on!

Jesus had some things to say about the things that come out of our mouth. In Matthew 12:34-37 His words on the subject are recorded:

Brood  of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure  of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

And in Matthew 15:16-19 He said:

So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that  whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But  those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

It seems to me that Jesus could have been teaching from Psalm 19. And He wasn’t sugar coating how He felt about the things people say and meditate on. Why?

The reason why it’s important to watch our words and the things that we meditate on is because they are connected. When you meditate on the negative, you will speak negatively. When you meditate on evil, your words will be evil. So when David said to the Lord, (my words) “Lord, I want the things that I am thinking about and the things that I say to please you, my Redeemer” he understood the connection. And Jesus speaks firmly on this matter because He wanted us to really understand that the sins we commit start in the incubator of our heart and are released through our words.

We used to say, “Make it plain!” Well, Jesus just makes it plainer: If your heart is evil (wrong meditation) then your words will be because you speak from the abundance of your heart, and on the day of judgment you will have to give an account of those idle words. And then He had another conversation with them and told them that the things that proceed out of their mouth comes from their heart and if it is negative, it defiles the person!

Just as David’s words had power, our words have power. Our words have the power to hurt and to heal; to bring division or to bring peace; to demonstrate hate or to share love; to cause people to act foolishly or to cause them to act with wisdom. And since our words carry power (not as much as David’s, unless we are in a position of power) we need to use them responsibly, making sure they are words that are acceptable to Jesus!

So at this time, when all of this stuff is floating through the airwaves, the internet, social media, and in private conversations about our politicians and political views, we need to echo David’s words: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight!” I know that’s not always going to be easy, but I believe we absolutely need to make it our practice! We really need to practice a basic conflict resolution skill: agree to disagree without being disagreeable! Wonderful Jesus!

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Proverbs 18:2 NIV

In my last blog, I shared that the church has always used the technology of the day to evangelize the world; using paper and pen, radio, television, computers, and social media. Whatever is being used to engage the minds and hearts of people, we the church need to use to reach them, much as the enemy does. With that, I have a few other “opinions” or “advice” for those in the church in regards to using social media. 

Things to remember when using social media:

• Social media can be a powerful platform for global evangelism. It is a venue, which can glorify God, edify the saints, and convict the lost. However, there are certain personal, church, and ministry communications that should not be shared on social media. If in doubt, do not post it!
• We should never post things that show the church, the pastor, or the members in a negative light. If we have a problem with people in the church, we should handle it in the manner in which Jesus recommended in the word, not on social media. (See Matthew 18)
• Communicate clearly. It is important to say what you mean as clearly as possible so that you are not misunderstood.
• If it appears that what you are saying invokes an argument try and defuse the situation in a way that glorifies God.
• Never use profane language or get involved in name calling or attacking people. These are not behaviors that demonstrate the love of Jesus!
• Use wisdom. Approach controversial subjects with caution and with love. If you pray before you post, you may find that what you wanted to say is different from what you are led to say. (Galatians 5:16)
• If you are getting angry and irritated,STOP posting! Just leave the site and regroup! (Colossians 4:6)
• Avoid being flippant while posting on important subject matters. “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Proverbs 18:2). Again, wisdom is prudent in communication! Just because you don’t care, doesn’t mean others won’t. So avoid a flippant attitude when on social media.
• If something really bothers you and you know the individually personally, send them a private message or give them a personal phone call. Sometimes things just get misunderstood in the heat of the moment.
• The object is to win the lost, not the argument. To win friends, and influence people! So know when to walk away!

One last thing: friends!

Everyone likes having friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter. The more the merrier. But in the case of the believer, everyone who wants to be your “friend” or “follower” doesn’t need to have access to you.

Friends and followers who use profanity, say ungodly things, makes rude comments about the people of God or the church, may need to be removed from your social page. Your friends and followers who have the ability to comment on your page should have respect for the things that you respect.

With this blog, I hope I am making it crystal clear that I am a Christian and therefore a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, thus the name wonderfuljesus.blog.  I have absolutely no intentions of making an apology for my stand. It’s my blog. If that’s not your opinion, then you simply should not read it.

Having said that, I am not interested in tearing down others to express myself.  I reread all posts several times before I hit post. I want to represent Him well. I believe all Christians should do the same thing before they post. Yes, it’s your page! Yes, you can say and do what you want! But as a Christian, we are told to do all to the glory of God, and I believe that includes using social media. Wonderful Jesus!