Tag Archives: faith

Sep 2 2010

Will you walk with God?


Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
(Proverbs:3:5,6)

These two verses from Proverbs are some of the most widely known Proverbs and a favorite of many. Tonight during our “Peak of the Week” Wednesday night worship at White’s Ferry Road Church, our preacher Mike Kellott quoted this passage and made some comments. Immediately when I saw these verses on the screen many thoughts blazed through my mind, I knew I would write a post on those verses.

These two simple verses sum up what it means to walk with God. No seminary degree is required, you don’t need commentary, you only need to carefully read it and allow the Holy Spirit to pour into your heart and mind God’s way for those who would walk with God. Consider these truths.

Walking with God does not depend on human effort.

Right away the message is clearly stated, “Stop trying and start trusting”. When you and I live our lives before God in the energy of our human flesh alone we can only expect what human flesh can achieve. “Trust in the Lord”, do not trust yourself. If you do, you become god taking the place that only Jesus Christ should occupy, Lord of your life. You can expect God sized results when you “Trust in the Lord”!

Walking with God does not depend on what you know.

If you want to get into trouble quickly and stay there just rely upon your own resources. There are those who lean heavily upon their education. They foolishly believe that they have learned enough so that they can chart a course for life and just follow that well planned journey and things will be great. The text screams “NO”, “Don’t depend on what you know!”, “Depend on WHO you know”.

Walking with God requires a surrendered heart.

If you would walk with God the starting point is to raise the white flag of surrender. That’s right, give up. Admit you can’t do it. You have no power concerning what tomorrow may bring, you are helpless, so the sooner you admit it the better off you will be. In Romans 12 Paul paints the picture of a person laying himself on an altar as a sacrifice to the Lord so that God’s will may fully be known and experienced. “Present you body a living sacrifice..”, there is no other way.

Consider these things as you begin your journey of faith today.

Appropriate and appreciate God’s promises!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart!” That leaves no room to trust yourself. You have been promised “I am with you” and “I will never leave you” and God has said to you “Trust me alone and I’ll take care of the journey ahead”.

Acknowledge and anticipate God’s power!

“He will make straight your paths!” Relax, you don’t have to try to make anything happen. If you will trust Him,  and acknowledge Him, He will make it happen for you. The decisions will be made before you need the answer. He can “make” a way for you, in fact He can make “the way” for you.

Accept and applaud God’s provision!

Let’s review. What has God asked of you? Stop trying, start trusting. Don’t depend of your resources, depend on His. Recognize His presence and power and expect His provision. It takes the “I” and “me” out of the equation doesn’t it? God wants each of us to trust Him alone, do not trust human flesh, acknowledge Him in “everything”, and He will “make” it all work out.

How can we remain silent about our great God when we know his promises, His presence, His power, and His mighty provision for us?

The God who “so loved the world that He gave His only Son” for you, is for you and not against you. All He asks in return is rely on Him and not yourself, recognize He is with you all the time and in everything, and trust the future and the results to Him.

Romans 8:26-39

Agape’

Royce


Jun 20 2010

The Gospel Filled Wallet, What the Bible really says about money – A Review


The Gospel Filled Wallet is like a dish pan of cold water in the face of anyone who claims to love God. At a minimum, this little book is a “gut check” for the believer.

Jeff Weddle takes an honest, thorough, look at what God says about money and people’s natural attachment to it. He begins with this biblical principal, “You can’t love God and money”, you will serve who, or what, you love.

Weddle examines verse after verse in the Bible with simple, frank commentary, and with each page your vision will become more and more clear concerning how you personally think about money and riches.

I especially appreciate the author’s transparency. He readily admits that he struggles with money in the light of God’s truth. (I hate reading books where the author comes across as “holier than thou”)

The Gospel Filled Wallet does not examine everything God says about money and a Christians relationship to it, but it absolutely gets to the heart of the problem by citing many verses from the Bible and by looking at the lives of many biblical characters. This book pulls back the curtain and reveals a professing church that is very far off base when it comes to wealth.

I have been challenged to reexamine my heart and how I use what God has provided. I recommend the work and hope that everyone who reads it will in the end love and serve God more and use their blessings more wisely to God’s glory.

Weddle’s writing style is simple, bite sized, and easy to digest. The book is available at Amazon.com and other outlets and the author has a blog with the same name where he talks more about this subject.

This book is a project of Transforming Publishing and my friend Milton Stanley. Milton blogs at Transforming Sermons and is well known around Christian blogdom. He is an author as well and I look forward to other books to follow as Transfroming Publishing gets its feet on the ground. If Milton Stanly publishes it, I recommend it.

Agape’

Royce Ogle

Apr 1 2010

Excuse me. Is this the line you get in to be sawed into?


A scan of the religious TV channels and the usual programing would lead you to believe that if you are a good Christians, giving those $1,000 checks of seed money, that life is smooth sailing. They promise everything from supernatural debt cancellation to a get out of jail free card.

Unfortunately, it is not only the gullible audiences of the “name it and claim it” preachers with bad hair who buy into the idea that faith in God is a ticket out of trouble. Does anyone read the Bible? Let’s see now…. Oh, remember Jesus? He was the best of guys and the most religious folks in town demanded that he be executed. So, a typical, spineless politician bowed to the pressure of the latest poll and he was crucified.

Sometime read the 11th chapter of Hebrews (that is in the Bible..) and learn about the people of faith down through history. They were commended as righteous because they took God at his word, like Abraham and Sarah. They stopped the mouths of lions and women had their dead raised back to life, and more….

But, there is more…

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy— wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:35-38)

I have an idea! Why don’t I start a TV show promising these things for those who follow God in faith? How popular would that be? But, there is the inspired record. Following Jesus, living by faith, has absolutely no promise of good health, perfect kids, a steady job, or a lack of big time trouble.

The myth is only that, a myth. The evidence of faith in God is not the absence of trouble, but it is peace and joy in the midst of it. So, don’t beat yourself up when the doctor tells you it’s cancer, or you get that dreaded call in the night.. You likely haven’t done anything wrong, it’s just life, and life isn’t fair.

One of the best Christians who ever lived was the Apostle Paul. He was beat up, run out-of-town, ship wrecked, and on and on. He had plenty of troubles including spending years in prison. He saw the big picture! He called his troubles “Light and momentary”. How is that for a good attitude?

So my friend, when the rain doesn’t come and the crop dries up, when you lose your job and your house, and Mom might not make it ’til tomorrow night, keep believing in God. Keep walking by faith. There is something better coming.

We must be like Abraham who was looking for a place to live not made with human hands. This life is only a dress rehearsal, the eternal show starts some tomorrow. Keep you chin up and your trust in Jesus, the hard times don’t compare to the glory that awaits. I’ll promise you this, you might not be delivered out of all your troubles but, God will be in your trouble with you. When its your turn to be thrown into the furnace or the lions den, don’t worry, God will be right there with you in the middle of your worst difficulty. You just have to acknowledge his presence.

Agape’

Royce

Feb 9 2010

The Exclusivisity of Jesus for Salvation


(From the archives, Jan 26, ’07)

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:9-13 NKJV)

John’s record sounds very much like Jesus’ own words when He said,

“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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:16-21 NKJV)

The truth is clear. Men are given eternal life based wholly upon what they have done about Jesus. And, the text is also very clear that those who refuse to take God at His word do so because they love their sin, or to put it another way, they refuse to repent. Those who go to the light, simply believing what God has said about Jesus and trusting on him, have eternal life and will not ever be condemned again.

Salvation is not found in living right, in any church on earth, in aligning with a religeous system, or any other way than by taking God at His word and trusting Jesus and Him only. Those who try to get into the kingdom any other way are rejected and will not be saved in the end unless they repent and come to Christ.

Who can God save? Whosoever will let him come.  Does God need my assistance to save? No. Can God extend His love and forgiveness to anyone on the planet at any time He chooses? Yes.

“When we all get to heaven we will sing and shout the victory”. And, every last one there will be saved by the person and work of Jesus and not by our own doing. “There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved”. Simply put, it is Christ or condemnation. Have you believed God’s record or have you believed the “witness of men”? Trust Christ today.

Grace to you,
Royce Ogle