$22,000 Phone Bill

Posted in Church Chat, Evangelism, Funny, Life Happens2 Comments

According to an Associated Press story, a 13-year-old California teen ran up a cell phone bill of nearly $22,000.

Ted Estarija said he was expecting his bill to be higher this month after adding his son to his plan, but wasn’t expecting a bill of $21,917 in data usage charges. The Hayward man said his Verizon Wireless  bill soared after his son apparently downloaded about 1.4 million kilobytes of data last month.  His plan didn’t cover data usage, so he was charged by the megabyte.

Estarija said after the first media reports, Verizon said they would credit his account for the entire amount. He has also suspended his son’s account.

When I read this story today, I thought of John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Unlike Mr. Estarija, Jesus knew the cost.  He knew that coming to this earth would cause him unspeakable pain and ultimately cost Him His life, yet He came anyway.

PRAYER:  “Lord, thank You, that although You knew the cost, You came to this earth.  You came so we could know You, see You, and experience salvation through Your death on the cross.  Thank you for paying our bill, caused by our sin and for crediting our account with your righteous when we trust in You as our Savior.  Lord, thank You!  AMEN.”

Today Is Christmas At Our House

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Today is Christmas at our house, well, kinda!  Our daughter Lauren will be working with the International Mission Board over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  Because she will be leaving soon, I worked out a deal with Santa to come early at our house.  As I type, I’m looking at her full stocking hanging from the fireplace.

Please pray for Lauren as she travels and represents the Lord.  Pray for the children, youth, college students, and missionaries with whom she will be working.  Naturally, we will miss her this Christmas, but we’re happy she will be serving in this capacity.

BOOK: “Eternal Security, Can We Be Sure”

Posted in Book Reviews4 Comments

I believe that once a person becomes a genuine Christian, they can never “lose” their salvation.  They are saved by grace and they are kept by the power of God.  Along that line, I recently read Charles Stanley’s book Eternal Security: Can We Be Sure.  In the book, Stanley shares about growing up in a Pentecostal Holiness Church that did not believe in the eternal security of the believer.  Not only did the church not believe that a person that is saved is always saved, they often preached against that doctrine. 

Stanley’s book is well written and the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer is strongly supported.  The book is understandable and written to a wide audience.

Do you believe that you can “lose” your salvation?  Well, so did Charles Stanley!  But in the book, he documents how he came to believe differently when he began to dig into the Scriptures.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of eternal security, I believe the book will be a blessing to you.  Pick up a copy today and decide about this doctrine for yourself.

World’s Greatest Sermon

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship2 Comments

This morning I read the Sermon on the Mount from the gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7.  One day an unusually large crowd gathered to hear Jesus, so he gathered them together on the side of a mountain.  There He preached the greatest sermon that has ever been preached throughout all history.

In the sermon, Jesus addresses some difficult topics like the following:

38″You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.'”  Matthew 5:38-42

Does Jesus mean this literally?  Do you know of anyone who has actually practiced this in real life?  I encourage you to read through this sermon–it will challenge you in your thinking and in your walk with the Lord.

“Beam Me Up, Scotty”

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Star TrekHave you ever taken a shortcut?  I live for shortcuts.  I love side streets and back roads that save time and keep you moving toward the desired destination. A while back, I bought a GPS unit, in part, so I can find additional routes that can save time.

Unfortunately, I have discovered there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity! If a person wants his or her life to count for God in a significant way, there is no shortcut. It’s not all that complicated, but, it’s certainly not easy!  No shortcut will lead you into the power of God and impact for His kingdom.

How can a Christian make a Godly impact on his world?  The answer can be found in a simple Scripture written by the Apostle Paul to the church of Galatia.  Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul alludes to this same truth in 2 Corinthians 12 when he tells about his William Shatner, Star Trek experience of being “beamed up” into Heaven where the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Paul responded by saying, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

These verses teach us that we cannot rely upon our own strengths to accomplish God’s will.  We will only see the power of God when we are filled with His presence and His power!  We trust Him to do what only He can do. The formula for spiritual success then is as follows:

Surrender +  faith  =  God’s Power

We do not apply this formula to our lives one time and then that’s it! No, we apply it daily–sometimes several times throughout the day. Walking with Christ implies a journey where we take step after step. Sometimes we will run; sometimes we will walk; sometimes we will stand still!