Is Imperfection a license to sin?

Romans 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Galations 5
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Luke 6:42
“Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.”

Today I saw a post on Facebook about a woman who killed her two daughters for reasons that she believed were right, but was grossly mislead in what Christianity was about.

Someone who did understand commented by calling the woman an ungodly name, then explained that the woman was no Christian and offered an ungodly means to rid of her.

I was taken aback. As Christians, yes, it is right for us to be righteously angry at the ignorance of those who claim to follow God, and even more so when they do ungodly things in His name. But, we, as Christians need to be careful not to fall into the same category by reacting in ungodly ways to ungodly people.

The fact that we are not perfect doesn't give us a license to sin. We should, instead, strive to better ourselves. Yes, we all slip. I still struggle with the old me sometimes. I check myself as soon as I slip and I ask for forgiveness, and I strive not to slip again. If we are not aiming to better ourselves, then how are we to expect better of others?

As Christians, the world is watching us. It is who we show the world we are after salvation that wins others to Christ. We cannot demand that others act in godly ways, nor can we point out others ungodly behavior while refusing to fix our own, or acknowledge our own sin in the process.

Ambassadors for Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Today, as my pastor was giving a sermon about getting outside of the crowd and accepting and following Lord Jesus in spite of what the world thinks, I was given a message from the Lord that had nothing whatsoever to do with the sermon.

It was one of those "deep thought" moments.

As Christians, we are called to be God's ambassadors. We are to pray for people around us who have not found what we have found in Jesus. We are to teach them how to know Him as we know Him. We are to show them the love that He has given us.

These people that we pray for, we treat them as if they are our own "spiritual" children. We love them, care for them, give them counsel, and even enact "tough love" at times. We command their respect, live up to the honor they bestow upon us, and lead the way for them to know the peace and joy that surpasses all understanding.

As parents, the hardest part of watching your child grow is letting them make their own decisions. You can't hold your child's hand forever. Some day, they will have to learn to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and walk forward without your help. There is nothing that makes a godly parent more proud than when their children learn that the source of their strength comes from the same source of strength that you used in raising them: none other than the Lord Jesus Himself.

It is no different when we pray for and mentor those around us who need Christ Jesus in their lives. We have to learn to let them go, let God, and watch them grow. Nothing makes me prouder than when I hear that one of my best friends is being a joy and a help to someone else...that they have Jesus in their heart, and love in their actions.

So, as we go out into the world, different from the world, we must remain diligent to keep others on the right path: the one path that leads to lasting peace, joy, and understanding, so that we can rejoice when the see the fruits of our labor.

Religion Vs. Relationship

1 John 1:
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

John 15:14
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

John 15:15
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

God doesn't want you to be religious for Him. He wants you to have a relationship with Him. Jesus was constantly criticizing the scribes and pharisees about being so dogmatic with "the law" (the law is what religious people are all about), rather than having a loving relationship with the Father. (Read Matthew 23)

There are a lot of Christians who think that going to church makes them a good Christian. This is wrong. Going to church makes you LOOK like a Christ follower when you are not. TRUE Christians are those who take what is learned in the church out into the world, regardless of the consequences, because they TRUST what God can do for them, and are willing to do for HIM as a result.

Relationship is about give and take. Not asking and asking and then getting mad when you don't get just because you wanted it. Sometimes you have to accept that the Father knows best, and love Him anyway.

I, personally, have been more blessed by the accepting of God's Will than by getting what I asked for to begin with. Had I received half of what I have asked for in my lifetime, I would not be so blessed with the relationship I enjoy with Him today.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

You are the Vessel of the Word

This is the May 22 Sermon by Matthew C. Butler of 1st Bikers Church in Texarkana

Giving it to Jesus

Matthew 11
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


I have finally got through to my roommate. I think. She has decided to follow my lead and give it all to God. She's started listening to Christian music. She went to church (across the street) Wednesday night. By herself. She's counting her blessings.

And, she seems to be much happier at the moment.

She seems to be looking forward to whatever is coming instead of dreading the next moment.

I told her, "See. I told you so. But, just wait until He REALLY starts blessing you! You ain't seen NOTHIN' yet."

Pray for her. I am praying that she sees this through until He starts speaking to her like He does me. I am praying that she gets a taste of what I have experienced and that she decides that it is worth it to keep living for Him.

She's already halfway there. She made the decision.

Today on Facebook, she posted this:

Today I was blessed in a few different ways. And I have had one of the best days anyone could ask for. I changed my music to Christian and boy what a huge difference in my attitude today. And for first time in a very long time I actually wore a real smile not a painted on smile just for looks thing. I am really happy. Thought for the night. Every day no matter how dark and grey or even how bad your day is always remember your a blessed and loved person. Thank you Father for another day and I pray for all the sick and all the many needs in this country and Father remind me every night of my many blessing and make me more Like you. Night Facebook. Angels watching over each of you

Is Oxygen the Breath of Life?

There are a great many passages in the Bible that speak of "the breath of life". Some see the "breath of life" as "Oxygen". But, what they are forgetting is that even oxygen can do nothing of its own will.

For instance, we can lay a dead cat in an oxygen chamber and feed it pure oxygen, and it will not come back to life. We can lay a little man made of mud in the chamber and nothing will happen. Only God's will made man "alive". The life He gives is a gift. As long as there is oxygen, the gift of life stays alive. God breathed into our bodies the breath of life and we lived.

Genesis 1:30
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Genesis 2:7
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 6:17
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

Genesis 7:15
Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.

Genesis 7:22
Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

Job 27:3
as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,

Job 33:4
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

Ezekiel 37:5
This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

Ezekiel 37:6
I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

Ezekiel 37:10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Revelation 11:11
But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Living by the Sword

Luke 22
35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Jesus knew that the day was going to come that his disciples were going to have to defend themselves. He preached peace, and turning the other cheek, and having enough love to die for your friends. He never intended that a sword would be used to murder someone with it, or intimidate people around them, but to defend themselves from attackers.

A war was coming. No man goes to war without a weapon.

Paul spoke of the sword of the spirit. The Sword of the Spirit is more powerful than any physical sword you can carry on your person. The Sword of the Spirit can effect the eternal life of the person you are using it on.

Jesus said, (Matthew 10:28) "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Jesus also warned in Matthew 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

This did not mean you should not have a sword to defend yourself with. This was referring to Peter who drew his sword first without waiting for the Lord to act. Making assumptions while wielding a weapon is dangerous. Just because someone has a sword doesn't mean he's going to pull it on you. The Sword should never be carried for offensive purposes.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Mercy on the Sabbath

Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.


God is God. God doesn't need rest. However, like a good father, He has set the example that we are to follow. Does God stop working on the Sabbath? I don't think so, but God's work includes making sure that His children are cared for and provided for. He expects each of us to act accordingly.

Jesus said,

Mark 2:27
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:”

When the Scribes and Pharisees accused him of profaining the Sabbath when he healed a man,

Mark 3:4
“And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.”

So, I think that as long as we are doing works of mercy (providing for our families so they won't starve, ministering to the sick, helping the poor, etc.) then we are not breaking the law of the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:7
“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”

This does not excuse anyone of not getting the rest that our bodies need. God mandated a Sabbath rest because He created man to need that rest. So, in order for our bodies to recharge it's vitality, rest is required, and that is the reason for the Sabbath Day. God knew that man would not rest unless he was made to, which is why He proclaimed the Sabbath Day as Holy, and made it a law.

Exodus 31:15
“Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”

As with any law that is broken, God (unlike earthly judges) looks at the intent of the heart. Was the lawbreaker acting in integrity? Was he given little choice but to work so that others could be blessed?

Luke 14
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

As long as we remember that God has blessed the Sabbath, and that He expects us to keep it Holy, blessings will come to those who honor it.

Exodus 20
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

In His Image

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Every man on earth looks different; yet, we all have certain characteristics that make it possible for others to identify us as human beings. Black, white, yellow, red, brown, short, tall, skinny, fat...God created us all in HIS image. What does that mean?

BING has three translations of the word "image". The third meaning is the one that I think fits the description of the word "image" as used in Genesis 1:27. It is "the general impression that a person, organization, or product presents to the public". This is supported by the Hebrew word for image, tseh'-lem; from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol:—image, vain shew.

This means that God has created you to be who HE wants you to be, a representation of Himself. When you are something other than who HE wants you to be, your life becomes miserable, confusing, contradictory, hopeless, despairing, and a myriad of other negative connotations. It is inevitable, because you are fighting who you are created to be.

When I was a child I had a pair of shoes that I loved dearly, but, I didn't wear them very often. Soon, I outgrew them. One day, when they were a size too small, I decided I wanted to wear them to school. My stepdad told me, "I don't think it is a good idea that you wear those shoes. You are going to be at school a long time, and your feet will hurt."

My stepdad was a day sleeper because he worked graveyard shift at a local tire factory.

I assured him that my feet would be fine. Just like God would do, he let me make my mistake.

About halfway through the day, I couldn't bear the pain anymore. I called my stepdad to bring me some shoes, which he graciously did, although what he wanted to do was say, "I told you so. You made the choice, now suffer."

God has told us all of the things in life that will make us miserable. He has told us what we should do, and what we shouldn't do. If we choose the wrong things, our lives are not easy. All we have to do is call on Him and tell Him, "I made a mistake. Will you fix it?" and He, in grace and mercy, will do it.

2 Corinthians 5
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Preachers don't have halos

God's love is not contingent upon my belief in it. It's not contingent on yours, either. God's love is free.

A former pastor of a church I attended as a teenager was recently convicted of horrendous crimes. He was a great preacher. I loved listening to him teach from the Bible.

On that same note, another former preacher was recently arrested connected to a big drug sting.

I used to ask myself things like, "What about all those people he led to Jesus? Are they still saved?"

The answer to that question, of course, is yes. They are saved, but only if they were truly saved to begin with. Those who weren't were probably driven farther from the faith they had professed because of his influence. This lands on the offending preacher's head. Jesus said,

Mark 9:42
“And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.”

I say all this to say that your salvation is personal. It is between you and Jesus. You should not place your pastor on a pedestal and expect him to be better than you.

My own pastor preached somewhat about this today. He said, "I am just like you. I have problems. I sin. I have struggles, just like you. But, I am up here preaching to you in spite of it, because it's what God has called me to do. Let me ask you something: If I acted like some of you, what would you think of me? If I attended church only as often as some of you do, would you fire me?"

It made me think...and made me get on my knees tonight and pray for my pastor, and myself.

I am so glad that I don't have to go to a preacher to talk to God. I can do it anywhere, any time. It is my relationship with Him that makes me assured that I am saved, not who said a prayer with me, or who baptized me.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Let's Have Church!

Looking at church like this gives a new perspective on the meaning of having "church".

Church isn't there for your enjoyment, but God's. The joy you feel because of it is just a by product of glorifying the Master.

My pastor likes to sing this song a lot at our church. This isn't my pastor, but I like the song!

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Devotionals of Recovery: God gave you free will

Genesis 1:11 -- And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth: and it was so.

Everything God creates has a purpose. God did not create you to sit idle. He doesn't intend for you to sit by and watch as events unfold. God created you as a part of His plan. If you were not in God's plan, He would have not created you.

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) (Romans 9:11)

God gave you talents. He made you unique. He gave you certain intelligence and ability, just as He did the grass of the field and the fruit trees. All of this is so that you may seek Him with your free will, which He allows you to have. God doesn't want robots to do His bidding as He pleases. He wants true companionship, true love, true belief. God wants you to choose to be on His side. He won't force you to do anything, but He will make it inconvenient for you to do anything else, in the long run.

If there were no free will, there would not be a need for God to forgive us of our sins. Our free will was the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We can choose God as our leader, or we can choose to follow our pride. Until we humble ourselves, and realize that our pride is not greater than God's will, our lives will have no fulfillment.

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isaiah 48:17)

Understand that God created you for a reason. God gave you everything you need, and what He has not given you, He can as need arises. Until you are focused on living for Him, your life will not be comfortable, or convenient, or peaceful.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Acting on God's Will

Living in the will of God is not something that just happens, or something that you "fall into". Living in the Will of God is a consciencious effort. You have to decide from day to day, from moment to moment that you are determined to make the right decisions, the right choices, because it is the right thing to do...even when it's the hard thing to do.

When you show God that you are willing to do what He has asked you to do according to His laws and precepts, you are telling Him and showing Him that you trust Him to work things out in your life and to keep His promise for your abundant life.

You cannot say, "I believe, therefore, I'm okay" and not do what you say. If you truly believe in the saving grace of God, and His mercy and love, then you would do what it takes to prove it.

This is not to say that you can gain salvation by anything you do. Good works is the product of good faith, not a way to get it.

James said, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14).

You cannot say, "I am letting God have His Will in me" and keep trying to fix your problems yourself. If you pray to God for a man to love you, (or a woman), and you fall into the lap of the first member of the opposite sex that comes along who pays attention to you, then it is not surprising when things do not work out. Satan is constantly sending you "pitfalls". He wants to make you frustrated and angry at God for what you grab hold of. He wants you to blame God when you make bad choices.

However, if you guard your heart, seek God's wisdom, and determine to be happy right where you are, in whatever situation you are in, you can get to know the member of the opposite sex that paid attention to you. You can discern between someone who is genuine and someone with an agenda. People who are meant to be in your life stay with you, and are not fleeting or wishy washy. But, it takes effort to back away from the temptation that Satan places before you. It takes you making a conscientious, calculated decision not to act on what is before you until you KNOW that it is God's Will, instead of assuming it is God's Will just because God allowed it to be a choice you could make.

Ecclesiastes 8:5
“Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.”

If this has inspired you, please share it!

Being the Hands and Feet our Pastor Needs

Exodus 18
13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
14 And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

To get an idea of how your pastor feels, here is a challenge for you, as Christians and church members:

Choose ten people you know who are in need of something. It could be someone going through a bad relationship, someone who is homeless, someone who is ill, someone who is just struggling to make ends meet, or someone who is simply "lost". There are numerous needs out there that are not mentioned here, as well. If you have ten people you know who are lost, I would start there.

Make those ten people your "project".

In other words, reach out to them as often as possible. Call them just to say hi. Be there when they have need of someone to talk to. Stay on your knees praying for them. Minister to them. Show them the love of Jesus. Invite them to go to church with you. Take opportunities to talk to them about Jesus (just be careful not to "choke" the Word so that you drive them away rather than draw them to you).

Believe me, ten people will keep you busy. And, if you want to help ease the burden of your pastor, choosing ten people in need in your church is an option. You help with the smaller matters, and when there are larger matters you can't help with, you take it to the person who is over you in your church (a teacher, a deacon, someone below your pastor who is helping ease the burden...). If they can't help, then they can take it to the pastor. If he can't help, he then takes it to God.

It is up to us as a church to help our pastor prevent burnout, and to be the church that God has called us to be. As a church, we shouldn't expect to go to church, hear a sermon and go home and forget about it. If that little homeless girl that showed up for church catches your eye, you shouldn't just shrug her off and say, "the Pastor will handle it...I'm sure if there is a need, he will address us."

Our church has over 350 members in it, and all of them have a need of some kind. There is no way our pastor is able to handle that many people. We are not members of an insurance club. We are a church. This means that, as individual members of the church, we are called to be the hands and feet of God. It is not right to expect the pastor to be God.

We need to remember that our pastor is human. He has problems just like any of us do. He has needs just like we all do, and he depends on us, as ambassadors of God, as much as we depend on him as the leader of our church.

So, while we are on our knees praying for our pastor, we also need to stand up, take a step forward and be the church that God has called us to be.

If this has inspired you, please share it!

I Can Move Mountains...

Matthew 17:20
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

This is the story of my life. Just a little bit of faith from me has opened up doors I never thought were possible in my life.

The truth is, those doors never would have opened if I hadn't had the faith to expect them to.

I was so busy, in my younger years, beating on the brick wall and cursing my bloody fists for it, that I forgot to walk around the building to find the door. The Lord has taught me to have the patience to look before I panic.

Today, if I don't find the door on the other side of the building, I look over it, and under it, too. I've learned that if there is not a door, there might be a window.

I've climbed through a lot of windows during the past few years.

I think the Good Lord likes people who will do anything to get in to be where He's at.