I can’t get no satisfaction

Back in the 60's one of the big hit songs was, "I can't get no satisfaction," by the group called "The Rolling Stones". It spoke to the constant battle and failure in life to find satisfaction by doing what society expects you to do. Many of us "baby boomers" grew up listening to this music. Many embraced the philosophy of rejecting social norms or socially accepted concepts of right behavior. Today we live in a world where the accepted thing is to just "do your own thing," or "just do whatever makes you happy".

Sadly, this idea has penetrated the minds of many of those who are trying to "find God" or "worship God in their own way". The problem is that though our society may have been bent enough to allow folks to do pretty much whatever they want and still be accepted, God doesn't.

You might be inclined to ask, "What gives you the right to make such a statement?" "Who made you the judge of the world?" My answer is that no one made me the judge of you, it always has been and always will be God that judges. Jesus himself said, (if you accept Jesus as authority in religious matters), in John 12:47-52, "If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." (NIV)

You see somewhere in life many have been convinced that "as long as you love God, you can pretty much do whatever you want and still be acceptable to him". Yet, Jesus said, "If you don't do what I have said you will be condemned". The apostle John shared these words with us in 1 John 5:3, "Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome".


So, are you looking for satisfaction? Have you tried looking more closely at what God asks of you? Read the Psalms and see what the writers equate with joy and happiness. You'll find it is having a real relationship with God, not just a nodding acquaintance.

--Russ Lawson

Equal rights ordinance is heating up in Houston, Texas

Politics and Religion

(Houston, TX, October 2014) "The battle over a controversial equal rights
ordinance is heating up in Houston, Texas, with revelations that the city
has subpoenaed church sermons, among other documentation, from five local
faith leaders.

Officials have requested that these preachers deliver communications that
have focused on homosexuality or the contentious equal rights ordinance,
which these individuals have fervently opposed.

The subpoenas, which were issued last month, seek, "all speeches,
presentations, or sermons related to the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker,
homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or
approved by you or in your possession," according to the Houston Chronicle."
(Theblaze.com)

This is Satan continuing to chip away at our Christian Freedoms. Just a
couple of years ago I urged the members of our church to contact the leaders
in government regarding the "Hate Speech" bill that was being proposed. This
bill was passed and can be used against ministers who choose to speak out
against the sins of our nation practiced by many. Sadly; many in world and
our churches ridiculed the idea as foolish to think that the government
would try to hinder what teaching takes place in our churches. They were
wrong! I believe the following quote describes the problem well:

"Our society is still trying to answer the question, do politics and
religion mix? The first amendment of the United States Constitution reads,
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor
prohibit the free exercise thereof." What the first amendment is saying is
that government should stay out of religion, but religious people can
exercise their faith in the influence of public policy.

Over the past fifty years, lawmakers have misinterpreted the Constitution.
We've majored in the first part of the amendment while abandoning the second
part, and in doing so, we have disenfranchised the gospel, politically,
socially, judicially, and culturally. Like a sponge with the water squeezed
out, ours is a society with Jesus squeezed out, and we are living in a
fifty-year experiment of building a nation without God. No prayer. No Ten
Commandments. No sermon at graduation. No Sabbath. No respect for marriage.

Those things may be contributing to factors to some of today's problems: We
have massive teen drug abuse, school shooting sprees, and an adolescent
suicide rate up 350 percent since 1960. It's time to ask, cannot politics
and religion mix?" (Stephen M. Crotts)

It's time that we understand the importance of God's Word once again. It's
time for us to stand and be counted and call into account those who govern
us. Jesus said this in John 12:47-50 "If anyone hears my words but does
not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the
world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me
and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them
at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me
commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to
eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Russ Lawson - Messages From The Heart
Blog: http://messages-from.blogspot.com

Messages from the Heart is sent several times each week written by Russ
Lawson.

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FW: Not So Fast

I think Steve Higginbotham is a great writer. I enjoy reading his weekly
devotional e-mails called, MercEmail. You can read his latest articles -
along with other good study material - and subscribe to his MercEmail list
at www.preachinghelp.org

Earlier this week, Steve sent out another MercEmail entitled, "Not So Fast."
He shared a story and made a splendid application about the dangers of
jumping to conclusions too quickly.

About an hour after Steve sent this latest edition, he followed it up with
another e-mail to all of his subscribers. Here is part of the content of
the message:

Well, I did it again. Why is it that every time you make fail to proofread
your articles, you see the mistakes about 2 seconds after you hit the "Send"
button?

It's not that I know grammar, for I religiously follow the following ten
rules in my writing.

1. Don't use no double negatives.
2. Make each pronoun agree with their antecedent.
3. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
4. Don't use commas, which aren't necessary.
5. Try not to ever split infinitives.
6. Always use apostrophe's correctly.
7. Don't write run-on sentences they are hard to read.
8. Corect speling is esential.
9. Mixed metaphors are a pain in the neck and should be thrown in the lake.
10. Unnecessary use of the word "that" is a mistake that many people make.

So you see, it's not a matter of knowledge, just a matter of performance.
Sorry about that! :-)

Then Steve included a revised edition of the article in the remainder of his
e-mail.

As you began reading his list of rules, did you immediately note the
problems in grammar, punctuation, and spelling? Of course, we realize he
was making a point in a humorous way. What a clever way of demonstrating
some of the rules of English by also showing the ways that the rules are
broken!

Yet, perhaps we need to understand another lesson: we ALL make mistakes!
Despite our best efforts, we mess up. "For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

But God still loves us. In fact, "God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Because Jesus died for us, we can have forgiveness for our sins and receive
the gift of eternal life.

God will grant forgiveness and give the gift of eternal life to those who
place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in
repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are
baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). He will continue to cleanse those who
continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Before we start pointing out the mistakes of others, stop and think. Not so
fast! Remember, we ALL make mistakes and we ALL need to submit our lives to
the Savior so that we can be forgiven.

Won't YOU?

David A. Sargent
www.purevolume.com/listeners/howtobesaved 

Sticking your fingers in your ears

STICKING YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR EARS

I ran across an interesting translation of an old scripture this week that
stuck in my mind. The version you may be more familiar with is this one:
"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped
their ears that they should not hear."(V11)

Here is the modern translation: "Your ancestors refused to listen to this
message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to
keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could
not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven's Armies."
Zechariah 7:11-12 (NLT)

I can imagine a spoiled child (or adult), sticking there fingers in their
ears and saying, "Nah.. Nah. Nah. I can't hear you". I understand that we
may not actually do those things, but how often do we hear something from
God's Word and decide we don't like it, so we won't do it? Maybe it's a
"silent rebellion."

I read about an old Japanese legend that tells of a man who died and went to
heaven. Heaven was beautiful full of lush gardens and glittering mansions.
But then the man came to a room lined with shelves. On the shelves were
stacked piles of human ears! A heavenly guide explained that these ears
belonged to all the people on earth who listened each week to the word of
God, but never acted on God's teachings. Their worship never resulted in
action. When these people died, therefore, only their ears ended up in
heaven.

All throughout my years of ministry I have continually encouraged people to
not only hear the Words of God, but to respond to those words with a changed
life. To do the things in this life God expects of a Christian. Too many
enjoy coming "to church," but then forget why they came. They hear the
words, but refuse to register them as something actually being required of
them in this life. They have put their fingers in their ears and have
"selective hearing" as far as responding to what is required by God.

I have shared many times the story of meeting a man and having a bible
discussion regarding a point on which we disagreed. I opened the bible and
pointed out a scripture that (in my mind) clearly stated the truth regarding
the subject. I asked the man what he thought and his response was, "I don't
know what it means, but it doesn't mean what it says." (Did I mention that
this man was a minister also?) To me it seemed as if he had stuck his
fingers in his ears and refused to listen to God speaking to him.

You see, sticking your fingers in your ears in not the answer, digging
deeper into the Word of God is! Here is how we should and must respond; in
Act 17:11 we read: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than
those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

Might I suggest using your fingers to turn the pages in your Bible, rather
than stop up your ears!

Russ Lawson

Learning to let God use you...

Learning to Let God Use You.

I've long been convinced that every person has a talent; every person has a
gift that they can use for God. It might be an ability to do only one thing
for one person or you might be able to do a lot of good things for a lot of
people. It may be the ability to serve and please God in a personal way, but
everyone has something.

I have also been long convinced that the greatest problem people have in
using there talents is just doing it. If we have a problem it is the fact
that you need to make your life accessible to God to use whatever you have.

I read about a man who applied for a job as a handyman. The prospective
employer asked, "Can you do carpentry?" The man answered in the negative."
How about bricklaying?" Again the man answered, "No." The employer asked,
"Well, what about electrical work?" The man said "No, I don't know anything
about that either."

Finally the employer said, "Well, tell me then what is handy about you." The
man replied, "I live just around the corner."

Sometimes the greatest ability we can have is availability. To be where God
can call us, and be ready to respond to his summons. That is the greatest
asset a disciple of Christ can have.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells a story about a master giving three servants
different amounts of money to manage for him. The first two did alright;
they used the money (called Talents) wisely. The third man didn't use it
wisely, but buried it so it wouldn't be stolen. Jesus concludes the story
with these words:

(And the third servant said) "I was in fear, and went away, and buried your
money in the ground: here is what is yours. But his lord in answer said to
him, You are a bad and unready servant; if you had knowledge that I get in
grain where I did not put seed, and make profits for which I have done no
work, Why, then, did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I
would have got back what is mine with interest? Take away, then, his talent
and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be
given, and he will have more: but from him who has not, even what he has
will be taken away. And put out the servant who is of no profit into the
outer dark: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow." (Matthew 25:25-30).

What's the moral of the story? God expects us to use what he gives us wisely
and help increase the blessings to the kingdom. How handy are you at doing
that?

Russ Lawson

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Forgotten promises

On September 11, four passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda
terrorists so they could be flown into buildings in suicide attacks, (also
referred to as 9/11). These were a series of four coordinated terrorist
attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda upon the United
States in New York City and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area on
Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and
caused at least $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage. (In part
from Wikipedia.)

I'm passionate as I remember these events. I remember clearly watching the
Morning New Programs that morning and seeing these events play out. I called
my father and mother and told them to turn on the news and see what was
happening. I remember the panic this caused in our community. People started
panic buying thinking it was the beginning of a war. Cars and trucks lined
up at gas stations believing there would be a shortage and I remember the
gas stations taking advantage of the panic and marking the gas up to $10 per
gallon.

I also remember the change in our society that took place at that time.
Suddenly people realized that they needed something they couldn't provide
for themselves, something their jobs and their money couldn't provide. They
needed hope! They needed assurance that there was someone who could offer
them what they could not find anywhere else.

In droves people flooded into the churches of our land. There were prayer
vigils that lasted all night long, there were special services and
gatherings in the churches throughout our land, hoping and praying for
assurance. There were thousands of people who made promises to God that they
would change their lives, they recommitted themselves to the values which
are found in God's Word. It was a nation wide revival!

I also remember that the fear that fueled this revival soon was lost when
people realized it wasn't the end of the world, that it wasn't World War
three. I remember all of the broken promises which were made to God. I
remember all of the commitments that weren't commitments at all, only a
kneejerk reaction.

No, people haven't forgotten 9/11, but they have forgotten that God needs to
be a part of their lives every day, not just in times of crisis.

Let each of us remember 9/11 and the terrible things that took place with
both anger and sorrow for what was done. But perhaps some of that anger and
sorrow needs to motivate us to repentance as we remember we have abandoned
our promises to God. If you don't, then don't be surprised when he abandons
you in your time of need.

The writer of proverbs shares God's thoughts about this with us in Proverbs
1:24-28. Listen to his words. "But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard
all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when
disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you when calamity
overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I
will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me." (NIV)

Russ Lawson

Bible words associated with salvation

1. Salvation/Saved

2. Atonement

3. Justification

4. Redemption/Redeemed

5. Reconciliation

6. Propitiation

7. Forgiveness

 

What is your gift?

The question of personal or spiritual gifts or talents is often confusing.
Folks often want to understand more about the gifts they might have and how
to use them. Perhaps more important to some is the question of "what will be
expected of me if I discover my gift or talent?"

One of my favorite sources of illustrations is the comic strip Calvin and
Hobbes. In one of the strips, Calvin is talking to Susie (remember, his arch
enemy) about a test they had just taken.

Calvin asked her: "What grade did you get?" Susie says, "I got an A." Calvin
replies, "Really? Boy, I'd hate to be you. I got a C." Curious, Susie asks,
"Why on earth would you rather get a C than an A?!" Too which Calvin smugly
replies "I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's
expectations."

Some of you may be afraid to do too much, afraid that people (or even God)
will expect more than you are currently doing. You're right, people may, but
God already knows what you are capable of; you can't hide it from him like
you can other people.

I guess through the years since the beginning that's been a constant
problem. Far too often people want to do only what they have to do, not what
they are capable of doing.

I remember many years ago some of our family visited my Grandmother Lawson.
When you went to grandma's you were put to work. She took my cousin Kenny
and me out to their huge garden and told us, "You boys pick beans until you
fill up this bushel basket." Now we were probably only around 12 years old
and not much interested in picking green beans. We came up with a plan to
fill bushel basket faster. We took the time to stack each bean in the basket
so that it leaned on another bean, yet left a lot of empty space. Now
looking back I see that we probably spent more time stacking beans than if
we had used the time to pick the beans in the first place. But as I said, we
were only 12 years old; wisdom wasn't our strong suit at that time.

I've seen other folks who spend more time avoiding work than doing it. They
generally live miserable or at least unhappy and unfulfilled lives. God has
given us so much in this life. He has granted us the right to have eternal
life after this one on earth ends. Could it be that just maybe we need to
look at what we can do instead of how not to do it?

In Luke 12:48b Jesus tells us, "From everyone who has been given much, much
will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much
more will be required." Personally, I think he still means what he says, how
about you?

Russ Lawson

Postage by Mail!"

by Tom Wacaster

"Postage by Mail!"  That was the banner on the mass mail out by the United States Post Office a few years ago.  Imagine the convenience; avoiding long lines at the post office; you could conduct all your business through the mail using the little order form that was attached.   You could even purchase your 1st class stamps by filling out the form indicating how many books you wanted and then multiply it by the 41 cent cost of each stamp. The only problem was, the cost of 1st class stamps had gone up to 44 cents by the time we received the offer with its enclosed form.  It reminds me of the time the Postal Service wanted to conduct a workshop somewhere in the upper mid-west in order to explain to Mr. Average Joe some of the problems within the Post Office and get some input from the man on the street on how to improve efficiency.  The only problem was the announcements on the workshop were not sent out until four days AFTER the deadline for participants to sign up.  Efficiency!  What has happened to efficiency?  No doubt you have heard someone moan, "The service here is just not what it used to be!"   We have more products on the market than ever before.  But things wear out faster than ever before, too. 

Now, before you criticize the Postal Service, or your local merchant, let's ask ourselves if WE are as efficient and punctual, and "quality-minded" as we ought to be.  Someone noted, "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives."  The late Vince Lombardi wrote, " The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."   Quality in our service to the Lord demands the same degree of intensity and dedication as is demanded in any other walk of life.  The difference is that our eternal destination will be determined to a large degree by our willingness to put forth the effort to achieve such lofty heights.  The apostle Paul expressed the depth of our soul's devotion with these words:  "And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us...let us give ourselves to our ministry…he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:6-8).  "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ" (Phil 1:9-10).   The effectiveness of this congregation, or any congregation of God's people, will be in direct proportion to the total number of members who are determined to provide the highest quality of service to the Lord.   A fellow preacher shared this most fitting illustration:  While on a trip to Switzerland, an American businessman was watching a Swiss clockmaker carving the case of an ornate cuckoo clock.  As the businessman watched the clockmaker carve out the case, he was astounded at his slow rate of progress.  The business man finally said, "My good man, you'll never make much money that way."  The clockmaker replied, "Sir, I'm not making money, I'm making cuckoo clocks."

Perhaps the quality of our devotion to the Lord would improve if each of us gave greater consideration to exactly what it is we are to do as God's children.   Solomon admonished his readers: "Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might" (Ecc. 9:10).   It is unfortunate that this Biblical ethic has been lost in what we sometimes call "progress" and/or "development."  Too many are satisfied with "good enough."  How many of us give our best in every situation?  Oh, perhaps in our service unto others we attempt to couple quality and service together.  On the job we are quite proficient; some are even perfectionists.  But let's take a look at another area of our lives, and consider this question.  Do you give your best to God?   Do I give my best to God in my attendance with the saints?  Am I diligent in putting forth an effort to "forsake not the assembly," or do I allow first one thing and another to interfere with that important obligation?  When I habitually miss services can I honestly say that the quality of faithfulness is what it ought to be?   When I am called upon to help in a public way, do I make every effort to be there?  What about my Bible study? Am I really giving my best to grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord?   And what shall I say about my appearance on Sunday morning?  Is my dress such that it reflects an effort put forth to make myself presentable to God?  Or do I just throw on some casual clothes, careless about my appearance before God and my example before others?   You see, my friend, when we become careless in our service to God, and become satisfied with "good enough," we contribute to the demise of efficiency.   I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that once my quality of service to God begins to decline, it is not long before service to my fellow man suffers as well.  For if we are not careful with regard to the more important matters of eternity, what makes us think we will be concerned about the temporal matters that have no lasting value?  Take a close look at yourself in the "mirror" of God's word (Jas. 1:24) and ask again, "What has happened to efficiency?"  Think about it!