Freshly Ground at The Grove

The Moment of Crisis

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:59:00 GMT

All throughout the ministry of Jesus you will notice a pattern. First, there is curiosity. Who is this man from Galilee? What is all the commotion about? Next, there is a casual attempt to follow Him. Let’s go along to watch and listen. His words are interesting and His works are unusual. Then, there is the contingency. We begin to expect certain things from Him. If we are to continue following then we want to be fed and made to feel better. But, at some point, Jesus makes it clear; if you are going to be His disciple you have to completely turn you life over to His cause, that of serving the kingdom of God. It is at this point that most people, and I do mean most, stop. It is a moment of crisis. Admission into the kingdom of God requires becoming a true disciple. In John 6:60 many of His disciples turned away from Jesus when He spoke of the requirement to consume Him into their lives. It was their moment of crisis and they balked. How many people who consider themselves “Christian” are so only culturally, casually, curiously, contingently, but not completely? I have to agree with Francis Chan who believes the “lukewarm” of Laodicea in Revelation 3 are not truly Christians. The alarming truth is that the Laodiceans sound like most of us today. Perhaps we balked somewhere at our moment of crisis and chose the “norm” instead.

Don't Fail This Class

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:25:00 GMT

I heard of a teacher who said, “You can take this class one of two ways; you can take it seriously, or you can take it over.” As I read through the books of 1 and 2 Kings I am intrigued by the continual return to evil and idolatry of Israel’s kings. Over and over God sends clear warning and follows through with judgment just to bring a new round of disobedience by the next king. Solomon had already written, “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.” (Proverbs 15:5) What is it about our human nature that fails to learn from lessons well taught? If we don’t learn well from God’s teaching we are doomed to repeat the hardships of life’s lessons.

Parents, Establish Your Kingdom

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:31:00 GMT

In 1 Kings chapter one David is on his death bed and his children are at it again. This time it’s Adonijah. Even though David had earlier made it very clear that his son Solomon was heir to the throne, Adonijah began taking steps to crown himself king. Why did David have so much trouble with his children? Perhaps verse six gives us the answer: “And his father had not rebuked him at any time…” David had a lot of wonderful spiritual gifts, but a strong hand in governing his own children wasn’t one of them. There seems to be a pattern here. All the way to his final moments, tired, weak, and dying, David is still dealing with delinquent children. On the other hand, Solomon uses another approach. Once crowned as the new king, he summons Adonijah and explains very clearly that as long as he conducts himself honorably he will live, but if he steps out of line, he will die. Things seem to be going well until Adonijah contrives a plan to marry one of King David’s concubines, which implied certain kingly rights. Solomon makes it clear in chapter 2, verse 23, that Adonijah has chosen the outcome with his own actions and is put to death, just as Solomon promised. Next, Shimei, who had cursed David earlier in David’s life, is instructed by Solomon to remain within the gates of his home town and if he ever leaves it will cost him his life. Three years later Shimei goes after some runaway servants and Solomon summons him. After reminding Shimei of the ground rules he has him put to death. The last words of chapter two read: “Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.” Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we should execute our erring children. But the principle of establishing roles of leadership and authority haven’t changed. David gave instructions, but did not follow through with discipline. Solomon gave clearly understood instructions, including well defined consequences if the rules weren’t followed and he did exactly what he said, thus establishing his kingdom. If your house is your castle then use the wisdom of Solomon and establish your kingdom as a parent and do it early. If you aren’t establishing your kingdom someone else will, and it’s probably your children. Isn’t that a scary thought. Explain clearly the rules and consequences and hold to them every time, or else watch your kingdom crumble.

Gratifying

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:07:00 GMT

Jesus washes the feet of the man He knows is plotting to betray him. He stands quietly while being falsely accused and condemned. He prays that forgiveness be given to the ones who are killing him. All this pain led Him to a point when He could utter the words, “it is finished.” Jesus had successfully reached the finish line. The purpose for His life here on earth was complete. Was the journey painful? Yes! But the gratification was well worth it. We want to protect our young people from pain. Then we watch them choose some of the most painful activities and wonder why? It is gratification. They are not afraid of pain nearly as much as they are not finding something that brings gratification. A challenge to do something truly gratifying is what they need and desire. Hide them, baby them, protect them from painful situations, even if it is God’s calling, and watch them find something else that hurts. If you’re going to experience pain, and you will, make sure it is for something that brings true gratification. Do something challenging for God. Do something that when finished you can hear the words “well done” from the One who loves you and saves you.

Paradoxes

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:05:00 GMT

There are many things in our world that don't seem to make good sense. People live in mobile homes that don't move. We wear sports clothes to work. We wear sweatshirts to relax in. We eat jumbo shrimp on our working vacations. These paradoxes are humorous and fun to think about. But some paradoxes can be hard to get our minds around. The kingdom of God is filled with paradoxes, too. We give in order to receive; we live by dying; we become great by being a servant; and we find ourselves by losing ourselves in Christ. Spend time meditating on God's truths and ask Him for help to understand His ways. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

Life Is Too Short

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:34:00 GMT

“Life is too short.” How many times have you heard that? It is true; life is too short, but the meaning behind the words differs greatly from person to person. To many it means life is too short to waste the opportunity to live it up, follow your wildest dreams and fulfill every fantasy; don’t miss out on tasting the goodies your flesh longs to try. If you don’t do it now life will be over and you will have missed your chance. I also believe life is too short, but not at all for those reasons. Life is too short compared to eternity to throw my life away serving “self” in this very brief “here and now” and ruin my position in God’s kingdom when Christ returns. That eternal kingdom is “real life” and it will be forever. This tiny little bit of physical existence from the cradle to the grave has no comparison to our future existence in glory. Faith in Christ gives us citizenship in that kingdom; but how we live for Christ determines our position and place of responsibility in that kingdom forever. Life is too short to blow all of eternity just to sow a few wild oats in this withering, frail and dying body of mine.

Stay Cool!

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:59:00 GMT

They call it rage. You know; the emotion that pours all over you when someone cuts you off in traffic and almost endangers your life. At that moment, what do you do? Just recently I was out on the bicycle with some friends when a full size pick up truck blew by us barely missing us with his side view mirror. There was no other traffic on this four lane road and he was simply trying to let us know he didn’t like bicycles. You can imagine the emotion that over comes a person when confronted with such a cowardly and thoughtless act which puts your well being in jeopardy. Just as I watch the brave soul drive on one of my cycling companions rips out ahead trying to chase the guy down. We all laughed at his senseless attempt to outrun eight cylinders with two pedals. Of course we know he was just reacting in anger with out really thinking. That is just another reminder of what the writer said in Proverbs 16:32; “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

"There's a lion outside!"

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:06:00 GMT

Some people always have an excuse. There are times when we all have conflicts in our schedule or emergencies that pop up. We wanted to be there, but we just couldn’t this time. But, sometimes we just don’t want to go. Wouldn’t it be a lot more honorable just to admit we aren’t interested? Perhaps it is a good thing, but not quite high enough on our list of priorities. None of us can do everything people ask us to do. But then there is that person that can’t ever seem to do anything. There is always an excuse; some problem, conflict, or emergency. Perhaps the wise man had this one pegged when he wrote; “The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” (Proverbs 22:13)

A Good Word For Fear

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:19:00 GMT

I’ve been reading a book by one of my favorite authors on fear. Another word for fear is worry. We also use the word anxious. God knows that one of the great enemies of faith is fear. It robs us of sleep, energy, productivity, and peace. It focuses our attention on the natural forces at play and ignores the power of God. It imagines things to be imminent which almost never become real. Fear has its place, but we allow it to stay out of place. Paul told us to not to be anxious, but instead pray and think about better things.

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” I like that. I think I’ll fight my fear with a good word.

Two Sides To The Story

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:31:00 GMT

How many times have you heard the story from someone? You couldn’t believe how angry or upset you became. You steamed and stewed over it and even passed the story along to others. Their reaction was the same as yours. Unfortunately, all this emotion was over one side of the story. When you finally heard the other side, and their always tends to be another side, you felt like a fool. The other side changes everything. If only you had known the other side before you became so upset and shared it with others. This is probably the kind of thing Solomon had in mind when he wrote in Proverbs 18:17; “The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.” Remember, there are always two sides to the story.

Examination or Consideration?

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:41:00 GMT

In Numbers chapter thirteen we find the very familiar story of the twelve spies. The Israelites reached the boarder of the Promised Land. They had God’s instructions. Before entering the land they decided to send twelve men to spy out the land. Now remember that no one doubted that God had said go take the land. No one doubted that this was the particular land He said to take. No one doubted that He meant for them to enter now. So the question I pose is, was it wrong to send the twelve spies? I believe the answer depends on the intent. God often speaks to us, either through His written word or by the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We know when He speaks to us. We know what He has said. We know how it applies to our life. Yet, we too send out our twelve spies to look into God’s instructions. Our twelve spies may be in our mind; complex thoughts and scenarios we vividly imagine. I believe that if our intent is to examine the will of God in order to wisely proceed, it is acceptable. If the twelve spies were sent in to examine how they would proceed in obeying God’s will then that would have been acceptable and wise. But, if our intent is to consider whether we will obey God, then that is wrong. The twelve spies were not completely open to God’s plan before they entered the land. They were open to any and all reasons for possible failure and applied their own human reasoning into the equation of obedience. We do the very same thing all the time. There is wisdom in examining the will of God for our life, but not in considering the will of God for our life. God has already considered it.

I Used To Like Them

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:46:00 GMT

People who write movie scripts love to frustrate the audience. One particular plot always works; they pull you into wanting a relationship to work between two main characters. Then, they find some way for things to unravel. Often the plot involves a sinister associate who fabricates some falsehood and drives a wedge of mistrust or anger between the two people you want to see together. What really drives you crazy is that the remedy seems so obvious; they just need to be honest and upfront about the information they’ve heard and discover the truth. We watch in disbelief at how easily they accept inaccurate information as fact. We yell at the screen, “Just ask them about what you heard!” Unfortunately, this happens all too often in our own lives. That is why Proverbs 16:28 says, “…a gossip separates friends.” We need to learn not to believe those little morsels of bad news about our friends so easily. We need to take the time to check the facts before we allow a bit of gossip ruin a good friendship. Before you say, “I used to like them,” make sure you know the truth.

Freedom Is Not Easy

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:47:00 GMT

In Numbers 13 and 14 we have the story of twelve spies sent into the Promised Land. The children of Israel have just escaped from Egypt where they lived as slaves for 400 years. At last true freedom lies ahead for the taking. God is directing them to go in and possess a land and a new way of life. But this new land and way of life is not going to be easy. Now they must learn to take care of themselves, work together, trust in God’s promises, and fight. Out of the twelve spies all but two, Joshua and Caleb, return with a bad report. The land is already occupied with people who are many, strong, and bigger than the Israelites. Their new found freedom is going to be harder than they imagined. Now they are facing a difficult decision, stand together, fight, being willing to risk utter failure or miraculous victory. Sadly, they cried out for Egypt. It was easier to live in slavery than be free. In Egypt their masters provided them a job, land on which to live, food, and protection from outside forces. I think of this biblical story when I hear people in America cry out to Washington to provide and take care of them. With every new program and benefit which comes from government another piece of freedom disappears. Government becomes the all powerful giver and sustainer, the master of our lives and we become slaves. Remember, freedom is not easy. It is not today nor has it ever been. Freedom requires personal responsibility, hard work, and a willingness to risk failure along the way to success.

Always Stuck

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:14:00 GMT

Proverbs 15:19 says, “The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway.”

I remember in my earlier years I enjoyed hunting. Actually, I enjoyed being outside with friends, tromping through the woods and shooting my gun. I really didn’t care whether I shot any game. We had just as much fun throwing our hats into the air and filling them full with birdshot. One thing I always avoided on those outings was briar-thickets. I didn’t have a pair of those hunting pants with the special coating on the front that fended off all but the nastiest of thorns. I painfully learned that once you walked into a thorny patch things quickly came to a halt. Scripture says that the speed of a lazy person looks like me in that briar patch. In comparison, the upright, or the person who carries on as they should, moves along as if they were on a four lane highway. We all have bad days, but if you find yourself always behind, always bogged down, and you see life passing you by, maybe, just maybe you might be lazy.

Why We Give

bobby@poplargrovebaptist.org — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:51:00 GMT

This is from Dr. David Jeremiah and I thought I would pass it along in today's blog.

Why We Give

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's. It is holy to the LORD.
Leviticus 27:30

Recommended Reading
1 Chr. 29:10-17

According to Forbes magazine's March 2009 ranking, Bill Gates, retired co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation, is the world's richest person with a net worth of approximately $40 billion--down from $58 billion in 2008. Suppose you were feeling particularly generous one day and offered Mr. Gates a penny to help with his daily expenses. He might take your penny so as not to offend you, but does he really need it? What is one cent compared to 40 billion dollars?

Comparing America's smallest coin with the world's largest fortune doesn't come close to equaling the disparity between God's wealth and our tithes and offerings. Does the God who owns everything (Job 41:11b; Haggai 2:8) need our money? Of course not. Why, then, do we give? We give a tenth (or more) of everything to the Lord as a reminder that nothing belongs to us--that everything we have comes from Him and belongs to Him. Giving is an obedient act of worship that reveals what we believe about that which we call "ours."

God doesn't need us to give for His sake, but we need to give for ours. Giving is how we remember how much we have been given.

Are you giving God what is right or what is left?
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