Zakar God's Faithfulness...

After studying Hebrew for an entire summer, I cannot recall much of what I "learned". The irony is that one of the few words I do remember is Zakar (זָכַר ) which means "to remember".  This little word is used 222 times in the Hebrew Bible.   This morning I was reminded of this word while studying Deuteronomy 8.  God says to Israel as they are preparing to enter the Promise Land to not forget the Lord who brought you out of slavery (Dt. 8:14) He is the One who led Israel through the wilderness. (Dt. 8:15-16)  Deuteronomy repeats over and over again truths that Israel had already learned.  This repetition occured because Israel had the same problem we have today in 2011. This is the problem that I suffer from on a daily basis.  He says, "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth."  How often I forget that all the good that I have is form the Lord.  I suffer from what I call Christian amnesia.  I tend to forgot all the ways in which God has worked in my life.  I forget God's faithfulness in countless ways.    What is the cure?  "But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth..." (Dt. 8:18) We are to Zakar that the Lord is the One who has given us all that we have.  This is a great challenge this Thanksgiving week.  I want to spend time remembering God's faithfulness in my life.  It is because of his grace that I get to take another breath.  Before you do anything else, pause, and thank God for His faithfulness in your life.  Start a list of things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving season. How long would your list be?  

Just a thought away from ruining my life...

Only time will reveal what really happened with Jerry Sandusky at Penn State.  To say that it is  a very tragic and difficult situation is an understatement.  While I had a range of emotions when I first heard about the scandal from shock to anger to empathy to sadness, I also had fear. Now this fear was related to my own potential to fail.  You see, I sin just like Jerry. My sin may not be dressed up the same way as Jerry's, but I sin.  In fact, I have thoughts that are not always pure and holy.  I have moments in my mind that I would never want shared on this blog.  So the challenge for me is this: what do I do with my sinful thoughts?  The Apostle Paul urges us to "...take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5) But he says this in the first person plural. He says "We are destroying speculations..." (NASB)  Paul is putting himself in the same category as the listener.   1 John 1:9 says that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  John does it as well.  I have never noticed this plurality in 1 John 1:9.  John does not put himself above the need to confess his sin with the reader of this passage.   John is saying that if we confess our sins or agree with God that we have sinned, He cancels our debt.  I understand the value and necessity of confessing my sins to God.  But for the longest time, I thought confession was a personal thing between me and God. And to a certain extent it is this. But I also think there is a need confess us sins to others.  You see, I am not above failing big time in my personal and professional life.   Paul warns us in 1 Cor. 10:12 "Therefore, if anyone thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."  I am just a thought away from ruin.  The question I have for you is this: when is the last time you confessed your sin to someone? James 5:16 urges us to do so.

  If you want to read a thoughtful response to the Penn State tragedy, check out Tim Henderson's message that he gave to PSU's CRU meeting:  http://pennstatecru.org/lovefull.html

Knock, Knock... You can change the course of your life!

As I have been working with college students for over 22 years, I have seen both the positive and negative influences  that can come from a father.  I would argue that unless we deal with these wounds from a Biblical perspective, we can be set up to repeat them with our children.  Check out this poetic video that can give young men hope!