As I drive around every day, I like to read church signs.  One sign recently caught my attention.  On one side it reads, "TRY JESUS IF U DON'T LIKE HIM."  On the other side the message continues, "THE DEVIL WILL ALWAYS TAKE U BACK."

Punctuation would really help in this case but I know from personal experience that the letter kits for these signs usually do not contain enough punctuation.  The first time I saw this sign, I saw the second half of the message.  "The devil will always take you back."  Upon seeing this much of the message, my first thought was, "not a chance."  Nothing can take me out of God's hand.  There is no way the devil can have me because I belong to Jesus.  He will never leave me or forsake me.

Later that same day, I saw the first half of the message.  "Try Jesus if you don't like Him."  Here's where a good comma would come in handy.  However, my first reaction was to the message just as it reads.  I thought, "Why would I try Him if I don't like Him?"  Then I thought, "Maybe it means to try as in a trial of some kind or as to try the patience of Jesus."  That sounds really dangerous to me.  I don't think I want to deliberately try the patience of Jesus.  I'm sure I do try His patience all the time but I would not want to do it deliberately.

Finally, it occurred to me that the two sides of the sign are both a part of the same message.  Then it began to make sense.  The sign's message is a clever way of encouraging people to accept Jesus.  While I have no criticism of the church or the person who posted the message on the sign, I would like to pose a question to consider.  Can you really try Jesus?

I know that the scripture says, "O taste and see that the LORD is good. . ." (Ps. 34:8KJV)  However, scripture also records, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. . ." (Matt. 16:24-25NIV)  I wonder if, in our attempt to make accepting Jesus as easy as possible, or in our attempt to "sell" Jesus to an indifferent world, have we mislead people into believing in Jesus in order to get to go to Heaven but not in really being His disciple.

Being a disciple of Jesus means that we do more than just believe in Him.  "You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that - and shudder." (James 2:19NIV)  A disciple is someone who must deny himself or herself, take up their cross and follow Jesus.  Are you a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ?  A disciple is someone who does not just give lip service to Jesus as LORD.  A "Lord" is someone who has supreme authority in your life.  That's why you must deny yourself.  Jesus must be "Lord" of your life.  Many people mistakenly believe that the cross Jesus says we should bear is some kind of burden.  But Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:30NIV)  No, the cross Jesus says we must bear is "(our) cross."  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20NIV)

Accepting Jesus is a radical thing.  If you just superficially "try Jesus," thinking that you can just be a little bit Christian, you will be very suprised on the day of judgment.  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matt. 7:21-23NIV)  The word translated "knew" there means "to know absolutely."  The concept of "knowing" someone in scripture is the idea of knowing that person in the most intimate way.  We must know and be known by Jesus in the most personal and intimate way.

Are you trying Jesus?  That will not work.  You must genuinely accept Him and make Him the LORD of your life by dying to self daily.  "The old has gone the new has come."  JESUS IS LORD!

Alan L. Thomas <><

In the past few weeks we have celebrated the Advent of Christ by lighting the candle of Hope, the candle of Peace, and today we light the candle of Joy.  Just as our Hope is found in Christ and our Peace with God is manifest in Christ, so our Joy is made complete in Christ.

Luke 2:8-11 says:  “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Joy as – “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”  But what if you just don’t feel joyful.  In Nehemiah’s day, the Children of Israel were not joyful.  In fact, they were filled with sorrow and for good reason.  After walking away from God and the teachings of the Law, the people of God had been lead away again into bondage.  Now they were returning to God and to the Law and upon hearing the Word of God, they were full of sorrow and weeping.

“Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  This day is holy to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) 

Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now abide in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and abide in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9-11)

Do you have complete joy?  Many people have great difficulty getting into the “Christmas Spirit” because the circumstances of their life are such that a feeling of great pleasure and happiness does not seem possible.  However, what is impossible with us is possible with God.  The Apostle Paul, while sitting in prison said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)  We truly can have complete joy because we can have the joy of Christ as we abide in relationship with Him.

As we celebrate the coming of Christ, let us remember where our joy comes from - that even though we have failed Christ, He has not failed us.  Even though we have no cause to be joyful because of sin or the circumstances in which we find ourselves, He has given us complete Joy in Him.  The joy of the Lord is our strength!

Alan L. Thomas <><

I recently heard a news story of an 8 year old being removed from his home in Ohio because he weighs 200 lbs.  The report went on to explain that Ohio state officials are removing the child from the home because the mother was not doing enough to control the child's weight.  While I agree that a parent has a great deal of responsibility for the physical condition of an 8 year old child, I have to wonder what kind of message the Ohio officials are sending to the 8 year old boy.  Are we, in the form of government rule, reinforcing the idea that if you are overweight it must be the fault of some other person.  It may very well be that parenting skills or the lack thereof have had some impact in this situation.  However, at some point, personal responsibility comes into play.  And, teaching personal responsibility is equally important along with personal health issues in the young man's development.  If he is overweight at 20 years old, who's fault will it be?  If he is over weight at 30 . . . at 40 . . . at 50 . . . etc?

The larger issue here is personal responsibility in society as a whole.  We have become, for the most part, a society of blame shifters.  Many people find it impossible to admit fault in a given situation.  When fault is admitted, it often comes with explanation that attempts to shift at least some of the blame to some other person or situation.  This, by the way, is nothing new.  In the beginning, when Adam and Eve sinned, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.  Adam even had the nerve to imply that somehow God was at fault.  "That woman you gave me. . ."  So the blame shifting game has always been around.  Now, however, we've taken the blame shifting game to new heights to the detriment of society.  If students aren't learning, it's the teacher's fault.  If homes are being foreclosed, it's the banker's fault.  If wages aren't rising, it's the boss's fault.  If people are getting fatter, it's McDonald's fault.  If people are getting poorer, it's the rich man's fault.  If you are a contestant on X Factor and you give a bad performance, it's your mentor's fault.

When this life is over, you and I and everyone who has ever lived will stand before the judgment seat and give an account of what was done and not done in this life.  If Jesus says, "I never knew you," will it be the televangelist's fault?  No one will stand there but you.  You will give an account for yourself and no excuses will be accepted.  Each of us is personally responsible before God to receive the free gift of salvation provided by shed blood of Jesus Christ.

No more excuses!

Alan L. Thomas <><

Have you reached bottom yet?  Have you said things like:  "I'm at the end of my rope." or "I have fallen so low, there's no where else to go but up."

Congratulations!  You are now in just the right place.  In the 15th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells the story of the lost or prodigal son.  This young man decides to leave his father's household and live life on his own terms.  Jesus said, "(he) set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living."  The father in this story is symbolic of our Heavenly Father - God.  The son represents all of us who at one time or another decided to live life on our own terms, making our own decisions and following our own passions and desires.  The master of our own destiny.  Maybe you're living life that way right now.  Even those of us who call ourselves "Christians" often make decisions based upon being the master of our own destiny.  That is so contrary to actually being a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ.  But then, Jesus said, "when he came to his senses. . ."  The young man in the story reached the end of his rope.  If that's where you are, then you too are in just the right place to come to Christ.  The young man returned to his father in humility and found the amazing grace of his father who received him back into the household fully restored to the position he had previously walked away from.

Yes, you can return home again.  God, our Heavenly Father, is standing by looking for your return.  Returning to the Heavenly Father will mean coming back in an attitude of humility.  You will have to come back saying, "OK God, I know YOUR ways are better than mine.  I am willing to let YOU be the master of my destiny.  It's YOUR way - not my way.  You are the LORD of my life."  So, if you've hit bottom, that's the best place to be.  Look up, your Savior awaits your decision to make HIM the LORD of your life.

Alan L. Thomas <><

A friend of mine works for a company with a similar sounding name.  Every time I call and get his voicemail, he clearly says the name of the company but I automatically hear "weedmaster."  I was thinking about this the other day and almost forgot to leave my message.  The following is where my mind goes when I think about the weedmaster.

In Matthew 13, Jesus gives us two parables that come to my mind when I think about the weedmaster.  First, the parable of the sower.  Jesus explains in verse 22 that the seed that falls among thorns is someone who hears the word, "but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful."  Beware of the thorny weeds.  These are the ones that grow up in your life and choke the word of God that would otherwise make a difference in your life.  Jesus specifically defines these weeds as "worries" and "wealth."

What about the "worries of this life?"  Isn't it just natural to worry about things?  Some might would even say that a certain amount of worry is healthy.  Some worry indicates that we are indeed truly concerned about something.  Worry, like anger, is not bad in and of itself.  It's what we do with that worry that's important.  When we worry, we should immediately turn to the Lord.  "Do not be anxious about anything..." (Phil. 4:6)  When worry turns to anxiety, it reveals that our trust is not in Jesus as it should be.  It is a warning sign from the Holy Spirit.  When you start to feel anxious, turn to the Lord in prayer and cast all of your worries upon Him.  When you do, you will receive the "peace of God."

The "deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful."  What does this mean?  When we are "wealthy," we may believe we have less of a need for God.  I say "may believe" because Jesus didn't say that wealth itself is the thorny weed.  He said the "deceitfulness of wealth" is the thorny weed.  Once again, where do you place your trust?  Also, "wealth" doesn't just refer to money.  You may be wealthy in spirit (that is human spirit) and see no need for God.  Earlier in Matthew, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."  We need to be not so full of our self, but full of the Holy Spirit.  Beware of thinking that the Bible or Word is a self help book.  We must deny self, identify ourselves with the Cross of Jesus crucifying self daily, and follow Jesus.  This is exactly where the "rich young ruler" was not willing to go.

Finally, Jesus tells the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13.  This weed story indicates a different kind of weed.  Jesus is telling us that there are weeds in the church.  These weeds are not true followers of Jesus Christ.  We are told not to pull the weeds but let them grow along with the grain in the field.  At harvest time, the weeds will be bound and destroyed.  It's not my place to identify and destroy the weeds.  The point of this story is that Jesus and Jesus alone is the weedmaster.  Are you truly a follower of Jesus Christ?  Do you completely place your trust in Him?  He is the weedmaster.  If you open your life to Him, He will come and clean the weeds out of your life.  You cannot clean them out yourself.  You need the weedmaster.  And, one day, Jesus Himself will come and weed out the church.  Will you be a weed or wheat?

Alan L. Thomas <><

If you are familiar with Facebook, you obviously know what the "like" button is.  The "like" button allows you to show approval of something posted by someone else.  Or, you can "like" a comment made about your post.  You can also "like" pages that are devoted to certain businesses, organizations or causes that you want to stay informed about.  Once you "like" something, you automatically receive notification of any additional comments concerning what you have "liked."

Many people "like" Jesus.  They approve of some of His posts like "The Sermon On The Mount" but they ignore others like "I am the way. . ."  Many people "like" the religion of Christianity without really "liking" the Lord Jesus Christ himself.  Others think they have a relationship with Jesus simply because they clicked the "like" button on salvation by saying a prayer, joining a church or getting dunked, pored or sprinkled with water.

Let's see what Jesus had to say about "liking" Him.  "Then he (Jesus) said to them all:  'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.'" (Luke 9:23-24)  Those two words, "follow me," have serious conditions attached to them.  In order to be a follower of Jesus Christ, one must deny his or her self.  That means you become a slave of Jesus Christ.  What you want is no longer your main concern.  It's "what would Jesus do" 24/7.  You have to take up the cross daily.  That means identifying with Jesus and His sacrifice for your sin, reminding yourself daily that you were bought with a great price, the blood of Jesus Christ.  You are not your own if you are a follower of Jesus Christ.  You can't just "like" what He did.  You have to truly become His by giving your all to Him because He gave His all for you.

Jesus has clicked the "like" button on the potential of what your life can be in relationship with Him.  He gave His life that you might truly live.  What will you do with that?

Alan L. Thomas <><

"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.  To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'  All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations - a people who continually provoke me to my very face." (Isaiah 65:1-3a)

The above verses reveal God's reaction to the wayward Israelites as recorded by the Prophet Isaiah.  But doesn't this sound descriptive of us all?  God created us "and it was very good."  Then "the fall" of mankind occurred.  God allowed sin to enter His perfect creation so that we might have a choice.  God is the most perfect gentleman.  He will not force Himself on us.  He has "held out (His) hands to (us) obstinate people."  And yet we "continually provoke (God) to (His) very face."

In fact, God has not only reached out to us, He has revealed Himself to us through His only begotten Son who was born, lived, and died on the Cross so that we might have the opportunity to choose God.  That fact that God in human form (Jesus) revealed Himself to us (the wayward humanity) is the greatest expression of Love.  God's sacrifice of Himself on behalf of a people who continually ignore or outright reject that sacrifice is the highest standard of Love.  No other love even comes close.

Jesus willingly died on the Cross so that we might be forgiven.  "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin." (Hebrews 9:22)  "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)  "Greater love has no one than this:  to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)  Jesus chose to offer His life for us even though we have chosen to ignore God and live life our own way.  The good news is that we can be made right with God through the redemption that comes only by way of the Cross of Christ.

Choose God by recognizing His unsurpassed expression of Love and choose His plan of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Alan L. Thomas <><

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing,  and your vats will brim over with new wine."

To "honor" means to attach high value to someone or something.  Therefore, honoring the Lord with your wealth means to show that you value God by how you manage your wealth.  Some may say, "Well, I'll give more to God when I become wealthy."  You don't have to be rich to be wealthy.  You may not have an abundance of money, but you might have an abundance of time.  You may not have an abundance of time, but you may have an abundance of talent.  We are all wealthy in some way and you may be more wealthy than you think.  No matter what you have, ALL that you have has been given to you by God.  It all belongs to him.  We get into trouble when we begin to believe that somehow we deserve what we have or that it truly belongs to us.

We are told to honor the Lord with our firstfruits.  That means off the top, at the beginning, as soon as we get it.  We should give God the best of what we have and not just the left-overs.  How often have you said, "When I get time?  When I get enough?  When I'm a little older?  When I'm a little wiser?  When I retire?"  When we don't give God the best, off the top of what we receive, it means we don't really trust God to provide what we need.

Notice that there is a blessing when we do honor the Lord off the top of what we receive from Him.  He gives us even more.  When we trust and value God enough to handle His resources His way, then He fills our barns to overflowing.  It is true, use God's blessing and provision in the right way or loose it.  If we grasp the blessing of God and hold on to it, value it above God Himself, we loose it because we have valued and held on to the wrong thing.

A couple of my favorite verses are just above in verses 5 & 6.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways (in the new NIV) 'submit' to Him, and He will make your paths straight."  We don't like that word "submit."  But that's what it really takes to Honor The Lord.

Alan L. Thomas <><

I recently heard a report that a new directive has been issued regarding military funerals conducted at national cemeteries.  The new directive states that the words "God" and "Jesus" are not to be used at these funerals.  What have we come to in the United States of America when the mere use of these words constitute the establishment of religion in the mind of some people?  It is clear that there is a concerted effort to secularize all public life in our society.  The first amendment was meant to protect churches from government intrusion.  In fact, at the time, there were several states that had official state sponsored churches.  The non-establishment clause in the first amendment only applied to the Federal government so that there would be no national church.  Now the non-establishment clause has been reinterpreted to mean that government should protect society from church.

We have forgotten our Biblical roots.  We are attempting to rewrite history and purge our collective memory of the fact that this country was founded on Biblical principals.  The secularization of America is destroying our society by degrading our sense of morality and leaving us with no foundation for truth.  Moral relativism and the rise of tolerance as the pinnacle of all goodness is leaving us morally bankrupt and without any clear direction as a society.  It's anything goes unless my freedom diminishes the freedom of someone more valued or something more protected in society.  That's no freedom at all.  "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh (sin); rather, serve one another humbly in love." (Galatians 5:13)  There is ultimate truth and our ignorance of it does not make it less truthful.  If something is true, it is true no matter what someone wants to claim to the contrary.  If I believe a lie, it merely means that I am deceived and do not know the truth.

We have forgotten God.  Let us take a lesson from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah 3:21 says, "A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the LORD their God."  Let us not repeat their mistake.  The good news is found in verse 22:  "'Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.'"  This is the statement of God.  The response of the Israelites:  "'Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God.'"  May we never forget who we are and why we have been so marvelously blessed.  Let us remember the LORD our God.

Alan L. Thomas <><

The new morality strikes again.  New York has given special rights to same-sex couples by granting marital status to those who seek it.  This decision redefines the institution of marriage and the purpose behind it is to provide moral standing for what has always been an immoral activity.  Don't just take my word for it.  The Scripture speaks for itself.

Romans 1:18-32

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godless and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.  Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading  of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised.  Amen.  Because of this, God gave then over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.  Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways to doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

The Scripture above describes the new morality.  If you think I am engaging in hate-speech, your argument is not with me - but with Scripture.  The good news is that even though we have developed our own morality apart from God's standard, God still loves us and Jesus died for us - even in our sinful state.  We must confess our sin and turn from it toward the one and only God who has provided the means of our redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ.  We must not conform to our own sense of morality, but be transformed by renewing our minds with God's standard.  God is right - because God is God!

Alan L. Thomas <><