Thu, Aug 26 2004 Rootbound or Righteous? I am convinced that my friend can grow hair on a rock. Well, maybe I'm going too far, but her garden does amaze me. When we first moved to this area this dear saint gave us some turnips that were unbelievably large ... nearly as big as a human head. One root filled a pot, yet it wasn't tough or stringy like most oversized vegetables are. When I asked her what the secret of her success was, her answer was surprisingly simple. Instead of buying pregrown seedlings she went back to basics, and planted her garden strictly from seed. When I asked her why this was important she told me that many of the seedlings she bought over the years were "rootbound", and as a result never did quite as well as it should have done. For those of you who aren't gardeners, let me explain what "rootbound" is. The roots of the seedling, designed by God to reach deep into the ground to nourish and water the plant, hit the sides of the pot the plant is growing in. Unable to reach downward the roots begin to follow the sides of the pot until they knot up on themselves. You can see a rootbound plant when you pull it from its pot. The roots look like a knotted, twisted length of rope. A rootbound plant never reaches its full potential because its trained to stay within the confines of the pot, even when the pot is removed. Rootbound things are enslaved to something that is no longer there. The pot is gone, but the roots still follow its shape. People become "rootbound" as well. Every day is the same, and we follow a predetermined path until our day is over. We get up, go to work, come home, watch television, and go to sleep. We have a routine, and we follow that routine until the day we die. Yet .... shouldn't there be more to life? The Bible tells us that there IS more to life than following the same old routine that everyone else follows. Jesus Christ said: "... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more ABUNDANTLY."(John 10:10 (KJV)) How can you find that "abundant life" that Jesus promised? First you must come to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as your as Savior. You "confess Him with your mouth" and "believe on Him with your heart" (Romans 10:9). Second, you must follow Jesus and His Holy Word as you live your life. Recognize that you are no longer like the unsaved world. Romans 6:16-18 states: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." You are freed from a sinful, rootbound condition so you can serve Jesus. The Christian is a FOLLOWER of JESUS, not a follower of sin or of the world. Following Jesus means that you must move outside of your "comfort zone". Whatever He leads you to do, step out on faith and do it. You were saved to serve Him, not sin. You have been removed from the world to walk in newness of life - are you doing it? Are you actively involved in your local Church? If not, you are not being obedient to the Master. Are you spending hours every day watching television, but never praying nor studying your Bible? If so you will never discover that "abundant life" that Jesus promised. The Christian grows in his faith by study of the Word and prayer (1 Timothy 4:5). Are you telling others about Jesus Christ, or would your fellow workers be surprised to find out you are "religious"? In the first century Church Augustine of Hippo stated "I wept at the beauty of your hymns and canticles, and was powerfully moved at the sweet sound of your Church singing. These sounds flowed into my ears, and the truth streamed into my heart". Marginal people can never have more than a marginal impact on the world around them. Jesus Christ has removed the believer from the ways of sin and death. Stop following the confines of the world, and turn your eyes upon Jesus! (1 John 5:4) Tue, Aug 17 2004 I Am Not An Animal! Psalms 139:11-14 (NASB) "If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," {12} Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee. {13} For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. {14} I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well." Joseph Carey Merrick - the "Elephant Man" - died when he was only 28 years old. He had a disease that caused extreme deformity in his body, particularly in his head and face. The physicians at the London Royal Hospital believed the disease that so ravaged Joseph was elephantiasis, though others later diagnosed it as "von Recklinghausen's disease" and later "Proteus syndrome". Regardless as to what it was, every day of Joseph's life his horribly disfigured face was a source of amusement to those around him. On one occasion as people pointed and laughed, Joseph cried out "I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!" Joseph understood the difference between "animals" and "human beings". God created all things in six days, and the crown jewel of His creation was humanity. God did not pronounce creation "very good" until Adam and Eve were created, and placed them in the Garden of Eden to watch over it. "I am not an animal! I am a human being!" Over the last fifty or so years a strange thing has happened: that truth which poor Joseph Merrick shouted out - "I am not an animal! I am a human being!" - is no longer accepted in much of America. When you turn on the television the so called scientific shows tell us that we "evolved" from lower forms of life like apes, protozoa, and goo. We are told that man IS an animal, and our nearest cousin is a furry tree dweller in some zoo. Yet we are not told of the numerous evidences AGAINST evolution. We are not told of what internationally recognised geneticist, Professor Jerome Lejeune said. At a lecture given in Paris on March 17, 1985 he said: "We have NO ACCEPTABLE THEORY OF EVOLUTION at the present time. There is none; and I cannot accept the theory that I teach to my students each year. Let me explain. I teach the synthetic theory known as the neo-Darwinian one, for one reason only; not because it's good, we know it is bad, but because there isn’t any other." Why is the myth of evolution taught as a reality, and yet the reality of human creation taught as a myth? The Bible gives us the answer. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV) "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." If the world can convince you that you are an animal, that you evolved from goo, then you have no reason to believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. Animals do not need a Savior, for animals do not "sin". Evolution tells us that we are accidents, not sinners. The Bible, however, tells us the truth. Humans are "fearfully and wonderfully made". Our God made Adam and Eve, our first parents, and put them in the Garden of Eden. Our parents listen to the voice of Satan instead of the voice of God, and in so doing brought sin and death into God's perfect creation. But God, Who so loves His creation, decided that He would save us from where we fell. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 (NASB) "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ died for us because we are NOT animals, we are human beings. When you come to understand this truth, when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior, you realize that God has a higher calling for your life that merely living and dying. Those who know Christ as Savior live their lives as victors, not victims; priests not protozoa; ambassadors for Christ not animals; children of God not chattle of goo. Turn away from the lies and turn to Jesus, the Author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9). Believe in Him - you are not animals, you are human beings! Sat, Aug 14 2004 Ambassadors, Not Accidents Psalms 139:11-14 (NASB) "If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," {12} Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee. {13} For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. {14} I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well." Joseph Carey Merrick - the "Elephant Man" - died when he was only 28 years old. He had a disease that caused extreme deformity in his body, particularly in his head and face. The physicians at the London Royal Hospital believed the disease that so ravaged Joseph was elephantiasis, though others later diagnosed it as "von Recklinghausen's disease" and later "Proteus syndrome". Regardless as to what it was, every day of Joseph's life his horribly disfigured face was a source of amusement to those around him. On one occasion as people pointed and laughed, Joseph cried out "I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!" Joseph understood the difference between "animals" and "human beings". God created all things in six days, and the crown jewel of His creation was humanity. God did not pronounce creation "very good" until Adam and Eve were created, and placed them in the Garden of Eden to watch over it. "I am not an animal! I am a human being!" Over the last fifty or so years a strange thing has happened: that truth which poor Joseph Merrick shouted out - "I am not an animal! I am a human being!" - is no longer accepted in much of America. When you turn on the television the so called scientific shows tell us that we "evolved" from lower forms of life like apes, protozoa, and goo. We are told that man IS an animal, and our nearest cousin is a furry tree dweller in some zoo. Yet we are not told of the numerous evidences AGAINST evolution. We are not told of what internationally recognised geneticist, Professor Jerome Lejeune said. At a lecture given in Paris on March 17, 1985 he said: "We have NO ACCEPTABLE THEORY OF EVOLUTION at the present time. There is none; and I cannot accept the theory that I teach to my students each year. Let me explain. I teach the synthetic theory known as the neo-Darwinian one, for one reason only; not because it's good, we know it is bad, but because there isn’t any other." Why is the myth of evolution taught as a reality, and yet the reality of human creation taught as a myth? The Bible gives us the answer. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV) "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." If the world can convince you that you are an animal, that you evolved from goo, then you have no reason to believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. Animals do not need a Savior, for animals do not "sin". Evolution tells us that we are accidents, not sinners. The Bible, however, tells us the truth. Humans are "fearfully and wonderfully made". Our God made Adam and Eve, our first parents, and put them in the Garden of Eden. Our parents listen to the voice of Satan instead of the voice of God, and in so doing brought sin and death into God's perfect creation. But God, Who so loves His creation, decided that He would save us from where we fell. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 (NASB) "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ died for us because we are NOT animals, we are human beings. When you come to understand this truth, when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior, you realize that God has a higher calling for your life that merely living and dying. Those who know Christ as Savior live their lives as victors, not victims; priests not protozoa; ambassadors for Christ not animals; children of God not chattle of goo. Turn away from the lies and turn to Jesus, the Author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9). Believe in Him - you are not animals, you are human beings! Wed, Aug 04 2004 Are You On The Winning Team? (Galatians 6:14-16 KJV) "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. {15} For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. {16} And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." A few days ago I and my wife went with the young people of Rock Hill Baptist Church to a Diamond Jaxx game. Baseball and apple pie, these two have been wonderfully identified with America even before I was born. Both the sport as well as the dessert require that you follow the rules if you expect to enjoy them. Think about apple pie for a moment. Would you eat a pie if the chef ran out of white flour and decided to substitute dirt in the crust? If there weren't enough apples for the recipe, would it be wise to use catfish in its place? Though I love fried catfish, I'm not ready for an apple-catfish pie! Now let's think about baseball. When the batter swings at the ball - and misses - this is called a "strike". If the pitcher gets the ball over the home plate at the right height and the batter DOESN'T swing at the ball, this is still called a "strike". Three strikes and the batter is "out". Three "outs" and the other team gets an opportunity to hit the ball. Whoever receives the most "runs" wins the game. I'm sure some of you can explain this much better than I'm doing, but the point is this: There are DEFINITE rules, and these rules MUST be followed if you expect to win the game - whether you like the rules or not. Many find it easy to understand the necessity of following rules in baseball, yet find it unbelievable that God our Creator has Himself established rules that we need to live by. Anyone who rejects this truth need only take a look at the incredible suffering that Jesus Christ endured for our sakes. Man broke the rules in the Garden of Eden. Mankind continues to break the rules today by sugar coating sinful behavior and calling it "normal". God has shown us by the Cross that He does not take the rules of righteousness lightly. Our Lord Jesus suffered terribly on that tree so that God the Father could dump every violation of righteousness that both you and I have ever made on Him. Jesus Christ paid the penalty you should have paid for breaking the rules. Believe on Him, crying out to God for salvation in His name, and God will transfer Christ's payment for sin to YOUR account. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV). Now that you are saved, are you exempt from the rules of God? No, but you are empowered to live within the boundaries of those rules. Will you "fit in" with the rest of the world? Absolutely not! But praise God that you DO walk a different path! The players at the Jaxx game all wore uniforms, and stood out from the crowd around them who merely watched the game. If you have accepted God's call to salvation you play on a team mightier than all the sports clubs that have ever existed. Your Coach has purchased you a distinctive uniform that makes you stand out from those who merely watch - and the Coach expects you to wear that uniform proudly (John 15:18-20; Romans 12:1-2). The opposing team may jeer you, and even try to get you to quit or change sides. Do not fear! Our team has stood victorious for over two thousand years because our Coach ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Corinthians 15:57). Fit in with the world? Better to wear His uniform and be on the winning team, both now, and for all eternity.