Hell ain't cool, but heaven is!

When I was about 11 I had a large collection of comic books, but when I saw the book about Hell, it wasn’t funny.

Collecting and trading comic books was fascinating to me. I had all of the comics: Superman, Superboy, Dick Tracy, Bat Man, and all of the rest. 

I even have a collection of the Classics in Comics such as Ivanhoe, Romeo and Juliet, and McBeth. In pictures, I came to understand great ideas and often lost myself in the comic book world of Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck, and Mighty Mouse.

The old folks called comics, funny books. And they were funny until I came upon a set of comic books about Dante’s Inferno. In these comic pictures depicted ungodly people being tossed into hell fire. That was a nightmare. I didn’t like that picture and soon got rid of that book. I figured If I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t think about it. And the place would go away.

In Sunday school, I learned about heaven, but then I also learned that the unrighteous will be condemned to hell. I decided that I wanted to learn more about heaven and how to get there. I wanted to be sure my name was on the list of those going to heaven.

Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Hell won’t be a good place. It certainly won’t be cool.

I bought the funny book that showed me pictures about hell, but it sure wasn’t funny.

I found it better to dream about going to heaven.

 I found heaven in a book too, it’s called the Bible.

God doesn't have email, prayer is faster

We reach people today by mail, phone or social chat sites. God doesn’t have an email, how do you reach him?

Email is the accepted method of communication today. There was a time that people sent letters, but mostly business-related items or matters that are very important or sent by snail mail. These might include government agencies such as the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or The Veterans administration. Sale papers still come in the mail, too.

Today, everyone wants your email address. If you don’t do email then they want your cell phone number so they can send you a text. Even doctor appointments are being conducted over the phone, so they need your FaceTime address.

If you don’t want to be contacted, all you have to do is cancel your phone, kill your internet, email, and Cablevision. Most likely you will then be pretty hard to find.

There are times when we want to get a message to God, but he doesn’t have an email, twitter or a cellphone number. How do we get a message to God? What’s his number? That’s where Jesus comes in. We pray our prayers to God in Jesus’ name. He delivers each and every one. 

God doesn’t have email, the only way to get him a message is to pray, in Jesus’ name. It’ll get there on time.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

When you pray in Jesus’ name you’re praying to the whole Godhead at the same time. Instead of 911, you are calling 1-1-1

One for the father, one for the son, and one for Holy Ghost.

Try it, before you finish speaking the words in faith, you'll get a direct connection and your message is delivered on time every time.

Before you plan tomorrow, check with God

In the past folks made promises, but conditioned them on whether not the promises were within the will of God.

We heard the old times say things such as “You can count on me, if the wills it.”

Or some would say, “If the Lord say the same and the creek don’t rise.”

There was a lot of wisdom in those old sayings because they acknowledged that we don’t control tomorrow, but God does.

For country folks, the possibility of flash floods, without notice, was always on their mind. No promise could be kept if the waters of the creek overflowed and washed out the roads and caused floods.

We make plans for tomorrow and next year, but all of our plans are contingent upon the will of God who controls the entire world. So the Bible teaches us not to make concrete promises but to always condition them on whether God’s plans and our plans are going in the same direction.

James 4:14-15 says, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

Every day of our lives is in the hand of God.

Any plans we make are tentative, they depend on what God has on schedule for tomorrow.

We don’t know what he plans for us, but whatever it is, he’s got us covered.

Whatever you plan for tomorrow, put it in God’s hand and resolve to do it, “If the Lord says the same, and the creek don’t rise.”

Forget the wishbone, ask God instead

Wishbones are supposed to bring good luck, but those who trust God never lose out.

A tradition began many years ago with the Pilgrims. After they had eaten the Thanksgiving turkey they took the turkey's wishbone, dried it out and the next day two people would each make a wish and pull on each end of the bone. Whoever got the bigger part of the bone was said to get the "lucky break" and their wish would come true.

Over the years people have pulled on goose bones, duck bones, and even chicken bones trying to find good luck. We wish upon a star, look for four-leaf clovers, put horseshoes over our doors, and everything else we can think of in an effort to get the luck we seek.

Christians don’t trust luck, we live by faith. We believe that what God has for us, we will receive. In addition, if we have needs, we ask God to provide for them according to his will. If what we ask is in his will, we will receive at the appropriate time.

John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

So, getting the longest part of the wishbone might be fun, but don’t count on it.

Nothing beats a sincere prayer to the father who can open doors for us, regardless to which end of the wishbone we get.

You are already rich, you just don't know it!

 Many people spend their lives trying to get rich, those who know the Lord are already rich.

People who have experienced poverty often dream of a time when they don’t have to worry about paying the rent, lights, water, or gas. We yearn to seek the time when car notes, house notes, and loans are a thing of the past.

That’s an admirable goal because beyond that, with the exception of health issues and unplanned circumstances, living is easier.

Some, however, don’t dream of living comfortably; they dream of being rich. Not just fifty rich. They don’t want a golden bathtub and toilet, the most expensive car in the world, and jewelry the size of marbles. They don’t want one house to live in they also want three or four others to play in. Planes, Yachts, servants, and money to throw away are the substance of their dreams.

The Bible warns believers about seeking riches. If that becomes our life’s goal it can consume our thinking, mess up our sleep, ruin our marriages and attract more haters than we care to mention. More than that, it tends to lead us away from God who wants to be first in our lives.

1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

If you have a place to lay your head, reasonable health, and strength, a family that loves you and access to the splendor of heaven...

You are already rich; you just don't know it!

Being ashamed of God is not cool!

Many people are ashamed to talk about God; that's not cool.

Today it’s not a popular thing to talk about God, or being blessed in the workplace. It seems that the workplace, especially corporate America wants you to keep your beliefs about God to yourself.

Those who look too religious, or keep a Bible on their desks, probably won’t get fired, but there is a good chance they may not be promoted or invited to the company party.

People of faith are tolerated but rarely appreciated, so some believers don’t talk much about God unless they are around other church people. It’s not cool to speak of Godly things at school, or on the job so many just keep quiet. It’s just not cool to be born again, or filled with the spirit, or to constantly talk about being blessed.

Ashamed, so believers keep their faith to themselves. They refuse to witness because they don’t want to be snubbed.

In God’s eyesight, that’s not cool!

Luke 9:26 says, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

All the people who laugh at you for talking about God or living by faith act differently whenever there is a death, mass shooting, earthquake or serious trouble.

When that happens, everybody looks for that co-worker they know who prays or has a connection with God.

That’s why you should live the Christian life in front of your co-workers, you don’t have preach them, your life will do that for you.

Be ashamed of who you were before you found the Lord

Don’t be ashamed of who you are with the Lord.

If your friends have a problem with your faith, they are the ones with the problem.

We want a thumbs up from God!

Crowds may applaud you and chant your name, but it’s what God thinks that counts.

The Christian life has taught us to measure the praise we get from people and receive it only in proportion to how well it might be received by God. 

A young man was taught to play the violin by a master teacher who emphasized technique, phrasing, and feel as part of every performance. As the young man performed in his first public recital, his teacher sat in the audience. He played his heart out. The audience sat on the edges of their seats. 

When he completed his performance, the audience rose to its feet and gave him several ovations, applauds, and praise. The young violinist scanned the audience frantically looking for his teacher. He heard the cheers of the crowd but their ovations and praise were deaf to his ears. He ignored their praise and scanned the crowd until he found his teacher. When he made eye contact, his teacher gave him a thumbs up and mouthed the words “Bravo.”

The praise of the master teacher is all that mattered.

Many Christians do great works in the name of the Lord. We help the needy, feed the hungry, and champion the causes of the less fortunate. Sometimes we are praised in the media and other places, but the praise we really seek is from the master. We want to please him through our service and that’s enough.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts."

The praise of men is fleeting. The praise of God is everlasting.

What want to hear is, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

Bravo!

A song can stir up trouble or bring you peace

 Songs are powerful, so powerful that people fight over them.

During the Civil War, there were two songs that stirred the emotions of those on one side of the war or the other. The Battle Hymn of the Republic and “Dixie.”

The Battle hymn was sung by Abolitionists and Union Soldiers as they fought to preserve the union and to free the slaves.

Dixie was sung by Southerners who sang about their desire to hang on to old times, which included slavery.

People fought in the streets over the ideals that the songs represented. Thousands died.

Even today, “Dixie” boils the blood of African-Americans, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic is not popular in the South.

Songs stir powerful emotions in us that can’t be ignored.

As Christians, we sing about the goodness of the Lord. It stirs emotions of hope, faith, and happiness. One song says,

“I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free. For his eye is on the sparrow and know he watches me.”

Psalm 96:1-4 “O, sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day today. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

Keep a song in your heart. 

Sing about Jesus and his love. It will stir your heart and give you peace.

What will our Christian letter of reference say?

When the Lord writes his letter of recommendation for you, what will it say?

Will it say that you are regular in your attendance?

Will it say that you generously give of your talents to the church with little or no charge?

Will it say that you make time to support the ministries of the church?

Will it say that you are a faithful financial supporter of the church’s ministries.

Your reference letter will also attest to your honesty, sharing, team spirit, and your unselfishness. 

It will most definitely mention that you have been born again.

 

Our reference letter tells others our testimony.

Paul had to write a letter of reference for a woman named Phoebe. In Romans 16:1 he said, “Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She's a key representative of the church at Cenchrea.”

When this life is over, our savior, Jesus Christ, will write a spiritual letter of reference to God on our behalf.

On his recommendation, we will enter the gates of heaven, and spend eternity in paradise.

If we give life our best shot, and try our best to get it right, our letter of reference will be stamped, “Well Done.”

We are blessed through praying families

 The long arms of the godly family help each family member to achieve God's ultimate purpose. Through the family, members receive sustenance, encouragement, direction, and correction. Through the family, God begins the flow of his ancestral promise to each generation.

  Many of those who have achieved success in life credit the support, encouragement, and discipline they received in their family for their success. For some it was the strong hand of parents, for others it was the support of siblings.

 For still others, it was a favorite aunt or uncle that kept them on target. In a variety of ways, believers have been touched by their families that have been used by God to strengthen their life experiences.

   The immediate way that God helps us is through the family. Those who are fortunate enough to have strong families, learn that God touches a mother and father in such a way that they are able to provide unique sustenance for their children, beyond mere food and drink.

   In Genesis 18:19, God speaks about Abraham’s family, he says,  I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

   The family is the vehicle God has chosen to use to guide us to our promised possession. 

When your looks are "dy-no-mite!"

 Many are unhappy with their appearance, but God didn’t make a mistake.

The man that is short believes that his life is miserable because he is not tall, until he meets someone like Spud Webb who was only 5’7, a literal midget on the professional basketball court. Despite his limited height, Webb became a slam dunk champion in the NBA.

Jimmy JJ Walker had the wrong mix of looks for a T.V. Star. He had huge lips, big ears, a wide nose and assortment of other features that looked as if he could never have a career as an actor. Yet, Walker, became a star on “Goodtimes” using his looks as a selling point that were “Dy-no-mite.” 

If you are wishing that you had straight hair, nappy hair, longer fingers, washboard abs or a coke bottle shape, that’s O.K. You can spend your life trying to be what you are not or you can conclude that God may have put your success in a strange-looking package that only you can use.

That’s what Danny Divito did. He is only 4’10” tall but that didn’t stop him from becoming the richest little people actors in Hollywood, playing roles like the Penguin in “Batman Returns.”

Moms Mabley was old and toothless and promoted her toothlessness as an asset. She became one of the most successful comedians in recent history.

God doesn’t make mistakes. What we have in our package of talents, gifts, and looks should be used for his glory, no matter what others think.

Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Regardless to what others say, look at yourself in the mirror and say “I am beautifully ad wonderfully made.”

Now take your beautiful self to bed and sleep tight.

God will mow down all haters, without a weed eater!

When God mows down your haters, he won’t need a weed eater, just his word.

There was a time when lawn care was the business of little boys with lawnmowers, who clipped your hedges, mowed your yard, and trimmed your sidewalk for $10.

Those were the days when all that was needed was a sling blade, a hoe, a pair of hedge clippers, and a push mow - without a motor. A yard boy didn’t need gas for his mower or any other tools, mostly what he needed was energy and the willingness to push a motorless mower in the sun for hours, for just $10.

Today, there are lawn care companies that bring trailers full of equipment, weed eaters, electric trimmers, and 360 turn mowers. They don’t even rake leaves anymore, they just blow them away with gas-powered mowers.

Either way, the grass gets cut.

There are people who wrapped themselves around your big dreams like weeds and choke you out. Our haters grow tall and at times are llike the grass and weeds in your yard. They seemed to win until the Lord steps in to mow them down and weed them out. He uses only one tool, the power of the Holy Ghost.

 Psalm 37:2 says,  “For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”

Worried about those who talk about you and cause problems? Hang on, God will take care of the strangling tall grasses.. 

....He won’t need a weed eater, Just his word.

Two cooks in the same kitchen often means trouble

If you try to put two great cooks in the same kitchen, it won’t be long before there is a clash.

There is a better understanding when all parties share the same standard, direction, and focus. That’s why two decorators can’t be hired to decorate the same room. Neither can two painters can be hired to paint the same picture.

There can’t be two head coaches of a team, two presidents or two outstanding musicians assigned to write the same song.

Generally, those who are good at what they do have their own vision of how things should be, and consider their ideas superior.

It happens in families, too. Both the husband and the wife can’t be the head of the family, someone has to lead, protect and provide. There is trouble if there are two versions what those things mean because each thinks one is better fit to lead than the other.

There is peace when one is designated as the leader with input from the other and the results are presented as a team effort. 

It’s a team effort, and there is no "I" in team.

That’s also true about our faith. Some are trying out strange beliefs that are competing with what the Bible teaches. Christians are mixing faith and Yoga. Christ and Prosperity. Jesus and Confucious. The Bible and the Koran.

It’s a formula for a messed-up understanding of life and what God wants.

Ephesians 4:5-6, says "There is one Lord, one, faith and one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.…"

Just like there is one lord, one faith, and one baptism, there is also one devil, one trouble maker, and one destroyer of dreams.

He’s the one that gets in your business and brings trouble.

Stick with the Lord. He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are all on the same page.

Check the batteries in your sin detectors

There seems to be a detector and alarm for just about everything; there is even a sin detector.

There are so many detectors and alarms we are no longer surprised when we see or hear them.

A person who walks out of a store without paying for an item sets off an alarm.

Metal detectors set off alarms if weapons are discovered.

In our houses, there are smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors inside, and motion detectors outside that turn on lights at the slightest movement.

There are burglar alarms in our businesses and vehicles.

Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit even have a sin detector in our spirit. It’s called our conscience or the voice of God speaking to us. Every time we say or do something that is contrary to God's will, the Holy Spirit sets off an alarm in our spirit and lets us know we have crossed the line.

Nobody has to tell us. Our sin detector sounds an alarm.

Sometimes we try to ignore the alarm, but it just keeps beeping “sin, sin, sin, sin.”

If we can do wrong and it doesn’t bother us it means that the voice of God does not speak to you. That is a really serious problem, you should check your spiritual batteries. 

Hebrews 13:18 “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.”

The old folks call our sin detector our “first mind.” They often say, I should have followed my first mind.

For Christians, the first voice you hear in your head is usually the voice of God speaking, advising, and directing us.

It’s a good idea to follow your first mind; it could very well be God speaking.

How do I love thee, Lord? Let me count the ways

 In a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the question was asked, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

That's a deep question, but it is easy for us to answer, especially when it comes to the ways that God has shown his love for us.

He provides for us. Protects us and encourages us.

God is our company keeper and friend through thick and thin. He doesn't take our side when we are wrong, but still stands with us when we are unfairly attacked for unwise actions that we made in our weakness.

The old folks say he's a doctor in our sickroom and lawyer in our courtroom and our bridge over troubled water. It was their way of saying, God shows his love in so many ways and situations that we can't count them.

Psalm 136 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

We can't count the hundreds of ways God shows his love to us.

What happens if we ask that question to ourselves about how we show our love for God. How do I love thee, Lord? Let me count the ways....

You fill in the blank.

When the Bible is on your phone, is it real?

When the Bible is on your phone is a real Bible?

Today, you will have to look hard among the young and millennials for a paper-based Bible. They are still sold in stores, but it’s probably not the number seller it used to be. It doesn’t mean people are not reading the Bible, they are just not buying hard copies of the Bible as they once did.

Remember the old Bible? Genesis was in the front and Revelation was in the back, Psalms was close to the middle. We played Bible drills in the era of the paper Bible. That’s when someone called out a verse and you flipped through the pages to find the passage the fastest.

Speed in the Bible drill required a competitor to know whether a book of the Bible was in front or the back. In short, you had to know the order of the books.

Fast forward to today. Bibles are now electronic and stored on phones, notebooks, and I-pads. With the digital bible, you don’t need to know what’s in the front or in the back, you simply press a few buttons and your verse is on the screen. You can notate it, shade it and even type notes in the margins, all on the phone.

My times have really changed.

Even though the Bible is now on your phone, it still has to be read. The words won’t jump off the screen and sink into your heart. More than that, you must believe that the words you read are inspired by God and are good for guidance, correction, and inspiration.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

So, whether your bible is on some digital device or old-fashioned paper,  it is still God’s word and it still speaks to our life situation with words that come from the mouth of God.

The Bible, its truths are still God's word in every generation.

You can buy holy pants, but not a holy life

A teenager told me that she paid $75 for a pair of faded jeans with holes in them. That gave me a spin.

Wearing faded “ripped” jeans is a trend that began in the 1970s as rich kids shocked their parents by wearing clothes worn by the poor. When bands and popular stars started wearing them in the 90s it took off.

To those who lived in poverty jeans with holes were not stylish. We even bought patches to cover them. They were faded because they had been washed so many times that the color faded. 

The holes were an embarrassment back then. Today, youth pay big money for holy pants.

God wants us to have holy lives, but we can't buy a life with the holiness already built-in; already broken-in, mistakes already made; already faded by experience. 

We become holy when we submit ourselves to God’s will. We give him the holes, empty spaces, mistakes, and troubles that have bothered us, and he gives us a new life.

That new life is holy, but it doesn’t have any holes. They’ve been covered by the blood of the lamb.

1 Peter 1:16 says, Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Holy pants cost a lot of money.

Holy lives cost nothing. Why?

Jesus paid it all.