Walking with a Christian Worldview, 4

Our fourth lesson in the Worldview series is entitled, "Paradise Lost." It looks at the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the effect that the Fall had on mankind.


Worldview 4 (audio)

Worldview 4 (notes)

Walking into Christmas

Genesis 1:26-27

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 7:13

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Romans 3:10, 23

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Galatians 4:4

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Christmas 2017 is here and there is so much for which we should be grateful, though we tend to reserve that for Thanksgiving. Though somewhat simplistic, we this season should especially be grateful for our faith and our families.

• The focus of Christmas should be on our savior, Jesus Christ. The day is intended to celebrate his coming to earth where he would love and die for us. When we stop to think on it, the fact that a holy God would love a sinner is utterly astounding, even more so when we realize how incredibly horrendous our sin is. Any sin, all sin is more than bad, it is exceeding sinful (Rom. 7:13). Yet, in spite of our exceeding sinful sin, at exactly the perfect time God sent his son to redeem us from our sin. The "Jesus is the reason" saying is quite trite as most folks fail to look beyond the baby in the manger. if they did, they would find the crucified savior. He is indeed the reason, but in a sense, mankind is the reason -- man's sin separated him from God. If not for that, the baby in the manger would not have been necessary. However, man did sin and God's love was demonstrated by giving of himself to give man a solution. Now, if only man would see the dire situation that his sin has left him in and then see the wonderful gift of God's love. Christmas is a fantastic time to reflect on our faith and all that it means. 

• During the holidays, we often have time to spend with family. Whether immediate or extended, family is a wonderful gift from God that is too often overlooked. In all of the hustle and bustle of the season, we need to be sure to let those closest to us know how important to us. Even those family members separated by distance should know that they are missed and loved. Just as God demonstrated his love to us, so we should show love to those we love. If God could love us in our exceeding sinful condition, then we can and should love our family members regardless of their idiosyncrasies and quirks. One of the greatest blessings that we have is the family that God has placed us in. Take advantage of family; love and cherish them.

Have a wonderful Christmas and rejoice in the Christian faith and rejoice with your family. Our incredible, wonderful God has graciously blessed us and now we get to reflect on/ponder/meditate on His rich blessings to us.

Walking with a Christian Worldview, 3

Here is the third installment of the Worldview Sunday School series. It is focused on creation and our creator.  We know that He is the creator, but we need to recognize His place and our place in relation to Him.

Worldview 3, notes

Worldview 3, audio

Walking with a Christian Worldview, 2

Here is the second installment of the Worldview Sunday School series. It is entitled, The Center of Everything. Indeed, our God is (to be) the enter of all. We know that He is the creator and the sustainer of life, but often we remove Him from His place as the focal point of our lives. I believe that we need a fresh look at God and the role that we allow Him to play in our lives, as He will not force His way in.

Worldview, 2 (notes)

Worldview, 2 (audio file)

Walking with a Christian Worldview, 1

For the next few weeks, I will be teaching a Sunday School class on worldviews. I thought that I would try something different and post the audio of the class and the related handout. Should you be interested, enjoy.

Worldviews, Lesson 1 Notes
Worldviews, Lesson 1  (audio file)

Walking with a Thankful Heart

Happy Thanksgiving

In our busy world, it is not often that we actually take time to stop and smell the roses, er, coffee. And yet, when we do pause for a moment, we can easily see that we are incredibly blessed. God has been so good to us.

Family

• God has blessed me with a fantastic wife. Bec has been a wonderful helpmeet over the years, assisting around the home and in the ministry.

• God has graciously given us three wonderful kids: Justin, Brianna, and Josie. It has been fun to watch each of them grow this past year as Justin finished college and began a career in IT, Brie continued in college, and Josie began preschool.

• I have been blessed with super parents (and in-laws). They are tremendous examples of godliness. God has provided me with parents that live their Christianity and exhibit Christlikeness as they live each day. 

• And then I think of my brother and sisters. While this has indeed been a challenging year for all of us, it is encouraging to see how God has blessed and continues to bless. We all have faced different challenges, but He has shown Himself faithful as He met/meets needs.

Job

• While not what I expected to be doing, God has provided a job that continues to pay the bills and meet the needs of the family. By the way, I abhor www.chewy.com.

Church

• We have been blessed to be a part of Cedar Hill Baptist Church in Dillsburg, PA for the past year. I have had to opportunity to teach Sunday School as a part of a rotation of teachers, so that was enjoyable.

Home

• God has graciously given us a great home. It is not only sufficient for our needs, but exceeds them. It is more than we could expect.

Provision and Protection

• The family has been blessed with good health over the year. While there have been the occasional sniffles and sneezes, we have had good health over the year. We deal with aches and pains (maybe, FedEx has something to do with that), but overall good health. As we drive, work, and play, God has protected us from serious harm and injury.

• God has met each need that we have. We may not have an abundance of cash in the bank, but the bills are paid and their is food in the cupboard.

There is so much more that could be stated, but you get the idea. Our God is great and wonderful and He continues to demonstrate His goodness to us. Let us continue to be thankful in all that we do.

Walking Day by Day

Whether one uses a day-a-time calendar, a monthly calendar, or a digital calendar, we must all recognize that one day follows the other and time continues to move along. We may speak of how long a day was or how quickly time flew by, but surely each day is followed by the next and time moves on. The great question for us is, "How do we use each day?"

1. What have we learned?
2. What have we taught?
3. What have we accomplished?

Having goals, dreams, and aspirations is great, but our greatest desire should be to serve God faithfully where we are. 

Daniel was over a thousand miles from his home when he was in Babylon, but he still found a way to faithfully serve God. Whatever his circumstances, whether in the king's court or in the lion's den, he was fully committed to his God. Life may have (many) ups and downs, but God is still in complete control. We need to trust Him and allow Him to do what He does so well. 

As God grants us time, we need to use that time to accomplish His will wherever we find ourselves. We may be at home, at work, or at school. We might be near family or around the world on the mission field. We may be a part of a team or flying solo. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we must keep God in first place in all that we do.

I have more on this topic, but this is all for now.