Salt and Light Blog

One of the greatest ways to protect our consciences is to salve it in pragmatism. We believe because something will work that is it a righteous act. Far too often the opposite is the truth. The late, great lion of the faith Adrian Rogers once said in a sermon that, “It is high time we stop asking will it work and start asking is it right?” Amen Brother Rogers!

We think because we do good that what we do God will bless. God will not bless if we do not do what He wants us to do:

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I praise God for the preaching at my church, Midway Baptist in Gulf Breeze, Florida. In fact, the preaching at my church is an answer to prayer. I have been praying for years that God would raise up Holy Ghost fired-up preachers across America to quicken the souls of men and women. The Lord has blessed our church with the example of what I have been desiring for our nation; men who will preach the gospel unapologetically and unashamedly.

So while I am thankful for our ministry staff, my heart is broken over the multitudes of namby-pamby preachers bringing feel good messages from the NTFV (New Touchy-Feely Version) Bibles to the itching ears of consumer “Christians.” However, I also know that there is a remnant of preachers adhering to the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy:

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Rush Limbaugh has a commercial parody done by Paul Shanklin called “Dueling Bozos” where James Carville and Ernest Hollings are going on and the Hollings voice says, “There’s too much corruption goin’ on ‘round here!” It’s a very funny parody mainly because it’s not too far from the truth. That and the fact that a corrupt politician would be talking about corruption.

Political corruption is only possible with an abuse of power. That’s going to be the topic of this week’s The Truth Newsletter, for which you all should sign up. But this devotional and the newsletter are not going to lament and hand wring over the corrupt Obama Administration, of which its corruption knows no bounds. I want us to get to the cause of the corruption and as always I intend to simplify the all too often over-complicated issue.

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What do God’s promises mean to you? Or rather, what effects on your spiritual life, your prayer life, and your everyday workaday life do God’s promises have? Maybe you’ve never thought about that or it has been some time since you last meditated on God’s promises. Many a book has been written on God’s promises, but our Lord Jesus Christ literally wrote the book on them:

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13)

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Last night I had the most amazing and enjoyable dream I’ve had in years. I’m not allowed to share it with you for a number of reasons. One is that I’m still trying to remember the details of it. I pray God will give me great remembrance of it. Secondly, I believe God gave this dream to me as a possible future work of fiction. He knows that has always been a great desire of mine (see Psalm 37:4); to create a work of Christian fiction. However what is clear is that He wanted me to share about His great protection, providence, and provision.

A dear friend of mine is going through a very rough time right now; emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I talked with him for about 30 minutes yesterday afternoon trying to bring him encouragement and hope. What my dream reminded me is that in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation, Christ shows up a performs a miracle in our lives. I remembered the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand:

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Technorati Tags: hope, provision

As we finish our study on the four reasons found in 1 Peter 2:9 on why we are to praise God, reason number four tells us that we are God’s people and for that alone we have reason enough to praise God:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9)

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Technorati Tags: witnessing

Looking at the four reasons found in 1 Peter 2:9 on why we are to praise God, the third reminds us that we, God’s people, are a holy nation that should continually seek holiness:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9)

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Note from Dave: I wrote this devotional over three years ago. The date escapes me, but I thought I would republish it having had a bought with vertigo yesterday. We will return to our study from 1 Peter 2 on the four reasons to praise God next time…

I suffer from vertigo and it can be very debilitating; I had a bout of it yesterday. WebMD describes vertigo as “a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement. You may feel as though you are spinning, whirling, falling, or tilting. When you have severe vertigo, you may feel very nauseated or vomit. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall.”

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Too often the Old Testament picture of a priest confuses us New Testament saints. We hear the word priest and we think, that must apply to some in the ministry profession. We think of the Levites performing the temple worship when we hear the word priest. But even the Old Testament gives a glimpse of what the New Testament priest was to become:

“And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.’” (Exodus 19:3-6)

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Sometimes I need a reminder of who I am in Christ. Okay, I need this reminder most days. The Apostle Peter gives us four reasons to praise God because of whom we’ve become and have obtained:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

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The tornado tragedies in Oklahoma have once again brought to light the brevity of life and the finality of death. There will be many questions as to why this happened and why did innocent children have to die. We will have some speculate on this being an act of God bringing judgment upon the sinfulness of Oklahoma and/or America. We best tread cautiously on the last point.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was asked His opinion of a tragedy in Galilee and Jesus took the high road and avoided the obvious political trap being set for Him. Instead He asked His questioners a question, as was often His habit:

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What is hope, other than something needed in large portions today? Hope is defined in my Thomson Chain-Reference Bible as “a confident expectation in things beyond this world.” We could use mega doses of such hope in today’s world. So many I know look at the state of our union and believe the situation to be hopeless. Perhaps it is and although I love my country, I’m not banking on my nation and its survival. My hope is not horizontal; it is vertical.

I am counting on what the Psalmist was looking towards and fashioned his life thusly:

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Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about the brevity and uncertainty of life; in other words life is short and we don’t know how it is going to turn out. At least we don’t know the specifics of how this life on earth will unfold. James advises us on that:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16)

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Technorati Tags: hope, uncertainty

This year I finally bit the bullet and joined a fantasy baseball league. Those who know me know how big of a San Francisco Giants fan I am. I love baseball and I’ve heard all the horror stories of baseball fans getting involved in fantasy leagues to the point of ridiculousness. Some even go as far as lose contact with reality and start neglecting all other things for the sake of their “team.”

I can almost see how that can happen. My fantasy baseball team is not doing so well; in fact it’s the worse team in the league. Now the majority of my team is made up of San Francisco Giants players so one would naturally think that the actual Giants team is probably in last place too. While they are not playing up to their potential, especially their pitching staff, they are still 13-7 and one game out of first place in the National League West Division.

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Today is Earth Day and my first inclination is to mock nature worshippers, because some are indeed worthy of mockery. However, the Holy Spirit reminded me this morning that they are only doing what they’ve been wired to do…what we’ve all been wired to do…worship. It is the object of our worship that matters most to God.

We can look to the Old Testament for numerous examples of God’s people worshipping the created instead of the Creator. In remembrance of God’s forgiveness for their ancestors’ sins, the Psalmist wrote:

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Our pastor Bro Dennis is beginning a men’s study on leadership. Men, if you are a member of Midway Baptist Church or live in the Florida Panhandle, please consider this an invitation to join us on Monday evenings from 6:00 – 7:30 (Bible Study begins at 6:30).

I am so looking forward to this teaching.

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You’ve no doubt heard of the Pennsylvania Army Reserve officer who gave a briefing on religious extremism and put evangelical Christianity at the top of the list followed by Catholicism. Just for the record, this was the sole act of one misguided reserve officer and not the point of view of the United States Army, at least not officially.

A colleague of mine sent me the link to the article and said, “The Army has just labeled you as an extremist.” My reply to him was, “Yes, if only we were as extreme for Christ as some believe us to be. This country would not be in the mess it is in today.”

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Technorati Tags: bible thumpers, Bill O'Reilly, evangelicals

Is there anything more frustrating for a Christian than someone you have witnessed to who believes in Christ but will not confess Him because of how it may be received by others? That frustration is not a rare emotion; in fact a couple of days before Christ was crucified, He experienced that same frustration:

“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.’” (John 12:42-45)

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Last night I presented this question to my social media followers and blog email list:

“What does the Bible think about social issues? Is it inclusive and welcoming? Is it concerned with limiting its ability to attract young people and others, including many women, who agree with the Bible on some but not all issues?”

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My pastor uses a most excellent word for perseverance: stickability. It means sticking to the task no matter how great the challenges. It means never giving up on God because He is never giving up on us. It means giving all diligence to our spiritual growth.

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9)

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