Category Archives: General

We have all heard the phrase “Never judge a book by its cover.” This old English idiom warns us not to make value judgments about something or someone based merely on its outward appearance.

Today I’d like to share some great news for those of us who may not look quite as slim, athletic, or attractive as we did in our early adult years:

The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance of his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

(1 Samuel 16:7)

God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the new king of Israel who would replace King Saul. The problem, however, was that Samuel was judging the “book” by its cover. Jesse’s son Eliab was tall, dark, and handsome, so Samuel assumed he would be God’s choice for king. But God made it clear to Samuel then, and to you and me today, that He never judges any of us by the way we look on the outside. That is the way of sinful man. God looks beyond the outer appearance to the beating of the heart.

What has your heart been beating for lately?

God bypassed the likely candidate for king (“likely” based on human standards) and instead chose the lowly shepherd boy David. God knew that David was a man after God’s own heart. That doesn’t mean that David’s heart always beat for God alone. We all remember his horrible sin with Bathsheba and how his adultery led ultimately to murder. It wasn’t until God sent the prophet Nathan to rebuke David that he came to his senses. God does not expect perfection from us on this side of the grave. But what He does expect—indeed, what He commands—is a heart that primarily beats for Him, even though it will beat for things smaller than Him at times.

God looks at our hearts, not our height. For God, what is on the inside matters most. Remember, only God knows what is going on inside of us. God knows what we desire most in this life, what treasures we are seeking.

Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” Our first priority in this life must be Jesus and the expansion of His kingdom. When our heart is beating for Jesus, it is beating in a way that glorifies God and benefits all whom we come in contact with.

Remember, God never judges a book by its cover . . . and we shouldn’t either!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Today is the official holiday that Americans observe every year to honor all the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces. The date coincides with other memorial days, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world to mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War. The major hostilities of World War One were formally ended at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States originally observed Armistice Day; the name was altered to the current Veterans Day holiday in 1954.

Today is a day to give thanks to God for everyone who has served our nation . . . but it is not Thanksgiving Day. Today is a day to celebrate the freedom their commitment and sacrifice provided to us . . . but it is not Independence Day. Today is Veterans Day, a day to pause and offer God a prayer of thanksgiving for the freedom we have been given. We live in the greatest nation in the world, but we must never forget that the freedom we enjoy isn’t free. It has been given to us at great cost, a cost for which all veterans paid some . . . and some veterans paid all.

This past weekend we played a special video tribute at Cross Community Church to honor all of our veterans. Far too many churches today seem to have forgotten those brave men and women who served our nation to protect our freedoms, including our religious liberty. We worship each week under the banner of freedom their great sacrifice provided. Since we planted The Cross in 2012, we make time every year to honor the men and women who served and are serving in our Armed Forces. Every time we do, families come up after the service to say thank you. Many come with tears in their eyes, and some of those who come do not even have a family member who is a veteran.

So to all of you veterans who are reading this today . . . THANK YOU! Thank you for your commitment to answer the call. Thank you for your willingness to leave your family and friends behind to serve us. Thank you for your faithfulness to stand a post for all of us. Thank you for your bravery and courage to face our enemies on behalf of us.

Thank you for being a true superhero—not because you have some kind of supernatural power that makes you faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. No, those are the qualities of the cartoon character Superman, who could not ultimately be overcome by the enemies he faced. But for you, your “super” in hero is found in the fact that you could be overcome. You could be hurt. You could be wounded. You could be captured. You could be scarred for life. You could die. And yet you faced the enemy with no guarantee of the final outcome. You stood up for all those who could not stand up for themselves—even for those who would not—and for that, I say thank you and God bless you!

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

(John 15:12-13}

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

After finishing high school, I spent three years as an ocean lifeguard, serving the city of Hollywood, Florida. Despite all the lifesaving and water safety training we received, you are never quite prepared for the challenge of physically controlling and calming a struggling swimmer in order to get them and you to safety. The rescuer is taught to approach from behind, in order to keep the panicked swimmer from grabbing the rescuer and pulling him or her down. If this “stealth approach” was impossible, we learned to approach from the front, always keeping a flotation device between the victim and the rescuer. To be sure, the victim does not desire to be “reluctantly rescued,” but their fear causes them to fight against the rescuer all the way to the shore.

I believe this serves as a marvelous picture of the Christian’s redemption.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

(Romans 3:10-12)

The apostle Paul echoed the Old Testament to precisely describe what happened to you and me as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Our first parents sinned by eating the forbidden fruit; when they heard the sound of God approaching in the Garden of Eden, they ran and hid . . . and we have been on the run ever since. We are rebels on the run, hiding from the only One who can help us! Because of our unrighteousness, we are both reluctant and resistant to the things of God. We are seeking everything other than God, and in the process, we shrink the size of our lives down to the size of our lives.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

(1 Corinthians 2:14)

However, in spite of our reluctance and rebellion, just like the struggling swimmer in the open ocean, our Rescuer grabs hold of us and brings us safely to the shore of our salvation. And just like the struggling swimmer, without the divine rescue operation, we will inevitably sink into the depths of despair and ultimate destruction.

It is important to note that God’s rescue doesn’t end the day we are saved. It continues every day until He brings us home into glory. As Dr. D. James Kennedy often said, “God saved you then, and He is saving you now!”

God is constantly rescuing us from ourselves, because, deep within, the battle rages between the old and the new nature. Paul makes this truth abundantly clear in the seventh chapter of Romans. He closes that remarkable passage with this passionate cry:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!

(Romans 7:24-25)

What an encouragement it is to know that God will never stop rescuing rebels on the run!

Jonah knew this truth personally; after he ran from God’s call on his life, God rescued him from the stormy seas and the belly of a great fish. David knew this truth personally; God used the prophet Nathan to rescue him from his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.

I can find no greater comfort than to know God will never let me go. We talk a lot about faithfulness in the church today, and well we should; but if the whole counsel of God is declared, we know that we are secure in our redemption, not because of our faithfulness to Jesus, but because of His faithfulness to us!

God’s mercy, grace, and love will overcome our resistance and reluctance and carry us all the way into glory!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN! 

Science tells us that all babies have two inborn fears incorporated into their human DNA and their immature nervous systems: the fear of loud noises and fear of falling.

Other than these two fears, every fear we experience throughout life is acquired, from the fear of closed spaces to fear of open spaces . . . from the fear of being abandoned to the fear of public speaking . . . from fear of darkness to fear of death. Some of these fears protect us and others paralyze us.

So . . . how do we effectively deal with those fears that can paralyze us and prevent us from growing into the person God is calling us to be? Here are two steps you can take toward victory in the ongoing battle between faith and fear.

Step #1 Remember the promises of God

Now, we cannot remember the promises of God if we don’t know the promises of God, and the only way to know the promises of God is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.

How much time have you been spending God’s Word lately? How many promises can you recite from memory?

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

(Psalm 23:4)

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

(Psalm 27:1)

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

(2 Timothy 1:7)

There simply is no substitute for spending time in the Scriptures if we are ever going to conquer our fears by faith in Jesus Christ.

Step #2 Keep your focus on Christ, not your circumstances

I know this is easier said than done, which is why Step #1 is so critical in this process. The single common denominator for those who focus more on Christ than on their circumstances is their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. Like the psalmist, they know that the best defense against fear is a good offense.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

(Psalm 34:5)

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

(Psalm 56:3-4)

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

(Psalm 119:11)

Alexander MacLaren, an English minister of the late 1800s, put it this way:

Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust.

With a mind and heart filled with the Word of God, and with our focus fixed firmly on Christ (rather than our circumstances), faith will conquer any fear we face. We have His Word on it!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

When was the last time you considered just how loved you are by the Lord God Omnipotent? Well, today I offer a word of unimaginable comfort: Look up . . . your God is looking down upon you at this very moment.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. . . .The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

(Psalm 33:13-15, 18-19)

If this passage doesn’t light the fire of your faith . . . your wood is wet! God is looking down from heaven, mindful of all mankind. This truth tells us that God is attending to both our spiritual and physical needs. God meets us in our place of need, moment by moment. He knows the number of hairs on our head and knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and how we need it to be given to us.

To be sure, we do not know the distance from heaven to earth. But one thing we do know: we know we are loved on, led on, and looked on from on high. Not a moment goes by where God is not upholding us with His amazing grace.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Isaiah 41:10)

One thing we must remember is the fact that God is looking down on us . . . even when we are not looking up at Him. When we are looking hither, thither, and yon at a thousand things smaller than God, He never takes His eyes off of us. When we are thinking about a thousand things other than God, He never stops thinking about us. When we are desperately desiring a thousand things lesser than God, He never stops desiring us. What a wonderful truth of comfort that is for us today! God is totally for us . . . even when we are not partly focused on Him!

The Bible is full of stories that confirm that truth. Abraham stopped looking up for a moment when He tried to pass off his wife to Pharaoh as his sister in order to save his skin, yet God never turned His gaze away from His fearful servant. Moses stopped looking up for a moment when he struck the rock in the wilderness after God instructed him to simply speak to it, yet God never turned His gaze away from His faithless servant. Peter stopped looking up for a moment on the night Jesus was betrayed. Terrified by the questioning of a lowly servant girl, Peter denied his Lord, yet God never turned His gaze away from His foolish, fearful servant. In fact, Jesus stared right at him!

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

(Luke 22:61)

I cannot find any condemnation in this look from Jesus. Rather, it is a look of compassion and comfort for a hurting and convicted disciple. This, of course, is proven on the beach after the Christ’s resurrection, when He restored Peter with His question, “Peter do you love me?” Not once did our Lord ask, but three times, making abundantly clear to Peter that his three denials had all been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.

If you will remember that God is continually looking down upon you from on High, you will spend more time looking up at Him.

So . . . what have you been looking at lately? What captures your attention and your affection? If it is anything smaller than God, it will always let you down.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN! 

Those of us who came to faith in Christ later in life remember well the change that took place in our hearts. Please understand that I am not talking about a change that led us to a life of perfection; rather, I am talking about a change that led us in a new direction, a divine direction that was paved for us by the sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, with Jesus on the throne of our lives, for the very first time we had . . .

• New desires
• New goals
• New visions
• New plans
• New thoughts
• New agendas
• New purposes
• New meaning
• New significance
• New love

The list, of course, could go on for several pages. The apostle Paul exulted that:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Truly, nothing compares to the very first time we were captivated by the mercy, grace, and love of God in Christ Jesus. To be fully forgiven and unconditionally loved was to experience something like the weight of the world lifting off of our shoulders. We were running on all cylinders, making our way through life with freedom, joy, and faithfulness to Jesus.

But, as all too often happens, we have on occasion lost that loving feeling!

Life seems to get in the way of our love for Jesus. We remove Jesus from the throne of our lives and begin living for self rather than the Savior. We drift back into our own plans and purposes, our dreams and desires, and before we know it we find ourselves once again living for something much, much smaller than Jesus. Often it takes a storm to send us reeling back to our Savior, so that we can once again plant our feet firmly on the Rock of Ages.

Regardless of where this message finds you today, the goal of the Christian life is to keep Christ at the center. May it never be said of us what was said about the church at Ephesus: “You have lost your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

When we find ourselves drifting in the wrong direction, there are two things we must do: repent and return to our Redeemer. The life of the disciple of Christ is marked by repentance and returning. When we realize that we have left our first love, we are to cry out to Jesus with a heart filled with a godly sorrow and return Him to His rightful place—at the center of our lives—looking once again, to the Author and Finisher (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV) of our faith, who has promised to complete in us what He began (Philippians 1:6).

Some Christians who realize that they have drifted badly are afraid to turn back to God. They think things like, “I’ve blown it! How could He possibly want anything more to do with me? I’ll just go back to my old life.” When you stop to think about it, this reasoning is just as silly as Adam hiding from God in the Garden or Jonah running away from God by taking the ship to Tarshish. Recall the words of King David:

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

(Psalm 139:7-8 NKJV)

God knows you’ve blown it . . . he knows where you are . . . He is there with you . . . and His message to you is this: “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22). In Jesus Christ is all the love and forgiveness you will ever need. Return to your first love!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN! 

In a world marred by sin, life often seems to be marked by the catchphrase, “Two steps forward and one step back.” This phrase points to the truth that forward progress in life is summed up in a single word: DIFFICULT!

This difficulty, or course, is what every Christian has been promised as the pathway to heaven.

I have told you these things, so that in my you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

(John 16:33)

Life is marked by trials, tribulations, and countless unexpected twists and turns in the road. Jesus painted the picture of what it means to be His disciple with absolute precision. He never shaded the truth to draw larger crowds; He made it crystal clear that life would be an uphill climb all the way into glory.

Here is the truth—the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; you are always in one of these three phases of life:

1. Heading into a storm
2. In the middle of a storm
3. Coming out of a storm

Think about it for a minute; personal experience testifies that this is true for all of us. Yet the Bible also makes it clear that, with every setback, God is setting things up for our comeback.

In His glorious “I have overcome the world” promise above, Jesus also gives us a divine imperative—“Take heart!”—and then explains why we should. Jesus has overcome all things, and that includes every setback we face in life.

As a pastor, one of the testimonies that I’ve heard repeated most often from the people I serve is how much they profited from the seeming setback they encountered in their walk with Christ. Not only were they aware that God sent the setback into their life, they knew God was in it with them! And in the middle of the setback, He was setting them up for a comeback.

So regardless of where this finds you today, whether riding the crest of the wave in a season of great success, or buried under the waves of challenge, know that Jesus is with you. Perhaps one of the best verses we can commit to memory comes from the inspired pen of James.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

(James 1:2-4)

Perseverance must finish its work. Christian, because you are reading this today, it is an undeniable truth that God has not finished His work in you yet. If He had, you would be with Him in glory! Through every setback you face, our loving Heavenly Father is making you mature and complete, not lacking anything, so that you may put Him on display and point the world to the One who sought you, caught you, and bought you with His precious blood.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

Have you heard of the “Tikker” watch? The Tikker watch not only tells you the time of day, it calculates your estimated normal life expectancy and displays a running countdown of your remaining time left to live. This product was inspired by the brevity of life and reminds us that EVERY SECOND MATTERS!

Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.

(Psalm 39:4-5)

When was the last time you really considered just how brief life is? As a pastor, I am confronted by weekly reminders of this biblical truth reflected in the lives of those I have the privilege to shepherd. King David was face-to-face with this stark reality in the Psalm 39 above; he described the span of his life as being no longer than the width of his hand, as nothing compared to the eternal existence of God, little more than a breath of air.

I am convinced that holding to this view of life is the only way we can truly make the time we have been given matter. We must keep in view that the gift of life we have been given is just that: a gift. Our gift back to God is how we choose to live or invest our brief span in this earthly tent for His glory and the good of others—all others, regardless of cost or circumstance.

So . . . knowing that it’s later than it’s ever been, have you prayerfully considered just how you have been investing your time lately? With your family? At the office? In your church?

God has given us many resources that, when spent, can be replaced. Time is not one of them! When you spend an hour, you have one less hour to spend. Perhaps the Tikker is not such a crazy idea. Life is racing by, and if we don’t pause long enough to live it, we will miss it.

Remember, the past is gone; the future on this side of the grave is promised to no one; all you have is right now. The clock is counting down and eventually, inevitably, the sands of time will run completely out. Now is the time to serve God. Now is the time to recommit yourself to making every moment matter. Now is the time to live for nothing smaller than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only place where you will find yourself living a life that truly matters—a life that will be measured not by its duration, but rather by its donation!

You are going to give your life to something; we all do. Why not give it completely to the One who gave it to you? Prayerfully consider these two questions as we close today:

What changes do I need to make in my life right now to make every second count?

What will it cost me if I don’t?

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN! 

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “To throw in the towel,” which simply means to quit. The phrase comes from the sport of boxing. Years ago, corner men used sponges to clean the boxer’s face of blood and sweat in between rounds. If at any point during the fight the boxer’s team felt the fighter could not continue without risk of personal safety, they would toss the sponge into the ring and the referee would immediately stop the fight. Over time, the towel replaced the sponge, and hence the expression.

I’d like to offer you a word of encouragement with a modified expression: Don’t throw in the trowel! A trowel is a tool used for building, primarily by masons who use a trowel for leveling, spreading, or shaping substances such as cement or mortar.

In the boxing world, “throwing in the towel” can mean the difference between life and death. Boxers have died in the ring, often because a fighter does not know when enough is enough, which is why a discerning corner man is critical in this combat sport. However, in the world of believing, throwing in the trowel is not an option. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are counted among His ranks are called to spend a lifetime in the process of building, shaping, and growing to maturity in their faith.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

Peter gave us a tremendous reminder that growing up into Christ is a lifelong project that will not be completed until we get to the other side. And notice that this not simply a suggestion for us to make a decision about. It is a divine imperative, which means we are commanded by God to grow to maturity.

The Bible knows nothing of the stunted saint who has decided to stop growing along the way to glory. Let me ask you a question: How high will a tree grow? The answer, of course, is “As high as it can!”

You may be thinking, “That’s an odd question. Of course a tree will grow as high as it can!” And you’re right. Everything in God’s creation will grow as much as it can . . . except people. We are the only members of God’s creation who often make a decision to stop growing.

But this is not for you! God has given us several means of grace that assist us in the process of growing to maturity, such as Bible study, prayer, fasting, service, giving, and corporate worship, to name just a few. It is our responsibility to appropriate these means in our life. God has given us the trowel, but we need to pick it up and use it to shape our growth!

I have written this before, but it is always important to remember that it is not the means that grow us to maturity; it is our Master! And yet He has ordained the means that we are to use in the process as He pours out His grace in our lives.

So . . . how are you doing in your life-long building project? The key that unlocks the door that leads to growing in grace is the understanding that it happens daily, not in a day. There will certainly be those days when you will feel like you have taken one step forward and two steps backward. That’s simply part of the process, so don’t get discouraged! If some failure or setback has caused you to consider “throwing in the trowel,” keep looking to the One who promised to finish in you what He started (Philippians 1:6), knowing that one day, you will be brought home into glory, conformed perfectly into the image and likeness of Jesus!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!