Pain and Sickness

The Bible promises us that this life will be punctuated with sickness and pain. For some it will be more chronic than others, but unfortunately for all of us there will be certain seasons of severe and almost unbearable discomfort. While we’d wish that God’s children were exempt, we must remember that for now, Christ has not granted us any such immunity. When sin entered the world God’s universal judgment included a physical reality that would be subject to disease, decay, and ultimately death (Genesis 3:16-19). While that may not sound like good news to our ears, it can certainly assure our hearts when we are tempted to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” So the next time you are pained, injured or ill, remember that mankind’s rebellion against God was the ultimate cause. And then be quick to remember that Jesus Christ came into the world to rectify the problem by satisfying God’s justice on the cross. This obviously doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to experience the varied effects of sin in this world, but it does mean that by the time God’s kids step into the next one, sin and all its related consequences will be nothing but a distant memory.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Pain & Sickness, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Subtle Lies

It is not difficult for Christians to admit that deception is morally wrong, and that because he is a God of truth, “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22). But unfortunately we are not always quick to recognize all the subtle forms lying takes in our everyday conversations. Consider the way we can toss around insincere compliments and words of praise, which, if pressed, we’d have to admit are “not entirely true,” simply to make ourselves appear pleasant, kind, gracious, or godly. The dictionary calls this kind of lying “flattery”, and God’s word explicitly equates those who “flatter with their tongue” with people who “speak lies” (Psalm 5:6, 9). Or consider the way we can embellish a story, pushing it just beyond the reality of what actually happened, to make our knowledge or experience seem more interesting, more exciting, or more commendable to others. This form of deception the Bible roundly condemns under the heading of “boasting.” Lastly, consider the way the facts get twisted when we craftily choose to augment and enhance “the evil” in a story to help cast our opponents in the worst possible light. The Bible calls this “slander,” and aptly groups this transgression with others that flow from “lying lips” (Proverbs 10:18). So let’s remove the artificial shades of abhorrence from our tailored definitions of deception and prayerfully seek to avoid every form that lying takes, always mindful of the high value God places on “truthful lips” (Proverbs 12:19).

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Subtle Lies, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Christ's Return

The Bible warns that many will ridicule us for our confidence in the second coming of Christ. “Where is he?” they will scoff, “It seems to be taking him a long time” (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-4). While we may respond defensively, inwardly a lot of Christians share their sentiment – especially when we revisit Christ’s repeated promise: “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Before we are tempted by the mockers’ skepticism, we ought to be careful to rightly understand the biblical promise. Peter offers two helpful explanations. First, he tells us that “soon” is obviously a relative term. God’s view of time is not our own (2 Peter 3:8). Ever since his ascension, Christ’s return is “soon to be accomplished” as the next big event on God’s agenda. Next, Peter reminds us that all that is preventing this world-changing event is the effortless command of God. With a single syllable, everything will change. This concept of “suddenness” is included in the sense of the ancient Greek word translated “soon”, and is the reason it is rendered “quickly” in some translations. To quote a Hebrew text concerning the end, God has said, “In its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22). As James taught, the “nearness” of his return is as simple as the swinging open of a door (James 5:9). And Paul adds that the end will come “suddenly”, like “labor pains upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). So remember, if your anticipation of Christ’s arrival feels like the never-ending “pregnancy”, know that the end will come swiftly and suddenly, and then, at last, we will see Christ face to face.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Christ's Return, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Weightless Words

The Bible states, “Do not take to heart all the things that people say [about you]” (Ecclesiastes 7:21). And these days, with everybody saying all kinds of things about everyone else on social media, this timeless principle may be more important than ever before. The biblical context of this verse clearly has in view the typical opinionated chitchat and conversational commentary that has gone on between friends and coworkers since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, with the advent of social media this assertive dialogue between “friends” is digitally captured and perpetually broadcast for everyone to read and reread. It lends itself to being taken to heart. But the Scripture says don’t! God forbids us to dwell on these off-the-cuff words either explicitly or implicitly said about us, because as the next verse reminds us, we too have often insensitively or extemporaneously spouted off about others. And in most cases, our irritable words were reactionary – springing from our own annoyance and frustration, and not our thoughtful and reasoned reflection. A prayerful rebuke, an edited book, or a well-prepared sermon is one thing, but the unrehearsed and impulsive opinions tossed around on the patio or on the internet should be lightly esteemed, and quickly forgotten.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Weightless Words, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.