" I DON'T WISH TO BE A STUMBLING BLOCK "

I'm sure that none of us ever wish to become a Stumbling Block to anyone. We must remove stumbling blocks that cause us to sin. This does not mean to cut off a part of the body; it means that any Person, Program, or Teaching in the Church that threatens the Spiritual Growth of the body must be removed. Now for the individual, any Relationship, Practice or Activity that leads to sin should be stopped. Jesus says it would be better to go to heaven with one hand than to hell with both. Sin, of course, affects more than our hands; it affects our minds and hearts. LAST POINT: A man who hadn't walked for 38 years had been healed, but the Pharisees were more concerned about their petty rules than the life and health of a human being. Now it is very easy to get so caught up in our man-made structures and rules that we forget the people involved. Are your guidelines for living God-made or man-made? Are they helping people, or have they become needless Stumbling Blocks?

" WE ALL HAVE DOUBT(S) "

We may have doubts about many things in this life, but we should never doubt God. Now, of all people who should not show any doubt, that's Moses. Moses had witnessed God's power in spectacular miracles, yet at this time he questioned God's ability to feed the wandering chosen people of God (The Israelites). If Moses doubted God's power, how much easier it is for us to do the same. But completely depending upon God is essential, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity. When we begin to rely on our own understanding, we are in danger of ignoring God's assessment of the situation. By remembering his past works and his present power, we can be sure that we are cutting off his potential help. Now I believe that most of us are familiar with Adam and Eve's downfall in the garden. The serpent, satan, tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God's goodness. He implied that God was strict. Stingy, and Selfish for not wanting Eve to share his knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and, instead, focus on the one thing she couldn't have. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on the few things we don't have rather than on the countless things God has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself and what you don't have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won't lead you into sin. Until Next Time... Jim,

" THE TRUTH "

This week we are looking into " The Truth." Now Truth is defined in this manner: an agreement with fact or reality. A true or accepted statement or proposition. Now Matthew 5:33 says: " Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'DO NOT BREAK YOUR OATH, BUT FULFILL TO THE LORD THE VOWS YOU HAVE MADE.' In this verse, Jesus was emphasizing the importance of telling the truth. People were breaking promises and using sacred language casually and carelessly. The keeping of our oaths and promises is important; it builds trust and makes committed human relationships possible. The Bible condemns making vows or taking oaths casually, giving your word while knowing that you won't keep it, or swearing falsely in God's name (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:1-2; Deuteronomy 19:16-20). Oaths are needed in certain situations only because we live in a sinful society that breeds distrust. Denying the Truth doesn't change it. I'm sure if we're honest we have all at some time in our lives, most likely when we were immature thought that " If I ignore it and maybe it will go away!" Denying the Truth never changes it; What God says always happens. Sin is never removed by denying its existence. We must confess to God that we have sinned and ask him to forgive us. Until Next Time... Jim,

" SIN "

This week we are looking into " SIN. " It is truly important for us to get this. "Sin:" Is an offense against God. (2) Fault (3) The weakened state of human nature in which we are estranged from God. Numbers 32:23 Warns us... " BUT if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your SIN Will Find You Out." You are free to choose between two masters, but you are not free to manipulate the consequences of your choice. Each of the two masters pays with their own kind of currency. Please get this, the currency of sin is death. That is all you can expect or hope for in life without God. Jesus' currency is Eternal - Life with God that begins on earth and continues forever with God. What choice have you made? Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. Other Christians believe that God forgives them when they confess, but if they died with unconfessed sins, they would be forever lost. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed his beloved son to die just so he could offer us pardon. When we come to Christ, he forgives all the sins we have committed or will over commit. We don't need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don't need to fear that God will reject us if we don't keep our slate perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with him. This is a heads up, True Confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn't be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it. Until Next Time... Jim,