Everybody Needs Jesus

 So when they were together with him, they asked, "Lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:6-8

Sadly, Jews and many non-Jews are still looking for what some of Jesus' disciples were still looking for just moments before Jesus ascended back into heaven.  People whose eyes are fixated on this world continue to miss the Messiah.  

Jesus is the Messiah.  He is the Son of God.  He is the Passover Lamb whose blood saves from death and damnation.  We can be sure that Jesus is the Savior because he fulfilled every Messianic prophecy of the Old Testament.  

The Bible gives no prophecy, or promise, about God restoring the earthly kingdom of Israel.  What Jesus did say was, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews.  But now my kingdom is not from here." (John 18:36)

This is vitally important to understand.  The kingdom of God is not an earthly physical kingdom.  It is a spiritual kingdom.  That is why Satan works so hard to keep people focused on this world.  This life.  While Jesus' kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, he has given his disciples work to do in this life.  In our physical world.  We are to be his witnesses to the world.  It is the job of every Christian to tell people about Jesus, and what he has done for them.

Don't get distracted by geopolitics and social agendas.  This world, and all the nations in this world, will pass away.  Stay focused on the mission, the commission.  Be Christ's witness.  That is going to look different for each individual because we have all been given different vocational callings, but that is still the mission nonetheless.

Notice that the Great Commission was given to all of Christ's disciples of all time.  It wasn't just given to the 11 Apostles.  Being a witness of Christ and his gospel isn't the work of just pastors and those called into the public ministry.  It is the work of every Christian.  We all have been given a mission field.  There are numerous people in your life who need to hear about Jesus.  They are on their way to hell because they don't believe in him as their Savior.  They desperately need you!  

Tell them!

Talk to them!

They are dying!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)

Thankfully, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live out this commission, this calling.  You are not alone when you witness Jesus to a family member, friend, or coworker.  The Holy Spirit will help you and guide your words.  This is also why it's so important to be in God's Word everyday.  God's Word is the means by which the Holy Spirit works.  

Know God's Word.  Speak God's Word and let the Holy Spirit work how he will.  We know that God's Word will not return to him empty.   It will accomplish its purpose.  So use it.

Now go with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and be Christ's witness in your world.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

Fresh Starts

The end of August and the beginning of September is often a time of fresh starts for people.

A new school year at every level is just beginning.  

The season is about to change from summer to fall.

This is one of those waypoints during the year when it makes sense to stop and think about what you're doing in life, and why you're doing it.

This is also a time to take stock of your year so far.  

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?

How close are you to hitting your big goals for the year?

Christmas is coming.  Have you started making plans for the holidays yet?

I don't know if you are effected by any of these things, but this year I have been.

Over the last month, my family has embraced a turning point in our lives and we are in the middle of a fresh start.

    My son has begun high school.  Not just any high school.  He is at a boarding school.  This school year he will live more than 100 miles from my wife and I.

    

    In June I accepted the call to serve as the Minister of Mission Support at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Downers Grove, IL.  That means three weeks ago my family and I picked up and moved more than a hundred miles from the area we have called home most of our lives.

Fresh starts come in all different packages.  They enter our lives for many different reasons.   They can be frustrating at times (moving certainly is).  They can be heart-breaking at times.  It's tough to put distance between yourself and people you love.

But, fresh starts can also be highly rewarding.  Fresh starts open us up to new opportunities.  Often, they are the result of taking advantage of an opportunity.  They also put us into contact with a whole new world of people.  People we would have never known had we not exercised the courage to make a fresh start.

I don't know where you're at in life, but I do know that sometimes a fresh start is exaclty what the doctor ordered.  It gets us out of our familiar zone.  It puts us in contact with an entirely new community of people.  It can help us wake to the life we are supposed to be living.  Not settling for the one we have settled for.

I won't tell you what to do with your life.  That's your responsibility.  I would encourage you, though, especially if you are frustrated with your current situation, to think about a fresh start.  

Maybe that means moving.  Maybe that means changing where you work.  Maybe it means changing your career field all together.  However, I am not talking about scrapping your marriage.  You need to fix that if that's the source of your frustration.  A fresh start could mean distancing yourself from negative and destructive relationships in your life.  

You know you.  I don't know you, or your situation.  You know what it would mean to make a fresh start in your life.  I encourage you to take the leap.  A fresh start today could make all the difference in the rest of your life.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

Josua Defeats Jericho: They Never Saw it Coming

 

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.  Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”  Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The commander of the LORD’S army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”  And Joshua did so.

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites.  No one went out and no one came in.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the armed men.  Do this for six days.  Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark.  On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.  When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

Joshua 5:13-6:5

            It is probably safe to assume that Joshua had a plan for how he was going to approach Jericho.  It is also probably safe to assume his plan looked nothing like the plan the Lord gave him after his meeting with Jesus (the commander of the army of the LORD [5:14]).  There is no way Joshua would have ever come up with the plan the Lord gave him on his own.  There is no way Joshua could have even conceived of something like that being an option.

            As crazy as God’s plan must have seemed to Joshua and the Israelites, Joshua didn’t hesitate.  He gave the command and instructed everyone what they were to do.  He carried out God’s plan exactly as God gave it to him, and because Joshua and the Israelites completely submitted to God’s plan, they experienced a total victory.  The walls came crashing down.  The Israelites completely slaughtered all the inhabitants of Jericho, except for Rahab and her family.  They burned the whole city and “put the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron into the LORD’S treasury.”

            It is only God who can defy the odds.  It is only God who knows what his plans are and how they are going to be realized in our world.  God’s plans usually do not make sense to us.  If they did, we would not need faith to submit to them and carry out his directives.  Like Joshua, our responsibility is to make plans and get moving.  Then, when God intervenes to give us a new direction or adjustment it is our job to listen and do what he is telling us.  Unfortunately, God does not speak to us directly like he did with Joshua.  He speaks through people.  This is why it is so important to respect and submit to the guidance of the people God has placed in our lives to give us wise council.  This is why taking a contrary approach to everything, and everybody, is actually a sinful act of defiance against the Lord. 

If we have called men as God’s representatives to give our churches spiritual guidance, why do so many of our members refuse to trust them and listen to them?  It is okay to disagree with called workers and give them push back.  It is not okay for that to be the default mode and automatic attitude of a congregation.  When Joshua revealed the Lord’s plan to the rest of the leaders and community, people just accepted what he said.  We are not told that anyone questioned Joshua or God about this plan.  That attitude displays unity and trust.  The Israelites trusted God and Joshua, so they were united in their common belief (faith).  Too many of our churches today are divided because of a lack of trust, both in God and in the church leaders.  Weak faith leads to selfish sin, rebellion, and division.  Unfortunately, the attitude of Americans today is: “Prove it!  I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Jesus already has proven his faithfulness, and he answers this demand this way: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!  But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39).  Jesus fulfilled this sign on Easter morning, and he fulfills all his promises to care for us every day (Matthew 6:25-34). The last words of Jesus Matthew records for us as Jesus was ascending into heaven reaffirm this promise one more time: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

Stop doubting and believe!

God's Ways Are Not Our Ways: Abraham

 Abraham: Faithful Obedience

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were living in the land.  The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I give this land.”  So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

-Genesis 12:2-3, 6-7

            When Abraham received his call from God, he had no idea what God had in store for him and Sarah.  God told him to go, and he went.  He trusted God.  He trusted that God had a plan, and it would be revealed to him whenever God chose to reveal it to him.  When God told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his family (Genesis 12:1) there is no indication that Abraham questioned God and pushed for an explanation.  We are told, “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him…” (Genesis 12:4).

            Abraham simply picked up and left, trusting God’s promises from vss.2&3.  Abraham had a lot of reasons to question God, but he did not.  Those questions would arise later when God’s promises were not being fulfilled in Abraham and Sarah’s timing, but initially Abraham obeyed God’s command and picked up and left trusting God would show him where he was to settle.

            Abraham’s life demonstrates that our timing is not God’s timing.  God revealed his plan to Abraham.  He directed Abraham throughout his life.  But God never told Abraham the timing of the fulfillment of his greatest promise: The promise of a son.  The son which was necessary for Abraham to become a great nation and through whom “all nations would be blessed”.  It is reasonable to think that Abraham would have expected Sarah to conceive shortly after God gave this promise.  After all, they were both already old and well past the age of having children: Abraham was 75 and Sarah was 65 and barren.

            It was only after Abraham and Sarah had made several mistakes trying to “help” God fulfill this promise that God revealed the timing of the fulfillment of the promise, 24 years later.  Sarah would give birth to a son one year later, when Abraham was 100 and she was 90 (Genesis 16,18,21).  God’s timing is not our timing.

            Abraham began to question God’s promise because he had placed his own arbitrary timeline and expectation on God for when this promise should be fulfilled.  This is the same mistake that we so often make.  We know that God has promised to care for us and provide for us, but we want to dictate to him how that promise should be fulfilled and what the timing of our demanded fulfillment should be.  When we place demands on God we display a lack of faith, and we demonstrate that we do not trust him to live up to his promises.

            Abraham was given an incredible promise from God.  And then he faced decades of testing before that promise would be truly fulfilled.  The time in which Abraham received his call and promise from God to its fulfillment on Mt. Moriah, where he was in the process of sacrificing Isaac to God, spanned more than 40 years. 

            Abraham lived for 175 years.  Genesis 12-25:11 tells us about ~60 years of his life.  That is a little more than 1/3 of his life; yet these six decades are clearly the defining years of Abraham’s life.  God’s plan for Abraham did not play out over days or weeks.  It took decades for everything to come together.  Abraham could only really understand God’s plan at its completion when he could look back over time and see how God worked everything out.  That is how it is for us, as well.  When we are in the beginning or middle stages of carrying out God’s plan, we cannot reasonably expect to know exactly how it will come together.  We just need to trust that God will bring it all together.

            Also, it is foolish to think that anything in life will come together in a few days, or a few weeks.  Even a few months is an unrealistic expectation in most situations.  Any worthwhile endeavor in life will take years to bring to fruition.  It is our responsibility to keep working and trust that God will bless our efforts and make them work out exactly how they need to, to bless his church and the world.

            God’s timing is not our timing!

God's Ways Are Not Our Ways- Introduction

 (The following is the introduction to an essay I am writing on patiently letting God reveal his plans in our lives. The coming weeks will feature each section of the body of that essay.)

I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:11-18

            This is God’s plan of salvation.  This is also sinful man’s great difficulty: It does not make sense.

            No human being would ever devise a plan for saving the world from sin by punishing someone who never sinned, for the sins of everyone who ever lived.  God’s plan of salvation is a plan no human being would have ever devised or even imagined.  It just does not make sense to our sinful, limited thinking and understanding.  That is why God’s plan of salvation is the perfect place to begin the conversation about how God’s ways are above our ways.

            “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

God Has Not Abandoned You

Psalm 138:6 

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever-
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Do you ever feel like you've been abandoned by the Lord?  Does it seem like God has left you to fend for yourself?

If you ever feel that way, take encouragement from this Psalm of David.  

Not only does God have a purpose for you, but he will fulfill that purpose for you.  You are not alone.  God has not abandoned you.  It may feel like it.  Your life may be crumbling down around you.  Your health may be failing.  But God has not forgotten you.

Jesus has promised, "And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

When life gets tough and everything is going against you, it can be difficult to remember this promise of Jesus.  It's so easy to get caught up in your struggles and hardships, and that's right where Satan wants you.  He wants you to take your focus off Jesus and focus all your attention on yourself.  And its so easy to do.  As sinful people, we are all naturally bent on focusing on ourselves.

This is when it's so important for you to run back to Jesus in his Word.  The harder your life is right now the more you need to be in God's Word everyday.  You will not find answers or relief in complaining about your situation.  You will only find anwers and relief in the comfort and encouragement found in Scripture.  That is where Jesus is found.

As the Psalm above says, "God's love endures forever."  Never forget it.  Never doubt it.  Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Take Jesus at his Word

John 4:46-53

Once more he [Jesus] visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.  And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.  When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

Jesus replied, "You may go.  Your son will live."

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.  While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.  When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him at the seventh hour."

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live."  So he and all his household believed. 

Do you ever have trouble with taking Jesus at his word?  Jesus has made a number of promises to us in his Word, the Bible.  He has promised to provide for our every need.  He has promised to take care of us.  He has promised to be with us always and never abandon us.  Do you find it difficult to remember and trust these promises when you're experiencing great challenges and difficulties in your life?

What if you stopped worrying about every little thing in life and trusted Jesus to take care of it?  

What if you stopped giving into your fears and starting trusting Jesus to carry you through that situation that is scaring you?

While it can be difficult to let go of fear and worry, you can.  You can lay it all before Jesus and trust that he will take care of it.  When you turn to Jesus and stop worrying about possible outcomes to situations, you find that things rarely work out as badly as you had been imagining.  Jesus is able to work in and through other people to resolve problems in simple ways that you have overlooked. 

When you let go of fear and trust Jesus you find that those things you have been fearing aren't that big of a deal.  Whether it's stepping outisde your comfort zone to take on a new responsibility at work or having a difficult conversation with your spouse; Jesus is able to give you the ability to handle it.  And often you will find that fear creates scary monsters out of situations that you are capable of handling.  You can do an excellent job making that presentation at work.  Your spouse loves you and wants to have that conversation with you because they want to strengthen your marriage.  

Do not be afraid that others will react negatively toward you when you step out of your comfort zone.  Even if you mess it up on your first try most people are gracious enough to appreciate that you did try.  Too many people won't even take that first step. 

Fear and worry are birthed out of a lack of faith.  Fear and worry hold us back from so much in life.  The only way to truly kill fear and worry is to take Jesus at his word:

Matthew 6:31-34

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?"  or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kindgdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

You can lay your fears and worries at the feet of Jesus with confidence, trusting his love for you, because he has displayed his love for you by laying down his life for you.  He is the atoning sacrifice that paid the price for all your sins.  Because he has redeemed you with his blood, you can trust his love for you.  You can trust his greatest promise: all your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life through faith in him.  Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.  In Jesus, you have nothing to fear.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

Awake From Your Slumber

 Romans 13:11-14

And do this, understanding the present time.  The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.  Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

This is an especially relevant message for everyone today: Christians and non-Christians alike.

For Christians, it is time to wake up from your complacency and start living your Great Commission calling.  It is time to stop living like the world and start living the faith that you profess.  It is time to stop making excuses for not engaging with your church.  It is time to stop expecting your pastor to be the only one carrying out the ministry of your church.  It is time to take responsibility for leading your family.

Christian, the church in America is dying because you have been asleep for far too long.  Wake up!  God is not fooled by your empty words.  You cannot placate God.  He knows your heart.

For the non-Christian, it is time to wake up.  Judgement Day, and your personal judgment day, is closer now than it ever has been.  It is time to turn from your self-indulgent perversions.  It is time to stop working so hard to lead people away from Jesus, especially your own children.  It is time to stop trying to make sinful lifestyles normal and acceptable so as to sear your own conscience.  

Non-Christian, you are on the road to hell.  Your arrogant rejection of Jesus Christ and his free gift of salvation is sending you to hell!  Your time is short.  Your condemnation will be forever.  Now is the time to repent and turn away from your wickedness and perversions.

The good news for everyone is simple: Jesus has already paid the price for your sins.  Your sins are forgiven.  Some will joyfully embrace Christ and recieve his free gift of forgiveness and salvation.  Some will set themselves stronger against Christ.  

The time is short.  We are nearer now more than ever.  We will all face our final judment much sooner than we think.  Will you harden your heart and hold on to your guilt?  Or will you turn to Jesus and be found "not guilty" for his sake?

You are reading this today.  You will have no excuse on your last day.

My prayer is that you turn to Jesus.

God bless
Jason Fredrick

Faithfully Serve Wherever the Lord has Placed You

 Genesis 39:1-6a

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.  Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishamaelites who had taken him there.

The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.  When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.  Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.  From the time he put him in charge of his household and all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.  The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.  So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Joseph's situation was not ideal.  He had been assaulted by his brothers and then sold into slavery.  Now, a thousand miles from home, he was put to work.  It's easy to think that Joseph was bitter.  He certainly had every right to be.  You would think Joseph would be angry and resentful toward his master.  It would even make sense that Joseph would be mad at God.  After all, it was God who gave him those dreams and the ability to understand what they meant.

But the Bible tells us Joseph responded to his situation much differently than we might expect.  Nowhere are we told that Joseph prayed to God demanding an explanation for his situation.  Perhaps it's reasonable to think that on that long journey from Canaan to Egypt, Joseph had plenty of time to think through his situation.  It seems like Joseph realized that he was just as responsible for his situation as his brothers were.

Whatever the case may have been, Joseph's response teaches us an important lesson: No matter what our situation, we are to glorify God by giving our very best everyday.  Joseph had no reason to think that his faithful work would earn him a promotion.  Joseph sumbitted to the authority that God had placed over him and he faithfully served Potiphar to the best of his ability.  He was honoring God by honoring Potiphar.

Because of Jospeh's faithfulness, God blessed him and all of Potiphar's house.  There are certainly blessings that come with faithfully honoring God in all we do, and obeying his commands; but God does not promise any particular blessings for our faithfulness.  He does not promise to bless us like he blessed Joseph while he served in Potiphar's house.  Joseph's motivation for honoring and obeying God was his love for God, his faith in God's promise of salvation.  Our motivation must also be the same: A thank you to God for his gift of faith and forgiveness of sins for Jesus' sake.

Joseph didn't serve Potiphar diligently because he was trying to earn God's favor.  He served Potiphar diligently because he already had God's favor.  It was God's love for Joseph and Joseph's faith that empowered him to love God and love his neighbor- Potiphar.

This is the same for us.  As God's children, we are called to love God and love our neighbor.  This love is displayed in our lives through service.  As a response to God's love for us, we diligently work everyday to serve our neighbor- in our family, at work, in the community, and in church.  Wherever God gives us an opportunity to serve, that's where we serve each day.

We can serve in this way, every day, because Jesus has served us in the most important way: He lived the perfect life we can't live.  He died the death we deserve.  He rose from the dead to conquer death for us.  "Becasue Jesus lives, we also will live."

God bless,

Jason Fredrick

The Storms of Life

 The lectionary readings for this week are:

Job 38:1-11
Acts 27:13-26
Mark 4:35-41

In all three of these readings there are some common threads: Storms and major life challenges will come.  Also, God is faithful, he honors his promise to protect and provide through those challenges.

Mark 4:35-41

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee]."  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.  There were also other boats with him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.  The disciples woke and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet!  Be still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"

They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him?"

Several of the disciples were professional fishermen.  They knew the Sea of Galilee well.  This most likely was not the first time they had been caught in the middle of the lake when a storm suddenly blew in.  There response was interesting, though.  We're not told how long they tried to fight the waves themselves, but it doesn't seem like they fought the storm for very long before waking up Jesus.

Reading through the text, it doesn't seem like Jesus was mad that they woke him up.  He rebukes them for their lack of faith.  That was displayed with their accusation toward him, "Don't you care if we drown?"  They accused Jesus of not caring about them.  It is a ridiculous accusation, but how often are we guilty of the same thing?  We get overwhelmed with the storms that hit us in our life, we panic, and turn to God, "Don't you care about me God?  How could you let this happen?"

This is obviously a ridiculous question.  God loves us.  He has demonstrated his love for us in so many ways, it is total arrogance to even ask such a question of God.  Here Jesus gave a short, but strong rebuke to his disciples.  In Job 38-39 God gives Job a lengthy and crushing rebuke.  Job quickly recognized that he had been a whiny baby about his challenges and God didn't owe him an explanation.

God doesn't owe us an explanation for the challenges we face in life.  In faith, we know that the storms of life are the result one thing- sin.  We live in a sinful world so sometimes bad stuff happens to everybody.  We also know that God uses those storms for our good (Romans 8:28).  

Sometimes the storms of life are of our own making.  They are the natural effect of sinful behavior or bad decisions.  Sometimes they are the natural side-effect of living in a sinful world.  Whatever the case, God always uses them as an opportunity to draw us closer to him.  In all three readings above Job, Paul, and the disciples turned to God to see them through the storm.  This is the same place that we must turn during the storms of life.  Only Jesus can carry us through.

You never need question Jesus' love for you like the disciples did.  Jesus cares about you.  Jesus loves you.  His greatest statement of just how much he loves you was made on Calvary.  He gave up his life that you may live.  Despite being totally innocent of any sin, he took all of yours on himself and paid the price for all of them on the cross.  No matter what happens in life, you can be confident of one thing: Because Jesus lives, you also will live.  God's got it all worked out all ready.  He is not suprised by the storms you face.

So do not worry, but seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all good things will be added to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)  That is God's promise to his children.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

A Pastoral Vacancy

 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the the truth.  Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:

God appeared in a body,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world,

was taken up in glory.

The previous thirteen verses of 1 Timothy 3 are Paul's instructions for deacons and overseers in the church.  Paul wanted to make sure churches understood how to conduct themselves in the absence of a trained pastor.  One underlying point here is that the ministry of an individual congregation can't stop because of a pastoral vacancy.  The leaders of the church have to be prepared to step up and lead.  Every member of the church has to be prepared to act on, and live out, their Great Commission calling.

Notice how Paul calls the church "the pillar and foundation of the truth."  The church is all of God's people united in individual congregations all over the world.  The church is not the pastor.  While it can be frustrating and scary for church members to carry out the ministry of Christ's Church without a pastor, they must.  That is what they have been called to.  Pastor or not, it is the call of every Christian church to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into their community.  While the mystery of godliness is great, the Holy Spirit empowers God's chidlren to be able to understand it a little, believe it totally, and share it generously.  That is what every Christian has been called to do.

God's grace be with you.

Jason Fredrick

Love (Part 2)

 1 Corinthians 13:5

It [love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

How do you measure up against this list?

I know I come up short on every one.

This verse could be summed up by saying, "Love is not selfish."  All of the attitudes listed here are birthed out of selfishness.  The interesting thing is when you see these qualities in other people: rudeness, self-seeking, easily angered, and keeping a record of wrongs, you can't stand it.  Those attitudes in others make you so angry.  Yet when you indulge them everyone is supposed to show you grace and give you the benefit of the doubt.

Imagine if you took this verse to heart just with the people you regularly claim to love- your family.  What if you stopped indulging the sinful selfishness which this verse exposes and stopped treating your spouse and children like this?  What if you actually loved (active verb) them with this definition of love?

Your life would drastically change if you started being considerate and stopped being rude.

Your life would be transformed if you started serving others and stopped seeking to serve yourself.

You would actually be respected if you exercised emotional intelligence and controlled your anger.

You would be set free if you stopped keeping a record of everyone else's wrongs.

Love is not any of these things.  If you are behaving this way towards anyone, you don't love them.  No matter what your mouth may claim...you don't.  

Which of these is your biggest weakness?  Fix it.  Start today to work on fixing it.  All of these attitudes are relationship killers.  You need to fix them because they are taking withdrawals from every one of your relationships everyday.  If you're not sure if you suffer from any of these ask the people around you.  Ask your spouse.  Ask your boss.  Ask your co-workers.  Give them permission to speak the truth and don't it take it personally.  Take it as feedback and let them know you are working to fix it.

How do you "fix it"?  Be intentional about fixing and building the most important relationship in your life: your relationship with Jesus.  Love is a fruit of faith.  You can't truly love other people if you are rejecting Jesus as your Savior.  

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

The way to build your relationship with Jesus is by reading and studying his Word daily.  Faith is created and strengthened through God's Word and the Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion).  To strengthen your faith you must be reading God's Word.  If you don't have faith in Jesus then you need to start reading God's Word (the Holy Bible) and be baptized so the Holy Spirit can work faith in your heart.  Only the Holy Spirit can change your heart so you can love like Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13.

This 1 Corinthians 13 love is the love that all Christians strive for, and all people long for because this is the way that God loves us.  He has demonstrated this love for us by offering his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus loves us so much that he paid the price that we all deserve when he died on the cross.

1 John 4:9-10

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Are You Protecting Your Family?

 Genesis 3:6-7

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Notice in this account, The Fall of Man, when Eve was being tempted to sin Adam was right there with her.  When she finally took the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil she didn't have to go searching for Adam.  He was close enough that she could just hand him some.  It seems that Adam was standing right there the entire time Satan was working to deceive his wife and lead her into rebellion against God.

Why would Adam just stand by and allow this attack on his family, on his wife?  

We don't have the answer to that question, but there is a similar question you can answer:  Why do you stand idly by and allow the world and Satan to attack your family?

Why don't you intervene?  Why don't you do something about it?  Why do you passively sit and watch as your family is attacked every day?

Odds are you have been lulled into complacency by the world.  You allow yourself to be distracted by all the shiny objects and empty promises Satan makes to you every day through marketing and social media.  You are too busy (distracted) to educate and arm yourself for battle.  You are right where Satan wants you: Dazed and confused!  You have given into the world's demand for a more feminized man.  You even try to justify your apathy by saying things like, "My family has the right to make up their own minds.  I don't have the right to tell them how to think and how to act."  

Once you start making idiotic justifications like this Satan has already conquered your family.  He has successfully deceived you into giving up your God-given call to leadership.  Leaders stand on truth.  They understand that there is only one source of truth: God's Word.  Truth is not subjective and open to an individual's feelings.  Leaders understand that they have to fight in this life because of sin.  It is not a sin to fight for your family.  It is not a sin to fight for what is right.  It is not a sin to fight against evil.  Anyone who has set themselves against Jesus Christ and his Word is evil.  You must fight their lies and defend your family against their constant attacks.  They want to drag your wife and children to hell with them.  You must fight for them!

Thankfully, Jesus fought for us.  He was not some wimpy little guy who shrunk in the face of challenge.  He ferociously confronted sinful behavior in society and aggressively defended the Holy Scriptures every time they came under attack by Satan's servants.  Thankfully, Jesus did this perfectly for us because he knew we would fail at it constantly.  We are forgiven for every time we fail to do this because of Jesus' perfect life and sacrifice on the cross.  He has payed the price for all of our sins and now empowers us to fulfill the commission he has given to each of us.  He even gives us the armor for the battle.  The only question is: Will you man up and get in the fight?

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but the against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Patiently Pursue Your Purpose

Luke 8:37-39

Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.  So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you."  So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

This is the account of Jesus driving out the legion of demons from this man and sending them into a herd of pigs.  These verses, which end that account, are interesting to me for a couple of reasons:

First, the people witness this amazing miracle.  This man was so wild and out of control he was living by himself among the tombs.  The demons living in him were so powerful that when the people tried to chain him, he broke the chains.  It seems like the people of the area were terrified of him, but they had learned how to avoid him.  When Jesus drives out the demons and restores this man to being normal, the people are even more afraid of Jesus.  They recognize the power of the demons whom had taken possession of this man and realize that Jesus is even more powerful.  His power scares them so much that they ask him to leave.  Notice that Jesus doesn't argue with these people.  He just gets back in the boat to leave.  But if you notice, he isn't leaving them empty-handed.  He is leaving them with a testimony and an evangelist.

And we know that this man did his job well because the next time Jesus came to this territory, "...people recognized Jesus.  They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was" (Mark 6:54-55).  Clearly Jesus knew what he was doing when he left this formerly demon possessed man behind to proclaim his testimony about Jesus to his village.

That brings me to the second point.  Once the man was healed, he wanted to follow Jesus and be a part his ministry team.  As we have seen, Jesus had other plans.  The man was eager to follow and serve Jesus so he called him to a ministry that only he could fulfill.  The people of the Gerasenes were afraid of Jesus and asked him to leave.  They weren't afraid of this man anymore.  The people were open to his testimony.  They weren't open to hearing Jesus preach to them.  Even though Jesus gave this man a different assignment than what he was looking for, he clearly grabbed ahold of it and told everyone he came into contact with what Jesus had done for him.

This is how it is in our lives sometimes.  We get an idea about how we want to serve Jesus, or maybe we get excited about an organization we would like to be a part of, but when we try to pursue that ministry the door is closed on us.  As with the demon possessed man from Genesaret Jesus isn't rejecting us.  He just has a different plan for us.  Unfortunately, we often aren't told right away what that plan is, like this man; but we can be confident that if we are patient God's plan for us will be revealed to us.  Because just like this man we may want a ministry position right now but Jesus knows better.  He knows how we can best serve him and he will open that door when it is time.

Psalm 37:4-7

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?

 Psalm 42:5-6

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me; 

therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,

the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar.

Do you ever feel like this at times?  Do you ever wonder why you can't just be happy?

This is a tough place to be.  You can tell yourself, "Just be happy.  Stop being so depressed and grumpy," but that approach never works.  If you have ever been in the same place as this Psalm writer you know that it's not that easy.  You would like it to be.  People around you would like it to be.  But it just isn't.

Whatever you're going through that has put you in this emotional and spiritual funk just has to be gone through.  There is no short-cut.  You have to deal with whatever is causing this "spiritual depression" and learn the lessons along the way.  The problem that makes this so difficult to work through, and help others work through, is that no two situations are the same.  What triggers my soul to be downcast is not the same thing that triggers yours.  Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to working your way out of this funk.

I would love to be able to tell you how to snap out of it as soon as you recognize this onset, but I don't have that answer.  I have been battling this myself, on and off, since September.  There are good days, and there are not-so-good days.  There are days when I feel like I have made peace with my current situation, and there are days when I struggle hard because I am frustrated because I am so far away from where I want my life to be professionally and ministerially.  I am sure some of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about.

The only way I have found to deal with this and keep searching for what's next is found at the end of the first paragraph of the Psalm above:  "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."  I know that ultimately, this I why I am going through this struggle right now- God is drawing me closer to him.  I need to learn how to rely on him for everything and trust his plan, even when I can't see it.  Even when it doesn't make any sense to me.  I will trust it.  I will trust him.

Psalm 46:10-11

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

The best advice I can give you when you're struggling with a "downcast soul" is: Be in God's Word more.  Double the amount of time you spend reading Scripture everyday.  Double up your prayer life as well.  Bible reading and prayer is the best way I have found to deal with this situation.  

Finally, you need to act.  There is probably something that you know you need to do.  Do it!  Step out on faith and do it.  The more it scares you the more you need to do it.  Faith is displayed by our actions not our words.  If you truly trust God's love for you then you need to do the things you know you need to do. 

I know for me, this is typically what causes a downcast soul- I'm not doing the thing I know I need to be doing.  This leads to incredible frustration and depression.  I know I said above that their is no easy solution to this condition, but the best thing you can do is to start doing that thing you've been avoiding.  The thing you've been too scared to deal with.  That thing that you know would change everything for you.  Do it today and trust that God will bless it how he chooses.  Doing nothing will only make your funk worse.  Trust me.  I've tried that before too.  Doing nothing never makes anything better.

The Lord Almighty is with you.  Do it!

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Who Are the Pharisees of Today?

 Mark 2:27-28

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

In Jesus' day, the Pharisees had some problems.  They could quote the Scriptures, but they didn't understand what any of it meant.  They thought they could earn their way into heaven with their works, by obeying the Law.  There is one big problem with this approach to eternal salvation: Nobody can perfectly obey God's Law.  The only person who could, and did, was Jesus because he is both true God and true man.  God's standard and expectation is pretty straight forward: Be perfect.  That is why the Pharisees hated Jesus so much.  He constantly exposed their hypocrisy publicly.  These men wanted to believe that they were perfectly obeying the Law of Moses.  They wanted everyone else to believe that as well.  When Jesus came teaching what the Old Testament Scriptures actually said and meant his teaching automatically exposed the arrogance and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

That is where the passage from Mark comes in.  The Pharisees had added a bunch of extra rules to observing the Sabbath.  Rules that were not part of God's command to Moses and the Israelites.  The rules and traditions of men had become more important to the Pharisees than what Scripture actually said.  This is the big problem with work-righteousness: it always defaults into self-righteousness because the person who falls into this trap is looking to themself for salvation which means they have turned away from Jesus.  This was exactly the problem the Pharisees had.  They had their own perfection and salvation already worked out (in their minds), so they were only looking for a Messiah who would be an earthly king and end the Roman tyranny.  Sadly, by missing the point they missed everything.  Jesus, the Messiah, is so much more than just some earthly king ruling an earthly kingdom.  He is the King of kings, Lord of lords.  His Kingdom is eternal and all who dwell in it receive the gift of eternal life.

With that in mind, where do we see the Pharisees still practicing today?  

The Roman Catholic church for sure.  There the pope's decrees supersede anything the Bible says.  The pope is the god of Roman Catholicism.

We also see it in the Protestant church.  Any church that teaches Arminian and Calvinist theology (Pentecostal, Reformed, Baptist, etc.) are doing the exact same thing as the Roman Catholic church.  They give more authority to man's word than God's Word.  They reject the clear teaching of Scripture regarding important Christian doctrines and instead give more value to the false teachings of men like John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius.

What this teaches us is that Satan works hard on the church.  He does everything in his power to corrupt God's Word and lead people astray.  Every church body has to fight this battle.  Some just do a much better job of standing on the authority of God's Word over man's word.  Any teaching that contradicts what Scripture clearly says is man's own ideas, or more accurately, man's ideas influenced by Satan's lies.  Satan still uses the same approach with God's people that worked so well for him in the Garden of Eden.

The only way to combat this is to study God's Word everyday.  Read your Bible so you can recognize when someone is teaching falsely.  Read your Bible so you can grow in faith and understanding.  God has given us the precious gift of his Holy Word, read it.  Take God at his word and don't fall into the trap of trying to tell God what he meant to say, or should have said.  Listen to what he has to say and let him tell you what he means by it.  God is much wiser than any human being, regardless of last name or title.

God loves us so much that he has given us his Word.  Listen to him!

God bless

Jason Fredrick

How Do You Measure Up?

 Psalm 119:1,5-6

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the LORD.

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

Unfortunately, too many of us believe that our ways are blameless, but in reality, we all know that's just not true.  We try our best.  We do what we can.  But no matter how hard we try we constantly fall short.  There isn't  a single person among us whose ways are blameless.  This is true even for Christians.  

This struggle is even greater for Christians.  As Christians, we want to obey God's laws.  We study his Word and try to walk in accord with his commands, but daily we fall short.  Christians see this gap because they understand God demands perfection and none of us obey him perfectly.  While the unbeliever goes about his day not even thinking about this.  He actually believes he is just fine because "he's certainly better than most."

Sadly, people who want to believe this will know the truth one day, no matter how much they try to deny it now.  On the Day of Judgment, everyone will know the truth of God's Word.  Everyone will know that Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life.  On that day it will be too late for people to change their mind.

Thankfully, God has graciously given everyone the gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ (though many reject it).  Faith in Jesus is the motivation for the Psalm above.  It is faith in Jesus that makes us rejoice in God's decrees.  It is faith in Jesus that brings joy to our hearts, giving us the assurance that our sins are forgiven and we are saved by his blood.  It is faith in Jesus that motivates us to want to walk according to the law of the Lord.

This Christmas season I am thankful for two gifts that I received a long time ago: Jesus Christ, the One who died and rose again to redeem all people from the power of sin, death, and the devil; and the faith to believe it.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

God Tests His Children

 Genesis 22:1

Some time later God tested Abraham.

Why does God test us?  Why doesn't he just talk to us like he did with Abraham?

These are good and valid questions.  Questions that all of us have asked at different times in our lives.  The answers to these questions aren't always easy, or easy to hear, but we do have the answers to these questions.

Why does God test us?

There are several reasons that God tests us:

1. It's a way to help us refocus our attention on him.
2. It's a way that he hones us to develop and grow in character, patience, wisdom, etc.
3. It's a way that he snaps us out of arrogance or apathy.
4. It's part of what he uses to help guide us on our life's journey- opening and closing opportunities.
5. It's a way that God shows us to ourselves.  A test can help us recognize what we really want and what is most important to us.

These are some of the reasons.  If you think of one that I don't have listed share it in the comments section below.

Most of God's test in life are to remind us how much we need him.  They are designed to bring us back to him and refocus on him and his Word.  Throughout my life I can look back and see that the main reason I have been tested is to snap me out of arrogance or apathy.  When life is going well, I find that I tend to bounce back and forth between these two ditches.  It's funny, because usually for me tests are an answer to prayer.  I don't pray to be tested, but I do pray for more wisdom, or courage, or boldness.  Tests are the ways that God usually answers these prayers.  

God's tests are the ways that opportunities are created to grow and develop these traits.  Tests are also the way that your marriage gets better and stronger.  Tests open doors to increase your income.  Whatever you are praying for, and about, tests are often the way those prayers get answered.  But not always.  God can answer your prayers however he chooses.  Just don't be surprised or upset when your prayers are answered with a test.  Often, the reason for the test is so that you will pray more and continue to turn to God for help to get through this test.

God may not speak directly to us like he did with Abraham, but he does still speak to us.  He has given us his Word, the Bible, so he can speak to us every day.  Prayer is how we speak to God.  The Bible is how he speaks to us.  As you look for how to navigate your test in life make sure you spend time in God's Word every day.  God's Word is what gives us the guidance we need.  God's Word is where we find answers to many of our questions.  God's Word is the way to properly understand and navigate the tests of life.

God tests you because he loves you.  He wants you to turn to him and rely on him for everything, every day.  When you are faced with tests in your life, don't get frustrated get humble.

Psalm 46:1-3, 7, 10-11

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Who Do You Turn To?

 Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

In whom do you trust?  Is it in the Lord Almighty, or is it in yourself?  Is it in money and financial security?  How about the company you work for or the government?

In whom do you trust?  Where do you turn for shelter?

If you are trusting primarily in yourself or earthly institutions for your rest and shelter, you are in trouble.  Both are too weak and too temporary to offer either.  How can you trust yourself when you daily have to battle your emotions to make logical decisions?  How can you find shelter and security in the government or your employer when both use you as a means to an end?  Your employer may not be as cold and callous as that, but if times get tough who is going to be let get go, you or the owner of the company?

I am not asking this to create distrust or animosity between you and your employer.  I pray that you work for a company whose leadership has impeccable character.  I truly do.  Don't miss the point, though.

Governments rise and fall.  Companies come and go.  Your abilities, understanding, strength, and beauty will all fade over time.  Do not fall into the trap of putting your trust in temporary things.  All of these things have their time and place, but none of them offers eternal rewards.  At the end of your life you will find that all of these things are temporary and fleeting, here today-gone tomorrow.

Take the advice of the writer of this Psalm.  Put your trust in the Most High God.  Turn to him for your shelter and security.  Only he can be a true "refuge and fortress."  As I have gone through challenges and struggles in my life (some of them recently), this truth and promise of God is reinforced every day.  When I look to the Lord as my refuge and fortress I find peace and guidance.  When I look to myself, a job, or my savings account; I only experience stress and anxiety.  When I look to myself and worldly things for security and peace of mind I never find rest.  I constantly worry about having enough and what might happen in the near future, as well as the long-term.

Only in the Lord God is there peace and sanctuary.  Only in the fortress of God is there true security and protection from the evils of the world and Satan.  Only the Lord's walls are impenetrable.  Only in the "shelter of the Most High" is there eternal salvation.   Turn from the false promises of this world and put your trust in the Most High.  He is the One who loves you and provides for your every need.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

America: The Land of Fools

 Proverbs 20:3

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

In our society, there are two platforms where this Proverb is played out every day: Politics and social media.  Both of these are built on slander and strife.  Politicians need it to remain in the public eye and feed their narcissistic shallowness.  Social media whores need it to give themselves a false feeling of significance and importance.  Look at what Solomon calls both groups of people.  They are FOOLS!

This does not mean every politician and everyone on social media are fools, but look at the qualifier- people who are quick to quarrel are fools.  They should be avoided.  Do you get sucked into arguments on social media as if you are actually convincing someone the rightness of your opinion?  I don't know if you've noticed yet, but social media is not solving problems...it is creating problems and making existing problems worse, that's what it's designed for.

By this definition, how many American politicians are honorable and how many are fools?  If it's honorable to avoid strife and quarrels then we would have to say most- the vast majority- of American politicians are fools.  In today's political environment one has to play the fool just to get elected.  The politicians are just a reflection of the people who vote for them.  That's a big reason why American politics has nothing to do with governing and solving problems.  The American people insist on their politics being nothing more than an absurd "reality" T.V. series.  Only a dumbed-down, uneducated, ignorant society would continue to elect buffoons to public office election after election.  The sad state of American politics is actually a sad commentary on the state of American society.  There is no honor among our politicians because there is no honor among our citizens.  Cry about it all you want on social media, but nothing changes until the citizens change.  An immoral citizenry will always elect immoral governors so they will legalize more immorality.  And then these same selfish and ignorant citizens will cry and whine when the immoral governors they elect turn around and take everything from them (the ignorant citizens) because they (the governors) are immoral.  There is no honor among thieves.  Immoral, selfish people will always abuse their power and authority to get everything they can for themselves.  This is why the Woke folks and Socialists are so stupid- they never get this, no matter how many times they are kicked in the crotch by it.

None of this is new.  And it certainly isn't news.  It is only new to ignorant fools who don't read and who don't study and understand history.  This is the nature of fallen, sinful man.  People who reject the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will always act this way.  It's not surprising.  It is to be expected, so there is no reason to get all angry when godless people act this way.  The big key is for you to stop acting the same way.  If you profess to be a Christian, then start acting like it.  You are called to be the salt and light of the world.  Stop acting like the world!  Stop playing the fool on social media by participating in the foolish quarreling.  Stop going through the motions of your life, and start living the life you have been called to live through the gift of faith in Jesus.  Every Christian has been given a Great Commission calling.  Yours is bigger than just living for yourself.  If you really want to make a difference in society, in the world, that is how you do it.  You aren't accomplish anything, and you aren't pleasing God, by being just another fool on social media.

This all starts by answering one simple question: Who are you living for?

If you are neglecting your Great Commission calling, then you are living for yourself.  

If you are living for others, then you are moving in the right direction, but you're not quite there yet.

If you are truly living for Jesus, then you've got it.  Jesus is more important than you.  He is more important than all the others.  Only Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life".  His plan for your life is the only one that matters.

It is time to stop playing the fool and start living your life with honor.  If you have no clue what that word means, start reading the book of Proverbs every day.  Solomon and the Holy Spirit will help you figure it out.

James 3:17-4:2

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God.

God bless 

Jason Fredrick