Baptist City Blog

Spicing Up Your Faith

2 Peter 1:5

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;"

Have you ever tasted something that seemed to be bland and thought to yourself that the cook needed to spice up the flavor by adding some trimmings to it? When my wife cooks a meal, she will often add spices to the food to help the food taste a little better. The food alone is good, but adding to the food makes it more palatable. God said that Christians need to spice up their faith by adding to it. In other words, faith by itself can be bland, but adding to your faith will make it palatable for yourself and those whom you try to influence or win to Christ. Let me show God's spices that He wants you to use to add flavor to your faith.

First, add the spice of virtue to your faith. Virtue is excellence. In other words, God wants Christians to strive for excellence in all that they do for Him. A faith that simply tries to get by is a faith that is bland to you and those whom you are around. Don't just try to do your best when you do things for God, but strive for excellence. Excellence always makes a person's faith more palatable.

Second, add the spice of knowledge to your faith. Ignorance is no excuse for a Christian. Every Christian should strive to become more knowledgeable about the Word of God. A Christian who only does things because someone tells them to, is a Christian whose faith is very bland. On the other hand, a Christian who can back up their faith because of their knowledge of the Scriptures is a Christian whose faith has flavor. The more knowledgeable you are of God and life, the more flavor you will add to your faith.

Third, add the spice of temperance to your faith. A Christian who has no self-control is a Christian whose faith is not worthy of tasting. Christians needs to control their temper. Christians need to control their emotions. Christians need to control their physical appetites. A person who practices temperance is a person who is in complete control of their being. When people see a Christian who is in control of themselves, then their faith is more flavorful because they will want to be the same way.

Fourth, add the spice of patience to your faith. Patience is not an easy thing to have at all times, but you must learn to be patient with people and with God. A faith without patience is a faith that will make wrong decisions. Let patience make your faith more tasteful.

Fifth, add the spice of godliness to your faith. Strive to be more like God in all that you do. The more godliness you add to your faith, the more balance you add to your faith. When people see that you act like God, then they will want a taste of your faith.

Sixth, add the spice of kindness to your faith. Anybody can be kind. You don't have to be a jerk to be a Christian. A Christian who is kind to people is a Christian who will cause others to want to be around them. Be kind to everybody, for you never know what they are going through in their life.

Last, add the spice of love to your faith. Love is the garnish that will cause all these other spices to taste better. Love people when they are unloveable. Love people when others forsake them. Love people for who they are and not for what they can do for you.

Let me ask you, is your faith bland? Do people see your faith and want it because it seems palatable to them? Don't just add one of these spices to the recipe of your Christian life, but add all of them. A Christian life that has added all of these spices to it will be a life that will give the taste to others that Christ wants them to have.

The 08/19/2012 bulletin from FBC Hammond is now up at www.baptist-city.com.

From out of the past, listen to two very timely sermons by Bro. Hyles for the week of 8/12/12 at www.baptist-city.com.

"In Times Like These" is the song of the week now at www.baptist-city.com.

What Could Have Been

Deuteronomy 34:1

"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,"

One of the saddest stories that I find in the Scriptures is the end of Moses' life. It says that Moses went to the top of Pisgah to see the Promised Land, but was not able to enter because of one sin that he committed. Imagine, one sin kept him from experiencing his life's dream. How unfair it seems that Moses was not able to enjoy the fruits of his labor because of one sin, but sin isn't fair and it always carries unfair consequences with it.

One of the greatest consequences of sin is that you can see what could have been yours. When Moses was on the top of Pisgah, he was able to see what could have been his, but one moment of sin ruined his opportunity to possess it Now the only pleasure he received was that he saw what could have been his.

Christian, you must not allow this to be your story. The one thing that sin's invitation never tells you about is the regrets that you will live with for the rest of your life. You will live with the regret of what you could have had. You will live with the wonder of, "What if...?" Is one moment of sin's pleasure worth living the rest of your life wondering what could have been? I promise you, the regret of what could have been yours far outweighs the pleasure of one moment of sin.

Look at Esau and the regret he lived with for the rest of his life. For one bowl of pottage he lived the rest of his life wondering about what could have been. Saul lived with the regret of wondering what could have been if only he had killed King Agag. Samson lived with the regret of what could have been as he ground meal in the dungeon with the animals. Adam and Even lived their whole lives wondering what could have been if only they had not ate of the forbidden fruit. Judas Iscariot is living the rest of his eternity in Hell wondering what could have been had he accepted Christ as his Saviour. These stories go on and on, and the regret of what could have been is always greater than the pleasure of sin.

So, you think one night of pleasure is worth losing your family and maybe your career? So, you think one moment of pleasure is worth losing your purity? So, you think one moment of disobedience to God's command is worth living with the regrets of what could have been yours?

This world is full of people who are living a life of regret wondering what could have been theirs. Preachers who fell into sin are wondering what could have been. Adults who were unfaithful to their spouse are wondering what could have been had they stayed faithful. People who let money lure them away from God's will wonder what could have been. People who allowed one friend to pull them away from doing what was right are wondering what could have been. Before you decide to enjoy one moment of sin, you would be wise to look at those who live with the regret of what could have been. Don't let this be your story. Don't live the rest of your life with the regret of wondering what could have been if you had not decided to listen to sin's invitation. Sin will always leave you wondering what could have been.

Tools or Museums

Deuteronomy 20:6

"And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it."

Not far from where I live are several museums where people come to take vacations and see the artifacts or handiwork of people. The artifacts or handiworks inside these museums are not there for people to use, but they are there for people to look at. In all reality, the objects inside the museums are worthless for they are not being used. On the other hand, in my garage I have two toolboxes that are full of tools. These tools are used to help fix things and make things better. The tools help me make my quality of life much better. If I had to choose between having tools or visiting a museum, I would choose tools every time because they can be used.

In the verse above, God gave a command to Israel that when they went to war they were three categories of people who were to stay home and enjoy what they have. A man who built his house and did not have time to dedicate it was to stay home from the war so he could enjoy his house. A man who planted a vineyard and had not enjoyed the fruit of the vineyard was to stay home from the war so he could taste of its fruits. A man who married a wife and had not been married for a year was to stay home and enjoy his wife. Each of these represent three areas of our lives: investments, possessions and relationships. God was teaching us a truth in these verses that these areas are not to be museums, but they are to be tools that we use for enjoyment. In other words, God doesn't give us what we have to look at like its a museum, but God gives us what we have to use, enjoy and to serve Him.

Don't let your relationships be nothing more than a museum. For instance, you are not married just to say you are married. There are too many marital relationships where the couple literally exist with each other. They don't enjoy each others presence for they are never together. They don't do things together for they are too busy doing everything else to enjoy the person to whom they are married. This could also be said about the parent/child relationship. There are many parents who never enjoy the child God gave them. Their child lives in their home, but the parents are never there to enjoy the gift God has given them. Be careful that you don't treat your relationships like museums. That is the quickest way to lose your relationships. Enjoy the people in your relationships by spending time with them.

Furthermore, don't treat your possessions like museums. You home should be a tool to use and not a museum that is never used. What I am talking about is your home can be used to be hospitable to people, or you can make it a museum where no one comes to visit because you are afraid its not clean enough or you simply don't want "other" people in your home. Every possession you have should be a tool you use to serve God. I'm not promoting not taking care of what you have, but I am promoting using your possessions to enjoy life on this Earth.

Moreover, don't let your investments become museums. The purpose of investments is to have something to help you enjoy life when you become older. You can let your money sit in the bank or investment account to tell everybody how much money you have, but that money is worthless in such a state. Don't spend foolishly, but also don't be so stingy and tight that you can't enjoy life because you've made your investments a museum.

If you treat what you have as a museum, then you will lose it. The objects inside a museum are worthless and can never be used again; however, the tools in a toolbox may be a little dirty, but they are used all the time. Simply put, enjoy the relationships, possessions and investments that God has given you and use them as tools to help you better serve Him.

Release Them

Deuteronomy 15:1

"At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release."

One of the ways God set up for Israel to have a healthy economy was to release people from a debt after seven years. God did not believe in debt lasting longer than this time period. At the end of the seven years, if the person did not have their debt paid off, the creditor was to release them from that debt.

Though this verse is talking about financial debt, I find that there is another debt that needs to be released. The debt I am talking about is the debt someone pays for doing wrong. If you want to have a healthy spiritual economy, then you need to learn to release people from their debt when they do wrong. At some point the debt must be released, and the person who did wrong must be allowed to move on in life.

Sin does have a payment. God says in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death;..." A person cannot sin and expect not to pay for that sin. I do believe that people should pay for their sin. If people get away with sin then they will continue to sin, but in a greater way. Sin always forfeits certain rights. Letting people get away with sin is not love. In fact, you could say that love has nothing to do with letting people get away with sin, for they will do something bigger the next time, and the consequences will be greater.

However, sin's payment must end at some point. It is not just for someone to have to pay for their sin for the rest of their lives. Far too many Christians hold something against someone that they did several years prior. This is not right! Yes, that person should pay for their sin, but when the payment is done, they should be able to move on without you holding against them what they have done in the past. When their payment is done, you need to release them from their debt.

Christian, when someone falls into sin, be careful that you don't make them pay for their sin after the payment is over. At some point people need to be able to move on in their Christian life and be used again. When you read the Scriptures, you will find that God used many people after they committed a horrible sin. Why is that? Because God knows that sin's punishment must end, and that they must be released from that punishment. Be careful about holding the past against someone. Allow them to be spiritually restored.

Furthermore, Christian school teachers need to allow students to move on in their life. If a student has done wrong, then let the rules determine the punishment, but once the punishment is administered, you need to release them and treat them like every other student. Give a student who has done wrong a chance to be restored.

Simply put, the punishment for wrong needs to be predetermined before a wrong has ever been committed. Once someone does wrong, then administer the predetermined punishment, but once the punishment is over, you need to release them from that punishment.

Let me ask you, is there someone whom you have held prisoner in your heart and mind over something that was done several years ago? It's time you release them from their punishment. Even if there is no dispute about the wrong, you need to realize that God wants His children to move on so we can help more people. Don't be guilty of holding something against people, instead be willing to release them from your mental prison and treat them right.

Obedience: The Key to Blessings

Deuteronomy 11:27

"A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:"

Everyone wants their life to be filled with blessings, but how they go about gaining blessings on their life can determine whether they obtain them. When I talk about blessings, I am not just talking about God blessing His children, though this is certainly an important part of every Christian's life. I am talking about being blessed in every relationship and walk of life. God shows us that obedience is the key to being blessed. If a person will learn to obey, then they will experience blessings.

In your relationship with God, the key to being blessed is obeying His commandments. You will never experience God's blessings on your life until you start obeying Him. Likewise, to the degree you obey God's commandments will determine the degree of the blessings you obtain. If you pick and choose which commandments of God you obey, then you will never experience all the blessings that God has for you. God does not give us commandments to make us miserable, but He gives us commandments to keep us from heartache and so that we can experience His blessings.

Moreover, this principle applies to other relationships. For instance, if you want your parents blessings and trust on your life, then you need to obey them. There is no parent who will give their child blessings who is disobedient. Obedience is the key to getting your parents to give you things. Young person, the way to get something from your parents is not to rebel and give them heartache, but the way to get things from your parents is to obey them. Why should your parents give you anything if you don't obey them? The young person who obeys everything that their parents tell them to do is the young person who will receive the greatest trust from their parents and will get from them things that a disobedient child won't get.

Likewise, obedience to your spouse is the key to blessings in the marital relationship. You will never get from your spouse what you want when all you do is argue and fight with them. When you try to meet the needs of your spouse in every area of their life, you will be surprised how much they will try to meet your needs. The key to getting from your spouse what you want is to simply try to satisfy their needs. If they ask you to do something, then obey their request and you will see many times they will return your obedience to their requests by giving you what you want.

The key to being promoted on the job is to obey your employer. You show me the employee who tries to satisfy the needs of their employer and I will show you an employee who will rise to the top. The way to get a raise is to work hard. The way to be promoted on the job is to work hard. The way to be protected from layoffs is to be the hardest and most productive employee in the workplace. Your employer will do everything in their power to keep you happy and bless you if you will obey them by working hard.

Place this principle in any relationship, and you will find this is the key to being blessed. You could say that the key to blessings is to serve others, for when you serve others you obey their requests and commands. When you learn that life is not about you, but it is about serving others, then you will find blessings will shower upon you. The key is to stop looking for blessings and to start serving and obeying others. When you make your focus to obey the requests of God and others, then you will find it will result in a life filled with blessings.

Conquering Your Canaan

Numbers 33:52

"Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:"

Canaan is a picture of God's perfect will for the Christian. God's desire for every Christian is to live in the perfect will of God. What most people don't understand is that living in God's perfect will does not mean that you won't have battles to fight and sin to overcome. God told the children of Israel that once they got into the land of Canaan they would have to drive out the inhabitants and get rid of their sins. This is a picture of how the Christian must overcome their sin so that they can enjoy living in God's perfect will for their life.

If you are going to conquer your Canaan and enjoy God's perfect will for your life, then you must confess your sin to God. Passing over the Jordan river is a picture of a Christian leaving their sin to do right. You will never conquer the old habits of sin without first confessing your sin to God. God wants to help you overcome your sin, but you must confess them to Him. Recognizing that you have a Jordan River to cross is not good enough, there must be a time when you go to God and confess them to Him so that you can move on to conquering your Canaan.

Once you confess your sin to God, then you must be sure those sins don't come back into your life. For this to happen you must have a determination not to let your sin conquer you again. God told the children of Israel to "drive out all the inhabitants." This is pure determination. If you are not determined to conquer your sinful habits, then you won't overcome them.

Once you determine that you are going to conquer your sinful habits, to help your determination you must get rid of any reminders of those sins. Notice that God told them "to destroy all their pictures" and "molten images." Pictures and images are reminders of the past. A picture is always something that happened in the past. If you want to overcome your sinful habits, then you MUST get rid of any reminders of those sins. You can't keep reminders around without those reminders tempting you. Face it, you are not strong enough to keep your reminders of the past around without eventually partaking of them again. Getting rid of sin is wonderful, but you must also get rid of any reminder of that sin so that it can't tempt you again.

Moreover, you must avoid the places of sin. God told them to get rid of the "high places." Any place where you used to go must be avoided. For instance, an alcoholic won't overcome alcohol by going back to the bar to visit with his old friends. Though he may think he can go to the same places, the problem with those places is that sin is still prevalent there. If you truly want to overcome your sin, then you are going to have to change your habits and the places you go. Avoid them so you can overcome them.

Furthermore, if you are going to conquer your Canaan, you must change your associations. God told Israel to "dispossess the inhabitants of the land." You can't run with the old crowd and live a new life. I know it may sound rude to stop running with your old friends, but you can't run with them for they will continue to do what they have always done. What they do is what you are trying to overcome. Changing your associations is imperative to conquering your Canaan.

Finally, let me remind you that it is important to replace what you drive out with good. Getting rid of sin, its reminders and your bad associations is wonderful, but you must replace each of these areas with good. Any time you remove bad you must replace it with good. Replace your bad associations with good ones. If you want to live the victorious Christian life, then you must follow these steps of removing your sin.

Graves of the Longing

Numbers 11:34

"And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted."

Imagine having God as your personal chef Who prepared your meal on a daily basis. I'm sure you think there is no way anyone could ever get tired of that, but the children of Israel did. Every morning and evening the children of Israel were given manna from Heaven to eat. No other group of people ever tasted of this manna, only the children of Israel. You would think they would be excited to have these blessings from God on a daily basis, but we find in this chapter that they complained about being fed manna. Their dissatisfaction caused them to ask God for meat instead of the manna. This request resulted in God's judgment, and to the death of many people. When they buried those who died in God's judgment, they called the place, "Kibrothhattaavah" which means, graves of the longing. In other words, their dissatisfaction led to their death.

Dissatisfaction always kills. It doesn't matter if the dissatisfaction is with God or mankind, it will eventually kill your relationship with either. Dissatisfaction is a result of someone having their eyes upon themselves. When you look at what God did for the children of Israel, you would think they would never become dissatisfied, but when you are selfish nothing satisfies and is ever good enough. The children of Israel asked God to deliver them from Egypt, and He did, but that was not good enough. The children of Israel asked God to part the Red Sea, and He did, but that was not good enough. The children of Israel asked God to give them water, and He did, but that was not good enough. The children of Israel asked God to give them food, and He did, but that was not good enough. Their pattern of dissatisfaction literally killed many of them. If they would have been satisfied with what God gave them, they would have never seen a premature death.

Are you one who constantly complains about what you don't have? Christian, God promised to take care of your needs, and for you to complain about what you don't have is simply telling God that His blessings are not good enough. I have watched God bless Christians whose satisfaction lasted for a short time, but afterwards they always wanted more. Be careful about not being satisfied with what you have, for it will take you to a spiritual grave. Don't gripe about what you don't have, but be satisfied and thankful for what you do have. You don't get more from God by complaining, you get more from God by serving Him and being thankful for what you do have.

Moreover, there are many people who are killing their relationships because they are never satisfied with what someone has done for them. Don't kill your marriage because you are never satisfied with what your spouse does for you. Don't kill your relationship with your parents because you are not satisfied with what they have provided for you. Don't kill your work relationship because you are never satisfied with what your employer provides for you. If you are not careful, you will get to the point where it doesn't matter what someone does for you because it will never be good enough.

1 Timothy 6:8 commands, "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Don't let your longing for more become the grave of your relationships. Be content with what you have. If you will get your eyes off yourself and become content with what you have, then everything you get above that will be a bonus. The best way to keep yourself from discontentment is to not look at what others have, but to be thankful for what you do have. Everything you have is a bonus from God and others, so stop comparing what you have with others, for if you don't, it will become your grave. Be thankful for everything you have and that will bring satisfaction in every area of your life.