G3 "GOD GETS THE GLORY" BLOG

09/17/2017

What exactly is wisdom?  Dictionary.com defines it as "knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action."  Wow... Okay, what does that mean?  In a nutshell, from how I'm understanding it, wisdom is knowing what is right and using just judgment then putting that into action.  It's not just knowing what is right.  That, in and of itself, is not enough.  You have to use just judgment as well.   When God put Solomon on the throne of Israel, He asked him what he wanted.

09/16/2017

As a father, I experience great joy when I ask my kids to do something and they do it.  It makes me feel like I did something right as a parent.  It makes me feel like my kids love and respect me.  I think that's true of any parent.  We all want our kids to respect us enough to do what we tell them to do.  And when they don't... When they completely ignore us or they try to argue with us or try to negotiate out of the task assigned, we get annoyed.  I know my thoughts are typically, "Why can't

09/15/2017

You know, I spent 9 years of my life denying the existence of God.  I wouldn't necessarily call myself an atheist during that time.  It was more along the lines of knowing something was out there, but not really caring what it was.  I believe the appropriate term is agnostic, which is a funny term.  It comes from the Greek, ​agnosis, which basically means "without wisdom."  But I digress.   I recently went up to Vermont and spent a week on a mission trip with my church.  Vermont is nicknamed

09/14/2017

You know, I have a sweet tooth.  A BIG one!  I can't stay away from anything sweet.  Chocolate is a HUGE weakness for me.  But it's not just chocolate.  I also LOVE sweet fruits!  Bananas, any sweet apples, grapes, peaches, plums, sweet oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple... It doesn't matter.  If it's sweet, I gotta have it!   However, Paul tells of a different kind of fruit.  The fruit of the Spirit.  And these fruits are just as sweet!  They become kind of a litmus test for people to

09/13/2017

Why do we need light?  I mean, what is the purpose of light?  Could we function without it?  Ultimately, yes, we could.  But would it be much fun?  Stumbling around... Stubbing our toes on things because we can't see them... Tripping over things we don't know are there.  Light has a purpose.  That purpose is to get rid of the darkness so we can see what we are doing.  Are they exclusive of each other?  Can light exist without darkness?  And vice versa.  I'm not sure.  I mean, a room is dark

09/12/2017

How much time do we spend watching the news?  How many times a day do we find ourselves talking about something going on in the world?  We like to have conversation starters in our repertoire, don't we?  Don't we like to be able to speak intelligently about world events?  We watch the news and let that information dwell inside of us.  We read books and let that information dwell in us.  We watch television shows and movies and let what we see dwell in us. So why don't we do the same thing with

09/11/2017

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you MUST continue to follow Him.  Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." - Colossians 2:6-7. Have you ever tried to uproot a tree?  It is NOT an easy task.  Most people get an axe and chop it down near the ground.  Why?  Why not pull it up out of the ground?  Because underneath the ground, the tree has

09/10/2017

Today follows yesterday.  Yesterday, I talked about how we are no longer condemned by our sins.  God has forgiven us of our sins.  But that doesn't mean that we turn around and start sinning again.  If we read Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 5, he tells us that when we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit  enters us.  Once that occurs, we are a new creation in Christ.  "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new

09/09/2017

Did you ever use a whiteboard?  As a teacher, I used them quite frequently.  My favorite part, and this will sound nerdy as all get out, was when I erased what was written on there.  I have a slight bit of OCD and it always bugged me when there was any left over.  You know... If I missed a small snippet of marker.  There was something inherently pleasing about looking at that whiteboard and it being completely cleaned, white as snow. The awesome thing about God is when we sincerely ask Jesus to

09/08/2017

We've heard it time and time again.  It's better to give than to receive.  As kids, we didn't get that.  To us, receiving meant getting things that we wanted.  There's no way that it is better to give stuff away than to get stuff from other people.  It just didn't make sense.   But as adults, we get it.  It feels good to give.  Especially if you know that the person or people to whom you are giving is in need.  As God's children, we are called to give.  It's not something we do to feel good.