Someone Has to Pay the Debt!

Someone Has to Pay the Debt

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is 1 Peter 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

 

There is no one on the face of the earth that can face an evaluation of how they've lived their lives!  Some people say, "Here's the thing I don't understand.  This idea of a debt that has to be paid for.  Surely if there is a God, He can just forgive it, can't He?"  No!

 

If someone really wrongs you, what happens?  I would suggest there's a debt.  There's something between you and that person who has seriously wronged you that can't be ignored.  You can make them pay it down by hurting them.  As you see them paying it, you can sense the debt being paid down and at a certain point it's gone.  

 

The other thing you can do is forgive them.  To forgive means that when I want to hurt someone, I don't.  When I want to slice up their reputation by talking to other people, I don't.  If I refuse to do that, then I'll find as time goes on that my anger slowly subsides because I'm paying the debt down myself.  It's difficult!  When a real wrong is done, someone has to pay the debt or the barrier is there.

 

We have wronged God and our neighbor, and there is a debt that must be paid.  When Jesus Christ cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me," the Father paid the debt!  Jesus had to die!

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Our Battle is Spiritual

Our Battle is Spiritual

 

Dear Champions,

 

The scripture is Ephesians 6:12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

Tomorrow is the election.  It is possible that there may be violence after this year's election.  The more passionate that you are about who you think should win, the more angry you may get.  Our battle, however, is not against a political party or a group of people or the news media, google, facebook, twitter, etc.  Hiding in the background is Satan that is stirring the pot of anger, violence and hate.  Here are a couple of verses to help us.

 2 Corinthians 10:4-5  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

 

Ephesians 6:13  Therefore put on the full armour 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. 

 

Champions, have a great week, pray for others & our own hearts, and let us remember 1 Corinthians 16:14.  Do everything in love.-David Vining

 

Trusting God

Trusting God

Dear Champions,

I wrote the short excerpt, and the scripture is 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Yesterday I was disappointed and angry.  Camp Greystone, like many camps throughout the country, has cancelled every session this summer.  What expert in North Carolina decided that overnight camps in the state can only have campers from N.C. or from states that border N.C.?  Who decided that Staff and campers with symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, etc.) at camp should immediately be separated and sent home and referred to their healthcare provider?  The experts came up with impossible guidelines for Greystone to follow.

In life there are risks.  Every time we get in a car there is a risk that we could be in a wreck.  Every day we decide if we want to take that risk.  

I listen to the experts, but my trust is not in them.  Their opinions change, and they vary from state to state.  I do trust in God!  He is Sovereign! Isaiah 55:9 says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  I don't know why He has allowed this to happen, but I am going to trust Him.

Philippians 2:4 says, "Look not only to your own interest but also to the interest of others."  Imagine losing your entire income for a whole year!  That is what Camp Greystone & camps all over are facing right now.  We can show God's faithfulness to them by helping them out by praying for them and possibly by donating to them.  Here is a link to donate to Camp Greystone if you would like to help.  Please forward this link to people that you think might want to help.

https://www.cognitoforms.com/CampGreystone/SupportGreystoneDuringThePandemic

If you are receiving this and are not associated with Greystone, perhaps there is a camp that is special to you that you could help get through this challenging season.

Champions, be wise but live with power, love and self-discipline!  Have a great week!-David Vining 

Sinful & Incredibly Valuable!

Sinful & Incredibly Valuable

Dear Champions,

 

The scripture is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is Matthew 5:45   God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

 

Over the years I have seen people getting completely destroyed by the troubles in their lives.  And here's why.  There's a premise underneath our lives that's so deep that we don't even realize it is there.  And the premise is this: "If I live right, my life should go right."  So if your life goes wrong, you either say (1) "Something's wrong with me.  I hate myself, because I must be a failure."  Or (2)  "I hate God, because He's not treating me as I deserve."  Then, every mode of the experience is either going to lead you into self-hatred or God-hatred.  And if that becomes a sustained theme in your life, your life will be poisoned. 

 

The gospel says that you are sinful and incredibly valuable.  People who try and earn their salvations think like this.  "If I'm living up to the expectations and obeying all of the rules and doing right, then I'm good and I'm valuable." Then when things go wrong the

anger is toward God. "I hate you! How can you do this to me?" But if you're not living up to your standards, then you feel sinful and worthless. Then when things go wrong you get angry, but instead of getting mad at God you get angry with yourself.

 

The gospel doesn't say that you are either good or valuable or sinful or worthless. It says that you are very sinful and absolutely valuable in Christ. Because you know that you are sinful, when bad things happen, you don't complain. But because you know that you are valuable, when bad things happen, you know that it is not a punishment.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

50 Cents, $10,000 or More

50 Cents, $10,000 or More

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Isaiah 53:7  He (Jesus) was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  

 

We need to have a sense of Jesus' love to be changed, and His suffering is tied to our value. On the cross He didn't cry out about the nails or wounds.  He cried out about being forsaken. He was cast away for us, and unless we see how much He suffered for us we'll never appreciate his love. 

 

If you come home and a guest tells you that a package came with payment due and he paid it, then you'll want to know how much it was so you'll know how thankful to be.  If it's 50 cents you're grateful, but if it's an IRS bill for $10,000 you will have a different reaction. You don't how grateful to be until you know the cost. 

 

How much does God love you? Look at what he paid. If you don't believe in hell, but that God loves everybody, will that change you?  No, it hasn't yet. If you don't believe in hell, then you'll never know how much He loves you.  Jesus took hell for us because He values us that much.

 

Pastor Barnhouse, when passing a truck on the way to his wife's funeral, saw the shadow of the truck and asked his kids, "Would you rather be hit by the truck or the shadow of the truck?"  The kids obviously said that they would rather be hit by the shadow of the truck.  Then he explained to his small children that Jesus was hit by the truck so that we only have to be hit by the shadow of the truck.

 

Champions, have a Happy Easter!-David Vining

For Intimacy, Monogamy Matters

For Intimacy, Monogamy Matters

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Andy Stanley, and the scripture is 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Cassette tapes are obsolete. Monogamy is more like an endangered species-something to be fed and protected.  The value a culture places on monogamy determines the welfare of its women and children. Women and children do not fare well in societies that embrace polygamy or promiscuity. In the majority of cases, sexual freedom undermines the financial freedom of women. Sexual freedom eventually undermines the financial and emotional security of children.

If we are only biology, none of the above really matters. All's well that ends with the survival of the species. If we are only biology, monogamy was probably a flawed concept from the start. But very few of us live as if we are only biology.  As a pastor, I've officiated my share of weddings and I've done my share of premarital counseling. I always ask couples why they are getting married. Survival of the species never makes the list.

We desire intimacy—to know and to be fully known without fear. Intimacy is fragile. Intimacy is powerful. Intimacy is fueled by exclusivity.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Male & Female Gifts

Male & Female Gifts

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Little boy babies, when they come to an obstacle, they want to push it over.  Girl babies, when they get next to an obstacle, they want to go around it.  Boy babies prefer lower complexity of stimuli.  Girl babies prefer higher complexity of stimuli.  At six months old, when girl babies hear jazz, their hearts start beating faster, and boy babies just ignore it.  It's a proven fact.  There are differences.  In Carol Gilligan's book, In A Different Voice, research has shown that men see themselves maturing as they separate and become independent and make impact.  Women see themselves maturing as they attach themselves, as they become interdependent.  Men, therefore, have the gift of independence, and women have the gift of interdependence. 

For men, the gift of independence has a tendency to become tyranny.  The female gift of interdependence has a tendency to become dependent.  In Genesis 3 after Adam and Eve rebel against God, God says to Adam, "You will sweat and work in the dust of the ground and thorns and thistles will come up."  And then He says to Eve, "You will have pain in childbearing and your desire will be for your husband, but he will rule over you." 

When God curses humanity, He curses different aspects.  When He curses Adam, He curses his work.  He says, "Your need and your desire to have an impact on the world, to be independent, to achieve, to have impact, is going to become an idol.  It's going to become too important to you, and you will always be frustrated because it will never give you what you want."  He turns to the wife, and He curses her relationships.  He says, "You will want your husband desperately, but your husband will rule over you."  The teaching is that the wife's interdependence gift under the influence of sin will trip her up.  She will become a dependent person.  The husband whose independent gift is now under the influence of sin, instead of being an independent person, he will be a tyrant and will rule over her and master her.  When masculinity and femininity go bad, the independence becomes tyranny and interdependence becomes dependence.  The Bible teaches that under the influence of sin men will tend to oppress women, and women will tend to make it easy for them. 

Men and women in marriage are supposed to learn to submit to one another.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Sheep

Sheep

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is in the excerpt.

 

A sheep is a stupid animal, and they follow one another and lose their direction continually in a way that cats and dogs do not.  But even when they are found they are never happy to be found.  It is extremely difficult to round up a lost sheep and bring it home unless you have a dog to scare it.  The lost sheep rushes to and fro so that even when you find it, you must seize it, cast it down, tie its four legs together, put his hind legs together, put it over your shoulder and carry it home struggling.  The sheep never feels loved when it's being loved.  They never feel safe when it's being made safe.

 

In John 10 Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd.  The hired hand when he sees the wolf coming; he abandons the sheep and runs away, but I lay down my life for the sheep."  Jesus is the only shepherd who became a sacrificial lamb.  Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  Here's what Jesus is saying to you.  "I am the good shepherd.  I lost my glory, my Father, and my life, so that I wouldn't lose you."  There's no better way to intimacy with God than to have something horrible happen in your life that makes you really doubt God's love and go to Him anyway and say, "By God's grace, Thy will be done."  When it's hard, pray anyway.  When it is hard, obey anyway.  When you feel like you are being ceased and thrown unto the ground, just say, "Thy will be done," and it'll push you into an intimacy that you never had because you'll have to get to know Him as a shepherd.  If you've been wounded and you say, "Lord, I want you to heal me," but it doesn't look like you are getting healed, then there is only one way through it.  You must say, "Evidently God you want a wounded me in this world to do certain things and to be a certain person and to get certain things done that I couldn't get done unless I was wounded.  To say, "Thy will be done by the grace of God," is a way to intimacy.  

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining