Autumn Colors

The Kentucky sky is staying grey but God is making up for it
with all of the colors on the trees.

How should Christians view divorce?

Divorce is a VERY touchy subject among Christians. Many are affected by it.

Some of you have been divorced and you know the pain that led up to it and followed it. Some of you have had parents or children or some other close relative or friend go through it and you, too, know the pain that surrounds this action.

Regarding the way we as Christians think about divorce, there are many who justify ...a divorce regardless of the limitations set on it in Scripture. There are still others who forbid it for any reason and essentially blacklist anyone who has gone through divorce. Then, there are all of those in the middle of these two extremes.

So, I know the dangers of addressing this issue. It carries a lot of emotion on either side of the aisle.

Yet, as I was reading my daily Bible reading in my “Through the Bible in 6 Months” plan this morning, I came across a very interesting passage. We’ll come to it momentarily.

Let’s begin with something Jesus said. It began in Matthew 19:3 - “And Pharisees came up to him (Jesus) and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’”

Jesus’ response is worthy of a very in-depth study. Yet, let’s race to Matthew 19:9 where Jesus responds: “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

This is not complicated stuff. It’s not difficult to understand what Jesus said. Very clearly, Jesus said that if a spouse divorces their marriage partner for any reason other than infidelity and marries someone else, they commit adultery. Yet, clearly implied is if a spouse commits adultery, a divorce and remarriage is permitted (not commanded) by Almighty God. (Other matters regarding divorce are given in 1 Corinthians 7.)

Where did Jesus get this? Was He just making this rule up on the fly? As God in the flesh, He certainly could have made up this command. If we investigate the Old Testament, we realize that there is no such law. So, is Jesus creating a new rule or did He get it from somewhere else?

If you look at Jeremiah 3:6-8, you’ll see the answer to these questions.

Jeremiah 3:6-8 “During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, ‘Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery.’…”

Did you catch that? God divorced an adulterous Israel. He saw His relationship to Israel as a marriage and, because of her spiritual adultery, divorced her.

As God, He defines by His Words and actions what is righteous and holy. That being the case, since God divorced for the cause of adultery, Jesus said it is allowed (not commanded) in marriages.

Therefore, let’s be careful how we relate to those who have gone through a divorce. There are some who have divorced for the cause of adultery and thus took the same steps that God Himself took and permitted. Those folks need our encouragement and not our condemnation.

Regarding how we are to think about those who have gone through divorce for non-biblical reasons, we must also strive to think biblically about life. We must strive for personal holiness and encourage others to also live by God’s guidelines. Yet, we are to saturate our mind and speech with the attitude and words of forgiveness. That’s the message of the cross, right? All of us sin (yes, that means you and me) and since Christ so freely lavishes us with His grace and forgiveness, shouldn't we also lavish it upon others who seek it (the message of Matthew 18:21-35)? Let's refuse to be a self-righteous Pharisee who finds it easy to readily condemn everyone but ourselves.

Sermon (video): Why does Westside Baptist Church exist?

I've been the pastor at Westside Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for a little more than 4 months. They are a busy, energetic people who want to live in a way that counts.

So, I have been in much prayer and am beginning to chart the course. But, I made it clear that as a church we must agree upon who God has called us to BE before we can agree upon what He has called us to DO.

This sermon is the first in a series of 5 sermons that will unpack why we as a church exist.

To view the sermon, click here.

Will people die in Heaven?

For those desiring to go a little deeper than the devotional thought I wrote earlier on Heaven and the New Earth, here’s a thought:

If you read Isaiah 65:17-19, you will read about the New Heavens and New Earth. I mentioned (as does the Apostle John in Revelation 21-22) that this is referring to our eternal home (“Heaven”). Yet, if you read the very next verse, Isaiah continues:

“No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Revelation 65:20).

If you’ve had your morning cup of coffee and your brain is awake, you would have read that last verse and scratched your head in bewilderment and said, “What?!” Because, it would seem to say that on the New Earth (“Heaven”), folks will die. In Revelation 21:4 (the chapter that tells us of the New Earth), it says that “death shall be no more.”

So, which is it? Will people die on the New Earth, our eternal home in Heaven? What are we to make of this? Will there be death in Heaven or not?

Well, this is where we need to be thoughtful students of God’s Word and understand how the Old Testament prophets were to be understood by New Testament readers.

Here’s a case in point:

In this morning’s Bible reading, I also read Isaiah 61:1-2. Pay close attention to verse 2:
1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;” 

If you notice, verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 is comforting. It’s very positive. Yet, the middle part of verse 2 changes drastically. It moves from talk of healing and comforting to talk of vengeance.

Fast-forward 800 years to a synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus was given a scroll to read out loud in the worship service. Listen to what happened. He found Isaiah 61 and read only one and a half verses. Observe carefully where He stopped reading. Here’s Luke 4:16-21 - 

16 And he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Did you get that? Jesus found Isaiah 61:1-2 and read it. Yet, He stopped reading mid-verse in verse 2! He read all of the positive stuff and didn’t read about the Lord’s vengeance.

Why? 

Because the first time Jesus came to earth, it was to show God’s love and grace. The second time He comes, He is coming in vengeance as the Tribulation Period starts.

You see, God wrote through Isaiah and made clear what would take place. However, for purposes of His own, He mysteriously concealed the time table. Jesus came to proclaim grace, the year of the Lord’s favor (that appears in the first part of Isaiah 61:2). However, there are at least 2,000 years that separate “the year of the Lord’s favor” and the very next phrase: “the day of the vengeance of our God.”

So, we see that when New Testament readers look at the Old Testament, we realize that while information is presented together, the chronology/time frame is sometimes concealed for God’s own mysterious purposes.

Go back to where we began as we talked about the New Earth and whether or not people would die on it.

First, the New Testament (Revelation) speaks clearly that people will not die on the New Earth. That is to be taken at face value. It's truth with no ambiguity.

Second, we need to read the Isaiah text realizing that in the Old Testament, God sometimes concealed the chronology of events as He spoke through the prophets.

Therefore, it would seem that Isaiah is lumping the Millennial Reign (1,000 years) of Jesus on this earth (Revelation 20:1-6) with the ultimate Reign of Christ on the New Earth (Revelation 21-22). In the Millennial Reign, sinners will still inhabit the earth. People will still die. But, at the end of the Millennial Reign, God will destroy this earth and recreate a brand new one. On that one, there will be no sinners and no one will die.


Hopefully, I’ve explained this sufficiently so that by the time you read this last sentence, you say, “Now, I get it!” rather than “Huh?”

Heaven and the New Earth

As I finished the book of Isaiah this morning, I came across Isaiah 65:17-19 where God says:

“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness. ...
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.”

This passage is mirrored in Revelation 21:1-2 where it says:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

When I was young, I thought that “Heaven” was somewhere up on the clouds. I even remember a flight I took with my family to South Korea where I looked intently at the clouds from high above them to see if my suspicions were accurate.

Then, I came to realize how silly that notion was. But, I still just couldn’t quite fathom what Heaven would be like. Would it be “out there” somewhere? Would we be floating around with harps in our hands forever? Would it be a long, long, long worship service that would never end … because I’ve been in “worship services” like that here on earth!

It finally hit me that God had clearly told us, in many regards, what Heaven will be like. He did so in Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21-22. He was going to destroy the earth we now reside upon and everything in outer space with a consuming fire. Then, He would completely recreate a new earth with new heavens (the space below and above our present ozone layer).

The place that Jesus said He was going to prepare for us (John 14:1-3) is the New Jerusalem (at least that is my suspicion) that will come down to the New Earth. God will dwell with the saved on a brand new earth that has no sin and no curse. We will be free to live on a new earth and explore whatever we desire in outer space as everything that God created for us moves us to worship and praise Him!

When you come to realize that Heaven is the New Earth, it takes on a whole new meaning! (If you want to dig into this topic, an excellent book that I would heartily recommend is “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn.)

Creation, evolution & human value

From Genesis 1

Isaiah 45:11-12 says: "This is what the LORD says - the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: ... 'I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command.'"

If we aren't careful, we will read over these verses and not see the incredible truths embedded in them. God calls Himself our Creator. He is the One who mad...e us. We belong to Him.

Among many other things, this gives every human being worth. In fact, look at Genesis 1:26-27 where it says: "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.' So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (New Living Translation)

So, it just gets better! God didn't simply create us. He made us to bear His image. That gives us INCREDIBLE worth! Every human being that breathes, regardless of their age, gender, skin color, nationality, intellect, achievements, etc. is a person of incredible worth because they are made in the image of God!

Yet, our nation is methodically stripping us of this truth ... and they are doing it with our nation's children. Don't believe me? Try to talk about the fact that God created us in His image in your local schools.

And, when we strip our nation's intellect and conscience of this truth, we invite a thousand horrors! Why? Because mankind will lose its sense of individual worth. People will no longer be filled with worth simply because they are alive. They will have to find their worth somewhere else.

Eventually, worth will be directly tied into whether or not an individual can produce, whether or not they are a productive member of society. When folks become a burden to society and are not perceived as a person of worth, murder is not completely out of the question.

Don't believe me? Evolution has been taught and embraced for decades. Children have grown up believing it. They have learned that people are not valuable simply because they are human. Is it any coincidence that killing babies in the womb is no longer a major concern for our nation's conscience? When a politician speaks out against abortion, it draws yawns from many folks and others realize they may have just doomed their political future.

And in this culture of death where no one is a person of value simply because they are alive, we are foolish to think it will stop at killing infants. Eventually, when senior citizens or those with handicaps are perceived to be a burden upon society, they will become the next target. Given enough time, those politicians who speak out against these new atrocities will draw yawns from their audience.

And it all begins when we teach our children that they are not created in the image of God and therefore, have incredible worth!

Praying for God's glory and our deliverance

Sometimes the greatest victories in our life come when we have run out of options. When we have nowhere to look but up. Where we have nowhere to go but down on our knees.

That was what happened to King Hezekiah in Isaiah 36-37. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent one of his top military leaders with a massive army to attack Jerusalem and take its inhabitants captive. The Assyrians knew how to do this, too! They could lay a siege around a city so that no one went in and no one came out. Eventually, the inhabitants would run out of food and water. With no food and water, some may resort to consuming their own refuse (see Isaiah 36:12). Still others may even resort to cannibalism (see 2 Kings 6:24-29).

With this impending doom, the Assyrian military commander outside the wall was wearing the inhabitants of Jerusalem down with his words. He intended to get them to lose heart by doubting God’s ability to save them. He said:

“Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The LORD will rescue us!’ Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria? What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power? What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?” (Isaiah 36:18-20 – New Living Translation)

Hezekiah, the king, had run out of options. He had no military might to fight the vast army outside Jerusalem’s walls. He knew his people were terrified. He also knew that the Assyrian leader in his arrogance would not leave.

So, what was he to do? He inquired of Isaiah, the prophet of the Lord. And then, he sought the Lord for himself! Isaiah 37:14-20 tells us that Hezekiah went to the temple and got alone with God. He poured out his heart and made it clear that God’s glory was on the line. Hezekiah prayed that God would move powerfully so “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” (Isaiah 37:20).

The end result is that God DID move. By the end of Isaiah 37, the Assyrian army had left and Jerusalem experienced peace.

When trials come into our lives, we cannot sit back and simply pray. If there is something we can/should do, then we should do it. A farmer would be foolish if he prayed that God would give him a good harvest if he failed to plant his own field!

Yet, too many of us may have forgotten this powerful tool in our Christian arsenal called prayer. Realize that God is powerful. He delights to hear from His children. We may forego many answers to prayer if we never drop to our knees in prayer.

Why not bring your burdens to the Lord today? And keep praying until the Lord either answers your request or directs you in what adjustments you must make before He provides His answer.

Reflections on my Go Commando Half Marathon Race

I approached the Go Commando Half Marathon in Clarksville, Tennessee on Saturday,

My race bib

October 19, 2013 with primarily one objective in mind ... I wanted to enjoy it. 

I was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. I have tons of fond memories in this city! I remember attending Bible Baptist Church on Golf Club Lane and attending my first school years at their academy. I remember living on Edgehill Drive behind the Dairy Queen. I remember staying with my maternal grandparents two houses down from Bible Baptist Church and my paternal grandparents in the Cumberland Heights area. On and on I could go...
     

This half marathon race route took me down (or near) some of these streets and special locations. So, whether I did it in record time or not, I wanted to just take in the moment.
     

My training for the past few months has left much to be desired. With Kim's major surgery and recovery, I took on some added responsibilities. Running wasn't high enough on the priority list and it got scratched out of most days. (I only ran 3 miles last week and only 2 miles the week before. I should have been averaging around 25-35.)

Start time weather

705 half-marathoners lining up at the Start Line

I woke up race day morning at 4am after getting a little more than 5 hours of sleep. I drove the hour and a half to Clarksville and was relieved that parking wasn't hard to find. I tried to go "jacket-less" but the 50 degree weather was a bit cool. Once the race started, I knew I would elevate my body's temperature but standing around waiting for the race would be extremely uncomfortable so I grabbed my jacket.

I logged the weather details on my phone 6 minutes before the race started. Ordinarily, 53 degree weather is incredible racing weather. I've gone running with shorts and short sleeves in 40-something degree temps before and had an enjoyable run! Ten or so minutes into the run, I've heated up and the cool temps did a great job of keeping me from getting overheated.

Race route

However, look at the radar at the bottom of the picture I took on my phone. The rain to our NW was headed our way! It started to hit almost as soon as the race started. Fifty-three degree weather is incredible. Fifty three and raining is another story!

I lined up with Jamie Mantooth and Chad Beck, two running friends. When the gun fired, we took off. I was glad that Jamie didn't feel obligated to hang out with us slow guys. I wanted to see how well he could do in this race. I never saw him again until somewhere around mile marker 9. At that point, runners in front of us had already hit a turn-around point and were headed back. He was doing well coming up the hill but he told me afterward that his knee had radiated so much pain that he had to stop running around that point. I think he finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Incredible time for this VERY hilly race with a knee injury!

Picture taken by Chad's wife
around mile marker 2

Chad and I ran at a much slower pace. My right calf developed some severe pain two weeks before in a 5K race and I didn't want to push it and have to abandon this half marathon race. So, I took it slow and easy. Somewhere around mile marker 4 when we were running through Austin Peay University's campus, we were joined by another runner who stayed with us pretty much the rest of the race. We had a lot of great conversation.

My right calf seemed to tighten up within the first few miles of the race. I mentally massaged it as I ran (runners know how this works). Around miles 8 or 9, it started to give out on me. My body was feeling the effects of the lack of training and running at a slower pace than I usually run. I found myself fighting through every step trying to get to the Finish Line.

As we went over the Cunningham Bridge that spans the Cumberland River on the final mile, Chad told me that he had dedicated his final mile to the glory of God. As he said that, we had almost a breathtaking view of the river below and the beautiful landscape around us. I really needed that because my tank was running on fumes at that point. Within minutes, we both crossed the finish line.

Jamie Mantooth and me
after the Go Commando
Half Marathon Race

After crossing the Finish Line, Chad asked to borrow my phone because his phone had died during the race. I looked around and found a table to lay my jacket on while I took my phone/armband off. However, I didn't realize that the table belonged to the EMS personnel who were manning the first aid station nearby. As I neared the table, I heard one of them speak into their radio, "We may need some back-up." I looked over to realize that they were looking at me! Apparently, I was a little more pooped out than I realized! I decided that I wasn't going to use their table after all!

Afterwards, Katie Mantooth took a picture of Jamie and me before I headed to the car for the long trek back home. Believe it or not, I was much, much more tired that I looked!

But, be that as it may, I finished and got the finisher's medal ... and the memories to go along with it. I'll take a few days to rest and then plan my next challenge.

My Finisher's Medal!

Here are my race stats:
Finished 31 of 38 males (40-44)

Placed 297 of 342 male runners

Placed 544 of 705 overall

Finish time: 2:30:43

Average pace: 11:31/mile

Ecclesiastes and life under the sun

As I read through all twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes this morning, I couldn't help but realize the obvious theme: "Life stinks!" 

Well, those aren't Solomon's exact words. He put it this way: "'Everything is meaningless,' says the Teacher, 'completely meaningless!'" (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

As I read through the book, I saw where he explored every avenue possible to make sense of life and to achieve happiness. He pursued wealth and wisdom, self-indulgent living, wine, sex/relationships, ambitious building projects, accumulating wealth, ... On and on this list could go.

Yet, over and over, he tells the reader that these are dead end roads. They hold out the promise of bringing happiness but in the end, they don't deliver.

You could get pretty discouraged reading this book and quit before the end unless you realized what Solomon was doing as he wrote it. One very clear hint he drops quite often is the phrase "under heaven" or "under the sun." In this short book, he utters those phrases 29 times!

Essentially, Solomon is waving his arms wildly at the reader as he yells: "This life stinks if you live it as an end in itself. If you are looking for happiness only in what you can gain in this life, you'll be left discouraged. Don't look for happiness 'under the sun.' Look over the sun!"

Listen to how Solomon ends the book. "That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

That's the purpose of life! Live in light of what's over the sun. Realize that we will one day stand before our judge to give an account for our life. If you are saved and this life is filled with nothing but difficulty and disappointment, look toward your Heavenly reward!

Look "over the sun!"

Sermon (video): Running in the Christian Race (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Knowing that one day, each of us will stand before the Lord as He judges us, how should we then live? This sermon digs into the truths of Hebrews 12:1-2 and reveals practical steps that we must take to make the most of this one life that the Lord has entrusted to us.

To view this sermon, simply click here.

Sermon (video): Rewards at the Finish Line (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

Did you know that ever man, woman, boy and girl who is a child of God will have to stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ? What will it be like and how does this knowledge motivate us to make the most of this one life? Listen to this sermon to discover the answer to these and more questions.

To view the sermon, simply click here.

Reflections on my Karing for Kids 5K Race

This race didn't turn out like I had planned. I didn't take time to do a warm-up mile before the race so my heart had to elevate much too quickly as I took off. I should have known better.

I started off at a 6:52/mile pace but the jolt to my heart rate and the hills slowed me down quickly. I finished the first mile in 7 minutes and 31 seconds. I finished the second mile in 8 minutes and 38 seconds. I ran another .48 miles before I had to stop and averaged an 8 minute 42 second mile for that stretch. 

I had not been getting in all of my training runs recently and so I hadn't rebuilt my mental strength and racing endurance. Somewhere around the 1.25 mile point and then again around the 1.75 point and the 2.25 point, I stopped to walk for 5-10 seconds. I just couldn't push through.

As I look back over my heart rate readings during the race, I was pushing the limits (like I always do). My 5K race heart rate usually gets up to around 185-192bpm and hangs there until I cross the finish line. My mind, as would be expected, tries to shut my body down because it doesn't like my heart beating that fast. Unfortunately, I listened in this race. I only stopped for very short intervals but ... I had to stop a few times. When my calf injury happened, my heart rate went to 196bpm!

I only had .62 miles before the end of the race when a searing pain in my right mid-calf developed. The word "developed" makes it sound like it came on slowly, though, and that would be incorrect. It wasn't gradual. It hit instantly. I tried to keep going but the pain was too intense and I slowed to a walk (actually, it was a hobble). I tried a couple of times to resume running but couldn't.

As I rounded the final turn and I saw the finish line and the crowd cheering for those nearing the finish line, I felt pretty embarrassed. I had experienced injuries while training before but never in a race. Mack Bucy, who finished the race in fourth place overall (pretty impressive!) came running to encourage me along to the finish line.

After finishing (with a time of 30:16 - my slowest time by far!), I went to the pavilion where Russ Shemberger massaged my calf and easily found the trouble spot. His massage felt pretty incredible (Molly Franklin took a picture of me on the massage table. lol). He also told me that I need another pair of shoes (I didn't realize that I've logged almost 500 running miles on these). I also need to do a little better at hydrating during the day.

Hopefully, this doesn't mess up my half marathon in two weeks. I planned to run it MUCH slower than this race but if my calf doesn't heal up, I'm not going to get into an endurance race. I've got some healing and choices to make in the next 13 days.