Why Was I Baptized?

As a young boy, what did I really know about being baptized? Well, I heard lots of sermons about it and I had been with my dad as he taught people about baptism and I read about it in the bible myself. 

 

As as young boy of 12, I knew the calling God gave me. It was strong and powerful. I knew that I was created to share Jesus' story and to help others experience the hope that Jesus offered.

 

So, at 12, I surrendered my life to Jesus as one of his disciples so that I could experience a life of hope and peace and love and grace and mercy and forgiveness. Yes, at 12! I knew that the only way to heaven was through Jesus. I knew that one needed to live and act like Jesus before they were ever baptized. I also knew that being baptized was an experience in which I would be forever connected to Jesus.

 

I was baptized because I wanted to be like Jesus! If Jesus was baptized, it only seemed right that I was baptized, too! I also wanted to experience the spiritual death, burial and resurrection connection with Jesus! I wanted to spiritually die to my sinfulness and resurrect into a new spiritual life with Jesus!

The moment that I came up out of the water, I knew, I mean, I really knew my life was changed forever! I knew the Spirit of God moved into my life and the hope I felt was incredible. 

 

I was not baptized to join a denomination or non-denomination church; rather, I was baptized to show my discipleship of Jesus outwardly.

 

I was not baptized to earn salvation; but rather, to be washed in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

I was baptized because I knew that's what a follower of Jesus ultimately does and to showcase my love, respect and adoration for the One who paid the price so that my sins are forgiven. 

 

Being baptized is important. We should be. It connects us. It demonstrates our desire to be Jesus-like. It gives us an identity. It is biblical. 

 

What about you, why were you baptized? Or, would you mind me telling you about Jesus and how he is a life changer?

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Moral Tug of War

Who picks what is morally right or wrong? As one who grew up in "church," I was taught about moral standards from a biblical perspective. I was taught that stealing and lying were wrong, along with a lot of other, "don't do's" because they were sinful. 

 

Over the years, there has been a shift in what is and isn't acceptable morally. Media and religion seem to be the driving force behind what is right and wrong. Religiously, people have taken hard stands against anyone they deem has crossed the moral standard lines and are fighting fiercely to uphold their biblical moral truths at all cost. Media has open the door for total acceptance and moral truth in whatever you believe your truth to be. Media is the protector of freedom of expression and life without boundaries.

 

Morality has become subjective by the media and truth has become tainted by the Christian. Media says moral standards are based on your personal feelings and what you believe you are to be or believe through the influences of others or your own personal opinions is your right. Christians have tainted truth by becoming the self-righteous, judge and jury and the keeper of the moral gate. They have pushed people away by their hard moral stand and sent the moral truth breakers to hell. 

 

For media and Christians to navigate together, there has to be a willingness to insulting each other for being reckless and out of touch with moral reality. 

 

It is okay to disagree with someone's moral view; but, it's not okay to be hateful, discriminatory, slanderous or revengeful. It is imperative to seek common ground and to discuss the moral differences. In doing so, we change the negative climate and open the door for patience to lead the way. 

 

Mahatma Gandhi captured patience perfectly when he said, "To lose patience is to lose the battle." In order to win the battle we must come to the table and talk. We must be okay with someone not agreeing with our life choices. We must be willing to seek truth at all times (it's possible that what we thought was right, could be wrong). And, we must love more than anything else we do. 

 

My personal moral compassion is driven by God. These are the principles I tried to live by...

 

1. Love God mostly, so I can love others better

2. God gets the first, middle and last word

3. Treat others the way you want to be treated - Matthew 7:12

4. Be kind and merciful, and forgive others - Ephesians 4:32

5. Seek first righteousness - Matthew 6:33

6. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Dr. King Jr. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Choice: Pro and Con

We all make choices in life. The easier choices are Coke Vs. Pepsi or McDonalds Vs. Burger King or Chevy Vs. Ford.

The harder life choices are not so easy to make. Where do I go to college? What career do I want to pursue? Who will I marry? Where will I live? Or, what are my core beliefs?

 

The more serious the question, the more difficult it is to make a choice. We need time to think about the pros and cons and consequences. We need time to think about how will my choice impact "me" and the people around me. We need time to think about how my values, morals and beliefs affect my views socially, politically and spiritually. Ultimately, we have to make a choice, no matter if it's a college, spiritual, political, a life partner or where to live. 

 

Not everyone will like the choices we make. The naysayers will have their vocal opinions and give every reason why the choice you made isn't the right one. On the other hand, the supporters of your choice will be encouraging, loving and will be happy that you're happy. 

 

Choosing is hard. Making choices will sometimes alienate people whom we love and care about deeply. Making choices will put us on a side. The intention of choosing isn't to hurt or harm or alienate, but by choosing a belief, it automatically labels us and sometimes, the label is unfair. 

 

When making a choice about anything in life, ask yourself 3 question to help you discover the best choice to make:

 

1. Does my choice honor God? - "Do what the Lord wants, and he will give you your heart's desire." Psalm 37:4

 

2. Does my choice connect with God's plan? - "Share your plans with the Lord, and you will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

 

3. Will my choice make God happy? - "Don't be like the people of the world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him." Romans 12:2

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

How to Disagree with Other People

Disagreeing with someone must not be the end of the relationship; rather, it can become the first stepping stone to a stronger friendship or better relationship or deeper understanding. 

 

If we were to take a page out of Jesus’ playbook, we would become more relational in our society, rather than becoming out of control arguers or defenders of “truth” or wall builders to keep the sinners out. 

 

Jesus’ disagreement Playbook…

 

Jesus disagreed with Zacchaeus’ tax collecting motives, but instead of ignoring him or gossiping about him, Jesus invited himself to Zaccaeus’ house. They sat down together at the kitchen table and talked it out. 

 

Jesus disagreed with the life choices of the Samaritan woman who was shacked up with a guy. Instead of throwing the Law book at her, Jesus spent time with her around the water hole and talked it out. 

 

Jesus disagreed with Peter who was one of his disciples, but instead of kicking him out of the apprenticeship, they talked it out. 

 

Disagreeing with someone is not a sin, it’s how or the way we disagree with someone that can become problematic. It’s ok to stand up for your convictions or truth, but it’s not ok to be hateful, condescending or slanderous. 

 

When disagreeing….

Be kind

Be sensitive

Be gentle

Be patient

Be truthful

Be love

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

How to Respond to the Supreme Court’s Decision (any of them)

 

May our differences in political views or social values be used as a bridge to understand each other’s opinion. 

 

May we not allow our differences to become a deterrent to a community of solidarity.

If we engage in the promotion of understanding each other’s views, we become a nation driven by tolerance in each other. 

 

Hate language will never solve our disagreements and bickering over “truth” will never solve the answer and blaming a political party or leftist or far right people will never open the door for intellectual conversations. 

 

As one who is a preacher and teaches the truths of Scripture, I must uphold God’s greatest command by loving God mostly and loving each other deeply from the heart no matter if I agree or disagree with someone. 

 

I cannot be so religiously arrogant that I do not demonstrate patience or tolerance or a willingness to give someone I disagree with a seat at my kitchen table or a welcoming place in our church gatherings.

Now is the time to “be still.” Now is the time to stop being bitter, angry, or mad. Now is the time to stop shouting angrily or say things to hurt others. Now is the time to stop doing anything evil.

 

We cannot solve anything or hear anyone or understand “truth” if we are not listening to each other!

God, use me to be kind to anyone whom I disagree with and showcase your love by acting in love, grace and patience. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

The Will Smith Slap That Was Heard Around the World

Although Will Smith has been in our living room countless times, I have never met him.  He is a good actor and from what I have read, he seems to be a good person.  

The 94th Academy Awards will forever be known as the slap that was heard around the world.  Will Smith had zero tolerance from comedian Chris Rock's bad joke he made about his wife's hair...or, lack thereof.  After Chris Rock made the GI Jane joke, Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped the comedian.  

The world took notice of the slap.  Many defended Will Smith and slammed the comedian for his joke, while others defended the comedian and torched the uncontrolled behavior of the actor.  Many were calling for Smith to be stripped of his Oscar, while others were demonizing Chris Rock for his insensitivity.  

Personally, both the actor and the comedian were wrong.  Joking about someone's medical condition on a world stage lacks commonsense and tenderness.  Assaulting a person over something they said lacks self-control.

Both men made a mistake.  Will Smith and Chris Rock both need grace.  It is true that consequences follow after a wrong is done, but is doesn't rise to the level of holding someone hostage for a slap to the face or a joke about someone's hair.  Replaying the "crime" over and over will only incite people and it infuriates each side so much so that no one can move on and find the redemption and the forgiveness each man needs and seeks.  

It's possible that all of us have done something in the moment we regret or said something that we wish we could take back.  No one is perfect and all of us need forgiveness.   We need to be loved even when we do wrong and hurt others.  We need people to pray over us and to guide us when we have lost control or hurt someone's feelings.  We need to know that our friends will not abandon us when we make a mistake and seek to make the wrong right.  We need tenderness and kindness and mercy.  We need truth to be spoken when a wrong is commitment.  We need grace...lots of grace.

Chris Rock and Will Smith need to be treated like Ephesians 4:32, "...be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ."  If our media commentators would focus on 4:32, our world would be a better place to live. 

Will Smith and Chris Rock need to sit at the dinner table and work out their issues.  We need to love and be gracious to both of them.  

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Be God Controlled!

The loud and disruptive world takes a toll on ones sanity.  

Tolerance lacks consistency from every side of a belief.  

The truth one believes to be right may be called bigoted by someone who sees truth differently.  

Morals change with the wind and no longer have an identity of absolute.  

"In God We Trust" has as much value as the paper it is printed on.  

Conservative and liberal are two words that declare war on the other.  

"Christian" is no longer the saving grace; rather, it has become a stumbling block due to politics, social values or theological interpretations.  

We cannot blame a morally declining American on a bad President, Congress, teachers, preachers or judges.  The moral decline in America is due to the lack of a God Controlled home.  God has been pushed aside and self has been promoted to Controller-in-Chief.  

God no longer gets the first or last word, much less any words.  Our guiding principles in life are not God's Word; rather, they are our own words.  We've created our own truths to live by so that we will not feel pressure or guilt.  We have kicked God to the curb and rolled out the red carpet for Satan to take his place.  We've removed all signs of spirituality so that we can make room for the carnal life and all the joys it will bring to a guiltless and pressure free lifestyle.  

When God's control is replaced with my own control, we lose the fighting edge against the power of Satan.  God's control provides the armor to defend us against the spiritual attacks that will whittle away at truth, morals and ethical standards.  Satan's control will take away our freedom and shackle us to a life of sinfulness.  He will make it appear that his control gives us freedom, but in reality, it destroys us.

It is my belief that America only gets better when our homes are controlled by God and when the guiding principles are the ones Jesus taught and when prayers are said at the dinner table and at night before going to bed and when we wake up in the morning.  America is better when we teach truth as absolute and character isn't someone in a storybook; but rather, it's our honesty, goodwill, love for each other and the kindness we demonstrate to everyone.    Each home makes a difference and it begins with mine home, first!  Psalm 33:12, "The Lord blesses each nation that worships only him. He blesses his chosen ones."

Remember, Be God Controlled!