Building on the Foundation

Get behind me, Satan!!!  These are the harsh words that Christ spoke to one of His most faithful disciples. Why would Christ call Peter Satan? There are a few things that spring out of this statement that Christ made that we will look at in the context of leadership. This same statement could be made to thousands of so-called teachers and preachers in the world around us because they are not actually ministers of God; Instead, by teaching lies, they have unwittingly made themselves into ministers of darkness. These men are not possessed, but just as Peter did, they have seized on the lies of the Devil.  With all of these people wandering around claiming to preach Christ, it can be pretty confusing to recognize those who are truly teaching Christ. So just how do we distinguish the light from the darkness? They are all pretty nice people and often have a strong charisma about them as well, so where has God drawn the line? In the gospel of Matthew, Christ made a profound statemen...

  The world around us is full of manmade standards. We’ve got body standards, beauty standards, moral standards, and even food standards, all created by mankind. Depending on what country or even what part of the country you are in, these standards can be wildly different because they are invented by men. It can be pretty confusing to try to keep track of what the current standards or trends are, and they seem to be getting more ridiculous by the day. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a set of standards, especially moral ones, that didn’t change, and that wasn’t subjective based on people’s feelings?  Good thing we were given just such a set of standards from the creator of our universe. Unfortunately, not everyone can see the value of these standards, and most people try to change them to fit their own idea of how the world should work. A lot of God’s standards are contrary to our human nature, and the standard we naturally go to is less than what God’s is. A great example of...

Have you ever heard someone say, “learn to be happy with who you are?” More than likely, it didn’t even make you think twice, and you then went on about with your life. Of all the dangerous phrases and thoughts to us Christians, among which are “blend in with the world” and “don’t stand out” or “don’t be different from the world,” this is perhaps the most dangerous to our spiritual life. How can I say that? On the surface, this appears to be a wise principle to follow, doesn’t it? Healthy at any weight, right? At this point, you can probably hear the medical profession innocently whistling in the background and casually fanning themselves with the stacks of research on obesity and mortality rates, but pay them no mind.  If this statement can be this dangerous to our physical health, well, then just imagine what it does to our spiritual and mental health. This isn’t a statement to promote self-health; it’s a statement to promote self-satisfaction and stagnation. If you are happy wit...

  A LIGHTHOUSE is a high tower or building; the upper part is called “the lantern.” The light of these lamps shines all night, guides ships on their way, and shows where the danger lies. Two or three people live in the lighthouse to attend to the lamps.  We will now look into one of these buildings on the coast of Cornwall, England. Little Mary was in the lighthouse alone. The night was coming on, and a storm was rising on the sea. Mary’s father had trimmed the lamps, and they were ready for lighting when the evening came on. But as he wanted to buy some food, he crossed the “causey,” which leads to the land. This causey was a pathway over the rocks and sands, which could only be passed for two or three hours in the day; other times, the waters rose and covered it.  Some rough-looking men behind a rock seemed glad as they saw him go to the land. Who were they? These men were wreckers. They waited about the coast, and if a storm drove a vessel on the rocks, they r...