There’s an old saying about dads and their boys. “Like father, like son.”
Whenever my boys see me do something they think is cool, they’ll try to imitate what they saw me doing. It’s a great feeling to have your son look up to you, and want to be like you, but it can also be kind of scary. Dads aren’t always perfect, you know.
I remember a few years ago when my son was learning to talk, I said a bad word in front of him. He didn’t miss that one, and to my horror and embarrassment, for the next few days he walked around randomly repeating that word, both at home and out in public.
It was a great lesson for me about what sort of example I am setting for my kids. What other areas of my life do they see that I don’t want them to follow?

I was down at the city planning department applying for some permits a couple days ago, talking with the inspectors at the front desk about an upcoming downtown event. They were telling me about all the attractions, when one of them perked up and said he was looking forward to meeting and getting his picture taken with the SeaGals. They had obviously been talking about it before, because the secretary and the other inspector began to tease and laugh at him over it.
“What’s that?” I asked, wondering what I was missing.
“The Seattle Seahawks cheerleaders,” he said with a surprise, as if I was supposed to know.
I replied softly, “Really? How does your wife feel about that?”
You should have seen his reaction. His gleeful, expectant smile instantly dropped as he looked down at the floor with concern and said quietly, “Not so good.” He was genuinely convicted.
“Well then why would you do it,” I asked him. The secretary grinned in the background and gave me an affirming fist pump as we continued with a short discussion about integrity there at the counter.
It’s not that difficult to foresee how that type of behavior can damage his relationship with his wife. It would undermine her confidence in his attraction to her, and definitely have repercussions in their private life. Think I’m overreacting? All he’s got to do is imagine his wife proudly displaying a picture of herself smiling with two half naked firefighters and he will feel the same humiliation and inadequacy that his actions subject her to.

It’s funny how this guy had been thinking and planning and talking about and looking forward to doing something, and all that had to happen for was for someone to ask one simple question for him to see he was wrong.
I think temptation works that way for all of us at times. We tell ourselves it’s no big deal, suppress any qualms of conscience and move forward, rationalizing and justifying ourselves.

Have you ever been rebuked? I know I have. I have had people who loved me enough to confront me when they saw me doing something or about to do something I shouldn’t.
Proverbs 27:5 says that an open rebuke is better than secret love. In other words, a friend who truly loves you will sometimes say the things that need to be said. Sometimes sternly, and sometimes gently, but I definitely have been rebuked.

How do you react when confronted over your sin? Do you get angry, accusing the person of being judgmental? Do you deny any wrongdoing seek to justify your behavior? Or do you acknowledge your guilt and change course? Can you look past the embarrassment of the moment and simply accept the rebuke?

Proverbs 29:1 “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
If you’ve been warned, and you continue down that path, you will eventually reap what you sow. Don’t stiffen your neck and harden your conscience.

How you react to correction says a lot about you. Consider Proverbs 9:8,9 ,”Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”

Remember, the point of rebuking someone is not to get them in a “Gotcha!” moment or to rub salt in their wounds. It’s to help them come to their senses and hopefully change.
Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
James 5:20 “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

I’m not suggesting that any of us develop a cavalier attitude and go out on a crusade of sin-sniffing in other people’s lives. There is no such thing as the gift of rebuke. But let’s be faithful to one another when we do see something that needs to be addressed, and bring it up in a spirit of gentleness, humility, and love.

What’s the greatest fear of your life?
I remember vividly as a kid that nothing terrified me more than the blood curdling laugh of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. That movie used to be televised once every year. My delighted family would gather around the TV and crank up the volume, while I sat trembling behind a closed bedroom door, literally covering my ears, repeating “la la la la” to avoid hearing that aweful, sinister laugh.
Eventually, I came to realize that she was fake and that the Wicked Witch of the West couldn’t touch me. That knowledge released me from my fear, and now ever since last year I don’t have to hide under my bed when the family watches it. Ok, it might have been sooner than that.

Kidding aside, there is an even greater fear which soon crept in as I got older. It’s a fear which is common to all mankind.
We don’t like to think about it, much less discuss it. When the subject is brought up, we would rather push it out of our minds or change the discussion.
Some are honest enough to admit that they are afraid of it, and some put up a front of bravado concerning it, but let’s be honest, nobody in their right mind wants to die. The truth is, when the lights go out and we lie our heads on our pillow, we all think about it. We know we are all heading toward our appointment with it. The fear of death is the king of terrors.
But this isn’t a fear that we outgrow as we age. Because we all have a desire or will to live, this fear enslaves men and women. How do I know this?
First of all because the Bible tells me so. Hebrews 2:15 says that all our lives we are held in slavery to the fear of dying.
Second, because I look around at what we do to safeguard our lives. People spend long hours exercising to keep their bodies in shape. We take care to make sure we are eating healthy foods. We are willing to pay astronomical prices for health care when we need it. We have sunblock to prevent cancer, we keep guns to protect ourselves at home, we have airbags in our cars, etc. The list goes on and on.
Admit it or not, nobody wants to die.

What if I told you that there was an answer to your greatest dilemma, the power of death? What if you could be free from your greatest fear?
Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. He paid for our sins at the cross and conquered death in His resurrection. Look what it says in Hebrews 2:14,15 “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
As they stood by the grave of a friend, Jesus said this, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25,26

It’s pretty simple, really. It all boils down to whether we believe Jesus is telling the truth, or not. I believe Him. Do you? If so, then let that knowledge release you today from living your life in fear. Jesus has overcome your greatest enemy. Come out from under the bed and live the life God gave you, for His will and honor.

A couple nights ago I got myself into a tight spot while trying to hook up the VCR (yes, I still own one of those) to the TV. Once I fed the wire through the tiny hole at the back of the entertainment center, I had to reach down and get it. That piece of furniture is so heavy, I didn’t bother moving it away from the wall. Instead, I figured I could just jam my arm back there.
I didn’t get very far before it was scratching the skin off my arm, but I was almost there, so I continued wedging my arm further and further until I finally held the plug in my victorious hands. The only problem now was that I couldn’t move an inch!
I tried to use my free arm to get loose, but I had gotten myself into such an awkward position that I had no strength to budge that furniture. I was actually stuck, and I couldn’t get out. I knew what I had to do, but I couldn’t bear the thought of asking for my petite little wife to come move some heavy stuff around to free her puny pipsqueak husband.
Eventually, I caved in and called out for my wife to help me. Not a very proud moment. But she was somewhere upstairs and couldn’t hear me. My embarrassment was added to when two of my kids came over and offered to give me a hand, but by that time I had been stuck so long that I didn’t care who it was that helped me get out. I just wanted out.
Believe it or not, my daughter latched onto that thing and pulled it far enough away from the wall to set me free.
Most of us aren’t exactly keen on asking for help, but let’s face it. Sometimes we need it.

This is how temptation often works in our lives. Most of the time when we are tempted, we aren’t thinking of the consequences of our actions. It’s like we are blinded to the obvious outcome of what we are about to do.
Whether it’s a temptation like lying, the urge to commit sexual sin, the pathway to addiction, etc., we deceive ourselves into thinking it will be easy to walk away, but instead we get ourselves trapped when we decide to go for it. Every time we do it, we wedge ourselves deeper and deeper, not realizing how stuck we are.
All sin is destructive, and all sin enslaves us. Whatever the sin, the ultimate consequence is still the same, death. Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death..” There is no way we are getting out of that bondage on our own. We just don’t have the ability to do it.

God has offered a lifeline in Jesus Christ. He came to set us free from the bondage and the consequences of sin. The rest of Romans 6:23 tells us how, “…But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We may have gotten ourselves into a tight spot, and we may feel like there is no way out, but by the power of the blood of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can be delivered and set free!
Some are too proud to call out for help. Sad. But those who come to their senses realize that they are trapped and are willing to humbly acknowledge their need of the Savior. They are the ones who by the grace of God receive forgiveness and are forever freed from the power and the penalty of sin.

Are you trapped in some behavior? Do you need victory over some sin? Are you enslaved by addiction? Do you long for deliverance? Are you weighed down by the guilt of your past?
Freedom is not that far away, if you’ll ask the right Person. Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!

Yesterday I had a meeting between myself, one of our contractors, and an OSHA inspector. OSHA is a federal agency, which stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They have a reputation of being extremely strict, and regularly fork out whopping fines for even minor safety violations.
Apparently, this inspector took photos of the contractor’s employees in some risky situations that violated safety guidelines. When he approached the foreman, there was a confrontation and he was chased off of the jobsite. A meeting was set up for the next day, and I was there to try to diffuse the situation.
The contractor was fuming with anger right from the start. I mean, he was absolutely livid. I actually had to pull him aside and tell him to cool it. This inspector has the power to inflict massive penalties, literally in the tens of thousands, if he wants to. I pleaded with him to just eat some humble pie, apologize for the non-compliance, and kiss the guys butt so we could get past this. Getting in his face isn’t doing us any favors and will only make it worse. It’s only a matter of time before his insults and aggressive behavior get the guy really angry.
I was thinking about a verse in Proverbs 30:33 that says, “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.”
Your nose usually isn’t going to start bleeding on its own. But if you start reefing on it, twisting and tweaking it, eventually, sure enough, it’s going to bleed. Same thing usually goes before an argument.

That didn’t help. He didn’t stop. The inspector actually handled it quite well at first. He kept his composure and maintained his professionalism through most of it, until the personal attacks started to come. Once his personal integrity was questioned and he was accused of underhanded methods of conducting routine inspections, his jaw clenched as he bit his tongue. The contractor continued to unload on him, winding him up like a jack-in-the-box, until finally, BOING!, he snapped, and the fight was on.

Immediately I stepped between them, bearing in mind that according to Proverbs 15:1, a soft answer turns away wrath, and spoke gently to both of them, doing the best I could to restore sanity and civility. As the inspector calmed down, I was wishing I could ask the contractor to leave, but he had to be there, so I decided I would take control and do all the talking from then on, applying yet another verse from Proverbs 22:10, “Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.”

By the end of the meeting, I’m not going to say that all wounds were healed or even that the inspector won’t go to his office and mail out a penalty, but at least we avoided an all out catastrophe.

That situation was headed towards a full on disaster for the subcontractor, and probably even for us, as the general contractor. But thanks to a little wisdom from Proverbs, cooler heads prevailed, and I am hoping damages were minimized.

Proverbs – free wisdom found in your Holy Bible. Read them.

Ever tried to suppress the voice of your conscience? You know what I mean. Those times when you rationalize and make excuses for what you are about to do, or have already done, ignoring that part of you that always seems to nag you inside that it’s wrong. No matter how much you try to justify bad behavior, conscience never gives in and says, “Yes, do it!”

I once purchased one of those car chargers that emits a radio frequency, so I could plug it in and play my music by tuning into a station I chose. It was expensive, so I paid a little extra for an extended warranty.
About 9 months later, it stopped working. I called the store, but they said it had to be covered by the manufacturer during the first year, so I called the manufacturer. Big surprise, they blew me off.
So I waited till the year was up and called the store back. They had me on record of making the complaint during the first year, so they said they wouldn’t cover something that should fall under the manufacturers warranty.
So there I was. The store wouldn’t honor the extended warranty I paid for, and the manufacturer wouldn’t honor their product warranty. Now I was past the first year, so they definitely weren’t going to cover it.

What they didn’t know is that during the time I was waiting for the manufacturers warranty to expire, I had purchased another identical charger from the same store.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. I took the old charger, placed it into the box of the new one, and brought it back to the store for a refund, as though I was simply returning the one I had just purchased. I admit I had some qualms of conscience, but I rationalized that I did in fact pay for the warranty, so what I was doing was just my way of finding justice. It may be a weird way to do it, but I deserved it.
I got the refund, and as soon as I walked away, I was convicted. I tried, believe me, I tried to suppress it. The guilt didnt go away. I couldn’t even sleep that night, wrestling with my stupid decision.
I had lied to get that refund. Then I stole from the store and the manufacturer when I accepted the money. Was I willing to sin against God, live with a guilty conscience, throw away my integrity, and lose self respect over $100?
The next morning I stood at the return counter of the store, asked for the manager and confessed. They looked at me like I was crazy as I explained the whole scenario of what I had done, making no excuses and insisting that I owed them the money that was refunded. Judging by the shocked looks on their faces, I thought I was in for it.
Turns out, their shock was that I actually came back and tried to make it right. Maybe they aren’t used to people coming in and admitting that they stole from the store.
Anyway, we made it right, and guess what? I walked away free! No more guilt. I could look in the mirror without shame. I no longer had to carry that around. The burden was lifted.

David describes his experience with guilt and forgiveness perfectly in Psalm 32:1-5 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom The Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

Trying to ignore your conscience and pretend you haven’t sinned isn’t fooling anybody. Your conscience is never going to chime in and agree with you that it’s okay. When you refuse to confess and make it right, it’s like a heavy burden that saps your strength. That is the work of the Holy Spirt. He won’t let you get away with it.
Jesus said that when He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8

If you’ve been avoiding coming clean with God or man, let me tell you that there is freedom from that weight found when you humble yourself and confess. Even if the offended party won’t hear you or forgive you, at least you tried and your conscience can be clean.
Take comfort in this, that God’s promise is that He will forgive you when you confess to Him. 1John 1:9 gives tells us, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Don’t spend another minute carrying the burden of unconfessed sin. Take the time to acknowledge your guilt, humble yourself, and make it right between you and God right now.
The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse away every sin, and set you free, if you’ll receive it.
You should go for it!

They say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” If you want to blow that important first impression, ignore cultural etiquette with your new acquaintances.

When I moved to Washington, I was invited on a road trip with a bunch of guys I had just met at church. On the first evening, we stayed with some people who invited us to go ahead and use their sauna, which I thought was the perfect opportunity to get to know these guys better.
Growing up in northern Michigan, saunas were part of every day life. They are a great place for men to relax and hang out together. (Women too, I suppose, but I never got invited to go with them.) We used to sit in the sauna for a long time, throwing steam and telling stories, discussing important issues of life.
Where I come from, people take saunas in their birthday suits. (That means they’re naked) Well, this was my first trip to WA.

I was the last guy to walk into the sauna. My hopes of making friends and building relationships were quickly dashed into pieces when I opened the door and was met with horrified gasps and shrieks from six guys all wearing swimming shorts! They expressed their shock and surprise by ordering me to get out and put some clothes on. None of them wanted any part of it.
Huge fail. I don’t know if I’ve ever earned any respect out of a single one of those guys since.

The apostle Paul was a smart guy. He knew how to reach his audience, and how to avoid intentionally turning them off. He said in 1 Cor 9, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
What does that mean? When Paul wanted to reach the Jews, he didn’t walk around Jerusalem with a ham sandwich in his hands. He was sensitive to what might offend his listeners.

You and I are called by God to share the gospel with the world. Let’s take care that we don’t turn them off by some silly thing we do to lose their respect or destroy our witness.
We don’t have to engage in things that are ungodly to show that we are relevant, but we also don’t need to blow our chances by being culturally insensitive.
When your heart is set on winning people, you’ll find the right balance. Go get em!

I have a house under construction for a guy who is turning out to be a bit of a pain. He had asked if he could install a small shop on the property before the house is finished, but I told him no because I don’t want to be responsible if it doesn’t comply with building codes.
Well, he contacted the building official at the city and talked it over, then called me back and promised that there would be no problem. He was very persistent, so I allowed him to do it, on the condition that he knew that if there are any issues, he is responsible to take care of them. After all, I want every homeowner to have a pleasant experience during the construction phase of their new home.
Well, guess what. Just as I suspected, the guy didn’t follow the building code. The minimum setback from the property line is 5′ and he had his shop built about 2′ away. The building inspector saw it immediately and said there was no way he would issue the certificate of occupancy until it’s moved. He was especially upset because they had specifically discussed the setback requirements.
Unfortunately for the homeowner, it’s going to be a big and expensive job to get it right.

Sometimes, in special situations, the inspectors have been known to work with homeowners and even look the other way, when they can see that a person has really tried to do their best and that there isn’t a life/safety concern. But when they knew what they could or could not do, and violate code anyway, then they are less likely to afford any clemency.

Jesus taught that the more we know about God and His commands, the more accountable we are to Him.
I talk to people all the time who think that because they have read their Bible or because they went to church before, that somehow that qualifies them to have an easier time with God on judgment day, even though they know that they are living in direct disobedience to His word.
The sad reality is that those people will actually have it worse than those who are completely ignorant.
Hear what Jesus says in Luke 12:47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Isn’t it true that when someone knows what is expected of them, be it a spouse, a child, a student, an employee, etc., and yet doesn’t bother to do it, it is especially more offensive than if they hadn’t known?
God doesn’t like it either when you and I know what we ought to be doing, yet we are selfish, lazy or indifferent.
James 4:17 says, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

Are there areas in your life where you are living in direct disobedience to God? Whether they are things you are doing that you shouldn’t be, or things that you should be doing but aren’t, identify those things today and confess them. Then, empowered by the Holy Spirit, walk in obedience to God’s perfect will for your life.
God is ready and willing to forgive if you’ll ask Him. Go for it!

I have an acquaintance who disclosed some very sensitive information to me this morning. He’s going through a scary trial concerning the health of his grandchild. This is a guy who knows I am a Christian involved in ministry, even though he has never really shown much interest, until now. He was appealing to me to pray for his family.
When people ask me to pray for them, rarely do I make a verbal commitment to pray later. I take advantage of the moment and pray with them right away. First, because it’s too easy to forget later, and second, because two people praying together is powerful, and it shows people you genuinely care.
I placed a hand in his shoulder and we prayed. His love for his children was evident as he wept openly.
It’s in times like these that people recognize their fragile lives are in God’s hands.

Let me give you an example. I’m always amazed when I get on board a massive jet liner. It’s fascinating that it can even float at all. Once in the air, I wonder sometimes what the pilot must be up to. Does he just set it on cruise control and read a book?
“I could fly this thing,” I sometimes think to myself. All I’d have to do is make sure the instruments aren’t going too haywire and float along. Have you ever though that?
That suddenly changed a couple years ago when we flew through a thunderstorm. I was nervously looking out the window as we approached the storm, which extended for miles below us and miles above us, with giant swirling air currents that were thousands of feet across. That great big invincible plane suddenly felt about as big as a helpless ant adrift in the churning waters of Niagra falls.
As we were violently thrown around by the storm, I was extremely grateful that we had an experienced pilot to navigate safely through those clouds.

When life is going relatively smooth it’s easy for us to think that we are in control and keeping it all together. God is more like a co-pilot that does his job backing us up, who we occasionally have to give specific instructions to to keep things under control.
We even see bumper stickers that read “God is my Co-pilot.”

If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat. You may not agree with that when the flight is smooth and turbulence is light, but a wait till the storm comes.
When the crisis hits, you will know that you really aren’t supposed to be the pilot after all. Your limited abilities are inadequate for the job. Time to turn over the controls.

You’ll be grateful and find peace when you are in His able hands.