DrJimTippins

OK, I am a very patient person. I see the glass as half full. I give the benefit of the doubt. I see the best in people. But I must call out a new trend in Christian social media. They are a line of clergy that call themselves progressive Christians or progressive clergy. These guys are very defensive and see themselves as enlightened. They hate to be questioned and they spread falsehood. Like.

1. Jesus is not the only way to heaven.
2. God loves all including those that sin (LGBTQ)
3. There is no hell and all will ultimately be saved.
4. The Bible is mostly myth and has no authority.
5. They are tolerant of all except traditional Christianity.

I am calling them out as false teachers and charlatans. They ignore the truth and have become wise in their own eyes, yet now have become fools. Beware, because some of what they say is rooted in truth but they are false teachers. Be careful.

Summer has come with a vengeance. It is hot out there. With the pandemic, we have learned to stay home, order delivery groceries and restaurant foods. But some things you can’t just change. We have had several deaths close to us in the past few weeks. Most services were not inside a church or funeral home, they simply had graveside ceremonies. And yes, they were hot, even under a tent.

You ever wonder what Job did wrong? I mean, he didn’t curse God like everyone wanted him to do. But he did something to make God spend 4 chapters lambasting Job. You know we complain about the heat? So did Job. Job 30:30 “My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat”. Though he accepted what God allowed to happen, Job did as any other human would do, complain. Remember how angry God became when the Israelites complained about everything?

That’s what makes James 1:2 so difficult. How does one, “Consider it all joy when you go through trials”? Guess what, it’s summer? It’s gonna be hot. This is simply an encouragement to let go of the culture f complaining and have an attitude of joy instead.

This is an interesting question since God is love (I John 4:8).

What does God hate, you ask? Solomon answers the question in the Book of Proverbs. We read: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19).

First, God hates a proud look. The Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). It says, “those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (Daniel 4:37). And again the Bible says, “Behold, I am against you, O most haughty one!” (Jeremiah 50:31).

Second, the Bible says that God hates a lying tongue. Where did we learn to lie? Isn’t it strange that children lie instinctively without being taught? The flagrant sins of fraud, embezzlement, slander, libel and breach of promise are the products of a lying heart.

Third, the Bible says that God hates hands that shed innocent blood. The sixth commandment says, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). Psychologists tell us that the seed of murder lurks in the heart of the most respected person.

Fourth, the Bible says that God hates a heart that devises evil imaginations. Thought is sown in the mind before it is reaped in the field of action. The law judges sin according to the act, but God judges us according to the evil of our hearts. “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” said Jesus (Matthew 5:28).

Fifth, the Bible says that God hates feet that are swift in running to mischief. Evil thoughts and imagination, if nourished and fed, will eventually lead to sinful actions. There are people in every community who openly and flagrantly violate God’s law. They boast that they are not hypocrites, and they make no pretense of being good. But this does not excuse them for their wickedness.

Sixth, the Bible says that God hates a man or woman who sows discord among brethren. We seldom hear the slanderer, the libeler or the malicious gossip denounced. We have come to think that it is a harmless thing to sow discord in the office, the shop, the church or the home; but the Bible says that God hates discord and strongly denounces those who sow strife.

This is adapted from a sermon by the evangelist, Billy Graham.

Everyone is on the same bandwagon. When is everything going to get back to normal? As our quarantined selves look forward to getting back to normality, we need to ask, “What is normal?” Normal for most means going back to work, going to school, going to restaurants, and finding toilet paper without difficulty. If you have taken this time to get closer to your family or get those long overdue projects done, then bravo. How many of us have taken this time to get to know Jesus better? I am just as guilty. My television time increased but my prayer time did not. Neither did my Bible reading. Perfect opportunities, but wasted. My prayer is for God to strike in us again a deep desire to know more about Him. Blessings on getting back to normal.

First, let me give some credit. This is adapted from a sermon I took notes on June 28, 1987 given by James Kirk Lawton, my pastor at Ocean View Baptist Church.

In Luke 9, the Bible tells of Jesus taking Peter, John and James up a mountainside where the transfiguration took place. Moses and Elijah came and Peter says, “It is good we are here. Let us make three tabernacles..” Peter wanted to stay there. It was a happy place.

It s a normal thing to get to a comfortable place and then stay there. Yet, that comfort can soon turn to complacency. With our self imposed quarantine we can become used to doing or not doing things. Be careful not to get complacent. A dad took his 4th grade daughter to a merry-go-round. After riding 5 consecutive times the daughter said, “Daddy, I could live here.” There is nothing wrong with being happy or comfortable, but it does block out what God might have in store for us.

Later in Luke 9, when Jesus and the disciples came down from the mountain, there was a great multitude of people waiting on Jesus. What if they had stayed on that mountain? How many people would have been denied a chance to be blessed? So, be ready to jump back into life and being a potential blessing to someone.

Valentine’s decorations are being taken down as we gear up for St. Patrick’s Day. The chocolate stores are refilled. The flowers are still holding up. All is well for our once a year love fest. Yet, love should be our daily focus. Scripture says that God is love. And that the greatest commands were to love God and to love others. Out of faith, hope and love, only love will continue into eternity. Love seems pretty important. The only problem is that we, as humans seem to run out of love….often.

We should think of ourselves more like little teapots. We have all this love to pour out anywhere we like. But, we run empty. What we need t realize that God is an unending ocean of love. But, it is hard t fill olur pts up because we like our lids on. We need to learn to let go and let God fill us by getting out of His way. He is willing and wanting to fill us with His love if we let Him. Otherwise, we will run low and we will react probably badly with our scant resources. Let’s let love reign in our lives and in our hearts, each and every day.

To God, every second is like a year or a day, etc….God lives in an environment not bounded by time. I tell you though, time seems to be picking up the pace as I get older.  We’ve got a trip upcoming, it comes too soon and passes too quickly.Got a doctor’s appointment that is four months off which gives you the opportunity to get better health results. All of a sudden the four months are passed and you’ve done nothing to get your health better.  Time does not stop for anyone.

Another frustration is with children. they just won’t stop growing. My son, though now 18 years old and bearded, is still my little 10 lb boy who fell asleep on my stomach. Even though a new year is come, let us do our best to appreciate every moment that God has given us. Let us praise God a little louder and longer. Let’s pray a little longer and more intimately. Let’s love a little better and more freely. And let us share God’s message a little more often and with a compassion that shows that we care.

Most New Year’s devotions usually focus on the newness of the year and how we renew or become new. Well there is a time and a place for that and this is not it. This year I am urging everyone to cling to what we had and even go a little backwards. Why? Because I believe every year we renew, we tend to compromise a little bit. Want proof?

1. We let God get kicked out of schools TODAY even with things like Good News Clubs, most schools and colleges are radically opposed to Jesus.
2. We allowed Roe vs Wade to legalize abortion TODAY you’ve heard about Virginia wanting to not only legalize late term abortions but after birth abortions.
3. Long gone are the days of the Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy or Leave it to Beaver. TODAY, even our commercials are littered with profanity and unwholesome topics, always putting a Christin worldview in the worst light.
4. Even in government we have evolved from a freedom of religion to TODAY a freedom from religion.
5. TODAY, Churches have drawn away for a biblical morality and has divided entire denominations.

Deuteronomy 13:4 “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

God doesn’t change and His morality doesn’t change, but it seems like we are in a dance with the world of taking two steps forward and three steps back. It is time to regain the world, if not in the culture at least in our private lives. As we sink further in the sea of compromise we must like Peter as he was sinking after taking a few steps is to cling to Jesus.

My son turned 18 and a few days later I turned 57. Times does not slow down for anyone. Our days are numbered and we must live that if time were running out. So, what should our priorities be? 1 Corinthians 2:2 says, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. ”

That my friends is a good priority. Nothing else really matters except to share Jesus with a world that seems more and more alienated from Him.  Yes, my beard is gray enough that children tell me what they want for Christmas. My job is to pour into my son and help him become mature in the faith. Job 12:12 says, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” I pray that everyone who is getting older (that means everyone) is maturing in the faith. We should be off the milk, we should be promoting unity and servanthood. We should never seek positions of power, and should always deem others as more important than yourself. It’s a tough order, but these are the traits of a mature Christian.