Author: Steve Sawyer

God blessed me with the gift of writing. Mom told me I wrote paragraphs in second grade when others were learning to write sentences. I spent more than three decades in professional writing gigs. For the past eight years I've combined my passion for writing with my love for the Lord. He and I write a Christ-centered, family-friendly blog to glorify God Monday-thru Friday at https://stevensawyer.wordpress.com/. My wife and I have four grown children and two precious granddaughters we co-parent with their mom. I'm a Galatians 2:20 disciple of Christ seeking to allow Christ to live His life in me, through me, and as me.

God

Truth and the Holy Spirit Part 2

Posted on June 9, 2023June 1, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Have you prayed today? Have you read your bible today?

Do you think you might be settling for less faith than God has for you?

To find out if you have less faith than God would have for you, let’s bring the Holy Spirit into the conversation. What does the Holy Spirit have to do with truth? In fact, you can’t have a meaningful conversation about Truth without the Holy Spirit.

But you said Truth was a man, Jesus Christ and he was the only truth. That is correct. How does the Holy Spirit fit into a discussion about truth?

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The

Holy Spirit is fully GOD, not a lesser version of God. The Holy Spirit is a person not an “it” or a ghost or some weird creature. He was not created. He was present at creation. “Let us create mankind in our own image in our own likeness.” Genesis 1:26.

The moment you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, and become a child of God the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you and reside in you forever.

‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.’ Psalm 46:10

⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’^[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”Rev 21:4

The Holy Spirit is continually working in you ; he never rests.

He occupyies a good bit of his time helping you understand three ways God and you can grow even more intimate in your relationship with Him

First of all the Holy Spirit provides clarity through God’s word. If you have decisions to make or choices to make God’s Word will provide the clarity you need to make decisions or choices you have to make the Holy spirit will guide in truth so you can make right and wise decisions with God’s word as your guide.

The Holy Spirit also brings nearness through intimacy with God.

God wants to draw mankind closer to him. But that’s not really what God really wants . He doesn’t just want to be near us or be around us.

God wants to be IN us.

God wants us to be his home address in the Holy Spirit.

He’s our Father. We get to call him “Dad”. How cool is that?”

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

God’s power in you enables you to live a holy life in a Holy God

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Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

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The Holy Spirit also bring you freedom through God’s power.

God

The truth about theTruth Part 1

Posted on June 7, 2023June 1, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

If you spend any time at all talking to the man on the street or your next door neighbor or the waitress at the restaurant or the guy at the Home Depot or your friends at church you’re going to hear a mixed bag of versions of the “truth”.

In today’s society truth has morphed into a relative noun. The new car salesman has a truth for his life, the mortician has a truth for himself and his family, the deacon at church has a truth for his life, your beautician has a truth for her life and so on and on and on.

None of their truths are the same, but they all believe their truth is the real truth.

If the salesmen’s truth conflicts with the mortician’s truth, they both can’t be right. But which truth is right and how would we find out?

Or take the abortion issue. Two very polarizing truths stimulate controversy heated confrontations and heated debate all across this country. The pro life crowd believe strongly that God loves all life. He created all life. All life is precious to God even unborn l life in the womb. In direct opposition to the pro life advocates are the pro choice advocates. And their truths couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.

The pro life folks believe in the sanctity of life and believe that abortion is a sin. The pro choice folks believe a woman’s body is hers and decisions about what happens to it are up to her.

These are two extreme examples of opposing versions of truth. Both sides adamanily insist that their beliefs are true.

Lots of people and organizations have idealogies they believe are truth

This is glaring apparent in the realm of religion. Just pick a religion Catholic, Baptist Presbyterian, Jehovah Witness. Many of the religions are vaguely similar, some are singular in they belief that their doctrine is the truth. The problem with all these claims truth is that none of them are true and have nothing to do with the truth.

If you have two groups asserting that both of their versions of truth are true. One of them has to be wrong or untrue

In fact everybody’s version of truth is wrong.

In fact truth is not even a concept or a principle paradigm or a debate to have or to teach our kids.

“I am the way and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Lots of people and organizations have ideologies they believe are truth

The problem with all these claims truth is that none of them are true and have nothing to do with the truth.

The bible teaches that The truth is a man, Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us that, “I am the way and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God

The Ku Klux Klan

Posted on June 5, 2023June 2, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I thought all of you might enjoy reading a very special story about the Ku Klux Klan.

Now I don’t have a single Centilli of affinity for the Klan.

I never have. I never will; but this story is very special (important) on several levels.

First of all it has been reprinted from an Alabama elemantary grade history book titled “Know Alabama an Elemantary History”

‘

I live in Georgia now. I’m retired now. For the last 13 years I’ ve been writing and publishing a blog called For His Glory, a family friendly blog to bring glory to God.

I’m re-printing this story here primarily to point out a glaring contrast between growing up in the Midwest in the seventies and the decade of the 2020’s specifically 2023 in Georgia . You’d aggravate the white parents, you’d face lawsuits from minority parents. And that’s just for starters. The board of education would make some lofty ruling that would alienate everyone. The LGPTQ+ folks would protest unless there were at least one male tran student who wanted to use the girl’s restroom;

The loyal White men of Alabama saw they could not depend on the laws or state government to protect their They knew they had to do something to bring back law and order, to get the government back in the hands of honest men who knew how to run it.

It happened that at this time a band of white-robed figures appeared on the streets of Pulaski, Tennessee. No one knew who they were. They rode through the town like ghosts and then disappeared.

Soon other white-robed bands were seen all over the South including Alabama. This organization became known as the Ku Klux Klan.

General Nathan B. Forrest was one of the leaders of the Klan. The Klan did not ride often, only when it had to. Whenever a bad thing was done by a person who thought the “carpetbag” law would protect him, the white-robed Klan would appear on the streets.

They would go to the person’s house who had done the wrong and leave a warning. Sometimes t4his warning was enough, but if the person kept doing the bad lawless things, the Klan would come right back.

They held their courts in the dark forest at night; they passed and they passed sentence on the criminals.Sometimes the sentence would be to leave the state.

The sign of the klan was a large firey cross. Whenever a cross was seen burning on a hillside at night; the people knew the klan had struck again. Sometimes in the quiet night the sound of galloping horses could be heard in the streets. The klansmen would pass like ghosts and disappear.

The Federal troops killed some of the klansmen in gun battles but they could not stop the klan.

After awhile the kl

vatean struck fear in the hearts of the “carpetbaggers” and other lawless who had taken control of the state. Many of the carpetbaggers went back north. Others who stayed in the south behaved themselves.

The Negroes who had been fooled by the promises of the carpetbaggers decided to get themselves jobs and settle down to make an honest living.

Many of the Negroes in the South decided to remain loyal to the white Southerners; even though lately they had been freed from slavery, even though they had no education, they knew who their friends were. They knew that the Southern men who had been good to them in the time of their slavery were still their friends

These Negroes had not believed the lies told to them by the carpetbaggers. They stayed with their masters and worked as free men. Some of them saved their money and bought land and farmed for themselves. Some of them helped to make the other Negroes underthestand that they must be honest and keep the laws if they wanted to stay in the South.

Little by little the carpetbaggers were put out of the government in Alabama. When law and order were restored there was no more need for the Ku Klux Klan. General Forest promised they would never ride again after the last of the Federal troops were gone from the South.

God

hypochristians

Posted on May 30, 2023May 25, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I used to work with a non-believer who called church folks “hypochristians”. Apparently he had some bad experiences with them. He told me he was tired of seeing folks out partying on Saturday night and acting all righteous and holy on Sunday.

It was natural for him, a non-believer, to party after work and on weekends (usually drinking in clubs with his buds, he said). How he knew these hypochristians, who were out partying on Saturday night, were acting self-righteous on Sundays I don’t know. I was pretty sure Butch didn’t see them in church.

I think my friend had a point. Butch would have liked Jesus, had he been around when Jesus was teaching. In fact Butch and his drinking buddies would have been attracted to Jesus. And Jesus would have been attracted to them. Jesus would have sought them out. Hung out with them, eaten with them, traveled with them, fellowshiped with them.

My non-believer friend would have liked Jesus

At the same time Butch’s hypocristians would have grumbled and complained about the company Jesus kept.

In Luke 15 just before Jesus started teaching the crowds, Luke says, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him (Jesus).”

Jesus appealed to the tax collectors and sinners. They were “gathering around” Him. They were eager to hear what He had to say. He attracted them. The hypochristians were more interested in their “religion” and its laws. The Pharisees and scribes grumbled to each other because Jesus chose the sinners to hang out with instead of them. “He’s not like them,” they probably mumbled. “He’s more like us. But they like him. And he likes them. Even though he’s not like them and they’re not like him.” The Pharisees and scribes were the models for today’s hypochristians.

In my opinion the church today boasts more than a few pews full of hypochristians. Oh, they volunteer now and again. Dust off their Bibles and read a few words at least once a month. Memorize a few verses of scripture. Pray once in awhile.

They sit up straight in their pews every Sunday. Glad-hand all those around them so everyone will notice they’re at church. Give a little when the offering plate passes by. Sing some hymns. Even attend a Sunday School class now and again.

Then on Monday morning they go about their “Christian” life and scoff at sinners, look down on gays, bash Muslims, condemn racists, complain about all the things they hate, gossip about their atheist neighbors, commit adultery, slam the boss, have a few drinks with the gang after work. Borrow a ream of paper and a few pens from the office.

But they’re quick to admit they’re “Christians” if you ask.

Hypochristians remind me of the Pharisee who prayed in Luke 18, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector.” But those are the very ones Jesus associated with.

Hypochristians act the way they do because they don’t understand they are “full of grace and truth” like Jesus is. They don’t get that. They are religious. Their “religion” engulfs them in rules and performance. They measure their righteousness by their behavior. And they judge others by others’ behavior.

No wonder the “church” is not attracting outsiders. No wonder church attendance has remained stagnant for decades. No wonder new “fellowship groups”, home churches, off-the-wall “religions”, and “spiritual” houses of worship continue to grow. They’ve dropped out of our churches because the church or church folks turned them off. Church folks don’t appeal to them My friend Butch said he couldn’t tell any difference between non-believers and people who claimed to be church folks.

We all remember after the tragedy of 9-11 church attendance spiked to record numbers. Evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham and Fundamentalist Pat Robertson hailed the sudden wave of new attenders as the beginning of a revival that would sweep the nation. Droves of non-believers and “Christeasters” (the folks who go to church only at Christmas and Easter) flocked to the pews for answers to their questions and comfort in a time of national tragedy. They heard pastors, priests, shaikhs and rabbis deliver comforting messages of hope.

But two months later church attendance dwindled back to normal. The non-believers and Christeasters were gone. We had them. They came in the doors. Sat down in the pews. Heard the messages of hope and truth. Then they left.

In my view they didn’t come back because they didn’t see Jesus.

Nothing they saw attracted them. No one they spoke to appealed to them. They saw spruced up sanctuaries. They saw bulletins with laundry lists full of groups and Bible studies and family gatherings and singles ministries and youth group activities and volunteer opportunities. They saw announcements of upcoming events.

But . . .they didn’t see Jesus.

And that’s the church’s fault. We still don’t understand that we’re full of grace and truth, like Jesus. And He wants us to reflect grace and truth to others. Not grace OR truth. Not more grace than truth. But grace AND truth. The church still doesn’t get that. Jesus doesn’t seek Christians or Muslims or Jews or Baptists or Catholics. Jesus seeks disciples.

But we still haven’t learned how to make them.

Perhaps, eternally speaking, that’s as big a tragedy as 9-11.

Thank you so much for stopping by. You bless me by your visit. Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, why not subscribe to my blog? That way you’ll receive an email notification each time I publish a new post. Simply go to the home page. Click on Subscribe at the top right of the page. Then enter your email address and you’re set.

Thank you again, and may God richly bless you.

A video series called "Christian" by pastor Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church in Atlanta was the inspiration for this message.

God

How’s your memory

Posted on May 26, 2023May 25, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Exercise Your Memory

In 1863 some women in Columbus, Mississippi went out to the local cemetery to place flowers on the graves of the Confederate soldiers. They noticed a section of the cemetery had graves for Union soldiers. They placed flowers on those graves also.

A couple of years later, Henry C. Welles in Waterloo, New York, closed his drug store on May the 5^th and invited the entire community to honor the soldiers who had given their lives. They also placed flowers on graves and flew the flag at half-staff. This was first known as Decoration Day. At the end of World War I, the memorial emphasis was shifted to people who had given their lives in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a National Holiday by an Act of Congress.

Memorial Day is designated to remember those who have paid the supreme price in their military service. It is not just a legal holiday where people enjoy family outings and barbeque bashes–it’s a day to remember. Remembering is something many of us are not very good at doing. It takes no effort to forget–it takes a lot of energy to remember (Tweet this).

For many years, Frank Harrington served as senior minister of the Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. He once told about a friend who was traveling in England. His car broke down, and while he was waiting for the car to be repaired, he decided to walk around the small town.

In the corner of an old quaint cemetery, he noticed a stone wall. In that enclosed area were 50 graves of young men between the ages of 17 and 25. The young men were from New Zealand, and they had died in that village during World War I. At the entrance to the area was a marker with this inscription–“We shall never forget in this village their sacrifice.”

This triggered the imagination of the visitor, so he wanted to find out what these young men had done. He walked around the village seeking an explanation for their valiant service. Nobody knew! When he asked, all the villagers looked at him with quizzical expressions on their faces. The village–which had promised to remember–had forgotten.

Moses talks a lot about all the blessings of God. He tells about how we drink from wells we did not dig and eat fruit from trees we did not plant. Then comes a stern warning–“Be careful lest we forget” (Deut. 6:11-12).

The 2016 graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point received special graduation rings. Each ring contained small amounts of steel from the World Trade Center. It will be a graphic, constant reminder to them of the 9/11 terror attack on this country. The ring will help them remember.

Freedom isn’t free. We stand on the shoulders of over one million people who have given their lives for our freedom. No greater sacrifice has been given for us than for those brave men and women, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, who have paid the ultimate price with their lives. Celebrating Memorial Day shouldn’t be just one day on the calendar—but every day!

2 Peter 1:12, 15 says, “I plan to keep on reminding you of these things even though you already know them and are really getting along quite well . . .hoping to impress them so clearly upon you that you will remember them long after I have gone.”

How good is your memory?

God

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Posted on May 16, 2023May 9, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I’ve always been enthralled with the sovereignty of God. I think I understand it. God made everything and every human and is in control of everything.

I like looking into a clear night sky and marvel at the shower of stars that blanketed the deep blue sky. And then I thought about Almighty God who created all those stars and then hung each one of them in the sky.

Have you ever wondered how many stars there are in the known universe? We know that God created the universe and its size is something we can’t even imagine. But what’s even more bizarre is that even though the universe is so massive, the universe can’t even be accurately measured. The best the scholarly scientistific community can do is offer a scientific guess of 93 billion light years.

And how many stars do the astronomers say are in the universe. The best they can do is a very educated estimate. They estimate there are approximately 200 billion trillion stars in our universe. You do the math, I’m not touching that.

Do you know what is unambiguously incredible about our Almighty God? If you could nthrough some supersonic magic carpet ride navigate 93 billion light years t o the edge of the known universe you would see Almighty God further past the edge of the universe working his mighty purpose.

body, God's love

God settled gender ID in the Garden

Posted on May 10, 2023April 24, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

The culture has gone totally woke. Convention has flown the coop. Reason took a hike. Common sense has refused to look at the science and common sense is now uncommon. Second and third graders don’t even know what their reproductive organs are for, let alone how to use them. The idea that schools should teach them their sexual identity is totally absurd.

Besides, God already settled sexual identity for every male and female in the world with Adam and Eve.

Gender expression is how you choose to express your gender identity through your name, pronouns, clothing, hair style, behavior, voice, or body features.

Today folks would rather create designer identity rather than accept the true identity God gave them. Gender expression is how lots of folks choose to express your gender identity through your name, pronouns, clothing, hair style, behavior, voice, or body features.

Why not call yourself a “nullgender, “genderless”, “butch”, “genderqueer”, “transgender”, how about claiming yourself a “gender outlaw”, these are all legitimate gender ID’s people are using today.

In the Garden of Eden God gave Adam a reproductive organ called a penis. God gave Eve, the mother of all women breasts (which, by the way are fun for men to play with). And God gave the woman a vagina or a vulva.

Every man and every woman is built the same exact way. This is their sexual identity. This has always been their sexual identity. And it will always be their sexual identity. Nothing or no one can ever change God’s design and His creation in the garden.

According to the American Psychological Association So-called “conversion therapy,” sometimes known as “reparative therapy,” is a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades. These efforts assume that being LGBTQ+ is an illness that must be cured, and any behaviors that indicate or reflect LGBTQ+ identities must be avoided.

So goes the continuous skirmish between those who think making their own decisions about life is better than following God and His purpose and plan for their lives

God

Do you have a mustard seed I can borrow?

Posted on May 8, 2023April 22, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Does anyone have a mustard seed I can borrow?

I won’t be giving it back for about twenty years. And it won’t be the same seed I borrow from you now. I hope that’s okay?

Mustard seeds fascinate me. They start as a tiny seed, one of the smallest seeds in the world. The seeds grow into huge trees big enough for birds to nest in. Jesus taught the parable of the mustard seed in all three synoptic gospels.

“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.’ ”Mark 4:30-32 NIV.

And again in Matthew 17:20b Jesus said, “. . . if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Even though the mustard seed is a little-bitty seed, it’s a big deal in the Bible. Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven as like one. He also used the mustard seed to describe to his followers how faith works.

The parable teaches many lessons. That’s one thing I love about the Bible:its richness and depth. We can take a passage like the mustard seed parable and apply it in many ways in our lives. I read a blog recently about a Bible Study teacher who challenged his young students to grow their faith in practical, tangible ways, using the parable of the mustard seed.

When I read this parable I’m reminded of something I learned in elementary school about plants and seeds. Before the mustard seed can grow, or produce other mustard seeds, it must die.

When growers plant the mustard seed in the ground, the germination process begins. Only after it dies does it start to grow. It begins the process by growing roots into the soil to anchor the plant to a firm foundation. As the roots anchor the plant we begin to see tiny shoots, then a leaf, then more shoots, then some stems, then more shoots then more leaves. Eventually we see branches and eventually a sapling, that grows into what will eventually become a huge tree that produces more fruit.

All the growth and fruit from that one tiny seed would not be possible unless the seed died.

Does that remind you of someone? We would not be proclaiming the Gospel if Jesus had not died. If he had gone on living for 20 or 30 more years teaching and performing miracles, and died of natural causes in his old age, we would have no Gospel to proclaim. He had to be crucified and die a violent, painful death on the cross and shed His blood at Calvary for you and me to live in Him today and with Him some day in eternity. His death, burial and resurrection put to death the law and ushered us into grace. Just consider the fruit His death has produced. Can we even process that? More than 20 centuries have passed. No one can imagine the number of born from above believers his death has yielded.

Guess what. We have to die too if we are going to bear fruit for God. We can do all sorts of “good” things. We can pray, read the Bible, meditate on Scripture, go to church, serve on committees, usher, et. al. None of it glorifies God, however, if we’re not willing to follow Him to Calvary and be crucified with Him. We have to die first if we’re going to live for Him.

That’s why Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

There’s gonna be a bunch of us dead folks in heaven. How about you? Moved any mountains lately? Are you willing to die to live for Christ?

God

A Huge Name Name Change

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Ft. Benning, Georgia’s name is being changed on May 11, 2023. It will now be known as Ft. Moore.

The military base is being named after Lieutenant General Hal Moore. His life was a great inspiration to many people. He embodied the essence of a servant leader.

My good friend, Toby Warren, was a close, close friend of General Moore. In General Moore’s latter days, Toby drove him to Mass every morning. He also accompanied him three times to West Point. Let me share one incident that Toby shared with me.

On their last visit to West Point, General Moore wanted to go to the chapel. It was a time of the day when no one else was present. He walked in the back door and Toby stood behind him. General Moore snapped to attention. He marched down the center aisle to the front where he made a 90-degree left-hand turn, went a few steps, and made a 90-degree right-hand turn, and then fell on the concrete floor. Toby did the same thing.

General Moore lay there on the concrete praying to God for leadership in his life. His falling on the concrete floor was indicative of his humble spirit. “Humble yourselves under the right hand of God so that He may exalt you at the proper time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

General Moore got up and came to attention. He marched out the front door to a stone balcony. There was a fence about four feet high around that balcony. He stood at attention facing the Hudson River. He was praying to God, asking for God’s leadership.

That’s the kind of man whose name will identify the Army installation at Columbus, Georgia.

Let me go a step further. The Catholic church in Auburn was sold to the Auburn United Methodist Church. The Catholic church moved to a new location and built a new building. Members of that congregation were invited to come to the new location during construction and sign their names on the concrete floor before it was finished.

General Moore wanted to go and sign his name. Toby drove him to the new church. The General went down to the front where there are steps leading up to the altar. He knelt on the floor, spent time praying, and signed his name. Toby also signed his name.

I pray that God will raise up more people in the military like General Hal Moore. You can read many interesting things about him and his Godly leadership.

God also wants to raise up Godly leaders in the business world, the church, the sports world, and in every aspect of life. God wants to raise up men and women who will follow God’s leadership. God can use a humble spirit that’s open to His direction. You may not be a General in the Army, but you have a sphere of influence. Use your influence for the Kingdom of God!

General Moore’s name will be prominently displayed to thousands and thousands of military people and civilians. He makes me proud to be an American and demonstrates a humble Christian lifestyle of servant leadership!

What influence will your name carry?

growth

Do you have a mustard seed I can borrow?

Posted on May 3, 2023April 21, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I won’t be giving it back for about twenty years. And it won’t be the same seed I borrow from you now. I hope that’s okay?

Mustard seeds fascinate me . They start as a tiny seed, one of the smallest seeds in the world. The seeds grow into huge trees big enough for birds to nest in. Jesus taught the parable of the mustard seed in all three synoptic gospels.

When I read this parable I’m reminded of something I learned in elementary school about plants and seeds. Before the mustard seed can grow, or produce other mustard seeds, it must die.

All the growth and fruit from that one tiny seed would not be possible unless the seed died.

There’s gonna be a bunch of us dead folks in heaven. How about you? Moved any mountains lately? Are you willing to die to live for Christ?

16 THOUGHTS ON “PLEASE PASS THE MUSTARD SEED”

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Amanda BethFebruary 9, 2012 at 5:11 PMEditI love this: “Only after it dies does it start to grow.” There’s so much we can learn from that statement. We must die before we can truly live and grow in Christ. Thanks for sharing:) God bless!LikeReply
1. Steven SawyerFebruary 9, 2012 at 6:16 PM EditAmen. Thank you for your wonderful comment.LikeReply
granbeeFebruary 9, 2012 at 3:46 PMEditSteve, dear man, oh wise Bible teacher, I just finished my comments on this article where you posted it at Christian Blessings! However, I will add here just this:we MUST be crucified WITH Him before we can be born again into new abundant life like this magnificent mustard tree! By the way, my paternal grandmother loved mustard greens so much that she wished she could figure out how to get her mustard seeds to grow half as big as the ones she knew grew in the Holy Land!LikeReply
1. Steven SawyerFebruary 9, 2012 at 4:17 PM EditThank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. I’m amazed at the number of Christians I know who don’t understand they have to die and be crucified to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. That’s what I’m attempting to do with this blog. In some ways I consider those believers a mission field. You are such a blessing to me. Thank you again for your comments and insight.LikeReply
Noel WilliamsFebruary 9, 2012 at 6:53 AMEditExcellent post Steven! Mountain, in that passage seems to be a metaphor but I do not think most of us understand that. Too often we fail to recognize the little miracles that God work in our lives. We are always looking for the big miracle that never happen.LikeReply
1. Steven SawyerFebruary 9, 2012 at 1:32 PM EditThanks for the kudos. I agree with you about the mountain. I don’t always have mountains to move. Sometimes I just need faith for little things I need to accomplish with His guidance during each day.LikeReply
SusanFebruary 8, 2012 at 11:59 PMEditThis is a beautiful, wonderful, awesome post!!!! The parable of the mustard seed is etched in my heart for all time. You have reminded me of why. Thank you!LikeReply
1. Steven SawyerFebruary 9, 2012 at 1:34 PM EditWow! Thanks so much for the kind remarks and encouragement. It’s comments like yours that keep me enthused about blogging for Christ. thanks again.LikeReply
Mary Lou Roche (@marylouroche)February 8, 2012 at 10:35 PMEditThanks Steven, I needed this, it is a great explanation and I shared it.LikeReply
1. Steven SawyerFebruary 9, 2012 at 1:35 PM EditYou are entirely welcome. I’m truly humbled that God worked through this message to bless you.LikeReply

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abiding in Christ

The Homeless Landlord

Posted on May 1, 2023April 18, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Enjoy. And be blessed.

By Kevin Adams
Blogger at Wake Up My Faith

From rainy day investor to homeless landlord,
I was steering the ship from a life preserver with no way back on board.
I cut adrift my family’s dwelling and sentenced them to the street,
but anchored a mansion for my tenant who offered us nothing but grief.
He never took a second look nor would he ever agree,
that through my empty pockets the ground is all that you see.

For a moment we were stuck without a home and our tenant was stuck with out a heart. While considering how to parcel out my family to live with friends and neighbors, we surrendered our home with no assets, income or method of retreat. Yet by some “house-of-card” irony, we were still shackled to a waterlogged investment, a rental home with negative equity and Yosemite Sam for a tenant. With all the sad folks
sleeping in alleys and underneath bridges, how many possibly owned a rental home – would I be the first? Could I live in a box while my tenant summoned me to fix the plumbing?

With a cup of coffee and a worried look I shared the news with my tenant. Without a word he shook my hand and headed for the exit. But seconds before he shut the door he said with a stubborn stare “I will sue you mister if you sell my house – just making you aware”. Before any rational response made its way to my lips, Johnny Cash was reaching for the extra-long door of his white Jaguar. The same one I supposed that he’d be driving up to my mattress to pay rent. The news was simple really. I had to sell, so I offered him the house for less than we owed. But I reassured him that if he chose not to buy, his lease was still intact with anyone that did. And other than showing the property with plenty of notice, this wouldn’t affect him at all. The only measure of protection for either of us would come on the hands of a new landlord – not a homeless one. But he didn’t want to buy and he didn’t want me to sell.

Surrender Is One Step Past Commitment

When a rainy day investor begins to chase a storm, occasionally that storm reverses course and begins to chase him. It certainly wasn’t the odd rationale of my tenant that caused our circumstance, but now it sat like a heavy object directly on top of our escape hatch. His rational was a mystery to me like a thousand piece puzzle with no picture or box. I didn’t know where to begin or where it might end. But it didn’t end there. Yosemite’s belligerent bag of tricks included legal letters, bitterly critical emails, intimidating potential buyers, and late, partial, or unpaid rent – which by that time wouldn’t cover our cost. This was the climate of our relationship for the next several months.

There are differences between considering how it feels to be homeless and thinking through how to live without a home. There’s the immediate confrontation of the “how to” and the urgency of your answer. But the big difference is realizing there is no retreat. It’s not about selling wedding rings or living with friends for a moment, but looking out ahead of you and seeing nothing on the other side. It’s the nightmare that looks simple through a keyhole but entirely different through the holes of empty pockets. Every hopeless glance at the bed of a tired friend looks more like the back seat of your car… and eventually… the alley where it was parked. Not saying I’ve been there, but we HAD to go there in our mind. You can only watch it through the keyhole until the bank changes the lock – and they were on the way.

The Miracle Between Surrender And Captivity

It seems that miracles most often occur in that blink between surrender and captivity. So we had to be homeless in our mind before appreciating the home God had in mind. And from the smallest most unassuming place, He opened the window of humility and blessed our willingness to climb through it. My wife had previously checked on a few small rentals. Amazingly, in spite of our having no credit or income, we got a call from the motherly landlord of the smallest one. She said God had spoken to her about us and the place was ours for the next year. She broke all the rules and took us in based on her faith and our word. So the new landlord we’d been praying about was meant for us, not my tenant. We moved in without the slightest idea of how to pay the rent. But within a week God provided a small project that covered our living expenses for the next few months. At last we’d have a place to hunker down and untangle the mess.

Through this blessing our tenant had no further influence on our living arrangement. But that declining influence brought more frequent and desperately sharper criticism from him. So we praised God for giving us a place to breathe but we praised Him even more for the revelation we received as a result. Our battle wasn’t defending against the barrage of criticism from our tenant, but in learning to forgive him for every ugly word. Continued forgiveness is unwillingly attached to ongoing persecution – but it’s attached for good reason. As we approached the home stretch of our tenant’s lease (final month) things got very quiet– no more nasty emails or threatening letters, just silence. With a month to go and curious concern, I emailed to remind him about vacating. A few days later the response email arrived from his address:

“My husband was diagnosed with liver cancer this year and it has now spread throughout his body – advancing to stage four. He’s lost 50 pounds in the last two months and is no longer able to walk. His business has suffered, and because of pre-existing conditions, our medical insurance is not covering the costs. There’s not much more we can do”.

My overwhelming impression was concern. I wasn’t shocked or feeling shame for having been frustrated – just concerned. Somehow it was terrifyingly beautiful to recognize that a dizzy man was about to fall, yet God had His hand in the small of his back for an instant. It’s that moment when He leaves the ninety nine for the one – the one who’d already lost his balance by the edge of a cliff.

“I want to tell you that Jesus loves you my friend, so much more than you will ever understand. He made you to be loved and you are the jewel in His crown. He gave you his heart by dying for you as you are. He is our only hope, the only one who can lift the weight of our sin and remove it forever. If you haven’t given Him your heart the time has come.”
“-Praying for you “

He sent me a brief response just saying thank you, and how much those words meant to him. Weeks later the place was emptied with many personal things left behind. We don’t know for sure but believe that something happened. It appeared that his family had moved their things for them. I may never know if he accepted the Lord but at least I know he had the chance. And maybe now we both had a heart, and hopefully… an eternal home.

Reflection:

What would you surrender if it would bring salvation to one lost person – a week’s pay, your house, maybe even your livelihood? Maybe it’s easier to dismiss the question than attempt an honest answer. We may never have to answer that question, but maybe we should live like we already have. Jesus is the one who saves but we are the ones who point the way – unless we let other things get in the way.

When I look back on the frustration and hurt this man caused, I have to remember that it must be only a fraction of what he was feeling himself. If we hadn’t suffered the loss of our home, or forgiven his anger, we might never have known his pain, or taken the time to share the good news. If the One who inhabits us considers one lost soul as priceless – shouldn’t we? I love this powerful verse because it reminds me just how much value God assigns to the lost, and the joy He finds in their rescue. Paul clearly understood this and meant exactly what he said. Even though God would never require this, it shows the heart of Christ for the lost, through the one He inhabits. Nothing on earth is more valuable to God and nothing should be to us.

“I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. I would gladly be placed under God’s curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people”. (Rom 9:1-3) CEV

Meditation: Luke 15

Note to self – Poetic style:

Good news falls with greater purpose on the spot where God takes aim,
But evaporates on that empty surface if we’re chasing bigger drops of rain.
Yet even an ocean of stolen drops won’t drown that still small voice,
As it calls for all the drowning lambs to at least be given a choice.
And every martyr bleeds for what each brick in every church demands,
That we stop dragging the wealth of Egypt across the desert sand.
Making every provision a tool for harvest distinctly where we stand,
And watch the good news honor God for the sake of one lost man.

Follow this link to Kevin’s blog: Wake Up My Faith, My one year journey in learning to live by “faith alone.

We are NOT sinners saved by grace!

Posted on April 28, 2023April 18, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I can’t count the times I’ve heard folkswho claim to be believers claim, “I’m a sinner saved by grace.” That is not Biblical. Nor is it true. There are no saved sinners. There are only saved saints. The only part of that statement that’s true is that all saints have been “saved by grace.”

Continue reading →

God

My Grandpa’s Notebook

Posted on April 26, 2023April 18, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

My Grandpa’s Notebook was the first post I wrote when I started my blog “For His Glory” on April 9, 2010)

When my mom and dad died my brother and I teamed up to sort through the years of memorabilia and divide the mementos. Sam and I never argued much growing up. At this juncture in our lives, when choices meant a whole lot more, we didn’t argue either. Our conversations went something like this, “Sam, look at this thing. You want it?”

“I don’t care. Doesn’t matter to me.”

“Okay, I’ll take it.”

“Hey, Sam, I’d really like to have this thingy.”

“Sure.”

Our only disagreements were over things we thought the other might like to have.

“Sam, I think you should take this.”

“No, you go ahead.”

“No, you take it.”

“No, you ought to have that.”

“Are you sure.”

“Yep.”

“Okay.”

One of the things I wanted for myself was my Grandpa’s notebook. I was fascinated by my Grandpa Sawyer. I still am. He was a leading businessman in our small Iowa town and the vice president of the company he worked for. The owner relied so much on my grandpa that the owner wouldn’t spend a nickel or make any company decisions without grandpa’s okay. Grandpa’s business acumen was one of his most salient qualities.

Another of his salient qualities was his ability to write–not just with his polished prose, but with the best penmanship I have ever seen, from a man or woman. We learned cursive writing back then. Grandpa wrote most of his poetry and some of his personal letters in cursive. Cursive, now there’s a word I’ll bet this generation and their parents don’t have in their vocabulary. His handwriting looked better than some script fonts I’ve seen. His penmanship looked quite similar to the original handwritten Bill of Rights and the Constitution. It was that good.

My Grandpa was also a prolific writer. He wrote lots of letters and original poetry. My dad and Uncle John both served full four-year terms in the military, Dad in World War II and John in Korea. My grandpa wrote each one of them a personal letter every single day they were in the service. He typed some of them and some of them he wrote in his beautiful hand. None of them were just short notes. Each was at least a page in length. My Uncle John still has his collection in four binders, one for each year, displayed in his bookcase. One day I’ll get them. My brother and I have already agreed on that.

But, back to the notebook.

Grandpa Sawyer liked poetry. Rudyard Kipling was one of his favorites, but he wrote poetry as well. The sample page from Grandpa’s notebook is an original poem he wrote about his neighbor’s house.

My neighbor’s house stands next to mine

and peeks at me through shrub and vine;

A large elm sheds its welcome shade

Along the path our feet have made

In going to and fro to see

That all is well with him and me.Grandpa Sawyer’s Notebook

No fence or wall you’ll ever see

Between my neighbor’s house and me;

His tulips, iris, and roses red

Are mine; his is my peony bed,

And all things else of this and that

We shared each day in friendly chat.

My neighbor’s house is large and sleek

While now and then my roof might leak;

But friendship counts not wealth or power

We’ve kindred souls like shrub and flower,

And so we live, as neighbors should

Walk down life’s path – and all is good.

The last entry in Grandpa’s notebook goes like this . . .

Each has 24 hours in the day to do with what he wishes, none more, none less.

Each has 26 letters in the alphabet to form the written or spoken word to communicate with his fellows, none more, none less.

Each has 10 digits with which to measure the value of his tangible assets or his services, none more, none less.

Each has but 3 primary colors with which to appreciate the beauties of nature or paint his masterpiece, none more, none less.

Each has but 12 notes in the musical scale with which to express himself in song, none more, none less.

I don’t know if he finished writing this entry or not. The rest of the notebook has about a dozen blank pages. Of course, I will preserve their blankity. What else would I do? Write on them? What? Mar this pristine reader, this magnificently preserved piece of a man whose legacy I hold in my hand? A man I loved and admired? Who wrote with such unmatched, beautiful penmanship? I would sooner throw myself in front of a raging Amtrak train. Well, maybe a slowly moving bus. With a flat.

The reason Grandpa’s notebook is so magnificently preserved is because everything he touched was orderly and well-kept. I never saw a scrap of paper on his desk, at his office or in his home. I never saw anyone ask him to borrow or use anything that Grandpa couldn’t walk right to or tell us exactly where to find it.

Grandpa knew where everything was in his notebook as well. He made little tabs for each section and taped them to the pages. Of course the tabs were perfectly spaced and written in all caps. You can still read the tabs easily, but the tape is now a brittle, light brown. The pages have yellowed considerably in Grandpa’s more than 50-year-old notebook.

My goal is to preserve it in its current condition for the next 50 years, keep it close and refer to it often, then eventually pass it on to my children. Now, though, I like to thumb through the tabs and stop on one of Kipling’s poems Grandpa copied perfectly, or read one of Grandpa’s own poems again.

One of my biggest regrets in my life is not maintaining my grandpa’s notebook. It was a treasured possession and I planned on keeping it and treasuring it into my old age.

Jesus

The woman at the well

Posted on April 24, 2023April 17, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

She was one of the most important characters in the New Testament, some would argue possibly the most significant in all of Scripture.

Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Samaria which took his disciples by surprise. In Jesus’ day Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans or even speak them. In fact the Jews hated the Samaritans and vice versa.

The disciples did not want to go to Samaria. “They hate us there” Peter pleaded. “It will be hostile. They might run us off.”

Jesus had a knack for identifying and engaging some of the most unlikely and downtrodden folks to do his bidding and spread his message of unity of all peoples. And he did it by breaking down some longstanding deeply entrenched traditions and social barriers.

Jesus ignored Peter’s pleas; he continued on and headed up the hill towards Jacob’s well.J

When Jesus arrived at the well he took a rest from the stifling summer heat.

At Jacob’s well Jesus shattered some centuries old class struggles and religious traditions. As he rested a Samaritan woman approached the well seeking to draw water. As she lowered her water jar into the well Jesus shattered two long-standing Jewish social barriers. First, a Jewish man was never to speak to a woman. And secondly A Jew was never supposed to speak to a Samaritan, under any circumstances. What Jesus did at the well would have long-lasting and profound impact on all Jewish people.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman he had walked all the way from Jerusalam to Jacob’s well just to meet her. She didn’t believe him for one second. In fact she started berating the whole meeting. She thought the guy was just a rabbi who had just come to the well to berate her. She was unmoved. Then Jesus rocked her world.

“You know the Messiah, the Jewish people, even the Samaritans have been waiting for?

“Yes the woman said, and when he comes he will tell us all things.

“I am he.” Jesus said. And when Jesus told her several intimate details about her life only she would know, including the fact that she had five husbands, and was not married now to the man she was living with.

the Messiah the MessiahShe asked if Jesus was really the Messiah and asked him to promise. He promised he was and said. “I’m glad you believe”, he said. “Because I’m counting on you to tell lots of people about me. She was so excited to believe. When she finally believed she dropped her water jar and went running towards her town to tell everybody she had encountered the Messiah.

God

The Savannah Bananas

Posted on April 20, 2023April 19, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Baseball season is underway. Montgomery has a fine professional class AA baseball team, the Montgomery Biscuits. We are only a couple of hours away from the Atlanta Braves.

But our season began with a different brand of baseball. The Savannah Bananas came to play at Riverwalk Stadium. The stadium was totally sold out for two nights of baseball! I tried to use my influence, but couldn’t get a ticket.

The Savannah Bananas are like the Harlem Globetrotters. They have some very talented ball players, but the whole purpose of their playing is not to excel in real baseball, but to entertain the crowd.

I realize that the more I learned about them, the more I saw a parallel to how life is lived today. Let me share seven similarities for you to think about:

The Savannah Bananas don’t play by any set of rules—they make their own rules. If a foul ball goes in the stands and a fan catches it, it’s an out. God gave us some rules in life that are very clear and concise—but many people don’t follow the rules. They prefer just to make up their own rules. Life leads to a different result than a Savannah Bananas baseball game!
The players are very talented, but their talents are not used to play the legitimate game of baseball. They can catch fly balls in the outfield between their legs. They can do cartwheels going down the baseline. Life is composed of very talented people, but some folks never use their talents for which they were created.
The umpires are a part of the entertainment. They intentionally make bad calls. They do interesting dances between pitches. Their purpose is to entertain, not to be in charge. God is the Chief Umpire in life. He doesn’t play games. He has the best interest of every person at heart, and He is always right, just, and merciful.
The Bananas play strictly for entertainment. Their paychecks don’t depend on their batting or fielding or how many runs they score. They are judged on how well they entertain. A lot of people see life strictly as entertainment. Anything goes as long as it is fun. That’s vastly different from the productive, humble, disciplined, meek life to which God calls us to live.
The game is very entertaining but leaves a person empty. Jesus didn’t come to make life entertaining, but to make life full, fresh, and forever.
The Savannah Bananas perform well in order to get a good paycheck. God didn’t create life to be all about making a living. That’s important, but our vocation ought to be used as a platform to serve God’s people and to share the Good News. The purpose is quite different.
The Savannah Bananas always win. I’m sure sometimes it takes a lot of new rules and help from the umpires, etc., but they do win. In life, God’s team is always going to win. The Book of Revelation makes it clear who will win, but there will be no rule adjustments and God has already offered His help through Jesus. To win or lose is your choice.

I plan to get myself a ticket early next year when they return to Montgomery, but I’m focusing more on life every day and being a part of God’s team who does entertain, but who gives to each one of us a purpose to make every day count. When you live with Jesus Christ living in your heart, every day is a winning day!

Play ball!

God

Posted on April 19, 2023April 15, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

“Christian” Is A Lousy Adjective

A Jewish lady answered a knock at her door. The young man asked her if she wanted her house painted. It needed painting, so she took his card. She noticed a fish symbol on the card and asked him what it meant. “It means I’m a Christian painter,” he said.

In my opinion, calling yourself a “Christian” anything presents two problems. First, no one has ever explained to me what a Christian is in Biblical terms. Any definition fails to capture what Jesus taught us about following Him.

And second, using “Christian” to describe a “painter” does not help me learn anything about the person holding the brush and ladder. Does a “Christian painter” paint differently from a “Catholic painter” or a “Muslim painter” or, “atheist painter”? The woman wanted her house painted. All she cared about was whether or not the guy could paint.

Too many times I think folks use “Christian” to describe their business to persuade their customers they’re more honest or ethical than “non-Christian” businesses. That somehow their “Christian business” ethics or integrity or quality of work is superior to their competitors who don’t flash a “Christian” label in their front window or on their business cards.

Too often we hear stories of bad experiences some consumers have with “Christian” businesses who flash their fish symbols then act just like the world in the market place. Those “Christian” business folks drive people away from The church and away from Jesus. One bad “Christian” business deal can destroy dozens of potential good business deals with authentic followers of Jesus who take Jesus to work every day.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Colossians 3:23

Authentic followers of Jesus don’t have to flash a “Christian”‘ label to attract more business. The way they live and treat

God

What happened on the Road to Emmaus

Posted on April 19, 2023April 19, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

It was Resurrection Sunday. Shadows were starting to break across the Judean landscape. Two of Jesus’ disciples were walking along the road to the village of Emmaus seven miles from Jerusalem.

They were both in awe of all that had taken place between Jesus’ crucifixion on Friday and his resurrection early that morning. They heard that women had gone to the grave with spices to wrap the body, which was the Jewish custom; but the grave was empty and an angel had told them he had risen.

The disciples were almost giddy chatting with each other about all that had happened. Trying to figure out if it was all true or5 not. And what was the resurrection all about. They wondered if it were true, where was Jesus now?

Suddenly another man was walking along with them. They did not recognize him He asked what they were talking about with each other. They asked him if he was the only one visiting Jerusalem who didn’t know what had happened.

As they made their way on the road to Emmaus, beginning with Moses Jesus opened up all the Scriptures pertaining to himself (they were still kept from recognizing Jesus.)

They continued on until they reached the house where they were staying

As they were eating the evening meal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and started to give it to them, then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. And they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us as he talkedto us along the road and he opened the scriptures to us.

Personal

Artificial Intelligence

Posted on April 18, 2023April 12, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

We’re hearing a lot these days about artificial intelligence (AI) The scientists tell us AI will be the panacea for all our scientific and social ills. They tell us AI is so smart that there’s not a scientific, or social problem, or math problem AI can’t resolve.

But not every scientist is so enamored with AI. Some are skeptical saying its development is outpacing the need to verify testing and proof of concept. In other words, does it do what developers say it will and do it right consistently?

AI has generated a boatload of skeptism.

The skeptism AI has created has caused a bunch of scientists surrounding AI to cause them to call for a pause in AI development. I think that’s a very good idea!

In my opinion AI was getting too smart. Some of the things they were saying AI could do scare me. They were saying AI could actually learn to think and reason for me. AI could learn how to do office work and could replace people and jobs causing widespread unemployment. AI they say could make things and put machines together robotically .

They say AI could even learn to bake and cook entire meals.

And AI will eventually create a gargantuan source of tax revenue for the IRS.

But as artificial as AI’s intelligent is, God is responsible for it’s development and impact on mankind. Man can engineer AI to make snowballs in the Sahara Desert the intelligence to make the snow and the sand in the desert came from God –nothing artificial about Him.

So the AI gurus can develop all the bells and whistles for all their AI toys, but no matter what they create, no matter what their toys can do, they can thank Almighty God for making them possible

acceptance

Acceptance

Posted on April 17, 2023April 14, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Do you need acceptance from someone?

Acceptance is woven into the fabric of every one of us whether we admit it or not. It could be seeking acceptance from your wife or husband, it could be an in-law, a parent, your boss, a brother or sister, a neighbor, a co-worker a parent, or a teacher. In many cases our need for acceptance comes from our family of origin and finds its roots in some measure of family disfunction. The disfunction could be minimal or it could be significant and disrupt major areas of family life.

Sometimes in the family disruptions that fueled the family dysfunction took root in our value system and our personality. It shaped our thought life and our self image.

The dysfunction in our family of origin can have a major negative impact on our lives as adults; we often have to admit that we need acceptance from someone.

I discovered begrudgingly in my 70’s that I still needed approval from my dad who’d been dead for 20 years.

I had a brother , four years my younger, who was born with some physical ailments. He required several hospital stays and special medications for a couple of yours.

Well, my dad felt sorry for my brother so he lavished him with attention and favor. Sam could do no wrong. Anything he wanted he got

Guess what

attitude

The other cheek

Posted on April 14, 2023April 11, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Do you find that turning the other cheek is next to impossible to do at times? Isn’t it painful when our “other cheek” takes a hit as well?

If someone insults or criticizes us, isn’t the first thing we want to do is get them back? Or defend our bruised ego by confronting them to tell them how wrong they are? Isn’t it in our genes to make sure folks know we’re right?

That’s been me a lot, I’ll admit.

But, Jesus had another idea.

“The Bible says,‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew‬ ‭5:38-39‬ ‭ESV‬‬.

Jesus didn’t defend Himself. He was an instrument of the peace that passes all understanding. Jesus defended His Father’s word, not by arguing or debating. Jesus defended His Father’s word by the way He lived and how He responded to everyone.

Jesus had an incredibly big other cheek. He suffered the worst verbal abuse anyone could suffer, and responded with love every time.

We don’t have to defend the Gospel. We don’t have to win arguments with atheists or non-believers. We don’t have to “be right”. As much as we think it might sting, as much as it’s against our nature, as much as we don’t want to, Jesus commands us to turn the other cheek. And we do that with another command of our Savior,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.And a second one is like this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

abiding in Christ

Before . . .

Posted on April 13, 2023April 12, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Every Christ follower has a not so glorious life they lived “before” they found salvation and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior with all our choices and behavior.

God journeyed into our “before” even before we knew we had one

God began our transforming work there. Our choices don’t derail his. When we look in the mirror we don’t see what we will be by his work in us.

Our choices or our circumstances don’t amount to a hill of beans to God. In fact God can take our choices, behavior and our worst mistakes and turn them into something beautiful in his creation.

Take Mary Magdalen for example. Her before was a mess. She was demon-possessed. Jesus found her in a bar and she was a train wreck. We can’t even find her “before” in the bible.

But Jesus found favor in her and was so special to Jesus that she was the first person Jesus appeared to after he rose from the grave. She was the first person to hear the culmination of all Jesus claimed he was and what he would do. And she was the one who got to deliver arguably the most important message in all of Scripture. She got to tell the disciples, “He is risen.”

Mary became one of Jesus’ most endearing devoted intimate friends.

Christianity

Good Christians don’t exist

Posted on April 12, 2023April 5, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I overheard a lady on a commuter van recently talk about a family from her church they were trying to help. The lady claimed, “She was just trying to be a good Christian.”

Many well-intentioned Christians spend lots of time, energy and resources trying to be good Christians.

The truth of the matter is, however that good Christians just don’t exist. The Bible doesn’t teach that at all. Believing that Christians are somehow good is a lie straight from satan. Evil people with no conscience can do good things and help little old ladies across the street and buy Girl Scout Cookies, give money to the poor and donate to charities. Doing good things for others doesn’t make anyone a good Christian.

Think about it. If one of your friends refers to you as a good Christian, that would mean that some Christian is better than you and someone else is worse than you. The word good is a comparative adjective. It goes with better, best, worse and worst. So if you say your Sunday School teacher is a good Christian, that must mean someone else is not as “good.” Is your Sunday School teacher a “better” Christian than you? Is your pastor a better Christian than your Sunday School teacher?

Jesus was not even a good Christian.

In the book of Luke chapter 18, Jesus addresses the concept of being “good.

18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”

Did you catch what Jesus said? “No one is good–except God alone.”

We’re not good or better or worse Christians because of what we do. We are Christians because God chose us to be his children and all the good works in the world we do will not impress God in the slightest. Nor will our good works gain us any status in the Kingdom.

In Ephesians Paul tells us God’s grace saves us and makes us who we are. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2: 8-10.

God created us for good works He created for us, “that we might walk in them.”

Our good works come only from what we allow Jesus to do in us, through us, and as us to bring glory to His name. They are HIS works, not ours, and HE can only work through us as we allow him to. And we can only allow Him to do His good work to the degree that we surrender to him. In Luke 18 Jesus continued to teach about what we need to do:

20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

21“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

29“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God

30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

It’s called total surrender, reckless abandonment, trusting totally in Jesus, obedience to God’s commands.

Will total surrender and reckless abandonment and total trust and obedience then make you good?

Nope. Not in the least.

But they will bless you and assure you of eternal life in God’s Kingdom and more blessings than you can ever dream or imagine.

Now THAT’S good!

God

A big mistake in the Garden

Posted on April 12, 2023April 11, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

Adam and Eve made a monumental mistake in the Garden of Eden and all of us are still paying for their mistake today.

The first man and woman decided they’d rather follow their own will rather than the perfect will God created for them and all their offspring on earth.

The folks today who choose to follow their own will for their lives and families probably number in the gazillions.

Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of righteous surrendered, folks who live upright obedient lives and follow God’s will every single day. Unfortunately they are vastly outnumbered by all the folks who choose the self-willed life.

The self-willed folks decided they’d rather make up their own minds about how to live their lives and follow their own will rather than follow God’s perfect plan for their lives.

Self rule rather than God’s will. And we’ve all been paying for their sel fish self will ever since.

The Old Testament is chocked full of folks who chose their convoluted will over God’s perfect will. God tolerated their disobedience for thousands of years but sometimes he liked to clown around with some of the people who got too big for their britches. Take ol’ Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh because God wanted to fi x the broken people of Ninevah. But Jonah didn’t want to go where God told him to go. Jonah wanted to go in the opposite direction.

“So you want to disobey me, Jonah?”. “How about this, Jonah.” God threw Jonah overboard and he was swallowed by a huge whale. Jonah spent the next three days and nights in the belly of that whale. And when the whale barfed Jonah up on the beach Jonah made it to Ninevah before lunch and delivered God’s message of redemption and repentance

God, God's Sovereignty

Unanswered prayers

Posted on April 10, 2023April 5, 2023 by Steve Sawyer

I’m sure many or most of us have experienced unanswered prayers. Sometimes we get answers in a relatively tolerable time. We can tolerate the delay. No big deal.

Then there’s those folks with major family issues of healing or health concerns. Those folks wear out the knees of their jeans time after time for weeks and months on end without hearing any reaction from God.

At this point in the prayer process reactions vary considerably. For the dedicated followers of Christ who have cultivated a righteous level of tolerance and patience; they’ll continue to seek God’s voice in response to their pleas, no matter how many pairs of jeans they wear out.

On the other hand, some prayers live up to their reputation as prayer warriors (and not in a good way). You hear from them things like, “God’s not interested in helping me.” and “He just answers pray”ers fo”r certain people.” and “He’s not going to answer my prayers.”and”He doesn’t care about our needs.”

According to lots of people, their prayers will go unanswered. And they wind up just giving up.

Some folks believe Romans 8:28 is the answer to all their prayers,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

But some folks stop there. They don’t even consider verse 29 as an integral part of the truth of the two verses added together.

For those God foreknew (you and me and every believer) he also predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

God is in the business of conforming his children into the image of his Son.

None of us know how or when he’s going to do that. We just know because He promised us he would. No one understands how He does what he does.

No one understands why he does the things he does. His ways are higher than our ways and way past our figuring out.Why does he allow earthquakes? Why does he allow people to suffer and die from cancer? Why doesn’t he just wipe out the evil in the world like the Taliban? Why does God allow hatred and racism and discrimination? We’ll never know.

We’ll never know the answers to all our questions down here on earth. We may not find out the answers even when we get to heaven.

After all God is God and he doesn’t owe us any explanation

We may not realize it or believe it or admit it but right now as we live and breathe God is in each of us working to transform us into the image of his Son. Now, how is he working can’t explanatioin me and my good friend Ronney in Bay Minette, Alabama and in my dear friend Eddie in Montgomey, Alabama all at the same time? I don’t understand it, do you?

God answers all our prayers. None of our prayers go unanswered:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. from Matthew 7

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