Think About It

Have you ever thought of what it means to sacrifice? Most of us use that phrase to mean we have given up something; however, when taken to its fullest meaning, sacrifice means giving up everything for a worthy cause. Christianity uses the term frequently, but to truly understand the concept we need to go back to the sacrifices of the Old Testament when animals where sacrificed to God. Sacrifices didn’t just give up something … they didn’t merely lose a part of who they were – they gave their all to be pleasing to God. I believe it is within this background that Paul wrote, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Since we know the end of the story – how Jesus was restored to His kingly nature – we may minimize what Jesus was willing to do to save us. However, when we appreciate that He offered all He had – in heaven an...

On Wednesday; October 19, 1977, the Southern Rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd played the Greenville (South Carolina) Memorial Auditorium. You could get tickets for $6.25. For many who attended, it was probably a great concert – but, it would become even more memorable because it was the last concert many of the founding members of the band would play together. On October 20, the band would board a plane heading to Baton Rouge, Louisiana – but the plane wouldn’t make it through Mississippi. The plane crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie in addition to three other people. Over the next few decades many of the injured band members would recover and the band would be reimagined, but Skynyrd would never be the same. As I reflect on this day in history two things come to mind. The first one is that you never know what tomorrow will bring. As the band packed up that night, I imagine they all assumed their next show would be at Louisiana State University the next ni...

Several years ago I read the book “Unoffendable” by Brant Hansen. I am not going to say that it was a life-changing read, but I will admit that it was eye-opening. The premise of the book is that we have a choice, we can allow other people to offend us by their words or we can choose to overcome what people say about us (and/or our principles) by making it a point to not allow ourselves to be offended. After all, being offended by others is our choice. An excerpt from the book challenges us, “Real humanity lies in self-forgetfulness. Few want to hear this but it’s true, and it can be enormously helpful in life: if you are constantly being hurt, offended or angered, you should honestly evaluate your inflamed ego.”. Ouch! The words might be rather pointed, but I think the principle rings true – one of the best ways to not let people get under our skin is by practicing humility. Centuries before Hansen wrote his book, the Apostle Paul noted, “So, as those who have been chosen of G...

There are a couple of places where the Bible (or the word of God) is compared to a sword. Hebrews 4:12 states that the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. Paul challenges believers to take up the sword of the Spirt, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). The essence of the illustration seems to be that we are in a battle between good and evil and we must be prepared to fight with effective weapons. Now, while this is a great analogy, we need to be careful how we use it. You see, when Paul was describing the opponent he writes, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12). He is challenging us to do battle with satan and his minions, not turn the weapons on co-workers of faith. It has ...

Growing up when and where I did, I was intrigued by the Civil War. Being raised in the South just 100 years after the end of the War, there was still a connection to what transpired in the 1860s. The older I have gotten, the less “romantic” the War has become to me. Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago when I drove through Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the first time, I experienced something I could have never imagined. Many people have described a hallowed feeling; but what I felt was a hollow feeling. I was overwhelmed by the sense the loss of life as I saw the gravestones. I couldn’t help but be saddened by the loss of hope and innocence of a developing nation as I drove passed the battlefields. On paper, the Union Army may have won the battle, but generations of Americans lost a lot. Families were decimated, churches were divided and communities were destroyed! Over the last few weeks I have thought about what it means to win – and the price of victory. Whether it is a war,...

One thing we must accept to be Christians is that we have been called to a different and separate lifestyle. While most of us know this, how many of us really believe that the lives we have been called to live are better than what is available to the world? Sometimes I get the impression that Christians are kind of like the child who is inside the house sitting at the window looking out to the children playing outside lamenting the safety and security we have inside and wishing we could be like everyone else. We are convicted to our values, but we feel bad that we can’t get to do what everyone else gets to do. What would happen if we started looking at godliness as a blessed life? How would our attitudes change if we accepted that what we have with God and in Christ is superior to what the rest of the world has? When David reflected on his life with God he observed, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of...

The other day I was listening to an oldies station (maybe I should change that to a way-oldies station – not the 90’s oldies, but the 50’s oldies). The voice coming out of my speakers sounded a lot like Dean Martin, but I didn’t recognize the song. When I looked at the information, I realized it was Al Martino. This led me on a quest – the voices were familiar and the stage names were close, but they were not related. Al Martino was really Jasper Cini from Philadelphia and Dean Martin was really Dino Crocetti from Steubenville, Ohio. After doing a little reading, it became apparent that I wasn’t the first or the only one to expect a connection between the two men. You may be wondering what these two crooners from days gone by have to do with 2023, but hear me out. How many of us who claim to be Christians sound so much like the world that people are convinced we are related? Do the words we use or the principles we espouse seem so close to the secular world that people have to...