“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but much increase is by the strength of the ox.” – Proverbs 14:4

There are times where people can be harsh or overly critical of your actions, your ideas, or even you as a person. I have experienced this at different jobs or stages of my life and it always got me down, until a good friend and mentor of mine said, “If they aren’t talking about you, you aren’t doing anything.”

People, for the most part, fear change. They like the status quo and they don’t like to make waves. One thing I hear in business is, “That’s how we’ve been doing it for twenty years.” To which I reply, “Well, you may have been doing it wrong for twenty years.” Just because somebody did something along time ago doesn’t mean that it was the best or safest way of doing it.

My point is that you have to challenge the status quo now and then. Question the answers. Some people won’t like that, but that’s ok. People talk to me about Jesus all the time with questions, but if you can make me not believe just by asking a few questions, then the Holy Spirit isn’t really what is driving me.

It was once unprecedented for a runner to break the 4 minute mile, but everything is unprecedented until somebody does it. The impossible can be achieved, but it takes hard work and dedication to something bigger than yourself. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that everything is possible for God. He created it all and has it all within His power. God will definitely help you fight the good fight, but you can’t just sit idle hoping that something is going to change. You can’t let people’s talk stop you from achieving the greatness God has planned for your life. If you want better, you need the courage to do something about it. You can’t just think your way to a better life, you need to put forth some effort and break through some barriers. You need to do what, in legal terms, is called an “act in furtherance.” You have to show and prove that you really mean what you say. Don’t just talk about it, be about it or you’ll live without it.

It’s true that you could avoid many mistakes by never trying anything new and that you could make fewer waves with people if you just follow the status quo. You won’t get your hands dirty if you go with the flow, but remember, dead bodies always float downstream. You are not dead; you are alive and reading this right now, which means you have opportunity to change something for the better. God placed you in this exact moment at this exact time. The Bible says that you are wonderfully made, you have a purpose, and that God is always with you. You can achieve anything that God is pushing you towards, because He will always give you the strength and resources to accomplish His divine will.

Failing hurts and gossip hurts, but I promise it will hurt worse to never accomplish your dreams and look back wondering, “What if…” Don’t worry about what people will say or think, worry about what God will think. When this life is over and you stand before Christ, don’t be sorry about a life spent letting opportunities and blessings pass you by.  Instead, be joyful when he says to you, “You have been wise in using what I gave you. Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“Being then set free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” – Romans 6:18

We are coming up on July 4th, which is when we in America celebrate our freedom and independence. It’s definitely a time where each one of us needs to take a close look at all of the liberties that we enjoy and realize that freedom isn’t free. It is bought and paid for by the blood of someone willing to fight and die for you and I.

The same thing goes for your eternal soul. You and I are sinners who have turned ourselves over willingly to our greed and lusts. We just can’t seem to keep away from sin. And it’s too tough a battle for ourselves. However, you aren’t in this fight alone.

Your freedom has been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, shed for our sakes upon the cross. Our sinful ways required payment and God wouldn’t be just and righteous if He forgot about our sins. That being said, He loves His children too much to let us be lost for eternity. We needed a Savior.

Jesus Christ, God in a man, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived the sinless life that you an I can’t, but chose to take the punishment for sin that we can’t pay for ourselves. Jesus was nailed to a cross and died to take our sins away. But to prove that death had not power over Him, He was raised from the dead. Our sins died that day and with Christ, and with Him we are born again. We were set free from our slavery to sin and evil.

In dying, He destroyed our death. And in rising, He restored our life.

Let this day and all others be a day that you and I celebrate our independence. We have been set free from sin so that we can lead a good and righteous life that our Heavenly Father wants for us. There was a cost for our freedom and it was the blood of Jesus Christ. Never forget that He loves you and He believes that your freedom from sin was worth dying for.

Jesus died for you. Live for Him.

God’s blessings to you

DH

“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” – Psalm 119:11

The world has a way of throwing things at you that are unexpected. I don’t know too many people who wake up in the morning and expect to have moments of rage, lust, or envy.  Those types of things just happen to all of us, but we do not need to be subject to them.

Sin is everywhere and there’s a bullet of sin with your name on it right now. The devil is a sharpshooter. He’s really good at knowing just where to hit each of us where it hurts the most.  He finds our weaknesses quickly and without warning.  If we aren’t ready to handle those problems and desires, we could fall at any minute.  That’s where Jesus comes in as our grand protector.

When you accept Jesus Christ, you have a new and very powerful weapon in your arsenal. Now, you are able to fight back and the devil never sees it coming.  Sin thinks that you are still the same easy target you always have been, but you’ve got a secret weapon.  With God by your side, the bible says that no weapon formed against you shall prosper.  When the devil shoots, you can shoot back.

Just as with any weapon, the more you practice with it, the better you will become. As with everything, start out with prayer.  Spend time with Jesus daily.  I’m a big believer in a morning holy hour and have preached this for as long as I can remember.  Even if you can’t muster but 10-15 minutes in the morning, you will be better equipped to handle what the devil throws your way.  Prayer will help you know God’s desires for your life.  Prayer will also help you to know the good from the bad in this world.  You can’t hit the bullseye if you don’t spend time with your weapon.

The devil is gunning for you. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.  Instead, bring a rock.  Bring The Rock!

God’s blessings to you.

DH

God’s plan is for peace in your life, but in this crazy, confused, and fallen world, it seems like all we have are difficulties and pains. Once one goes away, another takes its place. It is the furthest thing from peace, but we need to realize that being at peace is not automatic.

Our problem is that we are separated from God. We are strangers in a strange land and that becomes more apparent with each passing day. Sin abounds. It’s all we see around every turn in this world. After a while, we find we jump right into that sin with both feet. But don’t think that you are alone in that mess. In Romans 3:23, it says that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. How right it is.

The words ‘sin’ and ‘fallen’ don’t need to be what define you though. God has placed a remedy before us to bridge the gap between Him and us. That bridge is the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection paid the penalty for your sins and mine. The bible says that “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).

However, just because the bridge is there doesn’t mean that we automatically get saved. We have to accept that saving grace. We can’t just take a flight if we have a ticket. That plane will leave without us if we don’t climb on board. We have to cross the bridge and we do that when we accept and receive Christ through His personal invitation.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” – John 1:12

“Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13

To receive Christ you need to do four things:

ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.” Just like in any problem, the first step is admitting you have one.

REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin. You have to pick a path. One leads to death, the other to eternal life. You at least have to be willing to turn down the correct path, but make no mistake, you can’t do it alone. You need Jesus’ help and that’s what He’s offering.

BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross. Romans 10:19 says that if you declare with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20).

Whether you are a non-believer in search of peace in your life or even if you are a lifelong Christian who doesn’t feel like they have had that connection with Jesus, now is your chance to come to Him. He’s waiting for you. Please pray this prayer with me:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and I want to turn from them now and forever. I want You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.”

Friends, if you prayed that prayer with me, I believe that you have just been saved. If you didn’t, than what are you waiting for? The bible says that today is the day of salvation; now is the accepted time. I know that if I had a single doubt as to my eternal salvation, you couldn’t drag me away from here without accepting the peace of Jesus Christ.

Now, get into a good bible based local church, if you are physically able, and come to know more about the God who loves you and wants to be with you forever. You are now no longer at odds against Him, but instead you have returned to Him as His child who was once lost, but now is found. His arms are outstretched to welcome you home.

May His blessings be upon you forever.

DH

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105

In college, I had a teacher who wrote the textbook for his class. If we paid attention to that book, we passed the class with flying colors. If we didn’t, it was almost impossible to succeed.

So what about in the school of life? We need to take our cues from the Creator. God didn’t just make us and throw us out into the world with no help or thought. God in His infinite wisdom gave us a sort of owner’s manual for our lives. It’s called the Bible. However, if we don’t take time to crack the book open, we aren’t going pass the test. We have to study the textbook.

Whatever you need to know is in the Bible. Are you having marital or relationship problems, try 1 Corinthians 13 for starters. Do you feel scared or alone in a fight? Psalm 18 is a good chapter for you. Perhaps your are feeling worn out or beat down from life’s woes. Read Matthew 11 verses 28-30. There are plenty more chapters and verses of strength and comfort in the Bible, all you have to do is read just a little to find something powerful and meaningful for your life.

If you do nothing else, listen to Jesus’s words during the famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. Those three chapters alone will give you perfect insight into what God wants for your life and how you should live it. Even for people who have never been a Christian before, the words of Jesus Christ in those three chapters rank among the highest and best of any philosophical work ever and are both morally and spiritually solid. You can’t go wrong if you are living your life according to Matthew 5, 6, and 7.

Lets face it, life is not easy. Nothing worth doing was ever easy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be impossible. So next time you hit a wall emotionally or spiritually, take some time to sit and read the Bible. They don’t call it the Good Book for nothing. It will fill you up, lift your spirits, and give you the strength to carry on. Like my mom used to say, “It’s good for what ails you.”

Think of this life as an open book test. Jesus, our good and faithful teacher, is handing us the answers. Don’t let another day go by without seeing what God Himself has to say. You’ll be glad you did.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” – Luke 10:29

Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, who was walking along the road and saw a Jewish man lying there about half dead after being robbed. A couple of supposedly holy people, a priest and a Levite, had passed by and did not help the man. However, passing by just a few minutes later was a man from Samaria. Normally, Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along, but this Samaritan was so moved with compassion that he picked the injured man up, cared for his wounds, and then put the injured man up in a hotel until he was well.

This story has significance for the Christian and non-believer both. First off, it shows us that no matter the race, color, beliefs, or whatever might make us different, we are all to care for one another. The supposed holy people passed by the injured man in the story because of any number of excuses. Whether they were on their way somewhere and didn’t want to take the extra time to help, or perhaps they were repulsed by the man, thinking he was a drunkard just lying there in the road. Whatever the excuse they had and however holy they thought they were, their reaction was the wrong one. Compassion and charity demonstrates love, and love is straight from God Himself. Don’t be too busy being holy to be good.

The second and deeper message to take from this story is that we are not only the helpers, but we are the ones who need help. Our lives of sin and bad choices have left us bruised, broken, and lost. But along came Jesus. Though we were half dead from our wicked ways, Christ picks us up, washes us clean, and sets us on a new path. Many people, even close family or friends maybe, have passed us by either not wanting to get involved or thinking we were too far out of their way to help. We would be too much of a burden for the average man to help us, but Jesus is no average man. Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all. His compassion for His creation is boundless and demonstrates what the fullness of love truly is.

You are not alone in this crazy world. You are part of a true family that many people don’t acknowledge or take the time to understand. Jesus told us to love our neighbor, so who is our neighbor? The answer is that everyone is our neighbor. I don’t care what your background is, what religion you are, or what you did to get on that wrong path, my job is to love you. We are not always so good at that job, especially when we are having a bad day or if we are stuck in traffic. We get grouchy and self-centered, but we are instead supposed to be Christ-centered. We are to care for each other no matter what the differences between us are. Whether we agree with each other’s lives or lifestyles, we are all neighbors and brothers and sisters made by the same God.

Don’t look down on someone just because their sin might be different than your sin. Look past the differences on the outside and look to what God has placed on the inside. We all have the same Heavenly Father. The Good Samaritan didn’t complain about the faults of his fellow man, he just helped him. Jesus says it’s our turn now. A little kindness today makes for a much better tomorrow for us all.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” – 1 John 3:20

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the term omniscience is a noun that means “possessing unlimited knowledge; an attribute particular to God.” Yes, God knows everything, past, present, and future, but how can God know what I’m going to do before I do it? Even I don’t know what I’m doing sometimes, but yet, He knows all things. How can this be?

Think of an architect. He can tell you all about the building; how many floors it has, how many rooms, what kind of structure it will be and what it’s made out of. He knows all of these things, but the building isn’t even built yet. How? Because that building has already been built in his mind. He is the designer of the becoming of the building. There isn’t a square inch of that building that he doesn’t know already. That is the same way with our Heavenly Father, God Almighty. He knows it all before it even comes to be, because He created it.

You might ask, “What about my free will?” It is just as a carpenter is with the architect. The architect knows the building will get built, but which board comes in which order, to some extent, is the carpenter’s choice. However, certain things must be done in a certain order. If not, the building will collapse and the architect could never allow that to happen. When it comes to those details, if one carpenter chooses not to follow directions, the architect will bring a different carpenter in to do it right. Either way, the building shall get built correctly. That explains just how we are with God. We decide which path we take, but it is God who ultimately decides the final outcome of our actions. We have the choice to follow Him and His wishes. If we don’t, God’s Holy Will is still going to get done, it just won’t be by us. We are either with Him or against Him, but rest assured that God’s plan shall remain intact even if we get a little disobedient.

It brings me a sense of peace knowing that God sees all things and knows all things. I’ll be the first one to say that I definitely don’t have all of the answers, but I am glad that my Heavenly Father does. Frankly, I don’t need all of the answers. Certain things I’m not supposed to know until it’s time. Jesus said himself that the end of the world is only known by the Father. Does that mean that Jesus and God aren’t one and there is no such thing as the Holy Trinity? Certainly not! Jesus is fully God and yet fully man. His comment only meant that at that time and in His earthly mission, the foreknowledge of the end of the world was not meant for His role. Jesus was playing the role of carpenter that day rather than the role of architect.

It’s OK to wonder about things, but don’t second guess God. He has His divine plan and we are blessed to be included in it. However, when we choose to “play god”, we are only setting ourselves up for a horrible failure. We are meant to align ourselves with the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the carpenter, just as we are meant to be. Each good deed we complete is another solid brick in God’s creation. And God’s not just making any old house or even some flashy skyscraper; God is creating the kingdom of all kingdoms, not built with hands and eternal in Heaven. Follow His lead and stay true to His design so that one day you too shall hear His voice saying, “Well done! Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“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.” Romans 8:28

My family and I were watching Finding Nemo a few nights ago. It’s a really cute show with some good messages. In one scene, Dori and Marlin are in a whale. While Marlin, the eternal pessimist, kept thinking they were going to get eaten, Dori with her child-like optimism knew things would turn out OK. Marlin asks, “How do you know something bad isn’t going to happen?” To which Dori replies, “I don’t.” And with that, she lets go and falls down the whale’s throat, either to be digested by the whale or to be saved by it. Long story short, the two friends go on further to have a wild adventure and eventually find Marlins‘ son Nemo.

That scene in the movie got me thinking about my own life and how many situations looked like there was no hope. Take for instance my twins having a fatal abnormality in the womb and yet being miraculously healed, defying all the doctors’ professional expectations. Or maybe something more recent, like when my wife Monica became paralyzed. Yet, one day she began to feel an overwhelming power in her legs and before she knew it, she was walking again. It dumbfounded all of the doctors.

Those are just two of many, many times in my own life where I can say that God stepped up in a big way. But even though I’ve been through those times and I’ve read or heard of so many other examples of God’s awesomeness, I still have a hard time trusting Him in the face of overwhelming opposition. When the odds stack up, I get scared, I get frustrated, and I doubt.

Why do I doubt? How many times does God need to prove Himself in my life and in all of recorded history, biblical and otherwise? Can I honestly think that something is too hard for the God who spoke the universe into being or the same God who parted seas and raised people from the dead? No way!

Nothing is impossible for God. No matter what you are facing in your life, it’s not too tough for God. Like the old saying goes, if God brought you to it, He’ll bring you through it. The Bible says that God will work all things for the good of those who love Him. All things means just what it says, ALL THINGS. Not everything is going to go well in our lives. If we’re being honest with ourselves, when times are easy, we often forget to stick so close to Jesus. Oh sure, we say our prayers and we may thank Him once in a while, but if you want to see the definition of fervent prayers, just look at a Christian who is going through some rough and scary times.

The fact is that there are times of ease and times of heartache; nights of darkness and days of light. The Bible tells us that there are seasons for everything, but no matter what, God is there with us through all of it. He promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, and if He is by your side, you won’t need for anything else.

God is our Father, our friend, and our hope. You don’t need to test, you simply need to trust.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31

 

In both our professional lives and personal lives, we should respect human rights and require the same from others. In plain English, treat people the way you want treated. I’m sure you’ve heard that at least sometime over the course of your life. Jesus Himself said that phrase during His all-famous “sermon on the mount.” Even if you aren’t Christian, it is still good advice that shows up in one form or another in every major religion in the world. If you are Jewish, you’ve heard it in the Talmud. If you are Muslim, it can be found in the Hadith. It is in the Mahabharata if you are Hindu. The list goes on and on. Okay, so religion aside, the golden rule is also spoken of by Isocrates, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Mickey Mouse, Big Bird… I promise you’ve heard of at least one person who has said it over the years. The golden rule is taught even to our youngest children from their earliest social developments.

 

Why is it so important? Why is this golden rule so “golden”? Because it is refers to basic human rights. You have the right to be treated fairly in all of your dealings. You have the right to be dignified rather than torn down. You have the right to be treated with respect, and that goes for everyone in this world. Never engage in verbal abuse, bullying, intimidation, or humiliation. You shouldn’t wrong other people or disrespect them and you have every right to ask the same from them.

 

No matter the race, color, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation, all people deserve to be treated with dignity, whether you agree with them or not. In fact, our disagreements that help us to grow in this life. Some disagreements can be productive and help us to either change our viewpoints or at least help us to understand where the other person is coming from. I am no better than you and vice versa. We are all unique, we are all special, and we are all valuable. Take the body, for example. There are eyes, ears, a nose, legs, and arms. They are all different, but all of them together make up the body. Each part has its own purpose and the same thing can be said for you and I. We all have different gifts that we can use to benefit our fellow person.

 

You have a right to dignity, respect, and in a word, love. You deserve love. You deserve to give it and to get it. It’s not because of anything that you’ve done. It’s all about who you are. Do you know who you are and what is inside of you? You have been made with the majesty and imprint of the Creator God in His own image. Isn’t that beautiful?! You are not an accident, you are meant to be here. Right here, right now, this world needs what you have. This world will never be the same once you acknowledge that you are unique and specially created. You are good and made for a loving purpose by an all loving God.

 

Yes, you are going to mess up now and then. Things won’t always work out for you and I. However, things will be OK as long as we learn from those mistakes and at least be willing to turn away from them. Rest assured, you are not alone in this fight. We all go down the wrong path from time to time, just please don’t be OK with evil deeds and offenses. You are better than that. We need to rise above those wrongs. We can’t do it alone, but the God who made you loves you enough to provide a way out of evil. His name is Jesus Christ. Born of a virgin and lived a sinless life, but He died on a cross to take the punishment that each of us deserve for our wrongdoings. He then rose from the grave to show that even death cannot hold back the life that is within each and every one of us. Jesus did that out of love. Love for you and love for me. Not because of anything we did, but because we are all God’s children.

 

Jesus shed His blood upon that cross, not just for a select few, but for all of mankind to wash away their sins. My view might differ from yours, but whether we accept Jesus or not, He still loves us and calls for us to love each other just the same. The law of God is written on the hearts of each of us no matter our background, just like an artist makes many paintings and yet all of them bear his impression. Because of our loving God clearing our paths of evil, there is nothing holding us back from making this world better through love, respect, and friendship.

 

The blood of Jesus made us a family, free to love each other and free to disagree. I pray that you accept Him, but I will still love you if you don’t. That is truly the golden rule. Love, no matter what.

 

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” – Romans 3:10

Right now, in the United States and all over the world, people are fighting and killing their fellow human beings just because they are from a different country, they have different colored skin, or even just for the uniform they have on. Such factors as where you are from, what you do, or what language you speak can influence somebody enough to make them want to cause you physical harm. That is not what God ever intended.

If you think that you are better than someone else, think again. We are all children of the same God. We all have the same ingrained desire to love and to have purpose. We all bleed the same color of blood. However, that blood gets spilled every day somewhere in the world because two people can’t see eye to eye. Whether it’s due to low self esteem or whatever the reason is, humans have a nasty tendency to point out faults in others just to make themselves feel better or to allow themselves some sort of higher society status.

In Luke, Chapter 18, Jesus told a story about two people who went to the temple to pray. One was a religious leader and another was a tax collector. The religious leader said, “Thanks God for not letting me be like other men.” He then went on talking about how other people were so bad and how he gives so much to the church, all in the interest of making himself feel like such a big deal. Oh, how important he thought he was to God.

However, in the temple was the other man, the tax collector, who was despised for his corruption and wicked ways. That man started crying and beating his chest in sorrow, saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” He wouldn’t even look up to Heaven because of how repentant he was for his actions.

So, who do you think was saved? Here’s a hint, it wasn’t the guy who thought he was all high and mighty. Granted, everyone wants to feel good about themselves, and they should. So should you, but we all need to recognize that we have a long way to go until we are free of our unrighteousness. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are cleansed of our sins. All of our wrongs are forgiven, but that doesn’t mean that we are immune to the temptations any longer, we just aren’t a subject to them anymore. We still have those bad thoughts that invade us now and again. We still find ourselves fighting against the weakness of the flesh. And that isn’t just a person of one nationality or one race; that is everyone. We all need the same help no matter who you are.

The best approach to life and our dealings with our fellow human is to see the best in others and to see the worst in ourselves. We are all sinners who are in need of saving. Just because I am from a different social standing doesn’t mean that God loves me any more than you. There are no political party lines drawn in Heaven. In the end, when time gives way to eternity, you and I will be in Heaven or Hell, period. There is no getting around that and it didn’t have anything to do with what side of the railroad tracks you lived on while you were on Earth. It has everything to do with the love of God. That makes all the difference. It’s not earned and it’s not because we are a certain color or race. God loves us because we are all His children.

Next time you are tempted to think poorly of someone for a mistake they made or something that they were born with and had no control over, please think about Jesus. Our Lord didn’t hang on the cross and point at a select few people in the crowd that He was dying for, He was crucified for everyone. Our job is to accept what He did and to realize that we are all sinners in need of His saving grace. John 6:37 is comforting in that Jesus says “he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” That was a promise given with no certain stipulations or other fine print. Again we read about that in Romans 10:13, “ For whosoever shall call on the Lord will be saved.”

God sacrificed His only Son for us all, not just a select few. No matter the color, race, creed, or uniform, anyone who believes can be saved by the blood of Jesus shed upon the cross.

God’s blessings to you.

DH