Author Archives: Pastor Chas

Sometimes a Bible verse needs a little more explanation before we quote it to people.  This is the case with Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  It has been used several times and on several cards that have been handed to graduates.  Does this verse apply to God’s people today?   Yes, but to understand its truth for today, we must understand the circumstances in which it was given.

This promise was given to God’s chosen people, and its fulfillment was not solely based on material possessions or success.  The idea of welfare and care was explicitly related to God’s presence among his people.  Remember, Israel was given into the hands of Babylon and were under oppressive rule.  This situation was brought on by their disobedience and rebellion from God.  In God’s plan, the exile had taken place to draw his people back to him and was an exercise of his grace and mercy, though it did not seem like it at the time.  God used this circumstance to bring about his plan in their lives.  His plan was for his people to call upon him and seek his face.

So how do we properly use this verse today?  First, we must understand the hope that God has for an individual is only acquired through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The gospel is the means by which God has chosen to graft the Gentiles into this promise.  He has plans of hope for his children, but apart from Christ, we are children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) with no hope.  Second, as a child of God, this statement does not mean his children will prosper and be successful.  The chief blessing in a believer’s life is being drawn near to God through confession and repentance.

This verse is not applicable to the lost, because it is only accessed through a covenant relationship with God – in Christ.  Also, we must not forget that the substance of this verse is talking about God’s people following his commandments and drawing near to him.  The word of hope that we have for graduates is that if they will seek God with all their heart and lean not on their own understanding, they will reap the joy of knowing their purpose and value.  This intimate knowledge of God through Christ is our ultimate hope.  This is the way we know true success and prosperity, delighting in God and him delighting in us.

Things are not always as they seem.  I remember traveling to Arkansas as a child, and like most boys, one of my favorite things to do was find rocks.  We would walk through the riverbeds searching for the neatest rock we could see, squinting through the glare of the water and the current to find “gems.”  It was exciting, but once we removed them from the river, they began to lose their luster as they dried.  Some of them still looked neat, but others turned out to be less attractive.

The rock didn’t change, but the “lens” between our eyes and the rock did change.  We were mistaken and had to change something in our practice to properly see the stones.  Often times our eyes are deceived when we look at other people.  And in the church, it is usually done through a pharisaical lens.  This is when we use Scripture to look outward at others, instead of inward at ourselves.  The pharisaical lens traps us in a place where others are just rocks, and we see ourselves as gems.

Matthew 7:1 is probably one of the most misquoted verses in Scripture, but let’s look at the verses that follow.  Jesus is teaching about a person that sees a speck in someone else’s eye.  They desire to remove it, but they fail to see the plank that is in their own eye.  They are looking through a pharisaical lens.  The truth is they will never look at these people for who they are in God’s eyes because there is something keeping them from seeing clearly.

However, the second truth is they are unable to see themselves properly.  They become distracted by the specks in other’s eyes allowing Satan to keep them in bondage.  This is why Jesus tells those listening to remove the plank in their own eye before they attempt to remove the speck in another’s eye.  The reality is we do this more often than we acknowledge.  It is often less painful to removes a speck from others instead of our own planks.

Pray for God to search your heart the next time you are upset with someone and see them as never being able to change.  Pray the next time you view their actions as unforgivable, unredeemable, or hopeless.  The thing you find unredeemable in them may be active in your own life.  Perhaps there is a sin or a hurt in your life that needs the forgiveness and healing of Jesus Christ.  Don’t focus on the flaws of others; you can’t fix them.  However, you can allow Christ to correct you.

Each of us has experienced a moment when something was wrong with our outfit or appearance.  We may have even gone the whole day without noticing and then feel embarrassed when someone finally told us. We have all seen people with toilet paper stuck to their shoes, the tag of their shirt sticking up so that is is visible, a man accidentally forgetting to zip his pants or a place that was missed while shaving.  We would like to believe that if someone let them know what was wrong, they would fix it.  After all, we would.  It would be silly not to – right?

James writes, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.   For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:23-25, ESV)

Through reading Scripture, the image of Christ is revealed to us, and we are able to see the ways that we fall short of his glory.  It shows us things that need to be corrected and changed through the power of the Gospel.  When we read it, we should see things in our lives that we are not doing or that we are doing wrong.  This is the heart of 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  It is meant to be a tool for correction, teaching, and training.  When we read it, the Holy Spirit should move in our lives with conviction; we should repent and conform to the image of Christ.

James is speaking about the difference between a hearer and a doer.  A hearer is one that reads Scripture or learns about God, yet there is no change in his or her life.  The hearer is told that something is wrong, but does nothing about it.  They are content with the toilet paper on their shoe or accidentally leaving their pants unzipped.  It is just as silly not to allow things in our spiritual lives to be fixed.

On the other hand, a doer is one that allows the written Word of God to chisel away at the sin and transform their lives in a way that is pleasing to God.  They look at Scripture, see the desires of God, and through confession and repentance embrace the required change.  Are you a hearer or a doer?  The first requires reading and listening skills only.  The latter involves faith and submission to the will of God.

In May of last year, a story broke and quickly moved to many networks.  In Georgetown, Texas, a councilman dismissed himself to the restroom but forgot to turn off his microphone.  In the middle of a presentation by Mayor Pro Tem Rachael Jonrowe, the sounds of bodily function could be heard over the sound system.  Struggling to keep her composure, she finished the presentation interrupted by laughter and looks of embarrassment.  This is not the way anyone wants to make national headlines.

Let’s stop for a moment and think about something . . . What would we do if our mistakes made national news?  I am not talking about tripping on the sidewalk or spilling your glass of water in your lap.  I mean the mistakes that bring feelings of guilt and shame.  We would be humiliated if people knew these things and panic ensues when we think about them being national news.  There are parts of our lives that we have buried deep inside so that no one else would ever know about them, and we don’t want to think about them either.  They make us feel burdened and condemned.

I want you to know a great truth. You are fully known and you are fully loved.  Psalm 139:1 tells us, “O LORD, you have searched me and know me!” (ESV)  In the following verses, David tells the reader that nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.  He knows everything about everybody.  Often, there is a feeling of condemnation that accompanies this truth but please understand that Christ died for our sins fully knowing who we are and what we have done.  Please let me clarify one thing.  This does not mean that God approved of everything that you did, but it means there is the offer of grace through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

As a child of God, you are loved in spite of who you were and the things you have done.  There is nothing that can separate you from the love of your Heavenly Father.  He knows you at your worst and still loves you.  So, don’t walk in condemnation and guilt.  Let the finished work of Christ heal the wounds and set you free from the past.  However, I know there may be someone reading this that is not a child of God.  You have not confessed your sin and repented, turning to God in faith.  If that is you, please know that there is forgiveness in Christ.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.” 1 Corinthians 7:7 (ESV)

Several years ago, I met a young mother battered and worn from her choices in relationships.  She quickly moved from one to another looking for that special someone.  Typically, they would all start great but eventually fall apart.  It seemed like a never-ending cycle and she didn’t know what to do.  Let me introduce you to another person from years gone by.  All he could do was complain about the incompetence of his wife.  She could never do anything right and he often found himself reliving the good old days: no commitments, no worries, no wife.   He spent so much time dreaming of single life that he was now looking for a way out of his marriage.  Both of these people were miserable in their situation and they were looking for a change of circumstance to bring fulfillment.

The word that Paul uses for gift in the verse above is the same one that is used to describe spiritual gifts in later chapters.  Meaning, whether a person is single or married, it is a gift to be used for the glory of God.  Yet just like the two people mentioned above, we often toss this gift aside and force ourselves into the other position, or at least let the ideas consume our thoughts.  This is dangerous for both those who are single and married.

If you are married, it is a gift from God.  No matter how you came about it, you are now married.  So, God desires for you to use your marriage for his glory.  There are many people that have lost their spouse to death, live regretfully divorced, or squandered the very gift that you have.  Instead of looking for a way out of the situation, look to God for redemption.  Your spouse is a gift.

If you are single, it is a gift from God.  Use this time to relentlessly pursue the only person that can know you fully and will still choose to love you fully, God.  When you accept this kind of love, it will give you a heavenly model for the earthly spouse God desires for you.  I dare say that when you are completely satisfied in God, he will send you someone that is better than you ever imagined.  Don’t waste your time chasing the opposite sex.  Chase after God and let him bring you someone that is chasing after him with just as much passion.

Whether married or single, your position at this moment is a gift from God.  So, cherish it and use it for his glory.