Fall Creek Christian Church

"This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."  I Peter 2:21-23 Being a directionally challenged person, I've learned the value of following. It doesn't matter if it's following a someone or a GPS. I just don't like being lost. It's unsettling. I've been lost in cities. I've been lost in the woods. I've been lost on lakes. I've even been lost in buildings. Having someone or something to follow that is reliable has saved me from a great deal of grief. In our verses for the day, Peter has a thing or two to say about following. First and foremost, follow Christ. There are many options to choose from, but at the end of the day, come hell or high water, you will...

"But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."  James 1:6-8 There's a crucial moment in fishing when a person has one foot in the boat and one foot still on the dock. Any poorly calculated movements during that time can result in some fairly unpleasant outcomes. I've watched people perform the splits who really aren't able to perform the splits. Yikes! I've seen others tumble into the boat to avoid the inevitable splash. Others well ... just get wet. None of these are desirable outcomes. In our verses for the day, James speaks to this one-foot-in phenomenon as it relates to a relationship with God. To put it mildly, it's bad. He uses words like "blown...

"I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one."  Ezekiel 22:30 Many times in my life I've thought and even verbalized, "Someone needs to do something about that." I am in the process of being taught by God that when he allows me to see something it's because he intends for me to be that someone to do something about it. I wonder how much of God's power and glory I've missed pondering where that someone went to hide. Ezekiel records the words of God regarding the people of Israel at his time. God couldn't find anyone interested in righteousness. Not one! God prefers mercy over judgment. He told us that. He's looking for a reason to hold off judgment. More specifically, a someone to stand between him and the people, a purveyor of righteousness. Someone like Jesus. The search...

"   The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.  There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves. "  Hebrews  4:12-13 The time had come. I was done being "friends." I was twenty years old and ready to head out into the future with a beautiful young woman on my arm. I was convinced that she was the one, but was  she  convinced? So, with my heart in my hands, completely exposed, I told her how I really felt about her. She responded with, "I think you should ask someone else out." ... Ouch! My poor little heart was broken! I put myself out there only to be crushed. Fortunately, however, in time she decided that I was the one for her too. After twenty six ye...

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. ... for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you."  Jeremiah 1:5,7b  I've never said to myself, "Wouldn't it be great to be a press secretary or spokesman for a major political figure?" Honestly, what a terrible job! Everytime you stand up to speak, at least half of the people already hate you. Everyone is waiting to pounce on any poorly worded statement. Each word is dissected, twisted, misinterpreted, or taken out of context to fit the agenda of a particular reporter or editor. In addition to all the negativity, how would one even know if they were successful? It's just plain depressing. No wonder there's such a turnover in that job. Welcome to Jeremiah's world. He was God's spokesman to a people who had no interest in what God had to say. Most of his preaching and prophesies were...

"Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard."  Jeremiah 36:23-24  We've all witnessed our own children or somebody else's child locked into a position of defiance. It may be a temper tantrum. It may be an ear piercing, "No!" aimed at the beleagured parent. It may be a poorly disguised, "I didn't hear you." However it comes, the message is clear ... "I have no desire to respond to what you're saying and you aren't going to make me." In a word ... defiance. The king in this story chose to go toe-to-toe with God. The prophet had issued the warnings. He then had them written down and the king arrogantly cut them up and threw them in the fire. The rest of the chapter revea...

"Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends."  Philippians 4:1  I used to watch the Chicago Cubs play baseball when I was a kid. I grew up near Chicago and WGN was one of the few channels we had so Harry Carey and the Cubs were my team. Their inability to win a world series title has now spanned over 100 years, the last being 1908. I don't watch the Cubs anymore. There are too many other channels these days and frankly, I've received no encouragment to remain true. Call me a fair weather fan if you will, but seriously ... 106 years?! Paul, in closing his letter to his dear friends, was thinking about remaining true as well. His concern was in regards to something infinitely more significant than baseball. He was talking about their commitment to Jesus. "Stay true." The conversation could have continued along these lines, "Remain loyal. Don...