Video Bible Lesson - I’m a Hypocrite by John UpChurch

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

4/14/2020

I’m a Hypocrite
by John UpChurch

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:5
The college-me would call the current-me a hypocrite. That’s what I did back then. Anyone claiming to be a Christian automatically earned that prestigious title. I could judge, after all, because I sat in my lofty seat in the college library and weighed such grave matters in my head and in my poetry. My pencil could strike down any Christ-follower with a witty rhyme. I knew they were all fake.
So, I had a lot to learn about love. But I was right about the hypocrisy thing. The current me is, in fact, a hypocrite.
Jesus warned us not to be like the hypocrites, those who put on a show but don’t let the show touch their hearts. And when I’m honest, that’s exactly what I do sometimes. My worship becomes a series of movements, a tentative toe-tap into the spiritual waters. All the while, my mind has drifted off to my bank account, my schedule, and my Instagram feed.
That type of worship isn’t worship. It’s a show put on for my own gratification, one that makes me feel better about doing the “Christian thing.” In those moments, I’m exactly what my college self accused me of.
Hypocrite.
Thankfully, Jesus warned me about all this ahead of time. When my body and mind get out of sync, when my devotion becomes a demonstration, His warnings inevitably hit me in the chin. Matthew 6 cues up on my audio Bible, His admonitions pop up on someone’s blog, or I just catch myself in the act. That’s when I see just how much I’m simply going through the motions.
Unlike my college self, who judged to feel superior, God unmasks hypocrisy because He wants me to get real. His gentle (and not-so-gentle) nudges snap me out of my one-man show.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When Jesus warned His followers about hypocrisy, He knew they’d need the reminder. He knew we would need the reminder two thousand years later. Why? Because humans like to put on a good show and we don’t always live what we believe. Our hearts skip off like sheep while our bodies do those “Christian duties.”
Thankfully, God’s in the shepherding business. He knows how to shear that acting junk right off.
For Further Reading
Matthew 6:1
Isaiah 29:1

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

The Value of Seeking the Lord.....Dr. Charles Stanley

The Value of Seeking the Lord

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 119:1-8

We all have ambitions and desires. And while these are not necessarily wrong, we should analyze our priorities: Where do I invest my time and energy? What or who occupies my thoughts? As important as our earthly pursuits, responsibilities, and relationships may be, they cannot compare to the value of a life spent seeking the Lord.

First of all, consider what it means to seek something. The word connotes a strong desire and an energetic quest to achieve it.Suppose you discovered a very productive vein of gold on your property. You wouldn’t just stroll out and look at it occasionally. No, you would gather some equipment and diligently go out each day to chip away at the rocks and collect the precious metal.

In the same way, seeking the Lord is not a quick and occasional encounter, but a wholehearted effort to know Him more intimately and follow Him more closely. Those who unreservedly pursue this kind of fellowship with God are determined to spend time with Him; they also want to forsake anything that could hinder growth in their relationship with the Lord. God’s committed followers boldly claim His promises and trust Him to fulfill His Word. Their experiences with the Lord bring amazing satisfaction yet cause them to hunger for more of Him.

The Christian life is meant to be a pursuit of God. To walk through the door of salvation and stand still, never drawing any closer to Him, is to miss the treasures that are available in Christ. Those who seek Him soon discover that knowing Him is the greatest reward of all.

Kicking Knee-Jerk Reactions to the Curb

Kicking Knee-Jerk Reactions to the Curb
SHARON JAYNES

Lee en español

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

One day I was driving home from the beach in July 4 holiday traffic. It was muggy, and cars were a throng of metal on wheels. Everyone was going faster than the posted speed limit, and I was trying to keep up.

I was also young and distracted. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and was crying my eyes out.

When my front right tire slipped off the asphalt and onto the gravel shoulder of the road, I heard the voice of my driver’s ed teacher in my head: “If you run off the road, do not jerk your car back on the road. Slow down to a stop, and then gently guide the car back onto the road.”

As I was thinking, do not jerk the steering wheel, I promptly jerked the steering wheel. My car flew across two lanes of traffic to the left, and then, overcompensating, flew back to the right. Finally, I went down an embankment, flipped over several times, and landed upside down in a ravine. I crawled out unscathed — a miracle for sure.

Reflexes are strong. I knew what to do, but I did just the opposite.

The Bible tells us that when we come to Christ, we are a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV). However, there’s no delete button to erase our old habits.

These old patterns are like ruts in the brain, formed by years of thinking the same thoughts and repeating the same actions. The only way to replace those ruts is to form new ruts — renewing our minds with God’s truth and our practice.

There’s no more difficult rut to change than the words we speak. It takes practice for the knee-jerk reaction of old habits not to sneak back in.

Shortly after Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding of Cana, He traveled to Capernaum to celebrate Passover. As He approached the temple, Jesus saw the haggling and exchanging of coins. The temple had become a free-for-all rather than a house of prayer, as the money changers took advantage of travelers by charging exorbitant fees.

“So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” (John 2:15-16, NIV)

Jesus cleaned the temple that day, but it wasn’t long before the corrupt money changers crept back in with their wares. Three years later, during His last week of life on earth, Jesus came upon the unholy mess again. Here’s the report in Matthew:

“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it “a den of robbers”’” (Matthew 21:12-13, NIV).

How did the mayhem of the temple happen the second time? Scripture doesn’t say, but I don’t think it happened all at once. After Jesus cleared out the temple initially, I suspect it stayed that way for a time. But then one by one, the buyers and sellers returned.

Sometimes I am that messy temple, swept clean by conviction! Then caustic words start itching to creep back and be spit out. A word here. A reaction here. The next thing I know, I’m rolling down the embankment of trouble.

We all need to be aware of our tendency for knee-jerk reactions rather than Christlike behavior, especially the words we speak. But don’t beat yourself up if you mess up. Apologize quickly. Repent sincerely. Move forward confidently, knowing “… that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).

Lord, help me replace my old patterns with new, Christlike behavior. As I renew my mind with Your Truth, I pray I will put into practice what I am putting into my head. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 12:2a, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (NIV)

A Prayer of Release to God for What We Cannot Control...🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

A Prayer of Release to God for What We Cannot ControlBy Debbie McDaniel

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” -Psalm 55:22

So often in life we may find this to be true: we hold on too tightly to things we were never meant to control. It’s hard sometimes, to let go.

We struggle to change things. We strive hard to maintain order and keep all in line. But when problems mount high and pressures feel overwhelming, we begin to understand more fully how little control we really have.

Maybe we look all different places for help, yet forget we can press in towards our Savior. Maybe we forget that He never changes, and He still holds the power to heal and set free. Maybe we don’t believe that He can, or wants to, work on our behalf. Maybe we forget at times, that He’s still the God of miracles, that He can act “immediately,” that He can do in a moment what might take years for us to work through on our own.

Let’s set aside our fears and move towards Him today, in faith. Let’s press in close, and reach out to the One who is All-powerful, compassionate, loving, and kind. He knows already, the wounds and troubles we’ve carried, He knows the pain and worries we’ve felt, He knows how much we’ve tried to let go, and fix things in our own power. Let’s choose to believe that our situation or circumstance is never too big for Him to bring healing and freedom. He is Able. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

He is always within reach.

He is never far away.

He is close.

He is with us.

He cares.

He heals.

He restores.

He redeems.

Go in peace.

Walk in His freedom and healing.

May His huge grace cover you this day…

Dear God,

We confess our need for you today. We need your healing and your grace. We need hope restored. We need to be reminded that you work on behalf of those you love, constantly, powerfully, completely. Forgive us for trying to fix our situations all on our own. Forgive us for running all different directions and spinning our wheels to find help, when true help and healing must be found first in You. Forgive us for forgetting how much we need you, above everyone and everything else. We come to you and bring you the places we are hurting. You see where no one else is able to fully see or understand. You know the pain we’ve carried. The burdens. The cares. You know where we need to be set free. We ask for your healing and grace to cover every broken place. Every wound. Every heartache. Thank you that you are Able to do far more than we could ever imagine. Thank you for your Mighty Power that acts on behalf of your children. We reach out to you, and know that you are restoring and redeeming every place of difficulty, every battle, for your greater glory. Thank you that you will never waste our pain and suffering. We release to you this day every need and problem we’ve carried or tried hard to control. We believe in your goodness to see us through. We love you. We need you today.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

5 Things the Bible Tells Us about Anger.....🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

5 Things the Bible Tells Us about Anger
By Brittany Rust

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. - Proverbs 15:1

Take it from me: anger is not a lovely emotion to have around. For many years I had a major anger stronghold in my life that acted as a dark cloud hovering over my relationships with family, interactions with friends, and frustrations with strangers. It was something so heavy that I felt like I had no control when it wanted its way.

Having struggled with anger for many years I can speak to its destruction and the flip side of a life away from it. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say as well. Here are five things the Bible tells us about anger.

Words can fuel or diffuse anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Words have great power and it’s no different when it comes to anger. Proverbs tells us that a gentle word can turn away wrath and that a harsh one can stir it up. The power you have to fuel or diffuse anger in a tense conversation or situation is both heavy and fragile. You can completely change the dynamic of a situation with one word.

When you’re faced with the chance to fuel or diffuse anger, what words will you choose to use?

Stay away from anger. (Psalm 37:8, Ephesians 4:31, Proverbs 29:8)

The best thing you can do is to stay away from anger in the first place. You probably know your trigger points; if you don’t, find out what they are. Then stay out of situations where you know a trigger can be pulled. Or if you sense anger starting to rise up, excuse yourself from the situation. Whatever this looks like for you, try to separate yourself from anger triggers.

Fools allow room for anger. (Ecclesiastes 7:9, Proverbs 19:3, Proverbs 29:11)

Anger is accounted in the Bible as something expressed by a fool many times. It’s because when we give into anger and we lose rational thought, wisdom also goes out the door. We don’t make wise decisions in our anger and in fact, we can make very poor choices. These moments of outburst can be a poor reflection on us and thus, be a reflection of foolishness.

Anger doesn’t just hurt others; it hurts you. (Genesis 49:7, Job 18:4)

If you think anger only hurts another person, you’d be wrong. Anger hurts you just as much as anyone else. You get worked up, worry, and stew on what upset you. It then robs you of healing and forgiveness. Don’t let anger grab hold and steal some good part of you.

Anger can be a good tool if used right. (Nehemiah 5:6-7, >John 2: 13-18, Ephesians 4:26)

Not all anger is bad; there is a righteous anger that has a place. Nehemiah experienced it as well as Jesus. There are times when a righteous anger moves us to action in a healthy way. The key to righteous anger is that we not allow it to move us into sin. It’s when our anger causes us to sin that it becomes a bad thing. Take it from someone who struggled with anger for many years--avoid it, walk away, and/or let it go!

Don’t Bother Me with Details!
by Katherine Britton

So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war. – Joshua 11:23

Every so often I take out my old “Dear Diary” from when I was eight years old, and thumb through it for the sake of hilarity. Most entries go something like this:

“Today I woke up at 7:47 a.m. Then I ate pancakes for breakfast! I love pancakes! Then I did school, and I brought my magnifying glass with binoculars with me to co-op. Then we played outside in the afternoon. I scraped my knee when I fell off my bike, but I rode all the way around the house on the grass!”

Riveting, no?

Amusement carries me through about three (very short) “Dear Diary” entries, then I close the flowery notebook and get back to my current life. After I’ve read through a week of what I had for breakfast, I’m done observing my former status as a “cute kid.” Every little detail that I thought was so important when I was eight just doesn’t thrill me now.

Unfortunately, I’ve had a tendency to take the same approach to certain portions of Scripture. You know the ones I’m talking about – “This is what Moses had given the tribe of Gad… from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.” All the territories and distances and kings of what city etc. are very much like those breakfast entries. That’s nice, God, but frankly, I don’t really care anymore.

I didn’t think it was possible to make a sermon out of such details, but a pastor proved me wrong on Sunday. In fact, he made a sermon out of all nine chapters detailing which tribes and clans got what land when the Israelites finally took Canaan. And – unbelievably – I found myself reveling in the “inane” details.

Consider that this doling out of territory was 600 years in making. A promise made to Abraham six hundred years before this moment, before Egypt happened, before Abraham even had an heir of his own kin. Six hundred years later, God’s promise that Israel would possess the land of Canaan finally comes through – and in all that time, God has not lost sight of the details. In the midst of this plan that span more than half a millennium, the Lord of Israel comes from the span of heaven and picks out every plot of earth that every clan will inherit.

We serve a God who controls both the universe and the finest breath of wind, who orchestrates all of history and the little details for our lives. Nine chapters about plots of land? Apparently, he cares enough about the details to include them in divine revelation. And yet how often do we pass over these same details tucked away in Scripture – even when we’re searching for assurance of God’s hand in our life!

As Abraham Piper writes, “It's true that knowing Michmethah is east of Shechem ranks very low in the list of facts that are important to know from the Bible. But it matters, because the sum of all the dull details that God has accomplished proves that whatever he promises, he will do.”

Is your life "boring" right now as you work through the inane details of day to day living? Rejoice in knowing that God's hand is at work even in these little things.

And they crucified Him.

And they crucified Him.
--Mark 15:24

A medical doctor once gave a detailed description of what happens when someone is crucified:

"The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders again the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.

"The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain--the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

"As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

"Hours of this...pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over--the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level--the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues--the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues...finally he can allow his body to die."

The Bible records this process of death by crucifixion in just a few simple words. How often we take for granted the pain and suffering Jesus endured when He died on the cross for you and me. Let us remember this Easter the sacrifice He made.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank Jesus for the price He paid for your sins through His painful death on the cross.