Walking in Truth

Posted on July 29, 2011 by russellmckinney

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3rd John 1:3, N.K.J.V.)

A man was on trial for murder. All the circumstantial evidence strongly indicated his guilt, but the police hadn’t been able to find the corpse. That left some doubt as to whether the jury would convict him. Nevertheless, the man’s defense attorney believed the jury was leaning toward doing just that. So, he resorted to a clever trick.

In the attorney’s closing argument, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you. Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” Then he looked down at his watch as if counting the seconds. Thirty seconds later, he turned and started staring at the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all fixed their eyes on the door as well. After the allotted time had passed, however, it became obvious that no one was walking through that door.

Finally, the attorney broke the courtroom silence by saying, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But since each of you looked at the door with anticipation, I submit that you all have reasonable doubt in this case as to whether or not my client really killed anybody. And because of that, I insist that you return a verdict of ‘not guilty.'” The jury then retired to deliberate.

To the attorney’s surprise, they came back into the courtroom just a few minutes later and pronounced a verdict of “guilty.” Risking the ire of the judge, the attorney shouted at them, “How could you do this? You must have had some doubt. I saw all of you stare at that door.” To that, the jury foreman replied, “Yes, we did. But your client didn’t.”

As clever as lawyers can be, not one of them is in Satan’s league when it comes to twisting and distorting the truth. Revelation 12:9 says that he “deceives the whole world,” and Jesus said of him, “There is no truth in him” (John 8:44). Rest assured that if Satan was able to talk Eve out of the truth, he is able to deceive us, too. We are simply no match for him. That is why we must make it a matter of regular prayer to ask the Lord to give us discernment and wisdom in regards to what is true and what is a lie.

If you haven’t done so today, take a moment right now and ask the Lord for such discernment and wisdom. Tell Him that you don’t want to believe anything that isn’t the truth. Tell Him that you don’t want to be duped by Satan. Tell Him that you want to know the truth so that you can bring your life in line with it. And then listen to and heed the truth when God sends it your way. You see, without God’s help, you’ll never be able to fully walk in truth.

Posted in Choices, Counsel, Deception, Decisions, Demons, Discernment, Doubt, God's Will, God's Word, Satan, Seeking Advice, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, The Devil, Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Swimming at Your Own Risk

Posted on July 28, 2011 by russellmckinney

One summer, when the boys were young, we had one day left on our beach vacation. So, we used that day to give the boys a final opportunity to enjoy the ocean and pool. This had been the first year ever that Royce, our youngest, had enjoyed splashing around in the ocean more than splashing around in the pool. He had even used some of his own money to buy himself a boogie board in order to ride the waves properly.

Well, for a good while at the ocean that day, everything hummed along delightfully just as the week’s previous days had done. The boys played in the waves while Tonya and I laid on the beach. Then I joined the boys in the water, and Tonya waded in a few minutes later. So there we were, all four Mckinneys splashing around in the ocean, enjoying every minute of it.

But then suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a brief but intense sting on my arm. It didn’t take me long to figure out that a jellyfish had stung me. The pain wasn’t enough to cause me to scream and head for the shore, but it did hurt, about like a bee-sting. Since I had no clue what to do and didn’t want to create a scene from the movie “Jaws,” causing hundreds to abandon the water, I decided to stay in the water and let the salt water disinfect the sting. I found out later that my plan was a good one. The worst thing you can do for a jellyfish sting is pour fresh water on it. That causes the toxins (or whatever they are) to spread.

After a few minutes, some small whelks raised up on my arm and I began to feel a slight tingling in my fingers. I thought, “If things get any worse, I’m going to have to get some medical attention.” Thankfully, though, that was the worst of it and before long my arm was virtually back to normal except for the small whelks. Okay, event over, right? Nope, not so fast.

About twenty minutes after I got stung, Royce rode an exceptionally large wave all the way into the shallows. But before he even fully emerged from the water, we heard him scream. And he kept screaming as he hurled himself out of the water, ran to our beach blankets, and buried himself in one of them. Honestly, Tonya and I would have feared that he had been bitten by a shark if not for the fact that I had been stung by a jellyfish just a few minutes earlier. That gave us a pretty good idea what had happened.

As it turned out, Royce’s sting was much worse than mine. It was as if a jellyfish had wrapped itself around his leg and kept stinging. He had big marks on the inside and outside of his leg and they were already becoming whelks. It was no wonder the poor little fellow had gotten out of that water so fast. I wouldn’t have hung around in there either!

As Tonya raced to comfort Royce, I made my way to our lifeguard and reported the two stings. The lifeguard immediately grabbed a spray bottle of vinegar and sprayed down my arm. Then she went over to Royce and did the same for his wounds. By that time, he was beginning to calm down somewhat, but he didn’t want any more to do with the ocean for that day. Consequently, we gathered up our things and headed for the pool.

Now, here’s the thing that you ought to know about those two jellyfish stings. All week long, as we had ridden those ocean waves, a warning sign had been posted just next to the lifeguard’s chair along the shoreline. What did that sign warn about? Jellyfish! You see, Royce and I, along with dozens and dozens of others, had been swimming at our own risk all week because jellyfish had been reported in the area and the warning sign was in place.

Accordingly, the spiritual application to this story is simple: God’s word, the Bible, is like that warning sign, and when your actions go against it, don’t be surprised when you get stung. Sure, you might swim around for a while and get along fine. You might even have some fun and enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Ultimately, though, God will not be mocked and His word will not be ignored without consequence. Jellyfish stings hurt, but those stings are nothing compared to the hurt that we bring upon ourselves by sin. And just as Royce and I could offer no legitimate objection to us getting stung, neither can the sinner who has been warned by God’s word and blatantly ignored it.

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Confession, Disobedience, God's Chastening, God's Judgment, God's Word, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Scripture, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recalculating

Posted on July 27, 2011 by russellmckinney

In my last post, I mentioned G.P.S. systems as examples of the otherworldly technology that now passes for our normal, everyday lives. I remember the first time that Tonya and I used one of those systems for our family’s vacation trip. When I asked why the system featured a woman’s voice instead of a man’s, my son Ryan had a good answer. He said, “Since men never ask for directions, they probably figured that mostly women would be using it.” I couldn’t argue with that.

The more we drove, the more we became accustomed to having that woman’s voice in the van with us. Every so often we’d hear her say something like, “In 1.2 miles turn right onto Deer Park road and continue 3.6 miles.” It was pretty cool stuff. I even began to anticipate her voice piping up when I knew we were coming to a turn. I’d ask Tonya, “Shouldn’t that woman be saying something by now?”

Unfortunately, though, there was one word we heard the woman use a few too many times on that trip. The word was, “Recalculating.” Whenever we missed a stated turnoff, she would go silent for a moment and then say, “Recalculating.” Then she would pick her directions back up from our new position. It got to the point where we would miss a turn and I would immediately say, “That woman is not going to like that.” Then right on cue we would hear, “Recalculating.”

I’m glad that when it comes to God’s guidance in our lives, He knows how to recalculate. That means that even if we do miss His will for a given situation, it isn’t the end of our walk with Him. He doesn’t throw up His hands and say, “Well, now you’re on your own.” Instead, it’s as if He says, “Recalculating.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that missing God’s will is ever good or acceptable. He never grins about it and playfully says, “Oh, you little rascal, what am I going to do with you?” No, missing His will is always serious, serious business, and there will always be unpleasant consequences for doing so. My point is simply that missing one of the turns of God’s will doesn’t mean the end of your journey with Him. If it did, we would all be hopelessly adrift as we move through life, forevermore cut off from the voice and guidance of our Maker.

I don’t know where this post finds you today, but maybe you are just coming out of a situation in which you really missed God’s will. Well, I’m not patting you on the back and saying, “There, there, honey, what you did was understandable,” but I am saying that God hasn’t abandoned you. Even now He is in “recalculating” mode concerning you, and He wants you to pick back up with Him right where you are and start following His new instructions. If you will do that, you’ll find that He can still take you to some wonderful places. Even more than that, there will be some great scenery for you to enjoy along the way.

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Disobedience, God's Love, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Grace, Obedience, Repentance, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

G.P.S. and Armageddon

Posted on July 26, 2011 by russellmckinney

By now, even the most “old school” of us know about G.P.S. systems. G.P.S., as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, stands for Global Positioning System. When these systems first hit the market, they were small devices that attached to a vehicle’s windshield or dash to give the driver highly specific directions on what roads to take and when to turn to reach whatever destination the driver had programmed into the system. The systems would even list local stores and restaurants in the area. Nowadays, of course, those mounted versions have been replaced by ones that are either built into our vehicles or our cellphones.

How do G.P.S. systems work? From what I hear, the system links up to a satellite somewhere out in space and computerized information is relayed via the connection. While I realize that is a very rudimentary explanation, frankly, that’s about as deep as I want to get into the technology. Beyond that, it starts to get a little too creepy for me.

You might be asking, “What do you mean by that last statement?” Okay, I’ll tell you. First, the fact that the data concerning virtually every interstate, highway, and site location in the world can be stored in a device that I can hold in my hand is too “Star Trek” for me. When did we get smart enough to devise such technology? Second, if a satellite up in space can tell exactly where my vehicle is at any given time and place, who knows what else the powers that be know about me and mine? That’s too “Big Brother” for me. Third, by living in a world that has become so dependent upon computers, we seem to have ripened ourselves for some kind of cataclysmic technological meltdown in the future. And that’s a little too “book of The Revelation” for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not the type to go around playing Chicken Little by saying, “The sky is falling.” I’m also not the type to grow a long beard, dress in weird clothing, and stand on a street corner holding a sign that reads, “The end of the world is near.” With that said, though, there is something about the book of The Revelation that has aroused my curiosity for years. That something is the fact that the book makes specific mention of horses being used in battle in the future.

The passage is Revelation 19:17-18, two verses which are found in the context of the book’s account of the famous Battle of Armageddon. They read:

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” (N.K.J.V. emphasis mine)

The bloody carnage that will be on display in the wake of the battle of Armageddon will be unfathomable. Revelation 14:20 speaks of blood flowing as high as the horses’ bridles (about four feet high), covering a distance of 1,600 furlongs (the approximate distance between the site of the Battle of Armageddon and Edom in the south). Then, in addition to that verse, the words of Revelation 19:18 speak of untold numbers of corpses and carcasses that will become a great feast for the vulturous birds of the air. This brings me to the point I’m trying to make: A bird can’t eat the remains of a tank, a jeep, a helicopter, a fighter jet, or a transport truck, but it can eat the remains of a horse. Because of this, how can we not interpret the horses at the Battle of Armageddon to be literal horses?

Admittedly, this whole line of thought hinges upon the interpretation that the events of The Revelation are future events that should be understood literally, an interpretation that not everyone buys. For example, some people believe that the vast majority of the events were fulfilled when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and finally destroyed it in 70 A.D. Others believe that the events should be understood allegorically or figuratively rather than literally. But after studying The Revelation for many years now, preaching through it on multiple occasions, and writing blog posts about it, I side with the now predominantly held belief that the events should be taken literally and are still to come in the future. This world simply hasn’t yet seen the likes of all that is described in The Revelation.

So, that brings us back to the matter of the literal horses at the coming Battle of Armageddon. The question is: Why will this world’s future soldiers be relegated to mounting horses? Well, could it be that there is coming a time when our vast array of military technology, technology which is based upon computers, will cease to function? Will someone invent a weapon, perhaps some type of EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) device that will render not only the world’s machinery but also the world’s computers inoperative? While I freely confess that this is all mere speculation on my part, it’s certainly something to think about.

If it does happen, I suspect (and again I’m not presenting any of this as indisputable fact) that it will not take place until after the man the Bible calls the Antichrist has instituted his worldwide identification program known as “the mark of the Beast” (Revelation 13:16-18). That will take place at the midway point of the coming seven-year tribulation period. Students of prophecy puzzled for centuries as to how the Antichrist would be able to pull off such a worldwide program, but now, with computers having the power to store oceans of data and give us a cashless society, the puzzle is solved. Therefore, I’m guessing that all our machinery and computer technology will still be up and running at the halfway point of the tribulation period.

You see, this is the kind of stuff that I think about when I use a device such as a G.P.S. I know, I know, I should just sit back and enjoy the ride, right? But give me credit for at least trying to understand how all of today’s computer wizardry factors into Bible prophecy. I may not have all the answers right, but at least I’m trying to take the test.

Posted in Bible Study, Christ's Second Coming, Coming Judgment, God's Word, Prophecy, Scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of Speaking Up

Posted on July 25, 2011 by russellmckinney

In the summer of 2011, Tonya and I loaded the boys into the Dodge Caravan and headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a vacation. Ryan was fourteen years old at the time and Royce was ten. One experience from that vacation stands out as memorable, and I’d like to use this post to share it with you.

It was our last night on the town, the Thursday night before we checked out of the hotel on Friday morning and began the long trip home. Since the boys had never experienced the attractions and stores of Myrtle Beach’s famous Ocean Boulevard, we drove up there and made a night of that whole scene. For starters, Royce went into the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure while Ryan went into the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. Next, they both went into one of the arcades and played some skeet ball. That’s the game where you roll the ball up the ramp and try to make it jump into certain holes. Some holes are worth more than others, and in the end you are awarded tickets based upon your point total. Then you take those tickets to the counter and swap them for a prize. The more tickets you have, the better prize you get.

Okay, so Ryan goes to one lane and Royce goes to another, and when Ryan finishes his game, his tickets start rolling out of the machine appropriately. But when Royce finishes his game nothing happens, even though he has accumulated enough points to earn some tickets. So now Tonya and I have a decision to make. Do we let the injustice go and chalk it up to bad luck? Or do we take the time to go tell a worker that the machine hasn’t awarded Royce the tickets he has earned? In the end, we decided to go and tell, a decision that was surely helped along by the fact that Royce was quite upset about not getting any tickets while his brother did.

After we reported the problem to the girl at the counter, she came over to the machine, gave it a quick inspection, and very politely said, “I’ll call our maintenance guy, but this will take a few minutes. Will you wait?” At this point, I was beginning to regret saying anything because there was no telling how long it might take this fellow to get there. But as the old saying goes, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” So, we agreed to wait.

Thankfully, the young man wasn’t too long in coming, and he quickly diagnosed that the machine had simply run out of tickets. He then pulled out a big roll of tickets and reloaded the machine. That’s when things got interesting. As he finished the reloading, he said, “Now get ready because whatever amount of tickets this machine should have been giving out all along is going to come out, and your boy is going to get them all.” Ever the pessimist, I thought to myself, “Sure, sure. We’re probably talking four or five extra tickets here. The thing probably ran out just before Royce played it.”

Oh, but then those tickets started rolling out. They rolled and rolled and rolled until finally they were spilling down onto the floor! My eyes lit up and so did Tonya’s, and Royce squealed in delight. Ryan, who can’t be anything but the classic older brother, just stood there green with jealousy because he had actually gotten a higher score than Royce and should have ended up with more tickets than him. On and on the scene went as the tickets continued to stream out of that machine. At one point, the worker grinned at us and reminded us, “Remember, I’m giving him all these tickets.”

So, what was that final total? We ended up with approximately 275 free tickets. To put that total into perspective, Ryan had won about ten with his game and Royce had earned even less than Ryan. Obviously, that machine had been out of tickets for a long time and a great number of kids had played it and taken their losses without reporting the problem. We ended up splitting the tickets between the boys and letting them go nuts cashing them in for multiple gifts at the counter.

And that brings me to the spiritual application of all this. It’s a simple one, really. Since God has called us Christians to be “salt” and “light” in this world, He will bless us when we take the role seriously and speak out when something is wrong. You see, He doesn’t want us to just sit back and let wrong go unchallenged. While the rest of the world seems forevermore willing to accept a status quo that is just plain ungodly, we, as Christians, should never stop trying to make that status quo better by speaking out against its ills.

Christian, could it be that you are right now in the throes of a situation that desperately needs some spiritual salt and light? Even more than that, could it be that you are the one whom God is burdening to spread that salt and provide that light? I’m really not trying to stir up trouble for you here, but the fact is that life’s skeet-ball machines don’t get fixed until someone points out the problem.

Now, will your attempt to correct a wrong situation be well received? That’s tough to answer because each situation is different. Just as surely as me speaking up that night at Myrtle Beach resulted in a pleasant outcome, the single worst experience of my entire life (and my family’s life) came as the result of me speaking up in another far more egregious situation. What you must always remember, though, is that God doesn’t hold you responsible for how your efforts are received.

Think of it this way: Once you’ve thrown out the salt and turned on the light, your job is done, and God will then reward you somehow or someway with some tickets of blessing. I can’t predict exactly what those tickets will be, any more than I can predict how others will respond to you bringing salt and light to the situation. But what I can do is assure you that God is definitely in the business of granting rewards — in this life, the afterlife, or both — to those who perform difficult assignments for Him.

Posted in Church Discipline, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, God's Work, Honesty, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Persecution, Personal, Problems, Reward, Sanctification, Service, Sin, The Tongue, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Myrtle Beach Bound

Posted on July 15, 2011 by russellmckinney

I just want to let all my readers know that I’m going to be taking a break from the blog for the next week. The family and I are going on vacation down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I would certainly appreciate you saying a prayer for our safety concerning our travels and activities. I’m not the type to see doom and gloom around every corner, but I’ve learned not to take safety for granted, either.

Perhaps the Bible’s best text on vacations is Mark 6:31, which says in the classic K.J.V.:

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while…

The renowned preacher Vance Havner said of this text, “If you don’t come apart, you will come apart – you’ll go to pieces.” Well, I won’t say that I’m on the verge of going to pieces, but I will say that my pieces are not currently as united as they have been in times past. Yes, I’m looking forward to this vacation.

Of course, parents who’ve been there know that a vacation with a fourteen-year-old and a ten-year-old is only a vacation in the loosest of terms. Tonya and I already have an itinerary of activities that we want to get accomplished at the beach, and would you believe that the list doesn’t include even one candlelight dinner or moonlight stroll? That would be a whole other vacation for a whole other time, perhaps in the year 2020. Maybe we’ll even have a flying car by then, too. That would certainly save some travel time.

Anyway, let me encourage you to use my brief hiatus from posting to explore the blog archives. At the righthand side of this page you’ll find a lengthy list of topical categories. Find a topic that interests you and click on it. You never know what I’ve written on that topic in days gone by. Trust me, I can’t even remember all the posts myself!

And, by the way, I want to take this opportunity to say a big, “Thank You” to each of you who regularly come to this site and read my stuff. Some of you have even done me the honor of subscribing to the site. You don’t know how much I appreciate your faith in me and am humbled by it. So, my plan is to keep writing, and I trust that you’ll keep reading. Just don’t look for anything new this coming week. Adios. 🙂

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“My Cross Is Too Big for Me to Bear”

Posted on July 15, 2011 by russellmckinney

A Christian woman was forced to continually deal with a ongoing problem in her life. Eventually, she faded into total self-pity. Time and time again she told people, “My cross is too big for me to bear.”

One night she dreamed that she went to heaven. In the dream, she approached Jesus and said, “Lord, my cross is too big for me to bear.” Jesus said, “I understand. Would you be willing to trade it for another one?” The woman enthusiastically answered, “Yes.” “Very well,” said Jesus, “let’s go into that room over there and find you another one.”

As the two entered the room, the woman was amazed at not only the number of crosses but how intimidating most of them were. There were big crosses, heavy crosses, twisted crosses, and even crosses with nails in them. Finally, after a good deal of searching, she saw a small, easy-looking cross standing in the corner. She looked at Jesus and said, “That’s the one for me right there. I’ll take it.” Jesus said, “Okay, but that’s the one you brought in.”

Christian, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that your problem is real. It is unpleasant, painful, and burdensome, and I wouldn’t even begin to try to explain it away for you. Furthermore, I don’t pretend to know all God’s reasons for either causing you that problem or at least allowing you to have it. That’s His realm, not mine.

But what I will do is remind you that you certainly aren’t the only person in the world who has a problem. If the crosses we bear were visible, you’d be amazed to see that everybody is carrying at least one and many people are carrying more than one. You’d also see that many of the crosses are big enough and bad enough to make you cringe.

You see, what you need is some perspective on things. In order to acquire that perspective, you’ll have to get your eyes off yourself and start noticing others. Stop talking so much about you and start listening to them. If you’ll do this, I think you’ll find that your cross isn’t nearly as unbearable as you think it is.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Complaining, Contentment, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Perseverance, Problems, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Israel & the Old Testament Law

Posted on July 14, 2011 by russellmckinney

M.R. DeHaan was a well known pastor, author, and Bible teacher. He spoke to millions each week through his Radio Bible Class radio ministry. In his Studies in Galatians commentary, he offers a wonderful illustration to explain why God gave His law exclusively to Israel and not to the Gentile nations of the world. Here’s the illustration:

Imagine a man moving from Cuba to Canada. In Cuba he raised bananas successfully. He leases a tract of land in Canada and tells his landlord he is going to raise bananas. The landlord objects and says, “It cannot be done here,” and the argument waxes hotter and hotter as one insists it can be done and the other KNOWS it cannot be done.

Finally there is nothing left to do but permit the misguided farmer from Cuba to try it out. The boss helps him to make everything available for a good test, knowing beforehand it will not work. Now the whole farm of 640 acres is not planted, but only the most adaptable and naturally likely spot is chosen, say ten acres in the lee of a mountain, on the south exposure where the soil is best. It is fertilized and thoroughly worked, the best of plants are procured, and all that summer the most meticulous care is bestowed upon the banana plants.

But in late August comes a frost and the crop is a failure. They try it another year with the same result. And another, and another, and still another year, and always a frost and a failure. Now suppose they have tried it for FIFTEEN HUNDRED SEASONS. The owner finally says, “Now are you convinced?”

No more testing is needed. By this experiment on the most likely soil under the most ideal conditions in all Canada it is proven that bananas WILL NOT GROW ANYWHERE IN CANADA. He has proven, not only that bananas cannot be grown on that particular ten acres, but NOWHERE ELSE IN CANADA, where the conditions are not even as good as they were here.

Israel thought that they could keep the law. No amount of dealing with them could convince them of the greatness of their sin. So God gave them a law; a perfect law, a holy law, a just law. Then He planted them in a sheltered land, drove out the enemies for them. He sent them godly priests and prophets and kings. He gave them a ritual and the oracles and a perfect law and said, “Now see what you can do.”

Under the most promising circumstances and blessings which no other nation ever enjoyed, He left them for fifteen hundred years under the law, but – NO BANANAS. God has now proven that NO ONE can be saved by the law, since the experiment of Israel under the most blessed and salutary conditions failed utterly and completely.

Now, what you need to understand is that the body of law that God gave to Israel was the absolute pinnacle of what could be described as “living by good works.” Putting it another way, if any human being could ever truly live a life “good” enough to earn salvation, it would be by way of keeping the Old Testament law to perfection. But, alas, God’s great experiment with Israel has now proven once and for all what He already knew about us: No one can keep God’s law perfectly and thereby earn salvation as a reward.

And that’s where we get all of the Bible verses that speak to this subject. Here are a few of them (all from the N.K.J.V.):

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law… (John 7:19)

…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

So, in the end, if you think that your works are “good” enough to get you into heaven when you die, believe me when I say that you are wrong, wrong, wrong. You’re just like the stubborn farmer who kept trying to grow bananas in Canada. You might as well give up because what you are trying to do is impossible. The only way for you to see the inside of heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Allow His death on the cross to serve as the payment for all the sins of your life, and eternally stand in the complete forgiveness that is only found in Him.

Posted in Belief, Christ's Death, Eternity, Forgiveness, God's Holiness, Good Works, Heaven, Salvation, Sin, The Gospel, The Old Testament Law | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Harold & Ella Mae

Posted on July 13, 2011 by russellmckinney

Harold and Ella Mae were sitting on the front porch swing. Harold said, “Ella Mae, I wish I had the arms of the strongest man in the world. That way I could hold you like you ought to be held.” Ella Mae just blushed.

Then Harold said, “And I wish I had the voice of the world’s greatest orator. That way I could properly tell you how much I love you.” Ella Mae just smiled.

Then Harold said, “And I wish I had the softest lips any man could have. That way I could kiss you as tenderly as I want to kiss you.” At that point, Ella Mae giggled, moved in close to him, and said, “Harold, why don’t you just use what you’ve got?”

I had only been preaching for a few years when I was asked to preach a revival at a certain church. I went, did my best, and actually thought I had done a fairly decent job of filling the pulpit each night. But that church had one member who was a proponent of a style of preaching different from my own. Whereas I have always been more of a teaching preacher, this man liked “fire” in the pulpit. He thought my sermons needed more emotion, more attitude, and more VOLUME.

So one night, toward the conclusion of the service, this fellow stood up in the congregation and tried to offer me some encouragement. He said, “One of these days Russell is going to cut loose, and I hope I’m there to see it.” Well, that’s been many years ago now and I have to say that I still haven’t “cut loose.” And as for that well-meaning Christian, he died and went home to be with the Lord several years ago.

Immediately following that revival night all those years ago, I had a couple of folks come to me and express how angry they were over the man’s remark. Honestly, though, they were more upset than I was. I knew the deal. That guy was simply wired differently than me. It didn’t make him right and me wrong any more than it made me right and him wrong. It was just the difference in people. In the years since, I’ve met other people with his same mindset, but I’ve also met many others who enjoy hearing me preach and think my style is the correct one. That’s why I don’t fall to pieces when I don’t ring someone’s bell as a preacher. It’s also why I don’t try to be someone I’m not in some feeble attempt to suit someone else.

But why am I telling you all this? I’m doing it to help you understand, Christian, that God will never ask you to forfeit your individuality in order to serve Him. To the contrary, He knows how to use your individuality to reach people that other Christians can’t reach. So, Harold, stop pining away for spiritual gifts, natural talents, and developed abilities that you don’t have, and start using what you’ve got. Remember, there’s an Ella Mae out there somewhere who just wants you to be yourself.

Posted in God's Work, Humor, Individuality, Ministry, Personal, Preaching, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Talents | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Peter, Don’t Try to Be Paul

Posted on July 12, 2011 by russellmckinney

Have you ever read a passage that was written by the apostle Paul and thought, “That’s too hard for me to understand”? My guess is that most of us have been there. Even the apostle Peter sometimes had trouble with the depths of Paul’s intellect. Don’t believe me? Check out Peter’s words from 2 Peter 3:14-16:

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do the rest of the Scriptures. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Notice please that even though Peter readily admitted that some of Paul’s writings were hard to understand, he also praised those writings. Despite the fact that Peter was an unlearned fisherman and Paul was a scholarly theologian, there was no rivalry between the two. Each man sincerely appreciated the other one’s ministry.

You see, the world needs what both Peter and Paul have to offer. A Peter can reach people that a Paul can’t, just as a Paul can reach people that a Peter can’t. Since God doesn’t use a cookie-cutter when He creates people, we should never confine ministry to one particular type of Christian. That’s why I can report with such confidence that if you are a Christian and you are breathing, God can use you in His service.

It’s been said that when a preacher tries to imitate another preacher, the pulpit stands empty. For one thing, the preacher being imitated isn’t there because no matter how close the mimicking is, no man can perfectly duplicate another. And then for another thing, the man who is actually standing in the pulpit isn’t truly there because he has forfeited his individuality by trying to be someone else.

Never forget, Christian, that individuality is a good thing. My spiritual gifts and talents aren’t yours, and yours aren’t mine, but the Lord knows how to use them all in His service. So, just be yourself when it comes to serving Christ and trust that how He has gifted you and talented you will be more than enough for you to get the job done.

Posted in Doing Good, God's Work, Individuality, Ministry, Preaching, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Talents | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment