GRINDIT podcast

Jesus has just told the disciples that they do not want to be the ones who cause a person to fall into sin, to not be a stumbling block. He said it would be better to have a millstone tied around a person’s neck and be thrown into the sea and drown than to cause someone to fall into sin. And the first thing that comes from their mouth is, “Increase our faith.” This tells us two things: 1) They have faith; 2) They want to have greater faith! It was easy for the disciples to have faith in Jesus. They were handpicked by him, they lived with him for three years, they saw his miracles and heard his teachings, etc. but even with all of that, they still doubted him at times. We are just like them yet, we have it a little harder than they did and by that I mean we don’t have Jesus standing next to us, we can’t reach out and touch him so it makes it a little harder for us to have faith. But without faith, it is impossible to please God. So let’s talk about how to get faith and talk about some ways to grow our faith!

Jesus has told his disciples that people are going to sin. The thing about sin is that sin doesn’t just affect the person who sinned, it affects a multitude of people. Depending on the sin, it causes a lot of deep hurt, pain, anguish, anxiety, and depression. If you have been hurt by someone deeply, then you know exactly what I am talking about! And perhaps that person is continuing to pour gas on the fire and continues to sin against you. Jesus tells his disciples, and us, we have to forgive. It is not an option and the reason why is he has forgiven us of our sin. I explain this is detail in this podcast. I didn’t say it is easy, but Jesus did say it is necessary if we want to be forgiven. What is forgiveness? Does it mean we forget what they did? Absolutely not! Does God forget what we did? Nope! He knows every single detail about our past and our future. Jesus said God knows every sparrow that falls to the earth so no, He doesn’t forget our sins. What God does, however, is forgive our sins meaning He doesn’t hold us accountable for the sin we have committed. We deserve punishment, we deserve hell, but Jesus appeased the wrath of God when he died on the cross so we get to enjoy the benefits of and blessings of knowing Jesus, that is, if we have made him our Lord and Savior…and…if we forgive those who have sinned against us!

Jesus tells his disciples “Temptations will always come but sorrow awaits the one who does the tempting!” In the last podcast we talked about what temptation is and where it comes from. In this podcast, we look at the what sin is and the dangers of sin. Sin separates us from God and our whole goal is to be closer to God. If we choose sin then we choose to be separated from God! However, the good news is, if we have made Jesus our Lord and Savior and are striving to be like him on a daily basis, then we have an advocate with the Father that pleads our case and our sin is forgiven when we confess it and turn back to him. Bur knowing the dangers of sin, Jesus says that we don’t want to be the one who tempts others to sin. In fact, he says it would be better if we took a millstone, a very heavy rock, tied it around our neck, and drown in the sea! Why so drastic? Because we are to lead people TO God, not AWAY from God. If we are causing people to stumble in sin, then we aren’t showing the love, the heart of God and that is our purpose! Love like Jesus so you don’t have to wear a millstone necklace…

“Temptations will always come” That’s what Jesus says to start Luke 17 when talking to his disciples. What is temptation and where did is come from? Our goal is to keep our eyes on Jesus and live a life that is pleasing to God. We want to get to heaven when we pass from this temporary life we live into our eternal life. There is someone that will do anything he can to distract us from our goal, he throws things in our path to try and get our attention so our focus will get off of God, and onto something else because if we lose focus, he can work his game and Satan, which means “opposition”, is good at his game! We see it in the Garden of Eden when he got man to lose focus and sin, he got Peter get his focus on the goal when he denied he even knew Jesus, and if we aren’t careful, he will get our attention and we too, will lose focus! And he knows what we like and what will get our attention. Take assessment of your life and make sure you are on track and that you haven’t veered to the right or the left! As the saying goes, “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself”!

Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor man who sat at the gate of the rich man just wishing he could could have some scraps to eat from the rich man's table yet he was ignored on a daily basis. The only attention Lazarus received was from the local dogs who would come and lick his sores. Both Lazarus, and the rich man, die and Jesus tells how the tables were turned for eternity. Lazarus can be seen sitting with Abraham eating a delicious meal while the rich man is in tormenting flames, and he is the one now begging Lazarus. He is begging Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and put a few drops on his tongue to quench the heat. I believe Jesus told this parable because of the Pharisees that heard it and how they are the ones represented by the rich man who ignored the needs of the poor around them. And because they took advantage of the assets God had blessed them with and used them for their own personal gain, they will be paying the price for eternity unless they repent. Listen...hell is real. You can choose to believe that or not...it doesn't change the fact that hell is exists and if we continue to reject Christ and live for ourselves, like the 'Pharisees, we will spend eternity there with them in everlasting torment, wishing we could have someone drip some water on our tongues to quench the heat, wishing we had listened and been obedient, wishing that someone would help us escape the torture, but that will never happen. Don't choose hell...choose Jesus!

Luke 16 is the third chapter that Jesus is talking with his disciples about the Pharisees. This was all set up in chapter 14 when Jesus was invited to eat a meal at the home of a Pharisee and he sees them jockeying for the highest place of honor at the dinner table. From that moment he tries to teach them and his disciples what the heart of God is really like. Chapter 16 starts with the parable of the shrewd manager. This guy was hired by a rich man to manage all of his stuff but instead he wasted it. He was stealing from the rich man as well as being dishonest to his customers. The rich man realizes what is happening so he tells the manager to get his report ready, which is accountability, and tells him he is about to be fired. The Pharisees did exactly this; they misused the resources God blessed them with. They were supposed to be the examples of God to the people but they were actually the opposite so Jesus tells his disciples to be faithful in the little things as well as be trustworthy. What about us? Are we faithful with resources God has given us to use for His kingdom? Are we trustworthy?

Right there with the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin is the parable of the prodigal son. It is one of the most misused parables because, in context, it's really about the older brother and how they represent the Pharisees who are mad over the people Jesus in ministering to. The context for this parable as well as the other parables Jesus tells in Luke 14-16 is set up in Luke 14 when Jesus was invited to a Pharisee's house and he wants to get them to understand how they have blown their responsibilities as the religious leaders that were to be the example of God to the people. They were shunning the very people they were to be ministering to and would have nothing to do with them because they thought they were better and above them. Jesus used the brother who squandered everything to show the heart of the Father and the brother who stayed at home to show the heart of the Pharisees. Which are you?

Luke 15 starts off with the Pharisees questioning Jesus about the people he hangs out with. They believe if he were really God, then he would know what kind of people they are and he would never be hanging out with them. So Jesus is going to give them three parables that tell the Pharisees what his mission is, to seek and save the lost. The lost being those who know they are sinners, who need God, and want to serve him whole heartedly. Jesus wants these Pharisees to know what the heart of God is really about. So he uses the examples of sheep, coins, and people to get his point across.

In this interview with my teenage daughter, we talk about her battle with anxiety, depression, and some things she does that help her cope with it. We hope that you will find encouragement from her interview if you struggle with anxiety and depression.

Over the last two years the suicide rate has increased significantly which also means many friends and loved ones suffered broken hearts and are left with many unanswered questions. Young people to older adults have lost hope and made the decision to give up on life. Why? This is probably the biggest question that never gets answered? Feelings of abandonment to anger overtakes the ones left behind as they try to put the pieces of the past together to try and figure out why their friend or loved one took their own life. Anxiety and depression are things that people do not understand and for many they think that the person ought to just get over whatever it is that is bothering them and get on with their life. It's not that easy and for this episode of the GRINDIT Podcast I talk about my personal experience with suicide and some scriptures that help me deal with it on a daily basis. If you are experiencing anxiety and depression and you feel as though you are going to harm yourself, please seek help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; call a friend, a family member, etc but please seek help!