Category Archives: Christian Living

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Unsolicited Advice

Proceed With Caution

SYNOPSIS: When it comes to dispensing advice, proceed with caution. Don’t rush to “counsel” people when you haven’t been invited into their lives. The truth is, some people are neither ready to receive your input. Your recommendations, even though well-intentioned, will fall on deaf ears, or worse yet, be seen as intrusive. If you’re one of those who just can’t seem to keep your opinion to yourself, Hannah Whitehall Smith offers this wise counsel: “The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.”

Unsolicited Advice

Moments With God // Proverbs 9:7-8

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Some people in this world have an irresistible urge to give unsolicited advice. Sometimes the advice is good and helpful to the person on the receiving end of it, but it usually falls into the it’s-none-of-your-business category. If you are one of those who just can’t seem to keep your opinion to yourself, Solomon has some great advice here in Proverbs 9,

“If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face; confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins. So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different—they’ll love you for it!

Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it. (Proverbs 9:7-9, The Message)

In other words, when it comes to dispensing advice, proceed with caution. Don’t rush to counsel or admonish people when you haven’t been invited into their lives. The truth is, there are some people who are neither ready to receive your input nor willing to follow your suggestions. Your recommendations and challenges to them, even though well-intentioned, will fall on deaf ears, or worse yet, be seen as intrusive.

The counsel my father often gave to me paralleled Solomon’s was, “Son, don’t go sticking your nose into others people’s business.” That turned out to be pretty good advice. When I’ve heeded that advice, I’ve never regretted it. When I’ve ignored it and pushed my way into business that was not my own, I’ve regretted it as a foolish and unnecessarily painful act.

So what is Solomon proposing? That we just sit back and let people mess up their lives without saying a word? Doesn’t love demand that we sometimes confront, even when we know it won’t be well-received? What is God’s wisdom for us in this matter?

The Bible does teach us that we need to be ready to speak truth into the lives of people God has caused to cross our paths. We have been called to encourage, exhort, challenge, admonish, rebuke, instruct and hold people accountable for their actions. That is the assignment we are sometimes given, and if we want to have the best shot at speaking difficult truth to those who need to hear what we have to say, consider the following checklist for difficult conversations:

  • Know your target
  • Be careful with your timing
  • Pay attention to your limits
  • Check your own motives
  • Speak out of authentic love

If any one of those indicator lights is blinking red, pull up! If it’s all systems go, then bring your advice in for landing. And one more thing: good luck!

Take A Moment: Think back to a time when someone spoke a difficult and necessary word into your life. Take a moment to write them a note of thanks—it was probably pretty hard on them, too.

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Missions Multiplies Your Influence

Understanding How You Can Get On Mission With God

For decades, it’s been reasoned that having a corporate or a personal mission statement is critical to success. But for the Christ-follower or the Christian organization, nothing could be further from the truth. We shouldn’t be asking “what’s my mission,” but what’s God’s mission, and how can I get on mission with God.

Missions Multiplies Your Influence

And just what is God’s mission? Nothing less than his glorious rule over a redeemed creation. That means our mission is to proclaim God’s free offer of saving grace through his Son to lost people near and far, inviting them into his loving rule. Especially people who’ve never heard the Good News—the unreached—because where a person is born shouldn’t limit their access to Jesus.

So if we’re to live on mission, then getting the Good News to the unreached must become a driving conviction. I say “driving conviction” because our sin nature is self-focused. We do our best to avoid the determination and discomfort that being missional requires. But when you think about it, being on missions with God is actually self-serving.

You see, missions is the best way to get what you, me, and everybody desires: impact. You best multiply your life impact by being missional.

Your greatest impact will be wherever you do missions.

When you PRAY, GIVE, and GO missionally—to Asia, Africa, South America—people’s response to Christ in those places is your influence over there.

In a real sense, missions is simply you exporting your spiritual DNA to people afar.

The Apostle Paul described it that way when he spoke of the Galatian church he planted in Galatians 4:19,

“I feel as if I’m in labor pains for you…and they’ll continue until Christ is fully formed in you.”

The church in Galatia had Paul’s spiritual DNA! Linda and I came into that revelation a few years ago when we personally sponsored a church planter in Uganda. Watch the video below to hear the full story!

Do you want to live a life of eternal impact? Then live on mission.

Through your praying for, giving to, and going on mission, people will receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus. And throughout eternity, they will thank you for being the conduit of God’s amazing grace to them.

Your missional impact now will yield ever-increasing eternal return on investment.

Friends, this is how you can change the world and impact souls for all eternity.

Learn how you can make an eternal investment today at petrosnetwork.org.

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Nobody’s Fool

The Source of Real Life

SYNOPSIS: Nobody sets out in life to be a fool. No kid ever says, “You know, when I grow up, I want to be an idiot!” As far as I know, there has never been a college student who majored in stupidity (although some parents may wonder). We are just not geared that way. That’s why there’s a booming market for self-help books and personal coaching and success seminars. But wisdom doesn’t reside in do-it-yourself manuals or personal coaching programs or in the classroom or in the university library. The true book of wisdom, the Bible, says wisdom starts with “the fear of the Lord” — a recognition that wisdom comes from God. He is true wisdom, the source of all wisdom, and will give wisdom to all who fear him: “For the Lord gives wisdom.” (Proverbs 2:6) You’d be nobody’s fool to ask God today to give you some of it!

Fear of the Lord

Moments With God // Proverbs 8:1, 5

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? … You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.

Nobody sets out in life to be a fool. No kid ever says, “You know, when I grow up, I want to be an idiot!” As far as I know, there has never been a college student who majored in stupidity (although some parents may wonder).

We are just not geared that way. Have you noticed the booming market for self-help books and personal coaching? Just about everybody wants to improve their lot in life and will spend countless hours and untold dollars to educate themselves to have a better shot at successful living.

But wisdom doesn’t reside in do-it-yourself manuals or personal coaching programs. Wisdom isn’t even found in the classroom or in the university library. The true book of wisdom, the Bible, says that wisdom starts with “the fear of the Lord.” That is the key. Solomon says the beginning of the process for gaining knowledge, living wisely, and being successful begins with fearing God.

So just what does that mean? Well, what it doesn’t mean is to huddle in the corner in abject terror of the Almighty. Only those who have no relationship with God do that. Only those who have a jaded or limited view of God live in that kind of fear. Only those who are, in fact, enemies of God, are the ones who rightly cower in terror.

The fear that Solomon as scripture defines it simply means loving reverence for God. It refers to the respect that manifests itself in submission to God’s will, obedience to God’s Word, awe of God’s great power, and love for who God is. That is what it means to fear the Lord. That kind of healthy fear:

  • Leads us to grow in knowledge—the absorption of God’s Word.
  • Keeps us from living as a fool—one who is morally deficient and lives with no regard for God.
  • Allows us to develop wisdom—the correct application of Biblical truth.
  • Causes us to appreciate discipline—that which moves us to say no to temporal pleasures and immediate gratification in order to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

And the fear of the Lord leads to life itself. That’s what Proverbs 8:35 says,

For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.

Do you desire to be a wise person? Understand, then, that the attainment of wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. And the fear of the Lord recognizes that wisdom comes from God. God is true wisdom and the source of all wisdom. And God will give wisdom to all who fear him. Proverbs 2:6 says,

For the Lord gives wisdom.

So, why not ask him today for some of it!

Take A Moment: Commit Proverbs 8:35-36 to memory: “For whoever finds Wisdom finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”

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At Your Most Christ-like

Serve Your Way To Greatness

SYNOPSIS: If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you will have to think, do and live as Jesus thought, did, and lived—not the least of which is to take on the attitude, exhibit the actions, and live the lifestyle of a servant. By the way, serving is the purpose for which God created you: “You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.” (Eph 2:10) Like a fish swims and a bird flies, a Christian serves—and that means you!

At Your Most Christ-Like

Moments With God // John 13:14

Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you will have to think, do and live like Jesus thought, did and lived—not the least of which is to take on the attitude, exhibit the actions, and live the lifestyle of a servant. Yes—you will have to serve as Jesus served!

Serving is what Jesus did because servanthood was at the very core of who Jesus was and why Jesus came. The Gospel of Mark, the first written biographical account of Jesus, sums up the life and ministry of Jesus with this simple, clear and compelling mission statement:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Fleshing out this mission statement, John 13 presents the servanthood of Jesus in action in the most unusual and unforgettable way: He washed his disciples’ feet. Then, as he completed this humbling task, he said to them, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, NLT)

It is abundantly clear from this passage, along with other scripture, that serving is an unmistakable, unavoidable demand of discipleship. Not only is serving a demand, but when we look at Jesus’ example, we find that serving is also a delight. It is what makes us bless-able: “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT)

Think about it: Serving like Jesus is what puts you at your Christ-like best!

You are called to serve! Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-7, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God…took on the very nature of a servant.” Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another in love.” If you are serving, you are fulfilling your basic Christian calling. If you are not, then you are not!

You were created to serve! Like a fish swims and a bird flies, a Christian serves. Ephesians 2:20 states, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Before you were even conceived, God laid out specific plans just for you. You are not an after-thought; you do not just exist; you are on this earth not just to be a potted plant, you were born not just to consume, but to contribute. God deliberately shaped you to serve his purposes, which means that he has placed an important responsibility on your shoulders that only you can fulfill.

You contribute to the Body of Christ when you serve! God specifically created you, converted you, and called you to contribute to the life, health, and mission of a local church. Paul taught in I Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Verse 12 says, “The body is a unit, though it’s made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” Verse 18 says, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” Why? Verse 7 tells us it is “for the common good.” 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Perhaps you didn’t realize this, but serving in your church is the primary means of other people receiving God’s grace.

You capture the world’s attention when you serve! Our humble, authentic acts of service put God in a good light. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16, NLT) Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples: that you love for one another.” It’s by authentic servanthood that you become living proof of a loving God.

Jesus ended the washing of his disciples’ feet by issuing this very simple challenge: Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT) It doesn’t get any clearer than that!

Take A Moment: I have one simple question for you: Where are you serving?

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The Shortest Route To Spiritual Perfection

The Path Is the Word of God

SYNOPSIS: I know of no other road to the kind of wisdom that Proverbs promises, no other route to spiritual perfection, no other path to a thriving Christianity, and no other spiritual discipline that will lead you to a God-pleasing life than by centering your life on God’s Word — reading, meditating, journaling, praying, then obeying the Scriptures. Nothing will contribute to your growth, health, and success in every area of life as a believer than that. It is this simple, my friend—not easy, but simple.

The Shortest Route To Spiritual Perfection

Moments With God // Proverbs 7:1-4

Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.

In the first ten chapters of Proverbs, Solomon, the primary author of this amazing book, uses a literary technique by which he personifies wisdom as a woman. This woman, we might call her Lady Wisdom, calls out to a young man, who represents us, offering insights that will keep him from foolish decisions that will train wreck his life. Obviously, Lady Wisdom is God’s call to you and me to invest our highest and best energies in that which will enable us to lead a good life—one that is successful, satisfying, and most of all, pleasing to him.

Now that sounds like a huge task—and in many ways, it is—but the path to that kind of life, let’s call it spiritual perfection, is quite straightforward. And it is a way of the Word of God, where those who make the journey will grow in their knowledge of and obedience to God’s revealed truth. A.W. Tozer said it this way:

The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.

I know of no other path to the kind of Wisdom that Solomon talks about, no other path to spiritual perfection, no other path to becoming a whole Christian, and no other spiritual discipline that will lead us down that path to a God-pleasing life than by centering our lives in God’s Word—reading, meditating, journaling, praying the Scriptures. Nothing will contribute to your growth, health, and success in every area of life as a believer than that.

It is this simple, my friend—not easy, but simple. If you want to mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and in general, live in the blessing zone of God’s favor, you’ve got to be in God’s Holy Word on a regular, if not daily, basis. Here is how King David said it in the very first Psalm:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.

That’s the kind of life I want! How about you?

Take A Moment: As you read the Word of God, Ray E. Baughman, who wrote The Abundant Life, suggested the following method to help you apply the Scripture. From the passage read, apply the SPECS method by asking yourself these questions:

Sins to forsake?
Promises to claim?
Examples to follow?
Commands to obey?
Stumbling blocks or errors to avoid?

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Adult Beverages

It’s Always Better to Follow Christ than Culture

SYNOPSIS: It used to be, not more than a mere generation ago, that “thou shalt not drink alcohol” along with a few other inviolable “shalt not’s” was on a corollary set of Ten Commandments that my family and most other families in our brand of Christianity fiercely observed. These days it has gone so far the other way that you may be handed a brewski when you show up for your small group Bible study. Praise the Lord and pass the Coors Light!

New Article: Adult Beverages

Moments With God // Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

So who’s right: our tee-totaling grandparents or the beer-swilling hipster Christians of this present generation?

How about somewhere right down the middle. In my humble opinion, the Bible doesn’t condemn the moderate consumption and enjoyment of alcohol (I read somewhere that Jesus once turned water into the best wine ever tasted by man), but it does give us some pretty clear guidance on the matter:

  • It comes down pretty hard on those who use alcohol in a way that leads to drunkenness: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18)
  • It issues a clear admonition against alcohol’s mind-altering effects: “Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. Don’t let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when sober. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And afterward, you will say, ‘I didn’t even know it when they beat me up…Let’s go and have another drink!’” (Prov. 23:29-35)
  • It strongly warns again the false bravado and the negative personality change often associated with drinking: “Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome—a staggering drunk is not much fun.” (Prov. 20:1)
  • It prohibits the believer’s use of alcohol when it causes another believer to struggle in their faith: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Cor. 8:9)

As it relates to whether you should drink “adult beverages” or not, I would simply suggest that you consider the following:

First, consult what the “whole counsel of Scripture” has to say about drink, drinking, and drunkenness. There’s a lot there, by the way. When it comes to alcohol or any other questionable issue, let Scripture interpret Scripture as you form a Biblical opinion on the matter at hand.

Second, as a New Testament believer you have been set free from a long list of religious do’s and don’t’s. So don’t let any legalist draw you back into spiritual bondage. On the other hand, however, remember that just because God permits something doesn’t mean he will bless it.

Third, whenever there is an occasion where you will be offered a drink, ask yourself, “what would Jesus do in this situation?” Seriously, WWJD? I know that might sound hackneyed, but I truly believe it would be a good way to approach this whole matter.

Fourth, there is probably a very good reason why no one ever has said, “beer makes me a better Christian.” Nor has any ever said, “that guy’s drinking habits makes me want to follow Christ.” Maybe for that reason alone—for the health of our discipleship and our Christian witness—we ought to step away from the tap. Just saying!

But whether you and I agree on this matter or not, how about we extend each other a little grace? Or a lot!

Take A Moment: Develop your own theology of strong drink. Go through the Bible and read every passage that teaches about the consumption of alcohol, and write out a position statement summarizing your understanding of what God says about the matter. Then, if you don’t mind, send it to me. I’m curious what you found.

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Identify Your Area of Selective Sluggardliness

The Danger of 9-Out-Of-10 Thinking

SYNOPSIS: When it comes to areas of personal growth in your life, perhaps you feel that you’re doing well in nine-out-of-ten areas. And that is pretty good. But that nine-out-of-ten mentality has been the undoing of so many. It’s what we might call, “selective sluggardliness”. To neglect even the little, hidden, seemingly inconsequential areas of undeveloped and unredeemed moral fiber is to commit malpractice in life’s most important work—the development of our character.

Nine out of ten thinking

Moments With God // Proverbs 6:6

You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do.

“The first and best victory is to conquer self.” That’s according to the Greek philosopher Plato. He was right, of course! Unfortunately, however, far too many people are on a serious losing streak when it comes it comes to self-mastery.

But that’s not you, right? Since you are reading this, chances are you are doing it for personal improvement, self-discipline, and spiritual growth. You have taken the time and made the effort to read and reflect on how you might better align your character with God’s design for your life. That’s not to say you are perfect, but in nine out of ten areas, you’re doing pretty well, if you don’t say so yourself.

But hold on, my friend. It’s your inattention to that tenth area that very well may be the difference between God’s abundance or wasted potential in your life, between living a life of great faith and being an also-ran in the race of life, between hearing “well done, faithful one” and depart from me, I never knew you” on that day you stand before the Almighty.

It’s that nine-out-of-ten mentality that has been the undoing of so many. It is what we might call, “selective sluggardliness”. To neglect even the little, hidden, seemingly inconsequential areas of undeveloped and unredeemed moral fiber is to commit malpractice in life’s most important work—the development of our character.

That’s why Solomon says in Proverbs 6:6 (The Message), “You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do.” What does the ant teach us?

  1. The ant needs no outside motivation—it just follows its God-given, built-in, intrinsic motivation to do what needs to be done.
  2. The ant just instinctively knows what to do—and so do you.
  3. The ant, like Nike, just does it.

Okay, you’re doing great in nine out of ten areas. Pat yourself on the back and have a party. And once you’re done, tackle that tenth area. Don’t stop until you master it. Believe me, you won’t regret it.

Take A Moment: Talk to a trusted friend about this nine-out-of-ten idea and ask him or her if they see an area of neglect in your life. Then allow them to hold you accountable for growth in that area.