Andrew Golden's Blog, page 28

All In

Luke 9:61-62

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Are you all in? Are you only looking toward Jesus? Are you doing everything you can to stay away from sin or are you serving God on Sunday and then right back in sin on Monday? You need to be all in. You need to be at a point of standing only in Christ. You need to be ready. It’s like bungee jumping. You can stand on the ledge for a long time but eventually you have to make the choice to walk away or jump. Once you jump there is no turning back. Stop trying to turn back to sin while serving God. Because it is all or nothing. You decide.

Laziness Causes More Work

Proverbs 19:15

15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger

Today I learned the hard way of what being slothful, lazy, costs you. I went to do yard work, which I have neglected. What should have been only taken an hour took me several hours. It was hot and I kept thinking if I had only kept this up every week I would already be done. Then it occurred to me that is Christians. They neglect praying and seeking God. They don’t study like they should. However, whenever trouble times hit, they pray but first they have to get back close to God. They study scripture for help, when they should have already known the word. They have to work twice as hard to get back to where they need to be. I know I will never be lazy with yard work again, but most importantly I will never be lazy with my relationship with God.

Like A Dead Tree

Matthew 7:19

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

We have several rose bushes down our drive. They always bloom and look amazing. Then this year one of them did not want to grow. No matter what I did it wouldn’t grow back. So one day I dug it up by the roots and replaced it with a new one that instantly took root and begin to blossom. Many churches are becoming like that dead rose bush. They are not bringing forth fruit, or flowers in my case, and are dieing out. They are not even trying. The pastors stand up and preach whatever gets money placed in an offering plate. Money in that plate is not brining forth fruit. Neither is a church that never brings in new members and is actually losing members. However, if God intends for a church to be there it will happen. It just may not be the one currently there. He will dig them up and start over. Men and women of God, do not fall into a routine to where your church dries up and if hewn down. Maybe you have a great pastor, but the member are not supporting him in his preaching. Support him. Invite people to church. Brag on your church, if it is a good one following the bible. Keep producing fruit so our churches can live.

Stand Still And Take A Breath

Job 37:14

Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Micah 7:7

Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

This morning while driving to work I was thinking about everything going on this past week. We had spent one night at the emergency room with my oldest, respiratory viruses hit someone with heart problem hard.  The next day at the pediatrician with both of them, because our one year old had gotten sick, no it wasn’t covid. All kept thinking was what to do next when something hit me, stand still and take a breath. Stop worrying about what might come and just listen for God. So, I took a deep breath and let the stillness calm me. I was so worried about what might happen. I was worried about what if they get sick again, which they definitely will, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. So why stress about it. Why stress about what could happen, when God is in control. It is like that with all of us at time. Christians will worry about what if my vehicle breaks down, what if my kids get sick, what if a surprise bill arrives, or what if the whole world blows up in chaos. We worry about everything when all we have to do is stop, take a breath, and listen and watch as God take control. Your vehicle may break down, and God send a mechanic to fix it. Your kid is going to get sick, but God can use it to show a miracle. You can get an unsuspected bill, but God put a coin in the mouth of a fish he can do the same for you. If the world descends into chaos, God is still in control to protect you and your family. Stop worrying and trying to figure out how to fix things, just stand still and say okay God I am waiting.

Raise Them With Morals

Proverbs19:18 
18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Titus 2:4
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children

Mothers and fathers it is time to be an example. In today’s time parents are not doing their part. Fathers, we need to teach our sons to respect their elders. They have to know that there is consequences for their actions. Teaching them it is okay to smart off is not okay. Mothers teach your daughter how to dress and act modest. Do not teach her that it is okay to show off her body to attrack a guy. You are supposed to teach them how to look and pray for a good godly man. It is time to stop letting your responsibilities slide so you look like the cool parents. Be the parent that focuses on raising a good person with godly morals.

Don’t Be A Know It All

Proverbs 26:12

12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

As a preacher we should know everything, right? If you believe that let me explain something. We do not know everything. We do not know the secrets of the universe. We do not know every word written in the Bible. What we do know, if we are following God, is that Christ died for our sins. We know how to pray and study. We know how to hit our knees to pray for ourselves and others. These men and women who act like they know everything need to humble themselves down. Don’t be foolish to think you know it all. Someone may come along and show you scripture that contradicts everything you are saying. How will you handle it then. I hope you are humble enough to admit when you are wrong and not be a fool and try to prove you are right.

Why Did He Save You?

2 Corinthians 1:9-10

9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

We all must recognize that before the coming of Christ we had a death sentence on our head. We were not worth saving, but God saw more in us. He used his own son to collect the debt. So the question I have for you, is what did God see in you? What purpose does he have for you? God saw you worthy enough to pay your debt. He saw something in you to call you to him. I encourage you to find that purpose. Seek out God and find your purpose in him.

Have An Umbrella

Ezekiel 38:7

7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Emergencies come when we least expect them. They hit us out of nowhere and then we step back and ask God why he didn’t prepare us. However, he gave us time to prepare. When we had extra money, instead of putting some back we spent it. When we have extra food, we make ourselves sick from eating to much. We have all the time to prepare for a rainy day, but we never put back to be prepared. Start thinking God for the extra he gives you and start preparing for the rainy day.

Love And Marriage

Ephesians 5:33

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Men, how much do you love your wives? Would you give them your food while you go hungry? If they are tired, would you do thier house work so they can rest? How much do you truly love them? On the same note, do you women as the men’s wives show reverence, respect, to your husband? It’s not just the man or woman’s job to keep a marriage together. Men are supposed to love their wives, protect their homes when trouble comes knocking, do the hard work, and pamper their wives. If they do these they, stand a chance of reverence. Women if you want men to show you love then stop trying to be the man of the house. Stop barking orders at him, stop acting like he has to buy you everything that you want, stop trying to rule your house, and learn to accept that God made him stronger for a reason. He is the one will be defending your house when intruders come. Men that does not mean you rule your house with an iron fist. It means you are the protector. So men and women read the Bible and learn how a marriage fits together as God intended it and not what the world tells you it should be.

Family

Matthew 12:50

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Is the people that go to your church the only ones you claim are your family in Christ? If you say yes, you are wrong. If we are in the will of God, we are all family. We adopted into the royal family of God. Don’t look at other churches and think that they are not your family because the one who are truly serving God are. They are the brother and sister of Christ. When a Christian visits other churches, they should feel like they are visiting family. It is time we realize we are all family of God.