Andrew Golden's Blog, page 48

Pamper Them

Ephesians 5:28-29


28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:


Today was Valentines day. Women got flowers. Thier men took them out to eat or, like me, cooked them a dinner that would make Gordon Ramsey proud. It was a day to pamper the ones who keep us on the straight and narrow. It got me thinking. Why is it that only a few days out of the year that we pamper these women? The Bible says to love them as we love our own bodies. I love myself. I feed myself and take care of myself. I know some men who pamper themselves more than they pamper their wives. Let’s be honest, we took a vowel to cherish these amazing women. They stand by us when we feel alone. They back us and urge us not to give up when we feel like throwing in the towel. They comfort us when we just cannot stand anymore. They are there more than we ever realize. Men take care of these women. It is more than just protecting them. It is more than being the provider. Love and cherish them. Send them flowers on more than just on special occasions. Cook them dinner or surprise them with a date night. Let them know you thank God for them everyday. This is what God intends for us to do. He wants us to love them as we do ourselves.

They Think They Won

Micah 7:7-8

7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

I have fallen in my life. Lost my job. I did know how the bills would be paid. God brought me back up. He used those times to teach me a lesson. I have also been in dark places. I have felt depressed. I felt all alone, but in that darkness God was there. You see the world will think it has won. That it has beating you down. It will think it has placed you in a dark cave that there is no escape. They do not know we have already planned for this. The enemies we face cannot see that we are just kneeling to catch our breath. We know our salvation is at hand. When we are drove into those dark times is when we turn to God the most and the enemy is defeated before they know it. The enemy may be rejoicing, but they will never realize we are rising up stronger than when we started.

Step Up

Exodus 18:21-23

21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace

There is an old saying, “you have to many irons in the fire.” It means that you are one person trying to do it all. Moses was this man. He was the only one to judge and lead the children of Israel. His wife’s father realized that it was to much on him. He gave him the best advice. He told him to find the God fearing men and appoint them as the judges. Many preachers are doing things on thier own these days. They have no one within thier congregation to step up and help. It is sad. They are expected to pray for people. They wake up in the middle of the night because someone needed them. They never stop. Then when service rolls around they pour thier heart into thier message. They need help. They need people to step up and become some one that others can go through. They need to be someone that the pastor can rely on. Maybe all you can do is ride with him to the hospital to pray for the sick. You don’t have to be a decon to do this. You can just be a willing soul. It is an honor to help your pastor. I encourage you to step up.

A Priest, A Levite, And A Samaritan Walk Down A Road.

Luke 10:31-35


31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

The good Samaritan is a lesson that shows that the ones that we think is the scum of the Earth can be the kindest people you ever meet. Preachers teach on how that Samaritan was the true picture of giving Christ wanted us to be, but for some reason they never want to bring up the priest and the Levite that passed by. These two crossed the road to get away from the man. I guess they were like some preachers are today. They want to preach the message of compassion and giving but when the drunk stumbles through the door they and thier congregation have actions that say otherwise. They have become the Levite and priest who would rather act like they saw nothing so they did not have to help. Why have we become that way? Jesus himself said to be more like the Samaritan who the Jews looked at as dogs. He did not care about who the man was, his past, nor what actions led him to this point. He only cared about helping. Stop being like the first two and become the good Samaritan.

The Bears Came

2 Kings 2:23-24

23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

This is a perfect story of why you do not, and should never make fun of someone. Children mocked Elisha for being bald and then were eaten. It’s a harsh story, but it is biblical lesson we all need to learn. I have heard many make fun of people over wieght, clothes, and looks. We watch people walk up and before we even speak to them we are already judging and mocking them. Then when more people are around we no longer just think it we say it. It is wrong. If it caused no harm, then God would not have sent the bears after the ones mocking Elisha. That shows he does not care much for it. You never know the person may be trying to lose weight. They may not be able to afford the more expensive clothes or just like the way the cheaper clothes feel. Thier looks is how God made them and to make fun of that is making fun of God’s work. We have to stop mocking and making fun of people before God sends the bears.

Clean Hands

Ezekiel 3:26

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

A while back I asked an older preacher, “How do you tell someone something is wrong knowing that you are going to hurt their feelings?”
His answer was simple, “I do it because if I don’t, there blood is on my hands.”
Now I see exactly what he meant. God made it clear to the profit. We are supposed to tell some one that their ways are wicked or their blood could be on our hands. That is a scary thought. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that. I want to stand and know I gave it all. Sometimes the sinner will not listen to our warnings. They will ignore you. If you have done exactly what God spoke to you to do, then you have nothing to fear. If you did not, then you will answer for it. That does not mean your have to scream at them and run them down. Sometimes all it take is to ask, would you do that in front of Jesus? That question can make people think. You have to try to reach them. I would rather someone get upset over me telling the truth, than to think that they are fine in their sin.

The Cross Is No Burden

Luke 9:23


23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

I do not know why but the thought of carrying our cross had been on my mind. Christ said we had to deny ourselves and take up our cross. To some that sounds like serving him is a burden and that we must deny our own needs. I promise you this is not what it meant. We carry our struggle with the flesh everyday. We have to deny the temptation that our flesh wants. It wants to live like they are no consequences in life, but we know there will be a day when we stand before God and answer for our sins. That is the self we must deny. We know that our spirit must overcome the flesh. Now the cross is not a burden. The cross we pick up is the love and sorrow we have for the lost. The struggle of fighting the flesh. The ridicule we go through for living clean. We can never give up no matter how hard life becomes. Think of it like this, when Christ carried the cross he was spit at, beaten, and mocked. He never quit. He kept going. He kept going out of love for the sinner. So don’t ever look at denying yourself and taking up your cross as a burden, instead look at it as following in the footsteps of our Saviour.

Prove Yourself

Deuteronomy 8:2

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Have you ever heard of proving yourself? How do you do such a thing? You have to show that you are trust worthy and that you have what it takes. We all have had to prove ourselves on our jobs. We have had to prove ourselves to our spouses. So, why are we not proving ourselves to God? He gave the children of Israel forty years to see if they would uphold his covenant. He used it to make them realize he was in control. He still does this today. God will send trials your way. He will let you feel like your are all alone. He does this to see if you will turn to him. He wants you humble enough to admit you need him. He wants you to prove that no matter what is thrown at you, you will stand firm in your faith. Don’t get to the point to were God puts you on a forty year journey. Go ahead and prove yourself as his.

Same Old Tricks

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

I remember as a child my father would say I have been in your shoes before. I have fought your battles. I thought he was crazy. It was a different time when he was a child. Now, I am thirty I see that he was right. You see the tricks of the enemy has not changed. He may have given them new names or made them look a little different, but they are the same. His tricks have never changed. What he speaks in your ear to discourage you he spoke in the ears if the children of Israel. How he puts temptation in your face he did the same thing long ago. The sad thing is, he doesn’t have to change. His old tricks are still working. He has the young separated from the old. He has the young convinced that the older has no idea what they face. He has the older convinced that the young are just arrogant. Those of you that are young listen to the older on how to overcome battles, they have faced them. You older have patience with the young, you were once just as hard headed.

Be Sober

Titus 2:12-13

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

I have said it many time that we must walk a path of righteousness. In order to this we must first obey this verse. We have to deny the ungodly actions of man. We cannot look upon other with lust. The Bible clearly states that this is already sin within the heart. When we stay sober we can always be ready and able to give a clear answer to those you ask. Sin has no place in the righteous walk of faith. It is something that we stand against. All of our hope lies in Christ.