Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 10

So, Did You Win the Lottery?

I have good news, really good news. Actually, it’s only good news for me.

I’m going to be rich!

I friend of mine told me today that he’s playing the Powerball lottery that has a history-making payout of an estimated 1.5 billion dollars. He promised that when he wins he’s going to give both me and our church a “serious chunk of change.” I don’t really know what that means, but I’m guessing a serious chunk of change of 1.5 billion is a serious chunk of change indeed!

Woo hoo!

Oh wait, I just realized that by the time you read this the drawing will have already taken place. So I’m not going to be rich . . .

I am rich! And so is my church!

We’re in the money! We’re in the money!

So, did you win the lottery last night? Yes, I know, somebody has to win. But with the odds of you winning being one out of 292 million, I’m guessing you probably didn’t.

I find it interesting how people make big plans and promises about how they’ll use the money for good when they win the lottery.

Actually, I need to restate that:

I find it interesting how people (people who have maxed-out credit cards and poor spending habits and no budgets) make big plans and promises about how they’ll use the money for good (but they don’t give money or volunteer their time now) when they win the lottery.

The truth is very few people have the maturity to handle living with wealth. By maturity I mean the emotional maturity, the mental maturity and the spiritual maturity. Bottom line: wealth can ruin you.

Maybe that’s why Jesus said it’s nearly impossible for rich people to get to Heaven–because it is.

Has it ever dawned on you that if God wanted you to be rich you would be? If God thought you and I just needed more money to solve all our personal problems and make the world a better place at the same time, he’d give it to us. Right?

So why aren’t we all gajillionaires?

Probably because God knows what we need.

Probably because God knows that having so much money would harm us, not help us.

Probably because God wants us looking to him, not our gajillions, for our daily provision.

Probably because God knows that most of us aren’t faithful with little, and we’d be even less faithful with a lot.

And probably because God knows that having all that money isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

So, to all you troubled lottery losers out there, I’d like to invite you the play a lottery of a different kind. It has a guaranteed payout to any and all who play it.

Here’s what you need to do: give. Just give.

Take one tenth of every paycheck or payout or bonus or tip or settlement or inheritance or dividend or any other financial increase  you receive, and give it to God’s work at your local church. Do it every single time you get any type of earnings, whether a lot or a little. The payout for your 10% investment will be more than you could ever manage in a lifetime.

Sound too good to be true? Here’s the actual wording about this “lottery” from it’s Creator:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. (Malachi 3:10)

Isn’t that a much better, safer, wiser and even nobler bet that playing the lottery?

I’m not sure I fully understand what it means when God promises to open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows, but I’m betting (pun intended) that it’s better than getting $1.5 billion.

Just sayin’.

 

Want to know more about contentment and godly wealth management? Click Here.

The post So, Did You Win the Lottery? appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Happy Anniversary to My Mother in Heaven

My sweet mother passed away five years ago today, January 13, 2011. The day after her death, I wrote a blog that many of you really identified with. I repost it in her honor every year on the anniversary of her death. Feel free to share it.

I Wonder What My Mother is Doing Today

My mother woke up in heaven today. I say “today,” because even though she died yesterday, there is no yesterday or tomorrow in Heaven. Only today—right here, right now. A glorious present tense that goes on forever. No time, no clock, no calendars. Just now.

So today, my Mom woke up in Heaven. I’ve been wondering all day what she’s doing. You know, it’s like when a friend or family member goes to a great concert or on a cool vacation or gets to meet someone famous, and you really wish you could be a fly on the wall and just see what’s going on. That’s how I feel. I’m dying to know what she’s up to.

My Mom hadn’t walked by herself in years. She needed a walker and/or the help of others. In reality, most of her recent life had been spent in a bed. But not today. Today, however you get around in heaven (run, fly, float?), she’s getting around with no assistance. Probably pretty cool for her.

My Mom hadn’t eaten in months. Her last real meal was Thanksgiving, and that was minimal. The only nourishment she was getting was from a feeding tube. But today? Who knows? There’s no hunger in heaven, so she’s obviously full. I’m just not sure what’s she’s full of. (Yes, she did constantly tell me what I was full of, but that’s another matter). Let’s just say that she’s more than satisfied. She’s full and content in a Heaven kind of way.

My Mom hadn’t been out of her room much at all in the last two years. But for the occasional family event or holiday meal, she never got out. She lived in her bed, and her bed was in a room the size of a small hospital room. That was her existence. But not today. Today, she see’s the world from a viewpoint that none of us can, even with the greatest GPS and satellite technology. She doesn’t just know how the universe and earth came into being, she knows when. She’s met the architect and builder. She knows stuff about the universe that we don’t, because she’s seeing it firsthand right now. That’s pretty high cotton for a woman who never got past using a typewriter.

And today, my Mom is home. Before the last two years, my Mom and Dad lived the previous 47 years in a beautiful home in West Austin on a street called Woodmont. The Woodmont home was such a part of our family we simply referred to it as Woodmont. A few weeks ago, Mom started telling us that she wanted to go home, that she wanted to go back to Woodmont.
 
So two nights ago, when I was reading the Bible to her before she died, I read from John 14:1. It’s a great passage about Heaven and the homes Jesus prepares for us there. He said, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places (some translations say mansions), and I go to prepare a place for you.”  As I was reading that to Mom, I got inspired and changed it just a bit. I read, “In my Father’s house are many Woodmonts, and I go to prepare one of those Woodmonts just for you.” My sisters and I laughed, but I think my Mom got it.  I’m not sure what my mother is doing in today Heaven. I guess I won’t know until I go there and find out myself. But here’s what I do know, whatever she’s doing, she’s home.







That’s what Heaven is. Home. 







Coming Soon:

The post Happy Anniversary to My Mother in Heaven appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

The Danger of Political Expediency

Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!  Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 2:10-11 NLT

I’ve never been in politics. I grew in the home of an elected official, so I do understand the high price politicians and their families pay for their service. But I do not claim to know firsthand the pressures our elected officials face on a daily basis.

That’s why I offer these thoughts cautiously, humbly and prayerfully.

Every elected official struggles with the reality that one unpopular decision can quickly turn him or her into an unelected official. That’s why many leaders make decisions by weighing the potential political fallout. And on the surface that seems very wise–it’s simply counting the cost of leadership.

But such conventional wisdom may be missing a bigger point, and a much larger area for fallout.

Every leader–presidents, kings, governors and other elected or appointed public servants (and even tyrants and dictators)–will stand before God and be judged for the “rightness” of his or her leadership. And “rightness” does not mean “expediency.” It means morally correct.

Leaders have to remember that the right decision is rarely the easiest or most expedient one. Morally right decisions come at a high price today, especially as our culture sees morals more and more as a relative thing. Leaders who make decisions on moral grounds are quickly labeled as judgmental and as bigots and are guaranteed to feel the wrath of those they offend.

Conventional wisdom says “go along to get along” and “live to fight another day.” The problem is that the wrath of a political party or a voting populace isn’t the leader’s worst problem. It’s God.

Wise leaders realize that they will face a higher judge than their electorate. They understand that all authority is delegated authority (ultimately from God) and that he will judge them for how they exercise it. And, they have the courage to make decisions on what is truly right, not just on what is convenient or popular.

It’s enough to make thinking people want to stay out of politics, isn’t it? But we can’t. We have to engage, both as candidates and as voting people.

So, here’s some steps you can take on behalf of your current and future leaders:

Pray for your leaders. From local to national, from the church house to the courthouse to the White House, pray for your leaders. Pray for their wisdom and courage to make the right decisions, not the most popular ones.
Don’t support a candidate who will compromise on what’s right and wrong for political ends. Don’t support a candidate who is more interested in protecting rights than requiring responsibility. Remember, if a candidate isn’t faithful in little things, he or she won’t be faithful in the big things either.
Teach our future leaders God’s Word . The future pastors, city council men and women, governors, judges and presidents are in your home and mine right now. Let’s make sure they hit college and their careers knowing and being committed to God’s Word. Pray Psalm 1 for them every day (*See below).
Get involved. Besides praying and voting, get involved by participating in the political process. Write your leaders and tell them you’re praying for them. Encourage them to make decisions on what is right, moral and true. Some of you will feel led to run for office or be more actively involved by supporting candidates or lobbying for certain issues.

Friends, the stakes are very high for us, and I don’t mean politically. We have been given great freedom, and with such freedom comes even greater responsibility.

*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.  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:1-6 NIV

Want to know more about praying biblical prayers for your kids? Click Here.

 

Coming Soon:

 

 

 

The post The Danger of Political Expediency appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

From Bad Decisions to Leading for Jesus

At ACF , we have never gauged our success by our attendance or giving numbers, but rather by life change. Here’s another great Jesus success story from an ACF leader:

I was raised in a very committed Catholic family where works, church attendance, and being good earned salvation and good standing with my parents. I grew up well aware of my “bad” decisions, thoughts, and desire for rebellion. My image of God was that of a judge and priests were the jury. When I was 8 years old, my life was turned upside down. My mother lost a two-year battle to breast cancer and my loving 54-year-old father raised my two brothers and me.

 

At an early age I was exposed to my neighbors collection of pornography, unknowingly supplied by his dad. Being the typical teenage boy I littered my walls with sports pennants and posters of bikini clad women.  My father gave us a lot of latitude as he struggled to corral us 24 hours a day. As long as we attended Catholic school and church every week, he felt we were on the right spiritual path. My engagement with God was purely cerebral. My understanding and acceptance of Him had never reached my heart. I came to realize later my anger about losing my mom was directed at Him. I believed God could have saved her and dealt me a bad hand as a way to punish me for being a bad child. Not surprisingly my church path came to a head when I told my father I was not going through with confirmation. My justification being I did not understand what I was confirming. I believed God existed, but spoke about him as a distant friend, who I was to adore and love. It was a badge of honor at the time and embarrassing to admit now. Attendance to church waned as I gained independence and went off to college.

 

My life as a college student revolved around an unhealthy dose of partying, making money, buying stuff and some studying. From the outside I probably looked like a guy who had it all together. But in the dark areas of my life addiction to pornography had a stronghold over me that I couldn’t break. At the time I had no idea the havoc it would wreak on my relationships and eventually with my first wife.

Sticking to the plan of graduating with my degree and first job offer; getting married seemed the natural progression of success. I married a young lady who happened to be my girlfriend while in college. However, we lacked true commitment and emotional connection. The images I had exposed my soul to over time from magazine and online websites now poisoned my impression of love and respect. A picture was easy, as it didn’t require my feelings, words, or result in rejection or abandonment. The emergence of the Internet made images even more accessible. The marriage did not last long and we drifted apart in year six. I drowned my pity in irresponsible drinking and dating. I felt life (God) had dealt me a bad hand and that I deserved to indulge myself.

I had been invited to ACF shortly after college and was attracted to the welcoming feel. The pastor appeared to be as imperfect as me and certainly less judgmental than the Catholic priests. However, I was not ready to give up my selfish desires or control of my life. Attending church was more about feeling good than honoring or worshipping the one who died for me. Fortunately Will and his father in law Bob noticed me and pursued me before and after services. I remember Bob following me all the way out to my car and talking to me even as I drove away. I now think of that moment with Bob when I picture how God relentlessly pursues us.

Even though I was dropping in to ACF more frequently, meeting with the therapist often, and getting to know other ACFers, my demons still very much haunted me. I was at a pivotal point in my life. In February of 2004 I joined a group of single adults on a ski trip to New Mexico. The skiing and socializing drew me in. Little did I know Jesus had much more in store for me. Will joined us on that trip and shared a story of a Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at the well. As he spoke about drinking from empty wells, the emptiness of my life echoed in my chest. Overcome with emotion, God reached in and grabbed my heart. My soul would not be quenched by the ways of this world. I made a conscious verbal decision that night to give my life to Christ. It was one of the clearest moments in memory. I returned from New Mexico a new creation. “The old was gone, the new had come.”

A week later I made another important decision to attend my first men’s retreat. It was the historical bonfire night where several men revealed their lure to pornography. I made a declaration of war against the strongholds that Satan had held against me and solicited the support of Godly men to walk with me. God’s plan to make me new was perfect. He placed me in community, surrounded me with other men, and gave me an amazing thirst for the Word. He walked with me as I sought out serving opportunities and met with me as I prayed. I developed a one-on-one accountability with a man named Pete who shared similar struggles. More critically we shared a realization of our brokenness and need for God’s amazing grace. It was a culmination of events and activities that began the restorative journey of my heart, mind and soul. The path is becoming more and more narrow, the stakes higher, and the blessings greater. I wake up each day a broken man who is poor in spirit. God has dealt amazing blessings in my life that I can never repay. A friend of mine says, “You can’t out-give God.” Daily I attempt to honor Him by pouring myself out to His service.

–Do you have a great Jesus-story you want to share? Keep it under 1000 words and send it to me at joni@acfellowship.org. We’ll let you know if we can use it and the date you can expect to see it published.

The post From Bad Decisions to Leading for Jesus appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Because Jesus is not Disappointed with You

Late last year I sat down with my friends at 100 Huntley Street, a wildly popular Canadian Christian television show, for a discussion about my book Ten Things Jesus Never Said. The interviewer did a great job and the interview went so well that the book showed up the next week on the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list.

The director for Huntley Street also named it as one of her favorite interviews of 2015.

Why? Because people need to be reminded that Jesus is not their enemy and he has never been disappointed in them. Not once.

You can order your copy here.

Here’s the interview:

 

The post Because Jesus is not Disappointed with You appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Three Things to Pray for Yourself in 2016

Hello friends and welcome to 2016!!!

If you’re like me, you’ve been thinking about what you want to be different in your life this new year. With every January comes the fresh opportunity to evaluate and make good changes.

I want to encourage you to make prayer a key part of your change strategy. God is the world’s greatest change agent and he will help you make the changes you desire if you simply ask him.

Here are three things I’m praying for myself in this coming year. You might find them helpful.

Lord, help me know you better.

In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could know God better.

It’s not like the Ephesian Christians were a bunch of spiritual rookies. Theirs is the only New Testament letter that doesn’t contain corrective teaching from Paul. They were obviously doing a lot right.

And yet Paul still prayed that God would show them more of himself. His point? You never get to the end of God. You never fully know him; at least not this side of Heaven.

Pray this for yourself. Pray every day that God will reveal a little bit more of who he is to you. Pray that you will know him better each day.

 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  Ephesians 1:17.

 

 

Lord, keep me filled with your Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul commanded the Ephesian Christians to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s an interesting concept for most Christians, as we assume that we are filled with God’s Spirit when we are saved. And that’s true. But sin and busyness act like spiritual cholesterol, hindering the flow of God’s Spirit in and through us.

I’ve learned this painful lesson through multiple decades of following Jesus: just because I am filled with the Spirit right now doesn’t mean that I will be filled an hour from now. God’s Spirit will leak out if I get angry at bad traffic, have a lustful or proud thought, speak an errant word toward another, etc., etc., etc.

The filling of God’s Spirit is like gas in your car: unless you fill up regularly you won’t run.

That’s why Paul commanded us to pray in an ongoing fashion for the Spirit’s filling. He knew we would leak. God led Paul to tell us to be like little baby birds, mouths open wide, constantly crying and begging for more. That’s how it is with God’s Spirit: you can never have too much of him and you always need more of him. Pray throughout your day–hundreds of times if necessary–for the Spirit to fill you.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18.

Lord, help me to seek your Kingdom above everything else.

Jesus was a get-to-the-point, bottom line guy. In the context of talking about provision and the silliness of worrying about it, he gave us a great bottom line statement. He told us to seek his Father’s Kingdom above all else; and as we did, God would give us all we need.

This is another of those wonderful paradoxes that come with life in the Kingdom: If we seek provision first we will never have enough (or at least we’ll feel like we never have enough). But if we seek as our priority the promotion and honor of God’s Kingdom, we’ll never lack what we need.

This is an urgent prayer for those of us who live with financial and material blessings. If we’re not careful, we’re likely to look to them, not God, for our protection and provision. We’re likely to think that our job is to protect and advance our investments, not God’s Kingdom. And when we start thinking like that, we suddenly develop a “never enough” mindset.

That’s why Jesus told us to seek the Kingdom above all else. For in Kingdom seeking we’ll find our greatest fulfillment and joy. We’ll also find that God meets all of our needs.

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33.

I hope these scriptural, pinpoint prayers help you focus your prayers for yourself this year.

What other scriptural prayers are you praying for yourself this year? Will you share them here? Thanks!

 

The post Three Things to Pray for Yourself in 2016 appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

2016 Preview

Hello Friends, are you ready for the new year?

Here are some things to look forward to as we start 2016 together:

 

In the Beginning

We’ll spend the first several weeks of 2016 in the first three chapters of Genesis. Every aspect of life as we know it is affected by the events in those three chapters. Here’s the schedule:

Jan 2/3–The Beginning of Life

Jan 9/10–The Beginning of Us (Family Worship Weekend)

Jan 16/17–The Beginning of Temptation

Jan 23/24–The Beginning of “Normal”

Jan 30/31–Serve Our City Weekend

Feb 6/7–The Beginning of Grace

Feb 13/14– The Beginning of Marriage (Family Worship Weekend)

 

Looking Out

Part of our 2016 emphasis includes a focused effort on reaching more of our friends and neighbors who don’t currently have relationships with Christ. Will you increase your prayer efforts for those in your family who don’t know Jesus? God will honor our prayers.

 

Reaching Out

Part of our effort to reach our friends and neighbors with Jesus’ message is a teaching series and small group study called A Man Who Told Us the Truth. The series begins the weekend of February 27/28 at all ACF communities. The series will correspond with the release of my new book by the same title.

This is a great opportunity for us to create conversation with our spiritually curious friends and family. Please start praying today about what friends and loved one you can reach out to during the A Man Who Told Us the Truth series.

 

 

Prayer and Fasting

We gained significant momentum during our forty-day season of fasting and prayer. We’d be wise to keep fueling that momentum. Would you consider:

Fasting one day a week
Praying daily for your unbelieving friends and family to be saved
Praying weekly for the president and our state and local leaders
Praying daily for your ACF leaders, including your small group leader
Praying daily for God to bring true spiritual awakening to Austin
Praying weekly for financial provision for our church
Praying at least one hour a week with other believers

 

Missions, Giving and Serving

Serving and investing in others continues to be a major part of ACF’s DNA. We have seventeen international trips scheduled for 2016!

You need to be on one of them, especially if you’re an ACF leader.

Beyond that, we have dozens more local serving opportunities along with our fifth Sunday Serve Our City serving days.

Our first SOC weekend is January 30/31. Contact Chelsea@acfellowship.org or watch the ACF web site for more information.

See you soon!

The post 2016 Preview appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

2015 Wrap Up and Important 2016 News

Hey Friends, are you ready for 2016! Ready or not here it comes!

It’s been a great year at ACF. God has taught us so much and has been faithful and generous to us.

As we look forward to the coming year, here are some thoughts I want to leave you with:

Christmas Eve . For the first time in ACF’s history I won’t be preaching at a Christmas Eve service! Each ACF community is making their own plans for Christmas Eve and each CP will be leading their respective services. That means that Darril will be teaching all four services this year at Four Points. It also means that I’ll be attending church with my family at ACF|northwest. I can’t wait! If you’re in town, be sure to celebrate the arrival of our Savior on Christmas Eve at your ACF Community.  (Please note:  There will be no weekend services at ACF communities on December 26th or 27th!)
2016 Resolutions . As you think about the changes you want to make in the coming year, will you add these to your list? Commit to attend ACF services regularly (3-4 times a month)

Commit to serving and participating in a small group at ACF

Commit to giving 10% or more of your monthly income to ACF

Commit to praying daily for your ACF Community, for your Community Pastor and for ACF as a whole body
January 30/31 Serve Our City . Our next SOC weekend is the end of January. Mark your calendars and look for opportunities to sign up soon.
An important change in 2016 . As you know, we give away 50% of all receipts to ministries in Austin, the U.S. and around the world. ACF has long supported adoption and orphan-care ministries. While on my sabbatical, I felt led that we needed to do more. Beginning in 2016, we will partner with two pro-life ministries:  Heartbeat International and Life Legal Defense Group. Both of these organizations approach the pro-life issue from the legislative and judicial side. As we get to know these organizations, we will provide opportunities for you to serve with them. Please pray for these organizations as they work to defend the unborn and pray for ACF…that we will be equipped to generously support their work.
And finally: Coming in February…the book you’ve always wanted for your spiritually curious friends and family. Stay tuned for more information!

The post 2015 Wrap Up and Important 2016 News appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Why Should I Abstain from Sex until Marriage?

I recently received an email asking me about sex before marriage. It’s a question I get asked often, and one that we in the Church deal with on a daily basis.

The question is repeatedly asked, “Why should I be celibate before marriage?”  Here’s part of my response.

I could give you dozens of reasons to abstain from sex until marriage. Here are only a few:

As a single person, you’re already married to someone else. Your life and and body belong to God, even if you’re not a Christian or don’t believe in God. He is your spouse until he gives you permission to marry someone else. That’s why the Ten Commandments call sex before marriage adultery. It’s cheating on God.

Marriage is a covenant relationship, and sex is the covenant act. Covenant is a big deal in the Bible, and there’s no greater covenant than that between a man and a woman in marriage. That’s why in both Testaments of the Bible the most commonly used metaphor for God’s relationship with us is that of a husband and a wife.

God established sex as the covenant act of marriage. Sexual union actually and gloriously recreates the actual, physical way that people used to establish covenants with each other. It is the literal “one flesh” union that God described in Genesis.

Sex without covenant is complete rebellion before God. It’s a mockery of marriage. Sex outside of marriage is a covenant action without the covenant. It’s playacting. It’s pretending. And sex outside of the covenant of marriage brings always condemnation, not life.

Sex is spiritual. When you have sex with someone, your union with that person goes way beyond physical. God designed sex to be not just a physical act, but also an emotional and spiritual act. In sex you actually give your partner access your soul. That’s why God requires monogamy. He only wants you to give that much access of yourself to one person–one equally faithful and committed person. That’s why breakups in sexual relationships hurt so bad. You’re leaving part of your soul behind.

Doing the math on this one is really scary: the number of sexual partners you have equals the number of people who have walked away with a piece of your soul.

Sex before marriage undermines relational commitment. Sex before marriage does little to strengthen a relationship. In fact, it typically undermines it. Psychologists and sociologists have looked at this one, and their studies tend to reach one of two opposing conclusions. They find that sex before marriage either hurts the relationship or it doesn’t. Seriously, I’ve found studies that argue both sides.

What I have not found is any study that says sex before marriage actually helps the relationship, increases intimacy before and in marriage, or adds to the longevity of marriage.  Besides that, my thirty years of ministry experience and my relationships with some of the leading marriage and family therapists in the country tell me that sex before marriage is typically devastating to a relationship.

The mantra among counselors is basically, ” If you really want to kill your relationship before you get married, move in together and start sleeping together.”

It’s sin. Bottom line, God told us to wait. Just because our culture has shifted and most people think sex before marriage is actually a good idea, God has not changed his thinking on it. He commanded us to save sex for the beauty and intimacy of marriage and we’d be wise to obey what he says.  If we don’t, we can’t expect him to bless our relationships and we can also expect consequences.

Recently, former NFL quarterback and outspoken Christian Tim Tebow gained national attention after his girlfriend, a former Miss USA, broke up with him because he wouldn’t have sex with her. This is the second time Tebow has made headlines for his relational stand on abstinence.

Social media and gossip columns crucified Tebow, basically questioning the manhood of any man, especially a football player/celebrity, who refuses to sleep with a girl who wants him.

Does anyone actually think our society is stronger because of our new sexual mores? Can anyone produce even a shred of evidence saying that our marriages last longer, that divorce is decreasing, that STDs are declining, that there are fewer unwanted pregnancies and abortions, that the number of fatherless households is shrinking and that our society overall is more sophisticated, has more integrity, character and social stability, because sex before and even outside of marriage is now common practice?

Seriously people, open your eyes.

God’s Word hasn’t changed. He gave us boundaries around sex for our good and protection. If you need any data about what happens when we don’t honor his Word, just look around.

I ask every reader to commit today to honor God’s Word. Save sex for the marriage union as God designed it. Anything else will only lead to heartache.

 

 

The post Why Should I Abstain from Sex until Marriage? appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Where is the Peace on Earth that God Promised?

It’s happening with such regularity that it often doesn’t make the headlines: Someone pulls out a gun, a knife or something else and starts killing people.

It’s happening with such regularity that a certain number of people have to be killed or injured–say at least ten–for it to appear news worthy.

It happens with such regularity that the angel’s promise in the Christmas story–Peace on earth!–seems like just that: a Christmas story, a myth, a fable.

If you’re reading this and you find your cynicism trumping your faith and hope, I get it. I understand.

How can Christians present Jesus as the Prince of Peace when the world is becoming increasingly violent?

How can God let this kind of stuff go on and on?

Where is the peace he promised and Christians boast in so much, especially this time of year?

These are great questions. They’re questions I’ve wrestled with myself and can’t dodge now just because they’re inconvenient.

All I can offer you is what I think the Bible teaches. You’ll have to wrestle with it from there.

The peace God promises is indeed one that will end violence, racism and all other forms of hatred and evil that we see so much of today. But that human-to-human peace and reconciliation is secondary and it can only be known when the primary peace that was God’s objective is fully known.

And that’s God-to-human peace.

You see, according to the Bible we can’t have peace with each other until we have peace with God.

We can’t have peace on earth until we have peace with Heaven.

Until we are rightly related with our Creator, we won’t be rightly related with other parts of creation.

It is only possible to truly love our neighbors and ourselves when we love God. Knowing God gives us the right perspective on everyone and everything else. Knowing God helps us see the true value of others, even amidst our differences.

Jesus came to make peace with God possible. He came to remove the distance between God and us, to heal the wounds in our relationship with him and to make God’s holy presence available to all who humbly seek it.

That’s one of the reasons Jesus called his followers “peacemakers.” Because they are at peace with God they have the ability to promote peace with others.

The tragic violence we see on our earth and in our country is a symptom of an even deeper and more pressing problem. It’s a symptom of humanity’s lack of relationship with God.

And only when men and women enthrone God in their lives will the peace we all pray for be enthroned in our world.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

 

*Want to know more about peace with God? Here’s a link to a Bible passage that will tell you much more.

**Do you a question or an issue you want me to address, send it to me at joni@acfellowship.org

 

 

 

 

 

The post Where is the Peace on Earth that God Promised? appeared first on Will Davis Jr.