Rarely is there an easy button in life, sometimes you have to work for it

Tough love. There are times in scripture you can read it and feel inspired. You can feel stronger or get a better understanding of this life God intends us to live. Other times, it’s straight tough love. 1 Thessalonians 3:6-15 is tough love.

This is how this section starts out in verse 6 in The Message version, “Our orders – backed up by the Master, Jesus – are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest.”

Not exactly the touchy feel good scripture in this section. Paul rightfully so calls out three types of people through this entire scripture, the lazy, gossipers and the disobedient. Paul brings this up because the church was full of these type of people. He told people and I think this applies to us today, we are called to work hard, not gossip and not be disobedient. This is meant for people in the Church. I will say this again that way it doesn’t get misconstrued. This is meant for people in the Church.

The church had issues and still does. No church is perfect. Paul tells us everyone in the church needs to be working hard to make his or her keep. Nobody should be mooching off others in the church. Along with this people focused on talking about other people behind their backs instead of handling things face to face. Last, when people are being blatantly disobedient, back off from them.

Not only with these commands, he gives us the way to handle these situations. We identify the problem, warn them of the problem and if necessary they need to be removed from certain situations for a period of time, but this needs to be done in a loving way. This is a struggle in the church as nobody wants to be labeled as someone judging other people, but in healthy churches this needs to be done. Situations can’t be swept under the rug, they need to be handled accordingly.

This is not necessarily a loving feeling but it is important.

*Self reflection time* (For those inside the church)

Do you classify yourself or has their been times you have been lazy, gossiped or disobedient to those in the church or in church relationships?

If so, it’s time to fix those situations, identify the issues, deal with them and do this in a loving way.

Sometimes tough love leads to great things, don’t be afraid to live this out.

Have a great day.

Grown men acting like babies

Can a middle age man act like a middle school girl? Years ago I worked at this job with a husband and wife. Just like at any job, you can have disagreements. At this job, the husband and I didn’t see eye to eye on a subject. As a result of the disagreement, this man went around the entire business bad mouthing me and trying to get people on his side.

Later on I found out he did this and I was talking to his wife at the time. I asked the wife why he would go behind my back instead of coming to me? She responded, “You have to realize sometimes dealing with my husband is like dealing with a 13 year old school girl, full of drama.” OUCH. I felt bad for this guys manhood. His wife just ripped him apart to someone he had conflict with. Are we people that represent what we believe? Just because we disagree with someone mean we throw our character out the window? How are we when things don’t go our way?

1 Corinthians 16:13…

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”

Conviction time, do I do everything in love? My answer is no. I still need to mature and grow up in different ways. Looking at the verse above, another summed this section up, act like adults! Babies cry and act awful when things don’t go their way.

Are you like a baby or like an adult when it comes to the trials you face in life? We need to be able to have discipline and maturity. Paul goes on in this letter to the Corinthians that even people that came to him with bad news were able to encourage him.

As Christians we are called to do everything in love, it’s a tough lesson. Each day is a trial to see if we can do this. Are you doing everything in love? If you failed at that so far, start fresh, show love to everyone and see what happens if you continue to do this. Take this challenge and see what happens. God calls us to live in love, are you ready to take the challenge?

Have a great day.

Why haven’t the Lions won a Super Bowl and why did Peyton Manning have to leave?

Anybody that knows me knows I am a Lions fan through it all.

Through the good times and the bad.

It’s too bad it’s a lot of bad, but we show signs of improvement.

When people ask, why haven’t they won a Super Bowl yet, you could list numerous things.

Lack of talent, hiring awful coaches, making Matt Millen president and the list can go on and on.

Just like with Peyton Manning leaving the Colts.

Many different things that led to that happening.

Sometimes we find out things as they happen, other times we have no clue and we just guess.

Sometimes this happens in more serious situations then in a sports game.

People get wrapped into things like riots and such based off pretty pointless things.

This happened as people rioted after MSU lost a basketball game.

People were expelled for some of their actions in the riots.

Bad things can happen and people can be involved in them for the wrong reasons.

This happened to Paul in the Bible.

A group of people didn’t like Paul and the result ended up getting a group of people together and were beating him, trying to kill him.

Soldiers were called into handle the situation.

Once they were able to get through the crowd and get to Paul they arrested him and ask what was going on and why was this man being beat.

Acts 21:34…

“Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.”

Why was Paul being beat?

They couldn’t get the same answer.

Some didn’t even know why this get started and yet they were beating him.

It’s amazing how some things happen when not everyone knows why they are happening.

Ever feel like that happens in life?

People respond to things and have no clue what the full story is?

How gossip can overtake people is sad.

Bad things happen in our lives all because people react before hearing the full story.

We are people that like to be quick to react long before we listen.

How can we change for the better?

People were beating Paul without have the reason why he started to get beat.

James 1:19…

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Lives could be changed if we did this.

Do you think you are react before you listen?

Imagine the difference we could make in this world if we just listened first.

Do you think the world and our lives would improve if we listened to the whole story?

Have a great day.

2 for 1

All good intentions can come to an end.


I was planning on writing a devotional every single day to get closer to God and yesterday I missed the mark.

I realized this at about 11:45 at night while finishing up painting our house.

I drop the ball and there is no way of picking it up.

I got busy, didn’t manage my time great yesterday and as a result, no devotional.

Sometimes we fall short with our goals with God.

You can’t change the past but you can learn from it (Two points for whoever can name the movie).

So today I am going for a two for one.

I am going to write two devotionals today.

This might be pretty bad, I have been painting til 1 the last two night and am feeling it, my words might not come out right, forgive me.

On to devotional number 1….

“Have you ever been hated or discriminated against, I have, I’ve been protested and demonstrated against.”

Tough words can be so true sometimes.

This line came from Eminem.

Sometimes in life people don’t like us and speak against us.

This happened to Eminem and it happens to us today.

People talk behind our backs and there nothing we can do about it.

People like to talk and be against something.

To a default, I am a people pleaser, I don’t like when someone doesn’t like me.

This is a problem and something I have been working on…

There is no way to please everyone.

Just like people have hated and discriminated against, there are people that have spoken bad about me and it sucks.

I have heard gossip spread about and yes gossip does happen in the Church too.

I think at some point we are all guilty of gossip and it tearing other people down.

We tear people down, we think less of people that are different then us and we are the people that are talk about sometimes.

As Christians it can be even worse.

Those closest to Jesus were going to suffer.

Jesus told his disciples this in Luke 21:16-19…

“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”

You will be hated because of Jesus.

As a faithful follower, people make fun of you, don’t agree with your beliefs.

It is fair, no, it’s life.

People will hate you for what you believe in.

The question you have to ask yourself…

Is what you believe and do worth being made fun of and talked about behind you back?

People make fun of you for following Christ, is it worth it to you?

Have a great day.