Endurance & Patience

I read something today that got me to thinking about endurance and patience. The definition of patience is:

The state or quality of being patient; the power of suffering with fortitude; uncomplaining endurance of evils or wrongs, as toil, pain, poverty, insult, oppression, calamity, etc. [1913 Webster]

“Uncomplaining endurance of evils or wrongs” – These are strong words and hard to swallow.

When my children have to take medicine it can be hard to get them to take it. Some medicine isn’t easy to stomach and sometimes enduring wrongs or evils against you is tough to do.  But you become a stronger person over time, much like medicine makes your body recover from sickness.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

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Endurance & Patience
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

When God Looks at Us

http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=280672

When God looks at us He sees our life as a whole. Not just one day or one moment but one lifetime. He looked at us from the beginning of time and watched us take our last breath. He has seen all the mistakes you have made. He knows how high the mountain of sin at the end of your life.

So today when you wonder if God still loves you just remember. He has seen it all while hanging high on a cross. But, today He will forgive it and wipe it all away.

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

When God Looks at Us
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Beard or No Beard

If you have kept up with me in the past you know that I was a member of the United Pentecostal Church International for over 17 years. I mention this because in all my 17 years of attending the UPCI I was taught that men should not have beards, mustaches, or any kind of facial hair. It was strictly forbidden. If you ever were found with facial hair you would be called aside and told you must shave. I personally seen this happen several times. So you can imagine my amazement to learn that the Old Testament actually teaches NOT to shave.

I didn’t go looking for the scripture I am going to talk about today it kind of found me. I was listening to the radio the other day when someone mentioned there was a scripture in the old testament that said you were not supposed to shave or trim your beard. My ears perked up when I heard this because I had never heard of such a scripture.

Leviticus 19:27 “Don’t cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard.” – The Message

I find the teachings of the UPCI very odd on this subject and with no biblical foundation. There are many other issues in which the UPCI explicitly uses Old Testament law to back up their doctrines but it seems they have chosen to ignore the Old Testament law when it comes to mens facial hair. This is just another false teaching from this group who continues to try and mandate following Old Testament laws in order to obtain salvation.

I stand with Paul on this issue. If you decide to live by one piece of the law then you have to follow after ALL the law. You cannot pick and choose which laws you will follow. Also, if you choose to live by the law then Christ will not benefit you at all. Here is what Paul had to say to the Galatians on this subject.

Galatians 3:11-12
The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: “The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that’s the real life.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.” – The Message

If you only like the King James version then here it is:

Galatians 3:11-12
¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
¹²And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Galatians 5:2-3
²Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. – NIV

I find the UPCI teachings on facial hair very odd and with no biblical foundation. Their teaching on this subject actually contradicts the Bible. This should set off a red flag for anyone considering such beliefs.

Here is a link to the UPCI website which talks about a few of their beliefs.
http://www.upci.org/doctrine.asp

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Beard or No Beard
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Microburst: Decision Making

The Latin root word for decision means to cut off. Meaning there are no other options.

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Microburst: Decision Making
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Works of the Law Or Faith?

The Tangle.com devotional for today was an awesome reminder of how important our faith in God is. Galatians 3:2 asks a very simple question:

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

Paul was puting the Galatians into a corner by asking this question. The only answer to this question to a sane person is by hearing with faith.

We cannot do anything to earn the Spirit of God, it is a gift. Let me say that again so it really soaks in. If you think that you can earn your way into the kingdom of God then you are walking on the wrong road my friend. Pauls teachings on this subject are very clear. A person cannot perform a physical task to earn favor in Gods sight nor can a person buy their way in. The only one who can truly perform the requirments of the law was hung on a tree and crucified. He completed all the requirements and paid the price in full. You and I will never be able to.

I know this bugs some people who believe that salvation is a list of things on a card that you have to do in order to be accepted into The Kingdom. But Paul taught the Galatian people that if they required anything but the cross for salvation then the Cross of Christ would not even work for them anymore.

When a person finally understands this a huge load is lifted from their life. Those who believe that God alone is the only one who can save them can truly walk with a light burden on their shoulders. If you know that God is your savior then He can save you. If you let Him do it. That means hands off for you, your in the passenger seat baby! And no backseat driving either.

God never intended for you to have to carry a heavy load in your life. A good friend of mine says it like this: “There is no such thing as a pack sheep. Pack mules are meant to carry heavy loads but not sheep.” We tend to carry things around and can’t let them go. But, when we truly cast our cares on Jesus it is then that we walk in faith in the One who is able to keep us. Trust God with all your heart and He will never leave you OR forsake you. Lean on Him because He is an immovable rock and He is the author of your faith.

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the entire text below:

Works of the Law Or Faith?
By: Raymond Brady
Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Dare to Trust in Grace

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” – Martin Luther

The one foundational piece that spans every Christian denomination in the world is faith. Beyond faith everyone goes in about a hundred different directions. So, being rooted and grounded in faith is the most important thing a Christian can strive for. Without faith it is impossible to please God. No grey area there.

True faith goes much deeper than how we define simply believing. I believe an asprin can take away pain but unless I get the asprin inside of me it will not do any good. So our faith must go deeper than the modern meaning of believe. To get a biblical definition we will look to the Hebrew language.

The Hebrew word for “to believe” is aman. This word relates to our word Amen. In one way the word aman is used for people who are caretakers of children. People who support and susstain them by literally carrying them or by financial support. A gaurdian, nurse, nanny, or foster father is someone on whom an infant utterly depends. He or she is reliable, trustworthy, dependable, firm, and supportive.

There are two sides to this. In one way something or someone is being dependable, trustworthy, or reliable. The other way is to consider someone or something dependable, trustworthy, or reliable. When we consider someone else to have these characteristics we are trusting  them, depending upon them,  and relying on them. This is the basic meaning to Hebrew ideas of faith.

True belief in God is a trusting confidence in Him that says “God I trust my life in your hands.” And to have the Grace of God upon your life simply means to have God’s favor on your life. In other words He likes you, better yet He Loves you and if God loves you then who can be against you.

Oh how sweet those words:

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

Go ahead, take the dare today. Dare to trust in God’s grace. Trust in it with all your heart. Lean upon the fact that God approves of you and He even favors you. He is reliable, dependable, trustworthy, firm, supportive, and is crazy in love with you.

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

Dare to Trust in Grace
By: Raymond Brady
Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Microburst: Foolish is Not Wise and Wise is Not Foolish

This is the first Microburst from www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.com

Many Proverbs will show a contrast between two thoughts or two principles. For example they will describe to you black and then tell you what the opposite is, i.e. white. From looking at these contrasts we can begin to define certain terms or principles in greater detail. For my studies in Proverbs I want to gain a clearer definition of what a fool looks like and what a wise person looks like. Not physically but spiritually. I can see from Proverbs 28:26 that a person who trusts in their own heart or their own understanding is a fool. So from this I can also add another definition to my dictionary of wisdom. A wise person is someone who puts no trust in their own understanding. This person would know that their own understanding can fail them or even be wrong at times. Therefore a person who strives to be wise must not lean on their understanding rather they should trust in God for He is the Author of Life.

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WHAT IS A MICROBURST?
I am adding a new category to Build Your House on The Rock. I am calling it Microburst. There are times when I read something and get a simple thought that I want to remember. I usually write these down but I have also lost thoughts by doing this. So, I am going to try something new with Build Your House on The Rock. I will call this Microbursting for lack of a better word. These will not replace regular articles, they will be in addition to them. They will be quick short thoughts. My intentions with these are not to always be accurate or even eloquent. Just to put thoughts down in writing. Please comment or even expand on these posts. Feel free to even correct me if I am flat out wrong about something because this is how we all learn. I also cannot promise that all of these will make sense to you. Some of these thoughts may only make real sense to me.

If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

Microburst: Foolish is Not Wise and Wise is Not Foolish
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

A Calling Away From Self-Criticism

I was reading some C.S. Lewis the other night and stumbled upon an amazing concept that I had not realized was in the bible. I don’t guess I have ever heard it taught about so I thought it would be good to write about. So what is this great amazing concept? It is simply how to deal with your own self-criticism. All of us deal with a certain amount of self-criticism but some people deal with an unhealthy amount of the stuff. Well, today I am going to tell you how to get rid of it, or at least bring it to a healthy level.

Martin Luther is known as a great leader and the father of the Protestant Reformation. He single handedly took on the Catholic Church and changed history forever. But if you study his life you will learn that he dealt with a great deal psychologically. His guilt before God drove him to become a monk after the Augustinian Order and his devotions as a monk nearly took his life. Living a life of Monasticism and constant confessions seemed to never be enough for Luther.

In 1511 Luther was assigned to the University of Wittenberg in Germany under a wise monk named Johann van Staupitz who understood how to help Luther. Staupitz was determined to release this younger monk from his cycle of despair and made Luther the Professor of Bible Studies at the university. Luther would be assigned to teach the bible to other young monks, thus taking his mind off of himself. If Luther was going to teach the Bible to others then Luther himself realized he must understand what he was teaching. 

Luther was simply doing what was taught in 1 John chapter three by practicing real love. By loving and serving others we are released from self-criticism. Not by just saying you love them but by showing, or proving, your love for them. First John 3:18-20 explains that by showing love through practicing real love we actually shut down self-criticism. 

1 John 3:18-20 (The Message)
My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

This period of study and teaching in Martin Luther’s life released him from self-criticism and led him to understand that salvation can only be achieved by faith in Jesus Christ. No amount of monkery or dedication would ever be enough to save a person. Luther’s teachings would ultimately undo generations of Catholic teaching and change our world forever.

Another beautiful thing about the teaching in 1 John 3:18-20 is that it works even when you deserve the self-criticism. Wow, what a thought. Self-criticism which we rightfully deserve can even be removed by simply practicing real love toward others.

If you deal with a load of self-criticism and struggle with how to get out from under all of it, simply start loving others around you. Not with words but with deeds. Do something nice for your neighbor. Give a friend of yours some financial help by paying their utility bill this month. Love those around you with all your heart, even your enemies, and the load of self-criticism will suddenly be shut down.

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

A Calling Away From Self-Criticism
By: Raymond Brady
Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Build Your House on The Rock Changes

I have made a few changes to the Build Your House on The Rock website by moving things around a bit. I wanted to consolidate some pages to prepare for some future additions.

You will find the testimony link under the “About the Author” page. This page has been updated with some new information so you might want to check it out.

Be sure to keep an eye out in the next few days. I will be adding some new stuff.

God Bless,
Raymond Brady
www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Just a Branch?

John 15:4 - Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)

Have you ever noticed braches on a fruit tree? The braches are where the fruit is produced. You will not find a fruit tree that grows fruit on it’s trunk. The branches must first grow and become mature enough to produce fruit. This maturity process involves nutrients being fed to the branch from the trunk. In fact a branch is created by the trunk.

As the branch is fed by the trunk it grows stronger each day. Once it has grown enough to support fruit it will begin to produce fruit in the right season. Jesus said we are the branches and if we want to bear fruit we must remain in Him.

The branch has an interesting job. It has a unique ability to create fruit for people to eat yet it cannot create this fruit on it’s own. It has to stay connected to the trunk in order for it to fulfil it’s purpose. If it becomes disconnected from the trunk it cannot create fruit.

The branch also does not have to work to be part of the trunk because it is already connected. The branch also does not have to strive to produce the fruit. What this means is that the branch does not do any real work at all in producing the fruit. It simply acts as a conduit to take the nutrients given by the truck  and transfer them out of itself. As these nutrients are pressed out an amazing transformation takes place and fruit is created.

Our job is simply to remain in Him. This simply means to rest in Him. He is everything we need and He will supply all that we need. How do we remain in Him? Simply by keeping our faith in Him. Verse 5 tells us that if we remain connected to Him we will produce alot of fruit and Jesus also reminds us that we cannot do anything on our own.

We have a purpose and we can produce an amazing amout of fruit as long as we stay connected to Christ. It is Him that does the work through us and not ourselves therefore we must remain in Him. We remain in Christ simply the same way we came to Him, by trusting Him and placing our faith in Him alone.

Colossians 2:6-7 -So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.