Are You Accountable?

Posted on March 13, 2012 by gcoday


What does it mean to be accountable? Is it even something we need? The definition is “subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.” When we were kids growing up, we were accountable to our parents or guardians. We had to report to them, explain ourselves to them and we were required to be responsible for what we did. I couldn’t wait to grow up so I wouldn’t have to be accountable to anyone. Well, that didn’t happen. No matter how ‘grown up’ I become, I am always accountable to someone. I may have the independence to make more life changing decisions than when I was young, but there is always accountability involved. Let’s look at some examples. When I got my job I became accountable to my boss. When I got married I became accountable to my wife. When I became a child of God I became accountable to God and His Word. After I look at the big picture more and more I find that I am held more accountable now than I ever was as a kid growing up. I want to take a moment now and say that I think accountability is a necessary thing. It keeps me in check and when I start to fail in an area, I have a set of standards to guide me back on the right path. That is what being accountable does. It helps you keep yourself within the guidelines. It is kind of like lines on the road. They don’t keep you on the road but if you don’t stay within the lines, bad things can happen. So, on the flip side, what happens when there is no accountability? When the guidelines are no longer enforced and the rules aren’t kept in front of you, you open a whole new world of opportunity. This can be a good thing or it can be devastating. Throughout history, leaders with absolute power and no rules to follow have time and time again allowed themselves to distort truth to exalt themselves and hurt others. If you think this could never happen to you, you have already been deceived. One of the ways the devil knocks you down is to simply build you up. Once you get so high on yourself it is easy for you to fall. If you do some research on most cult leaders you will probably see that a lot of them started out as faithful followers of Christ. As their popularity grew so did the absence of accountability. “With great power comes great responsibility” is a popular quote and it holds so much truth. This ‘lack of accountability’ is also what happens to some Televangelists that we hear about. I don’t want that to happen to you or me. I encourage everyone to continually check your accountability status. Do you have someone you trust that can be brutally honest to you and you still listen? Do you check yourself against the Word of God frequently? Have you accepted the fact that you can be led down this destructive path? I encourage you to step back and take a good long look at yourself. Are you a leader? Take time every week and examine your goals and leadership structure. Are you leading by Jesus’ example? The legacy you leave behind is how you will be remembered and you can’t change anything once you are gone. The good thing is that God is willing and able to lead you into being a leader that will reflect His patterns. That, after all, is the reason we are leading in the first place.

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What a Difference a Day Makes

Posted on June 13, 2011 by gcoday

This is one crazy world we live in. One day everything can seem wonderful and the next day your whole life can be turned upside down. We see things like this all the time on the news but never think about it happening to us or someone we are close to. I’m no different; I never thought it could or would happen close to me. That all changed when the tornado swept though Joplin, Mo. Even though it didn’t directly affect me or my family; it did bring it pretty close to home. The city of Joplin is less than two hours away and when the storm swept through the city, many people’s lives were destroyed. It made me realize just how something catastrophic can happen anywhere at anytime. I don’t know of any way you can physically prepare for something like this to happen to you. Through all this one thing rings true though; the human will to survive. Even though something so devastating happens and it seem so hopeless, it is amazing how people in and around the region can come together to help restore and rebuild the things that were destroyed. I just hope to offer some encouragement to anyone who might need it. Even though we are not promised tomorrow, God wants the best for you. God is still God and He is still on the throne and He loves you very much. The enemy, (Satan) is like a roaring lion seeking whom he my devour and he is here to steal, kill and destroy. Let’s stand together and rebuke the enemy and turn to God for our strength, comfort and guidance through these tough times and even though we may not get back all that was lost, we can hope for a future that is better than we could hope or dream of. Just hold on a little while longer. God’s plan for you will be revealed to you when you seek His face.
In His Service,
Gary

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A Call To Repentance!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by gcoday

Have you ever been in a hopeless situation? A situation when there was no hope for a good outcome? I think we all have had times when we felt this way. Even when we are in those times, there is always hope that it will end and life will go on and things will change. The situation may not have been what we wanted, but there is hope that things will get better. That is usually true for us as long as we are alive, but what about after we die? Did you know that if you are not a child of God when you die, you will be separated from God for eternity? That means eternity in hell. There will be no hope for an appeal, no hope for repentance, and no hope forever. Consider this a call for repentance. A call to accept the free gift of salvation. A call to become a child of God. God loves you and He wants to save you from an eternity without hope. Will you answer this call? It may be your last chance……

In His Service,
Gary

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Time to Grow Up?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by gcoday

We all want the truth. Especially if it is something we have already got a handle on. But what about something we haven’t gotten mastered yet? We need to hear the truth about these things as well even though it isn’t received as joyfully. The disciples had a few of these moments as well. One particular example of this is found in Luke Chapter 9 when a man asked the disciples to cast a demon out of his son. They failed. Jesus was informed of what happened and he became a little angry with his disciples and said “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?” I encourage you to read it for yourself. Luke 9:37-42
What am I trying to say? The school system has a set time schedule to teach children what they need to know. There are tests along the way to help determine the amount of knowledge that is being retained and taught. If you don’t pass the tests, you fail and you have to study more until you are able to pass them. While Jesus was physically with His disciples He taught them, empowered them and expected them to demonstrate the things that He did. He became agitated when His followers didn’t accomplish the cleansing of the child because they had already been given power to do that. Why do we think we don’t need to learn and apply the things Jesus instructs us to do while we are on this earth? We start out on the milk of the Word but we should desire the meat and start doing the things that Christ expects of us. We have been babies long enough. It is our duty to grow up and be the warriors and ambassadors of the Living God!
In His Service
Gary

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Study to Show Yourself Approved..

Posted on March 17, 2011 by gcoday

A funny thing happened during my youngest daughter’s driver’s test. She got pulled over. Neither her or her instructor knew why. The police officer walked up to the door and told her that her front license plate was missing. He talked to the instructor and my daughter for a while and after seeing how distraught she was, he decided to just let her go and finish the driver’s test. Of course when she finished the test and passed, the instructor told me what happened. I remembered that I had forgotten to put the front license plate on after it had fallen off a few weeks before. We all had a good laugh and it even made a pretty funny FaceBook status. :) This could have went a totally different direction. Lacy could have gotten a ticket and failed her driver’s test. The instructor could have gotten into trouble for not noticing a missing license plate and allowing her to take the test. Was this either of their fault? No. It was my car and it was my license plate that was missing. What’s my point? Don’t assume everything is gospel just because someone else says or portrays it to be good. That is how people get led astray in this life. So many people are solely depending on the study, prayers and teachings of other people that they can easily be taken down the wrong path. Study to show yourself approved and know and test the things that are placed in front of you. Don’t take your test using faulty equipment or altered study materials. Know the Word of God and pass with flying colors.

1st Timothy 2:15; 1st John 4:1

In His Service,

Gary

 

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Turn Your Bitter into Sweet

Posted on March 14, 2011 by gcoday

The Definition of Bitter is “hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.” Let’s face it, we have all been bitter about something in our lives. Life is full of things that are hard to bear or distressful. The bible is full of instances where people wept bitterly over the death of a loved one or when they went through other hardships. In reality, experiencing bitterness is a given, so how do we deal with it when a bitter season comes our way? The bible says in Acts 8:23 that bitterness is a poison. We will experience times where the poison of bitterness will infect our lives. If you are infected by a poisonous bite or infection what do you do? First, you feel the pain of the poison, realize that it is a problem and seek medical attention to minimize the damage to your body. You also want to recover as quickly as possible so you don’t have to experience the pain and/or discomfort any longer than you have to. Why not treat your bitter situation or any untreated bitterness (poison) the same way. Recognize the pain and realize it is a problem that you must treat and seek medical attention from the great physician by asking for help in treating the infection. Then ask for repentance for any collateral damage you may have caused while under the influence of the poison of bitterness. Then, and only then, can you turn your bitterness into sweet.

In His Service

Gary

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Do I Fear God?

Posted on March 10, 2011 by gcoday

I’ve heard about fearing God all my life. I’m sure most of you have also. But what exactly does that mean? I’m supposed to love Him, depend on Him, be an ambassador for Him and give my whole life to Him. So how can I do all that and still be afraid of Him?

It starts with an understanding of family. I have a good family. My parents love me and would do almost anything for me. They have always supported what I did and guided me in the right direction when they needed to. When I was a kid, my parents fed me and protected me. They taught me many things and I loved them and felt safe with them. I enjoyed being with them.  But there was a side of my parents that was frightening. When I did something wrong or against their rules I felt the wrath of their punishment. It was always a just punishment, but I feared it nonetheless. It didn’t mean they didn’t love me or that I didn’t love them, it was just an execution of the punishment we all knew was imminent if I got out of line. This is how respect is born. Respect is a strange word. It has a very deep meaning. To respect your parents means to love them, honor them, and fear them because of the ’cause and effect’ of your actions. The reason we respect them is because of the proper deliverance of love, reward, rules and punishment.

Our love, fear and respect for God should emulate the earthly family model. It’s just on a much larger scale. God is the ultimate judge and father. He loves us more than any earthly father can. He has righteous laws which are more perfect and complete than any earthly family’s, and we can never outgrow Him enough to ‘move out’ on our own. He gave His son so we could be saved and all we have to do is give our lives to Him and He will adopt us into His family. God is our father, He has so much love for us and yet He has rules and laws to live by as well. We need to fear the wrath of our Father for the things we do against His laws. Ask for forgiveness for the things we have done so we can escape the wrath of a just judge. There is coming a day when it will be too late to beg forgiveness for the things we have done. Develop a respectful fear of God, ask for forgiveness and then follow it up with a pure and righteous lifestyle like He commands us to live. Then we can feel safe and comforted in the presence of our Almighty Father.

For a biblical example of fearing God, I recommend reading 1 Samuel chapter 12. I have attached it below if you want to read it now.

Thanks to Pamela for the topic idea.

In His Service,

Gary

 

1 Samuel 12

Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation

1 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
4 And they said, “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 Then he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
And they answered, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers: 8 When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king.
13 “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. 15 However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

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Write a Psalm

Posted on March 7, 2011 by gcoday

I love reading the Psalms. They are words that are deep from the heart and full of emotion. When David wrote them, they expressed feelings of joy, sorrow, anger, and repentance. One of the things I love about them is that nothing is held back. He opened his heart and feelings completely and continually expressed his love for His God. In a way, it was David’s blog. A way to praise God in words and keep records of the feelings, and experiences he was going through. That brings me to my next question. Have you ever wrote your own Psalm? The definition of psalm is “any sacred song used to praise the deity.” I want to see your psalm. It doesn’t have to rhyme, have music, or even be a song. Why not start with just your innermost expression of the love you have for Jesus? If you are up to it, please consider commenting on this post with a psalm from your heart. It may be the start of something beautiful.
In His Service,
Gary

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The Judgment of Believers

Posted on March 4, 2011 by gcoday

My Teaching on the Judgment seat of Christ.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

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Learn From Other’s Mistakes

Posted on March 3, 2011 by gcoday

I have an older brother. He is a year older to be honest. Growing up, he was the stubborn one, I was the loudmouth “look at me” one. Come to think of it we are still that way. :) He would always “test” the waters to see just how far he could push mom and dad before getting into trouble. His only problem was he never saw that invisible line and he would cross it every time. I learned a lot from his mistakes. I knew not to try “that” or not to go “there” because I witnessed the consequences. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of my own experiences with crossing the line, but not as many as my brother.

As Christians, we are a lot like my brother, we cross the line thinking Dad isn’t watching or noticing the wrongs we are doing. We are not learning from other people’s mistakes. God gives us all kinds of examples in the word of people and nations that make bad choices and he shows us the results of those decisions. God will not be mocked. There will come a day, and I believe it is very close, when God will send Jesus to bring His people home. He is looking for a spotless bride, one that does His will and obeys His commandments and loves Him completely. We are either for Him or against Him. I encourage you today to read the word, learn from the past experiences of others and truly walk with God the way He desires us all to.

In His Service

Gary

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