24

Jump Start # 1064

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1064

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

 Paul’s words to the young preacher Timothy stresses the importance of speaking as God speaks. Handle the word accurately, are Paul’s words. Mishandling, inaccuracies lead to misrepresenting God and stating things that God did not say. A common threat of Satan is to get people to twist and misuse the Bible. By doing this, people feel safe because they are using the Bible. They are lost along the journey because they are not handling the Bible accurately.

 

A new example of this is the current movie, Noah. The title and the trailer about a man in a boat with animals, would lead one to think that this is based upon the Bible. It’s not. This is yet another attempt by Hollywood to discredit and change what the Bible says. I will not see this movie. I’ve read enough to know that it will fry my biscuits and make me mad because of how they misused God’s incredible story. The movie is packed with stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Russell Crowe and Harry Potty star, Emma Watson. Noah is an herb farmer who runs an animal hospital. He tries to save the animals from poachers. The movie is not close to the Biblical record. The reason for the flood, the choice of who is in the ark, the actual people in the ark, and the presence of God is all skewed. The movie is not accurate. The movie isn’t close. The most accurate thing about the movie is water. One might as well make a movie about Abe Lincoln and John Kennedy being neighbors who rode their bikes to school where they were taught by George Washington. Dumb. Fake. Fiction. It shouldn’t be surprising that it turned out this way since the director of Noah, Darren Aronofsky, is a proclaimed atheist. He doesn’t believe in God, the Bible or the truthfulness of what the account says. He’s the wrong person to make that movie. What’s the purpose of this movie? If it is not to accurately tell the story, are they rewriting history to move people away from the Bible? Do they have an agenda?

 

Here are some things we need to know:

 

1. This movie will become truth for many people. So few people even understand that Noah was a righteous man and that sin was the reason that God punished the creation with the flood. The common thought is that the Genesis account is a collection of flood fables from around the world. That thought is gaining strength. Indeed, there are over 200 cultures that have a flood story. There are similarities between those stories and the Bible account. Instead of thinking that someone put these together in the Bible, it may be that the Bible led to these other stories and more likely, these different cultures had this history passed down from generation to generation because it was true. If the flood account in Genesis was myths that were written down, who wrote them down? What about the rest of Genesis? Creation—that’s been tossed out and replaced with evolution. Abraham? Joseph? The New Testament is built upon the historical accuracies of Genesis. Jesus referred to Noah, Abraham and the beginning. Paul, Peter and James used Genesis as proof for the things that they were saying. To discredit Genesis is to discredit the New Testament. So few people read the Bible today, that this movie will become truth for them. This is what many will now believe. That is the power of movies. That is the shame that most homes have a Bible but it’s never opened.

 

2. This movie will be an opportunity for you to talk to others about the true flood story. People will go to the movie. They will have an opinion. In conversations, ask them to read with you Genesis 6-9. Let them see for themselves what the Bible really says. This is an occasion to defend God’s word. This is an opportunity to teach what really happened. The movie, fiction as it is, can be a tool, to get people back to the Bible. You can be that bridge. Study up on the flood. Know the facts. Understand what happened. Speak out. Don’t let others toss the Bible under the bus. Don’t let an atheistic agenda discredit what the God of Heaven says. The Bible or Hollywood? Which will it be? Most don’t see the big picture. They don’t see the connection between Noah and Jesus. They don’t see Genesis in the N.T. They don’t see what is wrong with taking some liberties with what God said. If one can do it with the flood, can they do it with what God said about marriage? How about church? How about Heaven? God said it, but no one pays attention. We’ve allowed ourselves to shape the Bible to our own liking. There is a “Gay Bible” on the market now. Really? That is the outcome when we allow ourselves to be loose with God’s word. Paul said handle it ACCURATELY.

 

3. This movie is a reminder to us that we also, must be accurate with God’s word. There are things we do not know. Speculation can build mighty theories and ideas. We can place more hope in those theories than what the Bible actually says. As Paul warned Timothy, we must handle accurately the word of truth. The old motto from the early days of the Restoration movement was, “We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent when the Bible is silent.” That silent part gets us. We’ve moved on from that. When the Bible is silent, we often have an opinion. We guess why God does what He does. Isaiah tells us that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Moses said the secret things belong to God. Speak accurately. Speak firmly. Back up what you say with Biblical evidence.

 

I expect few would want to know that God destroyed the world because of man’s wickedness. That thought would make us wonder about today. It would cause a person to stop and look in the mirror. It could lead to changed life styles and righteous living. It’s easier to change the message than to change our hearts.

 

God’s message doesn’t change. A movie won’t change what God says. Popularity doesn’t change what God says. God’s word stands, whether we believe it or not.

 

Handle accurately. Handle carefully. That word is powerful. It can change you and bring you back to God. I’ll stick to the Genesis flood—that’s the way things really happened. I’ll pass on this movie.

 

Roger

 

21

Jump Start # 1063

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1063

James 1:26 “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

  The subject of the tongue is a major theme in the book of James. The practical, straight forward wisdom mirrors the book of Proverbs in many ways. What we say is a reflection of our attitudes and faith. That’s the point of our verse today. A religious man with an uncontrolled tongue has a faith that is doing nothing for him. His religion is worthless.

Worthless things is what we often call “junk.” Worthless things are tossed out in the trash. Worthless, as used by James, is describing the benefits that this man gains from his religion. His religion is not helping him,  shaping or molding him, defining him. This man is not even living his religion. He is a hypocrite. He says the right words in worship, but his attitude and tongue tell us otherwise. His mouth demonstrates that his heart is empty.

Notice the many references to the unbridled tongue in James:

  • The disrespect toward poor Christians
  • The lack of mercy towards others
  • The cursing of others
  • The many quarrels
  • Speaking against one another
  • Arrogant boasting
  • Anger

 

To bridle something is to control it. The illustration takes us to a person trying to ride a horse. Without a bridle, the horse cannot be turned, stopped or controlled. The rider is at the mercy of the horse. This illustrates the person who does not live by faith. Their faith is not controlling their thoughts and tongue. We witness ugly, mean and hurtful abuse from the tongue. It’s one thing for this to come from one who does not know the Lord, but from a Christian? From one who follows Jesus? They never learned that from Jesus.

 

Some justify saying anything by proclaiming, “I just speak my mind.” Well, you shouldn’t. Put a bridle on that tongue. Others claim, “The truth hurts.” It does, but it doesn’t need you to stick a knife into someone’s heart. “I just can’t help it, that’s the way I am,” is a cop out. James is telling us that you can help it. You better help it. Your wicked mind and evil tongue destroy the people that Jesus love and died for. Your loose tongue does not build faith and bring others closer to Christ. It crushes them.

 

There is a time and a place for confrontational conversations. There is a time and a place to rebuke wrong. Those times are in a spirit of gentleness, offered in love and with the hope of making better, not telling someone off.

 

What and how we say things can lead to an argument or it can calm nerves. We need to remember this in our marriages. We need to recall this when dealing with kids. Hostile attitudes explode when not governed by faith. Our faith is the difference. Our religion is the difference. Our religion is not worthless. It is the opposite, it is valuable. It is not just a ticket away from Hell. It’s not just getting to Heaven. Our faith, our religion, makes a difference in our lives now. One way is how it helps bridle our tongues.

 

Faith tells us to think before you speak. Faith tells us to consider the best way to say things. Faith invites God into what we are going to say. Faith says speak calmly, not in anger. Faith says look at yourself, you are not perfect. Faith says honor God, even in differences. Faith says help the person out, not destroy him.

 

What good is your religion doing for you now? Does it help you with your choices, even today? When you pick out a movie, a date, a word to say, a book to read, a person to call a friend, does faith affect those things? It ought to. A profitable religion benefits us. It makes a difference to us. It shows.

 

The Holy Spirit felt that those early Christians were missing something. The salvation in Christ had not led to a change in attitude and relationship with each other. They were abusing and hurting one another. It doesn’t take much of that until a skirmish breaks out. From that, things escalate until an all out war is declared. We see Russia and the U.S. tossing verbal bombs at each other now. Those things can lead to greater and more devastating problems. God knows that. He didn’t want that among His people.

 

Use your mouth wisely. Catch yourself before you say things that you shouldn’t. Hold back. That’s what a bridle does. Turn the conversation into something positive, that’s what a bridle does. Find areas that build up. Encourage. Compliment. Thank. Forgive. Help. The bridle will take you to those places when faith is at the reins.

 

The saddest thing about a worthless religion is that it doesn’t take a person to Heaven as one thought. The deceived person spent a life chasing something that did nothing for him. His language, his ways, his attitude, especially at home, was rough, godless, selfish and mean. Gossip, prejudice and judgmental statements are common to a worthless religion. Such a person dies, thinking Heaven is his, when it’s not. His religion fooled him. He lived without bridles. He allowed uncontrolled thoughts to become uncontrolled actions and words. He didn’t honor God in his words or life. He dies deceived. His poor family suffered through years of this junk. His children, most likely, will have nothing to do with religion because of the worthless example they saw in dad. It didn’t do him any good. His legacy will be crippled hearts that were subject to his uncontrolled anger, abuse and godless tongue. He dies, not in glory, but in shame. He awakens on the other side, not in comfort, but in torment. He has fooled even himself. The only one not fooled was God.

 

Is your faith doing you any good? Does it show today? Are you a person under control? Do you have your bridle in place? That’s the thought that James is driving at.

 

What a wonderful thing faith is, when it is locked into Jesus Christ and filling the heart that manifests it.

 

Valuable or worthless? What is it to you?

 

Roger

 

20

Jump Start # 1062

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1062

Psalms 99:5 “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; Holy is He.”

  One of the greatest blessings and privileges that we can be involved in life is to be a worshipper of God. He wants us to worship Him. Our English word ‘worship’ comes to us through the Latin language. There it means, ‘to give worth,’ or, ‘worth-ship.’ Worship is recognizing the great value of God. Psalms 34 reminds us to magnify the Lord. Modern plastic churches today have moved away from that. For them, worship is about making the people happy. Hip music, a message that stirs the emotions, a show to watch—great fun…great entertainment…great time. But worship of God? I don’t think so.

The lesson from Cain and Abel and their different offerings to God reminds us that God does not accept everything we offer Him. Cain was rejected. The sacrifice of Cain was rejected. Our worship must be pure and follow what God has revealed. He tells us how to worship Him. He never says, “be original.” He never says, “Surprise me.” He has told us what pleases Him.

Worship involves our insides and our outsides. The outside is probably easier to deal with than the insides. The outside means worshipping God according to the Biblical pattern we find in the New Testament. The outside means gathering together as a church on Sunday. It means prayers are offered to God. It means singing praises to God. It means remembering that wonderful sacrifice of Jesus that saved our souls. It means hearing God’s word preached. That’s what we find in the N.T. That’s how the early church worshipped God. We cannot “outgrow” those things. We cannot toss them out because they don’t work today. They do work. We must never give up on what God has said. Jesus said that those who worship MUST worship in spirit and in TRUTH. Truth—that’s the outside. That’s the Bible way.

 

The insides involve our hearts, minds, thoughts and attitudes. We are told to sing with THANKFULNESS and to give CHEERFULLY. Those are attitude words. Just as it is improper to worship God with the wrong outsides, it is improper to worship God with the wrong insides. Our attention is upon God. We are in communion with God in worship. Psalms 2 says to “worship God with reverence.” That’s insides. Jesus said to worship God in SPIRIT and in truth. Insides and outsides.

 

The insides are hard to deal with. Things that bother me will affect my worship. If I’m tired, it will show in how I worship God. If I’m distracted, bugged by things, irritated, stressed, worried or preoccupied my worship suffers. I do not give God the best. He deserves the best and because of my insides I often give God mediocre to substandard worship. My mind wanders. I mouth words without thinking about them. I get distracted by the noise or commotion of others. The result, my worship has been a bust. God has not been honored by me and that is the failure of worship.

 

There are things I can do to help that. The outsides and insides are equally important. One is not greater than the other. Both are necessary and both need to be the best that I am capable of giving.

 

The O.T. priests purified themselves before they began worship. There was a ritual of washing that made them clean before God. It would help to do that through prayer. BEFORE worship begins, say your own prayer. Lay the things that bother you at the throne of God and focus upon His grace, His power, and His will. This will help you. Invite God into your problems. Seek His help. Through worship, you find a new way of looking at things. You find comfort and relief because God is before you.

 

Work on ending the commotions that may keep someone from worshipping. Just as it would be wrong to block the doorway of the church building and refuse to allow those who want to come in to worship—that would be so wrong, it is just as wrong to ruin someone’s worship because of phone calls, crying babies, fussy kids, and going in and out to the bathroom numerous times. It’s hard to worship with commotion. Parents can do a lot to keep this down by using the nursery. Put your phones on vibrate or better yet, leave it in the car. Is anything that urgent that you must have your phone at your side? Put away the games and give your attention to God. Bring books and coloring books for children. Go to the bathroom BEFORE services. These things are not rocket science. We do these things in the movies. But in church services, we seem to forget. WHY? Maybe it’s not a study of worship, but rather a study of God that we really need.

 

Get to bed at a decent time the night before worship. Tired worshippers are giving God the left overs. Is that what you really want to give to God? Come refreshed. Come ready. Sing hymns or play CD’s of hymns on your way to the church house. Come excited. Come expecting. Bring your Bible. Bring pens and paper for you to take notes on. Think about what you want to thank God for.

 

It’s important to take care of the insides. When I hear folks state that worship is boring, to me they are saying that “God is boring.” Really? He’s probably thinking the same of the way you have been worshipping. Try sitting in a different place. If the little ones distract you, sit up front. Try singing without looking at the words. Try reading passages during the Lord’s Supper. Try adding your own thoughts to the prayers. Your insides must be involved in your worship. Worship is participation. Worship most often is a verb in the N.T. It’s not like watching TV or a movie. It’s not a spectator sport.

 

When people say, ‘I don’t get anything out of worship,’ I believe they are correct. If you come tired, bored, and out of obligation, you sit there staring, never singing, never opening your Bible, never participating, you will get “NOTHING” out of it. Maybe we are looking at this from the wrong direction. Instead of getting something out of it, we ought to be PUTTING something INTO it. Now, that’s different. Worship is giving God is due or worth. It’s telling God that you love Him. It is thanking God. If you come only to GET something, then you have missed the whole purpose of worship. The direction is wrong. You are thinking it ought to come from God to you. It needs to come from you to God.

 

Insides and outsides—that’s what worship is about. Help us, Lord to get this. Help us to teach our friends the importance of the outside but may we finally learn, ourselves, the importance of the insides. God wants them both. It’s not a choice. One without the other is wrong. God wants both. God deserves both.

 

Help us not to ruin the worship of others because of our commotions, noise, attitudes, and behavior.

 

Maybe these thoughts will help us for Sunday.

 

Roger

 

19

Jump Start # 1061

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1061

Luke 16:27-28 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers– in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”

  In our verse today, the rich man recognizes something that so many do not today. He saw what most refuse to acknowledge. He saw the reality and truth about things. His five brothers were lost. They were on the fast track to the same torment that he was now in. There was no sugar coating this. He didn’t think, “Well, no one is perfect. They are pretty good guys.” Unless they changed, unless they believed, unless they lived by faith and obeyed God, they would be where he is. The whole family was lost.

Malachi 3:18 states, “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked; between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

Have you been to a funeral lately? Have you noticed that people who never darken the church, who have not opened the Bible in years, who have lived by the theory of “I do what ever I feel like,” are thought to be in Heaven when they die. Why? Because God loves? What kind of love is that for someone to ignore another, trash what they want, be selfish and rebellious and think God will still honor them by letting them go to Heaven? If that was a marriage, it would be broken, selfish and headed to the divorce court. This very shallow thinking that believes goodness gets a person into Heaven, also believes that Heaven is a fantasy island where I get to do all the fun things forever. The person who has no time for God would not like Heaven, because Heaven is about God. Heaven is not shopping, golfing, fishing. There is no verse that would support that warped, worldly concept. That view is selfish and once again perpetuates a life that ignores God. Folks want to go to Heaven so they can be left alone and fish forever. You won’t find that in the Bible. What we find is the righteous gathered around God. We find the righteous serving God. No taste for God means no taste for Heaven.

 

People are lost. The rich man understood that. The saved walk with Christ. The saved fixed their eyes and hope upon Jesus. The saved worship regularly. The saved obey Jesus. The saved have washed their sins away through the blood of Jesus in baptism. The saved are in fellowship with God. We CAN distinguish, as Malachi said, between the righteous and the wicked. We can see the difference between the saved and the lost.

 

Far too many modern churches don’t have time for this message. They are too busy preaching the gospel of happiness rather than holiness. They are interested in good times nor righteous living. The modern gospel of too many today is be a nice Mr. Roger’s type of person. No mention of sin. Nothing said of sacrifice. No cross bearing. No commitment. No obedience. Do what ever you feel like. That’s the flavor of the month.

 

The rich man got it. He got it too late. Too late to help himself. Too late to influence his brothers. In time, all five would join him. His five brothers were walking the same selfish, materialistic, ignoring God path that he had. His five brothers would have envied the wealth. They would have loved the gated house, the fine living, the extreme affluence. Like their brother, God didn’t fit into all of this. There was no time for God, they were making money. They had no need for God, they have everything. They lived as they wanted. They, like their brother, would ignore and even complain about the Lazarus’ in the world. The beggars are a nuisance. The beggars ought to go some where else. The beggars ought to be shipped off to work camps. What a life they were living, all five of them. Important, rich, influential, and dead LOST. They were in a fog. They couldn’t see beyond their affluence. God is real. This life is short. There is life after death. The choices you make in life determine where you will be in the next world. To ignore, disobey and avoid God is a choice. It leaves God with no choice other than granting that in eternity. If a person doesn’t want God now, He will fulfill that forever in eternity.

 

People are lost without Jesus Christ. Don’t ever quit following Jesus. Don’t trade your soul for a few moments of pleasure in sin. Don’t sell out what you know is right. The rich man would love to be in your shoes today. He would love to have one more day.

 

Can you imagine what he would do if he was given one day to come back. Just one day. He would race to his brothers and tell them the story of Jesus. He would pray, dropping to his knees, asking God to forgive him. He would be at the Temple worshipping. He would ask the priests what he could do to help. His mind, his focus would be upon God. All the things in his house that displeased God would be tossed out immediately. No questions asked. His servants would be told about Jesus. His eyes would be upon the time. He only had so much time. Forget naps. Forget sleeping. One day. One day back from the dead. That didn’t happen. It can’t happen. It won’t happen. It didn’t happen for the rich man and it won’t happen for us. This is our time. We have the same things that he has. And yet, how many are following his very footsteps. More concerned about who kissed who in Hollywood, the latest this or that, minds stuck upon the horizon, forgetting that God is who we need to be impressed with and God is the one we need to please.

 

The tragic story of the rich man is not just that his five brothers in time joined him but that millions have joined him. They have the message of Luke 16 but it is not read. The rich man and his family were lost. They ignored God in life and were ignored by God in death. They made their choices. Consequences followed. And now, the page is before us. Will we be any different? Will we walk the same path that they took?

 

The rich man was lost. Will you be the same? What are you going to do about it?

 

Roger

 

18

Jump Start # 1060

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1060

1 Chronicles 3:5 “These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, four, by Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel.”

  Students of Bible history recognize three names that are linked together: David, Bathsheba and Nathan. The sad and horrific story of David’s lust and sin with Bathsheba and his cover up that led to the murder of her husband has been the subject of many sermons and Bible classes. For more than 9 months nothing is said about David’s sin. It seems that David literally got away with murder. His chief in command knew, but he was loyal to the king. One wonders if Bathsheba every knew the truth. At least nine months pass. God sends Nathan the prophet to David. He tells a story about a man who stole a neighbor’s only lamb for a feast. The thief had plenty of his own sheep. David is enraged. That man deserves to die, David declared. Nathan reveals that David is that man. Worse than stealing and killing a sheep, David has stolen a man’s wife and killed the man. The story is out. God knows. The prophet knows. David is guilty. Broken and ashamed, David pleads for forgiveness. The compassion of God forgives David but there are consequences. David’s household falls apart. The baby that was born out of this lustful sin dies. David’s sons collapse in ruin. Rape, murder and an attempted coup are all the results of David’s moral failure. David could conquer the world but he could not conquer his home.

 

Our verse tells of another Nathan, not the prophet, but a son of David. Later, after David moved to Jerusalem, and had married Bathsheba, there were more children born. Solomon, would reign when David dies. Another son, was named “NATHAN.” That is interesting that David would name one of his sons after the  prophet who came and confronted him. The prophet saved David. The prophet got David back on track. The prophet had to confront and say some plain and harsh things to David. Now, years later, David, names one of his children after that prophet.

 

God often brings people into our lives to help us. That person may be a parent. That person may be someone from church. That person reminds us. That person confronts us about wrong we are doing. That person helps us get back on track with God. Maybe we haven’t been worshipping very regular. Our attendance is hit and miss. Someone talks to us about coming more often. He reminds us of the beauty and benefits of worship. We feel guilty, but know that he is right. It may be something that we are involved in that is not right. Maybe at work we’ve thrown honesty and ethics out the window for the sake of profits. Maybe, like David, lust has taken over our sense of what is right. A friend knows. A friend talks to us in confidence. He reminds us of our hope in Heaven. He reminds us of our commitment to Christ. He helps us to see the reckless path that we are on. He reminds us of the mercy of God.

 

How do we react to people like this in our lives? Do we see them as nosey and they bother us? Do we wish that they would go away? Do we become hostile toward them? Do we threaten friendship because they cared enough and were courageous enough to try to help us from doing dumb and wrong things in our lives? We need people like that. We need people who care enough to say something. We need people to keep us on the path to Heaven. This is why we are engaged in a fellowship. We are linked with others. We are joined in this journey with others. We need each other.

 

We encourage an atmosphere of dialogue by our honesty, openness and attitudes. If we are secretive, crafty, sly and ambiguous, it will be nearly impossible for our friend to get through to us. If we play spiritual dodge ball with them, living in denial, refusing to accept responsibility, then we are doomed to fall off the tracks. Nathan reached David because he was reachable. Nathan had someone whose heart was honest, even though he had done wrong. The closed heart cannot be touched. How do we respond to the people who come into our lives to help us?

 

David named a son after Nathan the prophet. This shows the great respect David had for the man who confronted him, corrected him, and guided him back to the Lord. David didn’t threaten Nathan. David didn’t deny what was known. David didn’t flee. He changed. Repentance will do that. It will get through the smog of excuses, shallow reasons and flimsy justifications for our sin. Repentance stops and turns toward God. Repentance is good. Repentance is hope. It is the future. Without repenting, David would turn on Nathan the prophet. Without repenting, David’s sins, would multiply even more. Without repenting, David would have been cut off from God.

 

Too often, we attack the person who cared enough to come and speak to us. Too often, we point the finger at the wrong person. We ought to look in the mirror and see the wrong that we are guilty of. We ought to thank the person that tries to help us. We ought to consider ourselves blessed to have such a person in our life. Without them, we would head straight to the wilderness of sin. Without them, our lives grow further and further from God.

 

Can you imagine naming a child after the person who confronted you or rebuked you? Can you imagine that child always being a reminder of the one who changed the course of your life. Watching Nathan grow up, David must have returned to that scene of the prophet telling him that “Thou art the man.” Those words, that prophet, changed the course of David for what is good. The name “Nathan” would have been a kind reminder to David of the God who forgives.

 

Do you have a Nathan in your life? Do you listen when he has something to talk to you about? It changed David’s life. It might change your life. True friends are not blind to our sins. True friends help us out of the mess we made and help us back to God. Friends that justify and find excuses for sin are not really friends. They are working for Satan and not God.

 

David had two Nathan’s in his life.

 

Roger