Reliable Truth

When a storm enters your life, what do you do? You know what I mean by storm, right? Something very difficult comes into your life. A hard circumstance. Adversity.How do I get it out of my life? Is there something I can do to deal with the storm? Sometimes to get out of trouble, people do things they shouldn’t do. But let’s look at the storms of life that are out of your control. A storm that creates emotional pain and fear.What do you do?In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says, “He who hears these words of Mine, and then acts upon them.” The NIV says, “…puts them into practice, will be compared to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock, and the winds come, and the rains come and storms come, and they beat against that house, and yet it did not fall, because it was founded on the Rock.”

What is our tendency when we become really satisfied?Often times we become complacent. We think we've got life figured out. We take it for granted.When we get to a point where we think we have everything we need, instead of being thankful to God, we start becoming arrogant.Once that arrogance starts creeping in, you are well on a path to forgetting Him.In Proverbs 30, Solomon asks God to keep lies and deceit away from him. Then he says, don’t give me too much - in other words, don’t give me too much of anything. Don’t give me too much wealth. Because my problem is, once I have too much, I’m likely to forget you and say, Who is the Lord?" It’s like he was saying, give me just enough, because he sees this danger.As we sit here today, we might find it hard to believe that someone who gets really blessed would forget God, would not give thanks to God, would not be humble. But that does seem to be what happens. An attitude of thanksgiving does not come natural to us. Arrogance does comes very natural to us.

Who is the greatest Christian in the world? 18th century theologian William Law beautifully answers this question, which is the theme of this episode:“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?...” (And whenever we use the word saint, that means Christian.)“...It’s not who prays the most, or fasts the most. It’s not he who gives most alms, or who is most imminent for temperance, chastity, or justice, but it is to he who is always thankful to God. Who wills and wants everything that God wills, and who receives everything in his life as an instance of God’s goodness, and therefore always has a heart that is ready to praise and thank God for it.” I believe this is a big deal, and in my opinion, thanksgiving should be at the heart of our prayer life.As the apostle Paul says, our lives should overflow with gratitude, because, when that happens, it makes such a difference in our life, and in our own personal health.

What does sacrifice mean? Is it a bad thing?To sacrifice is to forfeit something of great value to you, but you do it for something of even greater value.When you understand the worth of sacrifice, it changes everything.In the Christian life, to come to Christ, you’re forfeiting your life and your will for something of much greater value - and that is God’s will - His plan for your life.But most of us don’t like that word sacrifice. It sounds so negative. We confuse it with the idea of deprivation - like I’ve just got to deprive myself of something and there’s nothing really in it for me.We need to understand that there’s a huge difference between deprivation and sacrifice.As you grow in wisdom and maturity, there are often things that you realize you need to eliminate from your life just because it’s wise and good.If you really want to know what a person’s life is really all about, what’s really important to them, all you need to do is look at two things.What are those two things?

What does total commitment mean to you?Whenever you truly commit to something or someone, you have to give up something in the process. In one sense you can see it as a sacrifice. This is where you forfeit something of great value for the sake of something of greater value. In our culture, the commitment we are most aware of is marriage. When a man proposes to a woman, he does so knowing he’s giving up all other relationships with single women. He’s giving up a great deal of autonomy and he’s giving up all of his assets. When you listen to the marriage vows, you recognize that you are giving all that you have and all that you are to that other person. You are telling them that I belong exclusively and permanently to you. All of me. But isn’t this what we yearn for? And we do it to experience union and oneness with another person, and, in the process, experience incredible joy.Jesus is telling us the same thing. That a new right relationship with Him is worth everything. However, He has made it clear that we must give ourselves to Him, to surrender to Him, and when we do, we will suddenly find everything that we have been searching for in this life.

Does how we pray matter to God? In Part 1 we discussed these 2 principles: the importance of approaching God with humility, and praying with the right motive.Today we discuss the value of persistence in our prayer life. In Luke 18:1, it says we should not lose heart and give up. Though Jesus gives us no real explanation, it does appear that persistence is important for several reasons, one being that it indicates the priority of the heart. It shows a real intent and purpose.We also discuss the final principle, which is asking God for wisdom, praying with faith that He will give it to you.“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” - James 1:5-7

What is prayer? And what does it mean to have a prayer life? The last time that we talked on prayer, I commented that in order to have an effective prayer life, there are certain crucial principles that are involved. Perhaps the most important is this truth of approaching God with a heart of humility. Prayer requires humility. Interestingly, your prayer life is the key that produces humility in your life.Humility does not come naturally to us as human beings, and therefore, it has to be cultivated in our lives. The Bible uses the phrase "humble yourself." As you read scripture, you'll see that God truly has high esteem for the humble. In Isaiah 66:2 God tells us, "This is the one to whom I esteem, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My Word."This is Part 1 of a 9-part series.

How can you put science with faith? In this episode, my guest is Dr. Ken Boa. He is exploring a huge topic, so get your seat belt on!​​We are discussing science, faith and reason. The typical mindset is to ask. "How can you put science with faith?" Well, first of all, the actual origin of science occurred in a context of Christian faith. In fact, science, as we know it, only appeared ONCE in human history.Y​​es there was technology in Greece and Babylonia, China etc. But there was no actual science until the period around the Renaissance in Christian Europe.I​​t was this Christian synthesis that actually provided the foundation for the idea that the universe is rational, and that it can be studied.Dr. Ken Boa of ⁠Reflections Ministries⁠ is engaged in a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. For 40 years, Ken has shared Scripture-based truth to help people view life from God’s perspective. He holds a BS from Case Institute of Technology, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in England.

Where is your hope? Is your hope in success, your accomplishments or in a comfortable life?In scripture, Jesus constantly connects fear and anxiety in the hearts of men. No matter how good people look on the outside, they’re shakier than you think they are in the inside. That’s me and you included - we’re all looking good but most men I work with, secretly they’re just beating the door back from fear and anxiety. Most of them fear failure. The rest of them fear being humiliated in front of their friends. One of the biggest fears men have is that one of their friends or anybody that they respect would ever question their manhood.So, when you look at your life, discovering where you have your ultimate hope will change everything. Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries is a favorite speaker at The Center's events. Along with being an associate Chaplain in The NFL for many years, Jerry has done ministry in Guatemala, Scotland, Russia, Europe and Africa as well as all over the U.S. He and his wife Holly have been on Young Life Staff and continue to be involved with Young Life here and also internationally.

If you knew you had one day left to live, and you wanted to leave your children some kind of final instruction, what would you say to them?Twenty years ago I had my kids memorize what I thought was the most important scripture of the Old Testament. I asked them if they still remembered it and all three of them did. "Okay, let's hear it!" I requested. They all still knew it!In this verse, I Chronicles 28:9, listen to the last instruction that David gives to Solomon, just before he dies:“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever."He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, so think about these promises of God; of these great benefits that He bestows on those who seek Him.The ball is in our court. >>Watch on YouTube