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Why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Three

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Why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts

Character that counts is a trait that everyone wants — when I say character, I mean the good variety. A Wall Street broker had fallen in love with a young lady and began dating her. He was very wealthy, and he had to be careful whom he related to. He didn’t want to relate to somebody who would damage him or only come after him for his money. So he had one of his associates hire a private detective to find out everything there was to find out about this lady. He didn’t want to make a mistake. He also didn’t want the private eye to know whom he was doing the investigation for, lest the girl finds out later and think that her love didn’t trust her. The broker got his associate to hire a private eye to check up on this lady without telling the detective who was making the assignment and paying the bill. After several weeks, the report came back on the young lady whom the broker was considering. The report said, “I have investigated this young lady, and she has a squeaky clean life. Perfect in every detail, no flaws, no known mistakes. She is on the up and up in every possible way. However, there is one little possible blip on the screen of her life. She is often seen around town in the company of a young broker whose dubious business practices and principles are well known.” You see, the problem may just be you.1 The Bible talks about character, so we will focus on why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts — all in this week’s Light on Life.

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How to Make It Through a Bad Day

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Why It’s Vital to See Yourself as God’s High Powered Creative Workmanship

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Two

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Why It's Vital to See Yourself as God's High Powered Creative Workmanship

What does the word ‘workmanship’ conjure up in your thinking? Ephesians 2:10 in the King James states that followers of Jesus are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus. That statement comes on the heels of the tremendous cost of man’s redemption displayed via the grace of God. Have you ever heard of the Sydney Opera House on this theme of extraordinary grace? What was once termed Australia’s most significant “mistakes” was later hailed as its greatest—although costly—masterpiece of workmanship. This is the Sydney Opera House. The original cost estimate announced in 1957 was $7.2 million. The final cost in 1973 reached $110 million. Concerning this unique structure, the state premier of New South Wales said: “The cost has become a secondary consideration to the perfection of the achievement.” 1 The point? The creation of a masterpiece is never a cheap affair. They are costly, precious, and treasured. Why It’s Vital to See Yourself as God’s High-Powered Creative Workmanship, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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The Jesus Guide to Forgiveness

[Tweet “When the Lord redeemed you from your ginormous mess created by Adam’s transgression, He did so in an excellent fashion.”]

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How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode One

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How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life

Josh McDowell told this great story about finding the essential will of God for your life. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye, and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what God’s will is for your life? Do you know how to find it? How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not the will of God.”]

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How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart

Podcast: Light on Life Season Seven Episode Fifty-Two

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How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart [Podcast]

You can chart your course and explode with the power of vision. Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, “He did see it—that’s why it’s here.” 1. Vision is vital.  January is the time of the year where people try to catch a new vision. They think about things like resolutions, goals, and direction for the upcoming year. During this time of the year, they make choices and adjustments. They are sensing that some things in their life need change – need improvement. So, they use the January 1st date as a trigger to do better than they did the previous year. Striving forward is a good thing but, while we are looking ahead, it’s also good to look up – to look to the Lord for vision and direction. Explosive vision is seeing things invisible. Do you have a new vision for this new year? In this week’s podcast, we look at ‘How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart.’ All on this week’s Light on Life.

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Is Giving Jesus Everything Worth The Risk?

[Tweet “Vision is a picture of what God wants to do if we get out of the way and let Him do it.”]

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Why Celebrating Christmas Is Really About Jesus

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Seven Episode Fifty-One

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Why Celebrating Christmas Is Really About Jesus

What’s celebrating Christmas really all about? This is a question that we must be mindful of during every holiday season. A MOTHER was having a gathering to celebrate the birth of her newborn son. She invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate his arrival. She welcomed her guests, and they all had a wonderful time celebrating, eating, and drinking. After a while, one of the ladies said, “Well, bring the baby out. Let us see it.” The mother went to get the baby from his crib—he was nowhere to be found. She started to panic and feel fearful. Suddenly, she remembered that the baby was still at her parents’ house, where she had left him that morning. She and the guests had been having so much fun they had forgotten what the party was about in the first place. During the Christmas season, many people get busy with celebrations and forget that the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season.1

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What Is the Meaning of the Star in the Christmas Story?

[Tweet “The real Saint Nick was a miracle worker, God healed people through his ministry.”]

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Why the Name of Jesus and Gifts of the Spirit Is All God’s Grace

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 50

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Why the Name of Jesus and Gifts of the Spirit Is All God's Grace

In today’s podcast, we take up the Name of Jesus and its connection to God’s grace and power. The medieval theologian John Duns Scotus was visiting Rome, and the Pope took him into the Vatican treasuries. Running his hands through the silver, the Pope said, “No longer does the church have to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” The theologian replied, “That’s true, but also no longer can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk.’” 1 That’s an impactful and telling story that illustrates what happens when money becomes the focus of one’s life. We must cling to the Name of Jesus and hold it in high esteem in our lives. There is nothing like the Name of Jesus for restraining anger, assuaging the swellings of pride, healing the wound of envy, restraining the course of wantonness, quenching the flame of lust, moderating the thirst of covetousness, and putting to flight all lasciviousness. For when I name Jesus, I set before myself the image of the Man, meek and lowly, kind of heart, sober, chaste, merciful, peerless in purity and holiness, and at the same time, the Almighty God, who heals by His example, and strengthens us by His help.2 Having access to Jesus’ Name and the power invested in it is our focus on today’s Light On Life.

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#S4-039: How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live A Miracle Life [Podcast]

[Tweet, “The Name of Jesus, can and should permeate every aspect of your spiritual life.”]

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More of Why You Should Latch on to God’s Grace

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 49

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More of Why You Should Latch on to God's Grace

Latching on to God’s Grace is the thought today as we continue our focus on the book of Ephesians. We began to look at the subject of grace in a previous podcast, and there is just so much that we can come to know and understand about the magnitude of God’s favor toward us. God’s grace is universal to all men. One Sunday many years ago, a particular gentleman was part of a touring party in Cairo, Egypt. We were strangers in a strange land. We were separated from the nationals by language, dress, culture, and different economic and political systems. Furthermore, we were Christians; they were Muslims. We had heard the people talk with one another all day, but not one word did we understand. That evening in a little Baptist church, we were welcomed, not as American tourists but as fellow Christians. The first song we sang was “Amazing Grace.” They sang in Arabic; we sang in English. Overriding it all was our mutual love for Christ and one another. Truly God in Christ had made of two, one new people.1 So, you see, grace connects in multiple languages. It connects but are we grasping all that grace is? So, in this podcast, we hope to add to our understanding of this vital subject: More of Why You Should Latch on to God’s Grace — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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#045: Why is the Throne of God a Merciful Place? [Podcast]

 

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Hanging Out with God the Rock: A Harris Sparrow Shows You How

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Hanging Out with God The Rock: A Harris Sparrow Shows You How
  • God the Rock is our focus today.
  • The picture above was taken in March of 2021 and shows a Harris Sparrow hanging out with a rock.
A Harris Sparrow is one of the largest, chunkiest sparrows.1
  • The psalmist David gave voice to his confidence in God by declaring that the Lord was his rock.

2 Samuel 22:2–3 (ESV) — 2 He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

  • That’s a bold set of words. What did David mean by ‘God is my Rock?
  • The answer lies in the characteristics of granite.
  • How about strong?
  • How about solid and stable.
  • What about steadfast, sure, and always supportive?

Building On God as a Rock

  • Jesus gave out a parable one day on this very idea of God as a Rock, specifically obeying the word of God.

Luke 6:46–49 (ESV) — 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

  • When you wisely build your life on God’s Word, it becomes a foundation against every storm that comes your way.
  • Take a lesson from the Harris Sparrow.
  • The Rock in this photo was more than enough to hold him up.
  • And the Lord your Rock is well able to steady you in unsteady times.
  • Take a cue from the Harris Sparrow – hang out with the Rock!
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Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 48

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Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling

We have heard about the grace of God. One of the first verses that you ever learned is ‘by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We’ve heard of it, but do we understand it. You know, it’s not so easy to grasp. Chuck Swindoll and his wife Cynthia were on vacation at Sea World with some of their children and grandchildren. These are his words about that trip. “It is always amazing to watch those brave men and women who dive in the tank with Shamu the whale and other big creatures. I thought, “That whale is so gracious not to put them into eternity with just a nudge of her nose.” You get the feeling at times that they are fed handfuls of fish just to appease them, to keep them in an excellent mood so that when the trainers get in the tank, they’ll be able to get out of the tank a little later. And I watched as they hung on to their fins and tried to get their arms around those big bodies. The subject of grace is like that—a big subject to try and get your arms around or to get a hold on.” 1 We are talking about grace today: Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Becoming The Good Man God Wants You To Be

 

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Why You Should Thank God for Delivering You from Your Ginormous Mess

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 47

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Why You Should Thank God for Delivering You from Your Ginormous Mess

Every day is a new day to thank God. So, we are again approaching another Thanksgiving week and day. Don’t you love and enjoy this time of the year? We are in the book of Ephesians – in chapter two, and today we will focus and set our sights on being thankful for God’s great deliverance. Two girls one day were acting one day very badly. They were misbehaving. It was on Thanksgiving Day, and their father told them, “Girls, go to your room. You are dismissed from Thanksgiving dinner.” The girls went dejected and sad to their rooms. A few moments later, they heard their mother calling, “Girls, girls, come down to dinner, girls.” A little baffled considering what their father had said, they sheepishly walked down to the dinner table and sat down. But they noticed something. Dad was not there. So, they naturally asked, “Mother, where is Dad?” “Dad went to his room.” “But why, Mom?” “Because Dad loves you so much. He couldn’t change his standard, but he didn’t want to deny you dinner. So, Dad said he would go and pay the price so that you could come and eat the meal. So, while you enjoy the meal, remember that your dad has picked up the tab and is paying the penalty.” Brothers and sisters, when you forget to say thanks this week for everything else, don’t forget to say thanks for Jesus.1 Why You Should be Thank God for delivering you from Your Ginormous Mess — that’s our focus on this week’s Light On Life.

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How to Keep from Being Sidetracked

A Black-Necked Stilt and Your Vitally Serious Work for God
  • Working for God is the point of focus today.
  • How’s your work-life coming along?
  • How heavily invested are you in Kingdom affairs?
  • Are you intense about pursuing all the will of God for your life?
  • Good questions, right?
To illustrate the idea of being intense about your work, a special species of Shorebird comes into view, a Black-necked Stilt. Shallow waters are its domain, but they are anything but shallow in their defense of their territory. Stilts aggressively contend for their pool of H2O. A group of them will band together surrounding an intruder with a flapping wings display meant to show that they’re seriously tough and aggressive about their turf.  You see this tendency displayed all throughout the realm of wildlife. My question to you today is shouldn’t this be the same in the realm of human life?

Shouldn’t Jesus Followers Be Serious about Their Domain?

  • Every day is an opportunity to say ‘yes’ to Jesus – to work in the area God gifted you.
  • We are to buy up every opportunity to advance in the things that really matter.
  • Paul said plainly that, by the grace of God, he worked harder than the other apostles of the Lord.
  • Yes, we walk by faith, but we labor in love.
  • Paul was laser homed in on his calling from God – he aggressively contended for the faith.
  • How about you today?
  • Is it in your heart to give God the aggressive energy of your efforts?
  • You will impact many if you press for the mark, and reach out, reach up, and reach within.

Four Things that Will Unnerve Your Spirit Man

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What It Means to Yield to the Anointing of the One True God

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 46

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What It Means to Yield to the Anointing of the One True God

Have you ever noticed the words’ Holy Spirit’ and ‘power’ in the Bible? They are synonymous terms meaning when you have one; you have the other. When the Holy Spirit comes, there is power. How did Mary, the mother of Jesus, become pregnant by herself without following the ordinary course of nature? By a manifestation of the anointing. The virgin birth is a ‘power’ manifestation by the Holy Spirit. Let’s look further into this anointing and look at it at work in the life of Jesus.

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How Do You Respond to the Savior of the World?

[Tweet “The virgin birth is a manifestation of gifts of the Spirit, specifically, working of miracles and special faith.”]