When People Show You Who They Are, Believe Them

This quote was made famous by Maya Angelou and it sounds like one of those quotes you hear in church that sound like scripture.  For example when praises go up blessings come down or cleanliness is next to godliness.  However, it is what we would call a truism which is simply something that is an undoubted or self- evident truth. We hold fast to these truisms because they are things we affirm as truth.   So let's look at this quote for a moment.  I submit to you this morning based on my experiences that this is a truism.  Can people change?  Of course! The Bible attests to that Saul changed from persecutor to Paul being one that was persecuted.  People can change. 

However much of the hurt and pain that we experience comes from not believing that this quote is truth.  We spend much of our lives trying to change or persuade people who are what they are.  Though this realization can be painful it would be wise to believe those people when they show you who they are.  I will not delve to various types of disappointments this morning as my goal was simply to raise your awareness of this truism.  I will leave it up to you to fill in the ________________.  What have people shown you about themselves?  Do you believe them? 

Before, I quit this morning I can hear DeLano saying Q the better question is what are we as those who profess faith in Christ showing the world?  Thanks DeLano that is a good question because what does the condition of the world say about what they believe about our witness for Christ.  The Bible declares that we are living epistles or letters of recommendation.  What does your recommendation say about Christ?

Scripture Reference: 2 Cor. 3:3

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

Purell: Kill The Germs In Your Life

Many of you may be familiar with Purell if you are not it is simply an instant hand sanitizer.  Purell makes the claim that it kills 99.99% of germs. My hope is that most of us use hand sanitizer whether it is Purell or not.  My claim for this morning is simple.  The Word of God has the same function in our lives it kills all of the germs (i.e. sins, doubts). If I may I would like to borrow a phrase from Minister Natalie Keys take a "Word Bath."  We must wash are ourselves in the Word of God.  Once we do this we become sanitize and then we can be used for the edification of the Kingdom!  The Word says if we confess our sins He is just and faithful forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteous (SANITIZE)!  Have you had your Word Bath today?  Are you SANITIZE?

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 5:26

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

Obey Your Thirst

I am on a mission to literally take every possible thing that this world has to offer and use it for the glory of God.  With that being said you may have heard the popular slogan "Obey Your Thirst." This slogan has been made famous by Sprite.  Little did they know that they were speaking to generations of believers.  Every time you drink a can or bottle of  Sprite you are obeying their command.  Though the Bible doesn't use this exact terminology it is implied in the biblical text. John 7:37 says on the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  This is Jesus exhortation to you to obey your thirst.  Let me just say I am not anti-Sprite I am just pro Jesus.  I do pray the next time you drink a can of Sprite it will be accompanied with time spent in the Word of God.  The question becomes whose command are you going to obey?! 

Scripture Reference: John 7:37

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

Just One Taste

Do you like Lay's potato chips?  I going to presume that the answer would be yes. Remember I didn't ask you if you were on a diet and choose not to eat them.  I am asking all other things held equal do you like Lay's potato chips? Yes, is the safe assumption for about 99% of us.  I am country boy and I believe that Golden Flake makes the best potato chips.  Where my people from the Southeast at?  The point is this Lay's makes the claim that I bet you can't eat just one!  There presumption is if you eat one chip that you will innately desire another chip.

Perhaps one of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalms 34.  In particular Psalms 34:8 where it says taste and see that the Lord is Good. I submit to you today if you read one verses you will have that same innate desire to read another verse.  Verses are like potato chips in a sense because you can't read just one and get the substance you need.  Just as you have to eat chip after chip to become somewhat satisfied you need verses after verse to somewhat satisfy your spiritual hunger.

So today try just one verse I bet you can't read just one!

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

The Ultimate Application

In world full of smart phones and applications it is easy to get caught up in the endless applications. You can find yourself spending hours downloaded them and then figuring out how to apply them.  I submit to you this morning that the Ultimate Application is Christ Emulation.  That is to say that the best use of your time is to emulate Christ.  In order to apply this application to your life you have to spend time downloading His Word into your heart and mind.  The interesting thing about this application is that instead of having to figuring out how to apply it  comes with a special feature that guides and directs you! 

So today take some time and download the latest application it never goes out of style and is always relevant because it is the only application that is alive!

Scripture Reference: John 14:26

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

Welcome to the Good Life

Kanye West made a song a while ago entitled, "The Good Life," for the Christian we can transpose that to mean the abundant life.  The one the thing about the abundant life is that it is full of blessings.  Opportunities are nothing more than potential possibilities that God grants for us to blessed. We all start out with a Jeremiah 29:11 blessing over our life.  No, I am not here to tell you that the road will be easy actually the context of the chapter suggest anything but that. The point is that God has a good plan to bless you and in fact God delights in blessing you.  There some blessings that are no strings attached i.e. waking you up, activity of your limbs, and being placed in your right mind.  However the abundant life blessings requires a couple things:

1. Obedience unlocks the abundant life blessings.  When you are obedient God will unlock blessings that you will not believe.  Trust me I learn this lesson the hard way!
2. Faithfulness unlocks the abundant life blessings.  When you are faithful to God he will be faithful to you. Faithfulness is a magnet for God's blessings.

The motivation for obedience nor faithfulness should not be to be blessed as God cannot be manipulated and can discern one's heart.  These two things are like a key is to a door they give you access to blessings.  So what are you going to do the next time opportunity (potential to be bless) knocks at your door? If you answer it with obedience and faithfulness God will respond by saying, “Welcome to the Good Life.”

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis

Favor Ain't Fair

This infamous phrase was made famous by the now infamous Bishop Eddie Long.  What's interesting is I submit to you that it is biblical.  Let's just take a brief look at the opening verses of Malachi where the Lord says Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated. In other words without getting to far into a theological disputation the text is literally suggesting that God has favored Jacob or Esau.  If you research the history between the Jacob and Esau though many have speculated to the reasons God has favored Jacob there is no biblical indication.  In fact one would think of the two brothers God would favor Esau the elder brother and his father's favorite but God decided to favor Jacob. Jacob the liar and trickster.  That reveals to us a couple of things about God's favor:

1. God's favor is not based upon what you do.  If I could testify  for a moment I know I am not all that I should be or even completely obedient to God's will and yet God blesses me.  All I can say is favor ain't fair.
2. God's favor is unexplainable.  If I could testify for a moment I can't explain why God has provided me with the opportunities that he has.  All I can say is favor ain't fair.

Now the question becomes how do you know that you are Jacob not Esau.  It is simple Jacob fathered Judah who ended up with the royal scepter that eventually led to David on down to forty and two generations to the birth of Jesus The Christ.  Who God who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) that whosoever believe in Him can become apart of the royal lineage.

Scripture Reference: Malachi 1:1-3

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis