Learning to Say No

A man told Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). He was trying to give Jesus a job that His Father hadn’t called to do.

Jesus could have told him, “Okay, I’ll be glad to add another item to my plate. I’m already a counselor, teacher, physician, and miracle worker. I’ll just add lawyer to my list of duties because I don’t have the courage to tell you No.”

Instead of saying that He replied, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?” (Luke 12:14)  Sounds a little bit rude, doesn’t it? But Jesus refused to take on a responsibility that His Father hadn’t given Him. And this is a teachable moment for us. If we are busy doing things that God HASN’T called us to do, then we won’t have time to do what He DOES want us to do.

Many people take on responsibilities at church—not because God wants them to do it, but because someone pressured them into doing it and they didn’t have the courage to say no.

Whenever someone tries to give you a task, ask the Lord if it is something He wants you to do. If He says yes, then do it joyfully. If He says no, then learn to say no. And don’t feel guilty either.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

               

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Making Life Count Ministries

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www.makinglifecount.net 

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Contributions to Making Life Count Ministries are tax-deductible.

The Blind Leading the Blind

In Matthew 15 Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for promoting their traditions above God’s Word. The disciples reported to Him that He had offended the Pharisees. Jesus said, “Let them alone. They are blind guides of the blind, and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (15:14).

Leave them alone? Didn’t He care about their destiny? For the longest time I couldn’t understand why Jesus said to ignore them. Sure, the Pharisees were set in their ways and wouldn’t change, but didn’t Jesus care about all those lost people who were following them? His statement makes it clear that the followers are just as accountable for their actions as the leaders. Even though they saw Jesus perform miracles, the people who followed the Pharisees chose to follow the false leaders.

Multitudes of people in Germany during WWII enthusiastically followed a demon-possessed dictator. Not one of them can say on the Judgment Day, “Lord, how can you blame me for following a dynamic leader? He was so magnetic and produced so many great military leaders. No one dared to question his leadership. I didn’t know that he was wrong.” Many pastors today are emphasizing leadership in church to the point it has become an idol. (If “leadership” were that important, Jesus would have taught us how to be great leaders instead of teaching us how to be servants and slaves of others!)

What can we learn from this? Be extremely careful about the spiritual leader that you choose to follow. Is that person feeding you spiritually or are you starving to death? Some people will follow a pastor who isn’t feeding them spiritually simply because they have been a member of that church for a long time. Is it your goal to become like that leader? Jesus said, “Everyone, after he is fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Life is too short to blindly follow a blind leader. If you aren’t growing closer to Jesus through that person’s ministry, take off your blindfold and find another church.

Some church members will blindly follow a rebellious deacon to overthrow a godly pastor. (See Korah's rebellion in Numbers 16:1-3, 31-33). I know of an associate pastor who orchestrated a rebellion against his senior pastor and split the church. The associate pastor led a group of his friends out of the church to start a new church in that town, appointing himself as their pastor. God will not only hold the associate pastor accountable for his rebellion but also the members who chose to blindly follow him.

What about you? Are you blindly following a blind leader? Have the courage to change course if necessary, and follow someone who is living a godly life and teaching the truth of God’s Word. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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The Hands of Jesus

Many of the people in Nazareth were astonished by Jesus’ teaching and asked, “How are these miracles performed by His hands?” (Mark 6:2). Here are some of the miracles that came through His hands.

1. Provision through His hands. Have you ever wondered how Jesus turned 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food to feed over 5,000 people? At some point in time the multiplication had to take place. Mark 6:41 gives us the answer: “He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them.” As the food was passing through His hands it multiplied!

2. Healing through His hands. He touched the leper with His hand and healed him (Matthew 8:3). He laid His hands on a blind man’s eyes and he could see everything clearly (Mark 8:25). He laid His hands on a woman who had been bent over double for 18 years and immediately she stood up straight (Luke 13:13). How was God’s healing power transferred to others to make them well? Through His hands.

3. Salvation through His hands. When the Romans crucified Jesus, they drove nails into His hands. As they did this, the blood He shed purchased salvation for all who will place their trust in Him (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 1:18-19). After He rose from the dead, He showed Thomas the imprint of the nails in His hands and said, “Reach here your finger and see My hands” (John20:27). He will have the nail scars in His hands for all eternity to remind us of what He did to obtain our salvation.

Although Jesus is not physically on earth anymore, His hands can still touch you. He promised to be with us (in Spirit) even until the end of the world (Matt. 28:20). Do you need a touch from God? Call out to Him in faith and those same hands that fed the multitudes, healed the sick, and paid for your sins can still touch you.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  (free weekly devotionals)

www.makinglifecount.net (free Bible studies and sermons)

Listen to the song “One Pair of Hands”

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Thank you to all who support this discipleship ministry. 

Contributions to Making Life Count Ministries are tax-deductible.

Why did Jesus say, "TRULY I say to you"?

Have you ever wondered why Jesus said, “TRULY I say to you”? (KJV says “Verily”). He always told the truth and He even called Himself “the Truth” (John 14:6), so why would He need to say “Truly I say to you”? He said it because He wanted the listeners to grasp the significance of the statement they were about to hear. To paraphrase Him: “What I am about to tell you might be hard to believe, but it really is true!” Although He repeated the phrase “Truly I say to you” many times, here are three hard-to-believe statements that Jesus said were true.  

1. A mountain can be cast into the sea by speaking to it. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him” (Mark 11:23). Jesus chose the most ridiculous example we could ever imagine to assure us that humanly impossible situations are possible with God.

2. A secret act of worship would be known around the world. (This would be done without the means of TV or the Internet.) After Mary poured costly perfume on Jesus’ head, He said, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13). Although this seemed impossible to everyone who heard Him say it, what she did is recorded in the Scriptures that have gone all over the world.

3. An offering of two copper coins was worth more than all the other contributions combined. After a poor widow put her last two coins into the treasury box, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury” (Mark 12:43). This shows that our sacrificial offerings can be huge gifts from God's point of view, even if they appear insignificant in man’s eyes.

Faith is thinking like God thinks. Jesus had to keep repeating the phrase “Truly I say to you” because God sees things very differently than we do. Our faith must not rest upon human reasoning but on what God has revealed as truth, which requires us to think outside the box. Do you need to make any adjustments about what you believe? www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

www.makinglifecount.net (Over 200 printable Bible studies and sermons)

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Thank you to all who support this discipleship ministry. 

Contributions to Making Life Count Ministries are tax-deductible.

Why Evolution is Impossible

We’ve been told that evolution is a fact, but it’s actually only a theory that’s based on numerous assumptions. Scientists have tried for years to create life in a laboratory and have never been successful. It’s a fact that evolution is statistically impossible. Mathematicians agree that any requisite number beyond one chance in 10⁵⁰ has a statistically zero chance of occurring.

Amino acids have to be formed in an exact sequence (like the letters in a sentence) to form a protein. The probability of a protein of 50 amino acids forming by chance is 10⁶⁵ or 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to one, which is impossible (without divine intervention).

All life contains DNA and for evolution to be true, the DNA molecules must be arranged in a certain order. R. L. Wysong in The Creation Evolution Controversy says, "This means that 10⁸⁹¹⁹⁰ DNA molecules, on average, must form to provide the one chance of forming the specific DNA sequence necessary to code 124 proteins.” It’s not logical to believe that this happens by chance.

Nor has it ever been proven in a laboratory that life can arise from non-life. It’s more logical to conclude that life came into existence through an Intelligent Designer. God has revealed Himself to everyone through the complexity of His creation. If you look at your watch, you can conclude an intelligent person designed all the parts and put it together so that it functions accurately—even though you have never seen that person. When you examine the amazing complex human body, you know there had to be an intelligent designer to make all body parts function together. 

The Apostle Paul writes, “That which is known about God is evident within them, for God has made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

MORE STUDIES on Creation vs. Evolution: Living Fossil Discovered

Quotes by Evolutionists

More Studies on Creation & Evolution

Making Life Count Ministries

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Thank you to all who support this discipleship ministry. 

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How NOT to Make Decisions

Jurors in Kentucky couldn't decide whether or not to convict a man of murder—so they flipped a coin and found him guilty! The lawyer for the defendant said, "It's scary to think that twelve people would decide to flip a coin to reach a verdict, especially in a murder case." The judge threw out the decision and ordered a new trial. 

On an episode of House Hunters, a couple flipped a coin to decide whether to buy a more expensive house or a lesser priced one. The coin landed on “tails.” That’s how NOT to make a decision. Many people place their destiny in the hands of fate instead of the hands of God. Here is God’s way to make decisions.

1. Pray for wisdom. God always knows what we need to do, even when we don’t. James 1:5-7 says He will give direction if we will ask in faith.

2. Consider your options.  Think through your situation and list every possible option to take. Jesus said to first sit down, which settles down our emotions so we can think clearly. Then calculate the cost, which means to do a background check on the potential situation (see Luke 14:28-32).

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to point you to the right path. Psalm 32:8 says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go. I will counsel you with My eye upon you."

4. Walk in the light you have. Sometimes it's a spotlight while at other times it's a flicker we can barely see. Walk in the light that God provides.

After deciding don't look back and question your decision. Doubting yourself will only cause problems after you have already made the correct decision. (see Luke 9:62)  Remember that decisions produce consequences. Good decisions will result in good consequences. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

NEW BIBLE STUDY at Making Life Count Ministries: 

What did Jesus mean by salt losing its saltiness? Click the link to find out.

Slaying Your Giants explains how to defeat 20 “invisible giants” that you battle in your mind.

The Sure Cure for Worry proves that GOD IS IN CONTROL and you can trust Him to take care of the things that worry you.

Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net 
Thank you to all who support this discipleship ministry. 

The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

A businessman’s office wall was covered with award plaques and framed documents. On the wall was a diploma from the Harvard Business School, a “National Salesman of the Year” award, and a letter from the President of the United States. A visitor was impressed by his honors and asked, “How did you manage to accomplish so much in such a short time?” “It really wasn’t that hard,” the man replied. “I have a sign-printing business.”

Hypocrisy is trying to impress others by pretending to be something that we’re not. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites 14 times in the book of Matthew alone. They performed their religious duties “to be seen” by men (Matt. 6:1). “To be seen” in Greek is theathemai, which is where we get our word “theater.” Jesus was saying that a hypocrite is an actor who plays a role. The actors on the Greek stage performed in the theater to be seen by an audience. Their reward for their performance was the applause they received from the spectators.

The hypocritical Pharisees were merely religious actors, playing the role of a righteous person in the “theater” of street corners, synagogues, and the temple. They longed for the praise of men, which was the reason they performed so many righteous deeds in public. When they received compliments and applause from their admiring audience, Jesus said, “they have received their reward in full” (Matt. 6:2).

The Pharisees serve as a warning to not become actors, who do the right things but with the wrong motives. We are hypocrites if we say that we believe God’s Word but live in a way that doesn’t line up. The antidote for hypocrisy is to live with a “sincere heart” (Heb. 10:22) and “love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). The apostle Paul told us there is only one audience we need to please: “For am I seeking the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ” (Gal. 1:10)

Check your heart. Keep doing what’s right, and do it to please God.

Have you read about the strange customs of the Pharisees? Click on Who were the Pharisees? Be sure to read the 26 Questions, which helps to identify Modern-Day Phariseeism.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com   www.makinglifecount.net 

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Slaying Your Giants is filled with interesting stories, humor, and practical advice about how to conquer 20 giants (fear, depression, discontentment, self-image, anger, and more)

The Sure Cure for Worry contains amazing true stories and helps the reader see God is in control.

What is Making Life Count Ministries? (3 min. video)

Ignoring the Evidence

Did O.J. Simpson get away with murdering Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman in June 1994? O.J’s blood DNA was found near the victims, on the walkway, at the rear gate, and on Ron Goldman’s boot. His blood was also found on the floor of O.J’s Bronco, along with the steering wheel, driver’s door, and console. O.J.’s defense attorneys accused the police of planting O.J.’s blood at the scene of the crime. That might plant doubt in some people’s minds, but how did Ron and Nicole’s blood get inside O.J.’s car and house?

Nicole’s blood was found in O.J’s Bronco on the steering wheel, console, and carpet. Ron’s blood was also found on the console. Nicole’s blood was found in footprints made by size 12 rare Bruno Magli shoes, which O.J. happened to own and was his shoe size.

At O.J.’s house, his blood was found in the driveway and foyer. O.J.’s blood, Ron and Nicole’s blood, and hairs from both Ron and Nicole were found on the glove in his yard. Both O.J’s and Nicole’s blood were found on a sock in his bedroom. The defense team couldn’t explain how Ron and Nicole’s blood was found in all those places. All this evidence was ignored by the jury, which acquitted him.

Why would someone want to ignore evidence? Primarily because ulterior motives are involved. When Jesus performed healing miracles as the religious Pharisees watched, they refused to believe in Him because they didn't want to lose their political power. They said, “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (John 11:48).

Many people today refuse to believe the evidence that proves the existence of God and the truth of the Bible. They're afraid to examine the evidence of hundreds of fulfilled Bible prophecies and that the amazingly complex human body couldn't have evolved by mere chance. Why won't some people honestly examine the evidence? It's because they "suppress the truth" because their hearts are darkened (Romans 1:18, 21). If you don't want to believe something, it doesn't matter how much evidence is presented. As the saying goes, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Take an honest look at the proof and arrive at your own verdict. 

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com   www.makinglifecount.net 

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NEW BIBLE STUDY: Barabbas and the Scapegoat

VIDEO: What is Making Life Count Ministries? (3 minutes)

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Two books to help you grow in your faith:

Slaying Your Giants is filled with numerous interesting stories, humor, and practical advice about how to conquer 20 giants you will face in life (fear, depression, discontentment, self-image, anger, and more)

The Sure Cure for Worry contains amazing true stories and will help the reader see God is in control. (For those who may doubt the existence of God and those who need guidance)