Acid Reflux

It's 3:30 am and I am typing this blog.

Why? Because I drank a Pepsi before going to bed.

Dummy.

I KNOW that I can drink all the coffee all day long, on the condition -- NO Pepsi.

I KNOW that if I drink one Pepsi product, I will have Acid Reflux at 3:30 am.

This has been the rule for OVER 20 years. You would think that a pastor would be smart enough to play be the rules. You would think. Yea,... not so much.

However, it is inescapable that it is 3:30 am and I am typing this.

Revealing my.... some would call it "lack of good judgment", while others would call it "stupidity", I simply roll my eyes and say, "What was I thinking?"

I am sure that my faithful readers have never experienced a lapse in good judgment in something they understood would "bite them".

So here I am with that sour stomach sensation, the burning affect in the throat, and the sharp hacky cough. And the only diagnosis can be, "Knuckle-head".

I knew what was right and I chose NOT to do it. God has an opinion about this.
"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." James 4:17

So why would a reasonably intelligent person persist in choosing Acid Reflux over a good nights undisturbed sleep?

I convince myself that a little Pepsi won't hurt me.

I haven't experienced Acid Reflux for a long time so maybe it no longer is a problem.

An old pastor used to say, "A little poison always hurts".

I KNOW that if I drink Pepsi that I will lose a nights sleep with Acid Reflux. Yet, I chose to do it, knowing the consequences.

The question is, "What is your guilty pleasure? That thing you do, even when you know the consequences?"

"....then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23

There are 10,000 reasons why men make foolish choices.

Solomon said in Proverbs 21:2, "People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart."

I believe Solomon was saying that if we think about a sin long enough, we will justify it in our minds, but the good Lord knows the truth, at all times and in every situation.

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes..."
Proverbs 12:15

Face it, we can justify anything if we think about it long enough. Our minds have this ability to simply explain things away. Or twist things around until we convince ourself that it is ok -- just this once.

The spiritual take-away from this is, "What sin do you play with?"

"What sin do you attempt to explain away in your mind?"

"What personal weakness do you attempt to justify -- knowing that it is wrong?"

And obviously I have my own fair share of tasty morsels that fit into this category so KNOW THIS, I am not throwing rocks at anyone but myself.

So for a moment, sit quietly, pray, "Holy Spirit, reveal any wicked way in my life that needs to be addressed, confessed, and purged from my life".

For a moment, simply sit and wait for the Holy Spirit's nudge.

There, did you feel that?

The Holy Spirit just nudged your mind with something that you need to take care of.

And I suspect that it is something that you kinda like, something you are not sure you are ready to let go of.

This my friend, is God working in your life.

This lets you KNOW that you are God's child.

"the LORD corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights"
Proverbs 3:12

Excuses Drive Me Nuts

I am milking another blog out of the whole Italian cruise ship debacle.

The Captain proved that he has fewer filters on his mouth than he has evacuation plans for his ship wrecked passengers. He honestly believes that he is a victim of circumstances and the world owes him a do-over.

If I hadn't witnessed the Captain actually showing the poor judgement to give an interview to the international press, I would never have believed it.

When the reporter confronted the Captain with evidence that showed him abandoning ship before his passengers and refusing to back back and assist them, he began to speak. That was not his first mistake of the day but it sealed his fate as the brunt of a Saturday Night Live skit.

"The ship lurched and threw me overboard. Lucky for me, I landed in a life raft. And there was no way I could climb back on the ship, not without a helicopter."

As he was speaking those infamous words, his career was going up in flames and the Police were searching for an orange jumpsuit in his size.

The excuse ridden Captain is not the first (nor the last) guy to panic and make feeble excuses. The first, and perhaps most infamous, was when God confronted Adam about his sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam replied in Genesis 3:12, ".... The woman you put here with me -- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it".

So God confronts Adam and says, "Why?"

Adam's hands start to sweat and his head feels like it is full of Tapioca. Next comes the fidgeting as he looks for an escape route and blathers more loudly than necessary, "God, its all Your fault. I'm a victim. If You had made me a better quality woman, then I wouldn't be in this mess. The woman You made was defective and You should have warned me. All I did was come home from a long day at work, expecting her to have dinner on the table. Instead, she tossed me an apple and I ate it. See God, I am a victim. How am I supposed to succeed when I am sounded by the likes of You and Eve?"

As I type this, I can smell the brimstone as God considers the ramifications of Adam's actions.

Stay with me because this is the heart and soul of this blog.

God confronted Adam and said in verse 9, "The LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Do you honestly believe for one heartbeat that Adam was so good at "Hide and Go Seek" that God couldn't find him? Adam was hiding in God's own garden. God watched Adam select his hiding place and could hear his heart race as he anticipated the unavoidable confrontation with God.

So, why did God ask Adam where he was hiding?

Because God wanted to give Adam a chance to confess. God wanted Adam to admit his sin and ask God to forgive him. God loves to give His kids second chances and opportunities to humbly ask for mercy.

Adam chooses to respond with an excuse. Verse 10 says, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid". Oh good grief. Now Adam is trying to convince the God of the Universe that he was modest and embarrassed to be seen naked. Adam's claim to be afraid of God is fodder for a while different blog.

Anyway, I will spare you the rest of this tragic story of inadequate excuses. My point is this, God wants you to come clean with Him.

Psalm 51
David's prayer of confession after committing adultery with Bathsheba.
 1 Have mercy on me, O God,
      because of your unfailing love.
   Because of your great compassion,
      blot out the stain of my sins.
 2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
      Purify me from my sin.
 3 For I recognize my rebellion;
      it haunts me day and night.
 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
      I have done what is evil in your sight.
   You will be proved right in what you say,
      and your judgment against me is just.
 5 For I was born a sinner—
      yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

And after you come clean with God, come clean with each other.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16

I am closing with this one is for you to ponder. The Pastor Shane version is: "God will forgive you to the same extent that you forgive other people that have offended you"

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you." Matthew 6:14