​Today's Christian lesson has to do with what not to do. Over the weekend I got really angry about something (which usually never happens) which was beyond my control. I became upset because a minimum wage blue-collar worker at a hotel chain gave me wrong information. I got upset and frustrated. This was not the first but the fourth time in as many weeks that a retail employee had treated me badly. Rarely a week passes when I am not treated badly by someone, somewhere. What happened to me was beyond my control but how I reacted to it was definitely within my control.
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
It is very much within our control how we react to situations. “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Ephesians 4:26-31
"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." James 1:19-20
"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18
"But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." Colossians 3:8
"Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly." Proverbs 14:29
Was I wronged? Yes. Am I wronged and treated badly almost every day? Yes. Just today Fedex declared that I received my shiny new iPhone 12 Pro from AT&T, except my phone is nowhere to be found....! Am I tempted to get upset and angry? Absolutely. Will I? No, it's not worth it.

​Today's Christian lesson is on the Creation Account --- the creation of the world. The world did not evolve from amoebae into a human being over millions of years as Darwin puts it; it was CREATED by out most High and Holy God:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 1:1 - Genesis 2:7

​Today's Christian lesson is on justified anger and rage. I am very angry today, and I will tell you why in a minute. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek when someone hurts us. However, there are times when anger and rage are justified.
In His time, when Jesus saw what was being done in the houses of worship, he, too got angry..."And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” Matthew 21:12
There is a time when anger is justified. Today, I am very angry and enraged with the Muslims. I weep for my dead. They killed twelve of my fellow Americans and Marines in Afghanistan. I am hopping mad, and my anger is justified. It is no secret that I am no fan of Muslims. There would have been a time years ago when I would have cursed them all out. I have since tempered my attitude and believe that there are good Muslims in this world who want peace. I pray today that the Muslims don't enrage me so much that I call upon the LORD to destroy them all.
LORD, I pray for the families of those soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan today. Comfort them, as only you can. Lord, Bless and protect the remainder of our troops there, and avenge the deaths of those who perished today.
In Jesus' Precious name I pray,
Amen.

​Today's Christian lesson is about believers not being judged by unbelievers. Scripture is extremely clear about two things: (a) Believers should not sue each other so the matter goes before a civilian court to be settled by unbelievers and (b) believers should not be judged or tested by unbelievers.
"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" 1 Corinthians 6:1-9

​In today's Christian lesson, I was going to post about believers being judged by non-believers, but instead I am going to post on something else. I am going to post on the importance of having a Christian accountability group. Your Christian accountability group not only keeps you accountable for your actions, but is also a Board of Directors for your life, advising you, guiding you, mentoring you and shepherding you through life. It is also a group you can discuss your ongoing struggles and challenges with.
Once every few weeks people at work decide to take a massive dump on me. This has become a ritual --- happens once every 3 to 4 weeks. Now, the company I work for has generally been very good to me, and extremely generous to me, and I am paid extremely well, so I don't quit every time someone decides to shit on me, but I feel the pain and the heartache. Instead of showing any emotion at work, I write to my accountability partners who are my personal Board of Directors. I also talk to my sweet, wonderful and kind girlfriend. They listen. They empathize. They advise.
Your Accountability partners (Board of Directors of your life) are also your sounding board for when you need to make really big life decisions, or when you need prayer for something, or when you need character references. These people know you well and if you have been in constant contact with them over the years, listening to your victories as well as struggles, and how you have overcome them, these people know your strengths and weaknesses quite well --- and can accurately judge your Christian walk. They can be useful character references for you if you ever need them to be. These people can also advise you if you are facing a difficult situation, or open doors for you if you are ever in a bind.
I would encourage every believer to have a Board of Directors consisting of other believers to go to and lean on in both good times and in bad. The Christian life is meant to be done in Community, not alone. End of today's lesson.

​Today's Christian lesson continues yesterday's lesson on the eyes of the blind being opened by Jesus. We are all born blind, in a symbolic way of putting it. We are born without the saving knowledge of Christ and while some Churches differ on the precise theology, most Protestant denominations and non-denominational Churches agree that accepting Christ into one's life is an act of God pulling on your heartstrings and calling you --- and of your listening to that call and accepting Christ into your life. Some people get that call at an early age, some, like me, spend 35 years of their lives on this earth before they get that call, and some don't get that call until they are old and gray and on their deathbed. In any case, the call to accept Christ into your life and your acceptance, if genuine, is a life-altering experience. I know that it was for me, and it opened my eyes to vast knowledge and wisdom to which I was erstwhile completely blind.
Today we will examine scripture in which one of the pillars of the Church, who wrote 2/3rds of the New Testament, and who planted numerous Churches in Greece, Asia minor and other places, went from being a radical, devout Jew, a pharisee of pharisees who was bent on persecuting Christ's Church, to being one of it's greatest advocates. His eyes too, had to be opened by Jesus, and this happened on the road to Damascus. We read:
"But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the (Christian) Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
"And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied." Acts 9:1-31
Now, Saul, after his conversion, came to be known as Paul, or St Paul as some denominations and Bibles like to call him. When God opens your eyes, He opens them for good, and does a miraculous work in you. Paul, and I as his namesake, had our eyes opened by Jesus and we can now see clearly, never to be blinded by the world again.
The next Christian lesson on Monday, on what the Bible says about believers being tested and judged by non-believers.

Today's Christian lesson is on tithing --- giving to God. The word tithe literally means tenth. We as believers are called to give at least ten percent of our income to God. Some believers I know give less; some give more. Some, who cannot afford to give money, give in other forms, such as volunteer at their Church. Time, talent and treasure is all valuable and people give according to what they are able, what the needs of the community are, and according to their talents. Some, like me, took our Spiritual Gifts quiz and found out that we are well-equipped to preach, teach, and lead. Others sing or perform music for the Church. Others give in terms of welcoming people into the Church. They have the Spiritual gift of hospitality. Regardless of how we give back, we as believers are all called to give, and give generously. Today we will examine scripture in the Old as well as the New Testaments on this topic. No time, talent or treasure given to God is ever wasted.
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!" Malachi 3:10
"Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering." Numbers 18:26
"Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." Proverbs 3:9-10
"He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything." 2 Chronicles 31:4-5
"and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Genesis 14:19-20
"We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the LORD each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree. “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there. “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work." Nehemiah 10:35-37
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21
"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44
Beloved, do you tithe? If you don't, why don't you? Do you not know that the LORD loves a cheerful giver? Do you not know that God has the power to multiply many times over what you give Him? I have been Blessed to have many friends ranging from multi-Billionaires, multi-Millionaires, plain rich folk, middle-class folk, as well as folk who are living on housing assistance and cannot hold down a job. Even to those who cannot afford to give anything, I urge them to go to Church every week, and if possibly, put $10 into the basket. If they cannot give $10, give $5, but give something --- whatever you can afford to give. Do you not know that God can feed many multitude with the scraps that you bring to Him?
"Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan."
So believer, whether you are rich or poor, can sing a melody or not, can preach a sermon or not --- whatever you can do for God, is NEVER wasted. So go now, and do for His Kingdom whatever you are able to do, and you will hear from me tomorrow when I post the next Christian lesson.​

​Today's Christian lesson is inspired by a comment received yesterday from someone who is extremely frustrated by our government. Well, Believer, as a Christian you can be comforted to know that ALL things, even the United States Government is under God's purview. There is nothing which God doesn't control.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness
from that time and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Matthew 28:18
​
Believer, remember that no matter how gloomy things look now, know that God is in control. He will never allow someone so incompetent to occupy the Presidency or the Congress or Senate which will bring ruin to the country. When everything is said and done, this is God's country and God's earth. His will be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. Believer, if we could withstand 8 years of Obama, you have to believe there are checks and balances which will prevent this pair from doing too much harm. I can't say any more. I am afraid I have already said too much. Bottom line...relax, the LORD is in control.