The Eternal Inheritance of A Godly Legacy (A Plea to Christian Parents)

May 10, 2013 in Christian Living, Parenting with 0 Comments

Written by Steve Goode

Updated May 2013. Steve’s son Noah Goode with his Great Grandmother Annie Durham when she was 102. She is now in heaven having passed away in 2012! She died at 105 although we may have uncovered evidence that she was 106.

With all the chaotic demands in the world today for rights, benefits, and entitlements, it has made me consider what type of gift truly has genuine worth. Is there something out there that we are truly owed in our society, and even our family? Even when I was in policework I remember how families divided and crumbled over dividing the inheritance of a deceased loved one, and it begins to make one wonder what we truly deserve. Seriously, is there something I am missing here? Do we truly have the right to demand anything even if it is gifted to us? Money, a car, a house? Should these temporal things matter to us so much in this brief life or is there something more that we should be seeking or demanding?

Let’s talk briefly about what we truly deserve in this life from a Christian’s perspective. We came into this world as a sinner guilty before a holy God. (Rom 3:23) If you don’t believe me then reference the Ten Commandments and you will find that you have violated more than one of them. (Ex 20) If this is the case, there is a price you will pay for your sinful condition, which is death. (Rom 6:23) In the same scripture passage I just noted there is an invitation to a gift that God has made available to us all provided in the form of His Son Jesus. Without the atoning death of Jesus there was no way for us to bridge the gap between us and a holy God. Jesus is the Son of God, and second person in the Trinity who was born of a virgin. He was both fully God and fully man when He came to earth. He lived a sinless life and ministered as noted in the Gospels both teaching and performing miracles. He offered up himself on the cross to provide a once and for all sacrifice, and atone for our sins! He made a way for us to have fellowship with the Father.(2 Cor 5:21) As much as Christ did this “once and for all” work for us on the cross, it is a gift that we must take possession of. I can place a Ferrari in your driveway and leave the keys in the ignition, but until you sit in the drivers seat and turn the key, it is of no use to you. Can you begin to imagine all the people in the world that will never accept the gift Jesus has freely offered to us? Billions in the world who will never accept what Jesus has done for them through his once and for all work on the cross. An eternal inheritance that will remain unclaimed for all eternity that was there for the taking. Instead, many will spend their entire lives embittered to temporal demands of rights, money, and entitlements, which will be lost and tossed when they die and enter into eternity having left their eternal inheritance unclaimed.

Photo below is Steve and Noah at the grave of his father and mother

So my question to you is what can we leave to our family that will have eternal value regardless of the response of our sons and daughters?

I don’t know how better to illustrate this than to tell you about the death of my own mother and father, and the inheritance that was left to me.

Steve’s Dad pins his badge on the day he was sworn in Greensboro NC 1986

It was Friday, August 25, 2000 and my father had been in Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem Since the previous Saturday. Although his condition was critical, I never anticipated him not coming home from the hospital. I remember receiving the call from my work site in Greensboro that I needed to proceed to the hospital right away. I was met by my wife April on the Cardiac floor and she was sobbing. She said dad was gone and had died an hour earlier. His death was agonizing to me because he was such a rock of comfort and counsel in my life. The following year was defining for me, especially since dad was very close to both April and I. Almost three years later on August 16, 2003 I was at the bedside of my mom after she suffered an aneurysm behind the wheel of a car. My brother, niece and nephew, and I stood by the bedside at Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem as mom took her last breath on earth. They are remembered by me and many others daily, but what I treasure the most about their passing is what they unselfishly left to my brother and I.

You see my parents gave sacrificially their whole lives for the sake of others. I remember churches where my dad’s whole salary was less than 50 dollars a week, but he always preached million dollar sermons. Mom always took care of the ledger, and although there were times we were truly considered poor, my brother and I never realized it. My parents were always stewardly with their money, but never lived comfortably by any stretch of the imagination. So what is it that mom and dad left me that I treasure more than fine gold and precious silver? A Godly legacy. They lived their lives in such a way that I have strived to model their Godly character through my life and the life of my family. A Godly legacy isn’t just a good option, but a requirement for the eternal benefit of our family and children. You may not be able to control the moment and manner in which you leave this earth, but you can control the way you live each moment of your life now. “Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Unbridled Repentance Leads to Untainted Worship

May 9, 2013 in Christian Living with 0 Comments

By Stephen Goode

The following article is a reflection on the Charlotte 714 event that occurred in September 2012. In it I discuss the real meaning of worship and what it takes to attain it.

I am currently in the Verizon Amphitheatre surrounded by many denominations and groups who have a singular unified purpose and calling. Not one person in this place is holding a political rally sign or banner. There is no way to discern who is Republican, Democrat, or even Libertarian. In fact as I sit in my theatre seating at this Solemn Assembly I am overwhelmed by the participation of the attendees and absence of pride in individuals who sincerely want to see the moving of God throughout the city of Charlotte. One quote that captured my attention was made by a pastor when speaking during the event.

20120902-185008.jpg

“May the Queen City (Charlotte) once again be truly married to her King (Jesus).”

There is literally a thickness in the air filled with the presence of God’s people who are begging at the altar and interceding for our city for all our sins, and acceptance of all that God’s Word tells us is putrid and wicked in His sight!

As I look around me I personally feel unworthy to even be a part of this assembly, and the cool thing is that I believe every person present here feels the same way about themselves.

What I have seen unfold before my very eyes tonight is that when we begin to truly repent of all the wickedness that we have allowed to become embedded in our hearts and the life of our families, that our heart transforms into a tool that has an unquenchable desire to worship and praise the name of our creator and savior, Jesus Christ!

We have experienced every possible weather condition this afternoon and into the evening. We arrived with a light and overcast cloud cover, followed by an outpouring of hard and continuous rain that lasted about 30 minutes, as though God was sending the farmers a little present of divine hope. As we walked through the stages of repentance on the platform and entered into a time of worship, we watched the clouds begin to divide like the stage curtain in an epic stage drama, and then it came!

The SUN WAS REVEALED! The music continued to intensify and we entered into a period of truly Untainted Worship Free from pride, wickedness, and unchecked sin.

20120902-191128.jpg

What is it that is bridling you from being able to enter into such a time of worship with your Creator, Lord, and Redeemer. What selfish desires, pride, sexual sin, covetousness, unbelief, is plaguing you from being truly able to surrender to untainted worship? Whatever it may be I can tell you as a chief sinner, that it isn’t worth it.

There may not be a solemn assembly available for you to attend anytime soon, but I encourage you to have a solemn assembly that begins with you, God, and a desire to repent of your sins and wickedness. I will give you a solemn guarantee that in doing so that you will inevitably arrive at a place called Untainted Worship


Coping with Pain in Our Christian Lives

May 1, 2013 in Christian Living with 2 Comments

Written by Steve Goode

About the Author of this Article

Some may ask what right a person has to comment on emotional hurt and loss, which is a fair question. One may say that before they can write about coping with pain, they need to have experiences to the same level. In Steve’s case he has been through his share of pain and some in the more recent past. He lost his sister in 1964 and although he was born in 1963, he watched the effects of that loss on his mother throughout his life. Steve was very close to his father and lost him to a heart attack in 2000. He watched his mother grieve herself into poor health and in 2003 she was hospitalized with a brain aneurysm leaving Steve and his brother to make decisions regarding leaving the respirator in place or having it removed. She died four days later with Steve and his brother watching her breath her last breath here on earth. His mother’s death was almost three years to the date of his father’s. Needless to say emotional pain has visited his life, and in this story he briefly describes the source of his strength through an entertaining and eventful bike ride. We pray that this story will encourage you wherever you may be on your emotional journey.

Bicycling

I have recently developed a real passion for bicycling. I am by no means a Lance Armstrong follower and I don’t follow the Tour De France, but I love riding. I typically have stayed in the vicinity of North Carolina where my wife April,and I can find new and interesting places to take our bicycles and spend time together. There is something that any good bicyclist  knows is necessary if you really want to enjoy more distant rides across a larger span of territory and that is you need to condition yourself to ride through quite a bit of pain. The other day I arrived home before my wife April and decided I would take a nine mile trek down some new roads near our house. All was good as I hit Oakwood and went to Rogers Lake Road. I was having to be extremely careful because the road was only two lanes and cars typically trump bicycles when it comes to getting knocked off the road. As a car was coming up behind me I pulled to the far right side and my tire dropped off the shoulder of the road. It wasn’t necessarily a problem at first but I noticed the shoulder was becoming taller as I continued to roll and my front tire became wedged to the point I couldn’t steer the bicycle. I tried to keep the bike up but to no avail and was thrown sideways on the road with my bicycle landing on top of me. I immediately felt a great deal of pain in my left leg, arms and hands. I looked down and saw a kneecap covered in a good dose of road rash filled blood. At this point it would be safe to assume that I said “ouch.” I took a moment to thank God that I wasn’t run over by a car, truck or larger sized conveyance. In fact somehow my bike didn’t appear to have a single significant scratch or dent on it.

I was in a fair amount of pain as I stood there on the side of the road and I had a bit of a problem. I was too far from home to simply walk my bicycle, and there was another seven miles left on my journey! Could I honestly quit my mission all because of a little pain I was experiencing or did I need to finish the race? I decided on the side of the road that although I wasn’t too excited to move my injured and bleeding kneecap back and forth for another seven miles, I had to finish my mission. I remounted my bicycle and began to pedal although I will not confess to any potential girly-man sounds I may have made over the next mile or so. As I continued to pedal and focus on the road and enjoy the scenery surrounding me I began to periodically forget that I had fallen earlier in the journey. In fact there were a few things I was now doing on my bicycle to avoid what happened earlier. In other words I had learned from my past mistake. I was now focused so much on my mission that the pain became secondary to me and I was literally enjoying the ride!

What pushed me to continue when I began to feel the pain and burn was knowing that it wouldn’t last forever and that rest and refreshment was coming at the finish! As I pulled into the driveway of our home on mile nine there was such a feeling of exhilaration of knowing that I finished my mission and didn’t quit. Let me be the first to say I didn’t break any time trial records on my trip, but it was never about how good I was, but finishing what I started.

Many Christians believe that a life in Christ is a pain-free existence, but this is not the case. Jesus never promised us that we would suffer no pain in this life. In fact Jesus told Peter a time would come in his life when he was older when he would stretch out his arms and be placed somewhere he did not want to go. (we believe he was possibly referring to Peter dying from crucifixion) In fact Peter went on to write that if any man suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed! (1 Peter 4:16) Peter emphasizes this again in the same letter where he tells believers that their comfort comes from knowing that the suffering will have a duration of time but will not last forever. (1 Peter 5:10) No one likes suffering and pain and as Christians we are not immune from any of these experiences in our Christian walk. Becoming a Christian does not involve the issuance of a halo and a hovercraft! Our lives can be tough and sometimes the pain can even seem unbearable, but there is good news. Our suffering is limited to this life and our comfort and contentment will last forever. In fact Paul tells us that we don’t have to grieve as those who have no hope. (1 Thes 4:13) Whatever your suffering may stem from there is a comfort and peace you can constantly have that has no expiration. You have a hope that can drive you to finish your mission through any sort of pain and suffering. Paul even said that he learned that whatever situation he was in that he could have contentment in his heart. (Phil 4:11) What state are you in today? Is it a broken marriage, grief over the loss of family, broken relationships? Are you in the “if only” mode of regret or have you made some mistakes in your marriage that you feel will never be reconciled? I believe I could make this list quite long, but for the sake of word count I will let you fill in your blank.
You may be at the painful point of throwing in the towel over your pain thinking you cannot go one step further, but I am encouraging you today that in Christ you can make it!

God is completing a work in you as we speak that will blow your mind. You may already have seen it and know that quitting should not be an option. I exhort (that means encourage) you to press on and find comfort in knowing that the pain won’t last forever, but as Peter said, for a little while. Let God finish the wonderful work he has begun in your life. (Phil 1:6) Lastly I ask you to do as Paul instructed us which is to finish the race. We have not been told to win this race just as I mentioned my time was no record to brag about. We are just told to run this race without apology, pain and all! We are to run the race with persistence and patience (Hebrews 12:1). You can do it through Christ who provides the strength! (Phil 4:13)

http://www.trumpetforgod.org/audio/20090922/coping-pain-our-christian-lives

Is Speeding a Sin?

April 27, 2013 in Christian Living with 0 Comments

By Stephen Goode

I speak as a chief sinner on this sensitive topic.

As much as some Christians can get obsessed with legalism and denigrating a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to nothing more than a set of rules, I believe it is fair to ask whether they would agree that speeding is a sin. Yes, I have just gone there! A taboo thing we don’t speak of because it is highly likely that you have looked down at your speedometer on many occasions realizing that you are pushing the sound barrier envelope while jamming to your favorite praise and worship song. Maybe you pushed 15 or 20 over the speed limit because you were late to a church service, and that makes it perfectly justified. Right? Aren’t some scripture passages rendered null and void due to our circumstances?

I spent more than 11 years writing all sorts of tickets to traffic violators, and my last 6 years of police work I was certified to operate radar, which means I wrote a number of speeding tickets. I recall stopping a pastor who was speeding more than 20 over the limit while on his way to preach at a church service, and I remember the lecture he attempted to give me about how he was doing the Lord’s work. When I began to quote Romans 13 to him on how he should obey the authorities that have been placed over him he went completely mute. Not as much out of anger toward me, but I had just called his hand and placed his driving in the proper perspective. It was the most direct and effective use of the Matthew 18 model I had ever witnessed, and I wasn’t even a member of his congregation. His harbored sin was of all things failing to submit to the government authorities out of impatience and pragmatism. This harbored sin had been rooted in his life to the point that he didn’t even consider what he was doing to be wrong or sinful. It can easily be explained where the apostle Paul writes to not allow sin to come into our lives because it will begin to direct and guide our actions (Rom 6:12).

Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?

Many times we justify sins we commit by putting them on the scales and trying to convince everyone that some sins are worse than others. Although I admit that some sins hold the spotlight much longer than less noted ones, it doesn’t give us a pass to repeatedly commit them. We know adultery is scarlet letter material, but offenses such as speeding, white lies, and even gossip take a back seat in our world. My point of this is not to scold everyone and storm off from the paper! I just want to give everyone a reality check that we should strive to live in a way that is above reproach, even when behind the wheel of our cars! Quit allowing even the littlest sins to remain in your presence without challenging their right to be in your life. Sure, we all sin and fall short (Rom 3:23), but don’t let it become such a chronic habit that you begin to be apathetic about removing it from your life and turning away from the pattern of sin.

Steps to Take Immediately

Until you can drive like you really wish to honor Jesus in all areas of your life, including driving, take the bumper stickers off! Even the one that says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” It may be true (Romans 3:23), but get a grip on your weaknesses, then use the bumper sticker as a real testimony of your love for Jesus when you have had a little more practice.

Is the Entitlement Mindset Biblical?

April 26, 2013 in Christian Living with 0 Comments

By Steve Goode

Reflecting on the events that occurred in 2011 in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. An article written only a week after April’s wrath.

 

(Pictured to the left is what remains of the Salvation Army of Tuscaloosa)

In the wake of all the death and destruction in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa this, I could not think of a more applicable topic than entitlement and suffering. In fact the pictures you will see inserted throughout this article were taken by me and my family this past week as we visited and ministered to the people of Tuscaloosa and Fosters Alabama. We even took a trip into Pell City where we witnessed the destruction of straight line winds, which can topple and uproot enormous trees, and remove roofs from people’s homes.

If I could contextualize the entitlement mindset in our Christian walks, and even our marriages, it demands without any sense of earning or payment for what is received. It is the mindset that says that you can create your own list of expectations for your spouse, and when they are not met, you are entitled to seek some form of retribution or compensation. It removes the need to place any responsibility for a person’s actions upon themselves, and reactively blame others for their plight in life. A marriage to such a person becomes an emotional rollercoaster where it is more important to seek self-gratification than it is to esteem ourselves as humble and serving.

If someone feels a sense of entitlement then they can set the expectation of happiness in their marriage and bail the moment things get trial some and difficult. They will use a plumb line that measures quick and expedient fixes and never look at their circumstances as a way to learn and grow. This same mindset will look at the tragedies that befall their lives as some sort of unjust punishment from God, because after all, they are entitled to a good life!

Where does this all fit into a Biblical framework? Is anyone entitled to good things with a lifelong moratorium on bad things? If it were true to say these things then why did James feel the need to say the following?

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4)

James clearly believes trials will befall us all and makes no apology for God. He doesn’t provide an exclusion of any kind for those people who feel entitled to avoid the hurts they will inevitably face in their life. Even if they believed they could earn a pass, it wouldn’t matter. Some of the godliest people I know have suffered through horrendous and disproportionate trials and afflictions without a release.

I wish I could help people to understand that the Bible is not a release from pain, but a way to cope with life’s trials through the lens of the cross. Jesus said that “In this life you will have trials and tribulations, but take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) For the believer who feels a sense of entitlement, I believe the problem goes much deeper. Such a person is focused on themselves more than they are Jesus. They have a skewed worldview that will enslave them to a sinfully entitled mindset that will not change until they surrender their will to Christ.

The Bible says “And he said unto all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23) The Christian life of pain and suffering is not laced in entitlement, but denial of our personal wants and desires. Jesus explains how we can have total contentment in His ways if we simply abide in him. Abiding is not a hotel stay, but a residency where we begin to see things through Jesus’ eyes as opposed to our own.

What do we truly deserve?

You see? We all have our own measure of who should or shouldn’t suffer or be subjected to loss and tragedy! What we need to sometimes realize is that the only reason things do not get worse is because of the common grace of God. Common grace is the restraining nature of God, which both sinner and saint alike benefit from. You as a child of God are a part of that common grace which out of your obedience to Christ, get to show the love of our Savior to others through our acts of service and kindness to all those around us.

Only one person ever has walked in the flesh that did not deserve the trials He faced! He is the co-eternal, co-equal, second person in the Trinity who took on human form by being born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life, and atoned for our sins by dying on the cross, He rose again on the third day defeated the grave, and ascended back to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and me. His name is Jesus and He loves and cares for you and wants to spend eternity with you if you will surrender your heart and life to Him!

The cemetary pictured above is on Wesley Chapel Road in Fosters Alabama, 11 miles outside of Tuscaloosa, and sustained major damage from the Tornado on April 27th. Almost every grave marker was knocked over or broken in half. A church 300 feet away was leveled.

Page 1 of 3212345»102030...Last »