KLOVE RADIO FEATURES – JULY 2024

SLAVES IN A LAND OF PLENTY –
Would you consider yourself wealthy? Perhaps not. But compared to whom? The average American’s wealth is approximately 14 times greater than the average global adult’s. That would equal 200 people in Cambodia, 100 in Bangladesh, and 50 in Afghanistan. Ironically, our wealth has not made us more dependent on God. We are often in bondage to the excesses that our wealth provides. As Nehemiah once wrote in the Book of Nehemiah, “…today we are slaves in the land of plenty.” (Nehemiah 9:36, NLT) Solomon solved the riddle by writing in Proverbs, “…give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.” (Proverbs 30:8-9, NLT) “Jesus, let me embrace whatever you provide.”

BEGGING JESUS TO GO AWAY –
It is impossible to read the Bible without realizing that following Jesus will cost us, especially if we do what’s right. In Matthew 8, Jesus delivered a town with a severe problem. Two demon-possessed men, living in a cemetery, were so violent that no one could go through that area. (Matthew 8:28) Jesus passes through the town and graciously delivers the demonized men from their bondage. For His kind, loving efforts, the Bible says, “…the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.” (Matthew 8:34, NLT) Did it cost the town’s people something? Yes, the demons had rushed into a herd of pigs who then jumped into a lake and drowned. It made me wonder: when I do the right thing and lose something important, will I trust Jesus or ask Him to leave me alone?

ELECTION FATIGUE –
Finding anyone without an opinion or preference in the upcoming election is getting harder and harder. This predicament is understandable and even essential since each candidate supports many moral and biblical issues. Regardless of the election outcome, there is something more important than who wins or loses. During this election season, we must keep our hearts trusting in the eternal incumbent–the God of Heaven who sits upon the Throne and makes all things eventually work for our good and His glory. So, as emotions heat up and tensions are inflamed, may each of us respond with the fruit of God’s Spirit, which will sometimes require love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

WAKING UP TOO LATE –
One of the most terrifying questions I consider is, am I cooperating with promoting lies and, even worse, am I hosting deception in my character? Many people wake up too late regarding their response to lies and deception. They come riding over the hill after the battle’s been fought and lost. I pray every day that I would not be ignorant of the devil’s devices and naïve to the lies I believe and protect. If, as Jesus said, “truth will set you free,” then lies will keep you in chains, chained to deception, lulled to sleep by dead religion, and unable to discern truth from lies and fact from fiction. Either we live awake, or we die asleep. The Bible challenges each of us: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

WE ARE ALL IN PROCESS –
We are all in process. In the process of our maturity, our character, and our healing. When I was I pastor, I stood before our congregation and said, “I have been healed, I am being healed, and I will be healed.” It leveled the playing field, and transparently shared that I had not arrived at some lofty place, high above the struggles they face. James 5:17 says, “Elijah was as human as we are.” And Hebrews 4:15 affirms as well, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” When you think you’ve arrived at some elevated place, watch out. “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) I don’t teach what I’ve learned, I teach what I’m learning.

LIVING A LONG LIFE –
The other day, I sensed the Holy Spirit was asking me to commit to living a long life. He wasn’t asking if I wanted to live long but to prepare for, focus on, and have faith to live for a very long time. I’m 75, and it wasn’t a five- or ten-year recommendation; it was trusting God for 20-plus more years. It was such an unconventional perspective I wondered if it was an appropriate thought—allowable or presumptuous. Contrast that with many people who, as they age, stop believing in the impossible, trusting for the exceptional, and asking God to do the remarkable. Sure, I’ll need to continue to eat right, exercise regularly, and dream often. Living significantly longer will not only stretch me, but it will also grow faith muscles I will take into eternity.