Tasteless

Posted on November 27, 2018 by expressyourself4him

Shortly after I got married, I began to play disc golf regularly.  During a round at Brandywine Creek State Park, my friend Dave and I threw a couple of discs into high grass.  Prior to the rise in Lyme Disease cases, checking for ticks never entered my mind.  Oddly enough, each of us contracted this debilitating condition.  While on vacation in Montana, my skin revealed the classic bullet, an obvious sign of Lyme Disease.  Unfortunately, Dave’s condition went undiagnosed for months.  Although Dave eventually recovered, he permanently lost his sense of taste.

“Therefore, salt is good; but if salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? – Luke 14:34

A first century doctor refers to a spiritual condition in the passage above.  Jesus uses the analogy of expired salt to illustrate this point.  Tasteless salt is similar to a Christian who does not practice the principles of the Bible.  According to Jesus, disciples should add spiritual flavor to the lives of outsiders, those unfamiliar with the concept of Christianity.  When believers blend into the world like chameleons, Jesus refers to these individuals as tasteless.

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words,” Luke 14:35.

Sometimes the truth hurts, especially when you are called out by a co-worker, friend or mentor.  In this case, unsalted Christians are useless, like trash needing to be thrown away.  When joking around with my sons, my video game skills are often described as trash.  Since I know this to be true, rarely practicing, I can laugh along with my children.  However, when Jesus calls lukewarm believers tasteless and trash, this is no laughing matter.  If this blog finds you struggling and unproductive in your faith, may the Holy Spirit inspire you to refuel by studying the Bible daily, praying and seeking to worship God seven days a week.

by Jay Mankus

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The Greatest Ability is Availability

Posted on November 26, 2018 by expressyourself4him

As the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, Buddy Ryan became the mastermind of the 46 defense.  This scheme stymied opposing NFL offenses, leading to one of the greatest defenses of all time.  Behind the leadership of Jim McMahon at quarterback, Walter Payton at running back and a dominant defense, Chicago easily won Superbowl XX 46-10 over the New England Patriots.  This success catapulted Ryan to become head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.  This experience led Buddy Ryan to once say during a press conference, “the greatest ability is availability”.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home,” Luke 9:57-61.

The context of Ryan’s words refers to players who were not available to play due to injury.  Another common saying is “you can’t make the club when you’re in the tub,” getting treatment for injuries.  Some athletes tend to get hurt due to bizarre or freak accidents.  If you’re not a quick healer, players end up sitting on the bench instead of being an active participant.  Jesus eludes to a similar concept in the passage above.  If you truly want to be a disciple of Jesus, you must be available, ready at a moments notice to serve God.  However, anyone who has a habit of making excuses for why they can’t do this or that is not fit to be a true servant of God.

Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple, Luke 14:27.

Later on in his gospel, a doctor takes this concept one step further.  Luke brings up willingness as if to question the desire of some disciples.  Words are meaningless unless followed by action or as Def Leppard once sang, “Action Not Words.”  Whether you are an athlete or an eager believer seeking to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, endurance and perseverance are essential qualities to possess.  Greatness doesn’t happen overnight.  Rather, diligence, focus and self-discipline pays off in the long run.  Therefore, if you want to become the apple of God’s eye, the greatest ability is availability.

by Jay Mankus

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Boiling Out of Control

Posted on November 25, 2018 by expressyourself4him

Blood pressure is measured with two numbers, systolic and diastolic.  The systolic number represents the measure of pressure when the heart is contracting.  The diastolic refers to when the heart is expanding after the contraction. A normal blood pressure measurement is considered 120 over 80. During a routine physical last week, my initial blood pressure was 170 over 120.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working, James 5:16.

There are 5 major factors which cause blood pressure to escalate: high salt intake, lack of physical activity, obesity, smoking and consuming too much alcohol.  Since I don’t drink or smoke, the first three are the reason for my blood pressure boiling out of control.  For someone who once possessed only four percent body fat, this recent diagnosis is eye opening and humbling.  The hardest part of my road to recovery is having the self-discipline to get back to a somewhat healthy level.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul, 3 John 1:2.

The earthly brother of Jesus suggests that the first step to healing is confessing that you have a problem.  Well, I am Jay Mankus and I have let my body go by eating poorly and failing to exercise on a regular basis.  The disciple whom Jesus loved talks about the importance of health in the passage above.  If you dive deeper, your overall health impacts your soul.  Thus, if your blood pressure begins to boil out of control, it’s hard to stay optimistic.  In these troubling times, the only thing I can do is trust Jesus to guide my path toward a healthier diet and life.

by Jay Mankus

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What It Means to be One Nation Under God

Posted on November 24, 2018 by expressyourself4him

Since October media reports has followed caravans of people from Latin America, hoping for a better life.  Depending upon your choice of cable news networks, reporters covering this story have attempted to define who these people really are.  As the masses have reached the border seeking asylum, politics have divided Americans.  Those who don’t want borders have invoked religion, accusing opponents of being anti-Christian, failing to love these individuals like Jesus.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world, James 1:27.

Anyone who picks and choses what they want to believe from the Bible while disregarding other parts is known as syncretism.  This practice blends cultures, religions and schools of thought to appease, relate to and unite a large diverse audience.  Unfortunately, when politicians use syncretism it’s often masked with Saul Alinsky tactics from Rules for Radicals.  Instead of using the Bible in its proper context, political talking points often seize opportunities like the caravan to condemn and criticize anyone who dares to disagree.  If you watch any nightly news, politics is a vessel of division.  What America needs is to go back to its roots.

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? – 1 John 3:17

The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States was composed by Captain George Thatcher Balch. Balch was a Union Army Officer during the Civil War and later became a teacher of patriotism in New York City schools.  The most recent alteration of its wording came on Flag Day in 1954, when the words “under God” were added.  When my father’s family fled Lithuania during the Soviet Union’s invasion of the Baltic States, he came to America to start over living with a host family.  While a large number of Lithuanians migrated to Binghamton, New York, these immigrants eventually became citizens.  The goal wasn’t to make America Lithuanian.  Rather, it was to become one nation, united by a common faith in God, to carry on their former nation’s heritage united under one flag.  This is what it means to live as one nation under God.

by Jay Mankus

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Past Due

Posted on November 23, 2018 by expressyourself4him

The phrase past due is an accounting term that refers to past the date on which a payment should have been made.  Those notices appear in the mail or as an email to warn customers of their violation.  This reminder is like a courtesy call, a method to encourage individuals to immediately pay the amount owed.  Yet, money is not the only that is past due.

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng, Psalm 109:30.

The most obvious past due response is thanks.  While American’s celebrate Thanksgiving every November, I often forget to thank the people who have helped me along the way.  Giving thanks shouldn’t be just an annual event.  Rather, thanksgiving should be a daily practice, slowing down enough to verbally share how much you appreciate your friends, family and co-workers.  Similar to Billy Joel’s song Honesty, thanksgiving can be such a lonely word.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name, Hebrews 13:15.

The second response that is past due is praise.  The Psalmist suggests that human beings were created to praise God, Psalm 150.  Prior to entering into a relationship with God, Romans 10:9-10, I was selfish and self-seeking.  Yet, when Jesus came into my life, I began to see the connection between blessings and God, James 1:17.  The earthly brother of Jesus wrote about this claiming that every good and perfect thing on earth comes down from heaven.  Although money may get the most attention in life, don’t forget to praise and thank God this holiday season.

by Jay Mankus

 

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Not the Thanksgiving I Invisioned

Posted on November 22, 2018 by expressyourself4him

A routine physical earlier this week has turned my life upside down.  Standing on a scale revealed my heaviest weight ever, not a good way to start this check up.  Before my primary care doctor entered the room, I took a brief depression survey, confident in my responses.  However, after my blood pressure was sky high, a series of comments from my doctor sucked the joy out of my soul, wanting to go back to change my previous answers.

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:20.

Like a warning from God, I listened to all the possible conditions that might be wrong with me.  This internal alarm resulted in a series of tests on my heart, kidney and thyroid.  The past 48 hours has been like a whirlwind, hooked up to machines, placed on new medicine and forced to endure another series of examinations and tests next week.  This wasn’t the way I expected to spend the week of Thanksgiving.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

As I began to embrace self pity, a whisper from God via the Holy Spirit has put my circumstances into it’s proper perspective.  “At least you’re alive.  What about the residents of Paradise, California, losing their city, homes and loved ones?”  While I still don’t know what’s exactly wrong with me beside being overweight, Thanksgiving has a new meaning to me.  Although there will be aches and pains throughout life, staying positive, hopeful and thankful is what get’s you through the tough times.  God uses trials like mine to remind people to place their trust in Jesus.

by Jay Mankus

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Ridiculing Responses From God

Posted on November 21, 2018 by expressyourself4him

The dictionary refers to cynicism as an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest.  Synonyms include doubt, suspension and skeptical.  As postmodern and secular humanism replace a biblical worldview, it’s not uncommon to hear individuals ridicule responses from God.  Following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting at the Tree of Life Worship Center, a few members of the media scoffed at offers of thoughts and prayers for those affected.  Instead these individuals demanded calls for repealing the second amendment by demonizing guns.

Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires, 2 Peter 3:3.

According to one of Jesus’ disciples, the world will see a rise in scoffing.  A growing number of people will liter their speech with deriding comments, mockery and a sneering tone.  The days of Leave It to Beaver and Little House on the Prairie are long gone.  In it’s place Modern Family, Seinfeld and the Simpsons has transformed millennials.  As a generation grows up without attending church, experiencing youth groups and or missing a spiritual mentor along the way, it’s no wonder that scoffers will increase as the second coming of Jesus approaches.

One of the criminals who had been hanged [on a cross beside Him] kept hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us [from death]!”– Luke 23:39

As a trio of people were in the process of being crucified, one desperate soul fought to the very end.  In the heat of the moment, this criminal became frustrated by Jesus’ lack of action.  Essentially, he was saying, “we don’t have much time left; if you’re truly the Son of God, save yourself; then save us.”  Unaware of God’s grand design, this man died without knowing a Savior.  Perhaps, the bitterness, ridicule and venom that comes out of someone’s mouth is a byproduct of spiritual frustration.  Thus, the next time you are a victim of ridicule, dig a little deeper into the life of this perpetrator to see if the hope of a Savior may transform their life.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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The Slow Decay of a Cold Heart

Posted on November 20, 2018 by expressyourself4him

From a secular point of view, cold hearts are not ignored.  A classic written by Foreigner speaks to this topic in the song Cold as Ice.  The soundtrack for Cold as Ice inspired a skit on the March 25, 1978 broadcast of Saturday Night Live.  While mild by today’s standards, this illustration demonstrates how cold hearts negatively influence attitudes, behavior and words.

Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them,’ Matthew 13:14-15.

The Christian group Casting Crowns attempts to explain why hearts grow cold in their song Does Anybody Hear.  According to the lyrics, “But the canyons ever widening in the depths of her cold heart” suggest this is a spiritual dilemma.  Instead of addressing, correcting and dealing with wounded hearts, human nature causes individuals to set out on another misadventure to cover up their pain.  Instead of turning to Jesus to fill this void, temporary substitutes are found.

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart, Ephesians 4:18.

The question few people ever ask is what‘s wrong with me?  How can I stop the slow death of a cold heart?  The apostle Paul suggests cold hearts are a byproduct of being alienated from God.  This may explain King David’s prayer in Psalm 51, “create in me a clean (pure) heart.”  The longer people ignore situations, hearts will continue to grow cold; hardening, without care.  Yet, the moment you confess, beg and plead with God for forgiveness and mercy, change is possible.  May this blog revive your soul, turning a cold heart into a heart of gold.

by Jay Mankus

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Jesus’ Goal

Posted on November 19, 2018 by expressyourself4him

 

When modern writers recount the first century life of Jesus, the human side of Jesus is often neglected.  According to the author of a New Testament book, Jesus is able to sympathize with and understands temptation and human weaknesses.  Hebrews 4:15-16 details how Jesus was tempted in every way just as individuals are today, yet did not sin.  Despite possessing emotional, mental and physical urges, Jesus never lost sight of his goal.

And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox [that sly, cowardly man], ‘Listen carefully: I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I reach My goal,’ Luke 13:32.

During a heated exchange with Pharisees, a few disgruntled religious leaders spilled the beans, Herod Antipas wanted to kill Jesus.  This plot was not hidden from Jesus, aware from the very beginning of the fate that he must endure.  In response to this warning, Jesus tells these Pharisees to give Herod a message.  The phrase third day could have duel meanings, I’ll be arriving in three days after confronting demons and healing those possessed.  Or the third day serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection following his death on a cross.

Nevertheless I must travel on today and tomorrow and the day after that—for it cannot be that a prophet would die outside of Jerusalem. 34 [O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I have wanted to gather your children together [around Me], just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were not willing! – Luke 13:33-34

The closer Jesus got to Jerusalem, the more sentimental he became, broken inside by the masses who would soon cheer for his crucifixion.  Knowing the future is like a double edged sword, a powerful tool to have, but painful, unable to stop that which was destined to be.  Nonetheless, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest, Jesus foregoes any thoughts for self preservation by yielding to God’s will, Matthew 26:39.  Jesus’ ultimate goal is clear, “seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10 by dying and rising from the dead.  May the Holy Spirit speak to your heart so that you too may know your purpose for being born.

by Jay Mankus

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Spiritual Drifters

Posted on November 18, 2018 by expressyourself4him

A drifter is defined as a person who is continually moving from place to place.  Those who fit this description are referred to as a transient, vagabond or wanderer.  Individuals who fall into this category often do not develop permanent meaningful lasting relationships.  Without a good reason to stay, people drift into new communities hoping for a place to call home.  As America has lost its sense of community within cities, neighborhoods and towns, a growing number of nomads have a emerged, disconnected and unknown by the person next door.

Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. 5 And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served], 1 Corinthians 12:4-5.

Over the last two decades, a new classification has been added to this term, spiritual drifters.  When someone enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, finding a church that meets your spiritual needs can be difficult.  Larger congregations can be superficial, challenging to connect with a mentor who understands who you are and what you are going through.  Smaller churches offer a more intimate setting, but if you don’t share common interests, developing a close bond rarely occurs.  Thus, countless Christians go church hopping, visiting new places each weekend, searching for a place to call home.

And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good, 1 Corinthians 12:6-7.

As a former elder in a church for seven years, I’m the last person you would expect who would become a spiritual drifter.  Yet, for the past seven years, my family and I are still in limbo.  Initially, we spent a few years attending a small church that served as a time of healing after Red Lion was sold and disbanded.  My two youngest children found a great youth group for two years until that church suffered the same fate, closing it’s doors to sell their property.  While each family member has a favorite, none of us have been blown away or sensed the Holy Spirit say this is home.  Thus, for now I continue as a spiritual drifter, hoping that one day soon I can stop watching, connect and become an active member of a church again.

by Jay Mankus

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