Being a Christian is hard work. We understand that Jesus' work on the cross was sufficient to save our souls, but we've still got much work to do in this life to show Him our gratitude--proving by our actions we love Him and His Spirit lives in us. For me, probably the hardest part is to simply yield control of my life to Him. I don't like yielding anything to anybody, and certainly not someone who might get the inkling to send me off to a mission field in the middle of nowhere! We live in an age where everybody is probably a lot like me in this sense--wanting to control as much of our lives as we can and yielding as little as possible. For the Christian, however, how well we yield will determine how deep and how fast we grow in our faith and obedience to the Lord. Even the Son yields His will to the Father's desires. Since we're all going to bow to Jesus one day anyway, wouldn't it make great sense to get started now? After all, He will never do anything but love us, far off mission field or not! "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phillippians 2:9-10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

The old saying, "Practice what you preach" often comes to my mind. As a husband, a father, and a minister of the gospel, I always need to be aware of the disconnects between my words and my actions. Lately I've been preaching a lot about finding joy in suffering and not being surprised by persecution when it comes. Today I had an opportunity to put my words to the test. I took some abuse for the gospel and wouldn't you know I was instantly upset! I tried to tell myself to find joy in the persecution but I found that I just couldn't do it. I could tell you all the reasons I should have found joy, but I still couldn't find it. And then something hit me... If I could do it by myself then why would I need Jesus? The flesh can never find joy in suffering. It's only through the Spirit that joy comes. "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Acts 13:52  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26 Sometimes I get some serious stress, even times of sleeplessness and depression. Sure, life is tough... having lots of kids, and a ministry, and marriage are all tough. But as I sit back and analyze the times when I have the highest level of uncomfortablility with my life, it's always because I'm walking too close to the "integrity line." That's the line I'll call the "line of truth." Whenever a Christian finds a ways to justify actions the Lord would be uncomfortable with, the Holy Spirit immediately goes to work, making us uncomfortable--so uncomfortable we hopefully move back into the area where our integrity, and our testimony remain solid. "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you." Psalm 25:21  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Imagine that you worked your whole life toward piling up a huge mountain of good deeds. Following the last seconds of your life, you approach God and present Him with an excellent reminder of all you had done. "I did everything could to get into heaven" you might say. At which point God would tell you that your work was prideful, and even the attempt to enter heaven on your own merits was arrogant and selfish. You had attained nothing. In fact, less than nothing. Absolute perfection is required for entering God's presence.... you'll enter it shrouded by the perfect blood of Jesus Christ, or you won't enter it at all. God says that even our best deeds are like "filthy rage" apart from Christ. Save yourself the life of "piling up deeds" and spend your life saying "thank you" to the Savior that awaits your confession that you and anything you'll ever accomplish are worthless without Him. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men." 2 Corinthians 5:11a The other day I was helping a buddy do some work and we needed to pound some huge fasteners into a steel door. The perfect tool for the job was a huge sledgehammer! Since I needed to burn off some frustration anyway, I did the honors myself. With just a few swings on each fastener I was able to pound them into solid steel. Sledgehammers are great tools... but let's say you were in terrible pain from a sliver under your fingernail. Even in your distress, would you entertain someone working on it with a sledgehammer?! My dad always used to day, "Use the right tool for the job, Jimmy!" The truth is that although some have great intentions of "persuading men" to believe the Good News of Jesus, words and actions that seem like sledgehammers to them never work. No matter how much knowledge we have of the Bible, how great we can argue for the Truth, and no matter how well we can preach, without love it's all worthless. Never was there a more perfect tool for witnessing for Jesus Christ than genuine love. Only love is persuasive in the end. "If I speak in the tongues [or languages] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Many will tell you that you are required to give a "tithe" [or tenth] of all you make to the church. Some will argue that you need to give a tenth of the gross amount you make (before taxes are taken out, etc.) and some will tell you just to give based on what you net (the amount you actually get). I sincerely believe that both arguments are wrong and biblically inaccurate. A tithe is simply not mentioned in the New Testament as a command (or even a suggestion). It was part of the Law, and as such was done away with by the cross of Christ. In all honesty, any self-respecting Jew would not have given a mere 10 percent anyway. The first tenth was only one of several tithes they were required to give. If they gave according to the letter of the Law, they would have given the best 33.3 percent of everything they made, grew or otherwise obtained. BUT, this does not mean you should not give to the church. The New Testament requirement is actually for you to give "everything" you have (considering even the breath in your lungs 100% God's property) It's all God's... but that doesn't mean you cannot provide for your needs, for the needs of others, and even save for your children and your children's children. Give to God's work in missions, give to your local church, and give to any other ministry the Lord lays on your heart. BUT, do not give because someone told you to. Give because God loves you! "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Did you know there are not only 10 Commandments in the Bible, but rather 1050 of them!? What's more, there are thousands of pages of prophecy and instruction given us by prophets for thousands of years. How could you or I ever keep up with such an exhausting list? How could we ever be sure we'd obeyed everything? Believe it or not, that's pretty much the whole point of Jesus coming and giving us this Scripture (Hey, if we could have done all that stuff, we wouldn't have needed Him in the first place!). "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12)  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Some people are great about telling people of their faith and even at leading others to Christ and other great church work. Unfortunately, a number of those same people often seem to have little regard for the "little people" they run into. Believe it or not, the Bible actually casts some serious doubt on whether or not a person who cares little about meeting the needs of those "less fortunate" around them are even Christians. Being "saved" is evidenced by a lot more than talking about your faith--it is "doing" the will of your Father in heaven. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14-17  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate