Category: Food For Growth

²⁴ Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. ~ Matthew 7:24-27

Tim Barton of WallBuilders.com (and if you’ve never checked out this website, I strongly encourage you to) reminds us that a staggering 34% of all Founding-era political documents, written between 1760 and 1805, contained direct quotations from the Bible.

Think about that … One-third of our formative political writings were Scripture! That’s not just a coincidence—that’s a testimony. It reveals just how deeply God’s Word shaped the thinking, language, and convictions of the men who formed our republic. It shows that the Bible wasn’t merely a book of private devotion—it was the public foundation of policy, liberty, and national purpose. It shoots down every accusation and every attempt to try to deceive us that America was not formed on biblical values. It’s just a great, big lie to deny.

A 1984 study by political scientists Donald Lutz and Charles Hyneman confirmed what WallBuilders.com continues to teach: that the Bible was the single most frequently cited source in all political discourse of that era, far more than any Enlightenment philosopher like Locke, Montesquieu, or Rousseau.

This tells us something profound about our Founders: they didn’t look to France, or to the halls of academia, or to the ideologies of men to figure out how to build a just society. They turned to God’s Word.

The Bible shaped their understanding of:

• Human nature (fallen and in need of accountability),
• Law and justice (rooted in God’s character),
• Government (limited in power, answerable to God),
• Freedom (not license, but liberty under truth),
• and Morality (objective right and wrong, not relative opinions)

Concepts such as inalienable rights, checks and balances, the rule of law, and personal responsibility are not modern inventions—they are biblical principles that our Founders drew directly from Scripture. The farther we stray from these well grounded and spiritually/biblically sound beliefs held by our founding fathers, the farther we go into darkness and chaos. Many big cities look like the third world countries now. There’s no safety, hygiene, or sanity in many areas of the US today. Why? Because we push against the natural order given to us in Scripture and push forward anarchy. We as a nation cannot thrive in chaos. So, let us return to our roots. Let us once again look to Scripture as the source of justice, righteousness, and the liberty.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return To The Roots.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the LORD. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth… ~ James 5:7

A farmer doesn’t give up in the middle of the growing season. He knows the harvest takes time. So does your heavenly Father.

Paul says in verse 10: “As we have opportunity…” That means the opportunity will not last forever.

• You have a moment to sow
• A moment to speak truth
• A moment to act in love
• A moment to obey God’s prompting
• Don’t waste your moment

Ephesians 5:16 — “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

We don’t have time to waste. We must live urgently, generously, and eternally-minded.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention To How You Live.

⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Paul adds to Jesus’ warning of what you stole you shall reap. Jesus left the statement very general, but Paul got specific by bringing in the flesh and the spirit. What does it mean?

Well, Paul is explaining that living to gratify the sinful nature:

• Lust
• Selfishness
• Laziness
• Impurity
• Pride
• Sexual immorality
• Along with others

You will only reap corruption. Which means: Decay, ruin, death. Not just future judgment, but present spiritual deterioration as well.

But there is a better way. Sow to the spirit, which means living in step with God’s Holy Spirit and doing what pleases God.

Then you will reap the blessings of God and experience the abundant life…life everlasting. You will have a hope and a future.

What are we talking about? We’re talking about living your life in such a way that you do not grow weary.

⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ~ Galatians 6:7

Paul is giving the Galatians a warning. The devil will slither in and tell you all kinds of lies. “Oh, the Church only wants your money.” And in some cases, it’s true, some do preach the Word for profit, but that does not negate our obligation to support our local church leaders, or whoever is spiritually feeding you. And it’s easy to get caught up in the rhetoric, and Paul knows that. So, he writes a warning—don’t let yourself be misled or fall into false thinking.

The Church, as a whole, is not after your money. Look, Paul wrote: “God is not mocked,” which literally means, “He is not to be sneered at or turned up the nose at.” You can’t fool or bypass Him. So, you can’t treat God’s commands lightly or flippantly. God will hold you accountable.

And here is the consequence: for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. It is a universal spiritual law. Every action (seed) will produce a corresponding result (harvest), whether good or evil. In other words, what you plant determines what you harvest. This applies to how we use:

• Our time
• Our money
• Our influence
• Our obedience
• And even our words

You can’t sow apathy and expect to reap a spiritual breakthrough. Therefore, sow wisely.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Sow.

⁵ Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.” ⁶ But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. ⁷ You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ ⁸ We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, ⁹ and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, ¹⁰ but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us. ¹¹ But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.’ So we are living in Jerusalem.”

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. ¹⁴ The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. ¹⁵ I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. ~ Jeremiah 35:5-15

Jonadab had given his children clear, godly instructions—but it wasn’t just about wine, but about how to live, how to remain set apart, and how to honor the LORD with their lifestyle. These commands were not arbitrary. Jonadab’s instructions kept his family separate from the idolatrous, indulgent culture of Israel, which was steeped in Baal worship and moral decay.

By living simply and staying mobile, the Rechabites remained a distinct people, loyal to God’s values in a world pulling them away from Him. Today’s fathers face a similar challenge—to lead their families in holiness amidst a culture that often opposes God’s truth.

He wasn’t around anymore. By now, Jonadab had been dead for centuries. And yet, his words lived on. His children and their children after them, not only remembered what he taught—they obeyed it! Fathers, your words matter. Mothers, your words matter. Teachers. Leaders. Mentors. Your example matters. What you teach, how you live, and the standard you set can echo for generations.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Teach The Next Generation.

⁸ but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:8

It wasn’t for the righteous that Jesus died, nor was it for a good person that He died.  We weren’t His friends … we were His enemies.

We were unlovable, hateful toward Him, and everything that He stood for—yet still, He chose the cross. Still, He loved us. Still, He laid down His life for us.

He didn’t wait for us to get better or to turn our lives around. He died for us while we were still sinners—while we were still rejecting Him. That’s the depth of divine love. That’s the kind of love that doesn’t make sense to the natural mind.

Therefore, encourage yourself and others in this. Don’t be too quick to condemn and cast judgment, but instead when your brother sins be there to help pick them back up again. No one is perfect. No one is even good. Not one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember God’s Love.

¹ And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ~ Acts 2:1-4 ^KJV

The Scripture states, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…” ^NKJV We have to understand that Pentecost wasn’t just an arbitrary day or a random time in the life of Israel. And it didn’t all start with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. From the time of the Exodus under Moses, about 1,475 years earlier, the Israelites were celebrating Pentecost as the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot).

God had instituted this festival as one of the three mandatory pilgrimage feasts. It was a celebration of the wheat harvest. For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things… (Hebrews 10:1a) What does that mean: the Law was a shadow of the good things to come?

Well, the day of Pentecost is a prime example of the fulfillment of the shadow of the good things to come. The Day of Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, as it was called, was celebrated 50 days counting from Resurrection Sunday. The Death and Resurrection of Christ Jesus started the made a way for us to be reconciled to God. Then, 50 days later, God poured out His Holy Spirit on all flesh so that Salvation was obtainable and retainable.

No, longer do we have to count solely on someone else connecting us to God or giving us a Word from God because now, God dwells in us and with us. Now, our God guides anyone with a willing and obedient heart. That is why we celebrate Pentecost because we are living in the days of The Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dwell With Him.

¹ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ~ Acts 2:1

When the day of Pentecost had fully come, one person was not professing one thing, and another person prophesying something else. They were all in agreement with the promise. They were all of one mind.

You may be saying to yourself, Oh, brother Kenny, why are you so old school? We don’t have to all agree. Look, the Scriptures ask, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3 KJV).

In other words, we will never experience “The Hope of Pentecost” unless we all agree together as one church body. And unless we understand what we believe, live what we believe, and agree to what we believe, we will never experience what Jesus has for us the hope of Pentecost with signs and wonders, miracles, and many great acts of healing. We must believe and agree together so that we will receive the promise. We must become one body, mind, and goal in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Become One.