LIFE Podcast Show

Intro: Welcome to the Life podcast, where we offer real hope to real people dealing with real life. We filter our thoughts through God's thoughts and our ways through God's ways. We pray you're blessed by this podcast. Enjoy the show.

Dez: Welcome back. This is the Life podcast show, living intentionally for eternity. People, I'm back. Your boy, des ooch. How have y'all been? Before I get started, I do want to say thank you so much for listening and for supporting the show. If you can do me a big favor, please subscribe to the show and leave a five star review. If you do that, that will really promote the show. Even though I still believe that word of mouth is the best promotion, the best way to get the word out, it does help in our technique, technical technolog. How do you say that word? Technocological? No, that's not it. Technological. Technological world that we live in, that we could possibly, you know, we could share the word through pressing a button. So if you're on Spotify, you just press the review, write a review, leave a review, whatever stars they give you. I'm not sure I'm not on Spotify that often, but on life podcasts, I mean Life podcast, Apple Podcasts, if you just hit those stars, five star, leave a comment that helps the word get out. And I will be extremely thankful for that here on the Life podcast show. You know, we like to filter our thoughts through God's thoughts, filter our perspectives through God's perspectives, and filter our ways through God's ways. James two says this. What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions, can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say goodbye and have a good day, stay warm and eat well. Then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now, someone may argue, some people have faith, others have good deeds. But I say, how can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds. You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you. Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish. Can't you see that faith without deeds is useless? Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened. Just as the scripture said, abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab, the prostitute, is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messages and sent them safely away by a different role. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. That's James. 214, 26. Listen, I cannot cook. There, I said it. Your boy cannot cook. To my shame, I must admit that I am not a good cook. I have been surrounded by good cooks in my life. I have tasted exceptionally well prepared meals by some of the finest chefs I know. I appreciate their gifts and their talents, and at times, to my shame, I envy it. But the envy and appreciation that I have for those who can cook has never drawn me closer to actually wanting to know how to cook. Many have tried to convince me about the benefits of cooking from a health and relational and financial standpoint, from my uncle to my cousin, but to no avail. Zero. It has never moved me one inch to want to learn how to cook. I remember once listening to a preacher who said, if you want to be like Jesus, men learn how to cook. It was emphasizing the scene where Jesus cooked fish for his disciples in his glorified body, on the seashore, in his resurrected body, even still, to no avail. Cooking just has never had an appeal on your boy. Just never. But as a family man now, I do see the poor as my wife. To have to work a full time job and then come home to a hungry house and prepare a meal. Cause we are savages. So even though I have no desire to cook, I'm starting to see the need and necessity of learning how to cook. It's a better way I can love and serve my family. So I'm starting to see this will be a good thing. I probably should learn how to do this. And sorry, uncle Lonzo. Cause he was trying to get your boy to learn, and I just was so disinterested. I know he used to dishearten him, but I just. I just couldn't. Just had no desire. But, uh, praise be to God that he has provided a ram in the bush for my hopeless situation, because I cannot cook. And time is limited in me trying to learn how to cook and learn to cry. If God has provided this great nation with a store called Costco, I discovered that Costco has pre packaged meals that can feed a family up to eight. All you have to do is follow instructions, pop it in the oven and set a timer. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Your boy. I remember the first time I had come home energetic, boastful, and ready to prepare this lasagna that I had just bought from Costco. It had fresh, hearty, and healthy ingredients. The instructions were simple, and I was ready to serve my family. You know, I'm ready. I'm gonna do this. I followed the instructions to the tea. I wrapped the meal in aluminum foil. I preheated the oven at 400 degrees, put it in the center. I put it on the center rack. The center rack of the oven, just like it said, just as the instructions said. And I set the timer for 67 minutes. I was on my way. I was on my way. When I took it out the oven after the timer had gone off, it looked, on the outside, delicious. This fresh, gourmet, hearty and healthy meal looked magnificent. I mean, on the outside. I took pictures of it. I sent it to close relatives and friends and had my family come over and sit in awe of this beautiful creation on the outside. I set the dinner table with plates, forks, and knives. I put each servant on my family's plate and prayed a good prayer. I mean, good prayer asking God to bless the food that we were about to receive for the nourishment of our bodies. After that, we dug into this beautiful lasagna on the outside. As I sat back and admired this beautiful meal, I mean, this picture perfect moment with my family around me, I just was like, oh, this is beautiful. This is beautiful. As I waited for the m's and dad obeyed. This is delicious. Replies I was met with blank looks from my wife and confused and disappointed faces from my daughters. I was so perplexed beside myself. What could it be like? Was it too many vegetables, not enough salt? Or were they just overwhelmed by the majesty of the lasagna? I didn't know what was going on. My wife sat staring at her plate and not making eye contact with me. Finally, my daughter blurted out, dad, why is this so cold? Huh? I thought, like what you mean cold? It does not look cold on the outside. It felt hot on the bottom. But my wife was saying where it all mattered. Or my daughter, rather. What she was saying was where it all mattered. The part that we ate was cold. The stuff that would give us substance, nourishment, nutrition, and four bellies was insufficient. Because although on the outside it was cooked masterfully, on the bottom it gave the appearance of warmth. But on the inside, it was not cooked thoroughly enough, which rendered the whole meal useless. To my shame, to my great shame, people, I had failed. And even more to my shame, we had McDonald's that night. One thing I remember my wife said after the incident was how I have to make sure that I check the temperature of the food throughout the process. You know that little thing people put in the. I don't know what the thing called. I just start cooking. I don't know what it is. Thermometer. Food thermometer. That's why I'm gonna call it the food thermometer. They put it in the food and they watch. Well, nah, it's electronic now. It tells you how. How much is heated on the inside. I ain't had one of those things. I was just cooking old school. By taste or by look, I don't know. I didn't have one of those things. But I remember my wife saying, you gotta check the temperature of the food throughout the process and the test to make sure it is cooked thoroughly on the inside. She informed me that although sometimes the food looks good thoroughly on the outside and may not be cooked as thoroughly on the inside, the food must be tested in order to see if it passes the test of being edible to those who will partake of it. The main point is that food is made to be eaten, not just to look good. As I reflected on that recently, I started to think about how that pertains to my faith. It may be yours, too, right? Like my botched lasagna. Many times my walk with the Lord. Fellowship with the Lord has looked good on the outside, but on the inside, you know, that which really matters. It was undercooked, useless and good for nothing. You know, on the outside, I looked mature, but on the inside, I was full of immaturity. On the outside, I look wise, but on the inside, I was full of foolishness. On the outside, I looked holy, but on the inside, I felt and acted unholy. I often found myself reminded of Jesus words when he told the Pharisees that we were like that. They were like whitewashed tombs. On the outside they looked immaculate, but on the inside, they were full of dead man's bones. I was constantly reminded of God saying to his prophet Samuel, man looks on the outward appearance, but I look at the heart. Or how God told. How God. Sorry. Told wayward Israel, you honor me with your lips, but your heart is far from me. Like my lasagna, I look good on the outside, but on the inside, I was severely undercooked. I wonder if you have ever felt that way in the past, or maybe you feel that way at this very moment, like your profession does not match up with your actions. I wonder if you feel like a hypocrite in your walk with the Lord. Do you? If you do, take heart, because the only reason you are feeling that way is because God is showing it to you. Remember, God exalts the humble, but brings down the proud, prideful. People don't see their hypocrisy. They think they are right. Jesus confronted the Pharisees about again and again about this. He told them, physician, heal yourself. I've not come to those who are well, but to those who are sick. He was telling them, I'm of no need to you because you already think you are well. I mean, if you are feeling well, why did you go to the doctor? Why would you go to the doctor if you felt good? People don't go to the doctor because they feel good. Like, doctor, I'm just feeling great. I just wanted to tell you, no, that's not why they go to the doctor. But as he goes on, he says, I am of much need to those who know they are sick, in essence, they recognize their sin, their waywardness and hypocrisy. You know, it's no Quinkadink that Jesus usually relates to zealots and prostitutes and extortioners and fishermen more than the religious elite and those who followed them. So if you are feeling unworthy, unholy, unclean and hypocritical, you are a prime candidate, right? You're a prime candidate for God's mercy, grace and redemption. Listen to what James says. Faith without works is dead. We know that we are not saved by works. According to Ephesians two eight nine, God saved you by his grace. When you believe, then you can't take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things or good works we have done. So none of us can boast about it. Ephesians two eight nine. But James is saying that what does or James is saying that what we do proves that we have faith. Again, James is saying that what we do proves that we have faith. So James is not saying by works we are saved. Ephesians two eight says we're not. But he is saying that what we do proves that we do have faith. In essence, it is not just a profession, but an action as well. It is both. As one passage says, we believe God, so we spoke. Or another passage where it says, those who believe God will do mighty works. This is such a cool quote I heard the other day from Frederick Douglass. He said, I prayed for freedom for 20 years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. Again. He says, I prayed for freedom for 20 years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. That captures the essence of faith without works. Faith without works produces a shallow faith. It produces a faith like the one Jesus spoke about in the parable of the two men on the two foundations. The interesting thing about that story is that they both had a profession. One was cooked thoroughly, while the other was cooked only on the surface. The reality of their faith was based on that which it was built on. One on sand, the other on rock. One deep, one shallow. Remember, it's shallow water that's the most dangerous. It appears deep and able to withstand the full weight and density of one's body until you jump in it, only to severely injure or kill yourself because you hit the bottom of something that you did not expect to be there. And write into Timothy. The apostle Paul said in last days, they will act religious, but they will reject the power that can make them godly. And he warns Timothy, stay away from people like that. He is defined in the shallow and useless faith of those who possess it. Undercooked, not tested, and unfit for the master's work, the faith God desires looks like what one Peter one seven says. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire testes and purifies gold. Though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Or what James says earlier. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow. For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. So the question is, do you have a thoroughly cooked faith that is tested with fire and useful for good and the benefit of others? Do you have a faith that is edible, one that is bearing fruit for God and for others to eat from? Or do you have a shallow, empty, and useless faith that is only in the profession? It is good to think this through so that we would not be deceived when we see Jesus. I finish with an illustration from one of my favorite movies called the kingsmen. One scene in particular relates to this during the final testing of the carefully selected group of young people who could possibly become a kingsman. They were tied down to train tracks, facing impending death from a furious and ferocious racing train. The tests were set up to test their loyalty to the kingsmen, their mission, duty and purpose. As the train approached, the tester would ask them, are you willing to die to maintain your integrity and loyalty to the kingsmen? And while facing death in a split second, they had to pledge their allegiance. Although it was later revealed to only be assimilation, it was presented as real to them. What was interesting was that one young man who was the most braggadocious, prideful, woefully boastful and full of himself, crumbled the quickest and ran, revealing that he only had made a profession of solidarity and loyalty to the kingsmen. But when it was time to prove it, it was a shallow profession. But when Exxie, the main character who had stumbled through the program, often being disciplined and underperforming on most of the tests, passed the main test, because even though he made a profession of loyalty to the king's men, he also possessed, took on, made it his own, their mission, duty and purpose, which allowed him to stand firm in the midst of. Of a fiery trial. So I ask again, do you have an undercooked faith or a thoroughly cooked faith? Be sure that you are building your life on the rock, which is Jesus words. So that when life shows up, which it will hard, you will not shipwreck your faith. I leave you with Jesus words. Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise. Like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it's built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish. Like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. Don't be like me thinking you something sweet. Cause you can follow instructions. But when somebody got a the taste tester comes, it's cold on the inside. You ain't cooked that thoroughly enough. You ain't. You didn't expect that. Well, don't be like that with me. Christianity is not something you want to play with. It's not something that you want to go into blindly. You need to know that it's crosses ahead, it's thorns and thistles. It's a place to conquer. It's battle. It's war. God didn't promise you a good life all the time, or a good marriage or a good this or good children. God didn't promise any of that. But what he does promise you is peace forevermore. Says there'll be many troubles in this world, but take hold. I've overcome the world. He's promised you eternal life. That the Christian will always outweigh his trials. Take heart in that. Know the promises of God. Study the promises of God and cling to that with dead life. Cling to his promises just like you cling to the cross. When you came and saw your sin, Jesus revealed your sin, and he showed you that wooden cross. That's where forgiveness is. Cling to that. Cling to the promises, just like you cling to the cross. And I think we'll be okay. So, do we have a shallow faith, undercooked faith? Her faith that's on the surface looks beautiful, immaculate. But when people got to test it by looking at it and examining it, tasting your life, is it too cold? Remember what Jesus says? I'd rather be hot or cold. But Luke Warren spits you out. Maybe that's not the best example. Cause mine was cold. It sounded good. Anyway, this has been the life path podcast show where we filter our thoughts through God's thoughts. We filter our ways through God's ways, and we filter our perspectives through God's perspective. Hopefully you can hit that five star button on either Spotify. I really don't know how Spotify works, but Apple podcasts, you can hit those five stars, leave a review, just say, hey, Dez is silly. I don't know. You can put whatever you want on there, but it really helps the show, so it'll really do my heart well, if you can do that, I'm praying for y'all. Easter's coming up. I pray that you may reflect his resurrection, what he did for us. Watched the passion of the Christ for that visual kind of, you know, we need that sometimes to see what happened. Praying for y'all. Thank you so much for joining me today. We are out. Take it easy.