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Matters of Faith
A practical application of the Word of God for everyday issues.
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Reverend J. Loren Russell
Luke 19:1-8 NKJV
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today, a person has been saved in this house. This man is a Jew also. 10 For the Son of Man came to look for and to save from the punishment of sin those who are lost.”
I went to a fast-food drive through the other day. I was somewhat distracted as I listened and spoke on a conference call while ordering. I thought the voice on the other end of the order kiosk said $7.62. I prepared myself as I approached the mobile window with the exact change, only to be told that I misunderstood. The actual amount was $17.62, not $7.62. While my hands-free phone was muted, I snapped at the young lady, “I only ordered a salad and chicken tenders”! “What do you mean $17.62”? “How much does 4 tenders’ cost”? “I don’t want that”! “Give me the money back”!
I fumbled to find a $20 bill to replace the $5 bill I initially gave her. As I impatiently handed it to her, she accepted it with a puzzled look on her face. After all I had said, “I don’t want that”! “Give me back my money”! She politely handed me back five single dollar bills, to which I said, “I want a five-dollar bill, not five singles. That’s why I gave you two single dollars”. After handing me my salad, and me snapping, “Where are the tenders?”, she reaches behind her and hands me another bag with the tenders inside. She asks, “barbecue sauce”?, to which I respond, “No! Honey mustard”!
This very patient and accommodating young lady looks at me and says, “You don’t have to be so mean”. I looked closely and saw a tear roll down her cheek.
I drove out of the line, unmuted myself, resumed my participation in the meeting, and proceed to my destination – home. But the Holy Spirit was not pleased. I felt this strong compulsion to find a place to park in the snow-filled street and go back to apologize to that young lady. I thought otherwise and kept on my way. Traffic in the accumulated snow of the city streets was very heavy. I was delayed significantly, and a car traveling in the wrong direction almost hit me. It was then that I realized this was more than a feeling, it was an order. I had to go back and apologize. I had to go back and see if I could make it right.
When I got back to the restaurant, I found a parking spot, sat in the car another 15 minutes until the meeting was completed. I took a picture of a beautiful drawing of a child named Faith from my trunk, rolled it up, and went into the store. I motioned to the young lady to speak with her. Before she got to the counter, I was apologizing. She came around the counter, thanked me, and extended her arms to give me a hug. I gave her the picture and asked her to please accept it as my way of saying that I am so sorry to have behaved so ignorantly and to have hurt her feelings. She graciously accepted the gift and the apology.
This may not have been as dramatic as Zacchaeus’ commitment to give half of his wealth to the poor or restore fourfold to anyone he may have overcharged on their taxes, but it was just as transformative for me. There is nothing like being convicted of having done something wrong and going back to make it right…, not to make you feel better, but because it is the right thing to do.
Be Blessed!
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Reverend J. Loren Russell
Romans 12:1-3 NKJV
I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
People invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities (gold, silver, platinum, pork bellies, sneakers, oil, gas, and anything else that has a limited supply and a high demand). Everyone who makes an investment expects that there will be some sort of return on that investment (ROI). Some investments have spectacular returns, while others, to coin a phrase, “go belly up”, and fail to yield any positive return. The text presents several spiritual investments that have great return on investment.
The text opens by pleading (“beseech”) its readers to present themselves before God as bodies that have been committed to the Lord – holy and acceptable. There is an implied reasonableness of this investment by the statement, it will make them holy and acceptable to God. That benevolent statement, by inference, is the evidence of a reasonable expectation of a positive return.
The second investment with an expectation of a great return is non-conformity with the world. It says that there will be a substantial return on investment by having a transformed mind. God orchestrates the transformation of the investor that results in a total conversion on the inside that will be evident on the outside. The positive return for the investor is a knowledge of the will of God – all that is good, pleasing, and perfect in His sight. The implication is that the change will be so dramatic that it can be shared with people throughout the community.
This leads to the third return on investment; a humble and contrite spirit that is a by-product of the amount of faith the Lord has deposited into the life of the investor.
An investment in the Lord thy God is a win-win situation with the absolute best return on investment. If you read verses 4-21, you will find that the ROI is not something that is received when you become a child of eternity, it is promised in your lifetime to make you more than a conqueror, it promises to give you the ability to overcome evil with good.
Be Blessed!
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Join us on Sunday at 1:00 pm
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Reverend J. Loren Russell
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NKJV)
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” – NKJV
To stand is not exceptional for the Christian—it is expected. It is not extraordinary to stand firm in faith, to go where others dare not go, to speak what others are afraid to say, or to live visibly as an ambassador for Christ. This is normal Christianity. And yet, though it is not exceptional, it is increasingly rare.
Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica with a clear and urgent charge: stand fast. His words still confront us today, because he reminds us that our faith was never meant to take a seat—it was meant to take a stand. We were not given a “sit-down faith.” We were given a faith that stands up, speaks out, and holds on.
When Paul says, “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught,” he is calling believers to cling tightly to the truth of God’s Word—whether it was taught in person or written in a letter. Truth is our anchor. The Word is our source of clarity, accuracy, and power. Without it, we drift. With it, we endure.
And endurance is exactly what is required during times of trouble and trial…, in seasons of suffering and sorrow…, through persecution or poverty…, in unemployment and uncertainty…, in heartbreak, sickness, and overwhelming circumstances – we are charged to stand.
The world will try to seat us with fear, silence us with pressure, and distract us with comfort. But we must remember: if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
Whether loved or hated, blessed or cursed, embraced or opposed, we stand on the promise that we were chosen for this moment. Someone loved us enough to take a stand—and to die—so that we could live. Now we honor that sacrifice by standing firm in faith.
Persecuted or prospered. Abused or advanced. Broken or blessed.
Homeless or heroic. An inmate or an investor. Sick or well. In every condition, the call remains the same: stand.Scripture declares that when we suffer for doing what is right, it is commendable before God (1 Peter 2:20). Faith that stands is faith that endures—and faith that endures is faith that glorifies God.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who was not afraid to take a stand. In the face of tormentors, systemic racism, segregation, threats of physical injury and death, economic oppression, and even ridicule and rejection from members of his own community, he stood firm. He stood when it was dangerous. He stood when it was costly. He stood when it was lonely.
And isn’t it ironic that many of his detractors and persecutors—especially those who lived long after his assassination—came to regret their position? That is exactly what James was talking about when he wrote, “They will be ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good.” (James 2:13, paraphrased)
Dr. King was willing to declare, loud and clear, that hate and racism have no place in a society founded on the truth that all people are created equal. His stand was not rooted in politics alone—it was rooted in faith, in truth, and in the unshakable conviction that justice is God’s idea.
So today, we are challenged to make up our minds to stand firm in faith, to grip the truth tightly, and to hold fast to what we have been taught – because in the end, we have only two choices:
We either stand for our faith—or we sit because of foolishness.
Be Blessed!
Matters of Faith 