The Good Life: The Blog of Jonathan Baker

In the Presence of the King

jhbaker — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:10:11 +0000

This message from Isaiah 6 was preached on Sunday, February 20th, at the Whitesville Baptist Church in Whitesville, KY.

In the Presence of the King Isaiah 9 1-6

The Reality of Hell

jhbaker — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:42:02 +0000

The Reality of Hell Luke 16-19-31

How does your faith impact your dreams (goals)?

jhbaker — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:51:19 +0000

Last week, I sat in Sunday School and we were studying about faith. As I sat there a question popped into my mind and it has floated in the quagmire that is my brain all week long. Here it is: “How does your faith impact your dreams?”

Too often faith is good in theory but the tangible reality of our faith is weak. We compartmentalize our lives into our careers, our homes, our hobbies, but we unfortunately relegate our “faith” to an hour or two each week. We might fulfill some sense of responsibility in our devotional times or placing a little cash in the offering plates, but does the faith we claim shape our hearts, direct our steps, and impact our dreams?

What do you want out of life? Where are you going? Who are you following?

It’s too easy to get caught up in chasing the dreams of wealth and leisure, power and fame, or trying to keep up with the social scene. Most hope for a life of ease with an early retirement to travel and enjoy the finer things life has to offer. Too many define their self-worth by the size of their bank accounts, the modernity of their home, the style in their closets, and the weight of their opinions. Yet, the pursuit is for temporary things! These dreams will fade and fail!

Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, NASB)

A follower of Christ should allow his faith to impact any and every aspect of his life. Though we may compartmentalize every other area of our lives, the area of faith should function as an umbrella above everything else. Our careers, our homes, our hobbies, our very lives must be surrendered under our faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. His heart, His life, His passion and purpose for us should be the overarching theme and passion of our lives. His Word should dictate and drive the attitudes we possess and the actions that we live.

So, how does your faith impact your dreams?

It should! It must! God’s dreams for you, the very reason He created you and called you to Himself, include His very best.

Give Him your heart. You already had His.

Give Him your life. He already gave His.

Give Him your throne. He already rules His.

Give Him your dreams. He’ll give you His.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (NASB)

The Holy Spirit In Us

jhbaker — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:08:13 +0000

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit in us? This message from John 14 fills us in on some of Jesus’ thoughts about His Spirit which lives in believers.

The Holy Spirit in Us

The One and Only Way

jhbaker — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:35:09 +0000

The One and Only Way

Knowing God

jhbaker — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:23:39 +0000

This message was preached at the Whitesville Baptist Church in Whitesville, KY, in October, 2010.

Knowing God

Asleep at the Wheel Revelation 3:1-6

jhbaker — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:50:55 +0000

This message is from Revelation 3:1-6, Christ’s letter to the Church at Sardis. It was preached at the Whitesville Baptist Church on June 6th, 2010.

Asleep at the Wheel

Secure in Christ

jhbaker — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:37:14 +0000

This message from Revelation 3:7-13 was preached on Father’s Day 2010 at Whitesville Baptist Church, Whitesville, Kentucky.
Secure in Christ

The Unexpecting Church

jhbaker — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:44:27 +0000

Recently, my wife went on a mission trip to the other side of the world on the continent of Africa. While she was gone, I had many people in our church ask about her well-being. I appreciated that so much, but several of them accompanied their question with a statement. It went something like this: “I’m glad God told Wendy to go over there and not me!”

WOW!!!! Are we so caught up in our pleasure and our own comforts that the thought of going to serve the Lord is foreign to our expectations? It is as though we build our little kingdoms and somewhere in the corner we leave room for God’s Kingdom.

My response to those comments is this: “My wife did not see a command to go on a billboard, or hear an audible voice. She understands God’s call to “Go into the world to proclaim the gospel” and she had an opportunity and she went. The simplicity of the Christian life is in reading the text of Scripture and living it out. Too often, if we read it at all, we do so to argue with it or to find loopholes that would exclude us from any such responsibility. And then we expect that God will bless us for what little we do! Something seems amiss!

Read the Word! Trust the Master! Live the Truth wholeheartedly!

From Complacency to Commitment

jhbaker — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:28:42 +0000

This message on Revelation 3:14-22 was preached on Sunday, June 27th, 2010 at the Whitesville Baptist Church in Whitesville, Kentucky.

From Complacency to Commitment