Religion
It’s not necessary for us to consider ourselves as overly religious people. That is, we don’t have to pretend to be better than everyone else in order to have true religion. The word religion comes from a Latin word which means to tie or to be connected together. It’s the like ligaments in our bodies that tie everything together. I like to think of religion in this way: Having religion is like being tied to, or connected with God. Christians are connected with God as they put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus becomes the ligament that ties us together with God. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John chapter 15, verse 5) Today, be truly religious. Live connected with God through your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Spirituality
To be spiritual is thought of as being anything from appreciating good music to dedicating your life to the service of God with vows of poverty and chastity. But let’s first remember that the greater part of the word spiritual contains the word spirit. A person cannot be spiritual without the involvement of a spirit--either a good spirit or a bad spirit. Involvement with an evil spirit certainly makes one spiritual, although, spiritually evil. On the other hand, involvement with the Spirit of Christ enables one to be spiritually in harmony with the love of God in Christ Jesus. True Christian spirituality is experienced as the Spirit of Christ lives in and through us. The Spirit of Christ expresses itself through our words and actions. Pray that the Spirit of Christ take up residence in your heart, so that your words and actions might express the presence of Christ in the world today—through your spirituality. This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Parenting
God has entrusted parents with a precious human life to nurture. He wants them to care for the child’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs—that’s parenting—caring lovingly for the whole child. Children need structure, order and loving discipline. Be consistent, firm, yet sensitive to their real needs as opposed to granting their every whim. Parents are to be responsible people. Act like a responsible adult, and expect your child to act responsibly according to his or her age-level. Parents are teachers. Spend time with your children. Share Jesus. Teach them to pray. Pray with them, and for them, at meals, and at bedtime. Read Bible stories to them. Attend church and Sunday School regularly. You were chosen by God to love your child, just as Jesus loves you with an unconditional love. The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer, wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Relationships
Whenever there is a family or emotional connection with people, a relationship exists. Some relationships are healthy and wholesome, while others are toxic and destructive. Christians can find themselves in destructive relationships when sin and selfishness prevail. God gave us our life for wholesome and productive purposes. When our relationships threaten our life, or prevent us from fulfilling God’s purposes, we need to re-evaluate how we can function in a more God-pleasing way. This may even mean that we have to distance ourselves from people who promote sin, danger and destructiveness. God wants our relationships to be mutually beneficial. We are not to control others by our strong will, verbal or physical abuse, just to get what we want. Instead, we are to seek that which is truly right and good for the other. Jesus said, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7:12) This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Society
The society in which we live and the culture that surrounds us can have a great impact upon the kind of people we become. It has often been said that the print and graphic media that find their expression in the newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, radio and television programming, and on the internet, reflect what is already in society. That is only partially true. These media are also a part of our society and culture. They not only reflect, but they are also instrumental in shaping our society and culture. It’s the same with us as individuals. We can not only be shaped by others, we can also shape others. That’s why Christians must have certain core values which identify us with our Lord, and which provide us with a compass for our life’s journey. The Bible says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Money
God wants you to make money. Sounds strange when you put it that way doesn’t it. It sounds strange because we so frequently hear that money is dangerous and possibly evil. So often we hear derogatory remarks about rich people. Here in the United States, those with socialistic tendencies seem to enjoy making statements that appear to promote class envy. We hear this especially in statements about taxes. Even though the wealthy are taxed at the higher rates and most taxes are collected from the rich, we hear the greatest outcry when the rich might benefit from a tax cut. It has somehow become fashionable to cry, "Soak the rich!" Getting rich is not a sin. It can even be one of God’s blessings. It is not money that is evil. The Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all evil." Money, like anything else, is in itself neutral. It’s our hearts we must guard. We must guard our hearts against greed and covetousness; class envy and bigotry; prejudice and haughtiness. This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Forgiveness
We all need forgiveness from time to time. Because of what Jesus did forgiveness is available for every one of us. As we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, our sins are forgiven. Because of Jesus, God has forgiven you—believe it. When we receive forgiveness, it helps us start over again without anything being held against us. That’s refreshing. It is also refreshing to extend forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. Refusing to forgive others hurts our inner spirit more than the original offense committed against us. Living with resentment and bitterness is destructive of our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Jesus said, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke, chapter 6, verse 37) This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer, wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Jesus
Sin causes a spiritual separation between God and human beings. This is destructive for people. God wants everyone to be free from sin and destruction, and to enjoy a close relationship with Him. In the person of Jesus, God came to earth to repair the relationship between Himself and humankind. This was accomplished when Jesus took everyone’s sin upon Himself, and suffered the punishment for them. Now everyone receives the saving benefit of this reconciliation as they believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior. Now we can be friends with God because of what Jesus has done. This frees us from guilt and condemnation and fills us with God’s perfect love. This gives us the confidence to live each day fully, and to approach death with the certain hope of everlasting life. Jesus said, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3: 16,17 This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings! Life Concerns
Life is cheap. Or, so it may seem. The great number of murders, abortions, suicides and the increasing tendency to look favorably upon mercy-killing could hardly lead one to assume otherwise. But, life is precious. Life comes from God, and that’s why we want to preserve the sanctity of life. At times we may be called upon to defend or protect the lives of others. In such cases care must be taken so that even more lives are not endangered or even lost. No matter what the cause, the loss of life is always sad. Let us remind ourselves, and those close to us, never to act maliciously, irresponsibly or recklessly, so that we don’t put our own lives or the lives of others in danger. But instead, let us help others, to protect and improve their physical well-being. God wants us to value life. He wants our lives to be abundantly blessed by Him. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." This is Dr. Roger H. Grummer wishing you the very best of God’s blessings!
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