Thought For The Day

December 31: A MATTER OF PERCEPTION

2007-12-30T18:11:00.001-08:00

As we enter a New Year tomorrow, one new reality that comes from the closing events of the old year is the lack of a common moral standard. There is no longer a unanimous view of right and wrong. We are now two generations removed from a people who had a general Bible knowledge and participated in ongoing Bible Study. The result we deal with now is there is no objective statement or principle. As long as the Bible was the standard, we had one guide that was uninfluenced by emotion, surprise, or personal prejudice.
Today, it is a matter of perception, how each individual sees the situation. Anything may be right or wrong. You are your final moral law, how you subjectively feel about it is what matters. If you feel like you want to do something, just go ahead and do it.
Have you noticed the increase in the number of murderers who are captured who are described as “showing no remorse”? That’s the result of living by perception.
If you quote John 14:6 (NIV) where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me” you will surely offend many who will gladly tell you that is just your perception, not to be held by all.
When each person does what is right in his own eyes, there is moral chaos resulting in societal chaos. If children are being raised without an objective standard of “right” their lives are rootless, they act out their lack of roots with extreme acts of violence and disruption. Lawlessness begets lawlessness.
Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” It’s happening everyday!
You can’t change society alone, you can’t even change your street. But you can make a difference in your house, with your family. Read the Bible daily together. It can be the objective guide for your family. Obey it whether you feel like it or not. Don’t trust the twisting winds of your perception. You will live to regret it if you do. Pray for help.

“God, You say about your Bible that it is a ‘lamp for my feet and a light for
my path.’ Give me the inner fortitude to walk in that illumination. Amen”

READER PLEASE NOTE: With this Blog, I complete the assignment I had from the Lord. Thank you for sharing with me the last 365 days! I trust that you have been at times inspired or informed or simply challenged to strengthen your walk with Jesus. These writings will remain at this site for your re-reading in 2008. If you want to E-mail me, I will be faithful to answer. IN HIS JOY! Pastor Charlie

December 30: A TEMPTATION WARNING

2007-12-29T13:15:00.001-08:00

I was driving south on Interstate 95. Even though I was going 65, everyone was passing me. It was like a race track, people were weaving in and out, overtaking and passing. Suddenly, the traffic slowed down and everyone stayed in the proper lane. Why?
A state trooper was sighted up ahead! He had a powerful effect! Why did the people slow down? Fear getting caught? Fear paying a fine? Fear being seen by friends? Why is it, for many people, a slight reminder of law-breaking makes them stop? If people know right from wrong, why does it take an external stimulant to do right?
We have the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” You don’t have to surrender to every temptation.
Paul describes his own struggle in being a civil war site between good and evil. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 5:16) “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I can’t carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, this I keep on doing.” (Romans 5:19)
Add to this the warning from Numbers 32:23, “You may be sure your sin will find you out” and hear the state trooper’s siren again.
There is a better way to a life of relaxed obedience. Jesus promised in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth.” When you receive Jesus, you receive his Holy Spirit who becomes your constant teacher to show you the right thing to do. Just listen! God loves us too much to leave us helpless in the face of temptation.

“We have all developed this stubborn streak, Loving Father, and we often
want to flirt with temptation and sin just to see what will happen. Forgive
us! Again! Amen”

December 29: POSSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

2007-12-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

Looking into the future today I can see the New Year struggling with his diaper while the old year is tottering toward the edge of the stage. I don’t think he expected to age so quickly, and neither do we. As we look today toward the yesterdays and the tomorrows, let us think about the possibilities.
The glory of being finite is the ability we have to grow and become better. In fact, the Bible says we should, “grow in grace”. I remember growing up on our farm and wishing the apples were ripe. I would pick an apple in July and it would taste terrible. But I could go back to the same tree in October and the apple would be sweet. That is a goal for us!
Of course, we do not automatically get better; we struggle against all that would keep us pulled down. The poet Robert Browning said, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a Heaven for?” Keep your eyes fixed on Heaven.
I have the concept in my mind of Jesus on the horizon and He is beckoning me to come on; as I get closer, He moves further away with the challenging call, “I will make you to become what God created you to be.” Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of my high calling in Christ”.
We need a wider concept of sin at this point. Sin is anything not pleasing to God, not just actions but attitudes, also. Sins of omission are as serious as sins of commission. Aim to grow daily. 1 Peter 2:2 says; “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby.” We must not be content with mediocrity because Jesus always raises the horizons of His followers.
We should begin to pray today for the “courage of imperfection”. Heard of it? A consciousness of our imperfections does not paralyze us. I can preach even if I am not Chrysostom, I can teach even if I am not Socrates, I can study even if I am not Einstein, I can be courageous even if I am not Nathan Hale, or I can witness to Jesus even if I am not Paul. Do you get the point? A poet named Babcock once wrote, “Be strong, we are not here to play.”
Opportunities will abound in 2008 for us to make an impact on our part of the world.

“Lord, stir our souls today, please. We make excuses for our spiritual
laziness when there all so many possibilities for each one of us. Amen”

December 28: APPROACHING THE NEW YEAR

2007-12-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

As you begin to ponder a little about the New Year, let this summary of Isaiah 43:15-19 give you a challenge: “I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King. This is what the Lord says----‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?’” God is the god of the “new”! God is not tied down to the “past”. But your past experiences are going to determine your approach to “new” things. If you experienced a “new thing” with God in 2007, then you have greater anticipation for 2008.
Let’s look at this challenge! God challenges you to look around to see if there is something new on your horizon. Are you ready for it? Do you want something new because you don’t have to keep on repeating the vices or bad habits of the past?
How about a new “self”? As early as 1 Samuel 10:6 in the Old Testament we hear God challenging Saul, “the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and you will be changed into a different person.” The offer of newness of personality is real. That comes about because of the new creation that Paul describes as waiting for people when they receive Jesus into their hearts. The passage is 2 Corinthians 5:17. Feel the inspiration of this from Galatians 6:15: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.”
If you want to be new in the New Year now is the time to explore with Jesus His offer of the “new birth” from John 3:3,7. Christ will take over the control of your life, if you will let Him, and you will be “open under new management”. Does this scare you or inspire you? Don’t be afraid, just trust Him.
He can put a new song in your heart, better than anything that the electronic world will play for you. David, who really loved music, said in Psalm 40:3, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Finally you can make some pleasing sounds that will bless those around you. Your life may have been out of tune for so long that you irritated people in spite of your best efforts. Now an appealing sound from the “new you”, wow!
Top the newness off with living under the “new command” from Jesus, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34)

“Dear God, it is so exciting to approach the New Year following You because
we know the trip will be filled with blessings from Your love. Amen”

December 27: BLESSED FULFILLMENT

2007-12-26T12:09:00.001-08:00

Obviously, Christmas Day did not live up to it’s promise of fulfillment for a lot of people. The day after Christmas has now become like “Black Friday”, the most popular day for Christmas Shopping. Now the day after Christmas has the doors of the Malls opening at 6 a.m. to offer folks another shot at meaning and the fulfilling of hope. Thus is life when you expect anything but dissatisfaction from man-made gods.
Can you imagine worshipping a tree? Or a stone? Or a cow? Or Mars, the god of war? Or Diana, the goddess of sex? Or Mercury, the god of commerce? Or the Unmoved Mover? All of these man-made gods leave humans empty hearted and even with an empty bank account.
I am not being cynical. I am expressing genuine concern for people who invested so much in making Christmas this year “just right” and it turns out with no lasting blessing. Even a passing glance at the Bible will say that the Biblical message is focused on spiritual fulfillment. When the Prophet Isaiah spoke about 800 years before the birth of Christ he knew that he would not see the fulfillment of his words. Many people ignored the Prophets. They were strange people who dreamed dreams and saw visions and they often acted out there message in a dramatic fashion. You just had to wait and see if History would verify their words. Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, and 60:1-2 gave names and places and situations too exact to be ignored. Micah 5:2 even named the place of the Messiah’s birth, right on target.
For a hopeless generation we have the birth of hope, something that you can’t find in the Mall regardless of how many Gift Cards you are carrying. After Adam and Eve and their generation messed up so badly and then Noah’s generation did it again, the possibility of a personal relationship with God seemed forever lost to humanity. They had religion but it was religion by rote, dull and deadening repetition. But when Mary received the instruction to name the baby Jesus because he “would save people from sin”, (Matthew 2:21) people said, “why not?” and reached out to God in faith. And it happened! Whatever your circumstances or situation, it is never too late.
“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight!” That’s the phrase from the Carol. Release and relief! No wonder the angels were singing. What about you? How is your voice developing?

“Fulfillment is such a beautiful word, Dear God, promised to us in
so many places and by differing voices but You deliver. Amen”

December 26: BREAKING THE BARRIERS

2007-12-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

That crashing sound that you have been hearing since Christmas morning reminded me of how the birth of Jesus the Christ was breaking down all the barriers that keep people from God. Long before the veil of the Temple was split down the middle when Jesus died on the cross and the way was open into the Holy Presence of God for anyone, Jesus had opened the way to God.
Remember how Paul talks about Jesus as the “destroyer of barriers” in Ephesians 2:14? Just look around you on this day after Christmas and count the broken barriers. Over there is the BARRIER OF NATURAL LAW. Natural law said a virgin could not have a baby and that God could not possibly become a man. Natural law thought it could limit our access to God and God’s access to us. Like Jesus said, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14)
Next to it is the BARRIER OF IGNORANCE. Ignorant people referred to God as “the Unmoved Mover” or “the Source”, some of them were philosophers. Some were even the founders of religion that seemed more interested in hiding God and obscuring Him.
See there the BARRIER OF KNOWLEDGE. Smart people have said that you can “know about” God but that you can’t “know” God. You can know God’s “commands” but not Him! But John 1:14 says, “the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us.” Knowledge doesn’t like 1 John 1:1 where the testimony is “what our eyes have seen, our ears have heard and our hands have handled we declare to you.”
Notice next to it the BARRIER OF EXCLUSIVISM. Religions today like to be exclusive, like a private club. You know how it goes: only Jews will be saved or only Muslims will be saved or only Buddhists will be saved but John 3:16 says that , “God loved the world so much.” Jesus said, “whosoever will come to me, let him.” Little children, women, bad people. sick people, foreigners; none are excluded by Jesus.
Then there is the BARRIER OF UNBELIEF. That’s the problem today. Millions are celebrating the birth of Jesus this week as a “holiday” and not a “holy day”. They want to enjoy the fringe benefits of the Christian faith but refuse to make a commitment to follow Jesus. But many are discovering Jesus this week. Like Isaiah 65:1 says, “I will be found by those looking for me.”
All barriers that keep people from God must crumble in the presence of Jesus1

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being a barrier breakers and all can get to
know You personally because You came to this world. Amen”

December 25: A CHRISTMAS PERSPECTIVE

2007-12-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

What you see at Christmas certainly depends on your perspective, just as at the first one.
From the perspective of the cow, it meant the loss of her manger where dinner was usually served. From the perspective of the sheep it meant there was something smaller and softer than itself in the stable. From the perspective of the shepherds this was certainly the most exciting night of their lifetime.
From the perspective of Satan it meant that his arch enemy had now claimed the territory over which he had exercised such control and caused so much grief. From the perspective of the Wise Men there was finally some relief from the passion that had driven them across the desert searching for the child.
From the perspective of the angels, the secret plan of the Father, known clearly in Heaven, had now been unfurled before the whole world. From the perspective of God it was His day to reveal His greatest act of love to a world that had such a hard time knowing Him. From the perspective of Jesus it was the time to leave the glory of Heaven and take on humanity and live among humans that they might know their Creator as their Savior, also.
What is your perspective on Christmas? For the lost, separated from God, it could be “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men’s sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
For those saved, it could be, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (John 2:2)
For those deferring committing themselves, hear the words, “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2) “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14) Whatever your perspective, history still reckons itself from the birth of Jesus.
Where are you? Still living in B.C. time or in A.D. time?

“Lord, sometimes we are guilty of looking at ourselves through rose-
colored glasses. Give us a clear perspective of Jesus and ourselves today.
Amen”

December 24: WHOSE BIRTHDAY?

2007-12-23T13:24:00.001-08:00

Maybe its too late to ask the question, maybe not for some readers. You have been overwhelmed with ads and urgings for several weeks but just let me ask you one more time: Whose birthday is it anyway? Is it the birthday of capitalism? Is it the birthday of “special sales” or “big discounts”? Advertising certainly hasn’t mentioned anything about the One to be honored.
I want to see a big ad that says: “This Holiday Season is brought to you by Jesus”. Amazing how we plagiarize someone else’s idea and don’t even give him credit. God loves us. God is love. God gave His son Jesus to the world. Christmas is His work!
Excuse me, but don’t you think we should give credit where credit is due? Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Christ! (Visit Japan if you want to see this.) If we simply remember this truth daily, what a grand month and day it would be. Weeks of correct anticipation can make the birthday party on December 25 even greater.
You could yet memorize John 1:14 (NIV), “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Add to this Luke 2:6-7 (NIV), “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and place him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
What present will you give to Jesus at His birthday party? Don’t spend all of your money today until you decide. Call your Pastor and ask him for a suggestion.
David said, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” (Psalm 51:16-17)
A broken spirit will remember that it is Jesus’ birthday!

“Granted, Father, it is going to take some doing for us to do the right thing
and give your Son a meaningful gift tomorrow. Inspired, we can do it! Amen”

December 24: WHOSE BIRTHDAY?

2007-12-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

December 1

Let’s focus some time on praise! Since prayer’s fruitfulness waits on praise, we need to concentrate on praise. When our “petitions only” praying fails, we must turn to praise. Psalm 148 echoes praise as much as any Psalm and is very instructive for us. Read it closely.
Let’s claim the proper place for praise in our lives. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” It is as if a spring of praise is always bubbling up in our souls. If you just read Psalm 148:7-10 you note that all things of creation are called on to give praise to the Lord. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 1103:1) We get so wrapped up in our problems or difficulties that we forget to praise. Make 1 resolution now: “Nothing shall ever again deter me from praising My Lord.” If you are having a hard time concentrating in a time of praise, use your Bible and your Hymnal to prime your pump. There is no reason to ever run out of reasons to offer praises to God. This gets us involved in real worship that goes to the heart and does not remain at the skin level.
Think about the purpose of praise in the Bible. Praise can be a filter to purify our praying. Don’t you know that we cheapen the gift of prayer when we use it as a “shopping list”? The next time you are in Church and people start making prayer requests, listen closely and be dismayed. Most of the prayer requests will focus selfishly on the needs of folks in the immediate community. Our praying is our time to put our arms around a hurting world. Praising God first can lift our prayers to a higher plane.
Praise can purge our prayers of unworthy elements: selfishness, bargaining with God, trying to manipulate God, talking more about ourselves than God. Prayer must focus on God first. Romans 1:25 warns us about worshipping the creation more than the Creator. God is greater than all His gifts. Just think: If I never asked God for anything the rest of my life and still had Him as my God, I would still be rich. My cup would still run over! My joy would still be unspeakable!
Mount Calvary alone could make each of us rich beyond human measurement! Let’s just praise the Lord!

“Set us free, O God, to pray and praise You without ceasing. Release us
from our attachment to this world. Set loose our tongues to praise. Amen

December 2

Let’s go a little further with these thoughts of prayer and praise. There is power in praise. Praise takes sides with God, or lines us up with God, regardless of our circumstances. Instead of grumbling, complaining, or finding fault, we know that “God works in all things for good to those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28) Isaiah 43:2-3 express it well: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
We are now digging down into your trust in the Lord. Compare the testimony of Job to yourself from Job 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In the face of mental abuse and torment from his wife and his friends, his praise lifted him through. We must be liberated from self-centeredness and self-seeking and learn to love God for Himself alone.
Praise is powerful to turn defeat into victory! I like the story of Paul and Silas being locked away in jail because of their preaching. At midnight they begin to sing and praise the Lord. God’s answer? A earthquake! The results? Open jail doors, revival in the jail and city, and Europe is entered with the Gospel. Paul and Silas are more than conquerors because they praised God when in deep danger.
Understand that the highest expression of our faith is not how much we ask from God but how much we praise. Keep on praising! One more reminder, this one from Habbakuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

“I praise You, Lord! I praise You, Lord! You are wonderful and loving
and always forgiving. I praise You! Amen”

December 3

If you read the front page of the November 5 edition of The Free Lance Star (our daily newspaper) you could not miss the report of the persecution of Christians in Iraq. The article was an interview with two local members of the Religious Freedom Coalition who had just returned from a fact-finding trip to the Middle East. They affirmed what many of us know about the daily murdering of Christians and the burning of churches around the world.
The problem is this: The last thing that Jesus said to His followers as He was leaving the earth was “preach the Good News to every person.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Christians feel they must obey. They can’t keep quiet about Jesus. And that’s what gets them hurt and killed. I agree with them and I want to tell people about Jesus, too.
There are four groups of people I pray for daily because they are on the front lines in the battle against spiritual ignorance about Jesus.
First of all, I pray for the persecuted church. The Bible commands me in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those in prison for the Gospel as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering.”
Secondly, I pray for the missionaries who are spread out around the world. They have realized that the comforts of home are secondary and that the opportunity to tell people who have never heard about Jesus the Christ is the primary call of life.
Thirdly, I pray for the Metropolitan Community Church congregations as they extend the Gospel to everyone, especially to gays and lesbians, a large group of people who are not welcomed in most churches.
Lastly, I pray for the military chaplains, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. They carry no weapons when they go into combat with the troops. They offer the “good news” to those living in “bad news”.
I would like to invite you to join me daily in this part of my prayer life. “Call on me and I will answer you”, God says in Jeremiah 33:3. Your intercession can make a difference.

“Obviously, Father, we have a long way to go before every person has
heard about the Good News. Strengthen us not to quit! Amen”

December 4

I wonder if the people that are spending so much time debating the location of the Ten Commandments give as much time to obeying them. These are given to us to be our guidelines as Christians. Don’t expect non-Christians to obey the Ten Commandments; don’t even expect them to read them as “ten suggestions”. These are signs that God has given to believers who want to walk the center of the road leading to righteousness. The commandments don’t belong at the Schoolhouse or the Courthouse, they belong in the home and in the Church house where they can be taught openly and freely and receive the respect that they deserve. It seems a hard struggle even for people in the Church to obey the Commandments; why would we ever be so naïve as to expect non-believers in the Bible to be able to follow them.
We Christians need to be grateful that God has given them to us as our guideposts. Exodus 20:1 sets the stage for our understanding these commands, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”. The expectation of obedience on our part is the expectation of a Father-Child relationship. A parent naturally wants to teach his child as simply as possible for his benefit. A child naturally wants to please the parent by obeying the commands of the parent. Without the parent-child relationship there is no expectation of following by the child. Also, unless there is a love relationship, the child will harden his heart against doing something that stirs feelings of rebellion.
Based on God being our Creator, He gives the first command: “You shall have no other gods before me.” First loyalty belongs to God. Someone has defined your “god” as where your mind drifts when you have nothing else to think about. What is the first thought of your life? That is your “god”. God says, “I want your total allegiance”. Is that too much? God gives us life and health and the possibility of having a personal relationship with Him; is it too much for him to expect our loving devotion first of all in our lives? Jesus explained the First Commandment in this way: “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)

“Loving and Just God: we need these Ten Commandments and all the
other commands that You have given us in the Bible. Help us obey! Amen”

December 5

Here is the 2nd commandment directly from Exodus 20:4-6, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”. Wow! That’s detailed instruction!
To read this slowly is to understand the absolute abhorrence that God has for putting anything in His place in our lives. To think about it rationally, how could this advanced age of technology still produce a generation of people that would chose to worship a “created thing” rather than the Creator of the universe? And you don’t have to look far to see the Idol Worship of America? We jokingly refer to the “McMansions” that are being built on many small plots of ground. Then people move in and fill the monstrosities with things that they will never use, only to spend their time admiring their idols. Cars, boats, vacation condos, jewelry, etc; I’m just wasting my time mentioning these idols.
Statues and Idols are for installation in Parks and Museums, certainly not on the sacred ground of the human heart. If Christ is living in your heart there is no room for man-made idols. He has revealed himself to us as Spirit and Light. He needs every inch of space in our lives to unfold His glory. The love-hate barrier is crossed so quickly, we may not even notice. Interesting, isn’t it, that God considers our putting anything in His place as a sign of our hatred of his Majesty?
I must bring up here what Jesus replied when he was asked to name the most important commandment. He replied in Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” No room for stuff that can separate you from God’s presence in your life. Love the Lord with all your soul, that is, with all of your spiritual faculties. Love the Lord with all your mind, that is, with all your mental faculties. Love the Lord with all your heart, that is, with all of your emotional feelings. Love the Lord with all your strength, that is, with all your physical prowess.
Do not minimize, even for one moment, the danger of allowing a human idol of any kind to take God’s central spot in your life.

“O God, You are so high and lifted up! And Holy! We apologize for each
time we have allowed idols a spot in the temple of our hearts. Amen”

December 6

A surface view of religion has people often boasting about how they have obeyed all of the commandments. The fact is that Jesus is the only one who has ever obeyed the letter and the spirit of these Laws. If it had been possible for any one of us to keep the Commandments, Jesus could have stayed in Heaven. But He came to show us what life could be like when lived in his strength. And so we come to the next commandment as written in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
A surface reading of this command has allowed many people to limit the application to the use of profanity only. Profanity is wrong. There are Bible verses that speak against it, but this is not one of them. No, this command is all about hypocrisy. Using God’s Name in defining who you are and then not living up to it is the sin being described here. Coming out of Egypt, the new name for the Jews would be “the people of God”. They claimed it for themselves, they boasted in it, they flaunted it before other nationalities but they did not live up to being “the people of God.” Paying “lip service” only to a spiritual commitment and not living up to the reality is a worse sin than profanity.
Those who profess to believe and yet do nothing to prove their words become stumbling-blocks to many other people. The old saying “what you are is speaking so loudly that I can’t hear a word you are saying” certainly applies here. It is OK to “talk the talk” if you are going to “walk the walk”. Every Pastor has had to try to explain the actions of one of his parishioners who has brought shame upon the Christian faith by not living a holy lifestyle.
This is one commandment that finds it’s full completion in a Christian who is being empowered by the Holy Spirit. When the Bible says that the followers of Jesus were called “Christians” first in the city of Antioch it was because the people of that city saw the teachings of Jesus being fleshed-out in the lives of their fellow citizens who had now become followers of Jesus. They acted like real imitations of Jesus. They walked like Jesus, talked like Jesus, loved like Jesus, and died like Jesus. They intentionally copied the Jesus life-style, people saw the real thing. They were “little Christs”.
This generation is waiting for Christians to take the teachings of Jesus seriously. People are watching to see if you are going to be the real-thing when it comes to faith.

“Father, help us to live up to our new name when we become Christians
and be arrows pointing people to You. Amen”

December 7

Here is commandment #4: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy”. (Exodus 20:8-11) From the standpoint of sheer practicality, this command was one of the most practical ones that he could obey and be blessed. God is the Creator! He knows what He has created. He knows the strengths and weaknesses. He knows that this creation will be the best he can be when he has adequate rest. A lack of rest will harm the human body. But, man, in his stubbornness thinks that he can do well without rest. How many diseases are we dealing with today because man refuses to observe a time of rest?
The Sabbath Day, or day of rest, was to have great symbolic meaning. It was to remind man of his frailty and his need to depend on God. Just like the teaching in Leviticus that the “tithe” is “holy” to the Lord. Holy means “to be set aside for special use”. The tithe or the first one-tenth of the income was to point man to the fact that all of his strength to gain wealth came from God. Every time he would give one-tenth to God, it would be an act of grateful worship. Every time he stopped what he was doing to have a special day of worship, he would remind himself of his debt of gratitude to God.
Man is made to have a time of rest for physical and spiritual refreshment. Some of you readers remember the days of the “Blue Laws” when stores were closed on Sunday and people went to worship and spend time together. Today, business pressures are such that few Christian business owners are spiritually brave enough to close up shop on Sunday. I know of two local chains that do and they are doing very well financially. They are a good witness to the importance of this commandment.
Keep in mind the last part of this command in v.11 “the Lord made it holy”, not for His own benefit, but for yours. You will be happier and your family will be happier the Sunday you begin to use the time for Worship. It is hard for many people to imagine a day set aside for God. Every Friday the radio trumpets “TGIF” (Thank God Its Friday) and urges the listener to get physically worn out in frantic activity. I suggest that you listen to your Maker.

“Thank You, Loving Creator, for building into us the need for a special
day for rest and recuperation and worship. Amen”

December 8

As we come to commandment five we turn to a different emphasis: Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you”. The first 4 commands concern your walk with God and keeping an open fellowship with God. The last 6 commands concern your walk with man and keeping an open fellowship with man.
This command strikes at the most basic of earthly relationships, a relationship that would seem to be easy to maintain and be fruitful. Always value the source of your very life. Respect them because they brought you into the world; you owe your very existence to them. They should be loved and supported and obeyed. Unless it is an abnormal situation, these are the folks who care the most about your well-being. They make the rules for us that show us the limits of discipline in our growing up and maturing. Children often scream in frustration, “you don’t want me to have any fun” when just the opposite is true. Parents know that without discipline there is no true happiness in life.
I am not unaware of the great amount of child abuse in our generation. I cannot understand how parents could treat cruelly the children that God has entrusted to them. The sickest form of cruelty is sexual abuse and many are being scarred for life. Any person being tempted to “use and abuse” their own flesh and blood should immediately go to a Psychiatrist for help.
An orderly society has an expectation that the children will care for the parents as they age and become dependent. This can be the climax of a whole lifetime of developing closeness. It is a beautiful picture, indeed, to see parents and children and grand-children in a on-going caring for one another and helping one another. Each generation has it’s own contribution to each other.
A challenge to parents: Be sure that you are living a life that is worthy of honor. Some parents live such selfish, ungodly lives that the children have nothing to honor. Do not become a stumbling-block to your children by living dishonorably.
Children: pray for your parents daily. They need God’s help to fulfill their responsibility to you. They need encouragement not to give up their parenting responsibility, even into old age.

“Father God, you have all the characteristics of a perfect mother and a
perfect father. Help me to learn these traits by copying You. Amen”

DECEMBER 9

A God of Life created the first family and they made one of the first hateful acts that has followed man from the Paradise of Eden. So, God has to include Exodus 20:13 as the 6th Commandment; “you shall not murder.” There was jealousy between the brothers and Cain killed Abel. Why can’t man learn to settle his differences peacefully? But it is more than that. For every act of murder there is a reflection back to the very First command. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Submission to God could be the basis of resolution to all misunderstandings. But egotistical man takes things in his own hand. As I write this the news is filled with the story of the young man in Omaha, Nebraska who has murdered a group of folks in a Mall.
Life is in God’s hands, He is the originator of life and only He should decide when that life ends. We can’t give life, so we should not take it. We cannot excuse the death penalty. Just because it is approved by the State does not make murder acceptable. Murder during a war is still murder. Abortion is murder. Euthanasia is murder. Starving people is murder. Allowing the homeless to freeze to death on the street is murder. We should be pro life in our attitude to our fellow human beings from the day they are born until the day that they die. Jesus said “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” As long as a person is alive we must do all we can to preserve their lives.
Life is sacred! Jesus came into the world and gave his life for the salvation of every man, woman, and child. As long as there is life, there is the possibility that a person can receive Jesus and be saved. I am thankful for the Christian Chaplains that work at the prisons and on the battlefield to offer the hope of eternal life to the dying.
Whatever side of the political walk you are on I think that you know that God has no favorites, God doesn’t care who wins the war, God only cares that both sides be saved through Jesus Christ. God wants the wars to end so men and women can hear the Gospel of Peace.
If you still have influence over your children or grandchildren, I hope you use every opportunity to teach them this Commandment.

“God, we have this terrible gimmick of depersonalizing your creations and then
killing them. Show us that giving them numbers or ugly names changes nothing.
Amen”

December 10

As we come to the 7th commandment, we also come to a commandment that is forbidden in several states and counties. Not only that, ten years ago there was a Military Court that debated if adultery was a crime. Some military personnel were discharged after being found guilty of adultery; the reasoning being, if a man would not be true to his wife, he would not be true to his troops. Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery”. This is a practical command that tells us to say “no” to our urges. This is a premeditated sin, it takes thought and concentration to disobey this law.
The sanctity of the family unit cannot be underestimated. The Church and the home together form the last barrier against forces that would destroy humanity. We are expected to have a certain reverence for the marriage relationship.
Jesus spoke specifically to the temptation to adultery in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Jesus helps us with the problem by making it clear that the physical act is the ultimate expression of a rebellion in the heart. Any kind of experience of a specific sexual nature outside the marriage covenant is adultery.
Do not confuse this with fornication. Fornication is pre-marital sex, having a sexual relation with someone while you are still single. You can find several references to fornication in your Bible.
Adultery is a sin running wild in this generation. Late night TV shows mock it, Prime time situation comedies belittle it, even cartoon characters get in on the fun. It is small wonder that youth have little respect for the Marriage Covenant since they have been brainwashed against marriage faithfulness as they grew up being baby-sat by the TV. Parents bear a heavy responsibility to teach their children by example and word the high value of marriage faithfulness.
Marriage was and is God’s idea. He planned it. The Bible presents marriage as a triangle; God, the man, and the woman. God makes a covenant with both in marriage. When the covenant is broken, it is not only a sin but the fruit of it is harvested for years.

“God help us to honor our marriage commitments. Give us the concentration
to focus on your command daily and rise above this temptation.”

December 11

As a little boy this was the most important command. I memorized all of the Commandments but I did not grasp or apply them like I did the 8th command. Exodus 20:15, “you shall not steal.” I guess it was because every Saturday when our family went grocery shopping I would see men stop at the grape counter and steal a grape or two. I was tempted also, but I worked hard at not yielding.
The temptation to take something that does not belong to you never goes away and many things seem especially appealing. If we hear someone else being praised constantly we want to say something that will take away some of the glow. If we see someone getting promotions or pay increases we want to say something about the unfairness of it all. The “yes, but” rebuttal is one of the best tools of thievery; “he is a nice person, but”. There, we haven’t really said anything bad but we sowed the doubt as to the quality of the other person. Some of us who would never steal a grape or anything material yet don’t mind stealing from another person’s good name. Or maybe we are tempted to steal the praise that rightfully belongs to someone else; that is, we get praised at Church for doing good work that really has been done by someone else.
God says,“don’t steal.” The Bible says that every perfect gift we receive in this life comes to us from a Loving God. That being true, all of the possessions that people have are like “Christmas gifts” from God for their exclusive use and we steal from God as well as the person. We deprive people of the fruit of their labor if we steal from them.
One of the most shocking parts of the Bible is found in Malachi 3:8ff, “will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.”
Here is a picture of someone like me or you with a revolver in our hands robbing from God and stealing money that should be used for the Kingdom of God. (The most common theft is when we report on our Income tax that we gave God more money than the Church records prove.) As the Jews in Malachi’s time, we protest that we would never rob God.
We rob God of the use of our time, our talents, our minds, our spiritual gifts that were to equip us to do special things for God; the list gets very long. God wants to use our children in some special ministry and we talk them out of it so they can stay close to us and provide for us in our old age.
It’s not too late to confess this sin of thievery and resolve never to steal again.

“Help us to have thankful hearts for all that you give us so that our
gratitude can save us from being thieves. Amen”

December 12

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) The 9th Commandment is vital to any community life. The positive statement of this command is “always tell the truth.” The ‘little white lie” is just as deadly as the “big, black lie”. It should be a natural for us Christians to be totally committed to the truth. Yet, churches are plagued by gossipers who start their conversations with “have you heard?” Across the years I have stopped these conversations before they started by saying, “wait just a minute, I want this person here to hear what you are about to tell.” Second-hand retelling of stories almost always has an admixture of personal opinions and not known facts.
So many lives have been ruined by lying. Reputations have been tarnished never to recover from a repeated half-truth. We are called to build-up one another and repeating a unverified story does not have that guarantee.
Often lies divides families and close friends. It may not be a believable story but doubt is sown in the heart of the hearer and trust is hard to reestablish again. Just as Satan divided Adam and Eve against one another by lying, so he continues to be the great divider. Only the truth can heal.
The greatest evil that lying reveals is the lack of love. When Jesus told us to “love one another” He had in mind surely that we would not lie about another person. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, “Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.” Here is insurance for preserving the marriage and family. Here is cement to strengthen the fellowship of the church. Here is the steel that gives backbone to every assertion of a local congregation that she is a New Testament Church. As Ephesians 4:15 challenges us, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”

“O Lord, make us to be lovers of the truth and obedient to the New Testament
instruction to always speak the truth in love. Amen”

December 13

Now we come to the last Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) This temptation is the kind that really sneaks up on you and catches you and you are surprised that you have been caught “coveting”. Basically, it is the battle between greed and thanksgiving. Clearly we must establish that our satisfaction is in our relationship with God and not in any material thing or person. Taking preventive measures would help us not to yield to this temptation. There are a lot of helpful verses for our defense:
Luke 12:15 Has JESUS SAYING, “ Take heed and beware of covetousness; a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of things he possesses.” Mark 8:36 asks, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” “Put to death covetousness, it is idolatry”. (Colossians 3:5) If we get our minds fixated on a person or things, they literally become a god to us and we begin to worship them with our desires for them. This is a dangerous route: the desire for money leads to theft, the desire for prestige leads to evil ambition, the desire for power leads to tyranny, the desire for a person leads to sexual sin, and the desire for freedom leads to dissatisfaction.
Coveting is the opposite of the “desire to give” on which the home and family are built. Homes that have been destroyed by coveting can be reclaimed if Christ is allowed to be the Head of the House and direct the feelings and actions of all family members. Paul’s personal testimony is a good guide: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11) He describes it as a learning experience. Coveting is a natural part of the non-Christian life because you are living for self. Being born again changes the life drive. But the “old you” remembers what it was like to covet and get results and Satan is sure to remind you. So, as you grow in Christ, you learn that contentment is more satisfying than coveting.
Coveting can cause you to lose all of the meaningful relationships in your life. People will discover what your motivation in life is and they will fear what you might become. Confess this sin every time that you discover that you are guilty and do it immediately.

“Teach us, Lord! Lead us to a depth of understanding that if we have a
relationship with You that all other needs we have will be met. Amen”

December 14

Well, it started right after Halloween this year, that is, the playing of happy, holiday music. A spirit of happiness, real or manufactured, fills the air. Joyfulness and merriment are everywhere you look.
But, all is not well in Mudville. Several helping agencies have raised a cry for assistance. There is not much food in the food banks for the needy. The toy pick-ups for needy children are not fulfilling expectation. Houses being foreclosed and the mortgage crisis is creating an unexpected development for many families, something they have never experienced before. Try explaining to your kids that there won’t be many Christmas gifts this year. Several helping agencies have announced the forming of new support groups for people this Christmas. Many support groups will be available if you are suffering from seasonal depression or the “blues” this year.
So we have a divided community. Some people are laughing and some are crying. Merry Christmas! That depends on who you are talking to at the given moment. This becomes a particularly difficult problem if you are the only person in the house feeling sad when everyone else feels glad.
Can you help it? No, not if its clinical depression or rooted in a physical problem. (That makes Depression Screening important.) Both the depressed and the non-depressed need to be sensitive to one another.
A key truth for everyone, feeling up or down, is what the angel said in announcing the birth of Jesus. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11 NIV) If Christmas is going to be a bummer, it will be hard to get excited about the New Year.
Let’s try not to send out mixed signals How about if all the people who are feeling great were sensitively aware of those feeling “down” and tried to show some personal concern about their emotions? How about if all the people who feel “down” just told people straight out how they feel so their companion would know they didn’t cause the depression? “Be kind and compassionate to one another.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)

“Father, it is so easy for us to become self-centered during a holiday time
and forget about others and forget about You. Stop us, please! Amen”

December 15

One of the great memories that Fay and I treasure goes back to 1961. It was the first time we took our children to visit the Christmas display at Thalhimer’s Department Store in Richmond, Virginia. It was so beautiful and un-real, breathtaking. Adults and kids alike were spell-bound by the beauty. It was truly a fantasy land! We visited that place every year until we moved. As I think of it now, I think of the fantasy of Christmas that we experience during these days. We are still enchanted by Christmas in America, but we are not changed by it.
There certainly is an enchantment with the life of Christ. We view the account of the birth of Christ as a wonderful Fairy Tale! The Manger is not the point; the point is the Incarnation of God coming into the world. When the story of Christ is told it reminds some Americans of a success story like the poor Abraham Lincoln making it all the way to the White House. We are astonished at the early years of Christ, wonder at His silent years, glory in His active years, shudder at His death, and thrill at His resurrection. We are amazed at Jesus the Miracle worker: turning water into wine, calming the sea, feeding 5,000 people, and walking on water. We are amazed that He could do so much, of course we believe in Him!
In the same way we Americans are enchanted by Christianity. Starting with twelve men and now covering the whole world. The Church grows in spite of opposition or because of it. We say “the blood of the martyrs is the strength of the church”. We point with pride to the fact that every little community has at least one church. The church is voluntary in America, no one is forced to be a Christian. Indeed, how Jesus has changed this country and the whole world is heart-grabbing.
But if we are unchanged in heart, what good will this fascination with the baby Jesus do to us? Just taking a passing glance at the birth of Christianity is condemnation of our cult of bigness, success, outward appearance, materialism and plenty. He was born in a stable, laid in a manger, died on a cross, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Enchanting? I agree! But has your life been changed by Jesus?

“As we entertain our guests these next few weeks, Loving God, help us
to present to them The Prince of Peace and not just pretty gifts. Amen”

December 16

As we are only 9 days now from celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus, I want to remind us of some basic truths. Questions for your consideration first: What hopes and expectations did Jesus meet? What longing did He fulfill? What questions did He answer? What unexpressed feelings did He revive? The Apostle Paul explains, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons”. (Galatians 4:4-5a)
Five prophecies we need to review: He will be born in Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2. “But you, Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come one to rule Israel”. God uses the little and insignificant to carry out His plan! God’s ways are not our ways, outward appearance means nothing.
Secondly, God said Jesus would be a Righteous Branch from David’s line. (Jeremiah 33:15-16) So many Kings and Priests had failed God in their appointed missions that the people longed for a King to rule in righteousness.
Thirdly, Isaiah 7:14 says, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son.” Better is a Divine Conception than a Virgin Birth. God is in control! This is God’s plan to get where we are! Call the Virgin’s offspring “Immanuel”, which means, “God is with us!”
Fourthly, our King Jesus will be a perfect King. We can go to Him whenever we wish because He is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Then, in Matthew 1:21 the prophecy says that the Virgin will give birth to a son “and you are to give him the name ‘Jesus’ because he will save his people from their sins.” He will do something about my one problem that I am helpless to do anything about.
Imagine; for 800 years these prophecies were read daily in the home and Sabbath schools and the Temple, but nothing happened. NOW: they have all come true! What are you giving Jesus for Christmas?

“Father, it is good to see Jesus in light of your Eternal Plan for the
redemption of the world. Thank You for Your preparation. Amen”

DECEMBER 17

What’s in a name? A poet once asked that question and observed that “a rose by any other name would be just as sweet”. But, from my perspective today, there is much meaning in a name. My personal testimony for Christmas concerns three names for Jesus in the New Testament. When Matthew wrote his Gospel Jerusalem was in ashes, Rome’s grip was tighter than ever, the church had been kicked out of the Temple, and the Pharisees were trying to rebuild Judaism around the Law.
CHRISTMAS MEANS CHRIST THE KING IS HERE. “Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King”. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” The long-awaited King of Righteousness has arrived and all nations will be blessed through His reign.
CHRISTMAS MEANS EMMANUEL, GOD IS WITH US. This is the beginning of the new reality. He is not off somewhere in space, hiding from us or teasing us in our weakness. As the hymn writer said, “my Lord is near me all the time.” He is here to guide, inspire, enlighten, and pick us up when we are down. He is not an absentee God, He is here and He is not silent as Francis Schaeffer once said. We are saved from the loneliness and aloneness that haunts humanity.
CHRISTMAS MEANS THAT JESUS THE SAVIOR HAS COME. At His birth Jesus made a dramatic entry at a stable in Bethlehem. At His entry to Jerusalem on Passover, again he dramatically grabbed the headlines from a donkey’s back. Look at the Christmas carols we sing; they are all evangelistic songs to tell the good news. We are so familiar with the words that we do not pay attention to the radical message we repeat. A Savior has come! We tend to make them happy-happy songs. Even non-Christians who don’t have a clue as to the meaning sing them out with gusto.
The spiritual meaning of Christmas comes from the Names of Jesus in such passages as Matthew 1:18-25. Jesus, Our Savior, Our God, Our King is here! Rejoice with me today! I’d rather have Jesus for Christmas than anything.

“There is indeed something about your Name, Lord Jesus! Yes, we bow
to that Name today and will gladly bow on the day You return to earth. Amen”

December 18

Nearly 800 years before Christ was born a Prophet spoke “a virgin shall bring forth a child and you will call his name Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14) And on the night of Jesus’ birth the angels and the shepherds shouted it out in praise. It was daring, incredible, inconceivable that God would slip into the world in this way! Today “Immanuel’ slips easily from our tongues for centuries have dulled mankind’s sense of wonder. Join me in a sense of wonder today! God is with us!
God as a person is here! All the qualities of man are used to describe God; He is holy, righteous, and just. The God of Abraham, Moses, David! God, the Creator of all things. There was only one way for God to reveal himself to us and prove his love for us and that was by becoming one of us. Many pagan peoples worship God vaguely because they have never been told of Jesus the Christ yet. When I watch Reality shows on TV and some person screams out “O my God” I wonder who they are talking to and what they are talking about! The saying, “you can give without loving but you can’t love without giving’ certainly describes the God-man Jesus who came to us!
God as a presence is here! John 1:14 says, “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Known to us today because he is with us as a personal Savior. We no longer need to build an altar to “The Unknown God” because Jesus said “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”. If you will, Jesus is God’s visual aid to man. Hope is a reality now, prophecy is a fact now, faith is fruition now, desire is fulfilled now.
God as a Loving Savior is here. Salvation, in its fullest meaning of forgiveness, healing, comfort, moral strength cannot be given from afar. Sin is not forgiven by a word or stroke of a pen by one who knows nothing of its anguish. So Christ entered our world, faced sin and temptation at its worst, and carried us out of it. As Isaiah 53 gloriously says “He has borne our grief, carried our sorrows, and healed us with His stripes.”
“Merry Christmas” everyday! “Joy to the world” everyday! On March 2, 1791 the great Christian, John Wesley, died. One of his last statements was, “the best of all is, God is with us.”

“The reality of your presence is best of all and the very foundation of our
being children of hope. Hallelujah! Amen”

December 19

”
You know it hasn’t always been this way in America, don’t you? Did you know that Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas Day in 1890? Did you know that Oklahoma was the last state of the then 48 states to legalize Christmas Day in 1890? Have we made progress or not?
In the Colonial America that we see in Williamsburg during December all seems quietly beautiful and reverent. But did you know that in Puritan-controlled Massachusetts Bay Colony that Christmas was just another day for business as usual? In fact, in May, 1659 the General Court of Massachusetts enacted in a law calling for a fine of five shillings for those observing Christmas Day. The Puritan preachers could not imagine celebrating the birth of the Savior with eating and drinking and having parties. Other colonies were not as strict but all emphasized the celebrating of Christmas with worship.
Now, just suppose: suppose a law was passed in Congress saying that you could no longer celebrate Christmas the way you always have in America? What would you do? Could you survive or endure December 25 if there was no entertainment to receive or entertaining to do? All of your efforts and time consumption, how would you redirect it?
At the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13), “A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ “ This should probably serve as our guideline or plumb line. Is everything I am planning for celebrating Christmas shaping up according to these words?
Somewhere between the Puritan extreme of no celebration and the current celebrate-only extreme is a meaningful holiday experience. Find it and give Jesus a worthy worship.

“Dear Lord Jesus, in our hearts we want to do it right but the pressures
of our desire for material things makes it so hard and we are weak. Amen

December 20

What will you give Jesus for Christmas this year? Thought about it? It’s his birthday. But, you say, he already owns everything and doesn’t need anything. This is where your creativity must come in.
You already have several people on your Christmas list that don’t need anything but you got creative and bought something for them anyway because it was the right thing to do.
Christmas gift giving begins with a recognition that Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. He should be first, not last, on our Christmas list.
Give to those He came to serve: the poor, the homeless, the prisoner, the hungry, the oppressed and the outcast. Is there a better way to honor him than to give ourselves to these?
Matthew 25:40 (NIV), “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” In the light of the scripture, Christian, you have just begun to give. Give some “time” to participate in a group working with society’s “devalued” persons: a Senior citizens group, prison visitation, help with an Ethnic family that doesn’t speak English well. Do you have a skill? Volunteer to cook, repair, provide transportation or just friendship for some of these disadvantaged persons.
Our best gifts to people may not cost us a dime, so we will still have money to share with missionaries in unevangelized countries. Unsaved, hurting people around the globe need the free salvation through Jesus; how wonderful if they could receive a Bible in their own language!
WARNING: You probably do not have enough time or money to do everything you have done before and add this on: this must replace some of what you have done and spent before.
What gifts will you bring?

“What shame we feel, Dear Lord, when we think of how we leave You
off our Christmas list until someone reminds us. We repent! Amen”

December 21

It occurred to me from advertisements I am seeing and conversations that I am overhearing that a lot of children are receiving mixed signals from the significant adults in their lives about the meaning of Christmas. This is sad. It is not surprising because the pattern was set the very first Christmas.
Matthew 2:7-8 (NIV) records, “The Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him’”. Of course, he didn’t want to worship, he wanted to kill him.
Pretense at worship is a deadly thing, especially for children. As sad as it is, at least children in families of Christ-rejecters don’t have to deal with hypocrisy.
Many people outwardly accept the birth of the Savior but inwardly reject Jesus and his lifestyle. (The Son of God, who didn’t own a place to lay his head at night would feel out of place in many sumptuous, suburban homes.) It confuses the children so much that some kids think the baby in the manger is like the Easter bunny or the Tooth Fairy.
When you drop your child off at the mall with a fistful of money to waste, “because its Christmas”, will you give the child an equal amount to give the Lord Jesus in worship? Parents need to partner with their children in a true worshipful time in December. After, all, they do know whose birthday it is, don’t they?
Resolve today that you haven’t given your child or grandchild anything for Christmas if you haven’t given them a fresh appreciation of the fact that “God loved the world so much that he gave his only son.” (John 3:16)
Don’t take a chance on leaving your child confused again. Focus on Jesus!

“Reveal to us, one more time, O Lord, the true meaning of Christmas. We
need to get back to the basics once more before Christmas Day. Amen”

December 22

In the light of historical facts, it sounds contradictory that a key figure of western celebration of Christmas is Santa Claus or Old Saint Nick. The original Saint Nick was a man named Nicholas of Myra. He was a faithful Christian. The Emperor Diocletian burned him with hot irons and tortured him repeatedly for refusing to deny that Jesus was God. Following his death on December 6, 343 AD, he was known as Saint Nicholas, our so-called “Jolly Old Saint nick”.
His life was about sacrifice, about giving, about serving, about faithfulness to following Jesus as his Savior and Lord. His lifestyle was certainly contradictory to the way his name is used in frivolity. Sad to say, many historical facts have been lost in our shuffling the facts and figures of Christmas.
Jesus was the child of a homeless couple who found a retreat for his birthing in a common stable with animals watching. The glamorized presentations of churches during December, costing thousands of dollars, makes it hard to focus on the harsh reality of how the Son of man was mishandled and misunderstood in His birth or incarnation. Did you read about the church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida spending $1.3 million this month for their Christmas extravaganza?
In all of the beauty and pageantry, let us dig deeper for the true meaning of “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.” (John 3:16 NIV)
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to poor, uneducated shepherds she said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10 NIV)
I think God kept it simple, stripped of glamour, so none would miss the point. Keep your Bible open. Read the naked facts daily. Stick with the facts.

“We thank You, O God, for being sure that we did not lose the historical
record of Nicholas of Myra. Help us to emulate his lifestyle this year. Amen”

December 23

You don’t have to be prepared to receive a “surprise”. When that fun thing happens we react with joy and gratitude and even experience additional pleasure in remembering it. I hope that you experience at least one “surprise” in the next week.
My greater concern today is for people who will receive a “disappointment” instead of a “surprise.” The gifts that can’t be afforded, the scarcity of food, the telephone call that won’t come, the greeting card not received, or a heartbreaking e-mail from the battlefield and the like. You know what I mean!
Is it possible to prepare for disappointment? Or to steel yourself against the possibility? What do you think about the Magi story in Matthew 1:1-12? They are much celebrated in the churches during this season. They are the ones who wear the prettiest robes in the Christmas drama! Do you think they may have experienced disappointment? After all, they were wise and wealthy men. They had been traveling for months in a camel caravan. They had official “letters of safe passage” and gifts to present to royalty, to a King.
They meet a crafty king who tries to manipulate them for his own purposes. They persevered and then discovered that the end of their search was a little boy born to peasant parents. No indication or trappings of royalty to be seen! Instead of making a formal presentation of their gifts in the presence of stately dignitaries, it was a circle of humble folks.
If they were disappointed, it did not deter them from their higher purpose: to fulfill their God-inspired worship. As people of faith, that is our challenge. Even if we have to brush away tears, let us keep our eyes on the “big picture” and see what God has planned for us.
Disappointment need not defeat us! Confront the disappointment with hope in Christ! (Romans 5:3-5) Or listen to Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs, and always remember to be thankful.”

“Father God, through Your Son Jesus, You have promised to be with us
to the end of time and that is more dear than any “surprise” or
“disappointment.” Amen”

December 24

Maybe it’s too late to ask the question, maybe not for some. Some stores have had the hard sell on now for several days. Watch out today!
Whose birthday is it anyway? Is it the birthday of capitalism? Or of, “special sales and discounts”? Advertising has surely forgotten.
I want to see a big ad that says: “This Holiday Season is brought to you by Jesus.” Amazing how we plagiarize someone else’s idea and don’t even give him credit. God loves us. God is love. God gave His Son Jesus to the world. Excuse me, but don’t you think we should give credit where credit is due? Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Christ. If we simply remember this truth daily in December, what a grand month it would be! Weeks of anticipation can make the birthday party on December 25 even greater.
You could memorize John 1:14 (NIV), “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Add to this Luke 2:6-7 (NIV), “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first-born, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
What present will you give to Jesus at His birthday party? If you wait too late, you could very well spend all your money and have none left for Him. Decide now. Put Jesus at the top of your Christmas list. He deserves the best. It’s not too late! Call your Pastor for a suggestion if you really can’t think of something.
David said, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” (Psalm 51:16-17) A broken spirit will remember that it is His birthday!

“Father, time has gotten away from us again and there are still things to
do; please help us prioritize these last few hours before the 25th. Amen”

December 23: PREPARING FOR DISAPPOINTMENT

2007-12-22T17:46:00.001-08:00

You don’t have to be prepared to receive a “surprise”. When that fun thing happens we react with joy and gratitude and even experience additional pleasure in remembering it. I hope that you experience at least one “surprise” in the next week.
My greater concern today is for people who will receive a “disappointment” instead of a “surprise.” The gifts that can’t be afforded, the scarcity of food, the telephone call that won’t come, the greeting card not received, or a heartbreaking e-mail from the battlefield and the like. You know what I mean!
Is it possible to prepare for disappointment? Or to steel yourself against the possibility? What do you think about the Magi story in Matthew 1:1-12? They are much celebrated in the churches during this season. They are the ones who wear the prettiest robes in the Christmas drama! Do you think they may have experienced disappointment? After all, they were wise and wealthy men. They had been traveling for months in a camel caravan. They had official “letters of safe passage” and gifts to present to royalty, to a King.
They meet a crafty king who tries to manipulate them for his own purposes. They persevered and then discovered that the end of their search was a little boy born to peasant parents. No indication or trappings of royalty to be seen! Instead of making a formal presentation of their gifts in the presence of stately dignitaries, it was a circle of humble folks.
If they were disappointed, it did not deter them from their higher purpose: to fulfill their God-inspired worship. As people of faith, that is our challenge. Even if we have to brush away tears, let us keep our eyes on the “big picture” and see what God has planned for us.
Disappointment need not defeat us! Confront the disappointment with hope in Christ! (Romans 5:3-5) Or listen to Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs, and always remember to be thankful.”

“Father God, through Your Son Jesus, You have promised to be with us
to the end of time and that is more dear than any “surprise” or
“disappointment.” Amen”

December 22: WHO WAS OLD SAINT NICK?

2007-12-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

In the light of historical facts, it sounds contradictory that a key figure of western celebration of Christmas is Santa Claus or Old Saint Nick. The original Saint Nick was a man named Nicholas of Myra. He was a faithful Christian. The Emperor Diocletian burned him with hot irons and tortured him repeatedly for refusing to deny that Jesus was God. Following his death on December 6, 343 AD, he was known as Saint Nicholas, our so-called “Jolly Old Saint nick”.
His life was about sacrifice, about giving, about serving, about faithfulness to following Jesus as his Savior and Lord. His lifestyle was certainly contradictory to the way his name is used in frivolity. Sad to say, many historical facts have been lost in our shuffling the facts and figures of Christmas.
Jesus was the child of a homeless couple who found a retreat for his birthing in a common stable with animals watching. The glamorized presentations of churches during December, costing thousands of dollars, makes it hard to focus on the harsh reality of how the Son of man was mishandled and misunderstood in His birth or incarnation. Did you read about the church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida spending $1.3 million this month for their Christmas extravaganza?
In all of the beauty and pageantry, let us dig deeper for the true meaning of “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.” (John 3:16 NIV)
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to poor, uneducated shepherds she said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10 NIV)
I think God kept it simple, stripped of glamour, so none would miss the point. Keep your Bible open. Read the naked facts daily. Stick with the facts.

“We thank You, O God, for being sure that we did not lose the historical
record of Nicholas of Myra. Help us to emulate his lifestyle this year. Amen”

December 21: TEACH US THE TRUE MEANING AGAIN

2007-12-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me from advertisements I am seeing and conversations that I am overhearing that a lot of children are receiving mixed signals from the significant adults in their lives about the meaning of Christmas. This is sad. It is not surprising because the pattern was set the very first Christmas.
Matthew 2:7-8 (NIV) records, “The Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him’”. Of course, he didn’t want to worship, he wanted to kill him.
Pretense at worship is a deadly thing, especially for children. As sad as it is, at least children in families of Christ-rejecters don’t have to deal with hypocrisy.
Many people outwardly accept the birth of the Savior but inwardly reject Jesus and his lifestyle. (The Son of God, who didn’t own a place to lay his head at night would feel out of place in many sumptuous, suburban homes.) It confuses the children so much that some kids think the baby in the manger is like the Easter bunny or the Tooth Fairy.
When you drop your child off at the mall with a fistful of money to waste, “because its Christmas”, will you give the child an equal amount to give the Lord Jesus in worship? Parents need to partner with their children in a true worshipful time in December. After, all, they do know whose birthday it is, don’t they?
Resolve today that you haven’t given your child or grandchild anything for Christmas if you haven’t given them a fresh appreciation of the fact that “God loved the world so much that he gave his only son.” (John 3:16)
Don’t take a chance on leaving your child confused again. Focus on Jesus!

“Reveal to us, one more time, O Lord, the true meaning of Christmas. We
need to get back to the basics once more before Christmas Day. Amen”

December 20: WHAT GIFTS TO BRING?

2007-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

What will you give Jesus for Christmas this year? Thought about it? It’s his birthday. But, you say, he already owns everything and doesn’t need anything. This is where your creativity must come in.
You already have several people on your Christmas list that don’t need anything but you got creative and bought something for them anyway because it was the right thing to do.
Christmas gift giving begins with a recognition that Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. He should be first, not last, on our Christmas list.
Give to those He came to serve: the poor, the homeless, the prisoner, the hungry, the oppressed and the outcast. Is there a better way to honor him than to give ourselves to these?
Matthew 25:40 (NIV), “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” In the light of the scripture, Christian, you have just begun to give. Give some “time” to participate in a group working with society’s “devalued” persons: a Senior citizens group, prison visitation, help with an Ethnic family that doesn’t speak English well. Do you have a skill? Volunteer to cook, repair, provide transportation or just friendship for some of these disadvantaged persons.
Our best gifts to people may not cost us a dime, so we will still have money to share with missionaries in unevangelized countries. Unsaved, hurting people around the globe need the free salvation through Jesus; how wonderful if they could receive a Bible in their own language!
WARNING: You probably do not have enough time or money to do everything you have done before and add this on: this must replace some of what you have done and spent before.
What gifts will you bring?

“What shame we feel, Dear Lord, when we think of how we leave You
off our Christmas list until someone reminds us. We repent! Amen”

December 19: CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

2007-12-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

”
You know it hasn’t always been this way in America, don’t you? Did you know that Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas Day in 1890? Did you know that Oklahoma was the last state of the then 48 states to legalize Christmas Day in 1890? Have we made progress or not?
In the Colonial America that we see in Williamsburg during December all seems quietly beautiful and reverent. But did you know that in Puritan-controlled Massachusetts Bay Colony that Christmas was just another day for business as usual? In fact, in May, 1659 the General Court of Massachusetts enacted in a law calling for a fine of five shillings for those observing Christmas Day. The Puritan preachers could not imagine celebrating the birth of the Savior with eating and drinking and having parties. Other colonies were not as strict but all emphasized the celebrating of Christmas with worship.
Now, just suppose: suppose a law was passed in Congress saying that you could no longer celebrate Christmas the way you always have in America? What would you do? Could you survive or endure December 25 if there was no entertainment to receive or entertaining to do? All of your efforts and time consumption, how would you redirect it?
At the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13), “A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ “ This should probably serve as our guideline or plumb line. Is everything I am planning for celebrating Christmas shaping up according to these words?
Somewhere between the Puritan extreme of no celebration and the current celebrate-only extreme is a meaningful holiday experience. Find it and give Jesus a worthy worship.

“Dear Lord Jesus, in our hearts we want to do it right but the pressures
of our desire for material things makes it so hard and we are weak. Amen

December 18: IMMANUEL (GOD IS WITH US)

2007-12-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

Nearly 800 years before Christ was born a Prophet spoke “a virgin shall bring forth a child and you will call his name Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14) And on the night of Jesus’ birth the angels and the shepherds shouted it out in praise. It was daring, incredible, inconceivable that God would slip into the world in this way! Today “Immanuel’ slips easily from our tongues for centuries have dulled mankind’s sense of wonder. Join me in a sense of wonder today! God is with us!
God as a person is here! All the qualities of man are used to describe God; He is holy, righteous, and just. The God of Abraham, Moses, David! God, the Creator of all things. There was only one way for God to reveal himself to us and prove his love for us and that was by becoming one of us. Many pagan peoples worship God vaguely because they have never been told of Jesus the Christ yet. When I watch Reality shows on TV and some person screams out “O my God” I wonder who they are talking to and what they are talking about! The saying, “you can give without loving but you can’t love without giving’ certainly describes the God-man Jesus who came to us!
God as a presence is here! John 1:14 says, “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Known to us today because he is with us as a personal Savior. We no longer need to build an altar to “The Unknown God” because Jesus said “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”. If you will, Jesus is God’s visual aid to man. Hope is a reality now, prophecy is a fact now, faith is fruition now, desire is fulfilled now.
God as a Loving Savior is here. Salvation, in its fullest meaning of forgiveness, healing, comfort, moral strength cannot be given from afar. Sin is not forgiven by a word or stroke of a pen by one who knows nothing of its anguish. So Christ entered our world, faced sin and temptation at its worst, and carried us out of it. As Isaiah 53 gloriously says “He has borne our grief, carried our sorrows, and healed us with His stripes.”
“Merry Christmas” everyday! “Joy to the world” everyday! On March 2, 1791 the great Christian, John Wesley, died. One of his last statements was, “the best of all is, God is with us.”

“The reality of your presence is best of all and the very foundation of our
being children of hope. Hallelujah! Amen”

December 17: WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME

2007-12-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

What’s in a name? A poet once asked that question and observed that “a rose by any other name would be just as sweet”. But, from my perspective today, there is much meaning in a name. My personal testimony for Christmas concerns three names for Jesus in the New Testament. When Matthew wrote his Gospel Jerusalem was in ashes, Rome’s grip was tighter than ever, the church had been kicked out of the Temple, and the Pharisees were trying to rebuild Judaism around the Law.
CHRISTMAS MEANS CHRIST THE KING IS HERE. “Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King”. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” The long-awaited King of Righteousness has arrived and all nations will be blessed through His reign.
CHRISTMAS MEANS EMMANUEL, GOD IS WITH US. This is the beginning of the new reality. He is not off somewhere in space, hiding from us or teasing us in our weakness. As the hymn writer said, “my Lord is near me all the time.” He is here to guide, inspire, enlighten, and pick us up when we are down. He is not an absentee God, He is here and He is not silent as Francis Schaeffer once said. We are saved from the loneliness and aloneness that haunts humanity.
CHRISTMAS MEANS THAT JESUS THE SAVIOR HAS COME. At His birth Jesus made a dramatic entry at a stable in Bethlehem. At His entry to Jerusalem on Passover, again he dramatically grabbed the headlines from a donkey’s back. Look at the Christmas carols we sing; they are all evangelistic songs to tell the good news. We are so familiar with the words that we do not pay attention to the radical message we repeat. A Savior has come! We tend to make them happy-happy songs. Even non-Christians who don’t have a clue as to the meaning sing them out with gusto.
The spiritual meaning of Christmas comes from the Names of Jesus in such passages as Matthew 1:18-25. Jesus, Our Savior, Our God, Our King is here! Rejoice with me today! I’d rather have Jesus for Christmas than anything.

“There is indeed something about your Name, Lord Jesus! Yes, we bow
to that Name today and will gladly bow on the day You return to earth. Amen”

December 16: PROPHECIES OF HIS BIRTH

2007-12-15T12:58:00.001-08:00

As we are only 9 days now from celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus, I want to remind us of some basic truths. Questions for your consideration first: What hopes and expectations did Jesus meet? What longing did He fulfill? What questions did He answer? What unexpressed feelings did He revive? The Apostle Paul explains, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons”. (Galatians 4:4-5a)
Five prophecies we need to review: He will be born in Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2. “But you, Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come one to rule Israel”. God uses the little and insignificant to carry out His plan! God’s ways are not our ways, outward appearance means nothing.
Secondly, God said Jesus would be a Righteous Branch from David’s line. (Jeremiah 33:15-16) So many Kings and Priests had failed God in their appointed missions that the people longed for a King to rule in righteousness.
Thirdly, Isaiah 7:14 says, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son.” Better is a Divine Conception than a Virgin Birth. God is in control! This is God’s plan to get where we are! Call the Virgin’s offspring “Immanuel”, which means, “God is with us!”
Fourthly, our King Jesus will be a perfect King. We can go to Him whenever we wish because He is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Then, in Matthew 1:21 the prophecy says that the Virgin will give birth to a son “and you are to give him the name ‘Jesus’ because he will save his people from their sins.” He will do something about my one problem that I am helpless to do anything about.
Imagine; for 800 years these prophecies were read daily in the home and Sabbath schools and the Temple, but nothing happened. NOW: they have all come true! What are you giving Jesus for Christmas?

“Father, it is good to see Jesus in light of your Eternal Plan for the
redemption of the world. Thank You for Your preparation. Amen”

December 15: ENCHANTED BUT UNCHANGED

2007-12-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

One of the great memories that Fay and I treasure goes back to 1961. It was the first time we took our children to visit the Christmas display at Thalhimer’s Department Store in Richmond, Virginia. It was so beautiful and un-real, breathtaking. Adults and kids alike were spell-bound by the beauty. It was truly a fantasy land! We visited that place every year until we moved. As I think of it now, I think of the fantasy of Christmas that we experience during these days. We are still enchanted by Christmas in America, but we are not changed by it.
There certainly is an enchantment with the life of Christ. We view the account of the birth of Christ as a wonderful Fairy Tale! The Manger is not the point; the point is the Incarnation of God coming into the world. When the story of Christ is told it reminds some Americans of a success story like the poor Abraham Lincoln making it all the way to the White House. We are astonished at the early years of Christ, wonder at His silent years, glory in His active years, shudder at His death, and thrill at His resurrection. We are amazed at Jesus the Miracle worker: turning water into wine, calming the sea, feeding 5,000 people, and walking on water. We are amazed that He could do so much, of course we believe in Him!
In the same way we Americans are enchanted by Christianity. Starting with twelve men and now covering the whole world. The Church grows in spite of opposition or because of it. We say “the blood of the martyrs is the strength of the church”. We point with pride to the fact that every little community has at least one church. The church is voluntary in America, no one is forced to be a Christian. Indeed, how Jesus has changed this country and the whole world is heart-grabbing.
But if we are unchanged in heart, what good will this fascination with the baby Jesus do to us? Just taking a passing glance at the birth of Christianity is condemnation of our cult of bigness, success, outward appearance, materialism and plenty. He was born in a stable, laid in a manger, died on a cross, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Enchanting? I agree! But has your life been changed by Jesus?

“As we entertain our guests these next few weeks, Loving God, help us
to present to them The Prince of Peace and not just pretty gifts. Amen”

December 14: WHAT ARE YOU SIGNALING?

2007-12-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it started right after Halloween this year, that is, the playing of happy, holiday music. A spirit of happiness, real or manufactured, fills the air. Joyfulness and merriment are everywhere you look.
But, all is not well in Mudville. Several helping agencies have raised a cry for assistance. There is not much food in the food banks for the needy. The toy pick-ups for needy children are not fulfilling expectation. Houses being foreclosed and the mortgage crisis is creating an unexpected development for many families, something they have never experienced before. Try explaining to your kids that there won’t be many Christmas gifts this year. Several helping agencies have announced the forming of new support groups for people this Christmas. Many support groups will be available if you are suffering from seasonal depression or the “blues” this year.
So we have a divided community. Some people are laughing and some are crying. Merry Christmas! That depends on who you are talking to at the given moment. This becomes a particularly difficult problem if you are the only person in the house feeling sad when everyone else feels glad.
Can you help it? No, not if its clinical depression or rooted in a physical problem. (That makes Depression Screening important.) Both the depressed and the non-depressed need to be sensitive to one another.
A key truth for everyone, feeling up or down, is what the angel said in announcing the birth of Jesus. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11 NIV) If Christmas is going to be a bummer, it will be hard to get excited about the New Year.
Let’s try not to send out mixed signals How about if all the people who are feeling great were sensitively aware of those feeling “down” and tried to show some personal concern about their emotions? How about if all the people who feel “down” just told people straight out how they feel so their companion would know they didn’t cause the depression? “Be kind and compassionate to one another.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)

“Father, it is so easy for us to become self-centered during a holiday time
and forget about others and forget about You. Stop us, please! Amen”

December 13: THE TENTH OF TEN

2007-12-12T19:16:00.001-08:00

Now we come to the last Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) This temptation is the kind that really sneaks up on you and catches you and you are surprised that you have been caught “coveting”. Basically, it is the battle between greed and thanksgiving. Clearly we must establish that our satisfaction is in our relationship with God and not in any material thing or person. Taking preventive measures would help us not to yield to this temptation. There are a lot of helpful verses for our defense:
Luke 12:15 Has JESUS SAYING, “ Take heed and beware of covetousness; a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of things he possesses.” Mark 8:36 asks, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” “Put to death covetousness, it is idolatry”. (Colossians 3:5) If we get our minds fixated on a person or things, they literally become a god to us and we begin to worship them with our desires for them. This is a dangerous route: the desire for money leads to theft, the desire for prestige leads to evil ambition, the desire for power leads to tyranny, the desire for a person leads to sexual sin, and the desire for freedom leads to dissatisfaction.
Coveting is the opposite of the “desire to give” on which the home and family are built. Homes that have been destroyed by coveting can be reclaimed if Christ is allowed to be the Head of the House and direct the feelings and actions of all family members. Paul’s personal testimony is a good guide: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11) He describes it as a learning experience. Coveting is a natural part of the non-Christian life because you are living for self. Being born again changes the life drive. But the “old you” remembers what it was like to covet and get results and Satan is sure to remind you. So, as you grow in Christ, you learn that contentment is more satisfying than coveting.
Coveting can cause you to lose all of the meaningful relationships in your life. People will discover what your motivation in life is and they will fear what you might become. Confess this sin every time that you discover that you are guilty and do it immediately.

“Teach us, Lord! Lead us to a depth of understanding that if we have a
relationship with You that all other needs we have will be met. Amen”

December 12: THE 9TH OF TEN

2007-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) The 9th Commandment is vital to any community life. The positive statement of this command is “always tell the truth.” The ‘little white lie” is just as deadly as the “big, black lie”. It should be a natural for us Christians to be totally committed to the truth. Yet, churches are plagued by gossipers who start their conversations with “have you heard?” Across the years I have stopped these conversations before they started by saying, “wait just a minute, I want this person here to hear what you are about to tell.” Second-hand retelling of stories almost always has an admixture of personal opinions and not known facts.
So many lives have been ruined by lying. Reputations have been tarnished never to recover from a repeated half-truth. We are called to build-up one another and repeating a unverified story does not have that guarantee.
Often lies divides families and close friends. It may not be a believable story but doubt is sown in the heart of the hearer and trust is hard to reestablish again. Just as Satan divided Adam and Eve against one another by lying, so he continues to be the great divider. Only the truth can heal.
The greatest evil that lying reveals is the lack of love. When Jesus told us to “love one another” He had in mind surely that we would not lie about another person. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, “Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.” Here is insurance for preserving the marriage and family. Here is cement to strengthen the fellowship of the church. Here is the steel that gives backbone to every assertion of a local congregation that she is a New Testament Church. As Ephesians 4:15 challenges us, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”

“O Lord, make us to be lovers of the truth and obedient to the New Testament
instruction to always speak the truth in love. Amen”

December 11: The Eighth of Ten

2007-12-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

As a little boy this was the most important command. I memorized all of the Commandments but I did not grasp or apply them like I did the 8th command. Exodus 20:15, “you shall not steal.” I guess it was because every Saturday when our family went grocery shopping I would see men stop at the grape counter and steal a grape or two. I was tempted also, but I worked hard at not yielding.
The temptation to take something that does not belong to you never goes away and many things seem especially appealing. If we hear someone else being praised constantly we want to say something that will take away some of the glow. If we see someone getting promotions or pay increases we want to say something about the unfairness of it all. The “yes, but” rebuttal is one of the best tools of thievery; “he is a nice person, but”. There, we haven’t really said anything bad but we sowed the doubt as to the quality of the other person. Some of us who would never steal a grape or anything material yet don’t mind stealing from another person’s good name. Or maybe we are tempted to steal the praise that rightfully belongs to someone else; that is, we get praised at Church for doing good work that really has been done by someone else.
God says,“don’t steal.” The Bible says that every perfect gift we receive in this life comes to us from a Loving God. That being true, all of the possessions that people have are like “Christmas gifts” from God for their exclusive use and we steal from God as well as the person. We deprive people of the fruit of their labor if we steal from them.
One of the most shocking parts of the Bible is found in Malachi 3:8ff, “will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.”
Here is a picture of someone like me or you with a revolver in our hands robbing from God and stealing money that should be used for the Kingdom of God. (The most common theft is when we report on our Income tax that we gave God more money than the Church records prove.) As the Jews in Malachi’s time, we protest that we would never rob God.
We rob God of the use of our time, our talents, our minds, our spiritual gifts that were to equip us to do special things for God; the list gets very long. God wants to use our children in some special ministry and we talk them out of it so they can stay close to us and provide for us in our old age.
It’s not too late to confess this sin of thievery and resolve never to steal again.

“Help us to have thankful hearts for all that you give us so that our
gratitude can save us from being thieves. Amen”

December 10: THE SEVENTH OF TEN

2007-12-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

As we come to the 7th commandment, we also come to a commandment that is forbidden in several states and counties. Not only that, ten years ago there was a Military Court that debated if adultery was a crime. Some military personnel were discharged after being found guilty of adultery; the reasoning being, if a man would not be true to his wife, he would not be true to his troops. Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery”. This is a practical command that tells us to say “no” to our urges. This is a premeditated sin, it takes thought and concentration to disobey this law.
The sanctity of the family unit cannot be underestimated. The Church and the home together form the last barrier against forces that would destroy humanity. We are expected to have a certain reverence for the marriage relationship.
Jesus spoke specifically to the temptation to adultery in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Jesus helps us with the problem by making it clear that the physical act is the ultimate expression of a rebellion in the heart. Any kind of experience of a specific sexual nature outside the marriage covenant is adultery.
Do not confuse this with fornication. Fornication is pre-marital sex, having a sexual relation with someone while you are still single. You can find several references to fornication in your Bible.
Adultery is a sin running wild in this generation. Late night TV shows mock it, Prime time situation comedies belittle it, even cartoon characters get in on the fun. It is small wonder that youth have little respect for the Marriage Covenant since they have been brainwashed against marriage faithfulness as they grew up being baby-sat by the TV. Parents bear a heavy responsibility to teach their children by example and word the high value of marriage faithfulness.
Marriage was and is God’s idea. He planned it. The Bible presents marriage as a triangle; God, the man, and the woman. God makes a covenant with both in marriage. When the covenant is broken, it is not only a sin but the fruit of it is harvested for years.

“God help us to honor our marriage commitments. Give us the concentration
to focus on your command daily and rise above this temptation.”

December 9: THE SIXTH OF TEN

2007-12-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

A God of Life created the first family and they made one of the first hateful acts that has followed man from the Paradise of Eden. So, God has to include Exodus 20:13 as the 6th Commandment; “you shall not murder.” There was jealousy between the brothers and Cain killed Abel. Why can’t man learn to settle his differences peacefully? But it is more than that. For every act of murder there is a reflection back to the very First command. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Submission to God could be the basis of resolution to all misunderstandings. But egotistical man takes things in his own hand. As I write this the news is filled with the story of the young man in Omaha, Nebraska who has murdered a group of folks in a Mall.
Life is in God’s hands, He is the originator of life and only He should decide when that life ends. We can’t give life, so we should not take it. We cannot excuse the death penalty. Just because it is approved by the State does not make murder acceptable. Murder during a war is still murder. Abortion is murder. Euthanasia is murder. Starving people is murder. Allowing the homeless to freeze to death on the street is murder. We should be pro life in our attitude to our fellow human beings from the day they are born until the day that they die. Jesus said “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” As long as a person is alive we must do all we can to preserve their lives.
Life is sacred! Jesus came into the world and gave his life for the salvation of every man, woman, and child. As long as there is life, there is the possibility that a person can receive Jesus and be saved. I am thankful for the Christian Chaplains that work at the prisons and on the battlefield to offer the hope of eternal life to the dying.
Whatever side of the political walk you are on I think that you know that God has no favorites, God doesn’t care who wins the war, God only cares that both sides be saved through Jesus Christ. God wants the wars to end so men and women can hear the Gospel of Peace.
If you still have influence over your children or grandchildren, I hope you use every opportunity to teach them this Commandment.

“God, we have this terrible gimmick of depersonalizing your creations and then
killing them. Show us that giving them numbers or ugly names changes nothing.
Amen”

December 8: THE FIFTH OF TEN

2007-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

As we come to commandment five we turn to a different emphasis: Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you”. The first 4 commands concern your walk with God and keeping an open fellowship with God. The last 6 commands concern your walk with man and keeping an open fellowship with man.
This command strikes at the most basic of earthly relationships, a relationship that would seem to be easy to maintain and be fruitful. Always value the source of your very life. Respect them because they brought you into the world; you owe your very existence to them. They should be loved and supported and obeyed. Unless it is an abnormal situation, these are the folks who care the most about your well-being. They make the rules for us that show us the limits of discipline in our growing up and maturing. Children often scream in frustration, “you don’t want me to have any fun” when just the opposite is true. Parents know that without discipline there is no true happiness in life.
I am not unaware of the great amount of child abuse in our generation. I cannot understand how parents could treat cruelly the children that God has entrusted to them. The sickest form of cruelty is sexual abuse and many are being scarred for life. Any person being tempted to “use and abuse” their own flesh and blood should immediately go to a Psychiatrist for help.
An orderly society has an expectation that the children will care for the parents as they age and become dependent. This can be the climax of a whole lifetime of developing closeness. It is a beautiful picture, indeed, to see parents and children and grand-children in a on-going caring for one another and helping one another. Each generation has it’s own contribution to each other.
A challenge to parents: Be sure that you are living a life that is worthy of honor. Some parents live such selfish, ungodly lives that the children have nothing to honor. Do not become a stumbling-block to your children by living dishonorably.
Children: pray for your parents daily. They need God’s help to fulfill their responsibility to you. They need encouragement not to give up their parenting responsibility, even into old age.

“Father God, you have all the characteristics of a perfect mother and a
perfect father. Help me to learn these traits by copying You. Amen”

December 7: THE FOURTH OF TEN

2007-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Here is commandment #4: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy”. (Exodus 20:8-11) From the standpoint of sheer practicality, this command was one of the most practical ones that he could obey and be blessed. God is the Creator! He knows what He has created. He knows the strengths and weaknesses. He knows that this creation will be the best he can be when he has adequate rest. A lack of rest will harm the human body. But, man, in his stubbornness thinks that he can do well without rest. How many diseases are we dealing with today because man refuses to observe a time of rest?
The Sabbath Day, or day of rest, was to have great symbolic meaning. It was to remind man of his frailty and his need to depend on God. Just like the teaching in Leviticus that the “tithe” is “holy” to the Lord. Holy means “to be set aside for special use”. The tithe or the first one-tenth of the income was to point man to the fact that all of his strength to gain wealth came from God. Every time he would give one-tenth to God, it would be an act of grateful worship. Every time he stopped what he was doing to have a special day of worship, he would remind himself of his debt of gratitude to God.
Man is made to have a time of rest for physical and spiritual refreshment. Some of you readers remember the days of the “Blue Laws” when stores were closed on Sunday and people went to worship and spend time together. Today, business pressures are such that few Christian business owners are spiritually brave enough to close up shop on Sunday. I know of two local chains that do and they are doing very well financially. They are a good witness to the importance of this commandment.
Keep in mind the last part of this command in v.11 “the Lord made it holy”, not for His own benefit, but for yours. You will be happier and your family will be happier the Sunday you begin to use the time for Worship. It is hard for many people to imagine a day set aside for God. Every Friday the radio trumpets “TGIF” (Thank God Its Friday) and urges the listener to get physically worn out in frantic activity. I suggest that you listen to your Maker.

“Thank You, Loving Creator, for building into us the need for a special
day for rest and recuperation and worship. Amen”

December 6: THE THIRD OF TEN

2007-12-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

A surface view of religion has people often boasting about how they have obeyed all of the commandments. The fact is that Jesus is the only one who has ever obeyed the letter and the spirit of these Laws. If it had been possible for any one of us to keep the Commandments, Jesus could have stayed in Heaven. But He came to show us what life could be like when lived in his strength. And so we come to the next commandment as written in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
A surface reading of this command has allowed many people to limit the application to the use of profanity only. Profanity is wrong. There are Bible verses that speak against it, but this is not one of them. No, this command is all about hypocrisy. Using God’s Name in defining who you are and then not living up to it is the sin being described here. Coming out of Egypt, the new name for the Jews would be “the people of God”. They claimed it for themselves, they boasted in it, they flaunted it before other nationalities but they did not live up to being “the people of God.” Paying “lip service” only to a spiritual commitment and not living up to the reality is a worse sin than profanity.
Those who profess to believe and yet do nothing to prove their words become stumbling-blocks to many other people. The old saying “what you are is speaking so loudly that I can’t hear a word you are saying” certainly applies here. It is OK to “talk the talk” if you are going to “walk the walk”. Every Pastor has had to try to explain the actions of one of his parishioners who has brought shame upon the Christian faith by not living a holy lifestyle.
This is one commandment that finds it’s full completion in a Christian who is being empowered by the Holy Spirit. When the Bible says that the followers of Jesus were called “Christians” first in the city of Antioch it was because the people of that city saw the teachings of Jesus being fleshed-out in the lives of their fellow citizens who had now become followers of Jesus. They acted like real imitations of Jesus. They walked like Jesus, talked like Jesus, loved like Jesus, and died like Jesus. They intentionally copied the Jesus life-style, people saw the real thing. They were “little Christs”.
This generation is waiting for Christians to take the teachings of Jesus seriously. People are watching to see if you are going to be the real-thing when it comes to faith.

“Father, help us to live up to our new name when we become Christians
and be arrows pointing people to You. Amen”

December 5: THE 2nd OF TEN

2007-12-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the 2nd commandment directly from Exodus 20:4-6, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”. Wow! That’s detailed instruction!
To read this slowly is to understand the absolute abhorrence that God has for putting anything in His place in our lives. To think about it rationally, how could this advanced age of technology still produce a generation of people that would chose to worship a “created thing” rather than the Creator of the universe? And you don’t have to look far to see the Idol Worship of America? We jokingly refer to the “McMansions” that are being built on many small plots of ground. Then people move in and fill the monstrosities with things that they will never use, only to spend their time admiring their idols. Cars, boats, vacation condos, jewelry, etc; I’m just wasting my time mentioning these idols.
Statues and Idols are for installation in Parks and Museums, certainly not on the sacred ground of the human heart. If Christ is living in your heart there is no room for man-made idols. He has revealed himself to us as Spirit and Light. He needs every inch of space in our lives to unfold His glory. The love-hate barrier is crossed so quickly, we may not even notice. Interesting, isn’t it, that God considers our putting anything in His place as a sign of our hatred of his Majesty?
I must bring up here what Jesus replied when he was asked to name the most important commandment. He replied in Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” No room for stuff that can separate you from God’s presence in your life. Love the Lord with all your soul, that is, with all of your spiritual faculties. Love the Lord with all your mind, that is, with all your mental faculties. Love the Lord with all your heart, that is, with all of your emotional feelings. Love the Lord with all your strength, that is, with all your physical prowess.
Do not minimize, even for one moment, the danger of allowing a human idol of any kind to take God’s central spot in your life.

“O God, You are so high and lifted up! And Holy! We apologize for each
time we have allowed idols a spot in the temple of our hearts. Amen”

December 4: THE FIRST OF TEN

2007-12-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the people that are spending so much time debating the location of the Ten Commandments give as much time to obeying them. These are given to us to be our guidelines as Christians. Don’t expect non-Christians to obey the Ten Commandments; don’t even expect them to read them as “ten suggestions”. These are signs that God has given to believers who want to walk the center of the road leading to righteousness. The commandments don’t belong at the Schoolhouse or the Courthouse, they belong in the home and in the Church house where they can be taught openly and freely and receive the respect that they deserve. It seems a hard struggle even for people in the Church to obey the Commandments; why would we ever be so naïve as to expect non-believers in the Bible to be able to follow them.
We Christians need to be grateful that God has given them to us as our guideposts. Exodus 20:1 sets the stage for our understanding these commands, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”. The expectation of obedience on our part is the expectation of a Father-Child relationship. A parent naturally wants to teach his child as simply as possible for his benefit. A child naturally wants to please the parent by obeying the commands of the parent. Without the parent-child relationship there is no expectation of following by the child. Also, unless there is a love relationship, the child will harden his heart against doing something that stirs feelings of rebellion.
Based on God being our Creator, He gives the first command: “You shall have no other gods before me.” First loyalty belongs to God. Someone has defined your “god” as where your mind drifts when you have nothing else to think about. What is the first thought of your life? That is your “god”. God says, “I want your total allegiance”. Is that too much? God gives us life and health and the possibility of having a personal relationship with Him; is it too much for him to expect our loving devotion first of all in our lives? Jesus explained the First Commandment in this way: “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)

“Loving and Just God: we need these Ten Commandments and all the
other commands that You have given us in the Bible. Help us obey! Amen”

December 3: A PRAYER CHALLENGE FOR YOU

2007-12-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

If you read the front page of the November 5 edition of The Free Lance Star (our daily newspaper) you could not miss the report of the persecution of Christians in Iraq. The article was an interview with two local members of the Religious Freedom Coalition who had just returned from a fact-finding trip to the Middle East. They affirmed what many of us know about the daily murdering of Christians and the burning of churches around the world.
The problem is this: The last thing that Jesus said to His followers as He was leaving the earth was “preach the Good News to every person.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Christians feel they must obey. They can’t keep quiet about Jesus. And that’s what gets them hurt and killed. I agree with them and I want to tell people about Jesus, too.
There are four groups of people I pray for daily because they are on the front lines in the battle against spiritual ignorance about Jesus.
First of all, I pray for the persecuted church. The Bible commands me in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those in prison for the Gospel as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering.”
Secondly, I pray for the missionaries who are spread out around the world. They have realized that the comforts of home are secondary and that the opportunity to tell people who have never heard about Jesus the Christ is the primary call of life.
Thirdly, I pray for the Metropolitan Community Church congregations as they extend the Gospel to everyone, especially to gays and lesbians, a large group of people who are not welcomed in most churches.
Lastly, I pray for the military chaplains, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. They carry no weapons when they go into combat with the troops. They offer the “good news” to those living in “bad news”.
I would like to invite you to join me daily in this part of my prayer life. “Call on me and I will answer you”, God says in Jeremiah 33:3. Your intercession can make a difference.

“Obviously, Father, we have a long way to go before every person has
heard about the Good News. Strengthen us not to quit! Amen”

December 2: ANOTHER DAY TO PRAISE

2007-12-01T06:22:00.001-08:00

Let’s go a little further with these thoughts of prayer and praise. There is power in praise. Praise takes sides with God, or lines us up with God, regardless of our circumstances. Instead of grumbling, complaining, or finding fault, we know that “God works in all things for good to those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28) Isaiah 43:2-3 express it well: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
We are now digging down into your trust in the Lord. Compare the testimony of Job to yourself from Job 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In the face of mental abuse and torment from his wife and his friends, his praise lifted him through. We must be liberated from self-centeredness and self-seeking and learn to love God for Himself alone.
Praise is powerful to turn defeat into victory! I like the story of Paul and Silas being locked away in jail because of their preaching. At midnight they begin to sing and praise the Lord. God’s answer? A earthquake! The results? Open jail doors, revival in the jail and city, and Europe is entered with the Gospel. Paul and Silas are more than conquerors because they praised God when in deep danger.
Understand that the highest expression of our faith is not how much we ask from God but how much we praise. Keep on praising! One more reminder, this one from Habbakuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

“I praise You, Lord! I praise You, Lord! You are wonderful and loving
and always forgiving. I praise You! Amen”

December 1: LEARNING TO PRAISE

2007-11-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

Let’s focus some time on praise! Since prayer’s fruitfulness waits on praise, we need to concentrate on praise. When our “petitions only” praying fails, we must turn to praise. Psalm 148 echoes praise as much as any Psalm and is very instructive for us. Read it closely.
Let’s claim the proper place for praise in our lives. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” It is as if a spring of praise is always bubbling up in our souls. If you just read Psalm 148:7-10 you note that all things of creation are called on to give praise to the Lord. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 1103:1) We get so wrapped up in our problems or difficulties that we forget to praise. Make 1 resolution now: “Nothing shall ever again deter me from praising My Lord.” If you are having a hard time concentrating in a time of praise, use your Bible and your Hymnal to prime your pump. There is no reason to ever run out of reasons to offer praises to God. This gets us involved in real worship that goes to the heart and does not remain at the skin level.
Think about the purpose of praise in the Bible. Praise can be a filter to purify our praying. Don’t you know that we cheapen the gift of prayer when we use it as a “shopping list”? The next time you are in Church and people start making prayer requests, listen closely and be dismayed. Most of the prayer requests will focus selfishly on the needs of folks in the immediate community. Our praying is our time to put our arms around a hurting world. Praising God first can lift our prayers to a higher plane.
Praise can purge our prayers of unworthy elements: selfishness, bargaining with God, trying to manipulate God, talking more about ourselves than God. Prayer must focus on God first. Romans 1:25 warns us about worshipping the creation more than the Creator. God is greater than all His gifts. Just think: If I never asked God for anything the rest of my life and still had Him as my God, I would still be rich. My cup would still run over! My joy would still be unspeakable!
Mount Calvary alone could make each of us rich beyond human measurement! Let’s just praise the Lord!

“Set us free, O God, to pray and praise You without ceasing. Release us
from our attachment to this world. Set loose our tongues to praise. Amen”

November 30: THE EFFECT OF HOPE

2007-11-29T17:03:00.001-08:00

The greatest need in the world today is for “hope”. There is simply an overwhelming flood of hopelessness and many are drowning. It is kept hidden as much as possible but on other days is just overflows. I heard an advertisement on the radio recently that said if your mortgage is being foreclosed call: 995-HOPE. I am sure they were deluged with calls. When most people talk about hope they are talking about a warm and fuzzy feeling positive about stuff. “I hope my team wins”. “I hope I have a date for Saturday night”. “I hope I get a puppy for Christmas.” Many times people speak of hope in some area that they have no chance of receiving a positive answer.
I am talking about the hope that is the center of the message of Jesus. Christianity is the only religion that offers hope. Other religions focus on despair. There is no joyful music, only dirges and dark chants. The end of this life means reincarnation as an animal or being absorbed into the great nothingness of nirvana. Jesus lived a life of hope and he gives it to his followers. That’s why the Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give reason for the hope that you have.” Paul says in Romans 5:5, “hope does not disappoint.” That’s why I am writing today about the Christian hope.
Here is the definition of hope: in New Testament times, the sailing ships did not give great security. Especially at night, because they had no lighting for sailing close to shore or when a storm was coming. They found a small inlet or protected cove. Then they put the large anchor in a small boat and the sailors carried the anchor into the quiet cove and dropped the anchor and it quickly dropped to the bottom and the boat was secured. The rope that reached from the ship to the anchor is the same root word as the word “hope”. You see, regardless of how strong the storm might be in the ocean or sea, the boat was safe because of the rope. The anchor would not move and the sailors were safe. They knew the rope would hold; they had a hope that could not be shaken. That is hope. That is what we need.
Maybe the greatest evidence of hopelessness is the use of cocaine in America. We have 5% of the population but we consume 50% of the world’s cocaine that we use as a substitute for hope. Grab hold of Jesus! Let Him be your hope, He will never fail you!

“Thank You, God, for the gift of hope in and through Jesus that
recreates us through a new birth and regenerates us for eternity. Amen”

November 29: CHRIST CHALLENGES SELF-RIGHTEOUS

2007-11-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

Some followers of Jesus have persisted in trying to make a religion out of the teachings of Jesus. It is easier to make a list of “dos and don’ts” than to live by principles. Religious rules make it easier to exclude people who are different. The blockbuster that Jesus exploded that day on the mountainside (Matthew 5:1-12) was a well-thought-out manifesto of the principles of the kingdom of God that He came to introduce. Living in a personal relationship with Jesus, as a citizen of the kingdom, would be no memorization of rules and checking off deeds done but a dynamic living to make a difference.
The principles given would be a daily guide for a lifetime. There has been nothing like it, either before or after the earthly years of Jesus.
Generally known as the Beatitudes, I like to call them “be-attitudes” as they describe a state of being. The very common word “blessed” that introduces each principle can be translated “to be congratulated”.
This is revolutionary! This was the first salvo Jesus fired against the self-righteousness of the world and all established religions. He never retracted a word of it! He was starting a lifestyle movement, and He would perfectly exemplify it.
Listen: “To be congratulated are those who wake up to their spiritual poverty, who weep for the world’s spiritual needs, who live disciplined lives, who crave intensely to do right, who identify with the pain in the world, who have a single-minded desire to see God, who hate war, who don’t fear persecution for doing right, who are not ashamed to admit that they are followers of Jesus and do it all with a sense of joy”.
I tell you, this is radical. The definition of Christian was “little Christ”. (Acts 11:26) A contemptuous title! Scandalous!
But the key to a meaningful and purposeful life is found here.

“Father God, we have watered down and compromised the teachings of
Jesus for too long. Help us to get back on track. Amen”

November 28: THE MIRACULOUS TRANSFORMATION

2007-11-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Heard the saying, “one man’s blessing is another man’s curse”? Watching reports of ice storms leaves me with mixed feelings. The Weather Channel shows this contrast regularly. Too much ice can be a death-dealing blow to a place. Just the right amount of ice can have a miraculous transforming effect. The ugly can become extremely beautiful in reflecting the sun. Everything takes on a diamond-like sparkle.
It reminds me of a spiritual lesson. The Apostle Paul several times presents Christianity in terms of “putting on Christ” as you would put on a long winter coat.
When you “put on” Christ, you have a wholly new, attractive appearance. “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24 NIV) “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Above all other virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:10,14 NIV)
The “putting on” is usually contrasted with “putting off” old traits that are not fitting for a Christian. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10 NIV)
A Christian could never complain, “I have nothing to wear” because our basic dress code is simple and attractive. We put on Christ and that is what the world sees.
The real person never has to practice hypocrisy. The old natural us that can be seen under the covering of Christ is a constant reminder to us not to be proud about our new beauty; it all comes from Christ.
Before this winter is over, we will awaken to a beautiful new covering over the earth many times. Let’s pray that as we go out into the world that many times people will observe in us that we are clothed in Christ.

“Transform us in your love, O God, and renew us through the power of
your Spirit. We will praise You for the miraculous transformation. Amen”

November 27: THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE

2007-11-26T17:40:00.001-08:00

In your mind, what should be the relationship between Christian brothers and sisters in a local church? Or between the minister and the members? Some church “dropouts” say they left the organized church because it wasn’t what it professed to be. Certainly the church would be the last place that one would expect to find strife, bickering, power struggles, divisiveness, and a critical atmosphere.
It doesn’t take a genius to know what is not fitting among Christians. I read this short paragraph in 1 Thessalonians 2:17 to 3:5 and it clicked with me that this really says something. (You should get your Bible and read this now. Its too long for me to quote here.) It’s very emotional. There is a lot of feeling.
Paul tells these people that he really wanted to come to be with them. He described those believers as being a real joy in his life. He is filled with hope by what God is accomplishing in their lives.
When Paul was in jail he missed them so badly that he had to send someone to check on them. Because Satan was attacking him so hard, he was concerned that Satan was attacking them doubly hard and maybe they would not be able to withstand it. There is so much concern expressed, so much fellow-feeling. As Christians their lives are inter-related. The mutuality of their faith binds them closely.
The New Testament uses a special word “koinonia” (translated: “fellowship”) to describe this common life among Christians. When there is this kind of “life and death” commitment to Jesus and to one another in the church, there is no room for negative feelings. The ground is always level at the cross, therefore, it must be from the pulpit to the pew, and from pew to pew.
Any local church you enter should be the most loving and friendly and encouraging place you visit during the entire week. And, remind you of Heaven. (P.S.: Read the passage)

“Help us not to settle for anything less than your plan for fellowship in our
local church. Help us to be really joined-at-the-heart! Amen”

November 26: THE DYNAMICS OF ADVERTISING

2007-11-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

The politicians are accusing their opponents of deceitful ads. They threaten terrible results for the American people because people are being deceived. Isn’t that a part of advertising; deceiving people into thinking that some product will be good for them and good for their lives?
Like the beer ads, I know they promise more than they can deliver. Does this sound familiar? “After a hard day’s work, after things have gone wrong all day, after it seems like all of life is a mess, aren’t you glad there is X brand of beer?” I recognize the dynamics of advertisement is exaggeration, making a selling point, but there is a limit.
It’s like the commercial that challenged: “Ask the man who tried one.” Plenty of people can testify to having tried the beer to see if the commercial was true and got a sick stomach, or a light head or an accident or the realization that the problem or dullness of feeling didn’t leave.. This seems to be the story of many teenagers who sneak a “cold one” from the family refrigerator.
I will be the first to agree with the advertising boys that people who feel that the world is a rat race and life has no real meaning are looking for something to help them not only at the end of the day but during the day. It is reaching for a crutch to dull the pain.
I don’t know of anything that can give man a lasting solution but I know someone. If I gave you some pet theory on “How To Be Happy Fast”, I would be like the rest of the “gimmick boys” manipulating your emotions. That’s why you should turn to this person for joy and help.
I’m referring to Jesus, God’s son, who came into the world and taught us by his life and death how we ought to live. He didn’t say there wouldn’t be hard days but he did offer, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 1:28-29 NIV) I am a satisfied customer.

“We tend to look for instant relief for our bad feelings or a short cut to
being able to forget our problems. Show us we can’t drown our hurts. Amen”

November 25: THE ADVANTAGES WE ENJOY

2007-11-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

As God is speaking in Deuteronomy 8:10ff (NIV), he is saying some very relevant words to all who live in an affluent metropolitan suburb: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws, and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Because the economic opportunities always are better around a “metropolitan sprawl” people naturally migrate here. Many are on a career “fast track” headed for the top. Many have “paid their dues” out in the boondocks and have finally gotten the promotion that puts them in a position to make some “real money”. Some were transferred here by military assignment and have found employment opportunities that they could never find “back down on the farm”.
Not unlike the people God was speaking to in Deuteronomy 8 are folks in this commuter community. Success and its benefits do come to those who pursue it! Some who taste success begin to look around and compare themselves to the less successful and imagine they must have accomplished all this without God and begin to “forget God”. Some folks moved here and left God back home where all the other comfortable memories reside.
As we evaluate the past months of summer and fall, was God given prominence in your life and actions? Did you suffer from “Godward amnesia”? Just wondering!
We work hard, right? We deserve good things, right? We don’t have to feel guilty about it, right? You can feel good about all that has happened to you, if you did not forget God.
By the way, what does your checkbook say about your year? You might want to reread this column: Now!

“So many advantages are ours in this wonderful land of freedom! Deep down,
O God, we know it all comes from You. Strip away our ego! Amen”

November 24: LET'S SAY IT AGAIN!

2007-11-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

Maybe I’ve said enough about gratitude this week but this morning I ventured out to “observe” what was happening on Black Friday. Total mistake! What madness! I wondered how many of these folks had been in Thanksgiving Worship on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Something got lost in translation! What’s up?
Sociologist say that every race and tribe and people in the world have some kind of Thanksgiving celebration. Certainly not a Turkey Day holiday as we have in America, but a time for expressing gratitude. For whatever people have and wherever it came from and whoever provided it, they acknowledge that fact with gratitude. It would seem that there is some sort of innate recognition that a higher power makes provisions for us and we are glad.
Now, if that is true, the natural conclusion of brilliant people in the western world who have so much of everything (including intelligence) is that all of us would have a highly developed sense of gratitude to God for more than one day.
What about you today?
Ignoring the cultural, are you personally grateful? Do you believe in God? Do you believe that God is good? Do you believe that God gives you what you have?
Then “give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name” (1 Chronicles 16:8). Psalm 100:4 instructs, “give thanks to him and praise his name.” Daily! Don’t be intimidated by family or friends who are too proud and self-centered to give thanks. Stand right up and say, “let us come before God with thanksgiving”. (Psalm 95:2) If you are concerned about your eloquence in speech, the Bible has plenty of lines to enable you to express your deep personal gratitude. If you get overcome with gratitude, say with Paul, “thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
True, god’s goodness is greater than our words to describe it. Maybe you are rebutting me because I don’t know your circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks for all circumstances.”
O.K., thanksgiving and Black Friday are both behind us now! How can we plan today for tomorrow to be a day to share gratitude with many other Christians?

“We will forget quickly and too easily, God, all of the bounty we receive from
your hand. Thank you so much! Thank you so much! Amen”

November 23: THE COMMAND IS STILL HERE

2007-11-18T11:29:00.001-08:00

The Bible instructs in Colossians 3:15 (NIV), “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace, and be thankful.” Now there is one of those commands that you won’t read in the Ten Commandments. Nevertheless, it is a Biblical command or imperative.
Are you being obedient in this dimension of your spiritual life? Surprisingly, many religious people never do something as simple as bowing their head for a simple prayer of thanksgiving before they eat; neither in the privacy of their home nor a public restaurant.
Just as some would rebut that you can’t command love, some would reason that you can’t command gratitude. Not so! Living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ means that he commands us in every area.
Be thankful. If you go back and read the verse again, there is the implication that peace in the heart is related to gratitude, and peace in the church is related to the common feeling and expression of thanksgiving. Thankful people are peaceful in church life!
Thanksgiving means that I know that every good and perfect gift comes from God. (James 1:17) I am related to the source of all good. I know who I am. That gives me a feeling of security because I know that my God can be trusted to supply all my needs. (Philippians 4:19)
If my life is unified around this principle and I am a member of a church where people share this principle, then our fellowship as Christians will indeed be sweet.
Is Christ ruling your heart? Did you obey this command yesterday at your Thanksgiving dinner? Or did you just mouth the words? Have you obeyed it today? Some out of habit, culture, or ritual may have said, “Thank You, God” yesterday because they were eating with religious people. But today, you are on your own. Will you obey? Be thankful!

“Lord, You know that we can forget this Command just as quickly as we
can forget one of the Ten. Wake us up to the big picture of thanks. Amen”

November 22: THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING

2007-11-18T11:09:00.001-08:00

Having a proper sense of awe about God’s blessings to us can help us have a right spirit of gratitude. Understanding the source can help our perspective for Thanksgiving.
For instance, grace is free, but it is not cheap. Our free salvation cost Jesus His life.
Let me use another example from the life of King David recorded in 2 Samuel 23. King David has been overthrown and was running for his life. Hiding in a cave, he thirsted for a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem. Three brave men broke through enemy lines and brought him the water he desired., but he refused to drink it, instead he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this” he said, “is it not the blood of men who went at risk to their lives?” And so David would not drink it. (2 Samuel 23:16-17 NIV)
Because of the high cost of danger to the men, he offered the water as a praise offering to God. His reasoning said, “If it cost me nothing, I must offer it to God.”
God provides for us, we should make lavish Thanksgiving offerings. We want to hoard and keep God’s blessings to ourselves.
A restaurant had this sign posted: “Due to the drought, only customers may use the restroom.” Or in other words, those who deserve it or can pay for the privilege. God continued to meet the needs of the restaurant owner; he in turn was not interested in providing a service.
How is your gratitude attitude? Many people want to wear the title Christian without dealing with all the implications, which are especially strong around the church community at Thanksgiving time.
The cost is gratitude: How do you define it? The very last problem that the church should have is financial. “Free you have received, freely give”.

“We are so close now, Lord, to the actual moment of expressing thanks
with our families and friends. Sensitize us some more! Now! Amen”

November 21: TEACHING THE CHILDREN GRATITUDE

2007-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Apostle Paul gives a command in Colossians 3:15 that is not listed in the Ten Commandments: “Be thankful.” Simple and to the point and easily understood and easy to obey, especially if you are a mature Christian adult! There is nothing more unseemly than a Christian who doesn’t express gratitude to God and to helpful people.
But, what about the children? In this materialist and consumer-shaped generation, when and where do children learn to start “giving thanks”?
I think this needs consideration during Thanksgiving, 2007. Sadly, many children know only how to take and take, but not how to say “Thanks”. I was raised in Southern culture where consideration of the feelings of others was important and being polite certainly included saying “Thank you”. Being kind and courteous to people included verbalizing one’s gratitude. No question but that the ‘attitude of gratitude” in the culture was rooted in the Bible and was reinforced every Sunday.
The church also fostered a sense of community that stressed our duty to respect the feelings of others. The church broadened the horizon of gratitude beyond the material. Children were also taught, “Thank you for being my friend” or “Thank you for praying for me” or “Thank you for sitting by me”. Keep in mind that when we were created in the image of God, our nature, like God, was unselfish.
But as man rejected God, his thoughts turned inward on himself. Since that time, one of our major problems has been selfishness. Selfishness has destroyed many families. Selfishness has no time for gratitude and thanksgiving.
As parents and grandparents, we must teach the children to be thankful. Ungrateful children are described negatively as “spoiled”. Start by being an example and reinforce it with words.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) A simple prayer of thanksgiving before eating is one place to start.
“We are all your children, Father God, and we need to be taught how to
be grateful to you at all times. Help us! Amen”

November 20: THANKSGIVING COMPLETION

2007-11-17T19:15:00.001-08:00

To really experience Thanksgiving, more is required than a big dinner with family and close friends. I am not criticizing Thanksgiving dinner; I think it has a great symbolic meaning in our culture and I enjoy it. But the dinner is only one ingredient to a full thanksgiving experience.
I refer you to Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This truth says to me that a real Thanksgiving Day will be the end of complaining, comparing, and coveting for all of us.
Some folks always find something to complain about: they can give out complaints quicker than they can give thanks for their blessings. Others don’t seem to be able to appreciate God’s bounty in their lives because they are constantly comparing what “they have” with what “others have”, usually ignoring the fact that they have more stuff now than they ever had before.
There is yet another group that won’t be thankful because they covet what others have. Whatever someone else has they feel they must have to be happy. As a result, they never have enough, including enough to fully appreciate a time for Thanksgiving.
The Bible instructs us to enjoy what we have and use it well. If we “need” anything else, we should talk to God about what we truly “need”, not just some material thing or gimmick that we saw someone else buy.
Regretfully, the three “C’s” (complaining, comparing, coveting) I mentioned often go to church services to make sure the worshipper doesn’t have a meaningful time praising the Lord. You still have 2 days to work on your spiritual preparations for Thanksgiving Day.

“Work in us, Lord, in such a way that we can have a complete Thanksgiving
experience of gratitude for every spiritual, physical, and emotional gift. Amen”

November 19: A SEASON TO BE THANKFUL

2007-11-17T14:10:00.001-08:00

It’s the Thanksgiving season in America again and I find myself pondering the words of David in Psalm 116:12-14; “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”
A spiritually sensitive person can’t help but wonder how to adequately express gratitude. A song often heard in churches asks, “How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me, things that are totally undeserved”?
It is amazing that many enjoy the bounty of the world and never give it a second thought or assume that every material advantage naturally is theirs. (Notice the people around you the next time you go to a nice restaurant for dinner; usually they plunge into dinner without a second thought as to its origin.)
David seems to be saying in Psalm 56:12 that he has made a promise to God to be thankful; “I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.” If that’s what it takes to keep us faithfully giving thanks, by all means, let’s do it!
Thanksgiving is a attitude, it is a lifestyle that is more easily “caught” than “taught”. Parents cannot teach their children to be thankful if they do not live a “gratitude lifestyle”. Lifestyle will help the children to have a gratitude perspective when looking at the big picture of life.
Paul’s writings in the New Testament have many instructions about giving thanks. This week could be a good time for you to red-pencil them. “For everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer”. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

“Everyone wants to see a good week this week, Heavenly Father, but some
don’t want to ask You for it. Let the sun shine on the just and the unjust!
Amen”

November 18: BLESSINGS VERSUS ENTITLEMENTS

2007-11-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Most of us have already made our plans for how our family will celebrate Thanksgiving and that is a good thing. With just the slightest bit of sensitivity, every American can list reasons to be grateful. Even the poor in America, as we describe poverty, have more physical advantage than most of the world.
The words of Johnson Oatman, Jr. still challenges us: “Count your many blessings, Name them one by one; Count your many blessings, See what God has done.”
There is one troublesome idea that has evolved in our culture that runs contrary to the challenge to “count your blessings” and that is the idea of “entitlement”. Entitlement is the root of much selfishness and self-centered living. It is the temptation to gather more and more stuff because “I deserve this”.
Maybe you have heard, “I work hard so I’m entitled to good things” or “I pay my taxes and I deserve the benefits”. This kind of reasoning will never will never bow its knee in thanksgiving. Even the idea that “God owes me” is heard.
Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart.” (Job 1:21) I like that! God doesn’t owe me anything. He equips me with life and health and strength and I earn my support. I am now free to accept David’s invitation: “Let us come before Him in thanksgiving”, (Psalm 95:2) and “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:4)
Getting into a mood of thanksgiving and gratitude will release me to share my bounty with someone less fortunate. It seems trite to say “You can always find someone with less than you” but it is true and should lead us into thankful sharing.
In fact, we are commanded to be “rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18) We are debtors to a liberal God. Let us give thanks!

“Give us insight, Dear God, to worship you with grateful hearts and not just
make of Thanksgiving Day another holiday party. Amen”

November 17: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #8

2007-11-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Matthew 10:34-39 is a section from the life of Jesus described as the “hard sayings”; it begins with the statement “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.” Maybe that can help you accept the radical nature of these teachings that form the basis for life in the Kingdom of God. Mere religionist need not apply for citizenship in the Kingdom. Listen to these words from Matthew 5:10-11: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
You must appreciate the sheer honesty of Jesus. He did not come to make life easy but to make people great. He offered no “bargain basement” faith; it would be costly. Following Jesus could cost you your family, your friends, your job, your social club memberships. He said if the world persecutes me, it will persecute you. Luke 6:40 is the guide: “the slave is not above his master.”
Following Jesus in the first century was a matter of life and death. The Roman Emperor demanded to be worshipped as a god, the confession of devotion, “Caesar is Lord!” The followers of Jesus had their own confession, “Christ is Lord”. It cost many their lives and still does around the world. Penalties were and are extreme for Christians. Jesus did not want His followers to be surprised by persecution. As one Historian observed, “those eaten by the lions and thrown in the fire were the lucky ones, at least they died quickly.”
For the faithful believer, persecution is inevitable. The New Testament Church is bound to be the conscience of the nation and the society. Christ needs people who will live for Him more than he needs people who will die for Him. When a Kingdom citizen lives a moral, just, and righteous life he becomes a living judgement on all kinds of sin, without saying a word, and that makes the rejecters of Christ angry. Angry people will use any weapon at hand to get even or get revenge.
Jesus concluded His manifesto by pointing out that there is a long line of persecuted saints stretching across time.

“Dear Jesus, you have thrown down the gauntlet before us each day this week,
give us courage to pick it up and follow you daily until we die. Amen”

November 16: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #7

2007-11-15T19:13:00.001-08:00

We have tried to homogenize and pasteurize the Gospel so it will not be offensive to anyone. We have cut the heart out of the Good News. We have tried to tame Jesus so we would not be disturbed by His disturbing words. Here we are in a war-wracked world that is destructive in every direction but no one is clamoring to hear more about Matthew 5:9 where Jesus drops another radical bomb: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God”. And many so-called Bible-believing preachers are vocal supporters of the war that is killing and maiming at an alarming rate. Notice closely that Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the peace lovers” or “Blessed are the peace prayers” but blessed are the “peacemakers”. Peace is waged, just like war. We must work for it! In the Kingdom of God, every gulf of separation is bridgeable; people and races and nations can be brought together. That wonderful word “Shalom” from the Old Testament, that is translated “peace”, is not just the absence of conflict but makes everything work together for the good of all. Yesterday we talked about the pure in heart who can see God, having seen Him they then begin to imitate Him.
Being peacemakers means we don’t try to ignore or evade divisive issues but face them, deal with them, and conquer them. Peacemakers don’t attack the enemy but they do defend themselves if they are attacked. Some who philosophically say, “the best preparation for peace is to prepare for war” are just looking to evade this huge challenge.
Calvary’s cross is the greatest example of making peace. On the cross, God openly admitted the fact of sin and did not gloss over it. He exposed sin and then suffered for it. God did that to reconcile us with Himself. As long as men are at odds with God they will not be reconciled with themselves or their neighbors.
Jesus’ last bequest to us in John 14:27 was “my peace I give you”. He gives us His peace to equip us to be peacemakers. Peacemakers are truly “god’s children”. The world has usually reserved its highest honors for “war-makers’ and built statues to their memory but the Bible says we are “not of this world” so our point of view is different.

“O God, the world needs peacemakers so desperately! Wash this taste
for war and blood out of our minds and hearts. Amen”

November 15: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #6

2007-11-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Be ye being constantly pure in heart! This seems the most inaccessible. There is such a continuing sowing, even bombardment of the mind with impure ideas from the television, news, movie previews, and general conversation. How radical it would be to live one’s life with purity of heart!
What is purity of heart? Not sinless perfection; that is not what our Lord is asking of us. He wants a whole personality, mind, will, and emotions purged of worldliness. A rightness in the mind, not guilty of spiritual adultery. No lusting in the heart!
There is also the idea of singleness of motive. Not just outward actions under control but the very purpose of life to follow the model of Jesus in personal holiness. You know, chastity was a mark of early Christianity because it releases people from the greater bondage to the flesh and fleshly desires. This demands of us a most exacting self-evaluation. When someone complimented John Bunyan, he replied, “the Devil has already told me.”
How can we see God? People see what they want to see or what they are capable of seeing. There is the ultimate hope of seeing Jesus face-to-face after we die. Sensitivity and surrender will open the believer’s eyes to see God at work constantly here in the world. Acts 14:17 says, “God has not left himself without a witness”. In all that God has touched; for instance, in a world of beauty and poison in plants, the bee sips only the sweet and helpful. In the stories about King Arthur’s Roundtable it is related that Sir Galahad saw the Holy Grail because his “heart was pure.”
Being a man or woman after God’s own heart will give you discernment to see God. John Wesley once said that he read the daily paper to “see what God is doing in the world.”
You want to see God each day? Prepare your heart.

“Help us to surrender to You as Lord, Dear Jesus, so we can bring every part
of life under your single purpose for our lives. Thank You! Amen”

November 14: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #5

2007-11-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

In the new radical lifestyle that comes following the surrender of life to Jesus, all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17), especially our feelings about others. Matthew 5:7 states it: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” “Be you being merciful at all times”! One philosopher called mercy a “disease of the soul.” The Romans despised it in people. The Stoics disapproved. The Pharisees said you deserve anything bad that happens to you.
Mercy is more than sympathy. Mercy is more than skin-deep. It is more than saying “I am touched”. It is more than a wave of pity. One commentator said it is the ability to get inside someone’s skin and see life from their perspective. This demands a deliberate effort of our mind and will. Identification until we see and feel as they do. We sit with them and go through what they are going through.
The temptation when we see someone in pain is to say, “I don’t want to get involved, I must keep my distance.” “Mercy triumphs over judgement”, said James 2:13. We have a saying, “there but for the grace of God go I.” It is so easy to make snap judgements about people and their situations but mercy takes away the judging. Remember when Jesus came upon a group of men about to stone a woman to death because she had committed adultery? Jesus said, “let the one without sin cast the first stone” as He identified with the woman in her guilt and shame.
The Bible says in John 1:14, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” That is mercy being fleshed out in the ministry of Jesus. Lamentations 3:23 says, “it is the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed.” As God is merciful to us, we are called to be mercy givers. That means we are a perpetual receiver and a continuous giver. We are forever being filled and we are forever to be emptying out. Mercy is costly, it cannot be hoarded. It is our “tiny” Calvary inside His large Calvary.
If you find your self at a loss for words when confronted by a hurting person, tears will do.

“O lift us up to this high standard of mercy living, O Lord, may our
hearts be softened and our feelings tenderized to help the hurting. Amen”

November 13: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #4

2007-11-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:6 reveals the next revolutionary principle Jesus gave for those who would be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” You see, the Kingdom of Heaven has invaded the Kingdom of the Earth and this is the radical lifestyle to be expected from the lives of the converted.
This may be the most demanding and yet the most comforting of them all. It is difficult for most Americans to grasp this because most of us are never truly hungry or thirsty. But just as food and water are necessities in the physical life, righteousness is a necessity for the Christian.
To be congratulated are those believers who have an intense spiritual desire! Hunger and thirst are guarantees of good physical health, spiritual hunger is a sure sign of spiritual health. As we know, one of the first signs of sickness is a loss of appetite. When there is a hunger and thirst for total dependence on God, that is evidence of a new lifestyle. The desire for the defeat of sin and the triumph of Godly living is positive evidence that you are maturing. It is the kind of idea that David expressed in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Many Doctors have told their patients, “you are what you eat.” That is surely true in the spiritual life, also.
We are talking about a guaranteed result. Jesus is quoted in John 4:14, “whoever drinks the water I will give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Isaiah boldly asks, “why do you spend money on what is not going to satisfy?’ (Isaiah 55:1-2) How do you answer that?
Jesus gives us a better joy; the cleansing and sustaining joy of eternal life.
There is the old story of life during the Civil War that says people were so hungry that they ate dirt. And it made them sick. Regretfully, there are people eating the dirt of this world today and the hospitals are filled with their sicknesses.

“O Holy God, we want to be like You! Help us to have a growing appetite
for the things that lead to holiness and spiritual health. Amen”

November 12: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #3

2007-11-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

The radical nature of life in the Kingdom of God becomes even more counter-culture when we come to the third principle, found in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” There is no society in the world that exalts meekness. No one teaches their children to be meek. Yet, Jesus made meekness a quality of life in the Kingdom of God.
Let’s get this clear right away: meekness does not mean soft, weak, spineless, or ineffective. Some of the most recognizable names in the Bible were described as being meek in nature. For instance, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and David.
“To be congratulated are the meek”! What does the word mean? Obviously not what people think now. Literally it means a wild animal that has been brought under control. It has not lost its strength, it is now controlled power. Or, better said, under God’s control, because self-control is impossible. There is a true humility here that banishes the need for ego and pride. This quality can make you a world-changer. Those who are out-of-control or self-controlled often hurt people; not so those who have surrendered control to Christ.
Those who are in this state of meekness or God-controlled are those who stand when others around them are falling. Spiritual poverty and convicted mourning (that we have considered the last two days) ushers in faith submission to God and childlike obedience to His will. You have become a “redirected you”.
You are now ready to receive all of God’s best for you. Some assert their pride of race, some their pride of power, some their pride of knowledge but these “meek” assert their total need of and dependence on Jesus Christ.
When your power or strength is given over to be handled by the Son of God you are a refined instrument that He can use to better the world.

“Help us not to be afraid of this new lifestyle, Mighty God, that we might
experience the power of Your Holy Spirit and be controlled by You. Amen”

November 11: THE RADICAL KINGDOM #2

2007-11-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

The second Radical Kingdom marker is Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”. Is there blessing in sorrow? That is what Jesus is saying here. The world wants to always “enjoy” everything while the Kingdom citizen finds reason to grieve. Here is insight into what it means to serve a god of Holy Love. You want to see people respond to the love? Anyone can mourn over sin when he is caught but few mourn over being a sinner in the presence of God.
This is what it means to be broken hearted and contrite because of one’s spiritual poverty. Physical grief cannot be hidden nor can one hide it if grieving because of one’s spiritual condition. But God can see that grief and promises relief. God looks at the heart. God sees a person desperately sorry for their sins and the resulting feelings of unworthiness and God promises relief.
Make no mistake about it: Christianity begins with a sense of sin, that it is not a mistake or a shortcoming but it is intentional rejecting of perfect love. Knowing what my sin has done to God and the Son of God results in a broken heart; God will respond to that when the world will ignore you in your grief. “They will be comforted” is the promise. God will come alongside and God will give strength to live in the strength of the Kingdom. Psalm 51:7 has David saying about God from his own personal experience, “a broken and contrite heart he will not despise.”
What is the way to the joy of forgiveness? Through the desperate sorrow of a broken heart! The cross of Jesus is a wake-up call. We need an experience that will wake us up to spiritual reality. Coming into the Kingdom will give us that gift. When a human sees what his sin is and what his sin does he needs to admit it, mourn it, and turn it over to the Lord. Paul discovered this and said in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “godly sorrow brings repentance”. Repentance brings forgiveness. The logical next step after verse 3 is verse 4. Jesus will transform your sorrow.

“Thank You God for the offer of strength and forgiveness when we are so
weakened by grieving our sin. We need Your strength daily. Amen”

November 10: THE RADICAL KINGDOM

2007-11-09T19:04:00.001-08:00

For the next ten days I want us to be challenged by the radical ideas of Jesus in the “Kingdom of God”. This was the passion of Jesus; it was the place where the radical lifestyle of the Kingdom citizen would be exhibited. It was Revolutionary! It was a New Decalogue! It was the first salvo fired against the self-righteousness of the world and established religion. Jesus said in effect in one message what He would say explicitly by his living. He cut across all ethical systems. He reveals the secret of true happiness. His family and everyone else thought He was crazy. These teachings are commonly called “The Beatitudes”. I like to call them the “be-attitudes” because these words describe a state of being.
The first one is Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” “To be congratulated” are those who recognize their spiritual poverty. This is the root of all that follows. Pride is the root of all sin; poverty of spirit is the root of all virtue. We must be aware of our own spiritual poverty and trust entirely in God’s mercy and help. Congratulations to those who wake up to their sin and then, in looking to Jesus, wake up to righteousness. When we realize that the riches of Heaven are inexhaustible through Jesus, we rely entirely on him to deliver us. It is so hard to detach ourselves from the things of the world and attach ourselves wholly to Jesus.
Notice that “Kingdom citizenship” becomes a present possession and not just “pie in the sky”. Not a pious hope of what shall be but congratulations on what is being experienced now. It is a radical experience to be released from depending on the material and to find one’s first joy in the things of the spirit. This is a life of real joy, joy that is independent of chance or condition.
When you experience and receive he gift of new life as a Kingdom citizen, the world can never take it away from you.

“O God, you have thrown down the gauntlet again today and dared us to
become citizens of Your Kingdom. By Your grace, we will join You. Amen”

November 9: HOW DO YOU FIGURE?

2007-11-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year when many churches begin to plan their budget for the coming year. My own church will vote on the annual budget next week. To do things in an orderly fashion is becoming for the church as a public organization, it operates on the voluntary contributions of its members. The books are always open for public scrutiny, unlike the six televangelists who were subpoenaed by Congress this week.
Is there a biblical guide that the church uses for its members in supporting herself? Yes, several.
One in particular is Malachi 3:10 (NIV), “Bring the whole tithe (one-tenth) into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
This simple guide will keep the church from being a burden on the community, never needing any kind of government funding or getting involved in ridiculous money-making adventures. Since giving is a wholly voluntary act, the element of worship through giving is always possible, if the giver’s heart is attuned to God.
Another good guide is 1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV) “On the first day of every week (Sunday), each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” The importance of this passage is the reminder that God provides material blessing weekly for us to cover the expenses of our household and we should likewise carefully provide for the expenses of the church performing her deeds of service to the community.
Churches that take these and other Scriptural guidelines seriously have no problem in supporting the annual budgets of their church.
How do you measure up to the guide? If you would reverse the words of Malachi 3:10 you would soon discover that you cannot live without the blessings of the Lord.

“Teach us to love our church and all she does to help our community rise
to a higher level of love and concern for one another, especially the needy.
Amen”

November 8: YOU AND THE HUNGRY

2007-11-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

How do you react to those people at the intersection in front of the Shopping Center with the sign “Will Work For Food”? Do you look the other way and avoid eye contact? Or do you yell “faker” at them because you heard that people had offered them a job and they refused? Do you give them $1 and say, “God bless you”?
People react differently. One of the worst things that can happen is to feel the sudden pangs of a guilty conscience and when that is over, just forget it. Remember that you don’t have to feel guilty because you have been blessed by God and live in a land of plenty. If you misuse your “plenty”, then you have good reason to feel guilty.
One truth the materialistic world seems to have forgotten is that God is the champion of the cause of the hungry. “Give generously” to the poor and needy is the instruction in Deuteronomy 15:7-11. “God loves the needy and gives him food”, says Deuteronomy 10:15.
If you are going to be a godly person, you must do something concrete about feeding the hungry. When Job had his problems and lost his wealth, his friends suggested that Job was being punished for not caring for the poor and hungry. Job’s prayer in chapter 31:16-17 acknowledges the expectations that a “man of God” should be doing something for the hungry.
God is so radical about this he even says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat.” (Proverbs 25:21)
When you look at the church in the New Testament, it’s easy to conclude that the most frequently taken offering was to benefit the poor and hungry. Acts 11:29 said the church “decided to provide help” when they heard about the famine.
How often does your church receive an offering for the hungry? Does your church have a “Hunger Committee”? Are the children being taught to be caring for the hungry?

“Most of us in America are continuously filled, O God, even being stuffed.
Grant us the grace to share our bounty with the needy and hungry. Amen”

November 7: THE POWER TO PERSUADE

2007-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

More and more churches seem to want to copy the world’s way of doing things. Does the church fear getting weaker and being ignored? Has the church failed to do its job in Jesus’ way and now must resort to doing things the world’s way? Is the church going to make a bigger impact on the world by imitating the world?
Only time will tell. But I am having a hard time finding a Biblical basis for boycotts, demonstrations, coalitions and strikes. Jesus never lead by intimidation or threat. He was always appealing to right and reason. He acted totally independent the day he turned over the tables of the money changers in the Temple. (Mark 11:15-17) It would have been a good day for a demonstration, if he had wanted to lead one.
We need to reconcile the Bible with real life as Christians. Jesus said, “the gates of Hades will not overcome” the work of his church, it would be unstoppable. (Matthew 16:18 NIV) In Zechariah 4:6 (NIV), “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” Neither Jesus nor Paul ever led a boycott.
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus talked about his followers as “salt and light”. With these elements, we are talking about something that can accomplish a great deal without drawing attention to itself. Even a small amount of salt or light can accomplish a lot and no one will be signaled out as the enemy.
The power of persuasion Jesus used was in his love for his church. We must have convictions. We must stand up for them, even be willing to die for them. But we must not, by threat, try to convince others that they must join us. You might get the presence of a body but you will not get the conviction of the soul.
I think we need to show a kind of “quiet fanaticism” in our faithful living the Christian life daily. Someone said, “if there is a man on fire, people will come to watch him burn.” Personal passion has a powerful effect.

“We are often ignored in our daily living, Dear Lord, and we want to
be beacons that constantly burn and show the way to your salvation. Amen”

November 6: THE CHURCH

2007-11-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

“The body is a unit, though it is made of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ! For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV)
“So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5)
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV)
The message is clear in the New Testament: There is only one Church in whatever city or town you live. It may meet in many different places. It may have many different ways of worship. It may have several different organizational styles. But each is an expression of The Church.
Don’t put your adjective before the word Church. Just let The Church be The Church. A lot of money that is used for competitive advertising could be saved. A lot of energy that is wasted in defending a particular style or doctrine could be saved by simply allowing the Church to be the Church according to simple New Testament descriptive terms from the Book of Acts.
When Ephesians 5:25 (NIV) says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself for her”, was the Bible meaning to say just your denomination or your local congregation? The answer is obvious. It is time for us to overcome our pride, cliquishness, traditions, and whatever else separates us from being the Church.
When the people of God act like the unified family of God, many more people will believe.

“Help your children, God, to know that they are all beloved children
and that they are all loved equally and should act like it. Amen”

November 5: BEFORE YOU GO TOO FAR, THINK!

2007-11-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to step out on the freeway and raise a caution flag as the traffic speeds up on the way to December 25. Since the biggest money-maker at the mall jumped out on the first of October and began to slash prices and offer great bargains before any of her competitors was ready, the consumer world has been rocking.
The famous “day-after-Thanksgiving” sales, aka “Black Friday”, will be hard-pressed to make an impact. But that won’t stop them from trying: I visited one mall that had ads out that it would open the day after Thanksgiving at 12:01 a.m.
My request to you for the next seven weeks: Don’t forget the hungry, the homeless, the hopeless, and the spiritually impoverished who have not experienced the Gospel.
The Bibles asks: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16)
For the lonely, God has made this provision: Praise be to the God of all Comfort “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4) Jesus described his own life work as coming to the world to save those who are lost. (Matthew 18:11)
I feel the heartbeat of Paul when he says, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16) Because of the serious physical, emotional, and spiritual need around us there must come a new “intense intentionality” into our lifestyle. We can be actively doing “random deeds of kindness” wherever we go, intentionally. We can let our “hearts be broken by the things that break the heart of God” as Bob Pierce purposed.
Let us distance ourselves from the “cult of callousness”. Every day that we begin to think about preparing for Christmas, let us ask ourselves “whose birthday are we celebrating?”
We can make a difference for ourselves and others, if we start now!

“God of all Mercy, we get so wrapped up and preoccupied in the holiday
seasons, that we forget to keep the main thing before our eyes. Help! Amen”

November 4: THE HEART OF A RELATIONSHIP

2007-11-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

I am feeling grateful again today for the liberty that is mine (and yours) to choose an experiential faith as my life guide and not an established religion that is required by the government and strictly enforced. It is sad when people are enslaved to a religious system.
Religion can give you a name or title but it can never offer the dynamic personal testimony of a changed and changing life. It is not a question of where and what you were born but how you were “born again”. (John 3:1-7)
Here is a scenario: A person discovers the Bible and begins to read. There is a cumulative effect of the teachings stored in the mind on how special you are in God’s eyes. Almost daily there is a personal invitation from God to join him in a “from here to eternity” journey. A personal promise like “I am with you always to the end of time” (Matthew 28:20) offers too much assurance to turn down.
I believe in the Biblical doctrine of “Individual Soul Competency” and so I know that I am responsible for my answer to God’s free offer.
Some folks count the Commandments the way weight-watchers count calories; seeing how close they can walk to the edge without getting caught or how many chocolates they can eat before it is too many. This kind of motivation negates the effect of the religion!
A faith-based relationship is like a magnet drawing me to do as much “good” as I can rather than seeing how much “evil” I can do and not get caught. Religion promotes fear! A relationship promotes peace and assurance because “no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand”, said Jesus in John 10:29.
Becoming a child of God means just that, experiencing a spiritual birth that keeps on changing your life while deepening the assurance.

“How sweet it is to say ‘Our Father’ since Jesus came to live in my
heart and is constantly reaffirming our relationship. Amen”

November 3: PRAYER CONNECTS YOU WITH GOD

2007-11-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

What’s this thing about praying? A friend asked me recently, “Doesn’t God know everything? Doesn’t God know what we need before we ask him? So, prayer is a waste of time, it’s unnecessary.”
My answers to the questions are “yes” and “yes”, but my conclusions are different.
Prayer is absolutely necessary in the life of the believer. It is part of the faith-trust relationship. It is an expression of the ongoing dialogue with God. Prayer is discovering God’s will for my life and lining up my life accordingly, following his instructions.
Can you imagine a father and his child living together in harmony not spending as much time as possible conversing? Of course not, because they never run out of something to say.
Prayer does not stop and start, waiting only for certain places and feelings; rather it is a continuous sharing about everything. For instance, Fay and I have been married for over 50 years. Conversation never ends. Some issues are discussed only once, some come up daily for weeks, some are mentioned from time to time. The satisfaction is in the continuing dialogue and clarification that is on-going. “Having your way” or “demanding what you want” is not a suitable attitude. Or assuming a threatening stance, “I want an answer now” is not an option.
The Bible teaches, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That is not about “bargaining with God” or feeling “God owes me”. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:11 about “daily bread” being daily requested? Prayer is a constant dialogue not a drop-in at a 24-hour market to ask a favor.
You can learn to pray in Jesus’ name (John 14:13) and be confident in the answer as you grow closer to him. Prayer is not like a heavenly slot machine with meaningless payoffs, God’s answers are rooted in love!

“What a wonderful assurance, Loving Father, knowing that Jesus lives
in us through the Holy Spirit and is always available to talk. Amen”

November 2: REMEMBER THE HUNGRY

2007-11-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful time of the year to live in a rural area. It is the climax of the harvest season. The roadside farmers market and the giant harvesters in the fields give evidence of a good harvest. Now, who will get to enjoy all of the harvest becomes the big question. If history is any reflection of fact, most of the harvested food will go to homes that already have filled pantries and filled freezers. Sad!
Those living below the poverty line will still have to worry about their next meals.
Ample food is being produced in the world to feed every person, but we are woefully weak in its distribution. We don’t demand of our politicians that they pass laws that will facilitate food distribution to the hungry of the world, so they focus attention on the distribution of weapons of destruction and ammunition. Shame on us!
We want the world to look up to us so we try to achieve it by force. God’s Word says, “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58: 9a-10)
We look for world domination through power, but it can only come through serving the needy and working for justice.
Regardless of the religion we profess by mouth, the Judgement Day that Jesus described in Matthew 25:31-46 hinges on the hard, cold reality of, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink”. (verse 42)
Does your church have an ongoing focus on relieving world hunger? Are you teaching the children how to practically share with the hungry?
Feeding the hungry aligns you with Jesus.

“Dear Lord, please sensitize us to the needs of the hungry people of our
world and challenge us to be more liberal in helping them. Amen”

November 1: NATURAL CALAMITIES AND YOU

2007-10-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

Once again the News has been dominated by vivid pictures of natural disasters. Once again familiar themes have been raised. The people of California wonder aloud how they could have protected themselves against the ravages of the forest fires. The devastation was thorough. The citizens of Haiti are reeling from the flood damage today that left a trail of destruction and death. Remember how the Japanese voiced frustration that the best theories of “earthquake proofing” their buildings and infrastructure had not saved them from death and destruction. Live interviews with the survivors included people who said they thought it was the end of the world.
Jesus declared in Mark 13:8 that “earthquakes and famines” are the prelude to the end, not the end of the world.
This does not encourage Californians, for instance, who are being told by seismologists that a massive earthquake is coming. More people are moving away from the west coast to the east coast than ever before.
Is there a more important lesson to be learned? Can apocalyptic events in nature be a wake-up call spiritually?
Yes, and there are people who make a positive response in their spiritual lives. It is like the experience some have in reading the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Although it was not intended to scare people away from hell and into heaven, the graphic nature of the symbols used often serves that purpose. That is to say, the smell of fire and brimstone effects a spiritual awakening. Better a fear-induced conversion than none at all.
A more positive response would be to “be prepared in season and out of season”. (2 Timothy 4:2) Many are great at procrastinating. The path of least resistance is to push spiritual issues and truths aside until a crisis presents itself, then to make a response under pressure. David appeals in Psalm 95:7 is, “today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”.
You can’t avoid natural disasters, every country has them. You can avoid being unprepared to handle it spiritually.

“Sometimes, O God, when sudden and shocking events occur, we tend to
forget both our reason and our faith. Save us from saying something dumb.
Amen”

October 31: TRICK OR TREAT ?

2007-10-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

If you hadn’t noticed, it’s Halloween again! It’s a festival celebrated on October 31. Its name means “hallowed evening” or “holy evening” because it takes place on the day before some Christians celebrate a day called All Saints Day, which is supposed to honor all Christian saints.
Many superstitions and symbols are connected with Halloween: jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, fairies, witches, elves, and black cats all got started with Halloween.
Just goes to show you that something that started as a religious event can end up with no religious meaning at all or the reverse, a pagan festival can be baptized and Christianized by some folks and they receive spiritual help from it.
In America, the advertising world has done a great job in making another big “money” day for stores that sell a lot of Halloween costumes and pumpkins.
Most kids see it as an excuse to eat too much candy and try to fool the neighbors with false faces. People who believe in the occult use the occasion to promote their ideas and actions.
What is a Biblical perspective? You can ignore it as far as spiritual significance is concerned. In the present environment you could celebrate it simply as a bit of “Americana”. Or you could try to take your current community idea about Halloween and turn it around to make it a happy Christian celebration without threat or danger. Or, if you are a Christian, you know that you are a saint already and that every day is a special day for saints and let your joy overflow because of Jesus.
In the Bible you will find no “trick or treat”, only blessing. John 20:31 says, “but these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
No trickery. No fear. No scary stuff. Just a sure promise. Be glad about that today.

“O Unchanging God, thank You for not tricking us or playing games
to tease us about our possibility of a new and joyful life with You. Amen”

October 30: A SHOCKING THOUGHT

2007-10-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

I don’t know why it had a shock effect on me when I heard someone say, “People have the right to go to Hell if they want.” I knew that but to hear it our loud made me stop.
It reminded me of that man George Wilson back in 1861 who refused to accept the governor’s pardon and was executed. They tried to force him to accept it. But Chief Justice John Marshall had ruled during his life that a pardon is just a piece of paper until it is received. To become effective, it must be executed publicly by all parties. Media coverage wasn’t great in those days but all were amazed when they heard it. The spiritual implications here are heavy.
“It is appointed to every person to die and after that the judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27) “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 6:23) “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Yes, the Bible very clearly and directly declares that each of us has a choice to make. God made us but he will not make a choice for us. He gave us the freedom to decide where we would spend eternity.
Is it blindness? Stubbornness? Foolishness? When there is a choice between life and death, why would anyone choose death?
This must be the work of the Great Deceiver. The Prince of Darkness blinds people and they do not know where they are going. (! John 2:11)
When people have been deceived (2 John 1:7) and reject life, we can only gratefully say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”.
Urge anyone you know who is making the wrong decision to please consider their choice again.

“Open our blinded eyes to see the truth, Mighty God, and grant us the
wisdom to make the right choice. Amen”

October 29: SOMEBODY NEEDS YOUR LOVE

2007-10-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

The natural tendency of us all is self-love. At Valentine Day celebrations folks wonder if they are loved. They wonder if they will get cards from folks reminding them of how they are loved. Regretfully, other people wait out each day in quiet desperation for the assurance of being loved. As you read this, do you feel loved?
I remember as a boy plucking the petals from a daisy saying, “She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not”. And if it didn’t turn out as I wanted, I plucked another daisy and started over. Did you ever do that?
In a very real sense, you are rubbing shoulders daily with people who have run out of roses. Someone has to step up and surprise them with love. Many of them will live out their lives in quiet sadness. Some will break out in violent acts of desperation because of their loveless situation.
Stop looking at the mirror on the wall recounting all of the lovable things about you. Love somebody else today. Love begets love! The Bible says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” (1 John 4:7 NIV)
I won’t waste your time today on the question, “Does God love you?” You and I both know he does. I am challenging you to get up and do an intentional love act for someone else’s benefit.
Each of us has received many love gifts in our lives, now is the time to pass it on. “Let us not love with words or tongues but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:15 NIV)
There are many widows and widowers, many aged and alone, many divorced, many children of divorced, many powerless and disenfranchised, many foreigners and refugees who don’t speak English well enough to get around; get out and show some love to some of these people. Don’t wait to be asked.
Somebody needs a piece of your love today. It will be a happier day for you and you will sleep more contentedly tonight if you love somebody today. Your heart may tell you that is what you really needed to make your life meaningful.

“Thank You God, for loving us! Forgive us for being hoarders of your
love and not sharers. Set us free to give some love away, in Your Name.
Amen”

October 28: WHEN SUCCESS FAILS

2007-10-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Success is not always success, if in the success you fail God. I think that’s why some people never enjoy their success. They get what they strive and work for to get approval from men but result in disappointment from God.
Not all success is god-given. Success that takes you away from fruitfulness for God’s Kingdom is a miserable failure. “They loved praise from men more than the praise of God” is the way Jesus evaluated it in John 12:43 (NIV).
I know that the world’s applause is pretty heady stuff. When you beat out a lot of your companions in competition for a position, it can turn your head around. But at what cost? If you become more and more preoccupied with your self accomplishment, your attention to spiritual responsibility will lessen. Eventually people get around to making an official resignation for their spiritual responsibility but the harm has been done because they “quit” before they “resigned”.
This is often a sad event in the life of the church family. For example, here is a man or woman who is floundering. No direction! They meet Jesus, He gives direction and purpose to life. This “born again” person begins to live a new life, now open under “new management”. Talents or abilities hopelessly buried in fear, sin, and insecurity begin to emerge. Fellow workers and supervisors notice the change in productiveness. Promotions come. Perks increase. And this person suddenly gets the big-head and thinks he or she has done it by himself. Then they begin to forget God. The success becomes a failure with God.
This was a major concern of God when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt and gave them Canaan. Read the Book of Deuteronomy. Success seems to be a bad eraser of grateful memories for past blessing.
Go ahead, be successful. Success is good. Just remember where it came from. Live gratefully daily. Be faithful to God who gave you success.

“Dear God, sensitize our memories so we will always remember where
we were when You found us. Thanks for saving us from destruction. Amen”

October 27: ARE YOU A FRIEND OF JESUS?

2007-10-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

Have you noticed the bumper sticker “I’m a FONZ”? It is the symbol for a group of people who love and support our National Zoo in Washington, D.C. A F.O.N.Z. is a Friend of National Zoo. Very catchy, isn’t it? I have discovered another group of people that need to get organized and sell bumper stickers. These are the Friends of Jesus. (FOJ)
For years I have tried to figure out this large group of people who show up for church services at Christmas and Easter. They consider themselves to be Christian folk but would never make a commitment to follow Jesus but are friendly toward Jesus. Usually they have several Bibles in their homes, watch religious specials on the television, and fondly remember events from childhood about “going to church”.
Yes, they are friends of Jesus! These folks hold to the ethical teaching of Jesus, maybe not too tightly, but hold on to them nonetheless.
A friend of Jesus is so sure of this “friendly” relationship that he doesn’t have to trouble himself with such trivia as going to church every Sunday to listen to someone talk who knows no more than he does. Friends of Jesus believe that America is still a Christian nation because so many people are friendly toward Jesus.
Are you a FOJ? The problem is that being a friend of Jesus is more than feeling friendly toward Jesus. In John 15:14 (NIV) Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.”
To be a real “FOJ” involves the total surrender of your life to Jesus. It’s giving him control of your life. Two or three days a year doesn’t measure up.
There is a tendency in western society to trivialize Christianity to nothing more than a holiday. Familiarity may not breed contempt for Christianity but certainly a tendency not to take it seriously.

“Father, we love to sing the old hymn about ‘what a friend we have in
Jesus’ without counting the cost of living up to the words. Help us! Amen”

October 26: UNITY AND ONENESS IN CHRIST

2007-10-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

As I left my house there was a most beautiful picture in our living room. My wife was hosting a meeting of the different racial and ethnic groups represented in our church. It was an international breakfeast that looked like a sub-committee of the United Nations.
I was so glad because I saw a scene from the Bible in living color. In Revelations 5:9 (NIV) the enthroned Jesus is praised in this way, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Soon after in Chapter 7:9, there is a scene of worship described in this way: “after this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
Those are the goals of unity and oneness that God is moving us to in the Christ family. You may have to learn a whole new language or liturgy in Heaven. Your present one may have too much pride and exclusivism in it. You may have to learn about and join a whole new denomination in Heaven, such as, the “Christians for Jesus” denomination. Your present denomination may have divided people and fostered spiritual pride too much to be recycled for Heavenly use.
You just don’t see spiritual and racial pride in Heaven. If you are carrying some of that baggage now, you might as well pitch it in the trash; it will never make it past the Spiritual Security Forces at Heaven’s Gate.
1 John 4:20 (NIV) is still in my Bible, “for anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” The message is clear for His Church!

“Lord, make us one, bind us together and keep us together. Show us the
ugliness of Christians being divided over silly things. Amen”

October 25: ARE YOU IN THE FAITH?

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I always read with interest the religious polls and surveys that are reported in the news or sent to me. It amazes me that so many people can claim religious feelings or principles in answering an anonymous question but show little evidence in the life of the community of life-changing convictions. Then I read 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV), “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”
Here is a challenge to conduct a poll of one: With yourself! No one is taking notes. No one will read the results. The only question is: “Are you in the faith?” Not, “Are you in the church?” Not, “Are you a religious person?” Not, “Do you believe in a Supreme Being?” Not, “Do you think elected officials should be religious?” Just a simple question, “Are you in the faith?”
This will clear away all of the side issues. This has nothing to do with traditional values or community acceptance.
“Are you in the faith?” If you are, you should start living up to your faith. It will be the controlling force of your life. It will define you. It will give purpose to your life.
Many ask, “How can this be such a religious country and yet have so many moral and ethical problems?” That’s it! We are a religious country, we have many religious people. We are not a people of faith. People of faith are controlled by their faith, people of religion control their religion. They master it, they determine the appropriate time to use their religion. Not so with faith. Faith demands to be heard in every situation.
The polls may reveal nothing about you. Your faith will reveal all about you. In James 2:18 (NIV) the declaration is, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” Religious people will disappoint you. Faith people do not disappoint.

“God, save me from being a phony! Save me from talking about faith
and then not living up to what I profess to believe. Amen”

October 24: RESOLVING THE UNRESOLVED

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There are many questions that American society feels it has reached an intellectually correct and emotionally satisfying answer. It is a part of what we call “progress”, some would even call it a part of our evolution to a higher level of life.
That’s partly why I don’t understand our lagging behind other advanced countries resolving the question of capital punishment. There are only a few countries that persist in this form of punishment for crime, none of whom we would want to emulate otherwise. So, we continue to act out a tragicomedy at the prisons whenever there is an execution, a macabre dance of the absurd.
One group holds candles and prays quietly while a few yards away a placard-carrying group shouts further denunciation on the victim.
One group calls for justice while the other calls for mercy. No one changes their mind and the actors will reassemble at the next scheduled execution.
I call it absurd because legalized murder is still taking a life. From my perspective, giving and taking of life is divine right, only. If God had wanted us to use capital punishment to deal with murders, the book of Genesis in the Bible would have been the ideal place to teach it. Genesis 4 records how God dealt with the first murderer. Cain received a physical mark that identified him as a murderer and the whole community recognized it.
A lasting punishment without a parole system, that’s better than adding to the murders committed. Murder is such a serious crime. God says in several places, “it is mine to avenge, I will repay.” (Romans 12:19)
The heavy matter of final disposition of every case is in the hands of the Righteous Judge. Spiritual people ought to find a peaceful resolution. Churches ought to be strong towers affirming life and never joining the world in the lust for blood revenge.

“Jesus, Son of God, You taught us to love and forgive our enemies and
to be agents of healing in this broken world. Remind us again of this! Amen”

October 23: BEING ACCOUNTABLE

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Nathan and David shared a close relationship. Drawn together by God’s hand in the history of Israel, they had a strong mutual respect.
Both prophet and king were men of God’s own choosing and shared the spiritual leadership of the people of God. Mutual support. Mutual admiration. Mutually holding each other accountable to God and their calling.
David the King and Nathan the prophet were naturally close to each other. But then the day came when Nathan had to take an action that would threaten their whole relationship. 2 Samuel 12:7 records the famous line spoken by Nathan to David, “You are the man.”
As men of power often do, David let his power go to his head. As king, there was none higher, why shouldn’t he do what he wanted, after all, God had put him in power.
When his power made it easy to seduce another man’s wife, he sought to use his power again to extricate himself from the mess he created.
Innocent people did not cooperate in his plot. His sin was a shameful blot on the people of God. So God sent prophet Nathan with the single task of exposing the sin of his friend, King David. It was an unpleasant and even life-threatening task. With a masterful story he created an atmosphere where David pronounced judgement on himself.
Everybody needs a Nathan, whether he is a prophet or not. Probably best if he is a prophet of God because he will have a Biblical perspective on how to clean up the mess.
You need someone who will be so honest with you that they will point out your sins and shortcomings that everyone else sees but won’t tell you. Best friends won’t let you get by with trying to cover up your sin by ignoring the consequences.
Is there a Nathan in your life? Find one soon and ask him to help you maintain your witness.

“Thank You God for friends who are more concerned about our daily
walk with You than in just making us feel good about life. Amen”

October 22: BEWARE A DYING CHURCH

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It certainly sounds contradictory to say a “dying church”. Does it sound better to say “a dying congregation”? No! Both sound dreadfully wrong.
Yet it is not unusual today to see former houses of worship being used as restaurants, museums, pool rooms, and the like. How did that come to be? A place formerly dedicated to the worship of God going to the highest bidder?
It is happening in all denominations. Sometimes the racial balance in a community changes and a congregation refuses to adjust. Sometimes a factory closes and the economic base of the community leaves and the remaining people say they cannot afford this luxury of keeping up a big building. Sometimes the second or third generation of the founders move away and the original care group that kept it active dies.
It is always sad, no matter the reason. Some churches die long before the congregation does. “The church” is the people of God who make up the congregation and when they lose sight of their identity, sad days follow.
You can visit these congregations and see a lot of activity but not experience the holiness of God. This “consumer generation” wants the church to give them what they “want”, not what they “need”.
So you may find a congregation focusing on feeling good or political action or social work or intellectual challenge and feeling good about what they are ‘offering” the community but there is no reality of the Presence of God. It may be a congregation going actively down the road to experiencing “extinction”.
The key to avoiding a dying church or dying congregation? Look for the characteristics described in Acts 2:42-47 climaxing with the last phrase: “and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
This kind of congregation will never die because the church in the congregation cannot die.

“Dear Lord of the Church, You have called us your co-workers in the task
of nurturing the church and building up her impact on the world. Thanks! Amen”

October 21: GOD'S ANNUAL PARADE OF COLOR

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When the poet said, “I think that I will never see a poem as lovely as a tree” it must have been in the fall.
The annual parade of color is such a blessing for us. Beauty makes everybody feel better. Of course, it is a reminder of things to come, and we need to prepare for winter. Let’s just enjoy the beauty for a while!
In Psalm 27:4 David said, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” Since this world is His, we can be sensitive to all the beauty he has in his house. I am not a pantheist to believe that God is nature and nature is God but I believe that God has made all of the beautiful things of nature for us.
So many beautiful trees and flowers have been buried under concrete and asphalt in our metropolitan areas that we have to appreciate what we have. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:9)
In the Bible there is a definite connection between beauty and worship. We have many great museums in our country and they have many beautiful and expensive paintings. But even the poorest of men can stroll around a wooded area and experience first-hand a beauty that can never be captured on canvas.
Even the famous atheist of many years ago, Robert Ingersoll, said there were some things that he couldn’t explain; they were too special to have just happened by accident.
Its tough to be an atheist on a beautiful fall day. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

“God of all beauty, it all begins in You and is a reflection of Your great
compassion for us. What a joy to see You at work in this world. Amen”

October 20: A WORD FROM THE LORD!

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As I write this Blog today I am aware of the fact that I have been doing this for 10 months. And some of you have been reading this for 10 months. Thank you very much!
The purpose of these writings can be found in Proverbs 25:11 (NIV), “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
Sometimes it only takes a word for God to get us back on track. Just a word of encouragement or correction or discipline can be used by the Holy Spirit of God to turn a life around. With a liberal use of verses from the Bible and practical commentary from life, I hope to speak ‘aptly’ to you.
One of the worst disasters that could come to a life would be to experience a famine of the Word of the Lord. This Blog could become a spiritual oasis for people trapped in that predicament.
Amos 8:11 (NIV) says, “the days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land, not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” For people lost in the desert of their own thinkings and wonderings, the word of God can point people to the way of truth.
Once you read this daily “thought” then you become responsible to share it with someone else. If a message from the Lord can be compared to silver and gold in beauty and value, surely, we would be empowered to tell someone else the encouraging word. Until they can overcome the barrier built in their mind against going back to a Church again, you could help them to read these words daily and the Holy Spirit could gradually remove the barrier.
Consider the words you read and speak very closely, someone’s future may be depending on it. As God sometimes reminds me of what He said away back in Genesis that I am my “brother’s keeper”.

“Thank You, God, for the way You speak to us in surprising places and
in surprising ways. As we are refreshed, help us to be refreshment, too! Amen”

October 19: SUPPORTING THE KINGDOM

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The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week (that’s Sunday), each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
This principle guides the financial support and well-being of most Christian churches. Since churches are voluntary organizations, the giving is entirely voluntary. The premise is that God has enough financial blessing in every congregation to support His work. It shouldn’t be by force or pressure. It should not be by manipulation or guilt inflicted.
As God prospers His children, they in turn set aside a liberal amount to give to God as a love gift and participating gift in building the Kingdom of God. Some give one-tenth of their income, some give more. The verse said “in keeping with his income”, in other words “to whom much is given, much is expected.” That is only fair and keeps the church finances sufficient.
When you go to worship God, you go to worship with your “presence” and your “presents” of money gifts. Both parts are uniquely you. Both parts really represent the depth of your commitment to our Lord and the work of His Kingdom here on earth. And, the people around you in Worship are blessed by both your “presence” and your “presents”.
The truth of the matter of giving is this: A true worship experience of the Living God who gave His Only Son to die on the cross (John 3:16) will cause the people of God to give more liberally than ever before. A Vision of God’s generosity provokes a spirit of grateful giving. Prepare today for Sunday’s worship. Pause right now. Reflect a moment on God’s liberality with you. Plan today for a “right amount” on Sunday. Don’t put it off until Saturday.

“I love your church, O Lord, it is the joy of my life to be a part of
nourishing her and helping her grow in every way. Amen”

October 18: POLITICAL ACTIVISM AND YOU

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It’s that time of year when some churches and ministers embarrass themselves. Hungering for public attention or the elusive “impacting society” goal they will publicly endorse a certain party platform or candidate.
When the voting is over they will see that they have been used by a political machine and have not gained any respect. It’s tempting to the church to want political influence, that’s why the church is married to the government in many countries.
It was that way in the early days of Virginia. We must remember that the period of history when church and state were totally married is called “the Dark Ages”. “It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6) that changes in society are made. Just as the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall fell without a shot being fired, so God can destroy any government that is hurtful to his people. Political activism can be a very dangerous fruit for the church to taste.
The Apostle Paul offered a radical alternative to political activism. Being the great student that he was of the life and ministry of Jesus, he knew that Jesus never started a policy party nor did he tell his disciples to do so. He told them to be the “salt of the earth and the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) In so doing they would change the world!
Jesus came to the world to solve the “sin problem” of men and women. He did that perfectly. The first century was a terrible time of human abuse and pain. Paul’s answer to the problems of his time was to lead people to a saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He changed his world one life at a time not by taking over a political party.
Politics can’t change the world, but Jesus can and that’s what churches are supposed to teach. Don’t allow Satan to take down the “wall of separation” between the Church and the State where you live.

“Help us to be good citizens, O God, of this democratic land You have
given us. Help us not to bully other people with our ideas. Amen”

October 17: THE SOUNDS OF HARVEST

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It’s a beautiful time of the year to live in a rural area. It is the climax of the Harvest season. The Roadside Farmer’s Market and the giant harvesters in the fields give evidence of a good harvest. Now, who will get to enjoy all of the harvest becomes the big question. If history is any reflection of fact, the majority of the harvested food will go to homes that already have filled pantries and filled freezers. Sad! Those living below the poverty level will still have to worry about their next meal.
Ample food is being produced in the world to feed every person but we are woefully weak in our distribution. We don’t demand of our politicians that they pass laws that will facilitate food distribution to the hungry of the world so they focus their attention on the distribution of weapons of destruction and ammunition.
Shame on us! We want the world to look up to us so we try to achieve it by force. God’s Word says, “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:9a-10) We look for world dominance through power but it can only come through serving the needy and working for justice.
Regardless of the religion we profess by mouth, the Judgement Day that Jesus describes in Matthew 25:31-46 hinges on the hard, cold reality of “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.” (v.42) Does your church have a on-going focus on relieving World Hunger? Are you teaching the children how to practically share with the hungry? Feeding the hungry aligns you with Jesus.

“It is such a simple and clear lesson that You teach us, Dear Lord, about
feeding the hungry. Forgive us, please, our hard and cold hearts. Amen”

October 16: SENSITIVE TO HUMAN NEED

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October 15: OVERCOME OR BE OVERCOME?

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Everyone has either been overcome or is an overcomer. Your situation in life gets so difficult or your problem becomes so large that it simply overcomes you. Your habit gets so deeply ingrained or your vice gets so deeply entrenched in your life that it overcomes you.
In the last church that I pastored, we had a support group that we called “Overcomers”. It was for anyone, who through faith in Jesus Christ, was overcoming any kind of addictive or obsessive behavior.
Jesus is the Great Overcomer. In John 16:33 Jesus says, “in this world you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The whole story of the Christian experience is a story of overcoming. One man said at the beginning of his faith, “Jesus, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) The victory that has overcome the world for the true believer is faith in Jesus Christ. (1 John 5:4)
Christians are commanded in Romans 12:21, “do not be overcome with evil but you overcome evil with good.” How can this be? 1 John 5:5 has the answer: “who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
It is sad to think of so many people around us broken and despondent about their situation when a releasing answer is so clear.
It started as a possibility for you when Jesus started his church and said “the gates of Hell itself will not overcome my church.” (Matthew 16:18) This confident statement still stands! Hell itself cannot defeat you.
You may reply, “I tried the church but it just did not work for me.” My question: “Whose church did you try?”
The church founded by Jesus offers overcoming power, the power he used when he overcame death and the grave. If he could overcome man’s greatest enemy through his resurrection, you should try him,
Your choice today: Overcome or be overcome?

“We shall overcome, Victorious Lord, in every circumstance that we
confront in life through Your mighty power. Amen”

October 14: IT'S HIS DAY TO SHINE

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I don’t care if it rains on Sunday, its going to be a sunny day. Whatever the weather forecaster reports on the late news, it will have been a sunny day for me.
It’s the Son’s Day! It’s His day to shine!
It was a “sonny day” when Jesus was baptized. The heavens opened and the voice of God declared: “this is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) A “sonny day” always makes a “sunny day”.
You see, the idea of “Sunday” is the idea of a resting day, the seventh day, the seventh day of the Genesis Creation because God rested from his laboring. That’s why the early American Pilgrims enforced Sunday in the New World so everyone would rest and worship God. The resting they accepted, the enforced worship was another question.
But, the Resurrection changed that outlook for the Christians. When Jesus came alive out of the grave on Sunday, it automatically became the most important day on the calendar. Resurrection Day!
They could not believe their good fortune. Since their salvation was based on the Resurrection of Jesus, then the day of his resurrection became the “first day of the week”, the premier day of days.
They weren’t tired anymore. They didn’t want to rest, they wanted to “be about the father’s business” on Resurrection Day. Surely, they could go along with the Sabbath worship as was the custom and tradition of the first century. But Resurrection Day would be forever celebrated by Christians, regardless of how the government of their particular country viewed it.
Around the world on Sunday, many Christians will die for no other reason than their refusal to stop celebrating Resurrection Day. It will be a “Sonny Day”! “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV)

“God of all days, we are grateful for the special meaning that has
come to Sunday because that was the day Your Son resurrected. Amen”

October 13: SPEAKING IN LOVE

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Earrings have arrived! More people are wearing earrings than ever before. Women have always had them. Now it is culturally acceptable for men. So, there are more and more “designer earrings” available, if you can afford to buy.
God has an earring on the market that we need to consider. In Proverbs 25:12 (NIV) it says, “Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.” Decorate your ear with a wise man’s mouth. Now God has pointed out an accessory that we all need.
Most don’t take rebuke too well. We get defensive, or angry, or our feelings hurt. We don’t want to hear rebuke. None are perfect. None is above reproach. We need someone to love us enough to point out our mistakes.
If we don’t love someone, we can just let them go on in an offensive manner rather than telling them what they have done wrong. They may be blind to their actions (I doubt it!) because no one has ever cared enough to correct them.
In Proverbs 27:6 (NIV) God says, “words from a friend can be trusted.” “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) is our self-test to be sure that our motivation is healing, not hurting. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Matthew 18:15 NIV)
What a pity to let a brother or sister act unwisely or offensively and not rebuke them in a loving manner. Lest you be the self-appointed rebuker of friends, ask yourself how you would respond to this kind of rebuking. Would you thank God for such a good friend?
Do you have a trusted friend or prayer partner that you could ask or give permission to be your new earring?

“Lord, help us to always speak the truth in a spirit of love that we might help
our brothers and sisters correct their words or deeds done offensively. Amen”

October 12: INVESTING IN HEAVEN

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A friend asked me to explain James 5:1-5 in this day of wealth and affluence. It says: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. This corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your field are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence, you have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.”
Unemployment has nearly disappeared in this area. The rich almost never have opportunity to feel guilty about living splendidly.
Yet, God is not impressed. Sumptuous houses of worship, richly appointed, that far outclass the public arenas now dot the landscape. The brand of automobiles and pickup trucks in the church parking lot seem to say “the poor Christians have been blessed.” (The Beatitudes) Even the clothing of the participants smack of worldly success. Giving 10 percent is a mere drop in the bucket and can be written off on the tax form.
If wealth is a sign of blessing, why does the deacon during the Offertory prayer always ask God to bless our “little offering”? Why don’t we give lavish, outlandish offerings to match our lifestyle?
Is it time for us to remove this section from the Bible? Or time to take it seriously?
Jesus was definitely more concerned about how many treasures we were laying up in heaven than how much money was left when we died. (Matthew 6:19)
The Bible definitely says it will be hard for “the rich” to get into heaven. (Matthew 19:24)
By the way, how do YOU explain James 5:1-5?

“In spite of being created in Your image, Dear God, we have this
strong tendency to selfishness. Please free us from things. Amen”

October 11: A NEW INSIGHT ON PRAYER

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I recently came across a different definition of prayer that may revolutionize your prayer life. Sadly, many Christians as well as non-Christians, think prayer is something you do rather than a living dialogue with God. Prayer means to speak the whole day in such a way that after everything you say you might be able to say “Amen”. That means living in a continual awareness of the presence of God.
Every moment is a sacred moment. Every place is a holy ground. I cannot escape God’s breath since the day I invited him into my life. He is my constant companion. He has an opinion about all I do. He has guidance for my steps. He is there. He is not silent.
My lifestyle is a reflection of my “prayer life” not just my “said prayers.” If my life is a doxology of praise to God for what he means in my life, certainly an “amen” would be appropriate at any minute.
No lie will come out of my mouth nor anything hurtful against another. My lips will not be used for gossip nor for cursing. “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3:10 NIV)
It is not just the literalness of speaking that craves an “amen”, but the whole of my life. If my life is a dialogue with God, a constant communion with the Almighty, then my actions at all times are “amenable”. I will not go anywhere. I will not do anything. I will not waste my time in anything that is not approved by God’s “amen” or “so be it”.
Religion has nothing to offer but memorized or repetitious prayers, written by a third party. They are uttered periodically. They are divorced from life. Prayer from relationship is conversational, constant, and presentable to God. (Romans 12:1 NIV).

“How good it is, Holy God, to live constantly in your presence and know
that You are the silent listener to every conversation I have. Amen”

October 10: INVOLVEMENT OR ENTANGLEMENT?

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“To the weak, I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessing.” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23 NIV) What a great statement by Paul! He was able to do it! To identify with individuals who are sinning against God and not get involved in their lifestyle is quite an accomplishment.
For example, I’ve known newly converted alcoholics who wanted to go back to their favorite bar to “witness” to their old friends and never made it out to sobriety again.
This current political campaign with so many candidates reminds me of some Christians who entered politics to “make a difference” but the taste of power was more than they could handle and they became entangled in hurtful things.
We are not called to be isolationist. Nor can we spend our time exclusively with Christians or we will not fulfill our salt and light destiny. How can we effectively walk with our feet firmly planted on the earth and our heads in the clouds? How can we walk daily with one foot on the earth and one foot in Heaven?
The worldly system needs our influence and input because the spiritual focus we can give will keep the government treating all equally and fairly. While doing this we are told to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) We can “put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the Devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 5:11)
Matthew 16:18 is clear that the church is on offense, while not acting offensively, to be a change agent in the world and the “gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
If we are going to make an impact this coming year it will not be as Democrats, Republicans, or Independents but as children of God on mission in the world.

“Help us, O God, to be in the world but not of the world. Keep us pure,
O Lord, even while we deal with impure things. Amen”

October 9: THE POWER OF THE NAME

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Please read very carefully the following words: “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8-11)
There is something about that name that causes me to think. It is not a rare name. It is a very commonly used name if you are of Hispanic descent. It is often heard in a cursing form. But the name itself? That’s a different matter!
Most of the world and its inhabitants still divide history into BC and AD, all because of the impact on history of the god-man Jesus.
Regardless of what you think of religion, the organized church, or political organizations that try to hide their actions behind a “Christian” title, all of that may “turn you off” or make you angry about religious things, but that doesn’t negate the effect of the name..
Efforts to bury Jesus in twisted art, cynical literature, or warped entertainment haven’t been able to destroy the power of his name.
In several countries of the world today the people are forbidden to use the name, death comes to many daily simply because they say, “Jesus is Lord”.
During the coming weeks and months you will see the name frequently and hear it mentioned often in various places. When you hear it, remember what you read above.
My question to you today is a very simple one: where are you on the road to surrender to Jesus and agreeing that HE is Lord?

“Indeed, Lord Jesus, there is no name like yours that can change a
life totally and completely and fix the direction on Eternity. Amen”

October 8: THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF DEATH

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In 2 Corinthians 6:17, Paul throws down the challenge to Christians to break out of our cultural mold when he quotes our Lord saying, “Therefore, come out from among them and be separate.” At no place is this more evident than in overcoming the “American way of death.”
We should celebrate death as a victorious experience that releases us to the presence of God for Eternity. This is our real life! This is what we have been hoping to begin! We don’t need to spend a lot of money on a beautiful wooden box that will be sealed in another steel box or concrete box that will keep us dry.
Ancient Egypt was famous for mummifying bodies and decorating them to look attractive for the next life, but we know there is no way to make a corpse “look good”. The ugliness of death is mocked by 1 Corinthians 15:55: “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
Surely, we weep at the feelings of loss when a dear one leaves us, but “God will wipe away every tear from our eyes” (Revelation 7:17). We don’t sorrow or “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
The Resurrection of Jesus has turned it all around for us. Our goal should be that our dying not be remembered by expensive flowers that will wither in a few days but by simple words that can testify to the reality of our commitment to Jesus as Lord of our lives.
Our best memorials will not be carved in stone but living memorials of people who were changed by our loving them in Jesus’ name!
“Death has been swallowed up in victory!” (1 Corinthians 15:54). The day they bury your earthly remains deserves a great celebration at the church house where you currently attend.

“Thank You, Father, that death has no threat over us and that we truly
have victory over death through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen”

October 7: MONDAY IS COMING

2007-10-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

To all of my Christian brothers and sisters reading this Blog this weekend, I have a personal question: How is your Monday Connection? While you are in your Bible Class and Discipling group and worshipping congregation, don’t forget your Monday Connection. During all of the sweet fellowship you enjoy with your faith family, don’t forget your Monday Connection. As you have extra time to relax and meditate on the great truths of God, don’t forget your Monday Connection. On Sunday night you will leave your weekend spiritual paradise and go back to the Mainland. Most of the people you will see and work with did not have a weekend of spiritual delight and blessing. They have desperately been trying to “catch up” on all they had to do or frantically running here and there “in the pursuit of happiness”. Don’t forget your Monday Connection.
At sometime you must bring yourself and the tools of your trade to God’s altar for a time of consecration. If not, you will not be able to connect in a significant way with all these people. Your Monday Connection is waiting.
James 2:14ff (NIV) reminds: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? I will show you my faith by what I do. You see that faith and actions work together and faith is made complete by deeds. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”
Just imagine, on Monday morning you have all these people waiting for you to come back to work to show them how a man or woman of faith conducts themselves in the marketplace. They really want to know. So get prepared and be “practically spiritual” all day Monday. “Christ in you” is not only your “hope of glory” but theirs as well. Try not to fail the test.

“Thank You, God, for Monday; for a day when the people we work with
all the time examine us closely for evidence of the changing work of Jesus.
Amen”

October 6: A TWO-MINUTE DRILL

2007-10-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

The myth now lies crumpled on the ground around us. Some tried to pretend that it had not fallen. Some tried to prop it up, hoping no one would notice its condition. Some denied it; the idea being too frightening to accept as true. I speak of the myth that our country is a “Christian nation”.
It is time for us to face up to the fact and begin to deal with it in a realistic way. That can be a major challenge for us the rest of this year. Crime of all kinds, corruption in high political places and local jurisdictions, rejection of biblically-based values; these are just a few signs to say “the myth is dead”.
That’s why I want to suggest that we turn to a “two-minute drill”. This is nothing new, professional football teams practice a two-minute drill all the time. It is an intense effort to try to change the situation that exists. For the sensitive Christian this will be a reminder that things are not what they should be for a would-be Christian nation.
Rather than be thrown into times of grief, hand-wringing, or blaming, enter a two-minute period of prayer. Just draw aside in the chapel of your heart to repent of your part in the death and ask God to renew your faith. Ask God to restore genuine joy to your life.
Pray David’s prayer from Psalm 51:12, “restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Pray for the people around you to come to know personally the Prince of Peace. Ask God to give you an opportunity to tell them about the “Son of Man who has come to seek and to save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10)
The death of the myth now puts the gospel in our hands to proclaim each day. Ours is a pluralistic culture now. We can never reclaim the state of being a “Christian nation”, but we can gradually work and pray until the number of Christians multiply far beyond what it is today. We do not need a state-coerced religion; we need a spontaneous celebration of the Christian faith.

“Forgive us, O God, for assuming that You were always on our side
regardless of what we did or refused to do. Help us to join You. Amen”

October 5: THE SONG OF ASCENT

2007-10-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”(Psalm 122:1) That simple little chorus will be sung this Sunday by more people than you can imagine.
If you take all the people going to a college stadium Saturday singing their favorite “fight song”, add to this all of the people going to the stadium on Sunday cheering their favorite professional football team singing “Hail to the Redskins” (or whatever) plus all the people going to Playoff baseball games singing “Take me out to the ballgame”, you still won’t have as many people as those singing the little chorus “I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me.”
The little chorus will be sung by Christians all over the country. In large cathedrals, in country chapels, in suburban auditoriums, and storefront churches, people will be excited and happy about going to worship.
Yes, there will be a lot of Sunday morning grumps who won’t have anything to sing about. There will be some guilt-ridden people who will stay in bed because they have lost their song.
But this large multitude that knows no class, color, or cultural boundary will be joyfully going to worship, singing the chorus as they go, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
This chorus is called a song of Ascent in the Bible. It is a song for people going to worship. It is a song for people who live with one eye on eternity. It is a song for people who refuse to get trapped in the “here and now” and lose sight of the Ultimate Reality which is God.
The problems of this world will not defeat them, the sorrows of life will not get them down. Perhaps you would like to join them Sunday? It would be a good time for you to show the world whose side you are on.

“So many of us, Dear God, learned that chorus when we were young but
somehow we forgot the tune while fighting life’s battles. Remind us! Amen”

October 4: GROWING OLD TOGETHER

2007-10-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe something good is about to happen if we listen to the teenagers. What may seem like an old-fashioned concept in the age in which we live, surprisingly reflects what many teens are thinking. A survey of teenagers (by George Barna) found that one of their highest-rated goals for the future was to “get married and have the same spouse for their entire life.” Imagine being a kid whose parent or parents have been married several times or had a series of live-in lovers and never knew how to sort out the adults around them. So now the teenagers want what God planned without even realizing it. Good for them!
This would be a good time of the year to teach Biblical truth about families since the television seems to have more programs than usual that put down monogamous marriage. I just heard a famous star say yesterday that “spiritual marriages would be the wave of the future.” Spiritual marriages defined as living with someone who allowed you to realize your full potential. Parents and grandparents: it would be very easy for you to apologize to your offspring for not teaching them the truth about Biblical marriage, even though it was unintentional. It could give you a “teachable moment” with them.
Teach them the most basic truth of marriage from the Bible: Genesis 2:24 (NIV) “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be untied to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Urge them to have Biblically-based pre-marital counseling so they can build their marriage on a firm foundation. Help them to see that you can’t build a lasting marriage on fluctuating emotions. Jesus warned of the danger of building a house on the sand without any foundation. (Matthew 7:24-29) If it is true of a house, it is surely true of a marriage. People get married for a lot of reasons, not all good, maybe you did. If you have now seen the light point your children in that direction. “The rain came down, the wind blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall.” Jesus is the Rock to be your marriage foundation.

“Dear God, we know that marriage for life was your idea for the safety
and security of the couple as well as their children. What a truth! Amen”

October 3: PRACTICING WHAT WE PREACH

2007-10-02T19:48:00.001-07:00

In James 2:14-17 (NIV) we read, “what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without food or clothes. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Christians, we simply have to start doing a better job of practicing what we preach. We must walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Across America we must sound the call for a revival of authentic Christian living. Consider: Tulsa, Oklahoma has more churches per capita than any city in America but that doesn’t keep their crime rate down. Colorado Springs, Colorado is home base for at least 70 different ministries and more than 400 churches, yet El Paso County, in which Colorado Springs is located, has the highest divorce rate in the state.
These things are an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God. I wonder what non-believers and cynics who live next door to a church, think about the way worship attendance shrinks at local churches during the summer months, some even having to eliminate services because no one wants to attend.
Does God not require faithfulness from His people during every season? A constant and consistent living out of our faith is the only way we will ever persuade the world that Jesus is lord.
Could it be that the way you are living is speaking so loudly that a lost and wandering neighbor can’t hear a word you say about the truth of God’s Word?
Let us do good! Let us act right! Let us prove our faith by proper conduct.

“O God of our strength, enable us to always practice what we preach.
Forgive us for talking more about religion than living the truth. Amen”

October 2: RESPECTING HUMANITY

2007-10-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

There is an old American culture act that has almost been lost, but I saw it again recently. I have been thinking about it. I’m referring to those people who stop on the side of the road when a funeral procession passes by, out of respect for the person who has died. It’s just a momentary act but it says a lot about respecting humanity and your fellow man. Maybe these people came from a part of rural America where human life is still important.
This quiet, solemn testimony to a human life being gone moves me much more than “pro” and “anti” abortion foes shouting at each other or the “pro” and “con” capital punishment circus that accompanies every current execution.
Every life is precious. That’s why we have a team of doctors and nurses always waiting in the Emergency room to try to save the life of anyone brought in, rich or poor, black or white. That’s why war is terrible; human life is wasted for no good reason. (Have you been watching the current series on World War 2 on Public television?)
How do you measure up in having respect for people? Jesus said you should “love your neighbor as much as you love yourself”. (Matthew 19:19)
Do you tend to categorize people and put them in the proper place? White? Black? Educated? Officer? Enlisted? I understand that homogeneous groups do well, but that is no reason to think less of those who are different. “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) all in the same way, and with the same intensity. The world endured the shame of South Africa for too long while the government enforced a pigment test. We must always be alert to any temptation to divide people, regardless of the suggested dividing device.
The lesson must be learned in every community. Until we agree with God in not being “respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) the garment of our community will continue to be torn.

“Thank You, God, for making us all the same under the outer layer of
skin and for providing only one Savior so we could not mistake that. Amen”

October 1: GIVING GOOD A BAD NAME

2007-09-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard someone described as “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good”? It’s not very complimentary for religious folks. It was said of the Pharisees during the time of Jesus that they gave being good a bad name.
They were good people. They did good things. But they were so obnoxious about their goodness. Bragging about their goodness, they made other people miserable. The holier they became, instead of becoming humble (as true religion should do), they became self-righteous. Then they became the self-appointed watchdogs of everyone else’s actions.
Little by little their righteousness began to be very surface, far removed from the heart. The Law of God began to be divided and sub-divided into unreal demands that drove people away from God. This superficial religion could defend the Ten Commandments while plotting the death of Jesus.
When religion is divorced from the spirit of God, it is open to extremism. Religion becomes religiosity. Piousness becomes piosity.
Jesus made religious experts mad in the first century and still does. Jesus shows us how to have a heart relationship with God. That relationship bears fruit in many wonderful ways. For instance, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
True spirituality produces a personality that is winsome and magnetic, drawing people into community. Jesus taught us that you know people by their fruit. (Matthew 7:16) The heart condition will come out.
The old saying about not “drawing flies with vinegar” applies here. Boastful, self-righteousness drives people away from religion. “Make a tree good and its fruit good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:33-34) Let us strive to be consistent from the heart outward.

“Save us, O God, from trying to impress people with our own personal
holiness and make us diligent to expose your holiness. Amen”

September 30: GOD IS WATCHING YOU

2007-09-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sarai wanted a baby! So did her husband, Abram. When she did not conceive, she gave her maid Hagar to Abram to have a surrogate baby. As soon as the pregnancy was evident, a great wall of envy, jealousy and hatred sprang up between the two women. Sarai drove Hagar from the house.
Genesis 16 describes the scene in the wilderness when a desperate Hagar is discovered by a loving God who comforts her. Hagar is amazed that God has found her! “You are the God who sees me”, she says in Genesis 16:13. It is an early example in the Bible of a person being “surprised by grace.” God cares for us, and He seeks us out. We can’t go far enough in our chosen wilderness to evade His love.
The fact that God sees us individually is not a threatening idea of God as a “super cop” but of the God who lovingly seeks us. Remember the time in Luke 21:2 when Jesus is near the Temple treasury? The Bible relates, “He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.” No one else noticed her because she was poor and her gift was small, but Jesus saw her and pronounced her gift the most worshipful. Great! God sees us, and that makes all the difference.
One hymn writer tried to capture this truth by writing, “His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me.” Whether we are in a time of testing and trial, or victory or success, it is all the same; we serve the God who sees us.
David is amazed that the people of God do not apply their “God knowledge” in a practical way: “If God created the eye, isn’t it logical to believe that God can see?” (Psalm 94:9) God knows your circumstance and situation. Trust Him to deliver! He sees you!

“What a wonderful truth to discover, God, that you see us and come close
to be our helper. I really needed to hear that today! Amen”

September 29: GETTING WHAT WE DESERVE

2007-09-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Someone jokingly said, “Many people stay up late on Saturday night to sow wild oats and then go to church on Sunday to pray for a ‘crop failure’.” But it’s useless, we will reap what we sow, we will get what we deserve, unless there is Divine Intervention.
The Prophet Zechariah tried to get the people of Israel to return to God. Some on them did; “then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ “(Zechariah 1:16)
How many times have you heard someone complain that their punishment was more than they deserved? A part of human reasoning says that I should be able to do anything that I want at any time and never have to face the consequences.
God says, “Sow a wind, reap a whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7) You may be able to protect yourself if it is only wind coming back to you but the great velocity of the whirlwind will be more than you can handle. We do often set forces in motion that eventually crush us under the weight of consequences. People seem to act with only “the now” in mind, forgetting that someday they will get what they deserve.
David said in Psalm 103: 10 that God “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” However, “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 6:23)
I guess that’s one of those places where Divine Intervention overwhelms “just desserts”. Or consider Psalm 130:3-4, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore, you are feared.” Learned truth: With the world you will get what you deserve. With God, there is mercy and forgiveness.

Thank You, God, for being merciful to us when we come in sorrow and
forgiveness, recognizing our foolishness and thoughtlessness. Amen”

September 28: MAKING A DIFFERENCE DAILY

2007-09-27T17:10:00.001-07:00

Every sincere Christian wants to make an impact, make a real difference in the world. The question you often hear is “how?”. Some Christians are so busy maintaining friendships with their old worldly friends that they have compromised their faith. Not wanting to appear “holier than thou” they continue to participate in pre-Christian activities. No impact can be made because the new faith has made no difference in lifestyle.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, it has become good for nothing anymore.” (Matthew 5:13) If your friend cannot see evidence of what Christianity has done in changing you for the better, they don’t think they need it.
It is the opposite mistake of those who become Christians and have nothing to do with their old friends. Christians who spend all their time with other Christians will have no opportunity to advertise effectively their changed lives.
Impact comes through contact. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:15) Your old friends who don’t know the truth need you and the new people you meet should soon see and hear your reason for living.
Impact people sometimes feel like some kind of circus balancing act. Needing to grow in faith by fellowshipping with other Christians must be maintained through public worship and Bible study. Loving old friends and remembering their doubts and fears demand that they not be forgotten. You make a difference by being lovingly different. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good work and glorify your father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Your old friends may not understand your new lifestyle but you should do your best to explain it. Don’t waste time condemning them. Use the time to explain the “new” you.

“Lord, we really want to share our new life with our old friends but
we often stumble in doing it. Help us to be lovingly brave! Amen”

September 27: HIDING FROM RESPONSIBILITY

2007-09-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Annually, the fall is an important time in the life of the churches. New programs and ministries begin, new challenges are given to the church and the call goes out for volunteers to respond to the challenges. Church life in many places becomes embarrassing as professing Christians evade the responsibility that goes with their profession of faith.
It reminds me of what happened when God chose Saul to be king. (1 Samuel 10) Saul was a very gifted and charming young man. Not only that, he was unusually tall, a head taller than anyone else. He would be a very imposing figure while doing God’s work, from every angle. On the appointed day for Saul to accept his responsibility, he didn’t come. When they looked for him, they found him in a very embarrassing situation; he was hiding.
This unusually tall man was trying to hide in a pile of baggage. How shameful! Chosen and asked to do something for God, he chooses to hide from responsibility.
Many Christians act like that. Committees have to “beg” people to be workers in the Kingdom of God. Opportunities for service turn out sounding like irritating jobs. “It is required of stewards to be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). “We are fellow workers with God” (2 Corinthians 3:9). These words somehow were skipped over in the daily Bible reading and responsibility was not taught.
Christians, we cannot hide from our task. We have a job to do. If we don’t do it, it goes undone. When someone else tries to do his work and ours also, he suffers burn-out and does neither task well.
I think some Christians need to fall in love with Jesus again, then their responsibility would not seem a burden.
Spiritual laziness is an ugly condition. The fields are ripe for the harvest, but the workers are few.

“Thank You, God, for equipping us to serve You. Forgive us for the
times we do not quickly go to work for You and your Kingdom. Amen”

September 26: A HEART EXAM

2007-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

In Psalm 139:23, David prayed, “search me, O God, and know my heart.” I have had heart problems for ten years, several heart procedures during this time. When I had my last heart catherization I thought about that verse. Under the care of my cardiologist, I had my heart searched. And I watched it on a video monitor. As those two little probes explored both sides of my heart, my doctor looked on carefully and later told me what it meant.
He showed me what was good about my heart and what part was malfunctioning. He also told me what was needed to be done to correct the problem and to strengthen my whole heart. I listened very closely.
There were many spiritual comparisons to be made. You see, my heart condition is an open book now, or, better said, an open video tape. There are no secret weaknesses that have not been exposed, just as my spiritual heart condition with God.
As David said in Psalm 44:20-21, “if we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?”
The work of the Holy Spirit of God can be so powerful that an unbeliever can come into a worship service and will be convicted that he is a sinner and “the secrets of his heart will be laid bare.” (1 Corinthians 14:25) So, it is a good thing to have your heart searched, whether physically or spiritually, so you can make the necessary adjustments.
When David realized what a mess he had made in his life, he prayed, “create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
It is quite a dare to ask God to search your heart and examine all that is there and then expose it and explain it to you. But the spiritual blessings that can come from it are not only beautiful, but healing.

“And so we join David today, Holy God, in requesting you to examine
our hearts and show us who and what we really are before You. Amen”

September 25: DEVOTION TO ONE ANOTHER

2007-09-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

I just discovered it today. Romans 12:10 says, “be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” I’m sure I must have read that a thousand times in my life but today it jumped off the page at me.
It is a special characteristic of Christians in the church family. It explains the reason why there is such closeness in a New Testament based church: they are devoted to one another. They weep together. They laugh together. They struggle together. They pray together and they love it. Why? Because they are “devoted to one another.”
Perhaps it is easy to assume but difficult to actuate or incarnate. Some of you are thinking as you read this, “I would like to be a member of a church like that.”
To start with, you can’t be in a hurry and be devoted to one another. It takes time to get to know people, how they think and feel and what kind of life experiences they are having. It takes time to learn to trust another human being even if you haven’t had a lot of disappointments in your life.
Churches that empty out in 15 minutes after the service is over seldom experience devotion for one another. You see, you need time to bask in the after-glow of an hour of worship and then time to share your responses with the other people, not caring that the lines may be long at the restaurants.
But knowing that you are the object of another Christian’s devotion is a special encouragement. The world has always been a cold and lonely place and that feeling gets accentuated.
But, hey, in the new-birth experience with Jesus Christ all of that can change. You can become a part of the family of God where they are devoted to one another, including you. “Devoted to one another in love!” Wow!

“Father, we know that Satan likes to get us isolated and convince us that
nobody cares about us. Thanks for this strong barrier of family “devotion”.
Amen

September 24: THE SEARCH FOR GODLY MEN

2007-09-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

I read the story from Greek mythology about a man going through the streets with a lamp looking for a honest man. I don’t know if he ever found one or not. The United States Marines advertise that they are looking for “a few good men”. I don’t know if they are able to find them or not. I think the search is more serious than that. Honest men or good men no doubt exist.
I’m looking for godly men. The boys of our community need godly men to show them how to grow up, and I’m not just referring to the sons of single Moms. Godly men are more than just good role models.
God described Job as a “man blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil”. (Job 1:8) David said in Psalm 25:12 that a godly man is one instructed by God in the way that God has chosen for him. In fact, it is said of David that he had a heart like the heart of God. The world puts a premium on handsome men, rich men, athletic men; all adjectives that change with time and then the real inner man begins to emerge. The godly man is strong on the inside, where it really matters.
I wonder what would happen today if every man who reads this column should announce to his family that from now on he wants to be a godly man, or even announces it at work. What a revolution! It would test a lot of friendships, I’m sure of that. A friend of mine became a Christian and his family told me that they liked him better before he started talking about Jesus all the time.
Godly men are concerned about the spiritual nurturing of their wives and children and grandchildren. They are not ashamed to read their Bibles daily to their families and pray with their children.
May we be saved from having to repeat the prayer of David in Psalm 12:1, “help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to exist.” You can make a difference where you live.

“Remind us, O God, that we are not powerless to make a difference in
our families if we will just surrender our will to the Lordship of Jesus.
Amen”