What Are You Talking About?

            

H

e hadn’t meant to say those words.  They had just slipped out in a moment of anger, a brief instant when he had lost his cool and said something he didn’t mean to someone he cared very deeply for.  If he could only take back those sharp, stinging barbs his tongue had launched just seconds before; but it was too late.  They had found their mark, bull’s eye, dead center, right in the heart.  The look on Greg’s face said it all. It was a mixture of disbelief coupled with unbearable agony and betrayal. 

Although he had apologized and Greg had forgiven him, Chuck could still see Greg’s painful expression.  Despite all his efforts he couldn’t get it out of his mind and on more than one occasion in the past 10 years he had replayed that conversation over and over in his mind.  True, he and Greg had been able to get their relationship back on track, but it never seemed to be quite the same from Chuck’s perspective.  Now he was making his way back home to visit Greg; to express his sympathy for the loss of Greg’s father.

“How am I going to face him?”  Was the only thing Chuck could say to himself.  The entire journey was dominated by this one thought.  The radio was no solace and at night sleep escaped him.  He knew it would be difficult but before he could really express heartfelt sympathy, Chuck had to have Greg’s forgiveness.  There was simply no way around it.

So, when he arrived at Greg’s house, they exchanged pleasantries.  Although Greg had lost his father, he seemed to be his old self, welcoming his friend into his home and was so thankful for his presence during this time. 

When Chuck mustered enough courage, he asked to speak with Greg alone for just a few moments.  Greg gladly accommodated him and the two took a stroll in the backyard.  Chuck cut straight to the chase and told Greg how sorry he was about that day so long ago when he blurted out something he shouldn’t have.  Once again, Greg’s face displayed deep emotion.  But instead of pain, this was a look of bewilderment.

Chuck just stared at his friend.  He was totally unprepared for Greg’s response, “What are you talking about?”  Chuck thought this was some kind of cruel joke on Greg’s part.  Surely he remembered that day.  Surely he still felt the pain and the sting Chuck’s words had delivered.  But honestly, Greg didn’t remember.  For the past 10 years Chuck had carried a burden he didn’t need to shoulder and that burden had placed a great distance between him and his best friend.  So, there in the backyard, Greg and Chuck started all over again, renewing their friendship and this time it was better than it had ever been.

Have you ever been in Chuck’s shoes?  Sure, we all have.  In fact, this is the way most of us approach our relationship to God.  We carry around our former sins, mistakes, blunders, and failures.  Although God has forgiven us, we keep dragging them up, reminding him of all the wrongs we have committed.  We can’t get beyond our dirty laundry and we feel obligated to air it every time we come to God in prayer.

But God isn’t interested in our past.  In fact, he has forgotten all about it.  Psalm103:12 gives us this assurance, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  No wonder God has forgotten.  Do you see how far he has removed our sins?  East and west will never meet—not now, not ever.  When we bring up our past God simply says to us, “What are you talking about?”  His forgiveness erases our sins and puts us back in right standing with him.  We can start our relationship with him on sure footing, knowing that he holds nothing against us but opens his arms wide to embrace us. 

G

od wants to move on, to further our relationship with him and to grow closer to us. Let’s not keep him at arm’s length by concentrating on something he has taken off our shoulders.  Honestly, as far as our sins are concerned, God hasn’t a clue as to what we’re talking about!  If he doesn’t care about it, why should we?

The View From The Top

M

y first visit to Paris wasn’t what I had expected.  For years I had studied the French language and had learned some of the history of Paris and the stories behind its most famous monuments.  I had learned to recognize the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Basilica of Sacré Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe, as well as other famous landmarks around the city.

However, when we arrived, Paris looked nothing like I had imagined.  Buildings blocked my view of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, and none of the monuments seemed to relate to the map I held in my hand.  In addition, the subway diagram only added to my confusion as I tried to figure out the best way to get from one part of the city to the other.  What I needed was another perspective on Paris, one that would provide me with a better understanding of the city and its layout.

While visiting the Cathedral of Notre Dame, I saw my opportunity.  The cathedral has two great bell towers.  From the top of the bell towers, I knew I could get a bird’s eye view of the city.  So, I started to climb, beginning the long, upward journey at the base of the left tower.  The spiral stair case was built along with the tower so workers could reach their stations and could also carry provisions with them.  I thought the stairs would never end but just as I was about to give up, I saw a shaft of sunlight coming through the door just ahead.

I stepped out, fully expecting the see the city.  Much to my disappointment, however, I had only climbed half the distance between the ground and the top of the cathedral.  I crossed over to the next tower, took a deep breath, and began climbing again.  After several minutes of going in circles, and almost at the point of physical exhaustion, I emerged at the top of the right bell tower. The entire city of Paris lay at my feet.  To my left was the Eiffel Tower, to my right was the Basilica of Sacré Coeur and the Seine River was flowing in the right direction.  The Left Bank was easily discernible from the Right Bank and the entire layout of the city made sense.  What a difference the view from the top made.  The long climb, the sore muscles, and the dizzying heights were all worth the view!

The Christian life is exactly like this.  We spend so much time studying God’s word, making sure we understand his commandments and requirements.  However, when we start walking in earnest with God, we find the road ahead to be vastly different from how we imagined it would be.   

Moses found this to be true as well.  For forty years he had led the people in a great circle, wandering in the desert, wondering where they were going.  He was sure he had understood God’s directive and directions, but the terrain around him didn’t remotely resemble a “land flowing with milk and honey.”  That’s when God took him to a higher plane to gain a different perspective.

Deuteronomy 32:49 gives God’s final directions to Moses: "Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession;”  From Mount Nebo, Moses could see all of God’s provision in one glance.  From that perspective, Moses knew the journey had been worth it.  However, he was not allowed to cross over into the Promised Land because he had disobeyed God.  Nonetheless, God let him see all the land, to make sense of his life’s journey, and to understand God’s faithfulness better.

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oday, you may be wondering just where your journey with God is going.  Circumstances around you may seem unfamiliar and the landscape may indeed look foreign.  Although you have studied God’s word and have faith in him, you long for just a glimpse of where you are going and where you’ve come from.     That view is always encouraging and inspiring but it will mean moving to higher ground.  Are you ready to tackle Mount Nebo today?  I hope so!  There’s nothing like the view from the top!

The Bridge On Mulberry Street

T

he bridge on Mulberry Street was very popular with the folks in my hometown of Cherryville, North Carolina.  For starters, it was (and still is) the only bridge in town and the only way to get from one side of the city to the other when a train comes through.  Cherryville is split into two sections by railroad tracks and when a train is barreling through, you only have two options: sit at one of the crossings and wait or make a dash for the bridge on Mulberry Street.

As a kid, I loved to ride my bike across that bridge.  When a train was coming, it was neat to stop at the very top of the bridge and watch the approaching engine and the heavy cars behind it.  As the train went under the bridge, it would shake and vibrate, the heat from the engine’s smoke stack would hit you right in the face, and the conductor would blow the whistle.   Needless to say, it was a blast!

That bridge was an important part of my childhood.  The bridge was originally made of wood and had remained that way since it was built.  In recent years, the bridge was refurbished and made safer with concrete supports and guardrails.  Nevertheless, the bridge is still on Mulberry Street and it still provides safe passage from one side of town to the other when the trains come through.

In addition, to providing a convenient crossing, that bridge has also given me some wonderful opportunities to reflect.  I remember several summer evenings I would ride my bike to the bridge and look down the tracks as far as I could see in both directions.  In the distance I could see cars crossing the railroad tracks at several places and occasionally I could see a train coming way before I could hear the whistle or feel its vibrations.  I was never afraid of the oncoming train because I knew the bridge was strong and I knew it would keep me safe when the train arrived.

The bridge on Mulberry Street represents the times when God has provided a way for me to cross safely over many difficulties in my life.  Through the many changes, trials, heartaches, and challenges I encounter in life, I always find that God builds a bridge so I can safely cross over all the things life puts in my way.

The prophet Isaiah reminds his readers of the many times God provides safe passage for his people.  Isaiah 51:10 reads, “Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?” Although Isaiah is reminding us of the parting of the Red Sea, God makes a way for all of us on a daily basis.

This is especially true when we consider the way he made for us at Calvary. Like my hometown of Cherryville, there was a gulf separating us from God.  However, the gulf was so wide and deep that there was no way we could cross it on our own.  Without a bridge, we were eternally separated from our Heavenly Father with no hope of reunion. 

Then God sent Jesus to die for us, to build a bridge across that gulf and give us safe passage from where we were to where we needed to be.  That bridge is still there, still strong, still sturdy, and still able to provide safe passage to everyone who chooses to cross over to a new life with God.

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he next time I’m home, you can bet I’ll cross that bridge at least once, if not more.  I’ll stop at the top, lean over the railing, and watch the approaching train.  And, as I have done so many times in my life, I’ll thank God that there is a bridge on Mulberry Street.  Have a wonderful day!

Ripe For The Picking

T

he other day some one asked me if I had a sweet tooth.  I didn’t even have to think about my answer.  “Let me put it this way,” I said. “Give me a five-pound bag of sugar and a spoon and I’m happy!”  I’m not exaggerating!  The guy who said, “Life’s short, eat dessert first” has my full support and admiration.  You’ve just got to respect someone who has his priorities in the correct order!  One of my life goals is to sashay into a restaurant and order a cheesecake and a fork. That’s right, not a slice of cheesecake but the whole thing!   I’m just waiting for the right occasion!

My favorite dessert, hands down, is banana pudding.  My mom will be happy to share that dirty little secret with you.  Whenever I’m home I bargain with her, telling her that I’ll buy the ingredients if she will make the banana pudding.  The result is always the same; she buys the ingredients and makes the pudding!  I just love this arrangement!

The ingredients for this delicacy are not difficult to find. However, in order to make a perfect banana pudding, the bananas have to be ripe.  As a small boy, I remember going to the grocery store with my mother.  She always looked for bananas that were almost black because they made the best desserts.  I couldn’t understand this.  Bananas were supposed to be yellow, not black!  All the books I’d ever read said so.  But black, or very dark, bananas were what she bought because they had the best flavor!  And since mom always made perfect banana puddings, I didn’t argue!

The Apostle Paul addresses this idea of ripeness or maturity in his letter to the Ephesians.  Paul knew that in order for God’s work to move forward with the best results, he needed and required spiritually mature workers. 

Ephesians 4:12-13 follows a list of the different duties God assigns to some of his children.  Although there are different jobs, there is only one goal and that goal is training the members of Christ’s body ending in spiritual maturity. In this passage Paul writes, “to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  The role of teachers, and pastors, prophets, apostles and evangelist is to prepare God’s people for works of service.  The result is that the body of Christ will be unified and mature.  We are to be of one mind and one spirit, understanding and doing the work of God in the world around us.

Notice Paul’s words in the last portion of this passage.  In order to experience the entire fullness of Jesus Christ we must be spiritually mature.  This means that our desires become God’s desires, that our ambitions take a back seat to his will, that we see everything coming from his hand, and that we wait with patience until he is ready to use us for his purposes. 

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emember, in order to make a good banana pudding, you’ve got to have ripe bananas.  Green bananas are too bitter, yellow bananas are better but still lack fullness of flavor, but black bananas, those that are completely mature, make a perfect pudding every time.  What is the condition of your soul today?  If God were making a banana pudding, would you be chosen to add flavor and body?  Have you weathered life’s storms and difficulties, bending your will and your life to his purpose?  Are you ripe for the picking?

Restored!

T

he table belonged to my grandmother.  As we made plans to complete the restoration on our house, grandmother was making plans for that old table.  Her father built it for his family and she had kept it all these years.

Although it had been in the family for three generations, the table was in very good shape.  It was well-built, solid, and it had no major blemishes or damage.  However, the table was in need of restoration. The old varnish needed to be removed and a new finish put in its place.  This was a job that grandmother wanted to participate in and supervise herself.

The first step in this long process involved removing years of old varnish in order to restore the wood to a lighter color suited to our dining room.  This first step took a long time and involved the most elbow grease.  Grandmother, along with my dad, used steel wool and harsh chemicals to dissolve and remove the old stain.  Every nook and cranny of the table received the same treatment until all the old covering had been removed.

Now the process of restoration could begin.  The wood was sanded, neutralized, and prepared to receive a new look.  Hours of work, lots of wiping, rubbing, sanding, and buffing transformed that table into a beautiful piece of furniture.  Along the way, there were stories about the table, jokes were told, and wonderful plans were made for its future.  Throughout the entire process, that table remained the center of attention until all the work was completed.  When finished, it became the center piece of our home.

God is in the restoration business.  He carefully, methodically, and constantly works with us, removing years of wear and tear in our lives.  He knows that underneath, down deep, we have infinite value.  God is also aware that we grow tired, frustrated, that we get banged up and

scratched.  Instead of throwing us out, however, instead of assigning us to the trash dump, God loving undertakes the long process of restoring us so he can use us.

He strips away anything and everything that has discolored our lives.  This process may take a long time as God rubs, sands, buffs, and strips away layers of self-doubt, deceit, low self-esteem, fear, anxiety, and mistrust.  Lovingly, he stays at his task until the last remnants of these blemishes are completely wiped out of our lives.

Then he undertakes our restoration.  He applies ample layers of his love, grace, and mercy.  He stains us to conform to the exact image of his son, Jesus, so that we can by used in his service.  Along the way, there are stories of love, there is laughter, and great plans are made for our future.  God does all the work; we just have to be still.

The final and most important step was sealing the table’s surface.  After all that work, a coat of sealant protected the table from spills, nicks, and scratches.  God seals us as well with the Holy Spirit so that we will always look and be our best for him.  The sealant insures that all the work done before remains unchanged, perfect, and evident for all time.

Psalm 23:3 is a short statement but one of great importance.  It simply reads, “he restores my soul.”  This is one of the great things about our God.  His house is filled with restored furniture.  He alone sees the value when others don’t.  He knows that we need to be restored in order to serve his purposes.  God wants to restore us, to make our lives into centerpieces that reflect and testify to his glory.

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re you in the restoration process?  Just hang on because the finished product will be a wonder to behold!

Raising The Standard

O

ne of the most challenging and rewarding courses I took was a class in French Phonetics.  Now I’m sure you are just sitting there with bated breath, eager to lap up every juicy morsel of French phonetics and its application to the speaking of that language!!!  However, it wasn't the ins and outs of the phonetic alphabet and rules that grabbed my attention.  Instead, it was a statement made during the first day of class that impressed upon me the goal that all of us were striving to reach.

I took this class at Paul Valéry University in the city of Montpellier, located in southern France as part of my college’s study abroad program.  The very first day, the professor told us that in order to learn French (and she was talking to native speakers as well) we had to understand and grasp one concept. There is a language known as Standard French.  It is French in its purest form, the form everyone aims for and patterns themselves after.  Speakers of French attempt to conform their pronunciation and sentence structure to this standard form.  Their success or deficiency in the language is judged by how closely their French mimics and conforms to that standard.

I determined to master the language and come as close as I could to conforming to that standard.  By the end of that year, I had learned French grammar and could maneuver quite proficiently in the language.  The statement the instructor made about that standard remained foremost in my mind all during the year.  It became my one goal, my one desire, and my one passion during that year abroad.  I went to France to learn French and that is exactly what I did.

The Christian life also has its standard against which we are to be measured.  This standard is none other than Jesus Christ himself.  If you've ever wondered why trials and temptations come your way, if you feel as if the difficulties you are experiencing couldn't possible work out to your benefit, then listen to the following words from Paul’s letter to the Romans.  In Romans 8:29 he writes, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

If you’ll look very carefully you will see God’s standard, his reason for allowing trials and challenges to come our way. He is conforming us to the image of Jesus.  Every aspect of our lives, our thoughts, our words, our deeds, our actions, and our motivations must be measured against the standard of Jesus Christ.  God wants us to be complete, lacking in nothing, and he will use every means at his disposal to ensure we reflect the image of Jesus Christ.   That is how much he loves you and me.

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he instructor in France taught me a valuable lesson.  Unless I gauged my French against the standard, I would never know how far off the mark I was nor how far I had to go to improve.  In the same way, God is busy conforming us to the image of Christ.  He carefully compares us to the perfect image of his son.  He then begins pinching, pulling, pushing, and cutting at us until we begin to take on the exact image of Christ.  He is our standard, the one true goal we must try to attain.  So, the next time you face a difficult trial, just remember that God is raising the standard, making you conform to the perfect image of Christ Jesus.

Out Of Sight; Not Out Of Mind!

O

ut of sight, out of mind is an old cliché I have heard all my life and one that I practiced regularly as a kid.  I used the space underneath my bed as storage for all my “important stuff.”  Whenever I needed to store something or get rid of something, under the bed it went.  When all that space was taken, I began using the available space in my closet. 

When my mom cold no longer tolerate my clutter, she would simply announce it was time to clean out from under the bed.  I had to get down on my hands and knees, drag out all that “important stuff” and then throw it away.  I found things long forgotten, things I intended to use again but never did.  It took my hours sometimes to clean it all out and I wondered what had ever possessed me to stuff things under my bed in the first place.

Sometimes we feel that God has just stuffed us under the bed and forgotten all about us.  We keep praying, we keep reading the Bible, we keep on believing his promises but it feels like he has totally forgotten us.  Our lives seem so cluttered and filled with all kinds of challenges and difficulties and God is nowhere to be found.

This is exactly the way Mary and Martha must have felt when they sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick.  They expected him to come right away, to perform a miracle, and to restore Lazarus to perfect health.  However, things didn't turn out exactly the way they planned.  J

John 11;6  gives us Jesus’ initial reaction to the news of Lazarus’ illness, “Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”  Unbelievable!  One of Jesus closest and dearest friends is sick and when he learns about it he does nothing.  He stays two more days where he is.

This does seem like Jesus has placed them underneath the bed, stored them away, forgotten all about them.  Both Martha and Mary express this to Jesus when he arrives, telling him that Lazarus would not have died if he had come on time.  In other words, Mary and Martha are saying, “If you hadn’t forgotten our request, if you hadn't put us out of mind, Lazarus would still be alive.”

All of us have shred Martha and Mary’s feelings.  All of us have had moments when we felt God had left us alone to fend for ourselves.  But the truth is, we are never out of his sight and we are never out of his mind.  His thoughts are always toward us and he always knows where we are.  We cannot hide from him, we cannot be separated from him, if he knows when sparrows fall, he knows everything that concerns you and me today.

When confronted with Mary and Martha’s concerns, Jesus simply told them to believe and all would be well.  He raised Lazarus that day and restored him to his friends and family.  Mary and Martha believed Jesus forgot them.  They felt alone and helpless and wondered why he didn't come when they called.  But Jesus had something far greater in mind and in store for theses sisters, something they could never imagine or hope would happen.

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oday, whatever your situation, rest assured God has not forgotten you. He is not in the business of sweeping you under the rug or storing you underneath the bed.  He knows all about you and he is aware of everything that touches your life.  He is constantly working on your behalf and his timing is always perfect.  At times God may be out of your sight, but you are never out of his mind!  What a wonderful thought and promise.

No Way Out!

A

 hospital is not the place to go if you need to rest.  People are always coming in and out of your room to check your temperature, to monitor your blood pressure, to weigh you, or to see if you need anything.  My personal favorite is when they wake you up to see if you're sleeping all right.  I've never quite figured that one out!  This was my experience the evening of June 11, 1975.  My parents had taken me to Duke University Medical Center to undergo open-heart surgery the following day.  I was eleven years old and the memory of that evening is indelibly etched on my mind.

I had had a grueling day, spending most of it waiting for a room to become available. Late in the afternoon, I was admitted.  We met with the surgeon early in the evening and then my parents left to go to their hotel.  The remainder of the evening I spent alone with my thoughts.  Many things raced through my mind but the one thought that kept returning to me was that there was no way out.  In the morning, I would be taken to the operating room and the surgery would be performed.  It was just a matter of time before they would come after me.

My parents arrived early the next morning and, not long after their arrival, they came to take me to surgery.  The view from a gurney is very interesting.  All I could see was the ceiling above me and I wasn't sure where I was. All I knew is that everyone around me was a stranger and the surroundings were unfamiliar.  Everyone and everything familiar was behind me while everyone and everything before me was unknown. 

As they made the final preparations for surgery and moved me to the table, the words of Isaiah 43:2-3a came to my mind.  This was a verse I had heard my mom quote several times and the words provided great solace to me, even at eleven years of age.  No words, perhaps, have given me more comfort during the difficult times in my life than these.  Isaiah 43:2-3a says, "When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! Whenyou walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

As I closed my eyes, I knew God was there.  There was no way out except to go through the surgery.  God's promise was to be with me, all the way through to the very end.  He was there when I went to sleep, he was there when they began the surgery, he was there when they stopped my heart, he was there when they repaired the hole in it, he was there when it started again, and he was there when I woke up.

The pain I experienced when I awoke was proof that God had been with me.  The pain meant I was alive and the surgery was over.  Now the process of healing would begin.  When I saw my parents again, I remembered I hadn't been alone and that the same God who kept watch over me during the surgery also watched over them.  He had been with them through the long hours of waiting and had not left them alone either.

Each time I see the scar on my chest, I am reminded of God's great promise to me.  He never promised to remove the difficulties or the trials of life, but he did promise to go through them with me.  Since then, there have been other trials and tests and I can tell you that in every single one of them God has been with me.  He has never left me but has held my hand at all times through them, just as he promised he would. 

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herever you are and whatever you are facing in life today, rest assured God knows where you are.  He is there with you, going through every trying experience you have, even when it seems there is no way out. Believe me when I tell you that God is faithful, that he fulfills his promises, that he will never leave you, and he will never forget you.  So, squeeze his hand more tightly as you walk with him today and you'll find that he will squeeze yours as well to let you know everything is all right!

No Parking!

D

owntown Fort Worth is a wonderful place to visit.  There are all types of shops, numerous restaurants, wonderful bookstores, great places to get a cup of coffee, a superb performance hall, and good movie theaters where you can catch the latest flick.  Yes, it is a wonderful place, provided you can find a parking space!  This is especially true in the evenings and on the weekends when the entire population, it seems, pours into the downtown area to enjoy all it has to offer.   

On more than one occasion I have ventured downtown and found myself in a battle to find an empty space to park my car.  The lots are either full or I find myself confronted with ever-present and all-to-familiar information sign, “No Parking!”  One Saturday afternoon, I decided to spend some time looking through the various shops downtown.  I got in my car and took the fifteen-minute drive into the city.  But there was no where to park!  All the lots were full, all the spaces were taken, and there literally was no available space to be seen.

After several minutes of circling the city, after putting several miles on my car, and after wearing down the tread on my tires, I gave up in desperation and decided to return to the seminary to bandage my wounds.  I was frustrated and angry.  Everywhere I looked I saw a “No Parking” sign so I just kept driving until I returned home!  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever been frustrated by a traffic sign?  To top it all off, someone had written me a nice letter requesting that I pay my phone bill!  What a day!  All I wanted was a parking space, not a headache!

But after I returned home and cooled down a little bit, I realized there was actually a blessing in my little afternoon adventure.  Had I found a parking space downtown, I would have been tempted to stroll into the shops, get some coffee, buy a book, or see movie and spend more money than I had anticipated.  Then I would have been hard-pressed to pay the phone bill which was more of a priority than a cup of coffee.  Now, please don’t get me wrong. I can afford a cup of coffee and my phone bill, the question here is one of priority.

The Apostle Paul understood the idea of not parking in the Christian life.  He knew that following hard after Jesus and walking with God is the single most important priority of life.  Parking spaces, Paul knew, sometimes lead to trouble.  They get us off the road; they stop our forward progress for a while, and allow our minds to wonder through all the shops life has to offer.  When we are in the shops, it is easy for us to get our priorities skewed and out of balance.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14). This is the great secret of the Christian life—forward motion!  Notice that Paul admonishes his readers to keep pressing on toward the goal.  The one focus, the one goal, the one aim of our lives must be Jesus Christ who alone can supply all our needs and satisfy our souls.

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ut in modern terms, Paul would be telling his readers to take notice of the “No Parking” signs and to keep moving forward.  The world offers many things but these things can never fulfill us in the way God does.  Browsing among the world’s shops, drinking from its fountains, and walking idly along can lead us to confuse our priorities and to get our eyes off of Christ!  However, if we keep our eyes on him, if we keep moving forward, we will find that our priorities are in the right place, that our needs are met, and our souls will be satisfied.  Are you looking for a parking place today?  Pay attention to those “No Parking” signs!  They just might be blessings in disguise!

Lost In The Translation

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ne of the hardest lessons to learn when taking a foreign language is that word- for-word translation is impossible in every case.  Some sentences make very little if any sense when they are translated word-for-word.  This can be very challenging and frustrating for the student.

A better way and more effective way of translating involves the translation of whole ideas instead of words.  This approach requires an in-depth knowledge of both the foreign language and the target language into which the work is to be translated.  Knowledge of both of these languages comes from working with them on a daily basis, understanding their grammar and the various rules governing them.

However, even with such an intimate and thorough knowledge, some things remain untranslatable from one language to the next.  Without going into a long explanation, I can think of two expressions in French which have no English equivalents.  When used, they can turn any sentence into a question but they themselves have no exact match in English.  However, being able to recognize these structures enables communication to take place even if an exact translation isn’t possible.

The Apostle Paul understood this notion, especially when attempting to translate God’s love into a language that we can understand.  In his letter to the Philippians, he addresses God’s peace and how it applies to our lives even when we don’t fully understand its complete meaning.  In Philippians4:7, Paul writes, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

There are a few things this verse, though short, teaches us.  Just prior to this verse, Paul admonishes his readers not to worry but by prayer and supplication, in thanksgiving to make all their requests known to God.  When we do this, when we approach God reverently and with thanksgiving, telling him our requests, then his peace comforts us.

Who among us has not had this experience?  Perhaps you have been in a very difficult place, the loss of a job, the sudden illness of a loved-one, or you have encountered unforeseen financial problems.  You are at a complete loss to explain these events and you are at an even greater loss to understand them.  You pour your heart out to God, asking, pleading with him for an explanation and a resolution.  Your prayers, however, don’t even seem rise any higher than the ceiling, if that high.

But you are undaunted by this and you keep praying all the more. Even though God does not give you a direct answer, there is this assurance in your heart that he has heard you, that he is listening to you, and that he is making provision for you.  You don’t know how, you can’t explain it, and you don’t understand it, but in the middle of all the chaos, you experience a restful calm in your spirit.  Despite the circumstances, you know that God will care for you and that everything will be all right.

You have just experienced what Paul was describing above.  God’s peace cannot be translated, communicated, mailed in a letter, or sent through an email.  The only way it can be communicated is through personal experience and that personal experience comes by way of testing.  God’s peace is there when all else fails.  It is the one reality in a phony world.  Only the peace of God brings calm assurance and rest to the soul in need. Only he is able to communicate his love to your soul, even when you don’t fully understand the language.

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o take heart.  Even when we fail to translate everything perfectly, God understands.  His peace and his love are not dependent upon our ability to translate, only on our ability to trust and obey.  Lost in the translation, perhaps, but God’s peace is never misunderstood by the hearts of his children!

In The Back of the Pantry

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hen the final bell rang, everybody poured into the hallways, dashed to their lockers, and darted out of the school building as quickly as possible.  After all, there were important things to do now that classes were over for the day.  There were jobs to go to, sports to practice, television programs to watch, and snacks to be eaten. This latter activity was my personal favorite and I did my best to stick to my daily routine of having a snack after school.

As soon as I came in the house, I dropped my books and headed for my favorite hangout, the pantry.  Our pantry was wonderful.  All during the summer, mom had canned vegetables and there was a veritable smorgasbord of things to eat.  There were tomatoes, pickled beets, green beans, and pickles, both dill and sweet.  It wasn't uncommon for me to eat an entire quart jar of pickles before supper along with a pack of saltine crackers.  I loved them.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am an equal opportunity snacker, and I always made sure that all the pantry shelves got equal attention.

But mom’s pickles were just the best!  At first, I had no problem locating the jars of pickles.  They were on the third shelf over to the left with the dill pickles against the wall and the sweet pickles toward the middle of the shelf..  However, as time went on and the stock of pickles began to dwindle, locating a jar became more and more of a challenge.  Sometimes I would be shoulder deep into the pantry, trying to get one of the few remaining jars off the shelf.  During those times, I wondered if searching that hard was really worth it. However, when I emerged with one of those  quart Mason jars, all the effort was suddenly worthwhile.

Sometimes the Christian walk is just like our pantry at home. At times, it seems everything is easy to find and is so accessible to us.  Our prayers are answered, our quiet times with God are productive, and it seems there is always something to satisfy our hunger for the Lord.  However, there comes a time when we must work our faith harder, endure more hardships, and overcome more obstacles in order to maintain our walk with the God.  As long as things are within our grasp, we take them for granted and don’t appreciate them as much.  But when we have to put forth more effort, the rewards are always better.  The pickles in the back of the pantry always tasted better than the ones in the front, perhaps because I had to make a concerted effort to get to them.

Psalm 34:10 provides a good perspective on this latter truth.  David tells us, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” There are two great truths in this passage.  First, we will grow weak and hungry both in body and in spirit.  Life is hard and it has an uncanny way of throwing all kinds of obstacles in our way.  However, David continues by reminding us that those who seek the Lord will not want for any good thing. 

But do we really believe that?  After all, David was the king and could have what ever he wanted.  True, but after being selected, he went back to the sheep. Before coming to the throne, he had to kill a giant, and spend several years on the run, hiding in caves, because King Saul wanted to kill him.  David knew what it was like to be disappointed and to wonder if all the effort, if all the faith required, and if all the obstacles he faced were really worth it.  His answer was definite yes!.

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oday, you may be wondering where God is.  Perhaps you feel he has abandoned you and left you out on a limb to fend for yourself.  I have felt this way myself and I can tell you that God is real and that he loves you.  Sometimes, we have to wade through the jars, and get shoulder deep into his word, in order to reach the blessings he has in the back of the pantry.  Don’t give up! God’s pantry is full of every good thing.  Just continue to trust, believe, and seek!

I Appreciate You!

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hen I was a small boy, my father impressed upon me the importance of affirming and valuing people.  He taught me always to shake people's hands and to introduce myself to them.  Furthermore, at the end of any conversation, he taught me to shake their hands again and to tell them I appreciated them.  Now, as a little tike, the word "appreciate" posed a bit of a problem.  The word was clearly bigger than I was and I had no idea what it meant.  I only knew that it was important to my dad and that meant it was important to me.

Only later did I fully understand the great lesson he was impressing upon me at such a young age.   I was in college when it finally dawned on me exactly what my dad had taught me.  College, you know, is the time when parents suddenly become extremely intelligent and their IQ levels increase astronomically overnight. 

Appreciate means to "increase in value."  Wow!  What an incredible lesson he had given me so many years earlier.  Essentially, what my dad was telling me was that people increase in value as you tell them and show them you value them.  That means I actually play a role in increasing the value of another person.  Things, like cars, tend to depreciate, or lose their value, over time.  However, people increase in value over the course of a lifetime.

This lesson has a solid biblical foundation.  Today's scripture is short but it demonstrates in a very real way this idea of appreciating people.  2 Samuel 9:11b reads, "And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly with David, as though he were one of his own sons."  So, what does this have to do with valuing a person, you ask?  Well let's take a quick look at this man, named Mephibosheth.

Mephibosheth's father was Jonathan, the best friend of King David.  Before his death, Jonathan made a pact with David, asking David to care for his family.  When David became king, he asked if there were any of Jonathan's descendants still living.  He learned of Mephibosheth, who lived in Lo-debar, a town meaning "not a pasture."  David sent for Mephibosheth.  Mephibosheth was reluctant to see the king because he probably feared David would kill him and because had been dropped at a young age and was crippled in both feet.  Instead, David provided for Mephibosheth, bringing him to the palace to live, restoring all his lands, and having him dine at the king's table.

Here, we have a small snapshot of the plan of salvation.  Before Christ's death, we were the enemies of God.  We were imperfect, crippled, and ashamed to approach God's throne. Just as Mephibosheth was marred because of his relation to King Saul, we were marred because of our relationship to sin. Because of his relationship to Jonathan, King David looked favorably upon Mephibosheth and raised him from a lowly position to one of prominence. 

He took a man who had no hope, who lived in a barren land, who was lame and ashamed, and raised him to a place equal with his own sons.  What a great representation of what God did for us.  Because of Christ, we sit in heavenly places now.  We have all of God's promises and resources at our disposal because we are joint heirs with Christ. What a wonderful, glorious truth this is!

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o, today, as you go about your busy schedule, remember to tell someone you appreciate him or her.  Raise his or her value today and as you do, recall that God appreciates you.  Your value to him is beyond measure!!