How About A Little Harmony

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 love listening to a cappella music.  It never ceases to amaze me how voices from different people, regardless of their number, can blend so that only one voice is heard.  A few weeks ago, I was listening to a local Christian radio station.  They were playing a good selection of contemporary music so I relaxed in my seat and enjoyed the ride home from Arlington to Fort Worth. 

 

After a few songs, the announcer introduced a beautiful song by this singing group.  Right away I knew the arrangement would be voices only, and in a few seconds, I was able to confirm my hypothesis. I was very familiar with the song but dared not sing along with it.  So lovely and harmonious were the individual voices that any attempt on my part would have marred the music.  Despite the fact there were three distinct voices coming from the radio, the group had its own distinctive sound.  One voice the more, or one voice the less, and the performance would have been completely different and not at all inspiring.

 

From these three people came one gorgeous sound.  Their voices blended as one, speaking the same words, carrying the same message, each voice joining with the others in perfect union and harmony.  For the next several minutes I was deeply moved and encouraged as this song ministered to my heart.  The only thing I could concentrate on was how perfectly and how lovingly these voices blended into one to share the truth of God’s love and mercy and to praise Him.

 

As the song ended, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper recorded in John 13-17.  As he spends these last moments with his disciples, Jesus teaches them about washing the each other’s feet, about loving each other, and he calls them friends instead of servants.  In John 17, Jesus prays a prayer known as the High Priestly prayer of Christ. In this prayer he prays for unity among believers so that we may be one in mind, heart, and spirit as we serve God.

 

John 17:20-21 gives us these words of Jesus:  "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  It is indeed humbling to see that in addition to the disciples, Jesus prayed for me and for you that night.  Notice that his prayer includes everyone who will believe because of the disciples.

 

His prayer, however, doesn’t stop there.  Jesus prays for us with a specific purpose in mind, that we would all be one.  Moreover, Jesus wants us to be one in the same way as he and God are one.  That means completely and totally united with no differences among us This was our Lord’s request for us yet the church today seems to be anything but united.  We are more concerned with what our neighbor is wearing, the type of car he is driving, or the size of his house than we are with his spiritual well-being.  We are quick to point out where someone is wrong and slow to acknowledge where someone is right.  We spend more time talking about our fellow Christians than we do with them and when we pray, it seems we pray at our brothers and sisters instead of with them or for them.

 

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his is not what Jesus meant when he prayed that we be united in spirit and in love.  The song on the radio captured my attention because three distinct voices blended into one.  Although of different registers and ranges, they united into one sound with one common purpose; that purpose was sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to all those listening to their testimony.  Oh that we would take a great lesson from this today and apply it to our own Christian lives.  Are we united with our brothers and sisters?  Do we take time to listen to them?  Do we really care about them and the burdens they are carrying?  Do we love them as Jesus commanded us to do?  Jesus is asking us the same question that he asked those twelve men sitting with him around the table that evening, “How about a little harmony?”  What will your answer be?

High School Annuals

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lthough you seldom look at it any more, you could probably put your hands on it if I asked you.  It is tucked away in a drawer, lying on the top shelf in your closet, occupying some area of a basement wall, acting as a bookend, or sleeping quietly in a box in the attic.  Occasionally you flip through it and it is the cause of much laughter and tears as you share it with old friends or family who prayed as you navigated the treacherous waters of adolescence.  It is not something anyone else would want or care for but to you it is priceless.  It is your old high school year book or books depending on just how sentimental you are.

My old annuals currently live on a shelf in a closet.  They are safe and dry but I seldom pull them out to look at them.  When I do, a flood of memories comes rushing back as I relive past moments, remember whole conversations I had with friends, and revisit a time when life was simpler, more manageable, and essentially carefree.  Several of my classmates wrote notes in my annual, filling entire pages with autographs and things to make sure I didn’t forget them. I remember each one to this very day.

There is a section in each high school annual dedicated to those classmates who were elected by their peers as superlatives.  The categories usually include prettiest and most handsome, most dependable, most likely to succeed, wittiest, most musical, etc.  In the opinion of their fellow classmates, the individuals chosen for these various categories stand out above all others, beyond comparison, for that is the meaning of a superlative—the best of the best!

The Bible is filled with men and women who were the strongest, the bravest, the fastest, the most beautiful, etc. We speak of people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Noah, Esther, Ruth, etc. just to name a few.  Each of these names carries with it its own imagery, immediately calling to mind a picture of what the individual is recognized for:  Solomon was the wisest, Abraham was the most faithful, Samson was the strongest, Esther was the most beautiful, and Ruth was the most devoted. 

Yet, when Jesus talks about superlatives, he applies a very different standard.  His requirements seem to fly in the face of everything the word superlative connotes.  Let’s look at Luke 9:48 to see Jesus’ requirements for being a superlative. This verse simply states, “Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest...”

Jesus used a small child as his standard for superlative faith, strength, and trust.  The child Jesus chose isn’t even named in the story yet Jesus states categorically that unless we all become as children we cannot see God’s kingdom.  The standard for reaching superlative status in God’s kingdom can be found in the closing words of Jesus’ statement.  If we want to excel and be considered great in the Lord’s sight, we must be content with being in last place.  Here, there is no glory, here there is no recognition, here there is no pat on the back, and here there is no one applauding or yelling out our names. No, there is no one to recognize our service or see our contribution; no one, that is, but God, Himself. 

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he criterion for excelling in God’s kingdom is based solely on the attitude of the heart and the desire to be subordinate to and compliant with the will of God.  In fact, there can be only one superlative, not many, and that superlative is Jesus Christ.  It is he who is the most loyal, the most faithful, the most beautiful, the most dependable, and the most loving.  Yet, Jesus says we can be great in his kingdom. We do so, however, not by doing but by sacrificing.  When we give up our wants and our desire, when we are content yield to God’s will and recognize His authority as our creator and Lord, then we are in the very position for God to use us for His purpose.  These are God’s requirements for being a superlative.  How do we measure up today?

Funds Now Available

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 love banking via the Internet, especially when my schedule prevents me from running by the bank to make a deposit or a withdrawal.  Actually, deposits are like Haley’s Comet, they only come around once every 76 years it seems!!!  A quick gander at my checkbook register reveals that money flies out of my account much more readily than it flows in.  I am always in the black but it seems that the money in my account doesn’t stay in there long enough to even get comfortable!

 

My banking program allows me to connect with my bank and download all my transactions.  This helps me stay current with the bank and keeps me ever mindful of the funds I have available to spend during the month.  One of the most wonderful feelings comes from connecting to the website and seeing that my direct deposit has been made by the university.  During the night, while I sleep, the university’s accounting department forwards my paycheck directly to my account. The next morning, those funds are displayed on my screen and are available for use!

 

Has it ever occurred to you that God works the same way in our lives?  While we sleep, God is working, taking care of us and providing for us.  When we wake, we find that He has made a direct deposit of 24 hours into our lives.  The first rays of light, the first sounds of the day, the first movements of our bodies, and that first cup of coffee all serve to remind us that a fresh deposit of time has been placed in our accounts.  How we spend it is up to us.  The funds are available upon our waking but do we always spend the time God gives us in a wisely fashion?

 

This thought occupied the mind of Moses, the author of Psalm 90.  In this psalm, Moses offers a wonderful prayer to God.  He begins the psalm by praising the Lord for caring for His people throughout all generations.  Moses praises and thanks the Lord for His faithfulness, for always making deposits of time, grace, mercy, and love into the lives of His people.  Moses continues by enumerating the mighty acts of God drawing his examples from the created order and speaking of God’s eternal existence.

 

But Moses also realizes that man has a responsibility before God, a responsibility he often neglects and takes for granted.  It is this very fact that has caused him to write this psalm.  Moses knows that people forget their maker too easily.  They need to be reminded that He is God, that He is eternal, that He is sovereign.  They need to know that without God their very existence is impossible.  That is why he calls on the Lord to return to His people and to teach them how to live and walk before Him in a right relationship.

 

In Psalm 90:12, Moses asks God to teach the people how to use their time wisely.  The New Living Translation renders the passage this way, “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”  Please notice that this request carries with it a direct result.  Moses understands that the time God give us is precious. He also knows that only God can truly teach us how to use the time we have wisely and for His glory.  The result is that we may grow in wisdom.  When we learn to use our time in the right way and for God’s purpose, we do indeed become wise.  That means that when we neglect to use our time for the Lord and when we take it for granted, we become foolish and act accordingly.

 

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his morning, the bank’s website told me I had funds that were available for use.  Those funds must last me until the end of the month so I keep looking for ways to spend the resources I have in a wise and responsible manner.  If you are reading this today, you are doing so because God made a direct deposit of 24 hours into your life account.  Those funds are now available.  Are you spending them wisely today?

Don't Squeeze The Middle

             

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om, we’re out of toothpaste again.”  This was a regular occurrence at our house early in the morning as we were getting ready for school.  After breakfast, I went to the bathroom to wash my face, comb my hair, and brush my teeth.  I opened the drawer, removed my toothbrush and the toothpaste, and, just like every kid in school, I squeezed that tube right in the middle.  For a while, I was successful in getting the paste out of the tube.  However, when the two sides of the tube met and no paste came out, I called mom to inform her that we were completely out of toothpaste.

 

Every time this happened, mom would come into the bathroom, squeeze the tube, and magically she would succeed in milking the toothpaste from it. I am thoroughly convinced there was a secret compartment inside that only she knew about!!  Mom always started at the bottom of the tube and moved the paste forward and she encouraged me to do the same.  The word encourage is really too tame for how she explained the mechanics of removing toothpaste from the tube.  What she really did was tell me over and over again that it would be easier to get more paste from the tube if I started at the bottom.  The paste at the end of the tube was the deepest and if I began in the deep end, the rest would just come out.

 

Somehow, though, all her coaxing and repeated instructions just never seemed to sink in.  It was work to force the paste out of the bottom of the tube and squeezing the middle was a lot more fun.  While I was able to get some paste from the tube, I left so much more inside because I was unwilling to work harder to remove all the paste buried deep in that tube.  Even when mom bought little plastic keys that fit on the end of the tube to help me get all the paste out, I still insisted on squeezing the tube in the middle.  Only later in life did I realize that squeezing in the middle meant I was only getting half of the paste out.  The rest was still in there and forcing it out after having flattened the tube required more work than if I had done it correctly to begin with.  If I had only listened to mom!  But that’s usually the way it goes, isn’t it? We always know better!

 

Far too often in our relationship with God we are content to simply squeeze the tube in the middle.  We open God’s word and search for a quick verse to make us feel better, we say a quick prayer, spending very little time with our Heavenly Father, and far too often we feel that our relationship is depleted and empty when in reality there is so much more for us to receive and experience.  We leave far too much in the tube because we don’t want to exert the effort necessary to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. 

 

We quote the scripture that says God rewards those who seek after Him diligently (Hebrews 11:6) and claim it for our own.  Yet, when it comes to actually seeking after Him diligently, deliberately, and faithfully, we fall woefully short of the mark.  We are content to squeeze the middle, taking what we can get out of a few minutes of prayer or devotion, content with our feeble efforts, believing the relationship is spent when in fact there is so much more.  How much more of God we could have if we would just determine to go deeper.

 

The writer of Psalm 107 encourages us to do just that.  This entire Psalm is one of thanksgiving, of praising God for His wonderful love that endures forever and protects us in all circumstances of life.  In Psalm 107:24, the psalmist writes a most interesting passage, “They saw the works of the LORD , his wonderful deeds in the deep.”  The beginning of this section of Psalm 107 speaks of those who used the sea to ply their trade as merchants.  These men encountered all the wonder and fear of storms at sea.  They knew what it was to rise high on tumultuous waves only to be plummeted to the depths as the waves crashed over their vessels.  Yet, the psalmist tells us that God’s unfailing love protected them. He calmed the seas and the storms and guided them safely into port.  No wonder the psalmist tells us these men fully understood God’s love.  They experienced it in the depths, out in the water, in the face of the storm, where no one save God alone could come to their rescue and provide comfort and peace.

 

Oh my friend, have you ever been there?  Have you ever been out in the deep with God, to see His hands, to feel His arms, and to see His protection in the difficult areas of life?  Are you pursuing Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?  Are you pushing deep into His word, understanding the depths of His love, and seeking the unfathomable riches of His blessings to all those who call upon His name?  I pray that you are.  I pray that you are launching out into the deep, relying on Him as your only means of provision and strength. 

 

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his type of relationship is the type God means for us to have with Him.  It is only in the depths of the sea and in the middle of the storm that we can fully appreciate His love for us.  It is only when we have no strength that we fully experience His power.  It is only when we determine to live the deeper life that we experience the fullness of God.  So why are you still squeezing that tube in the middle?  Go for the bottom, squeezing until you get the full measure of all that God has and wants to give you today!

Mission Accomplished

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nd she gave birth to her firstborn, a son” Luke 2:7b.  In other words, mission accomplished!  God’s purpose for moving Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem is now revealed.  It wasn’t because of Caesar’s decree that they made their move, it was because God had said centuries before that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).

Here, in this small, unknown, unimportant corner of the world, God chose to fulfill his plans.  It is no accident that the Messiah, the heir to David’s throne, would be born in the City of David.  God’s plan is flawless, right down to the smallest detail.  But Mary and Joseph were probably not thinking about all of that. All they knew was that the baby had finally come and that their lives would never be the same.

God works in our lives, sometimes in the most unforeseen ways.  We do not know his purposes nor do we understand all the details of his plans.  What we do know is that our God is faithful, that he keeps his word, and that everything, and I do mean everything, he promises, he brings to pass.

The birth of Jesus on that night to Mary and Joseph marked the soon-to-be culmination of God’s plan to save and reconcile mankind.  In the form of a helpless baby, the omnipotent God came to help helpless man.  In order to save us, he became one of us.  What could be more confusing to human reason?  The ministry of Jesus would reveal his care for the “least of these.”  He will always preach and proclaim that “the last will be first, and the first, last.”  What better demonstration of this than for the Son of God to be born to an unknown couple, in an obscure part of an obscure city, surrounded by animals, and visited by shepherds who had no social standing and were counted as those living on the fringe of society?

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nd so, here we are.  Mary and Joseph are now parents to the baby Jesus.  God has entrusted them with the care of his son and given them the responsibility of caring for him, teaching him, and bringing him into manhood. What an assignment!  We know that God will not place on us more than we can bear which means he trusts us, even when we don’t understand his actions.  What has God entrusted to your care today?

Timing Is Everything

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iming is everything! How often have you hear or said these words?  In today’s world, it is all about timing.  We run our lives by the clock.  Don’t believe me?  Just count the number of clocks in your house.  We are so enamored with time; we even strap clocks to our wrists and are constantly looking at them throughout the day. There is a time to get up, a time to get dressed, a time to eat, a time to leave for work, a time for lunch, etc.  The list just goes on and on. We like to believe that we control time but in reality time controls us.

It was no different for Mary and Joseph.  No, they didn’t have clocks all around their home and Joseph, as far as we know, didn’t have a designer-label sundial attached to his wrist.  But time played an important factor in their lives.  However, the timing affecting their travel to Bethlehem was under God’s design and control.

Luke 2:6 tells us the following, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born…” On the surface this seems to be a very matter-of-fact statement.  We know Mary is pregnant and we know that their journey takes place just prior to the birth of Jesus.  But look very closely within this passage and locate the most important word, time.

The purpose of the journey now takes on a different air.  Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem in order to register for Caesar’s census.  But while they were in Bethlehem, the alarm on God’s clock sounded. From Joseph and Mary’s perspective, the time could not have been worse.  They are not at home.  Friends and loved one’s are not with them and the location of Christ’s birth is anything but what they had imagined it would be.

This is the way God works.  We have our time; he has his.  His timing is always perfect and always serves his purpose.  We may not understand—and in fact we usually won’t—his timing or the reasons for the circumstances he orchestrates; but rest assured that God knows exactly what he is doing and has selected both the time and place for his will to be accomplished.

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emember today as you go down life’s road that God is in full control of your life.  The little twists and turns, the detours, and the awkward and unseemly places into which you journey, are all hand-picked and designed by a loving father. The purpose he has for you may not be evident now, but when the time comes, he will work out his will for your life.  What is God up to?  Only time will tell!

The Long And Winding Road

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ne of the last songs recorded by the band, The Beatles, was entitled The Long and Winding Road.  While completely removed from the Christmas story, the image of a long and difficult journey is most appropriate for today’s devotional.

In Luke 2:4 we read, “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.”  This verse has been read hundreds of thousands of times over the centuries and yet we can find within in it fresh insight and encouragement for our journey today.

The road from Nazareth to Bethlehem represented an 80 mile journey.  On a good day, a man leading a donkey could cover approximately 20 miles before retiring for the evening.  This would mean that the journey could be done in 4 days.  Let’s put this into perspective, shall we?  Yesterday I put 60 miles on my car in the space of just 2 hours.  So, 80 miles for us could be just a normal day’s journey.  I can fly 1000 miles in a little over 2 hours and I can be half way around the globe in less than a day.  So 80 miles doesn’t really affect us, or does it?

Let’s see if we can understand Mary and Joseph’s circumstances.  Mary is 9 months pregnant and almost ready to give birth. Even today, physicians discourage women who are close to term from travelling great distances.  Mary must ride on the back of an animal over roads that are not paved.  I imagine that the donkey didn’t have great shock absorbers and that she felt every dip and bump in the road.  Moreover, there were no hotel chains along the way to offer them comfortable lodging for the evening.  They may have had to sleep on the ground and for a woman at full term, sleep in a good bed is still a challenge.

But the passage says that Joseph went up to Bethlehem.  Despite the circumstances, despite the throngs, despite lack of comfort, Joseph went to Bethlehem.  And during the long journey which could have taken more than a week, God cared for them, provided for them, and kept watch over them because he had a purpose for their lives.

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e have this same assurance.   God watches over us and cares for us.  His purpose, while unknown to us, can be trusted and he will ensure we arrive at our destination intact, on time, and ready to be used for his purpose.  In Isaiah, 55:8 the prophet reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.  Mary and Joseph do not know what awaits them at the end of the road, but God is already there.  The same is true for us today.  Who knows where your road will lead?

Everyone's Invited

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esterday we left Mary and Joseph preparing to leave home and head to Bethlehem in order to comply with Caesar’s dictate for a worldwide census.  They had to pack up and make their way across rough road to arrive at their destination.

Although today’s verse is very small, there is a great kernel of truth lodged within it.  Luke simply records in verse 3, “And everyone went to his own town to register.”  Please notice the word, everyone.  Status didn’t matter.  Location didn’t matter.  Bank account size didn’t matter.  Political influence didn’t matter.  In fact, nothing mattered except that everyone, regardless of station, was invited to the census party.

Once again we see God working in the daily situations and circumstances of life.  The edict applied to everyone, both citizens and non-citizens, there were no distinctions between them. And although there were many people heading to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph, the purposes of their journeys and the end results were not the same.  Everyone went to be counted; but Mary and Joseph had another purpose, a purpose not known to them.

This is God’s way with us.  We are not always aware of the present purpose of our circumstances.  God doesn’t always reveal to us why things are the way they are and why we must face the various situations life sends our way.  He does promise, however, that everything will work to our good as Paul shares in Romans 8:28.

The prophet Micah had foretold that the birthplace of the Messiah would be in Bethlehem but no one at that time foresaw Roman occupation and the census it would require in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled.  Isaiah was correct when he recorded God’s statement that His ways are not our ways.  How true this is.

And so, Mary and Joseph are now on their way with the rest of the population toward a destination that will forever change their lives and the world.  It may be that you are being moved from one place to another today.  If so, trust God’s working in your life.  He has in mind a purpose for you and when the time and the circumstances are right, He will bless you and use you for His glory.

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herever you are on life’s road today, my prayer for you is that you will enjoy the journey, knowing full well that we serve a God who has our best interest in mind and who will never move us unless and until He is ready to use us for His glory.  Just keep walking!!!!

On The Move

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t this time of year, people are in constant motion, running here and there with greater fervor and focus than at any other time of the year.  That seems to be the mantra of almost anyone to whom you speak.  “I gotta go” or “I’ve got to get all this shopping done” or better yet, “Where has the time gone?”

For the next several days, all the way until Christmas Day, we will be taking a journey through the first 20 verses of Luke 2.  We will take a look at the shepherds, the wise men, and all the circumstances regarding our Lord’s birth and the purpose for his coming to earth.  So, let’s get started.  I invite you to open your Bible and join me with the opening verse of Luke 2.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  You want to talk about movement?  The entire known world was in flux with people packing up all they had to report to their various destinations to be counted and recorded.  What a time that must have been when everyone, and I mean everyone, was going somewhere with no time to spare. 

Joseph and Mary pack up and head to Bethlehem to comply with Caesar’s demand that entire world be recorded.  What lesson are we to learn from this brief passage?  What could God have possibly packed into these 19 words that will help us today?  A lot, actually.

In life, we are seldom in control of our circumstances. Things happen, events occur, and unforeseen situations rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune times.  It was the same with Joseph and Mary.  The day before Caesar’s decree, everything was normal; but the next morning, their world changed.  Joseph had to take his very pregnant wife from their home to the town of Bethlehem to register his family.

Joseph, in all likelihood, was not thrilled about traveling in the first place and he was most certainly concerned about Mary who was due to give birth very soon.  But the circumstances of life dictated that he go to Bethlehem and to Bethlehem he went.

Here is our lesson for today.  God is in control of our circumstances.  We may not understand the events surrounding us and we may not comprehend why we have to move when it would be easier to stay put. But had Abraham never moved there would have been no Isaac.  Had Moses not been moved, there would have been no Exodus.  Had David not moved into the valley, there would have been no victory over Goliath.   We could go on and on but the lesson is the same.  In order for God to bless us and use us, he sometimes will require that we move, leaving everything behind, heading toward a destination and events we do not know or fully understand.  Whatever the circumstance, to receive God’s best, we must move.

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nd so, we leave Mary and Joseph on the road to Bethlehem, traveling over a rocky road, in the dry and arid climate, on their way to fulfill God’s promise that he would send a deliverer to save mankind. Does God have you on the move today?  If so, get ready for him to do great things both in you and through you.

Dimmer Switch Christianity

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ne of the most exciting events about refurbishing our home was turning on the lights!  We had worked for several months replacing all the old, tattered wiring with new copper wire placed safely in aluminum conduit.  Finally, when all the conduit was in place and most of the wire was threaded, we made the connections, took a long extension cord, and “plugged” the house into the temporary electrical service installed for this purpose.

I will never forget our excitement as three or four lights suddenly sprang to life.  Where once the house had been in total darkness, it was now bathed in bright spotlight.  This meant we could now work during the day or night finishing the restoration, transforming the house into a comfortable living space.

Later, when the house was completed and we put in all the light fixtures, we installed dimmer switches in the bedrooms.  This allowed me to adjust the amount of light in my bedroom according to my mood.  Reading a book, writing, or studying required all the available light the lamps could muster.  However, listening to soft music, taking a nap, or just relaxing, meant less light or no light was needed and I adjusted the lights accordingly. The dimmer switches worked wonderfully and allowed me to control the amount of power flowing so the room became as bright or as dark as I wanted.

Unfortunately, we often apply the principle of the dimmer switch to our walk with God.  We tailor our witness to reflect the mood of the person with whom we are sharing our faith or the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  Instead of sharing from our hearts, we step back and worry how we will be received and we adjust our witness so as not to offend or cause discomfort.  

Too often we water down our testimony or we refuse to speak about Jesus at all because we fear being rejected or ridiculed for our beliefs.  In essence, we dim the light of our witness, trying to control just how much of Jesus others can see in us.  At times we shine so brightly while at others, the light hovers just above a slight glow.  The result is an inconsistent witness, one that is different for different people and circumstances.  This simply must not be!  Jesus has not called us to take a dimmer switch approach to sharing the gospel.

In Matthew 5:15-16 we read, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  This passage comes from the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7.  In this sermon, Jesus explains his ministry and brings new insights and understanding to the Law given through Moses and the way in which the believer is to conduct himself in his relationship to God.

The verse tells us very plainly that our witness is to be very bright, using the full power of Christ to share God’s love and salvation with all those around us.  Dimmer switch Christianity is not an option!  Jesus never selected his words or represented the power of God’s love in order to reflect a mood.  He spoke the truth to everyone he met and his witness was always the same no matter the person or situation.  This is what he has called us to do as his followers.  We must present the gospel at full power, never compromising its message regardless of the situation, person, or our mood at the time.

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re we shining examples of God’s love, mercy, and grace today?  Are we allowing our lights to shine full force in the darkness, drawing others to God and His son, Jesus Christ?  When we flip the switch to the “on” position, is it evident that the love of God burns brightly within us or do people have to search very hard to find it because we are using a dimmer switch?  Are we practicing dimmer switch Christianity today?

Dig Deep

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ohn Black always had a shovel in his hand.  I never knew a time when John wasn’t covered in red dirt and clay.  John worked for my grandfather and for my father digging graves whenever one was needed.  At that time, graves were dug by hand.  It was a grueling job but one that John performed to perfection, always ready with his shovel to dig a hole six feet deep in order to return someone to the ground from which they came.

As a young boy, I would sometimes ride with my dad to the cemetery where John and his partner, Parnell, were digging graves.  It always amazed me the amount of dirt these two men piled up as they dug deeper and deeper into the earth.  I begged my dad to let me go with John to help him.  I was convinced my help would speed up the process and render John a great service. 

Finally, one day, my dad gave me permission to go with John.  I jumped into the truck between him and Parnell, and we headed off to dig a grave.  I was so excited because I knew we’d be done in an hour or so and then I could come home and brag to all my friends that I had helped John Black dig a grave in record time.  Boy, was I mistaken, misled, and completely off target! 

When we got to the cemetery, it didn’t take me long to figure out that this would take some time; that it was much more difficult than my little eight-year-old mind had dreamed.  Dirt is heavy and there is a lot of it to remove in order to create a six-foot pit that is rectangular in shape.  After three shovels full, I was spent, ready to throw in the towel, looking for my dad to come and rescue me from the sun, the dirt, and the work.  John and Parnell, however, continued to dig, going deeper and deeper into the ground.  They stopped only occasionally for a drink of water and a breather and then it was back to work.

All the while, John gave me a hard time about the three shovels full of dirt I had moved.  He said he didn’t know how he would have managed if I hadn’t been there to help him.  John always liked to joke and he loved giving me a hard time.  This is one of the reasons I liked John but I really liked him because he knew how to dig and he didn’t stop until he was finished!

What a picture of the Christian life this is.  Far too often, we stop digging for the deep things of God because it requires time and effort.  We are content to remain near the surface, believing that a little bit of effort moves a lot of dirt. We want the blessings God has to offer us but we don’t want to dig for them.  After moving three small shovels full of spiritual dirt, we are ready to quit, hoping God will bless us in the same manner as if we had removed six feet of it.  Guess what, it just doesn’t happen that way.  In order to learn and experience the deep things of our God, we must dig and dig deep.

Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us of this great truth, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  This is one of the great promises of the Scriptures but it carries with it one condition.  This was given to the people of Israel as a promise that God would bring them out of exile and would once again be their God.  But the people had to seek the Lord, and they had to seek Him with all their hearts.  You can’t find something unless you are looking for it and looking for something means not resting until you find it.  This is what God wanted Jeremiah to communicate to the people.  When they made the search for God the most important thing in their lives, when they refused to stop after just three shovels full and continue to the very end, then and only then would they experience the true rapture of finding the Lord.

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he same is true with us today.  We must seek the Lord with all our heart, not just some of it.  We cannot afford to put the shovel down after we have removed a small amount of dirt.  We must stick to the task, digging deeper and deeper until we plumb the great truths and promises God has for all those who seek after him.  It always amazed me—and still does—that John spent hours digging a hole in which to place a dead person.  How much more should we delve into God’s word to find the eternal truths that give us life?  Are you digging deep today?

Bring Me Your Dirty Laundry

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 remember the excitement of going off to college.  As soon as I received my acceptance letter, I determined to buy myself a T-shirt and give the college some free advertisement. When the weekend came, I drove over to the college and bought a T-shirt which I proudly displayed at school the following Monday morning.  I was really excited about being accepted and looked forward to starting my college career.

In the few months that followed, things grew very hectic.  I contacted my new roommate and we decided who would bring what for the room.  There were also all the necessities to buy: sheets, towels, washcloths, clothes, toiletries, a refrigerator (a definite necessity), a stapler, a calculator, etc. You get the idea; I needed a lot of stuff.

Finally, the big day came.  We loaded the car, jumped in, and my parents packed me off to college. After receiving my schedule, moving into my dorm room, and telling my parents goodbye, I settled in for the excitement of college life.  Oh, what a surprise was in store for me!  Classes started the following Tuesday and by Tuesday afternoon, I began wondering if I had made some sort of terrible mistake.  The hunger for independence had left me hungry indeed:  hungry for home, hungry for familiar surroundings, hungry for my room, and hungry for mom’s cooking.

At least one weekend a month, I went home. Since the college was only 45 minutes from our house, one of my parents would pick me up at the dorm.  I always called the night before to make sure they hadn’t forgotten about my visit (like that would ever happen!!!) and mom always told me the same thing:  Bring me your dirty laundry!!

I always wondered how she knew my laundry was dirty; moms always seem to know those things.  So, in accordance with her wishes, I brought home huge duffle bags full of the stuff.  As soon as we got home, she started!   I got a kick out of listening to her as she went through my clothes, commenting on the level of “filthiness” of each item and wondering how I could stand to wear things like that.  In her own way, she was letting me know she enjoyed feeling needed.

Then we came to the whites, especially the socks!!!  Boy did I take a ribbing then.  Needless to say, chlorine bleach was a foreign concept to me and when I washed I just dumped everything together.  Hey, fifty cents is a lot of money when you’re a poor student!!!  But I have to admit, my socks and whites were just a little on the dingy side but when mom finished them, they were white as January snow!

Two Old Testament writers had a lot to say about dirty laundry.  In fact, both of these men had a very good understanding of just how dingy, unclean, and downright filthy our lives are before a holy God.  The first of these writers is the prophet Isaiah.  He understood all to well that all our attempts at righteousness are doomed to failure and the best we can do is to present God with dirty, smelly rags that are in no way spotless.  In Isaiah 64:6 we read these words, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”   

Isaiah has the right idea, doesn’t he?  Without God, there is no way we can be righteous. All our works, no matter how wonderful or well intentioned, can’t even approach God’s standards for righteousness.  We are filthy before Him and we need His touch to make us clean.  Isaiah says that all of us (no one is left out) “have become like one who is unclean.”  The idea of uncleanness is so important to the understanding of the Old Testament and the ability to approach God.  Under the law, almost anything one did or touched could make him unclean.  In order to be clean, he had to wait a certain period of time and then offer a sacrifice. It was impossible to come into God’s presence while one was unclean.  Needless to say, the priests were always busy offering sacrifices to atone for the people’s uncleanness.

In Psalm 51:7, we read another perspective on the filthiness of sin before a holy God, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  The writer of this verse is King David.  Although the Scriptures described David as a man after God’s own heart, he was very familiar with the concept of sin’s stain on his life.  During his lifetime, David was guilty of deceit, adultery, and murder. When Nathan the prophet finally confronted him with his sins, David repented and wrote these words in Psalm 51.  His words seem a fitting response to Isaiah’s observation. 

David knew he had sinned and he knew he was unclean, very unclean.  His sins separated him from the wonderful relationship he had enjoyed with God and they affected his ability to govern his people.  In this Psalm, David cries out to the Lord to cleanse him.  He knows that only God can remove the stain of his sins and restore the relationship David broke.  Like Isaiah, David knows he is dirty but he also knows that God can make him clean, whiter than snow. 

This is the great truth both of these men, living in different times, understood.  God’s righteousness never changes and we can never be clean in our own right or on our own terms.  We need God’s touch to make our hearts clean so that we can enjoy a right relationship with Him.  This is why Jesus came, to shed his own blood to save us and cleanse us from the stain and the filthiness of sin.  We cannot do this on our own.  Only by faith in Jesus Christ and only by accepting him as our savior can we hope to be clean from sin’s stain.

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o are you tired of doing your laundry on your own?  Are you tired of washing and scrubbing only to find out that your life’s laundry is still dingy, dull, and filthy?  Bring everything to God.  He can take your life and make it clean, whole, and acceptable before Him.  Don’t you hear Him saying to you, “Bring me your dirty laundry today!”  Well, what are you waiting for?

Be Still

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iving in a house in close proximity to the members of your family can sometimes be a challenge.  This is especially true as little children grow older and begin to test the limits of mom and dad’s authority.  While they are encouraged to be independent, as they grow older, obedience remains part and parcel of belonging to a family.  Coming under mom and dad’s authority goes hand-in-hand with living under their roof.

Like any other kid, I too tested the limits of the boundaries established by my mom and dad.  Sometimes I would just stick my big toe into the forbidden waters of disobedience and at other times I jumped in whole hog.  I figured getting wet was half the fun and staying to swim for a while was the other half. It was usually about this time that my interests and my parents’ conflicted.  Guess who won?

I can remember so many times when I crossed the line.  My dad would then discipline me and I would just stew, believing I had been unjustly treated.  The more I thought about it the madder I got until I was just ready to explode.  That’s when daddy usually came to talk to me about what had transpired, to tell me why I had been disciplined.     

He would pick me up and hold me, repeating these two words, “Be still!”  That was the last thing I wanted I assure you!  I didn’t feel like being held, I didn’t feel like talking, and I didn’t feel like being calm.  I wanted to run!  Daddy just held me, softly saying, “Be still, Blake. Be still!”

As I look back on it now, I am amazed at the patience and wisdom of my dad.  He knew I was hurting, he knew I wasn’t happy, he knew I didn’t like the discipline, and he knew I didn’t want to be still.  But he held me anyway, rocking me and telling me just to be still.  I can still hear his voice in my ear, reminding me to calm down and be quiet. No matter what my feelings at the time, two things were true: 1) daddy loved me enough to discipline me and 2) he loved me enough to hold on to me even when I was being stubborn.

Is it any different with our Heavenly Father?  How many times do we exert our own independence, putting our agenda ahead of God’s? We never put our big toe into the water just to test it; we always jump in only to find the water is way over our heads.  Not content to admit we were wrong, however, we decide to stay awhile and get the most out of our stubbornness.

 

This is when God steps in to intervene on our behalf, even though we don’t believe it at the time.  God knows that our disobedience, if left unchecked, will only serve to alienate us from Him.  This is something He neither wants nor will allow.

The process of bringing us back into a right relationship is sometimes painful but always necessary.  Afterward, we may not feel as if God loves us.  We may not understand why things turn out the way they do nor why God places us in very difficult situations.  We may be angry, confused, and more than a little dismayed.  But that is all right because we serve a God who loves us more than we can even imagine.

Even in the most difficult times, God picks us up, holds us on His lap, wraps His arms around us, and whispers, “Be still.”  This is the message of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”  The purpose of our stillness is to learn that the Lord is God.  He knows what is best for us.  He alone loves us as no other can.  He loves us enough to discipline us and he loves us enough to hold us when life’s way grows hard, even when it is due to our own stubborn disobedience.

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 learned so much during the times when my dad held me.  I learned that he loved me, that he wanted to hold me, that he hurt when I hurt, and that he was so much smarter and wiser than I was.  How much more, then, does our Heavenly Father love us?  How much more does He long to hold us and comfort us during the difficult times of life—even when they are the result of our disobedience?  Are you being still today?

All Along The Road

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s I drove the more involved, scenic route back to the Interstate, the evening sun was sinking low in the west.  It splashed everything with a wonderful wave of orange-red light that reflected off the windows of houses I passed.  The metal trailers of passing trucks looked as if they were on fire, giving the impression that the tractor trailers were pulling great plumes of fire behind them instead of metal containers filled with different goods.  As I crested a small hill, I took notice of the many telephone poles lining the highway.  Like everything else in the path of the setting sun, they wore an orange mantle, taking on the reddish color of the great California Redwoods.  But what caught my eye was not the poles themselves; it was the lines that connected them that became the focus of my attention.

All along the road, these sentinels stood guard over the Interstate, faithfully performing their mission.  Between each pole were draped several lines over which literally thousands of messages were passing.  Those wires carried news of marriages, births, engagements, and conversations of reunions between old friends.  All of these were traveling much faster than my car and the poles made sure all the messages were successfully delivered.  What type of messages, I wondered, is my life transmitting?  Is the message of Jesus Christ being faithfully communicated to all those crossing my path on a daily basis?

The Apostle John was very much concerned with the message of Jesus Christ and its successful transmission to everyone he met.  John was known as the “Beloved Disciple” and shared a very close relationship with our Lord.  John also wanted his readers to understand that there was only one message that he and the other followers of Jesus Christ wished to communicate. We find this message recorded in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 

In this first letter, John goes to great lengths to stress to his readers that he was among those who personally knew Jesus. John heard him, saw him, and touched him.  He saw the feeding of the five thousand, he witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead, he was present at the Last Supper, and he witnessed the crucifixion.  John also encountered the resurrected Lord and saw him ascend into heaven. No wonder he wanted his readers to understand that he and the others had received this message first-hand and wanted to pass it on down the line to those who had not seen Jesus in the flesh but who believed in him through faith.

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hat is why John writes that they received this message from Jesus, himself.  The message is that God is light.  What a wonderful promise and truth this is.  In a world that is dark, cold, and uncertain. In a world where wrong is seemingly rewarded and right is punished, John wants us to understand that the light of truth does burn brightly and that light is found in God.  Our job is to make sure this message is passed all along the road to everyone we meet.  No matter where you are in your walk with God, the message is still the same and everyone needs to hear it.  People need the Lord; won’t you be one of the lines of communication all along the road of life today?