Spell Check

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t happens every time I sit down to write on the computer.  I’ll be typing along; minding my own business, and suddenly little red lines will appear underneath several words, indicating they have been misspelled.  This drives me bonkers and the more I try to avoid misspelled words, the more of them I type.  Although my intentions are good, I simply cannot avoid the fact that before I complete this Tidbit, I will have stopped several times to correct my typographical errors.

Of course there are also the times when I spell a word correctly but the word itself is completely wrong.  All of you are very kind to overlook my errors but I do appreciate it when you bring them to my attention.  Many times I have emailed a Tidbit only to discover a misspelled word or a misused one.  When I come across them or when they are pointed out to me, a deep groan wells up within me and I thoroughly regret having committed such a blunder.

There is, however, a positive side to the spellchecker on my word processor.  It constantly brings my shortcomings to the fore and makes me aware of the numerous mistakes I make when I write.  Were it not for this feature, I would make many more errors and my writing would be completely riveted with all types of blunders.  The role of the spellchecker is to locate my mistakes, no matter how small, and to bring them to my attention so I can correct them.

It shouldn’t surprise us to learn that the idea of the spellchecker goes all the way back to the time of Christ.  Jesus often spoke of our mistakes and how God’s love is so complete and so pure that he will not allow any flaw or any sin to blemish our character.  God means to bring into the open anything that prevents us from conforming perfectly to the image of Jesus so that we will bring glory and honor to Him.

Luke 12:2 demonstrates this great truth, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”  There are two distinct sides to this passage of scripture.  We can find both a word of warning and a word of encouragement in these words from our Lord.  As a warning, Jesus states categorically that everything we do will one day be brought to light.  That is, all our actions, our motives, our feelings, and our intentions will all be revealed.  God is not as interested in what we do as he is in the spirit in which we do it.  Performing noble and worthwhile deeds is meaningless if the motives of our heart are anything less than pure.

However, this passage also serves as a great encouragement to the Christian.  Seen in its positive light, this passage tells us that God is constantly watching over us, supervising our actions, motives, thoughts, and deeds to point out the areas where we make mistakes.  Spending time in His word reveals the areas in our lives which need attention.  These areas are the ones constantly underlined and highlighted as we write the story of our daily lives. As soon as we do something wrong, God’s word brings it to our attention so we can correct it.

As with the spell check feature on a word processor, we do have a choice.  We can both acknowledge the error and correct it or we can choose to ignore it with the intent of “fixing” it later.   Unfortunately, once we choose to ignore the warning, seldom, if ever, do we actually go back and change our mistake. The result is a document full of typos and misspelled words and those errors cause distractions for those reading our writing.

Are you heeding or ignoring God’s spell check of your life today?  Do you see the areas that are underlined, indicating things you need to correct and work on?  Are you taking the time to address these areas of difficulty or are you ignoring the warning, thinking of attending to them later?  Remember, God brings the areas of our lives into light so we can become more like his son.  Won’t you let God run your life through his spell checker today?

Yes, We've Got Milk!

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hen I was a little boy, I loved to play with boxes.  Sometimes daddy would let us have some of the big cardboard boxes that were destined for the trash dump.  We’d be so excited at the prospects of what those large boxes would become.  The other kids from the neighborhood would come over and we would build houses, forts, ships, and secret hideouts complete with a secret escape door in the back.  This usually meant the entire back end of the box was out but we pretended it was a well fortified and impenetrable wall through which only we could escape.

There were also other boxes I had in my room.  There were shoe boxes filled with all kinds of “important” stuff.  My mom didn’t have the same understanding of important as I did and occasionally she made me clean out those boxes and throw them away.  I did exactly as she instructed and then I started over with a new box.  I had them tucked away under my bed, piled in the bottom of my closet, and stuffed in the drawers of our desk.  There were things like string, important buttons, erasers with no pencils attached, coins, gum wrappers, and the ever-present collection of rubber bands.

There was one other box that played a very important role in my childhood.  This was a very special box and it had a prominent place at our house.  The box was made of metal and it sat on our front porch.  Most of the time this box stood empty and we paid little attention to it.  Once a week, however, something magical happened to that box.  My mom would step out onto the porch, open the box, put her hand inside, and draw out a carton of milk!  It was amazing!  I can still remember walking to that box, pulling the lid back, and looking inside at the tall, cold carton of fresh milk.

The milkman always came on the same day of the week and he delivered milk in all kinds of weather.  Even when we weren’t home, even if no one greeted him at the porch, and if no one was watching, the milk man delivered his precious cargo right on schedule.  I can still hear my mother asking me to check and see if the milk man had come.  I would dash to the front porch, tear open the box, pull out the milk carton, and triumphantly announce as I entered the house, “Yes, we’ve got milk!”

As I think back on our milkman and the days of my childhood one thought comes to mind—faithfulness!  We could always count on the milkman to deliver milk when we needed it.  We never worried he would miss his rounds and we never went without fresh milk.  1 Samuel 26:23 reminds us of the importance God places on our faithfulness.  “The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness.”

In this passage, David is speaking to King Saul.  Saul has been pursuing David with the intention of killing him.  On at least two occasions, David has the opportunity to take Saul’s life but refuses to because Saul is the Lord’s anointed king.  David remains faithful to God by revering and respecting God’s chosen leader.  David does this with the full knowledge that God has selected him to be king after Saul.

This is the very picture of faithfulness.  We are to be about the work God has called us to and we are to honor his word and obey his commands even when the circumstances of life indicate everything is against us.  David had been anointed king and he found himself running for his life, living in caves, and hiding in the wilderness.  Although circumstances seemed to be contrary to God’s promises, David continued to believe the Lord and to obey and honor His word.

God is faithful to us at all times.  He always keeps his promises to us and he never abandons us to fend for ourselves.  But God also wants us to be faithful to him.  That is the essence of this passage from 1 Samuel.  God will reward us according to our faithfulness to him.  If we cling to him, if we obey him, if we place our trust in him, and if we walk with him daily, we will reap the rewards of a deep and abiding relationship with him.

One last thought about that milk box.  The milkman was faithful to deliver the milk each week. However, if we weren’t faithful in removing it from the box, we had no one to blame for spoiled milk but ourselves!  God has more than enough milk for his children.  Are you visiting his milk box on a regular basis? 

Right Down the Middle

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ur backyard was filled with all kinds of wonderful things for a kid to enjoy.  We had several trees that were great for climbing.  There was a swing set where we would swing all day and where my mom used to read on cool autumn mornings and warm summer evenings.  There was also a sandbox where we played Indiana Jones, convinced there were all types of buried treasure to be found.  And last but not least, there was a woodpile that was a wonderful hiding place for games or a challenge to climb.

We didn’t pay very much attention to that pile of wood during the spring and summer.  It was more of a nuisance because weeds grew up around it and mowing the grass surrounding the woodpile was indeed a laborious task.  However, as the summer waned into autumn, the woodpile took on new significance and required constant care.

I can remember my dad bringing a huge load of logs and placing them in a large pile in our yard.  My job was to turn those logs into pieces suitable for burning in our fireplace.  This could only mean one thing—work and plenty of it!  In their original form, the logs were too long and too thick to be useful in our fireplace.  They needed to be rendered into smaller, more manageable pieces and that meant I would be spending time splitting wood.

Our preferred weapon of choice was not an ax.  My dad used one, but taught us to use a sledgehammer and an iron wedge.  The idea was simple.  The wedge was placed in the center of the log and tapped into place with the sledgehammer.  When the wedge was firmly seated in the log, heavier blows were used to force the wedge into the wood, splitting it right down the middle to form two smaller pieces.  Depending upon their size, these pieces were then stacked or split once more into usable pieces for our fire. In order to be used, the wood had to be broken.

The idea of brokenness is found throughout the Scriptures.  In fact, the word broken appears over 130 times in the New International Version of the Bible. The Scriptures speak of laws being broken, of vessels being broken, of the necks of animals being broken for sacrifice, and of hearts being broken from sin.  Being broken, it seems, is just part of the human condition and plays a role in our relationship with God.

Leviticus 6:20-22 addresses a different kind of brokenness and expresses this as something that is pleasing to God.  Let’s take a look at this passage and see what we can learn today.  "This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.  Prepare it with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the LORD . The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the LORD's regular share and is to be burned completely.”

This seems like an obscure verse of scripture until we understand what the Lord is saying to us.  Aaron was being anointed as priest over all Israel.  This was the offering he was to present before the Lord on the day of his appointment as priest.  Notice the last part of the passage and what it has to say about being broken.  The grain offering serves as a pleasing aroma to the Lord only when it is broken.  Aaron would only serve as an effective priest when he was broken into small pieces, humbled and yielding before the Lord. 

The same is true for us my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Before we can be used for God’s purpose, before we can accomplish any of the plans he has for us, we must be broken into small, usable pieces.  We must allow God to take the wedge of his love, to seat it firmly in our hearts, and to split them right down the middle before we can be used for his glory.  Notice that after presenting the offering before the Lord, it was burned entirely.  God wants nothing less than our all.  We must belong to him completely if we are to be considered a pleasing aroma before him.

Those days spent splitting wood in the backyard paid off later in the year.  During the cold months of November, December, January, and February, we were able to enjoy the light and the warmth from the fire in our fireplace. We were only able to this because the wood had been split and broken into pieces that would provide heat and light for our family.  Without the splitting, they would have been completely and utterly useless.

Is your life a pleasing aroma before God?  Are you allowing him to mold you and shape you for his great purposes?  When was the last time you felt God breaking a part of your life so you could serve as light and warmth in a cold world?  Where ever you are in your walk with God, don’t shy away from the sledgehammer and the wedge.  Let God take you and split you right down the middle in order to use you in a way you never dreamed possible!

Two Cups of Sugar

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weet tea doesn’t just happen; you have to add sugar!  In fact, if you’re going to make sweet tea the way we drink it in North Carolina you have to add a lot of sugar.  The ingredients for acceptable sweet tea are very simple, tea, water, and sugar.  Three family-sized tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of sugar render a concoction I love to refer to as nourishing refreshment.

There is simply nothing better on a hot summer’s day than a tall glass of sweet ice tea.  Say what you will, wrinkle your noses at it if you must, but there are people in my hometown who will fight you tooth and nail concerning the prospects of whether you should drink your tea sweetened or unsweetened.  As a matter of fact, if you want unsweetened tea in North Carolina you’d better request it or the tea will be sweet every time.  There simply is no other way to drink it!

I take great pleasure in knowing there is a biblical basis for sweetened beverages!  What?  I know you’re thinking I’ve lost my mind or that I am walking a line that teeters on blasphemy, but honestly, the Scriptures do demonstrate that God sweetened the water in the desert as the Israelites made their way to the Promised Land.  Let’s take a quick peek into the book of Exodus as we find the people not far outside the land of Egypt, asking Moses for something to drink.

In Exodus 15:24-26 we find the following account: “So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD , and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.  He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD , who heals you."

There are a few interesting things we must notice in this passage today.  First, the people were grumbling.  Not far out of Egypt they started complaining and they continued this trend all the way to the Promised Land.  Isn’t it funny that we spend more time complaining instead of praising and thanking God?  Isn’t it amazing how we focus on the negative things in life and totally discount the positive sign of God’s working in our lives?  The Children of Israel were no different.  God had not delivered them from Pharaoh only to let them die of thirst in the desert.

So God answered their cry by having Moses throw a piece of wood into water that was bitter and undrinkable.  Moses could not make the water sweet, that is drinkable, for the people but he could throw in a stick of wood.  Let us glean one of the greatest truths about God from this passage.  God will never do for us what we can do for ourselves but He will always undertake what we are incapable of doing.  As we stated above, Moses could throw the wood in but he could not make the water sweet; only God could do that.

Please find the words, “and there he tested them” in the passage.  Here is the great crux of this verse of scripture. God’s provision in our lives always brings with it a greater responsibility on our part.  After receiving drinkable water from God’s hand, the people were to be put to the test. This does not make God out to be some cruel taskmaster.  On the contrary, God wanted the people to learn that he was their provision, that he was their protection, and that He was all they needed.  The only way for them to learn this was to go through testing.

Please notice that the people’s test was to listen to God’s voice, to do what was right in his eyes (not their own), and they were to obey his commands and decrees.  Guess what? God expects the same of us today.  We are to listen to his voice, to do what is right in his eyes (not our own), and to obey his commands and decrees.  When we do this, we find that the bitter waters of life become sweet, no matter where we are, by a flowing stream, near a desert oasis, or standing by a stagnant pond.  When we give heed to our Lord, he always makes the waters sweet, cool, and refreshing.  When was the last time God added two cups of sugar to the water you are drinking?

The Backside of the Desert

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n the distance the first tendrils of sunlight appeared on the horizon.  In a few moments it would be dawn with sunlight splashing over the landscape as it had for thousands of dawns before this one.  Not far away, the bleating of sheep and goats signaled that the night was indeed ending as man and beast eagerly awaited the arrival of the morning sun.

He had been lying there for over an hour, waking from a fitful sleep.  His tent was open and he stared at the vanishing stars fighting against the breaking of the dawn with all the fury and determination of someone battling for his life. The sound of the animals and the ever-brightening sky meant he needed to start his day.  It would be a busy one as it always was when he moved the flock from one area to another.  He was tired from lack of restful sleep but tonight he knew his rest would be sweet and deep.

The flock gathered around him, eager to begin the long journey.  Although they didn’t know where they were going, anticipation filled the air.  The tents were struck, camels were loaded, and all the animals were gathered into one place.  Finally, after one last check around the campsite, man and beasts set out for the pastures found at the foot of the mountains on the backside of the desert.

The journey took most of the morning and by early afternoon they had reached their destination.  Once camp was established, it was time to visit the pastures and feed the flock.  The shepherd was finally relieved, having arrived at the base of the mountain and its pastures in record time.  He joyfully led his flock to the grasslands to graze.  That’s when he saw something he would never forget, something that shouldn’t be, something no one had ever seen, and something that would change his life forever!  What he saw defied all logic and yet it was real—a bush on fire that did not burn up!

Yes, our shepherd is Moses, the man who would stand before Pharaoh, the man who would deliver the children of Israel from slavery, the man who would use his staff to perform miraculous signs, and the man who would be known as the lawgiver.  But all of these things were in the future.  Moses’s past still haunted him.  He had fled Egypt because he had murdered an Egyptian.  He had come to the wilderness of Midian, married a woman named, Sephora, and had become a shepherd for his father-in-law’s flocks.  But from this day forward, nothing would be the same.

Let us take a closer look at Moses’s not-so-usual-day-at-the-office.  Exodus 3:1 gives us the following account, “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.”  Notice that Moses is in the wilderness.  It was a remote place where he had very little contact with others.  As if this weren’t enough, the passage tells us that Moses led the flock to the backside of the desert. Now I ask you, how much more remote can you get?  Exactly where is the backside of a desert anyway?  Wherever it is, it had to be one of the loneliest and most challenging places Moses knew.

Yet it is in this very setting that God performs one of His greatest calls to ministry.  Although the story of Moses and the burning bush is well-known, we need to understand exactly what took place at Horeb, the mountain of God, on the backside of the desert.  

In the conversation between God and Moses, Moses learns he is to return to Egypt.  God has chosen him to walk into Egypt and break the good news to Pharaoh that the Hebrew slaves are free and will be leaving right away!  Lucky Moses!  But it is not so much the message God gives Moses as the manner in which it is given.  Notice in verse 12 that God tells Moses he will return to this very mountain to serve God.  Notice also that Moses is leading a flock of sheep, caring for them and tending to their needs.  For the past forty years he has covered this ground, learning everything about its contours, its dangers, and its safe havens.  The time has now come for God to take all that knowledge, all that training, and all that skill, and put it to use for his divine purposes.

But in order for him to make that point clear to Moses, God leads him to the backside of the desert.  This encounter with God forever changes the life of Moses and forever alters the future of mankind.  Where once he led sheep, he will now lead people.  Where once he fed animals, he will provide for God’s own.  Where once he traveled alone, he will now lead a multitude.  Everything Moses did for his father-in-law, he will now do for God on a scale never before imagined.

Are you wondering in the wilderness today?  Do you feel you have covered the same ground countless times and performed the same tasks over and over so that they now are just part of the routine?  Take heart from Moses.  Who knows how many times he had been to the backside of the desert?  Who knows how many times he had seen that bush in previous years?  Who knows how often he had gazed at the summit of Mount Horeb, wondering what views could be seen from its heights?  Then one day God called Moses to the far end of the desert to be his own.  Are you ready to visit the backside of the desert today?

The Key Holder

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s a teenager, I was always searching from something I had misplaced around our house.  Usually it was my watch or my rings.  I would take them off, lay them somewhere, and make a mental note to retrieve them later.  As luck would have it, I remembered the part about retrieving the items but the part about their location must have been written in invisible ink.  I would run frantically through the house picking up every piece of paper, searching underneath all the furniture, and rummaging through every drawer, all to no avail.

At this point I would enlist the help of everyone in the house.  After several minutes of sweeping our home, my mom would come across the item. It took her almost no time to find it and it was usually in plain view.  Every time this happened—and it happened a lot—I would get the same advice, “Put your stuff in one place and you’ll never have to worry about where it is.”

Like most teenagers, I didn’t listen. I knew her advice was sound and I knew it was the right thing to do; I just didn’t do it.  When I starting driving, my keys joined the list of things I lost on a regular basis.  I was always looking for them and we never seemed to find them in the same place twice!  Finally, my mom purchased a key holder which dad mounted next to the back door.  Mom’s message was simple—“Hang your keys on the key holder and you’ll never have to worry where they are!”

For the first few weeks, I did just fine.  I would come into the house and hang my keys on the key holder.  When I needed to go out, I knew right where my keys were and I grabbed them on my way out the door.  I hadn’t transferred this concept to my watch or my rings.  I still lost them on a constant basis but I did know where my keys were and that was one less thing I had to worry about.  After a few weeks, however, I was back to my old tricks, failing to hang my keys on the holder and creating a stir in the house until they were found.     

The concept of the key holder has direct application to the Christian walk, especially when it comes to facing the problems and difficulties of life.  Jesus admonishes us not to worry because God will take care of our needs and provide for us.  At various times during our walk with the Lord, we find it easy to let Him carry our burdens and our worries.  He invites us to bring all our cares to him because he knows we can’t carry them on our own.

1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we are to “hang” our burdens on the Lord, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  Please notice that Peter does not suggest we do this; he commands that we do it.  We are to roll all our cares, all our worries, all our fears, and all our doubts on to Jesus’ shoulders.  We are to do this because Jesus cares for us.  When we hang our burdens on him, we know where they are and we don’t spend our time being anxious, running around frantically encountering and creating one problem after another. 

As long as my keys were on the key holder, I didn’t even think about them.  As long as they were hanging by the back door, there was no cause for alarm and I didn’t get stressed out over a mere set of keys.  However, if they weren’t on the key holder I grew frantic.  Everything in the house became a potential hiding place for the keys and the more I searched the more anxious and frustrated I became.

This is the secret Jesus would have us learn today. When we refuse to cast our burdens on the Lord, we leave them lying all around us.  They become sources of great frustration and strife for us because we are constantly thinking about them and confronting them.  However, if we would just hang them on Jesus, all our anxiety, all our frustrations, and all our worries would disappear.

Why is it that we refuse to hang our cares on him?  Why is it we insist on remaining frustrated and anxious when the solution to our problem is so simple?  Have you hung the worrisome keys of life on Jesus?  He is waiting for you to do that. He’s just inside the door of your heart!  Won’t you hang those keys on him today?  If you listen closely you will hear him whispering my mom’s advice, “Hang your burdens on me and you will never have to worry about them again.”  So, what are you waiting for?

To Make A Better Life

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ecently, while flipping through the channels trying to find something entertaining and informative to watch on TV, I stopped to watch a short infomercial.  This particular show advertised computer classes to help you get ahead in the job market and to help you make a wonderful salary.  One of the interviews was with a young man who talked on and on about how great the program was and how his increased salary had helped him afford things he never had before.  When the interviewer asked him what his motivation for taking the classes was, he didn’t hesitate one instant but answered straightforwardly, “To make a better life for my family and myself!”

I sat there and let that statement sink in for just a few minutes.  From what I could observe from the infomercial, this man had increased his salary, purchased a nice home, owned two cars, and wore beautiful clothes.   For all intents and purposes, society would say that he had definitely arrived and was in a position to improve his lifestyle as well as that of his family.  But had he really made a better life for himself?  That was the question.

When I was growing up, I remember my dad telling me that all parents wished a better life for their children.  While I knew he wanted me to avail myself of opportunities he didn’t have, I could never figure out what about my life needed improving.  I had my own bed, I had my own clothes, I had a wonderful family, I had plenty to eat, and I was warm and dry. 

As I grew older, however, I began to understand that the choices I made could determine just how good my life would be.  If I made wise selections, I would be able to enjoy life more fully than if I squandered my choices and acted foolishly.  Still, I learned that the quality of life is not based on the things we can afford to keep but on the things we can’t afford to lose!

The children of Israel had a similar choice during their Exodus from Egypt.  They had an opportunity to make a better life for themselves and for their children.  However, their success would depend on the choices they made and Moses wanted to make sure they understood how to choose wisely.

In Deuteronomy 30:18-20, Moses gives the people explicit instructions about securing and making a better life for themselves:  “I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”    

After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, the people are ready to cross over into the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Notice the choice Moses gives the people.  It is a choice between life and death, between curses and blessings.  His advice to the people is to choose life.  It would seem that this choice was evident but given the track record of the people coming out of Egypt, Moses wanted to make sure they understood the consequences of choosing poorly.  He tells the people to choose life and continues by saying that the Lord is their life.  In other words, we choose a better life when we choose God.  This choice would not only bring life to the people but to their children as well.

The same choice is ours today.  We are free to choose so we must choose wisely.   The only choice we have, the only choice that leads to life, is God.  We come to him through the knowledge of Jesus Christ who promised life to all who believed in him.  Do you want to make and have a better life?  God is waiting for you to make your decision for him. What choice will you make today?

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.

This 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?

On The Surface

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ou never know when the Lord will teach you a lesson.  Most people believe God only speaks to them and teaches them about Himself when they have their Bible opened and are directly involved in study.  While I agree that the best place to encounter God is in the pages of His word, it is not the only means He uses to teach us profound lessons about Himself and the way He works in our lives.

During a phone conversation with a good friend I met in seminary, God showed me how any opportunity can be used to tell others about Jesus Christ.  I met Jennifer and her husband Mark at seminary and we became, and remain, very good friends.  We hadn’t spoken in quite some time so I picked up the phone and called their home.  Mark had already gone to work but Jennifer was still home.  We talked for almost fifteen minutes and during that time Jennifer said something that really made me think.

When I asked Jennifer what her plans for the day were, she told me of several appointments she had made.  She used the term “On the surface” to let me know that there was more going on in these appointments than just “girl talk”.  On the surface, Jennifer was meeting to help a lady with a project.  But Jennifer was also there to listen to this lady, to understand some things that are happening in her life, and to let God’s love flow through her to reach this lady.  On the surface, these two ladies were working on a project, but underneath much, much more was going on!

Jesus also had encounters with people that went far beyond the surface level. One of the best known of these encounters occurred at a well in the area of Samaria and involved a woman who had come to draw water.  The Scriptures tell us that Jesus was tired and thirsty and that he sat by the well to renew his strength.  When the woman came to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink.  She was both surprised and shocked that Jesus would engage her in conversation. 

John 4:7 sets the scene for us as Jesus begins working both on and below the surface. “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  The first thing we must understand is that Jesus met this woman where she was in life.  She had come to draw water and Jesus was thirsty. His request was legitimate; he wanted water.  The woman had water to offer but her life was missing the true water that only Jesus could give.

As their conversation continued, Jesus told this woman who he was, that he could offer her living water, and that she would never thirst again.  On the surface, it appeared that Jesus was just having a conversation with someone, requesting a cup of water to slake his thirst.  Actually, Jesus was working underneath the surface, sharing the gospel of salvation with her and meeting her true need in life.

Today we are surrounded by so many people.  We see them on the street, we see them at school, we meet them at the grocery store, and we work with them.  So many of our conversations seem to be on the surface but underneath there is a real opportunity to share with people about Christ.  Whatever you are doing today and wherever God sends you, be determined to work below the surface. That is where the need is, that is where the hurt is, and that is where the answer is as well!

Strong Undertow

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 trip to the beach is every kid’s dream!  Building sandcastles, riding waves, digging in the sand, chasing waves, and body surfing are better than any theme or amusement park could ever be!  Some of my fondest memories are tied to our vacations at the shore.  I remember playing in the sand with my shovel and bucket, building sandcastles with my brother and collecting shells with my parents.  But the most fun we had was playing in the surf; it was also the most dangerous even though I didn’t know it.

During vacation, we would sleep later than usual.  After breakfast, we would head down to the shore and spend the entire day playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean.  We would also take rubber rafts with us to the beach for my dad to blow up.  He was always tired after he did this and I never understood that!!!  I do now!!!  Anyway, we would take our rafts out and ride the waves back to shore. On our way to ride the waves, mom would always say the same thing, “Keep your eyes on me and don’t drift too far down the beach!”

Like any kid, I screamed out “Ok mom” as I ran for the water.  All the while I wondered what she meant about drifting.  I was going to be right in front of her and I didn’t plan on going anywhere.  Ending up way down the beach, out of the sight of my parents wasn’t a part of my plan.  However, that is exactly what happened because I didn’t understand the concept of the undertow.

When you are at the beach, the water comes in and goes out at a specific angle.  Since I was no match for the Atlantic Ocean, I was carried right along with it.  Even when we were standing still, my brother and I were moving down the beach in keeping with the motion of the waves and the pull of the undertow.  Each time we emerged from the water on our rafts, I noticed we were further and further down the beach.  I would locate my parents on the shore and drag my raft back to our location.  I would start playing in front of mom and dad and in a little while, I would find myself back down the beach, away from our spot. Now I understood what mom meant when she told us to keep them in sight.

The writer of Hebrews gives the same advice to us today.  He knew that the sea of life has a strong undertow that can easily pull us out to sea and away from our daily walk with God.  He also knew that if we are to keep our bearings straight, we must keep our focus on Jesus, making sure we know where he is at all times.  The writer also knew that we must constantly adjust our position, keeping Jesus as our point of reference in order to find our way back when we drift down life’s shoreline.

In Hebrews 12:2 we read, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Notice the opening words of this passage.  The writer admonishes us to keep our eyes fixed—glued—on Jesus.  He is to be the point of reference according to which we make every move.  As soon as I emerged from the water I looked to find my parents.  Their location on the beach was an instant indication as to how far I had drifted.  I had moved; they had not!

Jesus does not move.  God’s word does not flow and ebb like the tide.  It is rock solid and stable, a fixed point on life’s horizon by which we set our spiritual compass.  The undertow of life’s sea is strong.  It carries us along imperceptibly.  Until we take note of where Jesus is, we will never know how far from God we have drifted.  We must always keep looking to the shore to find out just how far away we are from where he wants us to be.  Jesus marks the place on life’s shoreline where we must remain focus.  He marks the place where we must return each time we drift in life.  How are you handling life’s strong undertow today?

Up And Down And All Around

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ne evening I was reminded just how dependent we are on elevators.  My office at the university was in the basement of our building.  The main office and many of our classrooms are were the second and third floors.  To gain access to any of these, I would walk down the hall and join the long line of people waiting for the elevator to arrive and whisk us to any floor of our choosing.  The elevator usually took its own precious time.  This was especially true when I was in a hurry and needed to get to a classroom or the restroom!  The elevator provided an invaluable service but I definitely had to put myself on its schedule!  Rarely, if ever, did it put itself on mine!

When the elevator finally arrived and the magical doors opened, I stepped inside and pushed the button for the second floor.  The doors slid shut and the elevator began its upward ascent, carrying me to the second floor so I could make photocopies, visit with the secretaries in the main office, and check my mailbox.  While locked in the elevator, I came to the realization that my movement was taking place in only one direction.  The elevator could only transport me vertically; any horizontal movement had to be done on my own.  The elevator could take me to the correct level but it could not take me around the building or down the hall.  For that, I had to walk through the building and from side to side.  But one thing was sure: without the vertical motion, the horizontal motion wouldn’t have been possible.

Jesus found himself presenting the same truth to a teacher of Jewish law.  The teacher had asked a very important question and eagerly awaited Jesus’ response.  The teacher wanted to know Jesus’ opinion of the most important law on the books.  This was not the only time this question was put to Jesus and it was not the only time he gave the same correct answer.  Let’s take a look at Mark 12:28-31 to see the exchange between the teacher and the master, notice the profound difference in the titles!

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no commandment greater than these."

Please notice that Jesus’ answer contains both vertical and horizontal movement.  The command to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength was the greatest commandment.  God wants and expects nothing less than for his people to love him completely, with every fiber of their beings. But Jesus does not stop here.  After securing the importance of the horizontal relationship between us and God, he ventures forth on the horizontal plane.  Jesus continues by requiring us to develop the horizontal relationship with those around us, those people who Jesus identifies as our neighbors.  So not only is it necessary to have a right relationship with God (vertical) it is also required of us to have a right relationship with those around us (horizontal).  Jesus concludes by stating that there are no greater commandments than these two.

The next time you have the opportunity to take the elevator, think about the application of its motion to your spiritual life.  The up and down relationship we have with God (vertical) is essential.  We must spend time locked inside this relationship so that our lives reach the level of spiritual maturity God intends for us.  He invites us to rise from the basement of our relationship with him to the top floor, growing and maturing as we ascend.  But God also expects us to get out of the spiritual elevator and minister to those around us (horizontal). 

We are to love our neighbors, those around us, with the same love we have for ourselves.  We have a responsibility to those around us to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to minister to their needs.  God expects us to spend our lives on both the vertical and horizontal planes.  However, we must keep these actions in the proper order.  Vertical relationship, the one between us and God, is the most important.  Without the vertical relationship, the horizontal relationship, the one between us and our neighbors, isn’t possible.  Listen carefully as you enter the elevator and you just might hear God whisper to you, “What floor please?”  Are you ready to leave the elevator and love your neighbor today?

A Popcorn Lesson

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he opening and closing of cabinet doors in the kitchen told everyone in the house that mom was up to something.  I can still hear the sounds of her rummaging in the lower cabinets as she looked for the old faithful piece of equipment that always brought a smile to everyone’s face.  The closing of the cabinet doors, the sound of something being placed on the counter top, the opening and shutting of the pantry door, and the sound of hard kernels being poured into a metal pot soon confirmed what we already knew.  Mom was making popcorn, again!

For my mom and dad, popcorn is almost a religious experience.  They love it and I can hardly recall an evening in front of the television when popcorn wasn’t’ served.  Now I’m sure I’m over exaggerating and I know my mom will let me know I’m stretching the truth about the frequency of our eating popcorn, but the fact remains we love the stuff.  I remember watching her as she placed the corn into the old popper we had for years.  A little bit of corn, a little oil, a dash of salt, and about 15 minutes were all that was required to make a huge bowl of popcorn, and my mom had it down to a science!

There was one other element needed to make that popcorn, however.  All the effort in placing the ingredients into the popper would have been worthless had she not plugged the unit in and turned it on.  This supplied the heat necessary to make the corn cook, sizzle, and eventually pop.  I loved to hear the corn as it exploded, banging against the sides and the lid of the popper.  It started off slow but toward the end the sound was almost deafening as the kernels in the popper changed from something small and hard into something hot, salty, and yummy!

But no matter how many bowls we popped, one thing was certain.  Not all of the kernels would turn out as white fluffy pieces of popcorn.  Invariably there would be kernels that just didn’t make it.  They were unchanged by the heat of the popper, remaining in their shells, refusing to change and falling short of their potential.  Although they all looked the same in the jar, in the heat of the popper, it was a completely different story.  When put to the test, some of them just didn’t make the grade.

Has it ever occurred to you that our walk with the Lord is very much like being inside a popcorn popper?  Only when the kernels are placed into hot oil are they really challenged to change from what they are into what they were meant to be.  It is only in the heat that the real interior of the popcorn kernel is revealed.  Without the high temperature and boiling oil, the kernels remain just that—kernels—filled with wonderful flavor but never releasing it.

The story of Abraham’s walk to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac, gives us a bird’s eye view of what it is like to be a kernel in God’s popcorn popper.  After promising to give Abraham a son, God requires this father to travel for three days toward a mountain that He will show Abraham.  For the entire journey, the Scriptures do not reveal any conversation between Abraham and God but it is a certainty that the heat and pressure on Abraham grew ever more intense with each step he took.

Genesis 22:6 paints this vivid portrait of Abraham during this time of testing, “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together…”  Can’t you feel the heat as it builds up in this man’s heart?  He places the wood on Isaac, (the corn goes into the popper) he takes the fire and the knife (the heat is applied), and they begin walking toward the mountain (the heat builds, the kernels sizzle, and Abraham is ready to explode)!!  There is no place to turn, no where to run, and no chance of getting out of this test.  The only thing Abraham knows is that God will fulfill His promise of providing him with descendants through this boy.

And God never disappoints.  Abraham places Isaac on the altar and raises the knife to perform the sacrificial act.  At that moment God stops Abraham, telling him not to harm the boy.  Now God knows that Abraham loves Him because he has not refused to sacrifice his only son.  In the heat of the moment Abraham’s character was revealed.  Here was a man who loved and trusted God above all else.  In the hottest part of the test, with his heart breaking and his mind swirling, Abraham held to God’s promise.  He trusted the Lord even when it looked as if all hope was gone.  The whiteness of Abraham’s faith was revealed only because God turned up the heat, causing what was on the inside to pop out for all to see!

Today, God is still in the business of making popcorn.  He knows that without the heat of trial and testing it is impossible for the best to come out in his children.  He also knows that unless we are tested in this way, our lives will never serve the purpose he has in mind and that purpose is to glorify him.  So, if you are in the popcorn popper today, know this.  The heat and the pressure you feel around you serve only to perfect that which is inside you.  God sees through the shell of the kernel to the white, fluffy, refreshment that only comes through the heat of testing. The real question we must answer is whether we will be a kernel that pops or one that remains unchanged.  I believe I hear the sound of corn popping.  Do you?

A Common Language

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e was from Japan; I was from the United States.  He didn’t speak English; I didn’t speak Japanese.  Yet, here the two of us were, sharing a compartment in a train leaving Germany and heading for France.  The trip was going to be a long one, especially if neither of us could communicate with the other.  I remember staring at the floor, looking out the window, trying to think of some way to communicate with my fellow passenger.  Speaking English didn’t work; speaking more slowly and in a louder voice, didn’t help either.  He was also experiencing the same frustrations and was just as exasperated as I was.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard him say: “Parlez-vous francais?”  What music that was to my ears.  Yes, I spoke French and he did too.  This changed everything.  We spent the next several hours getting acquainted.  He was from Tokyo and was studying in France for the year.  I was also studying in France that year so we had a lot in common.  During the train ride from Munich to Paris, I learned about his family, his study program, and I learned a lot about Japan.  Likewise, he learned about my background and things about the States he had never known.

All this happened between two people from opposite ends of the world.  Had it not been for French, we would never have been able to communicate, share stories, or become acquaintances.  What a picture that was.  Two people, from two different cultures, having two different views of the world, sharing with each other in a language that was foreign to both!  My high school French teacher, Mrs. McGinnis, would have been both proud and shocked!  I was!

Do you realize that the same thing happens between us and God?  As sinners, before we come to the knowledge of salvation through Christ, we do not speak the same language as God.  We cannot communicate with him because we have nothing in common.  As the Scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

But there is a way we can approach God to have a wonderful relationship with Him and that way is through His son, Jesus Christ.  1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” Jesus makes it possible for us to communicate and have a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Instead of staring out the window, looking at the floor, or wondering how we can relate to God, we simply turn to Christ and he becomes the common language between God and man.  Once we’ve accepted Christ, we learn all about God, his family, his love, his grace, his mercy, and his plan for our lives. The language of Christ is the language God uses to speak to mankind about love, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The application to our lives isn’t difficult to make.  Unless we accept Christ as the Lord of our lives, unless we come to God through him, we cannot communicate with our Heavenly Father.  We remain on the outside of the conversation with no way to communicate and no way to learn about God.  So, really, the question is quite simple: Are you and God speaking a common language today?  If you need a dictionary, just open the pages of your Bible!