Thursday, January 31, 2019

Start Your Engine

T
his morning I already have items that will require my attention at various points during the day. My calendar has appointments beginning just after I arrive in the office.  I also have some reports to review, a meeting to attend, some phone calls to make, and, no doubt, there will be plenty of e-mail to answer. My day is already full and I haven’t even left the house yet!  Does this sound familiar to you?  Some days just seemed to be filled with more responsibilities than others and before they get started, they are over.  That’s just the way it is.

The interesting part is this, all these activities represent a mere fraction of what today holds.  The items listed above are the things I have on my calendar; I have no idea what God has on His for today but I’m sure that I will find out before this day is over.  My car, sitting quietly in the garage, is waiting for me to jump in and start its engine.  I will point it in one direction but who knows, there may be several places it takes me that are simply not considerations at this moment. 

There is a story in the New Testament book of Acts that expresses this very idea.  Philip started his day heading in a southerly direction.  Before the day was over, however, he had made a new friend, ridden in a chariot, taught a Bible lesson, and had gone swimming.  None of these things were on his “to do” list for the day but the list was amended as the day progressed.

Let’s take a brief look at Philip’s day and see how events unfolded after he started his engine.Acts 8:27 simply says, “So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship"

At first glance this passage seems to be just a simple explanation of a routine journey from one place to another.  On the surface we know that Philip began his journey and met a man from Ethiopia who held an important position in the government.  We also learn that at this time Candace was queen of the Ethiopians and that the man’s purpose for being in Jerusalem was to worship.  But if that is all we see in this verse, we need to have our eyes examined.  There is so much more, a great lesson which centers around just two little phrases, “he started out” and “on his way.”

Just before today’s passage, Philip received instructions form an angel that he was to journey south.  So Philip started his journey. This is the most important point in today’s lesson.  So often we receive a clear directive from the Lord.  We know what we are to do, we are certain of where we need to go, and we become aware of the next step we are to take.  So often, however, we fail to start out, never quite getting on the road. Things creep in, other appointments clog our schedules and we find ourselves at the end of the day in the same place we occupied at the beginning.  Although we “did” a lot of things, we made no forward progress in our walk with the Lord.

But starting out was only the first part of the journey.  Philip started the engine and traveled in the indicated direction but there was an unforeseen stop along the way.  Actually, this is what the Lord had planned for Philip all along but Philip wasn’t aware of it until he heard the Ethiopian man reading from the book of Isaiah.  The angel told him to go to the man and when Philip did, he had an opportunity to explain the Scriptures and share the gospel with him.  None of this would have been possible had Philip not started his engine. 

And where are you headed today, my friend?  Have you started your engine?  Are you ready to start out, heading in the direction God has for you today?  Who knows what situations await you or whose life you may touch today.  Whatever you do and wherever you are, I pray that God will use you to touch those around you.  Don’t be surprised if you make several “unforeseen stops” along the way.  That is the blessing of the journey and the wonderful privilege of serving Jesus Christ.  Have you started your engine today?

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Pack It and Come Home!

M
y first year of college finally came to an end.  It had been a rough year, filled with many challenges, both academic and other wise.  Academically, my performance had been less than stellar.  Math, my weakest subject, had taken its toll, I learned that my writing skills were less than desirable, and the only thing that kept me from completely drowning was French. 

Socially, the year had been equally difficult.  I came from a small town where everyone knew everyone else and stopping to speak wasn’t a chore, it was a joy.  But at college, there were people from all over the country and the world who had different ideas, different attitudes, and very different points of view.

So, I rapidly threw my things together and headed home. I called my mom the day before I left school.  I was hastily packing my laundry, all of which was dirty, and I told her that I’d be home the next day.  The dirty laundry really bothered me because I felt it was my responsibility, and not my parents’, to take care of me.  But my mom told me to forget about the laundry, to pack it and to come home!  When I got home, she spent the next day doing my laundry but she never complained or chided me. She was just glad to have me home!

I learned a wonderful lesson about God’s grace from this experience.  I was concerned that my mom and dad would think less of me if I came home with dirty laundry.  I feared they would be disappointed in me and feel as if I had let them down.  What I failed to see was that the laundry didn’t matter to them at all.  I was what mattered to them and dirty or clean, I was their son—period!

In Luke’s gospel we read the story of another son who was ashamed, embarrassed, and fearful that his father would no longer love him.  He had gone far away and squandered all he had.  Finally, when there was no one else to help, he decided to go home, dirty laundry and all.  The son, however had convinced himself his father would no longer accept him so he decided to work as a hired servant.  But this man completely underestimated his father’s love for him.

Luke 15:20 demonstrates this father’s love for his son, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” The father saw his son, not a servant. He saw his son, not his dirty laundry.  He saw his son, not a failure.  He saw his son, not a rebel.  He saw his son, the one he loved, not someone who had rejected him.

This is the way God sees us.  He isn’t concerned with our outward appearance.  He doesn’t care about our dirty laundry.  He doesn’t think about rejecting us or turning us away.  Instead, he runs to us, hugs us, kisses us, and welcomes us home.  When we come to our senses and understand that God loves us, that he offers us salvation through his son Jesus Christ, and that he welcomes home all who come to him in repentance then we begin to understand just how truly wonderful God is.  Are you far away from home today?  Are you concerned that your laundry is just to dirty for God to clean?  Follow my mom’s advice—just pack it and come home!

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Under The Covers

T
he blanket on my bed is one of my best friends.  Now it may seem odd to you that I have befriended a blanket but we have a very close relationship!  Each night I stretch the blanket over my bed and hop it.  The weight of that blanket reassures me and gives me a wonderful feeling of security and protection.

Whether in January or in September, the blanket faithfully covers me. It keeps me warm and guards against anything that would disturb my sleep.  When I go to sleep the blanket is there and when I awake in the morning, it is still spread across the bread standing guard over me.  The faithfulness of that blanket has shielded me through many nights and I know it will do so in the many nights yet to come.

David, the shepherd king of Israel, fully understood the protective comfort of being shielded by God.  In Psalm 91:4 he penned the following words“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Can’t you just feel the comfort, warmth, and security of God’s wings in David’s words?  Throughout his life and trials be it in front of Goliath, being chased by Saul, or facing down his enemies, David knew the comfort and assurance found under the protection of God’s wings.

He says very plainly that God’s wings provide refuge and that God’s faithfulness, not ours, will be our shield.  God is always faithful. His eyes are always on us and he fights for us even when we are unaware of the enemy’s presence.

Are you living under the covers today?  Do you know the wonderful privilege of being gathered under God’s wings?  Do you feel the warmth and security of his presence in all of life’s situations?  If not, it is my prayer that today you would ask God to come into your heart, to be the king of your life, and to surround you with his wings today.  There is nothing like being under the cover of God’s wings.  Won’t you ask him to cover you today?

Monday, January 28, 2019

Up And Down And All Around

O
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?

Friday, January 25, 2019

The Lesson of the Retainer

Y
ou can learn a lot in an orthodontist’s office.  I know from personal experience.  Like so many other teenagers, I wore braces on my teeth for almost three years.  I had a cross-bite that needed to be repaired and so I sat still while my orthodontist wrapped my pearly whites in tinsel and wire.  At first, they were a novelty but I soon understood why they told me to get something to eat as quickly as possible.  In just a matter of a few hours, my mouth was very sore; so sore that chewing bread was impossible.  What had I gotten myself into, I wondered.

For the next three years, I visited the orthodontist regularly and endured all the changes and adjustments he made to my teeth as we marched toward that elusive day when the braces would be removed and my teeth would at last be straight.  Finally, the long-awaited day came.  The braces were removed, my teeth were cleaned, and I was able to eat apples—not apple slices—once again.  I remember biting into a big Granny Smith apple, sinking my teeth in and pulling a huge chunk away from the core.  It felt great!!

But my ordeal wasn’t quite over. On my next visit to the orthodontist I was fitted with a retainer that I wore for the next two years.  As I understood it, the retainer’s job was to hold my teeth in the proper position, discouraging and preventing them from moving back toward the wayward condition in which we found them.  It all came down to my willingness and my faithfulness to wear that retainer.  The success of all the hard work done beforehand rested on that retainer and my decision to heed the instructions of my orthodontist.

It should come as no surprise to us that Jesus spoke about the importance of the retainer.  He knew the value of learning and retaining the truths of God’s word.  Without the retention of these truths, the Christian is tempted to move back toward the wayward condition of sin in which he existed before he accepted Jesus as savior and lord.  Jesus’ words concerning this truth are found in his parable about the farmer who sowed seed and the types of soil into which the seed fell.

This parable is found in Luke 8:1-15.  However, it is verse 15 which is the focus on today’s devotional.  In Luke 8:15, we read this explanation of believers who are considered to be good soil into which God’s word is planted, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”  Please take a moment to read this verse in the context of the parable and then read it again by itself.  Don’t read through it too quickly but let the truth of Jesus’ words sink deep into your heart and soul.

Notice that Jesus says the good soil represents those who have a noble and good heart.  He continues by explaining just what those of a good and noble heart do.  They do three distinct things.  1) They hear the word.  Believers in this category listen to God’s word. When they pray, they focus on what God has to say to them rather than on what they to tell Him.  They enter into prayer and into their daily walk with the Lord eagerly anticipating all that He has for them both to learn and to do.  2)  Those in this group retain the word.  They don’t merely read God’s word to feel better about themselves.  They don’t memorize God’s word to impress others, quoting chapter and verse in any and every situation.  These individuals, internalize God’s word.  They meditate on it, the obey it, and they apply it to their lives.  It becomes a part of them so that instead of quoting it, they live it!  There is a vast difference in quoting the Word and in living the Word!!  3)  They produce a crop by persevering.  They trust God in all things, knowing that He is always faithful and that He is always in the process of conforming them to the image of Jesus Christ, even when life is at its most difficult and most challenging.

Of these three steps, the second, I believe, is the most important.  Many people hear God’s word but go no further.  They never make it an integral part of their lives.  They never internalize it or apply it.  They simply open their Bibles, read a passage, say a quick prayer, and go about their lives.  The seed falls on the ground but never enters into the soil!  In addition, unless the word is retained, believers have no incentive or desire to persevere and produce a crop.  It is God’s word in us, applied to our lives, that is the bedrock of our very existence. It causes us to persevere and produce a crop for Him.  But no crop will grow where no seed has been planted!!  It’s just that simple.

Yes, you can learn a lot in an orthodontist’s office.  The work and labor of the braces and the wires is all but lost if the patient refuses to wear the retainer to preserve all the work that has gone on before.  The same is true of the believer.  God has done all the work beforehand.    The question is: Are we now ready to submit to the discipline of the retainer?  The answer is either yes, or no!!

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Our Daily Bread

I
n 1983, I had the opportunity to live and study in the south of France.  My college had a year abroad program and twenty-five of us spent our junior year in Europe.  That year was a very interesting time to be overseas.  In September, 1983, Korean Airlines flight 007 was shot down and the United States sent cruise missiles to Europe. In 1984, President Andropov of the former Soviet Union died, and the United States invaded the island of Grenada.  Every letter and phone conversation home found me asking questions about what was going on in the news.  French newspapers carried the stories but their points of view did not reflect those of the United States.

All during that year, my friend, Charlie received the Sunday edition of the Washington Post.  It was delivered during the week and we fought over the different sections of the paper.  We all visited Charlie on a regular basis, especially when the paper was due.  Some of us wanted the sports news, some of us were interested in the editorials, but all of us were interested in the headlines and top stories.  The paper was so large that we could easily take a week to read it.  The problem was that we couldn't stay current with all the events happening at home.  All we had to rely on was Sunday's paper.

This scenario strikes a shocking parallel to the way most Christians live their lives.  They attend church on Sunday, listen to the pastor, open their Bibles and follow along as the text is read.  After the service, they put their Bibles back on the shelf and wait until the next Sunday to take them down, dust them off, and return to church. The sermon rapidly becomes old news and they can't remember from one Sunday to the next what the pastor preached.  The quality of their walk with God is diminished because they don't keep current with the "news from home."  Without reading God's word on a daily basis, it is impossible to know what he has to say concerning the Christian life.

The children of Israel learned first-hand what it meant to rely on God for daily provision.  In the Exodus from Egypt, God provided bread for them on a daily basis.  The manna fell each morning and they were to go out and gather what they needed for that day.  God's instructions concerning the manna are recorded in Exodus 16:4"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. The people can go out each day and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether they will follow my instructions." God's provision came fresh every morning, however, the people had to go out and gather it for themselves.

As we start each day, God provides direction and instruction for us.  We have his written word, something the Israelites did not have.  God's word provides all we need to enjoy a relationship with him and all the instructions necessary to live the Christian life to the fullest.  However, it is up to us to read it every day.  God has provided the bread, but we must gather it.  If we refuse to read his word daily, our lives become stagnant and seriously malnourished.  Daily bread is essential if we are to maintain our strength and to stay in constant communion with God.

In France, although we enjoyed the Sunday Washington Post, it never really satisfied us because the news was old, stale, and useless to us.  In the same way, opening God's word only on Sundays does not provide the nourishment our souls need in order to grow strong in the Lord.  Today, as you prepare meals in order to feed your body open God's word and feed your soul.  Do this on a daily basis and draw from God's inexhaustible provision which is new every morning.  The Israelites ate manna for forty years and it was fresh each day.  Fresh bread for your soul is as close to you as the cover of your Bible.  Have you gathered your daily bread today?

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

No Questions Asked

S
everal years ago, I was given the privilege of performing my first wedding.  Months of planning, hundreds of decisions, and countless hours of worrying over the details, all came to fruition as the bride and groom said their vows, exchanged rings, and became man and wife.  The untold hours leading up to the event were summed up in a ceremony lasting only a few minutes.  However, without those hours of preparation, those few minutes would have been impossible.

At the rehearsal, we told the bride and groom to do what we told them to do, no questions asked!!  That may seem a little bold, but we had a different perspective than they did.  They were so worried about making it through the actual ceremony that every decision seemed overwhelming and impossible to make.  But the wedding director and the parents did a wonderful job making sure all the little details were covered so that the couple had little to worry about. They did exactly as they were told, no questions asked, and the wedding was a beautiful and worshipful event, just as it should have been.

Jesus understood about weddings and all the stressful decisions that accompany it.  His first miracle was performed at a wedding in Cana and it is there we find the topic for today’s Tidbit.  Next to the wedding itself, the reception is the most important part of the celebrated day.  The food must be just right, the location must be carefully selected, and there must be music and an atmosphere of goodwill.  All these things are important and essential; leave one of them out and instead of a reception, you’ll probably get the cold shoulder!

This was the situation in Cana.  There was no more wine, the guests had consumed it all.  This was the most embarrassing and humiliating moment for the host and the risk of humiliation was all but certain.  So, Jesus’ mother, Mary, asked him to do something about it, to help this family in a desperate time of need. 

After explaining to Mary that his time had not yet come, meaning the time to begin his actual work, Mary gave the house servants one command.  Her statement can be found in John 2:5, “His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  In this brief statement, we find two wonderful lessons to use in our daily walk with the Lord: 

  1. God is ready to meet us in our hour of need.  The wine was gone, the situation was desperate, and Jesus was the only one who could help.  He had the servants fill several large stone jars with water which he turned into wine, not just run-of-the-mill wine but the best wine served!  When we are in dire circumstances and are powerless to do anything, that is when God will act!  There will be no doubt that it was he who helped us because we couldn’t help ourselves. 
  2. When we ask for God’s help, we must get out of the way and do what he says, no questions asked.  This does not mean we don’t wonder what God is doing and it doesn’t mean we don’t ask questions.  God understands our desire to know and our reluctance to walk by faith.  The essence of this statement is that we are to move forward in faith, never doubting, questioning the situation perhaps, but not the ability of our God to remedy it.  When we trust God without doubting, when we come to him and obey him in faith, when we get out of the way and walk by faith, then God’s power is always demonstrated in a miraculous way.
Wherever you are today in your walk with God, know that he is ready to help you in your situation.  The same power that turned water into wine stands ready to supply all your needs today.  He is the God who provides, the God who protects, the God who saves, and the God who hears our prayers.  If you are wondering today if God loves you or if he cares about your circumstances, look at the cross.  God provided for our salvation and he provides for our daily needs.  Whatever you need today, if you are a Christian, God stands ready to help, no questions asked!

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

A Hot Cup of Tea

A
 cup of hot tea is a wonderful way to begin the day!  There is nothing I like better than waking up, going into the kitchen, opening the pantry, and getting the ingredients to make hot tea for breakfast.  There is very little needed to make a cup of tea, just teabags and hot water.  Although the elements are few and simple, the result is wonderful, flavorful, and especially enjoyable.

One morning as I placed the teabags into the coffee pot and filled it with water, I realized something I hadn’t before.  Hot tea is made only when the water flows through them, and not until then.  I flipped the switch on the coffee maker and listened as it began pumping water through the filter and down into the carafe.  Slowly but surely those little drops of hot water transformed the dry tea leaves into a hot, satisfying drink for my breakfast.  As the water flowed through the bags, the water became a dark, robust, liquid full of rich flavor.  All the taste that had been locked in those dried leaves now came bursting forth.

When the process was complete, I let the tea steep for a few minutes to bring out even more of its flavor. In the pot, unseen to my eye, the water continued to pass through the bags and through the leaves, drawing out the last bit of flavor they contained.  Without the water, the tea was worthless. It remained in its bag, full of potential for making a good morning drink, but lacking the power to fulfill its mission.

The Christian life is analogous to making a cup of tea in the morning.  Unless the Holy Spirit is flowing through us, we are not living a life that is pleasing to God nor can we.  We do not have the ability to live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit.  All our thoughts, all our intentions, all our actions, all our efforts are useless and worthless unless the Holy Spirit flows through our lives.  Without him, we resemble the teabag out of water—useless and unfulfilled.

In John 3:21 Jesus speaks to his disciples about the role of God in our lives.  Too often we want to take the credit for things we have done.  Too often we want to blow our own whistle instead of giving God the glory. In this passage, Jesus reminds us just how important God is to us, But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Here, our Lord leaves no room for doubt.  We do nothing in and of ourselves; it is God working through us that accomplishes His purposes.  What we need is the constant dripping of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives, moving through us, drawing out everything that will create a life full of worship, praise, and truth.  Unless the Holy Spirit moves and works through us, it will be impossible for us to bless the lives of others.  The dried tea leaves can never provide nourishment for anyone unless the water flows through them.

Let us take this to heart today.  We must realize that we need God at every moment in the day, in every place where we are, and for everything that we do.  It is His power and His spirit flowing through us that make our lives pleasing to Him.  When we allow God to flow and work through us, we are able to share His love, His truth, and His salvation with those around us.  Without Him, however, we can do nothing and our lives are ineffective and incomplete.

Today, when you are having a cup of tea or coffee stop and think about the process the beans and the leaves went through to make that beverage.  Then ask yourself if God is flowing through your life.  Are you providing others with spiritual refreshment?  Are your actions, thoughts, words, deeds, and motives submitted to the working of God’s Holy Spirit?  Are His love and His power flowing through your life today?  I think I hear the kettle whistling!!

Monday, January 21, 2019

Don't Look Back

“A
s soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (Genesis 19:17)

The command was straightforward and clear.  Lot was to take his wife and his daughters and flee the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He was to leave all his possessions and he was told to keep his eyes forward without looking back!  

So, Lot fled from the cities of the plane and refused to look back.  Gone was his home, gone was his position, gone was life the way he knew it.  Ahead of him lay the unknown and yet the angels had warned him not to look back.  Life lay before him and destruction lay behind him.  He had a choice, move forward toward the unknown and live, or look back toward the familiar and be destroyed.

The Scriptures tell us that Lot and his two daughters continue forward but his wife, longing for her former life, turned and glanced back toward the plane.  She instantly became a pillar of salt and became as lifeless as the scorched earth before her.

Jesus also spoke about not looking back once his followers committed to him.  In Luke 9:62 we read the following statement, “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."  Again, we see the consequences of looking back.  We are unable to serve God if, instead of focusing on His kingdom, we focus on the life from which we are called.  When we accept Christ, we are called away from the former things and called to experience things that are new.

As we begin our twelve-month journey through this new year, let us take a lesson from these two passages of scripture.  Human nature will call us to hold on to what is familiar, to remain with what we know is comfortable, and to look back and long for former things.  The temptation to return to old habits, old lifestyles, old relationships, etc. is very strong and that is why we are told not to look back.  We decide to live for Christ and we break with our former way of life.  The only way to do this, is to move forward, and don’t look back.

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord today, I pray you are making forward progress.  There will be places along the road where you will need to stop and rest and God will provide those times for you.  But my prayer for you is that at no time will you look back and long for the things that used to be.  God has so much more for you and everything He has is new and superior to anything in our former way of living.  I trust you are walking forward today with Him.  Remember, don’t look back!

Friday, January 18, 2019

The Steeple Chase

C
hurches dot the landscape around my home in North Carolina.  It is almost impossible to drive in any direction without passing a church.  There are large churches, small churches, churches made of brick, others made of wood, some old, some new, some occupying street corners while others are surrounded by rolling hills and pastureland.  Some have large congregations, and some have very small ones, some have graveyards while others don’t.  But no matter the church, large or small, brick or wood, in the city or in the country, they all have one thing in common—a steeple.

As a small boy, I can remember seeing these various churches, most of which look the same as they did then, from the front seat of my parent’s car. I could always tell when we were approaching a church because I could see its steeple towering above the tree line or surrounding buildings, assuring everyone that God was still at work despite the hustle and bustle of the city or the remoteness of the countryside.

Atop most of these steeples was a cross, the constant reminder of the price God paid for man’s sin.  In addition to adorning the tops of these churches, the cross served another purpose—a lightning rod!  Since the steeple was the tallest portion of the church, it served to attract lightning strikes, protecting the building by taking the full force of a strike and dissipating it to the ground so the structure and all inside would remain safe and unharmed.  Without that lightning rod, the church building remained at risk for certain damage.

I have thought many times what a wonderful picture of salvation those lightning rods represent and how they serve as a reminder that Jesus took upon himself the full brunt of God’s judgment so that we could be saved from sin’s deadly curse.  In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul reminds us of this fact, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Do you see God’s lightning rod at work in this passage?  The cross lifted Jesus, suspending him between God and man.  When God’s judgment fell, Jesus, himself, bore the full brunt and took upon himself the punishment for our sin.  How fitting and proper it is that we should affix crosses to the steeples of our churches, using them as lightning rods, to serve as the constant reminder of God’s love for mankind and the provision he made to save us from our sins.  The next time you pass a church with a cross on its steeple, slow down and remember what that cross represents. Are you under the protection of the cross today?

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Anatomy of the Heart

I
n November, I paid my semi-annual visit to the cardiologist.  It is always a good thing to have a look under the hood just to make sure the fuel pump is working properly and is in top notch condition.  On both accounts, I passed the test.  The pump is going strong and all indications are that no changes need to be made in its daily maintenance.

While waiting for the doctor, I read a book and, as I always do, I looked over the examination room with a fine-tooth comb.  I had been in this room several times over the last 21 years but I hadn’t actually been assigned this room in quite some time.

The room was not markedly different from the others.  The same carpet was on the floor, the same wallpaper decorated the space, and the cabinets and the examination table were in the same location as the other rooms.  However, some of the wall decorations were different and in this particular room something caught my eye.

On the wall, right in front of me hung a huge framed poster entitled Anatomy of the Heart.  It came as no shock that I would find this in a cardiologist office and I had seen the same poster in one of the other rooms but that poster made me stop and think for more than a few minutes.

The detail was striking.  Every inch of the organ was displayed, marked, and named.  No part was left uncovered.  Instead, it had been thoroughly examined, studied, labeled, and displayed for everyone to see and learn from.

The words of Jeremiah 17:9-10 immediately came to mind, “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be."

You want to talk about looking under the hood?  God leaves nothing uncovered, does He?  The heart in scripture, always describes the very essence of who we are.  The heart is the seat of all emotion and motives and is the seat of all that we do, think, and say.  At first wash, this appears to be a very negative passage.  God describes in accurate detail the condition of the human heart and He is exactly right.  Our hearts are deceitful and dark.  We need look no further than the front page of the daily newspaper to see this truth.

However, God does not leave us there.  God locates the dark areas of our lives, reveals them, and then deals with them.  He brings to our attention anything that keeps us from being what He wants us to be and He makes sure we are aware of our failures.  But He also provides a solution to every heart problem we have.  Our Father is the ultimate cardiologist, examining every nook and cranny of our hearts to make sure they are cleaned and running in top-notch condition.

When was the last time you paid a visit to the Heavenly Cardiologist?  Don’t you think it’s time you did?  Let Him examine your heart and repair it.  Only He knows where to look and only He knows how to repair it.  Won’t you make an appointment today?

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

On A More Personal Note

T
he newscast was almost over.  The events of the day had been anything but uplifting and everywhere it seemed people were experiencing all kinds of difficulty. Arrests were made in a nearby town of two men charged in the kidnapping of a young teenager, a riot had broken out in a western state, flood waters wreaked havoc in South America, and somewhere in Europe, a new strain of flu was infecting thousands of people at an unprecedented rate.

Jim sat in front of the television set almost numb from the bombardment of negative statements pouring forth from the television anchor.  The day at work had been no picnic either with news that the company was downsizing and that his job might be in jeopardy.  He had worked faithfully for over fifteen years, always arriving early, staying late on many occasions to finish a project, and sacrificing for the company when it needed him most. Now it seemed the company was running out on him and his family, turning its back on him when he needed it most.

It was just at that moment that something caught his attention.  His finger was poised on the remote’s on/off button.  He had been surfing through the channels looking for a glimmer of hope, for anything that would convince him there was still some optimism in the world, but he found none.  He returned to the local station to catch the last five minutes of the broadcast before taking a shower and heading to bed.

That’s when it happened.  The anchorman had finally reached the segment of the broadcast entitled “On A More Personal Note…”  This portion of the broadcast occurred on Friday evenings and usually involved a “feel good” story to help viewers make it through the weekend; to end the week on a brighter note.  Jim decided to watch these closing comments, convinced it could only make him feel better, not worse, after what he had witnessed on the rest of the channels.

The story was about an elderly lady who lived alone and who had trouble maneuvering around her home.  She had a severe case of arthritis in one of her hips and the other had been completely replaced just a few short years before.  Her neighbors took care of her needs, checking on her each day, making sure she wanted for nothing.  But today was different.  The members of her neighborhood association had secretly been raising money to purchase a motorized wheelchair for her that would give her greater mobility.  The news clip showed the lady with her neighbors as they presented her with her new means of getting around.  She was overwhelmed and thanked them over and over again as tears of joy streamed down her face.  Her neighbors had been planning a way to help her and she didn’t even know it.

Do you realize that God works in our lives each and every day in the same way as this lady’s neighbors?  When we don’t realize it, when we think nothing positive is happening in our lives, and when it seems that no one cares for us and God is a million miles away, it is just at that time God speaks to us on a very personal note.  God wants us to know that He is in control of every situation and that He is working so far ahead of us, making plans and provisions for situations we haven’t even thought of yet.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those personal notes we need to be reminded of daily.  Jeremiah writes, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” What a wonderful promise from our Heavenly Father this is.  Unbeknownst to us, God has been working and continues to work in our lives on a daily basis. He has plans for us. That means He thinks about us, knows all about us, and works to make sure we have His very best.  The plans God has are always for our good.  We do not serve a distant God but one who seeks to have a relationship with us and who wants us to know Him in all his fullness.

Today, it may seem the world is falling all around you.  It may be that you are wondering if God hears or even cares about you.  You may be wondering what the next step in the journey is or what God would have you do.  Lastly, you may be experiencing one of those times when God is silent and you want to hear from Him.  This is where your faith comes in.  Jeremiah tells us that God knows the plans He has for us.  They will not bring us harm but will give us hope and a future.  That means God must work out ahead of where we are if we are ever to experience all He has for us.  As you read this passage today, take time to listen carefully and you will hear God speak in your ear the following words concerning you, “Now, on a more personal note…!”

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

How Sweet It Is

I
n North Carolina, we like our tea sweet!  In fact, if you order tea in North Carolina, it’s going to be both iced and sweet.  There simply is no other way to drink it!!!!!  That’s what I thought until I came to Texas.  Here, the tea is iced but it is not sweet.  Several establishments offer sweetened iced tea but standard fare is iced tea without any sugar added.

Several years ago I was discussing the virtues of sweetened iced tea with a lady in a local restaurant.  She wanted to know exactly how sweet we drink our tea in North Carolina.  So, I explained to her that North Carolina tea had three distinct uses.  If the tea is iced, it serves as a refreshing drink.  If the tea were heated, it could be served over pancakes as syrup.  Finally, I explained that our tea had so much sugar in it that NASA is considering it as an alternative source of fuel for the space program.  She looked at me aghast!  “I don’t understand how you can drink sweetened tea!”  I had to chuckle at her comment.  She made the last statement as she dumped two packets of artificial sweetener into her tea!!

I assure you there is a point to all this rambling about sweetened tea.  During my visit home for the Christmas holidays, I had the opportunity to make sweet.  After bringing the water to a boil, I dumped in the appropriate amount of sugar and let it dissolve.  As soon as the sugar entered the water, the entire mixture took on a different complexion.  After a few seconds however, the water became clear and it was impossible to see the sugar.  It had completely melted and had become part of the water.  The two elements were now totally inseparable and indistinguishable from each other.

As I stirred the sugar into the hot water, one of the greatest truths in all the Scriptures came to mind.  The Apostle Paul understood the principle of being lost in and totally inseparable from Jesus Christ.  Paul knew that when we are “in Christ,“ when we belong completely to Him, when we accept Him as our savior and Lord, we are secure.   There is no way we can escape from His love.  Like the sugar in the boiling water, we become one with Christ, united in a bond and in a relationship that are both eternal.

In Romans 8:35; 37-39, Paul writes, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What a glorious passage this is.  Paul categorically states that in no way can we be separated from the love of Christ.  People can’t do it, circumstances can’t do it, nothing in our past can separate us from Him, nothing in our future will, no power on earth, no distance, and not even death can separate us from our God.  Once we have entered into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, the love of God completely enfolds us, surrounds us, engulfs us, and cleanses us.  God lays complete claim on us and His claim is eternal.

One more thing you need to know about North Carolina tea.  The longer it sits, the sweeter it becomes.  Isn't this the way our relationship to God is supposed to be? The longer we are with Him, the more we get to know Him, the deeper we understand Him, and the more we trust Him, the sweeter our relationship with Him grows.  So, can I offer you a tall, cool glass of spiritual sweetened iced tea today?  I think you’ll find it most refreshing!

Monday, January 14, 2019

On Your Way Home

S
ummertime was the most wonderful time of the year for me as a kid because summertime meant three very important things:  school was out, I could go barefoot, and I could ride my bike anytime and anywhere (well, almost anywhere) I wanted.  I would wake up in the morning and have the whole day ahead of me.  The waking hours were filled with all kinds of possibilities of things to do, places to go, and people to see.  Sounds like I was some big-time explorer with some big-time plans for making a grand discovery, doesn’t it?  Well to me, it felt pretty much like that.

One of my favorite things to do was to ride my bike.  All the kids in our neighborhood had bikes and we rode them all the time.  Most of the time, we would ride in the neighborhood, not too far from our homes.  But we also broadened our horizons, widening the boundaries of our jaunts, venturing across town to the park, or to get ice cream at one of the small convenience stores that dotted our town.

But I also enjoyed the rides I took by myself.  I enjoyed these the most because I usually ended up at the same location, grandma and grandpa’s house.  They lived only a mile away but we always described it as “clear across town,” and sometimes it seemed that their home was the furthermost outpost in the city.

Whenever I arrived, both my grandparents were always glad to see me and anything in the cabinets, the refrigerator, or under grandpa’s chair was game.  Grandpa’s chair was where the most precious of all treasures, Snickers candy bars, was hidden.  Those candy bars were always a special treat because grandpa loved them so much and he always handed me one (or two) when I went over to visit.  But the cookies, the cakes, the ice cream, and anything else were always sampled as well.

Usually, my mom would call me at grandma’s to see what time I was leaving for home.  She usually had something she wanted me to pick up on my way home from one of the local grocery stores.  She always said the same thing, “On your way home….”  Sometimes it was a loaf of bread, a pack of cheese, some sugar, or something to drink.  At other times there were several items but always there was something for me to pick up on my way home.

Jesus left the following instructions for his disciples and for all those who would become believers in him because of their testimony and witness.  In Matthew 28:19 we read these words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” This passage of scripture is usually referred to as The Great Commission because Jesus gave his followers a big assignment.  They were told to make disciples everywhere they went and to share the truth of God’s word with all those around them.

I like to think of this passage in light of my mother’s phone conversations with me while I visited with my grandparents.  I believe Jesus wanted us to understand that on our way home, we are to pick up as many people as we can and bring them with us.  Now, what we have to understand is that we are on our way home every waking moment of our lives.  As long as we are taking in air, as long as our hearts are beating, and as long as we remain here, we are on our way home.  That means we must constantly be about the task of picking up people and telling them about Jesus and his love for us.


As I grew older, I exchanged my bike for a car. However, whenever I visited my grandparents, mom still called and still told to me pick up things on my way home.  Since I had a car, however, I could pick up more things and carry more responsibility.  I believe it is the same with us as we mature in Christ.  We move from a spiritual bike to a spiritual car, being able to pick up more, to carry more, and to deliver more as we mature and grow in our walk with God.  Even today, one thousand miles away from 511 South Elm Street where my grandparents used to live, I still make myself a mental note to pick up certain items on my way home.  What are you picking up on your way home today?