You've Been Accepted

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pplying to college has to be on of the most nerve-racking experiences for a high school senior to endure.  I remember the process well and I still have nightmares about it and still remember the feeling of an entire swarm of butterflies living in my stomach. 

Completing the paperwork was a nightmare.  I had to provide a transcript of all my academic work, I had to secure recommendations from people who knew me, I had to take a whole battery of standardized tests, and I had to write several essays on topics my perspective colleges deemed insightful into my personality and thought processes.  In addition to all this paperwork, I also visited the various campuses for interviews which only made me more nervous and anxious.

Of the three colleges I selected, one stood out among the rest.  It was my first choice and, if accepted, I determined to attend the following fall.  The deadline for mailing applications came but my packet arrived well ahead of schedule. All I had to do now was to wait, and that was a very hard thing.

My high school had a wonderful tradition.  Each time someone was accepted to a college, they announced it over the loud speaker so the entire school knew exactly which colleges had accepted which students.  My name was announced twice for the two other colleges I had chosen.  However, the last college did not mail out notices until April 1, so I had to wait until then to discover where to move all my stuff.

Finally, on April 2, 1981 the letter arrived.  I was called to the principal’s office to speak to my mother who had received the mail that morning.  She read the letter but the first word gave it away.  That word was congratulations.  I didn’t hear anything else after that.  All the hard work, all the late night studying, and all those cram sessions before exams had paid off. I had earned the right to attend the college of my choice and I was extremely overjoyed.

In the Christian life, we sometimes approach God as if we are applying to a college or for a position with a company.  We present recommendations demonstrating what good people we are.  We sign up for every church-related program so we have a good record of Christian service, we do our best to persevere in every one of life’s tests, and we sit and wait for God’s letter of acceptance to arrive.

No wonder so many are disappointed in their walks with God!  No wonder so many do not enjoy the Christian life. They spend every waking moment trying to earn God’s acceptance, doing everything they can to ensure God will recognize their hard work and receive them based on the merits of their actions.

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us plainly that God’s acceptance is not dependent upon our performance, upon our reputation, or upon our character sketch.  Instead, Paul states very plainly that our acceptance is based on God’s grace and on His grace alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Simply put, there is no way we can earn our way to God.  There is no process of application, no recommendations are required, standardized tests do not figure into the equation, and mounds of paperwork and stacks of forms are not part of the process.  The only requirement is that we confess Jesus Christ as God’s son, that he came and died for our sins, that we accept his sacrifice as the only means of salvation, and that we turn from our life of sin and live according to God’s commands and laws.  Based on this confession of faith in Jesus Christ we are saved and we are accepted. 

Where are you in this process today?  Do you know the joy of God’s acceptance or are you filling out forms, performing tasks, securing recommendations, and waiting on an acceptance letter in the mail?  If you know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you’ve been accepted! That’s what grace is all about, receiving God’s gift, a gift we don’t deserve, in order to walk daily with him. 

Residence Visa

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ince the advent of 9/11 and the terrorist attacks on the United States, greater scrutiny has been given to all those traveling both domestically and internationally.  People coming to the United States from abroad find it more challenging to enter the country and the process of acquiring a visa has become more taxing.

I understand a little bit of this process.  In 1983, as I prepared to leave for a year-long sojourn in France, there were several things I had to do.  The most important of these was obtaining a passport and then applying for a student visa.  I obtained the passport from the American government.  However, in order to legally reside in France for a year, I had to apply for a visa from the French embassy in Washington.  Without that visa, I would be unable to stay in France legally.

When my passport arrived, I called the French embassy and obtained the necessary forms to apply for a visa. I sent my passport to the French embassy in Washington and in a few short weeks, it was returned with an official seal attached to it.  That seal gave me the legal right to stay in the country for a year.

Sound familiar?  This process of obtaining a visa has wonderful applications to our spiritual lives as well.  All around us we hear people speaking about God and in light of recent world events religion has suddenly become very popular and very “politically correct.”  However, we must have a right understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.  We have to receive him as our savior and no other.  We must carry his seal and seek permanent residence in his kingdom.  That means receiving a residence visa from God giving us the right to live in his kingdom forever.  The seal on that visa is the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  Without that seal, we have no legal right to call ourselves God’s children.

In one of his most revealing statements about God’s kingdom, Jesus addressed this very idea of legal residence.  Matthew 7:21 records a very sobering statement by our Lord and one we need to read and understand. “Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” 

In other words, Jesus was saying that the mere outward appearance of being a Christian is not enough.  All the good deeds we do, all the church services we attend, all the good intentions we have, all the nice cards and flowers we send, and all the visits we make do not make us followers of Jesus Christ.  We must have his seal of salvation upon our hearts and accept him as Lord of our lives.  This is the only way to become a child of God.

When I was in France, the outside of my passport gave the impression I was there legally.  However, the inside of the passport bore the official document and seal granting me the legal right to remain in the country, to study there, and to live there.  We must ask ourselves what we look like on the inside.  Do we bear seal of Jesus Christ on our hearts?  Do we have the legal right to live in his kingdom for all eternity?  Are we doing the will of God, serving him faithfully from our hearts?  Have we obtained our visas for permanent residence in God’s kingdom?

The Biggest Little Word

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f I had a million dollars…” “If I had more time…’  “If I had a bigger car…”  “If gasoline weren’t so high…” “If I had fewer bills…,” etc.  Does this scenario sound familiar?  Do you find yourself using this little word over and over again on a daily basis?  If we were honest, all of us would admit to overusing the little word, if, especially concerning the areas of our lives where we are the most dissatisfied.  We always want to change our situations.  If only that were possible!!

Please notice each of the foregoing statements creates a condition that has some type of result.  For example, “If I had a million dollars, I would buy a new house.”  The condition is having the million dollars and the result is the purchase of a new home.  But that little word if means I don’t have a million dollars and consequently I can’t buy a new home.  But if the condition were met, the result would follow.

The same holds true in our walk with God.  As we celebrate Independence Day this Saturday in the United States, it would do us well to review a passage of scripture that, although spoken toIsrael, has application for us today. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

There can be no clearer call to repentance than this!  God extends his hand and sets forth the conditions for a relationship with him.  Notice that he begins with the word if.  As we said before, that word indicates that the condition is not being met.  In other words, God’s people do not humble themselves, they do not seek his face, they do not turn from their wicked ways and as a result God does not hear from heaven, he does not forgive their sin, and their land is not healed.

Now wait just a minute, Blake.  Are you saying God does not forgive sin?   No, I did not say that.  That would be contrary to scripture.  However, unless we call upon God’s name and repent, our sins are not forgiven.  God will not commune with us nor have a relationship with us as long as we remain in our sins.  That is what the Bible teaches.

This is true for nations and for individuals as well.  As long as we refuse to humble ourselves before God, seek his face, and repent from our sins we can never have a deep, abiding, personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Nations are made up of individual people and if individuals refuse to meet the requirements of God’s conditions, it is no wonder that nations—ours in particular—are in such deep peril.

The lesson of 2 Chronicles 7:14 is applicable to all of us regardless of nationality.  As God’s people we must humble ourselves and seek him.  We must repent and turn from our wicked ways.  Then, God will hear us, he will walk with us, he will talk with us, and he will heal our land. If only we will do what he says!! 

Let It Snow!

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 love snow!  I love to watch it fall!  I love to catch it on my tongue!  I love to walk in it!  Are you seeing a pattern here?  I LOVE the stuff!  When I was a kid, the mere mention of the word would send me into a frenzy.  I would religiously watch the television for the promise that we would be out of school the following day.  During the night, I would wake up and check the window several times to see if it had started and how much had accumulated on the ground.  The next day, I spent with friends outside sledding, building snowmen, and having snowball fights.

As I grew older, I loved it even more.  As a teacher, I was more excited than my kids about the prospects of missing school.  You know, some habits just die hard!!  However, as an adult, I appreciated the snow's beauty more than when I was a kid.  I remember taking long walks at 2:00 a.m. while the snow was falling.  At such moments, the snow moved me to deep thought.  I remember saying to myself, "If ever one could touch silence, I believe it would be a snowflake."  During the evening hours, as the snow fell and accumulated, everything took on a different appearance.  Things that were once mundane and unattractive, became unimaginably beautiful. Overnight, the world was transformed from the ordinary to the extraordinary. 

Our scripture lesson today comes from Psalm 51 and is one of the great prayers of the Bible.  Here, David asks God for forgiveness from his sins.  David was guilty of an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and of murder.  Notice his words in verse seven, "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Could there be a more accurate illustration of salvation than this?  David is asking for his sins to be removed and for his life to be washed clean and made white, whiter than snow!

Nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can satisfy this request.  When we come to God, we do so with a heart that is black and spotted with the stain of sin.  Nothing we say or do will take away this stain.  We are not good enough and never will be.  Our good intentions aren't enough, our deeds aren't adequate, our family tree isn't impressive enough, our thoughts aren't pure enough, and our righteousness isn't good enough to make us acceptable to God.  In fact, the scriptures say in Isaiah 64:6, "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags..."(New Living Translation) When viewed this way, we can easily understand David's plea for God to wash him and make him whiter than snow!!

Like a young child who desperately wants to play in the snow, David wanted to regain the excitement and the happiness that accompanied his salvation experience. In verse 12 of this same psalm he says, "Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you." David rightly recognized that his joy and his salvation came from the Lord.  He also realized that he could not live an acceptable without God's help.  Only God could give David a willing heart, only God could wash him and make him clean.  Only God's grace and

forgiveness could make David's heart whiter than snow!  Is it snowing where you are today?

It's Time To Hit The Scales!

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he battle of the bulge—not the one from history but the one around my waist—is still being waged!  Every time I visit the doctor for a checkup, I’m reminded just how difficult it is to win not only the battle, but the war.   The scales are a continual enemy, exposing my weaknesses and my areas of vulnerability.  Every piece of pie, every bowl of ice cream, every candy bar, and every morsel of chocolate, no matter how far in the past, is revealed by the scales.

What’s more, no two scales weigh the same.  Have you ever noticed this?  One set of scales shows my weight to be within “acceptable” (acceptable by me that is) norms.  Another tells me I’m a little lighter than I thought (how rare is this?) and yet another displays a number that is “slightly” larger than I anticipated (I never reuse these scales because they have factory defects!!).  The doctor’s scales fall into this last category.  No matter how good I’ve been, no matter if my scales say that I’ve maintained proper weight, the doctor’s scales always show I weigh more than I think!

Doesn’t anyone make an honest set of scales?  Isn’t there any way I can get a proper, consistent reading?  Of course, the downside to this question is that these scales, if they exist at all, would probably demonstrate that I could stand to drop a few more pounds.  I doubt seriously if they would indicate I weigh too little.  Like the scales in the first paragraph, these “perfect” scales would inevitably point out every grain of sugar I’ve eaten in the past 53 years!

The idea of weights and balances plays a very prominent role in the Scriptures. On more than one occasion, God says plainly and forthrightly that He detests dishonest weights, scales, and balances.  These scales, however, reflect the dishonesty in the hearts and lives of those who use them to further their own interests.  God never weighs our actions; He weighs our intentions, a totally different set of standards!

Job understood and appreciated God’s standards of measure.  During the most difficult trial of his life, Job appeals to God’s just standards and His perfect scales.  In chapter 31, Job answers some of his friends who have come to “comfort” him during this difficult moment.  In their conversations with him, however, they do more accusing than comforting, more questioning than understanding, and they are not very sympathetic.

But Job patiently listens to them and then he responds.  Chapter 31 is a wonderful chapter, filled with the standards that Job uses to weigh his actions and his life.  However, Job 31:6 reveals the true manner in which Job wanted his life to be weighed and it provides good advice and guidance for us today as we also place our lives on God’s scales.  Job 31:6 reads, “Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, and let God know my integrity.”

Job’s statement is both comforting and sobering at the same time.  We find great comfort in the fact that God’s scales are accurate.  They are not skewed, unfair, and they have not been tampered with.  When God weighs something in His balance, the results are always accurate, faire, and just.  This should also humble us and give us a sober understanding of our own lives in relation to God.  Notice that Job wants God—not his friends—to know his integrity.  This is all that matters.  Our lives and our hearts are an open book before God.  He sees and knows everything about us, whether we believe He does or not.  We are all weighed on God’s scales and He knows our integrity, He knows our desires, He knows our thoughts, and He knows our intentions.

So, as Christians and followers of Christ, we must ask ourselves how long it has been since we’ve been accurately weighed.  Are you ready to hit the scales today?

Just Keep Looking

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 know it’s here somewhere, it’s has to be!”  These were the words I kept repeating over and over to myself one Saturday morning as I sat in the barbershop waiting for my turn on the chopping block.  I was thumbing through a children’s magazine and became enthralled with a section containing an artist’s drawing of a particular scene.  What made the drawing so fascinating was that cleverly drawn into the picture were approximately a dozen items that were hidden.  The opposite page listed the hidden items and included a picture of each one so the reader would know what to look for.

I had successfully located eleven of the twelve items but the last one was eluding me.  I honestly could not find it, no matter where I looked and no matter the angle at which I held the magazine.  Each time I thought I had located the missing picture; it turned out to be part of the background.  My imagination, as well as my eyes, played tricks on me, leading me to believe there was something where there wasn’t’ and nothing where something definitely was.

The time was rapidly approaching for me to have my haircut but I didn’t want to leave that picture.  I was determined that no kid’s magazine was going to get the best of me.  I doubled my efforts and began searching more diligently, looking over every inch of that magazine, turning it every way but loose.  Finally, just before utter frustration set in, I found the image.  I had looked at that very spot several times, I just hadn’t noticed the special way the artists had placed the image in the picture.  With a great sense of satisfaction, I closed the magazine, went to the back of the shop, and received a nice haircut.

We are all familiar with this process, aren’t we?  We lose our keys, we lay aside our ink pen, we put down a book for just a minute, and then it’s gone.  We know it’s there somewhere; we just have to find it.  We become very determined, tearing up every part of the house or car until we find it.  Usually, it’s right there under our noses, we just didn’t see it because we weren’t looking for it!

We can also apply this situation to our daily walk with God.  The writer of Hebrews addresses this idea of searching for God in chapter 11.  This chapter is famous because it speaks about the role of faith in the Christian life.  The opening of the chapter contains a list of some the great heroes of our faith.  But not very far into the chapter, we find a profound statement, one that hits us right between the eyes and causes us to stop and consider its truth.

In Hebrews 11:6 we read the following statement, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  Read that once again, very carefully.  We often quote the first part of the passage to the exclusion of the second part.  We all know that we must have faith in God in order to have a relationship with him.  We must believe in his existence to claim to be his children.  But look at what the last part of the verse says.  In order to receive anything from God, we must diligently seek him!!!

Don’t take that word, diligently, too lightly.  Remember your search for your lost keys or my search for that hidden picture.  I was determined not to relinquish my death-grip on that magazine until I found that last image.  This is exactly what the writer means here!  We are to seek after God with full vigor, determined to find him no matter what the cost, no matter how long it takes, and no matter from what angle we have to approach him.  God promises us he will be found but only if we search for him—diligently!

Far too often we pay lip service to God.  We believe in him and affirm this to our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family.  But when was the last time we wrestled in prayer, seeking his face?  When was the last time we poured over the Scriptures looking for more of our Heavenly Father?  He is there among the words.  His truth is embedded in the pages of our Bible.  He is waiting for us to open it and to diligently seek his face in everything and at all times. Are you earnestly, diligently, consistently seeking him today? 

On The Cutting Edge

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he country of South Africa, for a gemologist, is synonymous with the world's most precious stone, diamonds.  Some of the world's purest and most valuable diamonds come from the diamond mines scattered throughout the country.  Dealers and wholesalers in diamonds come to South Africa from all over the world, looking for that perfect stone which will ultimately become a beautiful necklace, brooch, bracelet, or, more likely, the center piece for a woman's most prized possession, an engagement ring.

But diamonds don't start out all sparkle and fire.  Instead, they are to be found in mines deep in the belly of the earth.  In order to find one diamond, tons of earth must be drilled, scooped, loaded, excavated, sifted, washed, and broken.  The expert eye searches for lumps of coal concealing diamonds inside.  These rocks have been formed by intense pressure over centuries or millennia, waiting for someone to discover their value. 

Once discovered, however, the diamond must undergo several steps before it takes the form of the precious and costly jewels everyone searches so ardently desires.  The work of preparing the diamond for its transformation lies in the skilled hands of a lapidary, someone who studies and produces valuable gems from their rough state.  The experienced lapidary takes the diamond, which is scarred, dirty, and oddly shaped, and begins to study it, to understand its structure and form.  He will spend time with that diamond, learning its flaws, its weak points, its cracks, and its scuffs.  All this information is necessary as the gemologist slowly and methodically works toward producing a precious stone of great value.

After polishing, smoothing, and shining the diamond, it is now ready for the most important step in its transformation.  The lapidary places it into a holder and tightens the clamps.  He examines the stone repeatedly, making diagrams and sketches from different angles so that no part of the stone is left unstudied.  Then with a steady and confident hand, he takes a hammer and a chisel, places them on the exact spot on the surface of the diamond, and with one clean strike, he cuts the stone.  He continues this process until he has removed all parts of the diamond hiding and obscuring the valuable stone inside.  The entire diamond is not as valuable as the stone the lapidary sees inside at its heart.  He knows that the value of the diamond lies in the cut, in removing the unnecessary so that the essential can shine through.  From a chunk of rock, he brings forth that which did not exist prior to his cutting, a valuable and precious gem.

In Romans 4:17, Paul writes, "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."  Do you realize that God sees you as a diamond having infinitely great value?  Too often we, as Christians, forget or just don't realize how valuable we are to God.  Like diamonds in the rough, God sees the inherent value locked inside the human heart.  He knows that to unlock value, we must be shaped, polished, buffed, shined, and yes, cut.  Sometimes the cuts are deep, but God knows that the true value lies in the cuts.  He is only interested in the heart, our deepest and most precious part. 

God studies our hearts. He knows their flaws, their weaknesses, and their cracks.  He understands us from every angle, from every thought we have to every word we speak.  He has drawn diagrams of our hearts from every conceivable vantage point and he sees the value inside each one of us.  That is why he puts us on His table, tightens down the clamps, takes His hammer and His chisel, and cuts away everything that keeps us from shining forth and reflecting the value we have as His children.  So precious are we to Him, that God will not entrust this process to any hand other than His! 

When you feel the deep cutting of the chisel in your life, know that the hand behind the hammer and chisel is none other than God's.  He will only strike necessary blows and will only remove those parts of our lives that are keeping us from being all He wants us to be.  Don't be afraid of the chisel's blows for they are the evidence that you are being perfected and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Can you hear the sound of metal on metal today?  Yield to it and become the diamond God knows you can be!

Precise Measurements

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 ¼ cups of rice, 1 can of chicken broth, 1 package of soup; all the ingredients were carefully measured and were sitting on my counter. I rechecked the measurements with the recipe just to make sure I had read it correctly and then I combined everything.  As I mixed all these together, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the cooking process.  Here I was reading a recipe from someone I had never met, living in a distant place I had never heard of, whose name I didn’t even know.  Yet this person was giving me precise measurements for the ingredients in a casserole dish I was preparing.

As I continued to think about those instructions, an interesting thought came to mind.  Was my 1 ¼ cups of rice the same as the author’s measurement?  How could I be sure that we both were using the same standard of measure?  I mean was 1 ¼ cups in Texas the same as 1 ¼ cups somewhere else?  It had to be.  Somewhere along the line someone set the standard of measure for the measuring cup and every measurement of every recipe has referred to this precise quantity ever since.

This led to another question for me.  What standard am I using in my spiritual life?  How does my standard of measure for obeying God compare with God’s standard of measure? If I do not measure things according to God’s standard, then I will always miss the mark and my work will continually be underdone or lacking in some area.  One thing is for sure, it will never be right because I am not following God’s recipe and using his standard of measure.

A man named Achan serves as our example of not applying God’s measurement to our lives.  When the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, the first city they destroyed was Jericho.  God’s instructions were clear.  They were to walk around the city one time for six days.  On the seventh day they were to march around seven times and with a loud shout they were to take the city as its walls collapsed.  Everything in the city was to be destroyed because it had been devoted to the Lord.  Joshua gives these instructions in regards to the gold and silver, “All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury” (Joshua 3:19).

God’s measurement here was “all.”  All the precious metals were to be set aside to the Lord.  Achan however, coveted 5 pounds (200 shekels) of silver, 1 ¼ pounds (50 shekels) of gold, and a robe.  He took these for his own and buried them in his tent.  Because of his actions, Israel was not successful in her attempt to capture the second city, Ai. When it was discovered that Achan had withheld some of the plunder, he paid with his life. Look at all the suffering that occurred because one man withheld a robe and a mere 6 pounds of metal!  When God says “all,” he means “all,” period!

The lesson from Achan’s story is clear for us today.  God wants our all, everything we have and the best of our efforts.  He is neither satisfied nor interested in anything less than our complete devotion to his will.  When we withhold from him in any aspect of our lives, we lose our ability to be effective witnesses for him.  We also fall into disobedience and our spiritual walk suffers for it.  Our disobedience also affects our relationships with those around us. We are incapable of being the blessing God intends for us to be in the lives of others.

So, how do our lives measure up today? Are we following God’s instructions to the letter?  Are our standards of measure based on his word and his commands?  Does our idea of “total obedience” square with God’s idea? He has given us precise measurements for our relationship with him! So, are our lives overdone, lacking something or right on target?  Are we being "weighed in the balance and found wanting?” Think about it today!

A Trip To The Bakery

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rom time to time I reminisce about the opportunities I have had to live in France.  I remember places I’ve visited, friends I’ve made, and conversations I’ve had. However, my daily surroundings remind me that I am no longer in Paris.  Yet, it’s not the fact that I can’t visit the Eiffel Tower; it’s not the fact that everyone around me is speaking English, and it’s not the fact that I can drive a car instead of taking a metro.  None of these facts, while true, are as poignant a reminder as the fact that I cannot run down to the local bakery and buy a freshly baked French bread!   I guess you could say I am addicted to the stuff.

Every morning in Paris, I ran down to one of several bakeshops in the neighborhood and bought fresh bread and fresh croissants!  It was the best part of the day and one I eagerly anticipated!  You might say, I became a regular customer of the small bakery located just at the end of the street.  In fact, I referred to it as my boulangerie (bakery)!

A trip to this bakery was always an ordeal because it always involved somewhat of a dilemma.  The place was always busy. People from the neighborhood were busy buying their breads, desserts, and sandwiches for the day ahead.  For me, the bread selection was easy; it was the pastries that posed the problem.  Would it be a croissant, an apple turnover, a flan, a small quiche, etc.?  The possibilities were endless! Thank goodness, the patience of the lady behind the counter was not!  Finally, I would decide and hurry out of the place before deciding to purchase something else.  But no matter what else I had in my hand, I always had bread with me.

Bread, it seems, is the quintessential staple of life.  No matter the culture, no matter the language, no matter the country, bread is simply one thing we all have in common.  Perhaps this is why Jesus spoke so often of bread.  The word bread appears 63 times in the NIV version of the New Testament.  But the most well-known reference is found in Matthew 6:11 where Jesus teaches his followers to pray.  In this verse, Jesus simply says, “Give us today our daily bread.”

Two important ideas are presented to us in this small passage from Matthew’s gospel.  First, we see Jesus asking God to supply our bread.  This means we do not provide it for ourselves!  Far too often in the Christian life we try to be self-sufficient, trying to discover ways and means to provide for our needs.  We say we trust God yet we attempt to do everything for ourselves.  Jesus simply asked God to supply the bread, the very staple and the most basic need of life.  After all, that is God’s promise, isn’t it?  He promised to meet the needs we have in life and He is faithful to that promise.

The second lesson we need to grasp is the frequency with which this bread is delivered.  Jesus did not pray for weekly bread, monthly bread, or for a bread truck that would delivery on a pre-determined schedule.  No, he prayed for daily bread!  He wanted his followers to understand that we need God every day, not once a week, once a month, or just when we get into trouble.  We need Him every moment of every day and Jesus used the picture of daily bread to teach this every elementary but most important point about God.  We must partake of Him daily as the most basic and quintessential part of our lives.

Early every morning, I went in search of fresh bread and every morning I was rewarded for my efforts of getting up, getting dressed, and walking to the bakery.  The same principle is true for us today.  We must get up, open God’s word, plumb into its depths, partake of it, and make it the most integral and central part of our lives each day.  God stands ready each morning to provide your daily needs so trust Him and take Him at His word.  Have you made a trip God’s bakery today?

A Bottomless Cup of Coffee

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 arrived in Fort Worth in 1997.  Several weeks after beginning seminary and getting situated, a few of my new friends and I began exploring our new city, discovering the many things it offered in terms of restaurants, entertainment, and shopping.  One evening, we decided to go downtown for a leisurely stroll and a visit to a coffee shop.  We selected a shop in the center of town that had several tables outside.  We went in, ordered our coffee, paid our bill, went outside, and had a wonderful time talking and people watching.  We enjoyed ourselves so much, that we began doing this on a regular basis, usually on Thursday evenings.

Texans love their coffee, and, being firm believers that one should do as the Romans when in Rome, we followed suit.  Soon, however, our visits to the coffee shop began to cost a little more than was in the budget.  We enjoyed the fellowship, we enjoyed the coffee, but we didn't enjoy straining our budgets to the limit.  So, one afternoon, one of the guys told us about a different coffee shop not far from downtown.  Not only was it larger, having plenty of space on the inside, there was also ample space outside to sit, relax, and visit.  Moreover, the management didn’t rush its customers; but encouraged them to stay as long as they wanted.  They even provided games, a reading room, and musical entertainment on the weekends.  Plus, their hours were more generous, closing later than their competitor.

We decided to visit this little place to see for ourselves.  Sure enough, everything we heard was true.  The atmosphere was inviting, the coffee was superb, the desserts they offered were wonderful (with true "Texas-sized" portions), and the employees were great.  But what really impressed us the most was the fact that you could pay $1 and get a bottomless cup of coffee.  For one price, you could have all the coffee you could drink. Needless to say, we were hooked and adopted this place as our very own.  The management further assured customer loyalty by encouraging its clients to bring their favorite coffee mugs and leave them.  They provided a rack for this purpose so when you entered, you simply took your mug off the shelf, paid $1, and settled in for an evening of relaxation and conversation.

The work of Jesus Christ resembles very closely our attempt to find a coffee shop.  Now, please bear with me here. I am not trivializing the work of Christ on the cross.  Before the coming of Christ, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat.  He did this to cover the sins of the people.  However, this sacrifice was only good for a year, forcing the high priest to perform this ritual repeatedly.  Throughout the year, the people performed other sacrifices for various aspects of their lives.  Soon, they came to understand just how expensive sin was.  The price for sin was beyond their means and no matter how often they sacrificed, each time they needed to approach God, they had to pay again by offering a new sacrifice.

When Jesus came, he did away with the sacrificial system.  By taking upon himself the cost of sin, he paid once and only once.  The writer of Hebrews stresses this important point by writing,"Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).  Now, there was direct access to God, Now, people could come to God without having to "pay" repeatedly.  The sacrifice of Jesus Christ invited all mankind to come to God without the threat of constantly paying and without the worry of overstaying their welcome.  Instead, they found rest, peace, comfort, joy, and an endless supply of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love.  The relationship and fellowship they longed for was now possible.  All they needed to do was enter into the new covenant with God by accepting his son, Jesus Christ.

I continued to visit this coffee shop during my remaining years at the seminary.  Although my visits became less frequent due to a heavy schedule, each time I visited, I found the same system in place.  For one price, I had all the coffee and fellowship I wanted.  Each time, I was reminded, in a very tangible way, of the price Jesus paid for my sin.  All the promises of God, all his love, all his mercy, all his grace, and all his provision is mine because Jesus paid the price, once and only once, for sin.  Because of his sacrifice, I have direct access and no longer have to try and buy my way to God.  NO! For one price, I get it all.  What a great deal!  So, are you still paying for your coffee one cup at a time?  Wouldn't you rather have full and open access to God by asking Christ into your life? He is waiting for you to do that today!  The coffee shop is open, come on in!!

Let's Face It

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 simply love to read quotations. On the Internet, in a book, in magazines, you name it; I love to read the profound statements others have made.  This provides good food for thought and causes me to see things in a different perspective.

A few days ago, I was visiting one of my favorite Internet sites which boasts literally thousands of quotations. You can look them up by subject matter and author.  The site also provides several quotes at random on a daily basis.  One quote I found really caused me to stop and think: “Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it.”  The quote is from English novelist, Joseph Conrad.

I really like this perspective and for anyone who has ever faced a challenge or any of life’s difficulties it is understood that there are only two options from which to choose. We either turn and run from the situation or we face it—there simply is no other possibility open to us.

The prophet Isaiah knew all about facing difficult situations in life but he also knew that we do not, and should not try, to face them alone.  In Isaiah 43:2 we read, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Notice that the word through is mentioned three distinct times in this passage.  The writer speaks of water, rivers, and fire and at every turn he assures us that God will be with us.  We don’t face anything as God’s children on our own.  He is always with us in every trial, in every challenge, and in every one of life’s uncertainties.  They are uncertainties to us; not to God.

Jesus, himself, reminded his disciples of this fact just before his death. In John 16 Jesus promises his disciples two things: 1) that they would have trouble in the world, and 2) that he had overcome the world.  This does not mean that we, as Christians, will lead a worry-free life.  On the contrary, that we will have trouble is a promise but Jesus equally assures us he will be with us and that we will face no problem he has not overcome.

Joseph Conrad is correct.  We must face things in life to get through them and Isaiah reminds us that in every situation, every trial, every difficulty, and every pain that God is with us, through it all!!  Are you ready to face the challenges of the day ahead?  God is waiting on you!

Stay Where You Are!

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t all started one winter afternoon!  The weather forecasters had said that inclement winter weather was a distinct possibility and this time, at least, their predictions were right on target.  Around 2:30 in the afternoon, the skies opened up and rained down sleet.  As the ice pebbles hit against the building, all of us in the office pressed our noses against the windows, staring in amazement, mouths agape, just like thousands of school children who were no doubt doing the same thing.

The excitement from the sleet, however, soon gave way to concern about the drive home and the impending problems the ice would cause as literally thousands of people jammed the highways in order to arrive safely home before the brunt of the storm hit.  Classes were cancelled; schools and offices closed early, and people began making their way home.  My trip home from the university was uneventful and I arrived at my apartment safe and sound.

Later in the afternoon and all throughout the evening, the sleet continued to fall.  Sometimes it came down very hard, almost in sheets, and at other times it was barely noticeable. But all the while, the amount of accumulating ice continued to grow and the ground was soon covered in a blanket of white.  The next morning, I looked out and noticed that a significant amount of ice had accumulated during the night hours.  It was a beautiful view but one that was also fraught with danger.

The television news channels and the radio stations were all promoting the same warning: Stay where you are!  All of the anchormen and women repeated that message over and over, stressing the importance of remaining indoors and not braving the elements or the icy road conditions.  Although it appeared harmless, the ice was indeed deadly, causing cars, trucks, buses, etc. to lose traction and veer off the highway.  Unless absolutely necessary, everyone was urged to stay home where it was safe, dry, and warm until the icy conditions were gone.

The weather here provides a deeper understanding of a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah.  The prophet gives us a warning which we should consider as we walk with God.  Isaiah 50:11 reads, “But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.”

There is a solemn and sober truth in this passage of scripture.  Israel was awaiting the coming of the Messiah and had in her mind the manner in which he would appear.  They believed the Messiah would overthrow Israel’s oppression and set up God’s kingdom in its place.  But the kingdom of God did not come by way of the sword but by way of the cross.  It did not come with an overthrow of a political government but with the overthrow of sin and death.  It did not come in the manner in which they thought it should so they walked by their own understanding and completely missed God’s plan for man’s salvation.

The same is true for us in our daily walk with the Lord.  When we lean on our own understanding, when we believe we know how we are to proceed, and when we fail to stay where we are when God tells us to rest, we place ourselves in great peril.  The conditions all around us tell us to stay where we are, but instead we venture forth, losing our footing, sliding off the chosen road, landing in the side ditches where we get into trouble and difficulty.  Just as God said through the prophet Isaiah, when we do things our own way instead of obeying God we always bear the consequences of our actions.

Wherever you are today in your walk with God, pay close attention to his commands.  It may be that the road ahead is covered with ice, impassable, and treacherous.  If God, who knows the way much better than you, has commanded you to stay where you are, don’t take a flashlight and strike out on your own.  Remain where you are in the safety of God’s presence until he sees fit to move you forward.  You will never be disappointed and you will never be in danger as long as you walk with him.  Are you walking with God or ahead of him today?

Every Fifteen Minutes

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f you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait fifteen minutes.”  Thus the saying goes by those who come from these parts and call them home.  When I first arrived in Texas, I thought this saying was a slice of Texas humor used to make those of us not from these parts feel more relaxed and jovial about our new home.  It didn’t take me long, however, to discover that this was not a propaganda ploy.  This was the honest truth, not in the least stretched or twisted out of proportion.

In the past nineteen years, I have witnessed almost every type of weather scenario imaginable.  I have experienced thunderstorms, flash flooding, wind gusts, tornado watches and warnings, hail storms, and have seen hurricanes strike our southern coast. A few years ago on a particular summer afternoon, the weatherman had predicted heavy thunderstorms during late afternoon hours.  Right on time, just like clockwork, they showed up.  The wind blew, the sky darkened, the thunder pealed, and the lightening flashed.  Everything was going just as predicted.

That’s when the unexpected happened just about fifteen minutes into the storm.  I was sitting on my couch when I heard hard knocks against the large windows in the office.  After a few seconds, the knocks grew steadily louder and one glance out the window let me know there was more to this storm than just wind and rain.  Out on the lawn, hail stones the size of marbles were accumulating.  As far as the eye could see, these stones were raining down, smacking against windows, bouncing off cars, smashing into the sidewalk and bouncing off the roofs of neighboring houses.  The sound was deafening as the hail continued to fall.

Right on schedule, after fifteen minutes, the hail stopped, the rain slowed to a drizzle, and the wind grew calm.  It was as if nothing had happened and had it not been for the hailstones littering the front lawn, no one would have ever believed frozen precipitation had fallen from the sky. 

Life sometimes resembles the weather patterns in Texas.  Every fifteen minutes it seems something new crosses our path.  These changes often come in the form of unexpected situations, difficult challenges, and down right inconveniences.  The car breaks down, we get sick, there is a death in our family, money gets tight, and myriad of other things find their way into our lives.  It seems that life throws us one curve ball after another and that every fifteen minutes, the conditions of our life change. 

At times like this we often found ourselves discouraged, frustrated, dejected, and ready to throw in the towel and give up.  We feel there is no stability; nothing to hold to, our family, our friends, and any form of security seems to be all but lost.  Sometimes we feel that even God has forgotten us and has somehow found something else to do rather than pat attention to our situations.

If this sounds familiar to you or if life is tossing you one curve after another, I would like to share a word of encouragement from the book of James.  In James 1:17 we read, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 

At first glance, you may think I have misread this passage.  You may be hard-pressed to find anything good about your situation, let alone consider it a perfect gift.  Nothing about heartache, financial difficulty, relationship problems, or a host of other challenges seem to be good or encouraging.  But read on to the end of the passage and you will see the wonderful hope in this verse.  At the end of this passage James reveals such a wonderful kernel of truth: God does not change!  That’s right!  God does not change.  

Unlike sand which shifts and is blown by the wind, God stands firm and protects us in all life’s trials.  He never leaves us and will not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can stand.  No matter what we are facing, the same God who spoke everything into existence, the same God who parted the Red Sea, the same God who appeared in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, this same God is with you in every situation of your life—good or bad!  He has promised to use every situation in your life to bring about good and that is exactly what He is doing even when it doesn’t feel like it. 

God is always at work molding His children into the image of Christ.  Situations in life may change every fifteen minutes but our God is the same hour after hour, day after day, month after month, year after year, from now throughout all eternity.  Do you have fifteen minutes to spend with Him today?  Find out what a change this can bring about in your life.  The clock starts now!

A Whole New Perspective

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ast week, I passed another milestone in life, reminding me that I am not getting any younger. A visit to the eye doctor confirmed what I already knew; I needed a new pair of eyeglasses with a stronger prescription.  While this came as no surprise, the fact that the new prescription was written for bifocals definitely gave me something to think about.

I left the optometrist’s office, prescription in-hand, and entered a store specializing in prescription glasses.  One of the ladies working offered me some assistance and we began the process of finding suitable frames.  After thirty minutes, I decided on the frames and she proceeded to complete my transaction by placing an order for the lenses.  Since the lab was on-site, she informed me my new glasses would be completed in a little over an hour and a half.

I took advantage of the time to do some shopping and 90 minutes later, I returned to pick up my glasses.  Another lady waited on me and fitted the new glasses to my face, making all the necessary adjustments so the glasses fit just right. Since I had never worn bifocals, she took a few minutes to explain the changes I was about to experience.  Finally, I put on the glasses and in an instant I gained a whole new perspective on the world around me.  What had been fuzzy came into sharp focus and the small things I could barely see just a few minutes before stood out as clearly as if I weren’t wearing glasses at all.  Near or far, whatever I looked at was clear. What a difference those new lenses made!

My experience parallels a similar story found in the New Testament.  Two men asked Jesus to touch them and restore their sight.  These two men, however, weren’t near-sighted or far-sighted; they were completely blind.   What they wanted, what they needed, was the ability to see clearly.  The story of their incredible healing is found in Matthew 20:29-34 and is the focus of our devotional today.  

This passage of scripture reads, “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

Three distinct truths should jump out at us from this passage.  First, the men knew they were blind.  How many days they had been by the roadside, how many times they had begged for money, how often they had asked passersby to help them, we do not know.  But we do know is that these men understood they were lacking the ability to see.  While the sun rose high in the sky, these men lived in total darkness, unable to enjoy the wonderful blessings of sight.

Second, these men knew Jesus could give them what they did not have.  When Jesus asked them what they wanted, they did not hesitate but answered boldly, “we want our sight.”  They did not try to hide their blindness, they did not beat around the bush, and they did not make excuses for their request.  They simply told Jesus they wanted to see and they knew that only he could make this possible. 

Third, these men refused to be denied.  They steadfastly pursued their desire to see and would not let anyone or anything stand between them and Jesus.  Notice that the people around them encouraged them to be quiet.  In fact, their peers were very indignant toward these men, doing all within their power to squelch their cries for help.  The more the crowd tried to quiet them, however, the more determined these men became to make themselves heard.  Can’t you just hear their voices growing louder with every request, ending in a crescendo of determination as their requests caught the ears of Jesus? And Jesus responded to their faithfulness.

Today we need to learn the lesson these two men taught their peers on that day so long ago.  As long as we refuse to come to Christ we walk and live in blindness.  We cannot see the light of God’s word or understand His truth because our eyes do not respond to the light of that truth. All around is darkness, and we are left on the side of the road.  We must recognize that only Jesus can give us the sight we need and that only through our continued, daily prayer are we able to see clearly.  The more we pray, the more we seek God’s will, the more we ask for clearer sight and understanding of God’s truth, the more we see and learn about our Heavenly Father.

Wherever you are in your walk today, I trust you are asking God to improve your spiritual sight.  What we need is a whole new perspective, a perspective we cannot secure on our own.  We can only see God’s truth when we allow Him to correct our vision.  When was the last time you had your spiritual vision checked?  How about making an appointment for corrective spiritual lenses today?