Air Freshner

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his past weekend I was in the grocery store making my weekly purchases.  Not watching where I was going, I ended up on the aisle where the cleaning supplies were kept.  There were so many products to choose from.  There were different detergents for clothes, several brands of furniture polish, all kinds of bathroom and household cleaners, and air fresheners that could be placed throughout the house or used on the carpet with a vacuum cleaner.  I stood there for what seemed like hours just trying to take it all in.

What caught my eye and mesmerized me the most was the display of products for cleaning the air.  These came in solids, liquids, aerosol sprays, candles, and powders.  Sitting there on those few shelves seemed to be every scent known to man.  As I stood there looking at the array of products, my attention focused on the powders destined to be spread over carpet and vacuumed up with the dirt.  The vacuum cleaner sucked up the dirt and the powder but left a wonderful aroma behind. In a home, that pleasant odor serves as a reminder that the dirt has been removed and that everything in the house is clean. Isn’t it amazing what a small odor can tell you about a home and about the persons who live there?

The same is true in the life of the Christian.  We are constantly giving off a fragrance to those around us.  What does the fragrance of our lives communicate to others?  Does the aroma of our witness testify to the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood in our lives?  When people encounter us at work, in the shops, or anywhere in between, can they tell that we’ve been with Jesus?

The Apostle Paul in his second letter to the believers in Corinth addressed just this issue.  In 2 Corinthians 2:15, he writes, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”  Three quick truths glare out at us from this passage.  First, Paul states categorically and with out reserve that our lives are a constant aroma before God.  The aroma our lives are to put forth is that of Christ.  We can only have his aroma if we follow him and spend time in his presence.  Yes, only in his presence can we ever hope to obtain his aroma in order to share it with all those around us.

The second truth is that we share the aroma of Christ among our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Who among us has not been in need and been encouraged and strengthened by a fellow believer?  Who among us has not given thanks to God that one of our brothers or sisters in Christ prayed for us or visited us in times of great need or distress.  They shared with us the aroma of Christ and reminded us that our source of strength was in Christ alone.

The last truth is that we spread the aroma of Christ among those who are not saved.  People may receive the odor of our lives long before we have the opportunity to speak to them.  Through our actions and our attitudes we demonstrate our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  The way we lead our lives is in itself an aroma noticed by the world.  Paul is clear; we are to share the aroma of Christ with unbelievers, encouraging them by our actions and demonstrating the power and love of Christ in our daily lives.

So, are you giving off a pleasant aroma today?  When people meet you do they see evidence of Jesus in your life?  Do your actions and your attitudes provide an inviting odor to those who are seeking Christ?  Is your life a source of strength and encouragement to those serving Christ?  Paul reminds us that our lives must give off the aroma of Christ.  What does the aroma of your life say about your relationship with Jesus today?

The View From The Top

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up And Down And All Around

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Six Hours Aead

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 have always been a clock-watcher.  No matter where I am, no matter the circumstance, at least once during a conversation, a class, or a presentation of some kind, I will look at the clock just to get my chronological bearings.  My students are very used to this by now.  The first thing I do in class is place my watch on the table where I can see it and the last thing I do is check it before dismissing them.  In between, I glance at it several times just to make sure I’m on track and on the pace I’ve set for the class.

When I lived and studied in France for the first time, I became even more sensitive to the time both in France and back home in the United States.  I had a digital watch that displayed two different time zones so I always knew what everyone was doing back home.  While I was eating breakfast, they were sleeping.  When lunchtime came, they were just getting out of bed and as I lay down to sleep, they were sitting down to the dinner table.  We lived in the same moment of time, but we measured it differently.  No matter the day or the situation, while in France I was always 6 hours ahead of my family and friends at home.

This proved to be particularly important because my mom and dad would call on Saturdays around lunchtime.  For them, it was 6 a.m. but for me it was high noon.  It took me a while to grow accustomed to my parents telling me good morning when it was clearly afternoon where I was.  Eventually, however, I adjusted to the change and could go about my business without worrying too much as to what time it was half a world away.  I knew that if I needed my parents, I could call them, I just had to be sensitive to their time zone.

The writer of Psalm 46, however, didn’t worry about time zones.  He understood that God doesn’t carry a watch and that time is meaningless from His perspective.  We live in time, God lives outside of it.  For us the clock is always moving forward and for our Heavenly Father it is always now.  This idea is reflected in the opening verse of this psalm.  In Psalm 46:1, the writer tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Two words in this verse leap off the page at me, “trouble” and “ever-present.”  First, let’s consider this notion of trouble.  We usually understand this word to mean something bad has happened in our lives.  However, trouble can also mean we are in a difficult place, facing challenging circumstances.  For example, we may experience a difficult illness, we may find ourselves with an emotional crisis we didn’t see coming, or we may be backed into a corner where we must learn to trust God with our situation.  None of these situations is a result of something we did; it’s just that life happens while we are living it.

This is where the word, “ever-present” comes into play.  God is always with us.  He constantly knows all that we are facing.  His eyes and ears are always attentive, always alert to His children, always aware of their situations and needs.  While the Scriptures tell us God knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning and that He is all-knowing, they reassure us that God does not leave us and is not six hours away from us.  No, He is very near, as close as our heartbeat.  Whatever the circumstances are, whatever the situation, God is always present, ready to help us in our time of need, caring for us and doing for us those things we cannot do for ourselves.

What time is it where you are today?  Rest assured that no matter what the clock on the wall or the watch on your wrist says, God’s clock always reads right now!

A Common Language

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let Me Give You A Tip

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orking in a restaurant provided dozens of opportunities to learn about people. You get to know their likes and dislikes, their preferences, their quirks, their attitudes, and their moods. Every time I waited tables, I always learned something new about my customers and, invariably, something new about myself as well.  Everything I learned was useful but not everything was pleasant or easy to accept.

One of the most difficult things to master was the concept of the tip.  Most people figure up a certain percentage of the bill and leave that as a tip.  Depending upon the level of service, the tip may be more or less.  In extreme cases, customers refuse to leave anything, expressing their dissatisfaction with the service or representing their desire not to leave a tip at all.  The danger for a waiter or waitress is judging people according to the amount of money left on the table.  I’ve seen this happen repeatedly.  Servers would become upset because a customer left a smaller tip than they anticipated and the end result was anger and bitterness on the part of the waiter or waitress.

However, if the server considered the amount of the tip as a percentage of the whole bill, he might be pleasantly surprised to discover he was well compensated for his service.  I learned this from a wonderful customer I used to wait on.  No matter what the amount of his bill, he always tipped at twenty per cent.  If he ordered a cup of coffee, he tipped twenty per cent and if he ordered a large meal, the tip was the same fraction of the ticket.  No matter what, he remained consistent in his giving and he was generous.  When I finally realized that I should look at my tips as a percentage of the ticket instead of a fixed amount, I became more encouraged and humbled.

In Malachi 3:6a, God teaches us a very important principle about himself.  This passage of scripture reads, "I the Lord do not change.”  Yes, you read that correctly.  God does not change.  No matter the circumstances, no matter the need, no matter how small or how large our burden, God always provides generously for us. 

Our problem lies in how we perceive his gift.  We fall into the trap of assuming we know how God should address our needs and how he should resolve our difficulties.  When he doesn’t follow our line of thinking, we become bitter or angry, essentially believing He has refused to honor our request.  However, we must change our perspective and see that God’s giving is always consistent, always generous, and always available.  It is not based on our actions, works, or on our belief that we deserve it.  Our actions are never good enough, we can’t work enough to earn it, and we never deserve it. But God gives anyway, and He always gives at one hundred per cent.

The cross of Jesus Christ is proof of God’s grace and generous giving to us.  While we were still steeped in our sins, incapable of having a relationship with God, He gave His son so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life.  This must become our perspective.  We must understand that God has given us His best and that He continues to do so based on our relationship through Jesus Christ.  God did not calculate the smallest percentage needed to offer us salvation.  Instead, He gave us His all, one hundred per cent, holding nothing back.  What kind of tip are you giving God today?  Is it all you have or just a mere percentage?

Going Solo

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here are several rites of passage for children.  Parents take great notice of these events and know exactly when each occurred.  Some of these rites include, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, and my favorite, talking.  Then there is the graduation from diapers to training pants, from baby food to table food, and the list goes on from there.  However, one of the biggies, one of the crucial rites of passage from a “little person” to becoming a “big boy or girl” comes with the arrival of the first bicycle.  This crucial stage of development heralds the growing desire for independence and self-sufficiency.

I remember my first bike.  It was a beauty!  It was wine in color with large sloping handlebars and a silver saddle.  It came equipped with all the standard equipment, a chain, two tires, brakes, reflectors, a seat, handlebars, and, of course, training wheels.  I couldn’t wait for sunrise so I could get outside and learn to ride that bike.  My mother promised she would go with me and help me and after breakfast, she and I went outside with the bike, determined that I would learn how to ride that very morning.

Actually, I was much more optimistic than mom.  I felt sure that I’d be riding within a matter of minutes and that we would be able to remove the training wheels by sundown.  You’ve heard of being just a little over zealous?  Well, that is exactly what I was.  It didn’t take long for me to learn that learning to ride a bike required more than I initially bargained for.  My mom was very patient, understanding, and a great encourager.  She let me go at my own pace but always kept her hand on my back, assuring me she was there when I needed her and that I didn’t have to do this alone.

After I became comfortable with my bike, I asked my dad to remove the training wheels.  Once again, I found myself needing help from my parents.  Gaining my balance wasn’t that easy and I was very afraid of falling down.  Both my parents encouraged me to keep trying.  Even now, I can still feel my mom and dad’s hands at my back, assuring me I wasn’t alone and that I would be able to learn to ride by myself.  I learned more than riding a bike from them, I learned to depend on them, on their ability to care for me and to support me whenever I fell down.

Learning to ride a bike is easy compared to the other lessons we learn in life.  The bumps and bruises resulting from falling off a bike pale in comparison to the bumps, scratches, knocks, and down right wounds that life throws our way sometimes.  As children, we are forever trying to gain our independence, to spread our wings, and to fly on our own.  As adults, however, we look for relationships, someone to cling to and someone we can depend on.  Funny, isn’t it?  If life teaches us anything it is that we must learn to depend on people rather than being independent from them.

This is a hard lesson to learn spiritually as well.  From the beginning, God intended for mankind to depend on him.  He placed Adam and Eve in the garden to dress it and look after it.  But God provided all they needed.  However, when they decided to eat of the forbidden fruit and exert their own independence, that’s when all the problems started.  Throughout both the Old and the New Testaments, we see time and time again how man chose to be independent from God rather than dependent on him.  And repeatedly, the story is the same.  Man makes a mess and God has to clean it up.

Would it surprise you to discover that dependence is actually the biblical model for our relationship with God?  Would it surprise you even more to know that Jesus spoke directly of his dependence on God, admitting that independence from God cuts across the grain of what we were meant to be?  Look at Jesus words in John 5:19, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  Here, Jesus states very plainly that by himself he can do nothing; He can only do what he sees his Father doing.  Jesus is totally dependent on God for everything. Now I ask you, if Jesus Christ states that he can do nothing without God, what excuse do we have when we attempt to go solo in every circumstance?  We can’t do it and we were never meant to!  That’s why Jesus says further on in John’s gospel that we are also dependent upon him. 

In John 15:5, Jesus makes the following observation, “apart from me you can do nothing.”  This is not only a statement of fact, I believe, it is a promise.  Essentially, Jesus promises that unless we become dependent on him, we can do nothing at all.  Everything we do will fail if we neglect to lean heavily on God and cast all our cares on His shoulders. 

On that Christmas morning, taking my bike out all alone was not an option.  I couldn’t handle it by myself and my mom never intended me to.  She stood beside me all the way, coaching me, holding me, encouraging me, and catching me, throughout the whole process.  Without her help, I could never have managed that bike on my own.  This is what God wants to do for you today.  He is there right beside you, coaching you, encouraging you, and catching in every circumstance of life.  Won’t you lean on him today?

Service Included

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ne evening I decided I had had enough of my own cooking and needed a break.  So I took myself out on the town and ate at a nice Italian restaurant not far from the seminary.  When I got there, the parking lot was relatively empty so I got a choice spot.  I went in, sat myself, and prepared to order.  The menu had so many wonderful things on it that it took me a while to make a decision.  But I settled for the fettuccini alfredo with chicken, a most excellent choice.  My waitress was new to the job but she handled herself very well.  She took my order and when the food was ready, she brought me my dinner.  She checked with me from time to time to make sure I had everything I needed and then left me to eat in peace. 

Across the room from me sat an older gentleman who also was dining alone.  Since there were very few people in the restaurant, we shared the same waitress.  Although she checked with him at regular intervals, it seemed she could do nothing to please this gentleman.  The bread was too hard, he had to wait too long, the food wasn't cooked to his liking, the tea was too strong and the coffee was too weak.  His napkin had a spot on it, he didn't particularly like his table, and he thought the waitress was too slow.  Complain, complain, and complain! The waitress, to her credit, continued to offer this gentleman exceptional service.  At the end of the meal, she gave him his check, cleared his table, and wished him a good evening.  He left her a dollar for her trouble.  I couldn't help but believe that the man was the loser in this situation, not the waitress.

Now there are only two kinds of people in a restaurant, those who serve and those who are served.  Most of us fall into the second category.  We enjoy placing an order, having our glasses refilled, receiving undivided attention, and feeling very important.  If the service is good, we leave a tip.  If the service is exceptional, we may leave a little more. However, if the service is less than we expected, we leave less or nothing at all.   Therefore, it all comes down to whether or not we feel as if our waiter or waitress has adequately met our needs.  It all revolves around our egos and the tip we leave, or don't leave, is in direct proportion to the degree with which we feel our expectations have been met. The amount of the tip says as much about the generosity of the person being served as it does about the service given by the waiter or waitress. 

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus faced this same situation?  He wasn't sitting in a restaurant and he wasn't deciding how much tip to leave.  Instead, his own disciples were vying for positions of importance in his kingdom.  James and John asked Christ if they could occupy the thrones immediately to his right and left, which are elite positions.  The other disciples were very upset at learning of this request.  It could have been because they thought James and John out of line, or it could have been because they felt they were beaten to the draw.

Whatever the reason for their anger, Jesus sent a very strong message about being a servant.  In Mark 10:43-45, Jesus makes the following observation, "but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. “And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  The requirements for true greatness, according to Christ, are the exact opposite of the world's standards.  We are not here to be served, but to serve others. 

In all points, the life of Jesus was a life of service.  He provided food for five thousand people instead of asking for something to eat himself. When there was no wine at the wedding, he provided it.  When people couldn't walk, he healed them.  When they couldn't see, he opened their eyes, and when they couldn't hear, he unstopped their ears. When a woman was entrapped and accused by her peers, he came to her defense.  When we couldn't come to God on our own, he gave himself as our ransom so that we could be reconciled to God.  The life of Jesus was one of constant self-sacrifice and service.  If Christ were waiting tables today, he would refuse the tip, simply saying, "the service is included."  Could the same be said of us today?

The Turbulent-Free Life!

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ow was your flight?”  This was the first question my dad asked me as I climbed into the car at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.  “The flight, “ I said, “was fine, except for the turbulence!”  My statement was indeed accurate.  For the majority of the flight, it was smooth sailing.  But every once in a while, we would encounter pockets of rough air and the small jet was bustled and jostled from all sides and in all directions—not exactly my idea of a swell time.

The more I fly, the more unrealistic about flight I become.  I expect the flight to be smooth from takeoff to landing with no incidents of turbulence, no hints of gusty winds aloft, and certainly no bumps, rattles, or shakes during the flight.  I know what you’re thinking.  “You’ve got to kidding, Blake.  Get real!”  And I would certainly agree with you that I need to be a little less naïve about flying. Hey, what can I say?  I’m an eternal optimist!

The turbulence does serve its purpose though and is a good lesson about living the Christian life.  Although being strapped in a metal tube at 38,000 feet is no picnic when the winds are buffeting, it is also the safest place to be in that environment.  The only place of safety, the only place where you can survive is inside that airplane.  It has been designed to withstand the pressure exerted on it by the atmosphere and it has been designed to fly in all weathers and in all conditions to deliver its cargo safely to its destination.  The very fact the plane is designed and built with these conditions in mind means the engineer knew there would be bumps along the way and made provision for them.  That turbulence exists comes as no surprise to the designer or the pilot, although it may be unnerving to the passenger.

The number of Christians who believe a walk with God should have no bumps, shakes, rattles, or turbulence is surprising.  Yet, nowhere in the Scriptures are we promised that life gets easier when we become a Christian.  Nowhere in the Bible does God promise that once we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord that the road automatically becomes smooth and we just sit back and enjoy the ride.  No! It is in the difficult times of life that we understand and learn just how faithful our God is and just how much strength, assurance, and grace He gives to us.

Jesus’ words in John 17 should teach us that there will be bumps in the road of life.  In John 17:15 he says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."  This verse is taken from the section of John’s gospel known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.  If you have never read it or if it has been some time since you have, I invite you to do so now.  This is where Jesus prayed for his disciples because he knew the hour for his crucifixion had come and that their lives would change and become turbulent.  Notice he does not ask God to take remove them from the world but to protect them from the evil one.  In other words, Jesus did not ask for smooth or turbulent-free living for the disciples; he asked for protection.  You only need protection if you are in danger, not out of it!

At 38,000 feet, the airplane protected us from the turbulence outside. It did not take us out of it as my shot nerves and aching muscles would tell you.  But only in that turbulence was my faith tested and rewarded.  Had it not been for the rough and bumpy patches in the flight path, I would have never appreciated the long tracts of smooth air nor the firm ground beneath me.  If this is the case with a flight, my friend, how much more true is this in our walk with God?  There is no such thing as a turbulent-free life and I thank God there isn’t!  Only in the most turbulent times can you here His voice saying, “Peace, be still!”  Thank God for the bumps in your road today!  Bon voyage!

How About A Little Harmony?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Key Holder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two Cups of Sugar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Right Down The Middle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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