On the Other Side of the Door

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here is something unique about the view from a hospital gurney. The ride from my hospital bed to the operating room seemed interminable because all I could see were the lights overhead as they passed by.  Voices unfamiliar to me were all around and my sense of direction was all out of whack!  Mom and dad were close by, following right behind as we made our way through the labyrinth of Duke University Medical Center on our way to the operating suite. 

When we arrived, the gurney came to an abrupt halt!  We had come to the green double doors that indicated the moment of separation had come.  On this side of the doors mom and dad were close by, giving me assurance that all would be well.  On the other side of the doors lay the operating room and the unknown.  After we said our goodbyes, the gurney moved forward, this time without mom and dad’s supervision, and I entered those unfamiliar surroundings all by myself!   

This is exactly how Joshua must have felt when the reality of Moses’s death and the realization that he would be the one leading the people into the Promised Land hit home. The journey to the Jordan River and the Promised Land had been a long one.  Joshua had experienced mana, the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day.  He had accompanied Moses to Mt. Sinai where God gave the ten commandments, and he lived through the 40 years of wondering in the wilderness.  He and Caleb were the only two of twelve spies left who had actually seen the Promised Land.  But none of this prepared him to take the reins from Moses and lead the people over the Jordan River to possess the land.

On this side of the doors lay the history of his people and all he had known.  On the other side, even though he knew the land was theirs, lay the unknown.  How would they conquer the land?  How long would it take?  Could he do it?  What would happen if he should fail?  The questions must have been innumerable in Joshua’s mind as he played out one scenario after another.

What Joshua needed was support and assurance and that is exactly what God gave him.  In Joshua 1:9 we find these words of comfort, assurance, and encouragement: ^“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Take a few moments, slow down, and read that verse again, very carefully.  Notice that it begins with a question as God reminds Joshua that he has given a direct command. Joshua is not to be afraid, he is not to be discouraged. No matter how long the conquest lasted, no matter how many cities he had to vanquish, and no matter the size of the armies he would encounter, God’s command was clear: be strong and courageous, do not be afraid.  These were not requests or suggestions; they were commands. But the commands were followed by the promise that God would be with Joshua every step of the way.  The word, wherever, means just that.  There was nowhere Joshua could go, no situation he could face, no obstacle he could encounter without God being right along beside him!

And how about today?  How about the situations in life that we face, the obstacles we encounter, and the situations that overwhelm us and seem to grow bigger and bigger with each passing moment?  God’s answer is exactly the same as it was on the day he spoke these words to Joshua.  No matter where we are, no matter what difficulties we face, no matter how impossible the circumstances, and no matter how dark the way ahead seems to be, the God we serve is with us wherever we go—no questions asked!  Just a few verses before this, God makes this promise to Joshua: “…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Several hours after passing through those double doors I emerged. I was sleepy, tired, very sore, and completely changed.  On the other side of those doors God was waiting for me and, although surrounded by unfamiliar faces, voices, and difficult circumstances, I was not alone! And neither are you my friend, neither are you!

Lug Nut Faith

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hen it comes to cars, I’m not too mechanically minded.  Oh sure, I can crank the thing, I can have the oil changed, I can put gas in the tank, and I can make sure it gets washed.  Other than that, I have no clue about how cars operate.  I can’t hear noises the engine makes, I don’t know how liquid gas explodes in an engine to make it go, and you can forget about me understanding the inner workings of fuel injection systems, hydraulic brakes, or anything else pertaining to a car that has more than one syllable in the word.  Gas, oil, start, stop, go, crank, shut off, that pretty much sums up my knowledge of the automobile.

In late November, I saw a car in the distance with its flashers going full-tilt.  Beside the vehicle, on his hands and knees, was a man trying to remove a flat tire and replace it with another.  He was at the fun stage of unscrewing the lug nuts in order to remove and replace the flat.  He didn’t look to happy about his current situation, especially since it was raining.  Nonetheless, the tire had to be changed and he continued removing those lug nuts in the hopes of soon being back on the road.

As I continued my drive back to Fort Worth, I turned off the radio and thought about what I had just seen.  It wasn’t the first time I had witnessed someone changing a flat. In fact, that is a pretty common occurrence in a place as large as this.  But it was the first time I had actually thought about the role of the lug nut and how important it is to all of us who drive cars on a regular basis or on any basis for that matter.

If you think about it, the entire driving process comes right down to the effectiveness and the integrity of the lug nut.  No matter how expensive the car, no matter how much leather and wood is on the inside, no matter the brand, and no matter the dealership’s name emblazoned on the trunk, unless the lug nuts hold the tires on the wheels, the car will go nowhere.  It will in fact be useless to the driver.  Isn’t it something that a car with a price tag reaching perhaps twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars is only as good as the lug nuts holding its tires?

So what does all this have to do with the Christian faith?  Everything!  What the lug nut is to the car, faith is to the believer in Jesus Christ.  It doesn’t matter where we go to church, it doesn’t matter how many committees we serve on, it doesn’t matter how many church functions or socials we attend, it doesn’t’ matter how much money we put in the plate on Sunday morning, nor does it matter that our family has belonged to that church since the corner stone was laid.  Without faith in God, all of that, and I do mean all of that, our walk with Him is nonexistent. 

The writer of Hebrews 11:6 reminds us of this fact, “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.”  The emphasis placed on faith here is clear.  Without it, we cannot be pleasing to God.  This is the lug nut of the Christian life—faith!  It is the foundation of our walk and the very essence of our relationship to God.  With faith, we have full access to our Heavenly Father but without it, we are as helpless as a car with no lug nuts. 

Today it is not very popular to talk about faith in God or faith in anything for that matter.  The world operates on fact, not on faith we are told!  Yet, I see thousands of people on the highway each day who have placed their faith and their lives in a little piece of metal that keeps their tires on their cars and their cars on the road.  How strong is your belief in God?  Are you living with lug nut faith today?  I surely hope you are!

Brick and Mortar

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n the summer of 2006, I developed a new afternoon routine.  On my way home from work, I would drive by my new house just to see if more progress had been made toward its completion.  Instead of driving to my apartment, I would exit the Interstate early, drive through a large neighborhood, and finally arrive at the house.

From the outside it didn’t appear much work had taken place and a peek through the windows revealed that the inside hadn’t seen much activity either.  Nonetheless, I still spent about an hour walking around the house, looking at every little nook and cranny just to make sure everything passed inspection.

The story at the house next door, however, was very different.  An entire team of brick masons was busily applying one course of brick after another, turning the wooden frame into a lovely bricked home.  From the looks of it, they had been at work most of the day and would have at least two more days of straight work before their task would be completed.

There were four masons working on one side of the house.  They worked as a beautifully orchestrated team with each one finishing his section of the wall in concert with the other masons working beside him.  No matter their position on the scaffold, each man performed the same task in exactly the same manner. 

When starting a new course of brick, each mason would place a generous layer of mortar on top of the previous row of brick.  He would then put a new brick into the fresh mortar, make a few adjustments to align the brick, scrape off the excess mortar, do the same with another brick, and so on.  The wall rose rapidly and in the 45 minutes I stood and watched them, these men placed 3 courses of brick on that wall.

What fascinated me the most, however, was not the number of bricks in the house; it was the mortar used to hold them in place.  For two weeks the bricks had been sitting on site, waiting for the masons to place them.  But without mortar, the bricks were useless.  They could be stacked against the house to form a wall, but without mortar that wall would fall and be unable to support or protect the house.  Without the mortar filing the gaps and cementing the whole wall together into one structure, the house would never hold together, much less pass inspection.

As I watched the interaction between the brick and the mortar, Jesus’ words from John 15:5 came to mind.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  This is the secret of the Christian life, knowing we can do nothing on our own.  We need Jesus to fill the in the gaps in our lives, to strengthen us, and to provide the means for us to weather the storms of life.

Without the Lord, we are useless, like bricks without mortar.  At the first sign of trouble, at the first strong breeze, at the first splash of rain, without Jesus, we crumble and fall.  No wonder we make so many mistakes and experience so many heartaches in life.  We try to do things on our own and in our own strength, realizing only too late that we have no strength save the strength Jesus gives us.        

It takes a lot of bricks to build a house and it takes a lot of days to build a life.  No one would ever purchase a house built with bricks and no mortar.  How is it then we settle for a life built the same way?  Jesus words are clear.  Without him, we can do nothing.  With him, we can do everything.  It’s all about brick AND mortar.  How strong are the walls of your life today?

References Available Upon Request

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ne of the many joys of teaching for me occurs after final exams have been given, the chalk and the erasers have been put away, and the students have been promoted to higher levels of learning. A student, perhaps from previous semesters or years, will contact me and request a recommendation for a scholarship, a job, or graduate studies.  

It always pleases me to find out what these students are doing and the direction they have chosen for their lives.  Moreover, it gives me another reason to be of service to them, doing whatever I can to ensure they achieve the goals they have set for themselves.  However, no matter how often I receive a request for a recommendation, I find myself humbled as I try to put into words the attributes and characteristics demonstrated by my students. I am aware that someone I don't know will read my words and make a decision based upon how I represent each individual to them.

Recently, I was updating my resume, and, at the very end, I placed the phrase "References available upon requests."  During the years I have been constructing my resume, I have requested several people to provide recommendations for me whenever the need arises.  Graciously, they have agreed and whenever I need someone to represent me, they are very willing to do so.  I have no control over what they say or how they say it.  My job is to keep my character and my influence in such a way that their recommendation of me will be favorable.  Writing the recommendation is not my responsibility but providing the foundation on which the recommendation rests is.

I have often marveled at the number of recommendations God gives in the scriptures concerning those who serve him.  David was called "a man after God's own heart."  Abraham was known as "the friend of God."  Moses is described as the man to whom "God spoke face to face" and Noah was known as "a righteous man."  None of these individuals was perfect; but all of them had a heart devoted to following God and the character and integrity to live a life wholly dedicated to him.

The New Testament also relates a story about a man who received a wonderful recommendation from Jesus.  John the Baptist's story is recorded in the book of Matthew.  After his imprisonment, his followers were concerned about him.  Could they have been mistaken?  Was John a great prophet or was he a lunatic? After all, he lived in the desert, he wore garments made from camel's hair, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  He doesn't resemble someone who would be at the top of anyone's invitation list for dinner. But Jesus thought differently.  He saw John in another light, the light of character and dedication to God.  His words in Matthew 11:11 are worth considering: “I assure you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!"

What a glowing recommendation this is.  Jesus is not paying John an empty compliment, rather, he is stating categorical truths based upon John's life and witness.  If you consider all the "great" spiritual leaders who lived before John, Jesus says that John is greater than them all.  He is greater than Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Elijah, etc.  In other words, out of an applicant pool with all these people, John would get the job, hands down!!  Jesus did not base this on John's appearance, his status, his knowledge, his oratorical savvy, nor his brilliant preaching.  He based it on John's heart, his love for God, and his obedience to the call God placed on his life.

Today, take time to read Matthew 11:7-14 which is the full recommendation given by Jesus about John.  If Jesus were to give a recommendation of our lives today, what would he say?  Are we living in such a way that his ultimate recommendation for us will be "Well done, good and faithful servant?"

Do You Remember When?

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he screen saver on my computer is set to scroll through photographs from France, New Mexico, my home in Texas, and my hometown in North Carolina.  There are pictures of family, friends, and familiar places I’ve visited.  As I look at those snapshots, I easily remember the events taking place when I took the photographs.  I remember the places, the people, the weather, the conversation, the smells, and the time of day.  All these return to me as I carefully observe the pictures on my monitor.

Isn’t it funny how a single picture can do that?  One glimpse of the picture and our memories are flooded with sights, sounds, smells, and emotions tied directly to the circumstances caught for all time on film.  Everything around us comes to a grinding halt and for a few moments we are transported back in time, revisiting friends, family, places and events that were important to us.

The Children of Israel had several experiences like this in their history.  The Old Testament is full of examples where God reminded them of their past and how He acted on their behalf.  One such occurrence is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.  In Deuteronomy 5:15, Moses records these words, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” 

What a photograph that must have been!  Can you imagine walking through the middle of a sea on dry ground?  Can you imagine the sound of the wind and the height of the water as it formed walls on both sides?  Can you imagine what the people must have felt with the Egyptians behind and the open sea before them?  It is a picture that escapes our ability to fully understand and imagine all the conditions surrounding it.  But the Israelites had been there.  They had witnessed this miracle first-hand and now God wants to make sure they don’t forget!

The passage above, though, does not concentrate on the waves, the water, the wind, the dry ground, or on the Egyptians.  The focus of the verse is not on what happened but on who caused it to happen.  God’s intention is clear.  He wants His people to remember all that He did for them and how He brought them from slavery and bondage into freedom.

As Christians, the message given so long ago by Moses is directly applicable to us.  Too often we pray that God will see us through some type of crisis and when it passes we forget His blessings and His actions on our behalf.  We forget all that God has done for us and only come to Him when we are in trouble or in dire circumstances.  But God would have us remember everything He has done for us in all our circumstances.  Remembering God’s love and protection in our past gives us faith and hope that He will continue to lead us through all our difficulties in the future.

God always brings us out from the slavery of sin into the freedom of His love and grace.  He wants us to remember that He loves us that He cares for us, that we are the apple of His eye, that nothing can touch us without His approval, and that He is aware of all that happens in our lives even when we don’t feel as if He does.  God’s word is sure, His love is constant, and His watchful eyes are always upon us.  We need to remember that today! 

So, how long has it been since you reviewed the photographs of your walk with God?  Why don’t you do that today?  You will hear God whispering to you, “Do you remember when….?”  And He will whisper again, “I do.  I remember everything and every trial we’ve walked through together.  I was there then, I am here now, and I will be with you in the way ahead, no matter what!  Remember!”

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?

Six Hours Ahead

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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!

God's Crosswalk

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ast Elementary School was about a 10-minute walk from our house on Main Street.  Every morning, unless it was bad weather, I grabbed my book satchel, opened the heavy front door, and stepped out to meet the day.  I followed the sidewalk to the corner of Main and Cone Streets.  The latter street was named after my grandfather and proved to be my first great hurdle.  I had to cross Cone Street in order to gain the sidewalk that would take me to school.

I made sure to look both ways for oncoming traffic, just like my mom and dad had taught me, and then I crossed over to the other side.  I made a left turn and began the last leg of my daily jaunt to school.  I passed the Cornwell home, my uncle’s house, the Clarks, the Dellingers, and I walked past the Medical Center Pharmacy and the trees my dad had planted as a young boy.

When I arrived at the corner of Cone and Academy Streets I came to a full stop.  Academy Street was very wide and there was a large crosswalk which led directly to East Elementary’s main sidewalk.  There was a crossing guard who stopped traffic so I could safely cross over.  His name was Richard and he always spoke to me and told me to have a good day.

Above our school flew the American and North Carolina flags and a green pennant that reminded us of safety. One day Richard visited our class to remind us to always look both ways before crossing the street and to always stay within the crosswalk.  As long as we did that, we would be safe and as long as we were safe and there were no accidents, the green pennant would remain fluttering in the breeze above our school.

That very afternoon, something terrible happened.  On the way home, at the corner of Cone and Main Streets, a huge crowd had gathered.  An ambulance and a police car were also there and a policeman was directing the ever increasing traffic on Main Street.  Richard was there and he and the ambulance men were working with a small boy who had not remembered to look both ways or to remain in the crosswalk when crossing the street.  That young boy was injured and did not recover.

I never come to that intersection but I think about that day.  Although it has been 47 years since that accident, the scene is indelibly etched in my mind.  The lesson of the crosswalk has stayed with me all these years and as I read God’s word I see the lesson of the crosswalk within its pages.

In John 5:24, Jesus makes the following statement, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”  Do you see the crosswalk in the words of Jesus?  Every crosswalk has two boundaries between which we can safely walk.  Jesus, in this passage, says that we must hear his words and believe in God who sent him.  As long as we listen and believe, we walk safely and cross over.  Inside the crosswalk is life; outside the crosswalk is danger, pain, and death.  Jesus reminds us in the closing words of this passage that those who hear the word and believe in God have “crossed over from death to life.”

The road of life is fraught with many intersections.  Intersections are a necessary part of the Christian life and how we choose to cross them demonstrates our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ.  Are you at an intersection?  Are you at the corner of Main and Cone Streets today?  Are you looking for a way to cross over and continue in the path God has for you?  If so, open God’s word, listen to His voice, and believe in Him and in His son, Jesus Christ, and you will safely cross over.   Are you walking in God’s crosswalk today?

How Long Is Until?

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ow long do I have to clean my room, mom?”  Now you know when you ask a question like that the answer just can’t be good!  “Until it is clean”, she always replied.  I told you the answer would not be good.  In fact, I hated this answer because it meant I would be in my room a long time, and from the looks of the clutter under my bed and in my closet, I would be there until doomsday!

The lesson my mom was trying to teach me with that little word until was the importance of carrying a task through to completion no matter how long it took.  Had she told me fifteen minutes, I would have worked for that amount of time and stopped, regardless of the condition of my room.  Some things cannot be measured in time.

This is the lesson found in Luke 15:1-7, “Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

We know this passage as the story of the lost sheep, a parable Jesus told to illustrate God’s great love for those who are lost.  The attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is still prevalent today.  Everybody, it seems, is a far worse sinner than we are and the sins they have committed make ours look like children’s pranks.  But the irony is, that while we are busy pointing out the fact that everyone else is a sinner, we neglect to include ourselves in the group.  Everybody listening to Jesus’ voice that day was a sinner.  There are only two groups of people, those in Christ, and those outside of Christ.  There is no middle ground!

But if we read very closely we will find that little word, until.  How did this shepherd search for that one lost sheep?  Just how long is until?  Is it measured in minutes, hours, days or weeks? Does it have a measure?  That is a great question.  We read this parable as if the shepherd were gone a few hours at the most.  But what if he were gone for weeks, months or even years?  What if it took a lifetime?  That puts a very different perspective on things, doesn’t it?

We must also notice that when the shepherd found the sheep, he put it on his shoulders and went home. How long did he carry that sheep?  He carried it until he arrived safely home. In other words, he searched until he found and he carried it until the sheep was back in the fold.  The shepherd carried that sheep for the same amount of time he spent searching for it.  Both are simply covered by the word, until.

What a beautiful illustration this is of God’s love for us.  His love for us is not measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years.  His love for us is measureless and his grace toward us is boundless.  How long is until?  How far is it?  We’ll have to wait until we arrive safely home to find out!

Speed Bumps Ahead

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n my way home one evening from dinner I decided to take the scenic route.  You know how it is, don't you?  You just get bored of the same old drive home so you decide to take a street or a road you've not traveled in a while.  Usually, you drive more slowly and, if you're lucky, you notice things you haven't before and sometimes you notice something that will make you think.

This is exactly what happened on this particular evening.  I didn't see anything earth shattering, nothing that would cause you to slam on the breaks, stop the car, get out and take a picture.  No, what I saw was much more subdued and ordinary.  What I saw was a road sign.

This particular road sign was like all the others.  It was white, rectangular, and affixed to a telephone pole.  However, the message on the sign made me sit up and pay attention.  The sign read, "Speed Bumps Ahead" Now, like any other driver, I hate speed bumps.  They always get in the way and prevent me from doing what I really want to do, drive!  You expect speed bumps in the parking lots of malls and supermarkets.  They make sense there because people are backing out, parking, and getting into and out of cars.  There are also a lot of people walking around these areas and speed bumps help prevent accident or injury.

Nevertheless, these particular speed bumps were in the middle of a street.  No sooner had I crossed one and regained my speed than I was forced to slow down and cross another one.  This went on and on for what seemed like 100 miles.  In actuality, however, it was less than one.  That's the beauty of writing, you can exaggerate and get away with it!!!  That road sign, however, taught me a very valuable lesson. 

Because of the speed bumps, I was forced to slow down.  However, due to my reduced speed I was able to see that flowers had started to bloom and that trees were beginning to bud.  I saw a family outside spending time together and I noticed how green and pretty everything had become.  Normally, I would cruise down this street without taking notice of these things but with those speed bumps in my path, I had to slow down.

Life is a lot like this.  We are so accustomed to cruising along through life that sometimes we must be forced to slow down.  That's when God places speed bumps in our way.  These come in various guises and seem to appear at the most inconvenient time.  We tend to see them as problems, difficulties and obstacles to overcome.  God sees them as opportunities for growth.  Some of life's speed bumps come in the form of illnesses, financial challenges, fatigue, emotional difficulties, times of waiting, and moments of uncertainty.  During these times, we slow down even though we want to rush forward.  God is getting our attention, making us look at the road ahead, calling us to consider those little things he has for us that often go unnoticed. 

The Christian life does not mean smooth sailing.  Nowhere are we told that the road will be without challenges, hills, or speed bumps.  We will have difficulties and problems in life, but through Christ we will be able to overcome them.  In John 16:33, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Once I grew accustomed to the speed bumps, I became relaxed and enjoyed my drive down this road.  I drove for a few minutes, crossed a speed bump, drove a few more minutes, crossed another speed bump, etc.  I arrived home, having enjoyed the beauty of the world around me.  I also arrived home with a new appreciation for life’s speed bumps.  Funny how God uses those little "bumps" in life to teach us the essential things we need to know.  I hope you have a few bumps in your path today!

It Smells Wonderful

T

he beginning of summer brought with it longer days, freedom from schedules and routines, an end of books and homework, and the promise of non-stop adventure and fun.  Every kid in my neighborhood wrung every possible opportunity for fun and excitement out of each passing day.  We would start play early in the morning, surrendering at night only because darkness had fallen and because our parents expected us home in bed so we could be prepared for the next day.

In addition, the summer months also heralded the season for grilling out.  My mother loved this time because it meant my dad shared the cooking.  From hamburgers and hot dogs to steaks, whenever we cooked outside, my dad did the honors.  Other fathers in the neighborhood also turned their backyards into outdoor kitchens.  On the average, someone in our neighborhood was cooking out almost nightly.

I remember several occasions when our play was interrupted by the smell of burning charcoal, lighter fluid, and the wonderful aroma of supper cooking on the grill.  It didn’t matter whether dad was cooking hamburgers, chicken, steak, or pork.  The entire neighborhood was filled with the pleasing odor and everyone knew that somewhere, someone was using their barbecue grill.  The aroma prompted others to join in and the aroma of cooking grills soon permeated the neighborhood.

The Old Testament book of Leviticus provides a brief glimpse into the sacrificial system of ancient Israel.  When God gave Moses the law, he laid down specific instructions concerning sacrifices.  There were sacrifices for everything from the birth of a baby, to atoning for sin.  The number of sacrifices required by the law underlined man’s impossibility to achieve salvation for himself.  At every turn he was reminded just how far short of God’s standard he fell.

Leviticus 3:5 presents us with an interesting statement to consider, “…an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”  Several times, God repeats this phrase in direct relation to the giving of sacrifices.  Why does he make this statement?  What lesson does this teach us today?  How are we to understand this?

Well, God certainly does not intend for us to build an altar, slaughter and animal, and sacrifice it to him.  This was done in ancient Israel as a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice God would make in order to obtain man’s salvation.  The Old Testament sacrifices had to be performed over and over again because they didn’t do away with sin, they just covered it.  The death of Jesus, however, fulfilled God’s requirement for the perfect sacrifice, eliminating the need for the law’s requirements.  When Jesus paid the sin penalty, the daily and yearly sacrifices were no longer necessary.

However, the principle of the sacrifice still remains.  When a sacrifice was offered to God, it was accompanied by fire.  The fire was the means of burning away all the sin separating man from God.  The aroma rising to God pleased him because it represented forgiveness, repentance, and obedience to his commands.  Nothing pleases God more than when his children offer their lives to him in true repentance and obedience.  Not only does this aroma please God, but it also affects others, encouraging them to repent and accept Jesus as well.

Every day, our lives give off an aroma that either encourages others to come to Christ, or it prevents them from doing so.  When you are under “fire”, what aroma does your life emit?  Is it pleasing to God, demonstrating your faith, trust, and obedience for him?  Does it encourage those around you or does it dissuade them from becoming a follower of Jesus Christ?  When you fire up the grill, do others come running to be fed, or do they run away instead?  Think about it!

Wipe Out

O

ne of the most important lessons that any teacher can learn is the proper use of the chalkboard.  This is the most invaluable weapon in the instructor's arsenal.  It is here that the war against ignorance is waged.  Carefully mapped strategies and battle plans are drawn on its surface with one goal in mind--the education of the student.  Working in conjunction with the chalkboard are two more indispensable items.  These are the chalk and the eraser.  With these three items, the teacher provides the necessary environment for learning to occur.

As a new teacher, one of the first lessons I learned concerned the chalkboard.  Instead of focusing on the various ways of teaching with the board, I learned that the most important thing to do with a chalkboard was to clean it!  This was especially true if I shared another teacher's classroom.  Unless I removed the information I placed on the board, the next teacher would have to take valuable time removing my charts, diagrams, and assignments before using it for a new class.  On more than one occasion, I have been annoyed to find that someone failed to clean the board after using it.

The telltale sign that a chalkboard has been frequently used is the amount of chalkdust in the tray.  An accumulation of chalkdust and a dusty eraser indicate that information has been passed from teacher to student.  Likewise, the absence of chalkdust and a clean eraser testify that a small exchange of information has occurred.  Since I love to use the chalkboard, chalkdust has become part of my wardrobe.  Sometimes, it appears I am wearing eau de chalkdust because it is everywhere, even in my pockets.

Occasionally, I send students to the board to work with French grammatical structures.  They approach the board, write their assignment, sit down, see a problem, get up, erase the error, and correct it.  When they are satisfied with their handiwork, I approach the board and survey their work.  When I find an error, I discuss it with the student, then I take the eraser, remove the incorrect answer, and replace it with the correct one.  When the entire process is finished, the student understands where he or she was wrong.  However, there is no trace of the error, only the correct form is displayed on the board.

Have you ever stopped to consider that our lives resemble a chalkboard? We fill them with all kinds of information, thoughts, ideas, and our own solutions to life's problems.  We also fill them with our wants, dreams, wishes, and goals.  Like a good teacher, God lets us finish our turn at the board.  He waits very patiently, observing our work, noticing where we are wrong, but never interfering until He is asked.  Then, when we finish, when we make all the corrections we deem necessary, he approaches the board, eraser in hand.  

Our Heavenly Father looks at what we've done, he lovingly locates our mistakes, he patiently explains and shows us where we're wrong, and he carefully and methodically demonstrates why things don't work the way we think they should.  Then, he does something absolutely wonderful.  he takes the eraser, removes all our mistakes, corrects them, and makes our work acceptable!

King David learned this lesson well.  He learned that a trip to life's chalkboard is necessary so that God can show us our mistakes, our sin, and then He wipes them out.  Psalm 51:1 addresses this idea with the following words: "Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions." David's trip to the chalkboard had divulged several areas of error in his life.  Not only had he committed adultery with Bathsheba; he was also responsible for her husband's death.  When confronted with the truth, David's errors became obvious.  In this psalm, he asks God to show mercy and to wipe out his errors.

This is a common occurrence in every-day life.  We are constantly writing on life's chalkboard, believing we have all the correct answers.  Most of the time, we are extremely proud of our work, thinking it to be perfectly acceptable, not only to our peers, but also to God.  That is when God approaches the board, takes his eraser, shows us our errors, and wipes them away.  He does this in love, in mercy, and in justice. 

Errors, no matter how small, are still errors and they must be corrected if our work, if we, are to be acceptable to God.  However, when God erases our sin, when he wipes out our mistakes, he does so forever.  There is nothing left on the board to indicate our faults, no long list of wrongs committed, and no record of the number of times we didn't get it right.  When God finishes grading our work, it is correct. He does this out of His love for us; not because of anything we do nor because of who we are!

When was the last time you took a trip to the chalkboard?  The eraser is waiting! 

Sharpen That Pencil

T

here is a little gadget on my desk that I simply love.  It is small, compact, lightweight, and extremely useful.  You probably have one on your desk as well or you know where to find one if you need it.  This handy little tool is an electric pencil sharpener; don't balance your checkbook with out it!!!  The one I use is battery-powered but it really gets the job done.  I've yet to meet the pencil this little machine can't grind to a razor-fine point.

When I insert a new or used pencil into the sharpener, it whirrs to life, eagerly eating away at the wooden pencil until all that is left is the sharp point of the lead.  Through the window, I can see the shavings as they are collected.  These pieces of wood, once surrounding the lead, now lie useless on the bottom of the pencil sharpener, ready to be discarded when the machine is finished.  Although the shavings were originally a part of the pencil, they prevented it from fulfilling its purpose.  They were in the way of the lead, keeping it imprisoned, not allowing it to perform the task it was designed to do.

There is a lot of gospel in that pencil sharpener.  Just think about it!  Our lives are full of things that prevent us from being what God intended us to be.  Money gets in the way, status gets in the way, titles get in the way, even family and friends can become hindrances to our spiritual walk with God.  When we get bogged down by all the different things packed into our lives, we become ineffective in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and our witness is severely hampered.  We find ourselves imprisoned, trapped, and stifled by all the clutter in our lives.

That's when God steps in.  He knows just what we need.  Like a dull pencil, we need to be sharpened, honed to a razor-fine point so that we will be ready to perform the tasks God has laid out for us.  God takes us in his hand, places us into his sharpener, and grinds away everything preventing us from living a life that is pleasing to him.  He also cuts away areas of our lives so that we will be able to share Jesus with those around us.  Like a pencil with a dull lead, we are unable to effectively communicate all the wonderful things God has done for us and wants to do through us.  However, once sharpened and honed to a fine point, we are ready to give testimony about God's love, mercy, and grace in our lives.

John 15:1-2 addresses this process of being sharpened, of having everything unnecessary removed from our lives so God can use us for His purpose.  This passage reads, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Although Jesus speaks in terms of vines and branches, the application of his lesson is the same. 

A dull pencil is of no value until it is sharpened.  In order to sharpen it, everything blocking the lead must be removed by shaving and grinding until a firm point is created.  It is the same in our spiritual lives.  God wants us to produce fruit for Him, to share Jesus with those around us.  In order to accomplish this we must be in perfect spiritual shape.  God will remove anything that keeps us from bearing fruit and from sharing Christ with others.  He does this by grinding, shaving, and cutting away everything in our life that does not serve His purpose.

Today, if you feel like a pencil in a sharpener or vines being pruned, take courage.  These are the obvious signs that God is preparing you for a different area of ministry with greater results.  Although it may not be pleasant, God sees the end results of the difficulties and challenges you are facing now.  Remember, he only prunes those vines that produce fruit and he prunes them so they can produce more.  Vines that are unproductive, he simply throws away.

So, as you sharpen pencils today at work, at school, or wherever you may be, remember today's lesson.  Only in the sharpener, only when we are being shaved, ground, and cut, are we in the place where God can prepare us to do the things he has called us to do.  Only the sharpener can shape us into the form necessary to be used by God.  Get the point?

On The Cutting Edge

T

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!