Well Good

 

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hat could be more American than growing up on Main Street?  My family lived in a white house with trees in the yard, flowers beds in the front, a row of hedge in the back and along the side, and we had wonderful neighbors all around.  Mr. & Mrs. Carson lived across the street, my best friend David and his family lived next door, the Little’s house was directly across from us, and Mom and Pop Jenkins lived on the other side of our home.  All around, good neighbors and good friends surrounded us. 

Now, every small town has a couple the locals call Mom and Pop.  There were two such couples in our hometown but Mom and Pop Jenkins were the ones I saw on a daily basis.  Mom and Pop lived in the gray house next to ours.  Mom kept her house immaculate and well organized.  Both she and Pop worked diligently in their yard, raising all types of flowers, especially roses in the backyard.  The love and labor they poured into their home was evident and it was known as a show place.  Everyone was aware of Mom and Pop’s yard and would drive by in the spring and summer just to see it. 

Each morning, Mom would come out onto the front porch and sit in her rocker when the weather permitted.  She would string beans there, cut vegetables, or just sit and relax after completing her house work.  In the afternoon, she would wait for Pop to come home from work and the two of them would sit down to supper.   Afterward, they would come out on the porch and sit in the cool of the evening and talk and watch the cars pass by.  On more than one occasion, I spent several hours just visiting with them and getting to know them.  They were like a second set of grandparents to me. 

When ever Mom and Pop saw me, they always spoke and were always interested in what I was doing and where I was going.  It always thrilled me to share my news with Mom and Pop and, no matter what I told them, Mom’s answer was always the same, “Well, good!”   

Although Mom and Pop have been gone for many years, I can still here her voice saying, “Well, good!” as she listened to the ramblings of a four-year-old boy.  She and Pop always took time for all of us kids and they looked after us and corrected us as if we were their very own. 

The lesson I learned from Mom and Pop was invaluable. Through their actions and love for each other, they taught me what it meant to be truly dedicated.  Mom and Pop always worked together whether in the flowerbeds or when preserving fruits and vegetables.  They always insisted on doing things the right way and wouldn’t settle for second best.  That is why people in town admired and respected them. 

The opening chapter of the book of Job provides a good insight into his character.  In the opening verses of chapter one, God’s angels come to present themselves before him.  Accompanying them is Satan, also known as the Accuser.  Instead of throwing him out, God engages Satan in conversation, wanting to know where he has been.  Satan reveals that he has been walking throughout the earth taking notice of all its inhabitants.  It is at this moment that the conversation gets really interesting. 

In verse eight, God asks Satan an engaging question: "Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil.”  Notice the terms God uses here to describe Job.  He is the “finest man in all the earth” and filled with integrity.  Moreover, he shuns anything evil; refusing to associate with any action or any person that is contrary to God and His laws.  What better reference could one hope for? 

As with Job, the Christian life isn’t always easy.  It is filled with situations that test our integrity and our dedication to our Heavenly Father.  These circumstances may seem innocent on the surface but underneath they spell disaster for the Christian.  You see, what works its way to the inside will eventually work its way out in actions and attitudes.  It is impossible to be one way in our hearts and another in our words and deeds.  They must work in complete harmony and unison with each other if our witness for God is to be believed and accepted by those around us. This was the strength of Job’s life and relationship with God.  You see, what we do doesn’t determine who we are; who we are determines what we do. 

Mom and Pop taught me this lesson.  Everything they did as a couple, in their marriage, in their home, in their conversation, in their relationships with family and friends, always emanated from their hearts.  They never spoke or acted in a way inconsistent with their characters nor contrary to their belief in God.  As a small boy, I treasured the time I spent with them and as an adult, I reflect on the lessons they gave me all those years ago.  It makes me stop and ask what lessons my life is teaching today?  If I told God all about my thoughts, if I revealed to him the motivations for my actions, would he say “Well, Good?”  Think about it! 

The Sound of the Hammer

 

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he beating of hammers, the whirr of circular saws, the loud steady thumping of a jackhammer, and the constant sound of huge trucks moving mounds of earth indicated that something big was happening next door.  Almost overnight, the bleak, vacant lot adjacent to my complex was converted into a large construction zone with people and material pouring in from all over the place.

The first few weeks witnessed a great deal of activity but it didn’t appear as if any progress was being made. Still, the sounds of construction boomed and echoed throughout the neighborhood so we all knew something huge would soon take the place of that empty lot—and soon was right!  Out of nowhere, faster than you can blink your eye, a new apartment complex sprung up.  Only a few days before there had been nothing but mounds of dirt, overturned boulders, and piles of rocks and felled trees.

The construction workers, however, kept beating with their hammers, cutting with their saws, and breaking up boulders with their jackhammers.  The sounds grew in intensity as the buildings slowly but steadily reached toward the sky.  Soon, all the frames were built and the exterior walls and roofs were attached.  I couldn’t get over the speed with which these construction workers assembled that complex.  But throughout the entire project, the sound of the hammer continued to ring out, telling everyone that construction was not yet complete.

I often wondered if there was any way the workers could be just a little quieter, especially at 7:00 in the morning.  Even though I am a morning person, I don’t relish the sound of hammers and saws so early.  If only they could make all their cuts away from the site and assemble the buildings in silence.  The men would have enjoyed their work more and the neighborhood would have been a much quieter and saner place to live.

Now I know what you’re thinking.  Dreaming that a construction company would make all its cuts and measurements off site is exactly that, a dream!  Yet there is a story in the Old Testament where this type of construction actually happened.  The workers, however, weren’t building an apartment complex or a community of homes.  Instead, they were constructing one building, the most important building in the history of Israel, the temple of Solomon.

The task of building the temple actually started with Solomon’s father, King David.  The king wanted to build the temple himself but God would not let him.  He told David that no one with blood on his hands could build the temple and David’s hands were very bloody. However, he would be responsible for gathering all the materials for the temple but his son, Solomon, would actually oversee its construction.

So when Solomon was ready, he gave the order to build the temple.  It was to be the most wonderful building ever constructed with all the finest materials Solomon had at his disposal.  But Solomon had a little different idea about the construction of this building. So important was the temple in Jewish life that Solomon wanted the entire process to be one of honor and worship to God.  He therefore gave the order that no sounds of hammers or other tools were to be heard at the temple itself.  All materials were to be pre-measured, pre-cut, and completed before being brought to the temple to be fitted into position.

1 Kings 6:7 explains this for us, “And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.”  I have often marveled at this verse of scripture and tried to see in my mind how the workers assembled this structure.  There was a holy hush in the place, a quiet reverence that descended upon the place that would be God’s house.  No tools were allowed to break this silence and every stone placed inside was placed with precision and with purpose.

When we stop to think that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, that we are the very dwelling place of God’s presence, it behooves us to stop and consider just what types of sound are heard in our temples.  How often does silence and reverence for God’s presence hold sway over our lives?  Are we laying the stones of our lives with precision and purpose, ever aware of His presence?  Is there a holy hush about our lives that indicates we have brought every thought, word, and action under the control of Jesus Christ?  As we continue the process of constructing God’s temple, is it obvious that we are using quality materials, laying a solid foundation on which we build our relationship with Him? 

Wherever you are today in your walk with the Lord, ask yourself this question. “What sounds are emanating from the construction site of my life?”  Are you living in revered silence before God’s holiness, making sure every thing you do is for His glory or is the sound of the hammer, the saw, and the jackhammer drowning out all indications of God’s presence in your life?  Something to think about today!

Insurance or Assurance?

 

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rying to decide on insurance policies is tantamount be being in a candy store with only a dollar in your pocket.  All the candy looks good, it all has wonderful wrapping paper, and all of it is sweet and tempting.  I had the same experience when I decided to change automobile insurance policies.  The decision to change was the easy part, selecting the best deal, now that was the challenge.

I called at least six companies requesting information about their policies and received quotes from them on the monthly cost of insurance for my car.  All were helpful, promising me their company offered the best deal and the best coverage.  I came away from some of those conversations convinced the person on the other end of the phone never had a math course in his or her life.  For the same coverage, some companies were at least $200 higher than their competitors—go figure!  I finally settled on a company that offered me better coverage at a lower price and the company was well-known and had an excellent reputation.  Not only did they sell me insurance for my car, they also included the assurance they would be there if and when I needed them.

These two words, assurance and insurance, are so close in pronunciation but so far apart in meaning.  I can send a package in the mail and insure it in the event that it is lost or stolen which means there is no assurance the package will arrive.  Likewise, I can assure the state of Texas I’ll be an excellent driver but they require me to carry insurance in order to drive a car.  The difference is simple, in order to have insurance you place your money into someone else’s bank account; in order to have assurance you place your trust in someone else personally.

As Christians, we need to decide how we approach God in our daily walk with Him.  Do we see the Lord as an insurance agent, merely providing coverage as long as we go to church, say a prayer each day, serve on a committee, give help to the needy, or teach a Sunday school class?  Are we trying to pay for His services through works and actions?  People who maintain such a relationship with God live in mortal fear they will do something wrong or fail to do something important and the policy will lapse and God will no longer provide coverage for their lives.  This is a terrible burden to bear and one God never intended for us to carry.

The other approach to God is to place absolute trust in Him and receive the assurance in our hearts that He cares for us.  God loves you and He wants to provide for you, to care for you, and to have a relationship with you.  When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, God gives you the assurance you are one of His children and that you receive the full rights and privileges of a relationship with Him.

This is the point the Apostle Paul was making in his letter to the Romans.  Paul wanted his readers to understand that God was not in the insurance business but in the assurance business.  God wants His people to have the assurance, the confidence, the knowledge that He loves them and that they belong to Him.  In Romans8:15-17 Paul writes, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Do you see the assurance in this verse?  The Spirit of God does not make us slaves to the fears and cares of this world.  On the contrary, He gives us the full right to approach God, to call him father—Abba means daddy in Aramaic and Hebrew—and to have the assurance in our hearts that we are His children.  The coverage for our needs is guaranteed not by what we do but by the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ.

Wherever you are in your walk today with the Lord, take a moment and consider your relationship with Him.  How do you view your Heavenly Father?  Is He someone who just provides insurance for your life?  Do you feel as if your policy with God could lapse if you fail to some particular task or if you do something you shouldn't?  Or, do you know that God is your God, that He loves you, and that He wants to relate to you, that He wants you to have a perfect union with Him?  Do you have insurance or assurance today?

No Parking

 

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owntown Fort Worth is a wonderful place to visit.  There are all types of shops, numerous restaurants, wonderful bookstores, great places to get a cup of coffee, a superb performance hall, and good movie theaters where you can catch the latest flick.  Yes, it is a wonderful place, provided you can find a parking space!  This is especially true in the evenings and on the weekends when the entire population, it seems, pours into the downtown area to enjoy all it has to offer.   

On more than one occasion I have ventured downtown and found myself in a battle to find an empty space to park my car.  The lots are either full or I find myself confronted with ever-present and all-to-familiar information sign, “No Parking!”  One Saturday afternoon, I decided to spend some time looking through the various shops downtown.  I got in my car and took the fifteen-minute drive into the city.  But there was no where to park!  All the lots were full, all the spaces were taken, and there literally was no available space to be seen.

After several minutes of circling the city, after putting several miles on my car, and after wearing down the tread on my tires, I gave up in desperation and decided to return to the seminary to bandage my wounds.  I was frustrated and angry.  Everywhere I looked I saw a “No Parking” sign so I just kept driving until I returned home!  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever been frustrated by a traffic sign?  To top it all off, someone had written me a nice letter requesting that I pay my phone bill!  What a day!  All I wanted was a parking space, not a headache!

But after I returned home and cooled down a little bit, I realized there was actually a blessing in my little afternoon adventure.  Had I found a parking space downtown, I would have been tempted to stroll into the shops, get some coffee, buy a book, or see movie and spend more money than I had anticipated.  Then I would have been hard-pressed to pay the phone bill which was more of a priority than a cup of coffee.  Now, please don’t get me wrong. I can afford a cup of coffee and my phone bill, the question here is one of priority.

The Apostle Paul understood the idea of not parking in the Christian life.  He knew that following hard after Jesus and walking with God is the single most important priority of life.  Parking spaces, Paul knew, sometimes lead to trouble.  They get us off the road; they stop our forward progress for a while, and allow our minds to wonder through all the shops life has to offer.  When we are in the shops, it is easy for us to get our priorities skewed and out of balance.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14). This is the great secret of the Christian life—forward motion!  Notice that Paul admonishes his readers to keep pressing on toward the goal.  The one focus, the one goal, the one aim of our lives must be Jesus Christ who alone can supply all our needs and satisfy our souls.

Put in modern terms, Paul would be telling his readers to take notice of the “No Parking” signs and to keep moving forward.  The world offers many things but these things can never fulfill us in the way God does.  Browsing among the world’s shops, drinking from its fountains, and walking idly along can lead us to confuse our priorities and to get our eyes off of Christ!  However, if we keep our eyes on him, if we keep moving forward, we will find that our priorities are in the right place, that our needs are met, and our souls will be satisfied.  Are you looking for a parking place today?  Pay attention to those “No Parking” signs!  They just might be blessings in disguise!

Lemon, Salt, and Ice

 

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ou can learn a lot by working in a restaurant.  In addition to learning a great deal about food, you also gain a pretty good knowledge of how to clean up spills, how to remove stains, and the various tricks and trades of making food taste better and keeping it fresh longer.  One of the most valuable lessons I learned was how to remove stubborn stains from a coffee pot!

At first glance, this may not seem to be an earth-shattering-discovery.  However, if you’ve ever had a coffee pot to burn, or if you’ve experienced the difficulties of removing the dark stains left by coffee or tea, then this little morsel is for you.  When I worked in one of the local restaurants here in Fort Worth, I occasionally had the job of making sure the coffee pots were cleaned and ready for the morning shift.  I remember the first time I cleaned the coffee pots.  I ran cold water into them and swirled it around and around.  The more I swirled, however, the more the stain in the bottom of the pot persisted.  Finally, when I reached the point of frustration and utter impatience, I asked one of the seasoned waitresses to help me.

She politely smiled, walked over to the counter, and came back with lemon slices, salt, and ice.  Understandably, my curiosity was peaked so I watched and learned.  She placed the lemon slices and the salt into the container and then she placed ice on top.  She started swirling the pots around and in no time, the stubborn coffee stain was transferred from the pot to the lemons.  The acid from the lemons, coupled with the abrasiveness of the salt scrubbed the glass surface of the pot.  The ice provided the water that washed the pot clean and in just a few minutes, the stain was gone.  My method of cleaning required more effort and never fully removed the stain.

Do you see the application of this illustration to the Christian life?  Like the coffee pot, our lives are stained with sin.  The stain is stubborn, set in, not wanting to come out.  The more we try to remove the stain using our own strength and resources, the more persistent it becomes.  Our efforts never produce the desired result because we don’t have the ability to remove sin from our lives.  Saying we are a Christian, filling our lives with good actions, giving money and time to worthwhile causes, and visiting people when they are sick or lonely are all noble acts.  However, when it comes to removing the sin from our lives, these are no more effective than the water in the coffee pot.  We end up with tired arms and the stain remains.

However, there is a solution.  The stain of sin can be removed from our hearts as long as we ask Jesus for help and allow him to remove the sin for us.  1John 1:7 tells us how we can accomplish this, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  When we allow Jesus to come into our hearts, he applies the cleansing power of his blood and removes the sin from us.  We are then clean, pure, and ready to be used for God’s purpose.  Continuing our fellowship with Christ, walking with him daily, and following and obeying his commands, ensure that we remain clean and free from sin’s stain.

I have thought many times about the lesson I learned from the lemon, the salt, and the ice!  They serve as reminders of the stains God continues to remove from my life when I disobey and sin against him.  So many times I must go to God and ask him to apply the cleansing power of Christ’s blood and to restore me to a clean vessel that can be used for his glory.  Is there enough lemon, salt, and ice in your life today?

Raise Shields

 

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n the mid 1960’s television audiences in the United States were introduced to a series that would become legendary.  The voyages of the star ship Enterprise, its crew, and the long list of its explorations quickly became an integral part of American culture.

As a kid, I remember the familiar strains of the theme song as the series played over our television set.  But since the show came on past my bedtime, seldom, if ever, was I allowed to watch it.  Nevertheless, I was able to see the episodes when I started high school because the show was put into syndication.  Not long after, the ever-popular Star Trek movies were produced and an entire new generation of fans was born.

I remember my best friend, David Bame, and I seeing Star Trek, the motion picture.  We loved every minute of it, especially seeing all the old cast members still playing their roles, still predictable as ever, and still using the same lines that had won us over years before. 

One line contained in almost every episode belonged to Captain James T. Kirk. Whenever the Enterprise entered dangerous territory or when the ship and its crew were threatened, Kirk would tell his navigator (Mr. Sulu) to “Raise shields!”

The star ship’s shields were not visible to the naked eye but were in fact a type of force filed surrounding the vessel protecting it from attack.  On several occasions, the shields prevented an enemy from blasting a hole in the vessel or from disrupting its normal operations.  But the shields also failed on a consistent basis, leaving the Enterprise vulnerable to enemy hostilities and leaving the audience holding their breaths until the shields were repaired.

While the neither the technology nor the crew nor the episodes involving the Enterprise were real, the concept of the protective shield is one that has spiritual implications for us as children of God. In fact, we can look at the life of Abraham and learn a great lesson concerning the shield God placed around Abraham and how He can be our shield as well.

Genesis 15:1 reads, “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."  God gives this promise to Abram following his refusal to accept tribute from the King of Sodom for helping in the defeat of several kings allied against him.  Abram refused the tribute, choosing to rely on God to supply his every need.

Notice that God tells Abram not to be afraid.  This command appears over and over again in the Scriptures because it is human nature to be afraid, especially of the unknown.  Everything ahead of Abram was unknown but God assured him that He was already in Abram’s future.  God does not tell Abram He will be his shield; He says that He is his shield. In other words, God’s presence, His very self surrounded and protected Abram at all times.  God wrapped Abram in the mantle of His protection and promised to keep him in all situations and to safeguard him from all sides.

Perhaps you feel as if you are under attack today.  Everywhere you turn you see the enemy and you seem to be under constant attack!  If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, God is your shield.  He has promised to protect you and keep you safe in all of life’s situations and trials.   But keep this in mind, shields protect us in battle, they do not remove us from battle.  The Scriptures never promise we will be removed from the cares of life; but they do promise God will be with us through them all.  Do you know the peace and do you have the assurance that God’s shields are raised around you today?

Why Am I Doing This?

 

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oday’s Tidbit is rather short and to the point.  It’s not because I have waited until the last minute to type it, it’s not because I don’t have something to write about, nor is it due to the fact that I have depleted stories from my life experiences. Believe me; none of these conditions is true. I have an open Bible in front of me and as long as I am able to read, I believe there will be ample material to draw upon for many Tidbits yet to come.  As for experience, I find each day filled with more lessons and experiences than I could ever hope to write about.

It’s just that this morning, I feel very compelled to address a short passage of scripture from the book of John.  It is a passage I have read over and over again, but this time it really spoke to my heart.  It’s not about John’s preaching, it’s not about his baptizing, and it’s not about his role as the forerunner of the Messiah.  Instead, it demonstrates John’s faithfulness as a servant and the purpose of his ministry, a purpose he didn’t seem to realize until Jesus came to him to be baptized.

In John 1:31, John the Baptist makes a very startling statement.  I say startling because we have, in some respects, idolized the Baptist.  Day in and day out John stood in the Jordan River pushing people under the water, baptizing them in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  If you take a close look at John’s words in this passage, you will see something very interesting as it applies to our walk with the Lord. “I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.

Like the other people of his day, John did not have first-hand knowledge of the Messiah’s identity.  He did not know that his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth, was in fact God’s son.  But this did not deter John from his ministry or from obeying the call God placed on his life.  Unlike the other religious leaders of his day who believed they were expert in who the Messiah would be, John made no such claims.  Instead of flaunting his religious credentials, instead of arguing over how ministry should be done, John just remained faithful to his call. 

On more than one occasion I’m sure he asked, “Why am I doing this?”  We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  We wonder why God allows certain events, situations, and people to enter our lives.  We want to know how they can possibly prepare us for service, and we grow impatient, just waiting on the day when God calls us to do something really big and great for him.  But look at John. This is the man whom Jesus described as the greatest of all those born of woman.  Here he is, dressed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt, eating locusts and wild honey.

But when Jesus came to John, everything became clear.  When John realized who Jesus was, when he looked into his eyes, when he touched his shoulders, when he put Jesus in the water, and when he saw the dove descend, John knew, he knew for certain, who Jesus was and why he had been called to this place of service.  John himself says that he was called to baptize people so that Jesus would be revealed.

Is that our claim today?  Are we content to faithfully serve God so that Jesus Christ can be revealed?  On our jobs, in our homes, with our families, and with our friends, are we conducting ourselves in such a way that Jesus Christ is being revealed?  We may not know why we are called to a particular place of service and we may not understand all the reasons God has for placing us there; but we must remain faithful to the task at hand so that Jesus will be revealed.  This is all that matters in the Christian life.  Does your service reveal Jesus Christ today?

Take Your Vitamins

 

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hen I was a little boy, my mom used to give me vitamins.  She bought vitamins made for kids that were shaped like animals or famous cartoon characters.  They came in a variety of colors and flavors and one of the hardest decisions I had to make was which shape and which flavor I wanted.  My brother also got in on the act and we made sure we had taken our vitamins before leaving the house.

As soon as I had taken my daily tablet, I felt stronger, had more energy, and could perform better in school.  To me the vitamin was the promise of instant strength and invincibility; but the vitamin didn’t work like that.  Instead, it slowly released its elements to support, strengthen, and protect my body.  Throughout the day and night, without my being aware of it, the vitamins continually worked, helping me stay healthy and grow up strong.

Spiritually speaking, we need vitamins in our daily walk with God.  The Christian life is full of twists and turns and without daily nourishment from God’s word, we grow tired and our spiritual walk with God is never what it should be.  God’s word is filled with the necessary elements we need in order to mature and grow spiritually strong. 

One of my favorite places to find daily spiritual vitamins is in the book of Psalms.  In moments of great stress, great trial, and great despair, many people have found the Psalms to be a constant source of strength and encouragement.  They provide the added strength we need when the road ahead is difficult and filled with the obstacles that life places in our path.

Psalm 121 is a great source of encouragement and strength.  It reminds us that our strength does not come from within us but from God.  This psalm also ensures us that God is with us, that He is our protection, that He keeps us, and that He watches over us in ever situation of life.  Today, I would like to offer this psalm as today’s spiritual vitamin.  As we follow world events that change from moment to moment, let us grab hold of the one thing in life that never changes—God!  These words are as much for us today as they were for David several thousand years ago!  Read the entire Psalm online by clicking on the underlined words, Psalm 121, at the top of today’s Tidbit.

Psalm 121


A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD ,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

A Beacon In The Night

 

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 caution light stands guard over the intersection of rural roads 1187 and 1886 between the communities of Aledo, Weatherford, and Azle Texas.  The light flashes both day and night, warning drivers of oncoming traffic, which is either turning onto another road, crossing over the intersection, or turning off the main road in order to take another direction.  No matter what decision the drivers make, the beacon continues to flash, in all weathers, day and night, faithfully telling all who pass that way to slow down and be careful.

Life is just like this intersection.  People are always traveling from one destination to another, and it seems that life’s path is peppered with intersections.  At each crossing, we must make a decision to either continue on our present course or veer off and take another path.  These decisions occur more often than we think, perhaps several times in a day.  All of us have made decisions without heeding the warning signs and the big flashing lights which always surround life’s intersections.  Only after making certain decisions do we wish we would have paid more attention to the flashing beacons warning us of potential difficulty, calling us to consider carefully the path we were traveling.

During the day, we pay little attention to the warning signs.  We can see the roads clearly, and usually signs of difficulty and danger are readily noticeable.  If there is a construction sign, if something is blocking the path, or if there is a traffic jam, we continue on our present course assured in the knowledge that this road will take us to our destination.  However, it is at night when the warning lights are most visible, that we are forced to confront the reality that we are approaching an intersection and must make a decision.

One evening a few years ago, I was at this intersection.  I was returning home from a friend’s house and I approached the intersection to take another road. Long before I actually arrived, I could see the flashing light, warning me to stop and check in both directions before continuing on.  As I safely negotiated the intersection and continued on my way, my car was bathed in the warm yellow light that blinked on and off at regular intervals.  I could still see it in my rearview mirror as I continued down the road.  It was pitch dark and the only visible sign was that faithful caution light, constantly working to show people the way.

What a wonderful and accurate picture this is of John 1:5: “The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”  This verse taken from the New Living Translation accurately portrays Jesus as the light that came into the world to show us the way to salvation.  John writes about the light that came into the world to dispel sin’s darkness and to warn all those traveling life’s road of the impending danger ahead.  John says the light shines in darkness.  The verb is in the present tense because Jesus’ light still shines through all the intersections of life, warning us of the dangers of living in the dark world of sin.

Like that flashing light, the truth of the gospel stands out in stark contrast to the darkness of sin.  Once we have seen it, once we have heard it, we must then make a decision based on that knowledge.  Will we heed the warning Jesus is sending?  Will we consider that the road ahead is filled with dangers and disasters and unless we turn from it and follow a better way we will never arrive at a safe destination? 

Is it dark where you are today?  Does the road you are traveling seem filled with pitfalls, dangers, and uncertainties?  Look just ahead of you.  There is a flashing light indicating an intersection just ahead.  There you will have to make a decision.  Will you heed the light and yield to it?  If you do, your life will never be the same.  In the dark world of sin, Jesus is the true beacon in the night.

Take A Hike!

 

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ne of the most difficult merit badges I earned in the Boy Scouts was the hiking merit badge.  The requirements were very simple; all I had to do was walk. It seemed easy enough until I read the requirements a little more closely.  In order to earn the merit badge, I had to walk a total of seventy miles during the course of six individual hikes.  Five of the hikes were to be ten miles each with the sixth one covering a total of twenty continuous miles.  Each hike was to be completed in a single day, even the twenty-miler.

My best friend, David Bame, decided to join me on the twenty-mile hike.  He spent the night with me and we “camped out” in my basement.  We wanted to get an early start the next morning because we knew the day would be long.  So, just after sunrise, we set out, we hit the trail, we made tracks, (I know I’m being melodramatic here, just bear with me) and we headed for Hardee’s (a fast-food restaurant) where we bought breakfast.  Hey, we were going to “rough it” in style and steak biscuits were just the thing we needed to start our “little adventure.”

The remainder of the day was spent covering those twenty miles. My dad had driven the trail the evening before to make sure it was in good shape with no hidden surprises waiting on us.  Throughout the day, both my parents and David’s checked on us.  They brought us something to drink, something to snack on, and just made sure we were holding up all right.  David and I enjoyed the hike and we never worried about getting lost.  Everywhere we walked was home turf, even though we walked in a twenty-mile circle.  Everything we needed was within sight and had there been any reason we required help, all we had to do was make a quick call and the cavalry would appear just over the horizon.

In some respects, mine and David’s hike bears a striking resemblance to one taken by a man several thousand years ago. His story is recorded in the book of Genesis and he is known as a man of great faith.  The Bible refers to him as “the friend of God,” but we know him best as Abraham.

When he was seventy-five years old, God promised Abraham he would have a son and that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore.  God called him to leave his home, family, and friends and to take up residence in a land He would show him.  So Abraham set out, hit the trail, made tracks, (you get the idea) and hiked to the place God had chosen for him.  Once there, God spoke again to Abraham and told him to walk through the land and to view it. Essentially, God told him to take a hike: “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD .” (Genesis 13:17-18)

There are two specific things we must learn from this passage of scripture.  First, Abraham was told to walk throughout the land, to explore its breadth and its length.  That’s a tall order!  Wherever Abraham walked, he was on home turf.  He could not out walk God’s provision.  No matter where he went, no matter how far he hiked, no matter which direction he chose, God’s provision was all around him.  Abraham simply could not get away from God’s promise—he lived in it.  This is exactly what we are called to do.  So many times we want to get ahead of God or we are reluctant to follow Him.  That’s where we miss out.  God did not call Abraham to leave his home just to abandon him. God called Abraham away and to Himself so Abraham would learn what it meant to depend solely on God.  What an opportunity God gave him; what a wonderful life Abraham had, walking hand-in-hand with God!

The second thing we must see here is Abraham’s response to God’s provision.  He built an altar.  If you read the story of Abraham carefully, you will see that he built altars everywhere he went and he built them to mark the special events of his walk with God.  This aspect of our walk with God is sorely missing today.  We have forgotten how to build altars and we have neglected thanking and praising God for all of the wonderful blessings He gives us daily.  Like Abraham, we can never out walk God’s provision; but if we don’t walk in faith, we will never experience the life God intends for us and the life He so desperately wants us to have.

At the end of the day, David and I returned home, tired, sore, and hungry.  However, we weren't the same boys that left home earlier that morning.  The walk had changed us!  We started our journey with a steak biscuit and ended with a real meal, not out of a bag, not something that came pre-cooked, but straight from our families’ kitchens.  That meal tasted so much better because we had been walking all day, pouring ourselves wholeheartedly into the task at hand.

It is the same with our Heavenly Father.  When He tells us to “take a hike” it is always to a place so much better than where we started.  When we put our complete trust in Him, when we take Him solely at His word, and when we go where He bids us follow, then our lives are forever changed.  We are not the same people, we don’t live the same lives, and the spiritual food He provides always surpasses anything the world has to offer. That’s just the way God is!  Are you taking a hike today? 

Hidden Words

 

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e use them every day.  They are lying on our desks, are tucked inside of drawers, sleeping in the bottoms of purses, and hiding out in coats, pants, suit jackets, and just about anywhere else you can imagine.  They are always present but can never be found when you need them. What are they?  Ink pens!

 Just think about it.  You can never find one when you need it but they are everywhere. If you are like me, and I hope for your sake you aren’t, I have entire draws in my house and in my office dedicated to these little doodads yet, I am always looking for one to jot a quick note or write a check or to pry the back from a gadget in order to replace the batteries.

 But the function of the ink pen is to write words.  That is its sole purpose!  Have you ever wondered just how many words are hidden in an ink pen?  I mean, how many letters, how many cards, and how many “doodles” are in an ink pen?  The world may never know!  One thing is sure, however, the ink pen can only write what is in the mind of the person holding it.  Our words like it or not, reveal so much about us, the way we think, and the way we live our lives.  In essence, the ink pen is an extension of the person who holds it!

 David knew the importance of hidden words.  He who spent untold hours watching sheep, meditating and talking to God understood the importance of words and their power.  The Psalms are filled with David’s words, words that express joy, grief, shame, regret, frustration, love, awe, disdain, anger, and wonder. 

 But more important than his own words, David knew the secret of listening to, understanding, and applying God’s word to his life.  In Psalm 119:11 David writes, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  Within the silence of a rolling pasture or the fortress at En Gedi, David learned that God’s word was perfect and that it served to instruct, guide, encourage, and protect him at all times and in all situations.  David also knew that in order to live a life pleasing to God he needed to hide God’s word in his heart so that he would not sin against him.  In so doing, God’s word became an extension of David’s life and from his experiences with God he wrote words like no other person has ever written.

 What a wonderful thought this is.  We too can experience God on the same level as David, but it requires that we spend time in his word and with him.  We must meditate and hide it away in our hearts so that our lives may be an open book for all to see.  When God’s word is hidden in our hearts and when we use it as the foundation for all we do, think, and say, then we are ready for God to use us to reach out to those around us.

 How many words are hidden in a fountain pen?  We will never know, but one thing is sure, unless someone uses the pen, the words hidden inside will never be shared.  Is God’s word hidden in your heart today?  Are you living by it?  When the pages of your life’s book are open can the word of God be read upon them?  What will your hidden words say about you and your walk with God today?