Morning By Morning

 

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ne of my favorite hymns is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”  There is a passage in the refrain that speaks of God’s faithfulness to us on a daily basis, “Morning by morning His mercies I see.  All I have needed Thy hand has provided. Great is they faithfulness, Lord unto me.” 

 

This is something we don’t often think about when we consider our relationship to God. We speak of God’s love, we talk about His mercy, we are thankful for His grace, but how often do we stop and consider God’s faithfulness to us?  Usually, we speak of our faithfulness in attending church, in putting the tithe into the offering plate, of serving on one committee after another, in having a dedicated prayer time which we never miss, and the list goes on and on almost to the point of nausea.  

 

Yet this hymn speaks of God’s faithfulness, something we really need to think about this morning.  There is no better place, in my opinion, to begin our understanding of God’s faithfulness than the opening passages of the Bible, in the book of Genesis.  Here, in the opening verses of His word, God teaches us and shows us how faithful He is.  Genesis 1:5 says, “God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day.” 

 

Please notice the last sentence of this passage.  The words “the first day” jumped into my mind as I sat at the breakfast table this morning.  With the change of time, it is still dark in the morning and as the day progresses, the first tendrils of light creep into the sky, dispelling the night and heralding the arrival of day.  But at some point, there was a first day, a day when the sun rose for the first time, a day when all the trees and flowers and animals basked in the splendor of that first morning.  And God was there. 

 

Think about that, God was there on the first day and He was there for the second.  In fact, He has been present for every sunrise and every sunset from the beginning.  How many days has that been?  How many sunsets has God painted?  These are things we seldom, if ever, think about but we need to think about them and realize we serve a God who is faithful.   

 

We wake up in the morning, charged for the day, thinking of all the things we must accomplish before we retire at night.  We have to work, pay bills, buy groceries, clean house, and do various and other projects that pop up during the day.  What if every living thing on the planet depended on us?  What if it were our responsibility to make sure the universe was constantly in working order?  What if it were our task to keep every heart on earth beating and ensuring there was enough food, water, air, etc. for everything to survive 24 more hours?  In comparison to the tasks we have to accomplish, our concerns are so very insignificant, aren’t they? 

 

Morning by morning we see God’s faithfulness.  Every dawn is a testimony to the fact that God watches over His creation. Nothing escapes His attention.  When birds fall, He knows all about it and when His children cry out to Him, He hears us.  He keeps our hearts beating, He supplies us with all our needs, and He is constantly working to conform us all to the image of His son, Jesus Christ.  How about that for a daily “To Do List?” 

 

This morning or this afternoon or perhaps even this evening, take time out to sit still and think about God’s faithfulness and then make it personal.  God is faithful to you.  As a Christian, He has promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.  What a wonderful and what an awesome God we serve.  A God who loves us, who protects us, who provides for us—a God who is faithful morning by morning! 

On The Job Training

 

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hen I was sixteen years old, my dad agreed to let me hold a job.  There were certain parameters I had to observe and as long as I remained within them, I could hold the job.  Daddy wanted to make sure I made schoolwork a priority so I could only work on the weekends.  However, in the summer months, he said I could work as much as I wanted.  The trick was finding a place that matched my dad’s requirements for a job. 

 

One of the local hospitals was advertising for a weekend receptionist/data entry clerk in the x-ray department.  I went for an interview and the supervisor offered me the job.  My main responsibilities were locating patient records and updating them whenever an examination was performed.  The job put my typing skills to good use.  In fact, that job greatly improved my typing and enhanced my computer skills as well.  I had acquired both of these in high school but instead of using them for a grade, I was using them to help people get well.  It was very rewarding to know my typing and computer skills were actually being used for a much higher purpose. 

 

Before I was ready to run the front desk on my own, I had to undergo training.  All the training was done on the job because that was the best way to learn.  By working with patient records, I soon learned how to locate any file in the department quickly and efficiently.  The computer soon became a joy to use instead of something to be feared and the filing procedure became second nature to me.  Everything I learned in school helped me in my job but I never dreamed I would use these skills to potentially cure someone or save his life. 

 

Jesus knew the value of on-the-job training for his disciples.  In fact, when he calls Peter and Andrew away from their life’s work, on-the-job training is exactly what he had in mind.  Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."  This one statement speaks volumes to us, and it should encourage us in our daily walk with the Lord. 

 

First, this statement tells us that Peter and Andrew were both fishermen by trade.  In fact, the Scriptures teach us just prior to this verse that these two brothers were indeed fishermen.  They know how to catch fish, how to choose the appropriate bait, where to find the best spots to fish, and they knew how to care for and repair their nets.  Yet when Jesus finds them, he begins teaching them where they are.  He uses the abilities they have but he applies them in a completely different way.  Notice that Jesus promises to make Peter and Andrew fishers of men.  The Greek text reads very interestingly here.  It says that Jesus will teach them to become fishers of men. 

 

Although they knew a lot about catching fish, Andrew and Peter knew precious little about catching and winning souls for Jesus.  Nevertheless, Jesus took what they knew, and through careful teaching and hands-on instruction, he taught these two brothers to catch the souls of men.  Everything Peter and Andrew had learned through fishing was of use to them.  Now, however, they were to apply their knowledge of fishing to harvesting souls for the kingdom of God. 

 

This is one of the most encouraging passages of Scripture I know.  No matter what my background, no matter what I have learned, God can use it for the furtherance of his kingdom.  Even when my attempts seem so feeble and so ineffective, God uses them to achieve his purposes.  God gives me on-the-job training every day because every day is different. 

 

So, wherever you are today and whatever your assigned task, know that God is working with you and through you, teaching you how to win the souls of those around you.  Not all of us are called to the pulpit, or the mission field, or the Sunday school classroom.  But all of us are called to share our faith with those around us and to live a life that indicates the presence of Christ.  Remember, God called Andrew and Peter to on-the-job training, and he taught them how to accomplish the goal he had in mind for them.  The same is true of you today.  God knows what he wants to do with you and your life.  All he needs is for you to trust him, to be willing to learn how to be an effective witness to all those around you today.  So, what are you waiting for?  Throw out those nets.  The fish are waiting! 

Maintenance Required

 

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ou know how it is.  You’re driving down the road, listening to good music, enjoying the scenery, taking advantage of light traffic, and thinking pleasant thoughts, and then it happens.  The little light on the dashboard suddenly comes on and your focus shifts from a lovely drive through the park to the gripping reality that something may be terribly wrong with your car!  Ain't life grand? 

 

This happened to me not long after I purchased my first new car after moving to Texas.  I was enjoying a leisurely drive when suddenly the little light on the dashboard sputtered and came to life.  At first, I was very alarmed.  The car was not even a year old so I couldn’t imagine anything major could be wrong but being the mechanic that I am—and believe me I’m no mechanic—I assumed the worst.  The light read, Maintenance Required! 

 

I arrived home, picked up the phone, and called the dealership where I purchased my vehicle.  The lady in the service department told me I had nothing to fear and no cause for worry. The car is programmed to remind me to have scheduled maintenance every 5000 miles.  I am approaching 10,000 miles on the car so the light is there simply as a friendly reminder to make sure I have the scheduled maintenance performed. 

 

What a relief this was and what a wonderful lesson about my spiritual life.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a built-in Maintenance Required light?  Then we would know when to go to the doctor, when to visit the dentist, when to get groceries, etc.  Life would be so much easier, wouldn’t it?  Well, there are certain things built into our systems.  We get hungry and we search food.  We get sick and we see a doctor.  We have a toothache, and we go to the dentist. 

 

But what about our spiritual lives?  Does the Bible say anything about maintaining our relationship with God?  What type of maintenance schedule do the Scriptures speak of?  In Hosea 12:6 we find these words, “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always”.  Can you find the Maintenance Required light in this passage?  It is right there, glaring out at us.  Notice that Hosea encourages his readers to do three things.  

First, we must return to God.  What a punch these few words pack!   On a daily basis we run the risk of distancing ourselves from the Lord and when we do, we are in need of returning so we can maintain the close relationship He longs to have with us. 

 

Second, in our lives we must maintain love and justice.  Neither of these comes naturally to the human heart.  Love, real love for others, not just for those who love us in return, is only possible when we allow God to love others through us.  Without Him, we cannot possibly fulfill Christ’s command to love each other in the same was as he loved us.  Moreover, justice is almost a lost concept today.  We talk about fairness, but God’s standard is justice.   The two are not synonymous.  Yet, Hosea instructs us to maintain justice and to do this we must have a consistent relationship with God. 

 

Third, and this is the most difficult, we are told to wait for God always.  Waiting is never easy and it is never fun but it is always necessary!  In fact, the word “always” is the equivalent of the Maintenance Required light on our cars.  In the Christian walk, we are always in need of maintenance.  On a daily basis we must spend time alone with God and have ourselves checked over, adjusted, and tuned up by our Master Mechanic.  Only He can effect repairs and make adjustments that equip us to do His will on a daily basis. 

 

What does the dashboard of your life look like today?  Are you paying attention to the little light that tells you maintenance is required?  Are you maintaining your contact with God?  Is everything in the proper working order today?  If not, how about going into the shop for a little required maintenance! 

What's Behind the Words?

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arely do I ever write a check and almost as rare are the moments when I actually pay with cash.  The credit card and the debit card have all but eradicated the use of paper money or checks. However, this was not the case several years ago. I was astonished to learn that the establishment where I intended to make a purchase didn’t take credit or debit cards.  Fortunately, I had my checkbook with me, so I whipped it out, took out a pen, and began writing the check.  What an odd sensation this was. 

 

As I filled out the information on the front of the check, I became more and more aware that a check itself is just a piece of paper.  The numbers and the words are only as valid as the amount of money I have in my bank account.  Moreover, the check is absolutely worthless until I place my signature on the bottom line, stating I have the funds to cover the amount written on the check’s face. 

 

The lady behind the counter had only my signature to guarantee the funds were there but she really didn’t know what was behind those words.  All she had was a piece of paper with my name on it.  Had the transaction been made with a credit or a debit card, the process would have been a little different.  A machine would have indicated the amount of money in my account and would have approved the transaction.  But the computer would show only the balance that was in the bank, not the exact balance of what I actually had in the account.  Again, the lady behind the counter would have been obligated to trust the computer and me in order to complete the transaction.

 

It isn’t difficult to apply this situation to our walk with the Lord.  In fact, Isaiah wrote about this very thing in order to show the people of Israel the importance of worshiping God completely, not just in one aspect.  In Isaiah 29:13 God says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” 

 

Essentially God is accusing the people of writing bad checks, and bad spiritual checks at that.  They worship God with their lips, speaking His name with reverence, attending every worship service, giving their tithes and offerings regularly, but deep in their hearts, they don’t believe what God says nor do they truly worship Him.  There is nothing behind their words.  They are spiritually bankrupt, having no spiritual treasury or backing for the claims they make.  Not only do they not worship God, they also misrepresent Him to all those who see and hear them.  They make claims about their religious beliefs, but their lives do not support their claims. 

 

This is so true of the Church today.  Everywhere we see churches that are increasing in number, but they are not growing.  They are implementing new programs, trying new worship schedules, and attempting to accommodate and adapt to our modern culture.  Pastors avoid difficult topics from the pulpit and content themselves with remaining politically correct in order to appease their congregations.  In the process, they misrepresent God and make it difficult if not impossible for their congregations to feed on the truths of God’s word.  They speak in long, beautiful, flowing sentences but they say nothing.  There is nothing behind their words! 

 

And how about us as individual Christians?  We can ill afford to point our fingers in others’ faces.  We find it so easy to attend worship services, to serve on committees, to champion the cause of missions, and to discuss the latest passage of scripture we have read.  But do our lives match up to our claims?  Are we writing good spiritual checks that can be cashed by those who meet us and hear us and see us on a daily basis?  Are we truly representing the cause of God and sharing His truths on a daily basis? Are our hearts near or far from Him?  Are we worshiping Him in speech only?  What is behind the words we use today?   

The Pilot Light

 

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he last time my parents remodeled our home on Main Street, they made several drastic changes.  Not only did they alter the house structurally, making two new rooms and cutting a hole in the front of the house for a bay window; they also made changes in the heating system of the house.  Mom and dad decided to change from electricity to natural gas as a source for their heat, hot water, dryer, and cooking appliances in the kitchen.  We knew several families who had made the switch and mom and dad decided this would be a good move for them. 

 

I distinctly remember the day the workers completed their task.  Our family was so excited, and we moved all the furniture back into the house and mom spent weeks getting everything just as she wanted it.  No matter how much time you spend in construction, it’s nothing compared with the time spent arranging the house and its furnishings until everything is just perfect! 

 

Not long after the remodeling was completed, I was in our basement.  It was always dark down there and as a kid I was convinced the whole place was haunted and inhabited by a host of hobgoblins.  You know how it is, a kid’s imagination just runs away from him, and he imagines all kinds of things and all of them are real.  Anyway, on this particular day, I was convinced the goblins had returned to set up housekeeping in our new home.  In the basement, I saw an eerie blue light glowing from the furnace.  I wasn’t sure what this was but decided to investigate.  As I approached the furnace, I was very surprised to see an open flame burning, shedding a small glow in the basement’s darkness.

 

I immediately panicked, not knowing what to do.  I mean, there was a fire in our basement, an open flame that needed to be extinguished.  However, as I watched that flame, it just continued to glow, flickering harmlessly in the darkness.  Then I remembered what my dad had told me earlier.  Gas appliances have a pilot light, a flame that continually burns to prevent natural gas from building up in the house.  The pilot light also serves as the source of fuel for the appliances, supplying the necessary spark to run them when they are called into action. 

 

As Christians, we have an ever-present pilot light in Jesus Christ.  John 1:5 gives us a wonderful description of this light that came into the world to dispel the darkness of sin.  “The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” This is one of the most beautiful passages in all the Scriptures.  Before the coming of Jesus Christ, the world was completely immersed in darkness.  There was no light to bring man to God and the darkness of sin left man without hope, without the ability to see where he was going.  But when the time was right God sent Jesus into the world to shine the light of His mercy and grace, to provide a way for man to come to the light of salvation and come out of his sin. 

 

Notice that John writes this verse in the present tense.  The light always shines in the darkness.  It is always there, always glowing, always providing the spark that brings us into the light of God’s salvation, and the darkness of the world is powerless to put it out.  No matter how dark the storm, no matter how gloomy the way, no matter how thick the night might be around us, the light of God’s love and salvation shines in the darkness and the darkness can never put it out! 

 

How long has it been since you noticed the Pilot Light of life?  When was the last time you were in a dark place?  How long has it been since the darkness made you realize and be thankful for the light of God’s salvation, the light that can never go out and that will never, never grow dim?  Don’t you think it’s time you checked your heart’s pilot light today? 

Life's Access Road

 

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y hometown of Cherryville, North Carolina is about as close to hometown America as you can imagine.  The streets bear names like Main, Oak, Elm, Mulberry, Depot, Cherry, and a few of them are named for people or families like Cone Street, Ballard Street, Black Street, etc.  All the roads at home have two lanes and wind lazily through our town.  No one is in a hurry to get from one side of town to the other and if you are it will only take you about 10 minutes.   

 

Even the main roads leading out of town, with the exception of Highway 150 East, are also two-lane roads.  The nearest Interstate is several miles away.  Needless to say, driving in and around Cherryville is not a very harrowing experience.  There are no traffic jams, no cars or trucks entering from all sides, and very little passing on the right! 

 

You can imagine, then, how my driving habits changed when I arrived in Fort Worth, Texas to attend seminary. Everything out here is connected by Interstates and traveling across town sometimes requires taking an Interstate highway depending upon where you want to go.  Since my mother hates everything about Interstate driving, I took it upon myself to find all the back roads and shortcuts around town.  Several friends helped by giving me pointers and in a few months’ time I could navigate Fort Worth without taking any of the three Interstates in the city. 

 

Now I have a choice as to the route I will take but I am still required to take the Interstate to certain destinations like work. One evening, I learned something about driving the Interstate that I had never really thought about before.  If you think about it, there really is nothing on the Interstate but pavement.  As long as you are rolling along at a good speed, everything is fine. However, if you need gas, if you’re hungry, or if you grow tired, you will have to exit the Interstate to find what you need.  All hotels, restaurants, and gas stations are not found on the Interstate but along the access roads that parallel the highways. 

 

This point became very clear to me as I exited Interstate 20 and took the access road.  I passed gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, and car dealerships.  Fortunately, I don’t need a car but in order to buy one, I have to take the access road.  Moreover, it is possible to drive the access road in this particular area and never take the Interstate.  As I drove along, I began to apply this idea to the Christian life and it’s amazing what God can teach you as you drive along an access road through the rain at night. 

 

Ephesians 2:18 reads, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”  In this letter, Paul is telling his readers, who were Gentiles, that because of the death of Jesus Christ, all peoples, both Jews and Gentiles, had direct access to God.  This was great news because it meant that God had reconciled all of mankind to Himself and everyone was invited to be His child through faith in Jesus Christ.   

 

We must understand that the main road of life offers us nothing.  We can’t rest on this road, we can’t find food on this road, and sooner or later we will run out of fuel.  In order to receive the things we need in life, we must get off the main highway and take the access road.  That access road is Jesus Christ.  Only he has and offers everything we need.  Jesus is the bread of life when we are hungry (John 6:35).  He offers us living water so we will not go thirsty (John 4:10).  When we are tired he gives us rest (Matthew 11:29) and when we can go no further, he strengthens us (Isaiah 40:29).  All of these things Jesus gives us but only if we decide to leave life’s thoroughfare and take the access road.   

 

Only Jesus gives us direct access to God.  Why don’t you take the next exit and gain access to all that God has in store for you?  You’ll be so glad you did!  

The Building Project of a Lifetime

 

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he scene was becoming all too familiar.  Jesus found himself engaged in conversation with the religious leaders of his day who were convinced they had all knowledge concerning the things of God and he did not.  They were so confident they paid no heed to his words, his teaching, his examples, or his warnings.   

 

This is nowhere truer than in the confrontation concerning the temple, a lesson we ourselves would do well to heed today.  In John 2:20, we find this statement by the Jewish leaders, “The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"  This was not the first time Jesus would encounter opposition within the very center of Jewish worship.  He would cleanse the temple of the moneychangers and those selling animals for sacrifices because God’s house had been turned into a place of business rather than a place of worship.  Sound familiar? 

 

In this particular instance, Jesus had commented that if the temple were torn down, he would restore it in three days.  The Jewish leaders mocked him, pointing to the fact it had taken forty-six years to build the temple and it was unlikely he could restore it in three days. As always, they missed the point of Jesus’ teaching because he was speaking of the temple of his body, not the building of stone before him. 

 

In today’s church, it becomes increasingly popular to build in stone and mortar.  We are constantly seeking to enlarge and improve our places of worship, offering as many programs and facilities as we can in order to reach the maximum number of people for Jesus Christ.  There is nothing wrong with building to increase the effectiveness and the work of the church as long as there is a plan, a purpose, a vision, and a clear call from God to do these things. 

 

This is where the religious leaders of Jesus’ day missed the mark.  When he spoke of destroying and rebuilding the temple, the leaders automatically pointed to the number of years they had spent in construction.  They probably gestured to the huge columns of stone and took great pride in the quality of the ongoing work.  The sad fact is, however, they had spent forty-six years, a lifetime, building a structure that was totally devoid of worship!  It was the building project of a lifetime, but the leaders had placed their faith in the building, not in the God it was designed to honor. 

 

Notice that Jesus moved the focus from the building to his body.  The New Testament tells us that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  As Christians, we need to understand that God’s holy presence lives within us.  The Holy of Holies is no longer in a building; it is in the human heart.   God no longer dwells in a stone edifice; He lives within the very heart and soul of the believer.  Unfortunately, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, we run the risk of spending a lifetime giving the appearance of living a holy life when actually no worship of God is taking place within our own temples. 

 

As we walk with the Lord today, we must determine to live in way pleasing to Him, not to those around us.  We cannot afford to erect a temple that looks wonderful on the outside but is empty on the inside.  We cannot give the appearance of being God’s people when our hearts are far from Him.  Living the Christian life, recognizing our bodies are God’s temple, is the building project of a lifetime!  Shouldn’t we make sure that we are building with God’s purpose, with God’s vision, in accordance with God’s plan, and with a clear call of God upon our lives?  How does the construction of our walk with God fare with His design today?  Are we building a temple for Him or for ourselves?  That is indeed the question we must answer!