An Eight Hundred-Million-Mile Promise

 

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ne evening just after sunset as the sky exchanged its fiery orange vestments for a cloak of deep indigo; I watched the stars come out one by one.  Directly over my head a large slice of black grew wider and wider as the sky slowly opened, erasing the curvature of the earth and giving me a full view of the worlds surrounding our little planet. 

 

In the southwestern sky, I noticed a dim but steadily glowing object, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.  I fixed my gaze on this one area and noticed that the disk, unlike the others surrounding it, did not twinkle.  This could mean only one thing—a planet!  Unlike stars, which generate their own light and therefore twinkle, planets reflect the light of their suns.  Given the steady glow coming from the object, its size, and the small amount of light reflected, I knew it had to be a distant planet. 

 

On this particular evening, I had my telescope with me. Earlier in the week, I had observed Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.  Jupiter was also in the sky that evening and although it was tempting to look at it again, even more tempting was this mysterious glowing dot in the sky.  I trained the telescope over to the object and aligned it, placing the object dead center of the crosshairs of the finder scope.  After a few adjustments for the focus and after allowing my eyes to adjust to the small glimmer coming from the lens, I beheld one of the most beautiful sights the night sky has to offer—Saturn! 

 

For years I had read books about the planets and the large ringed giant always captivated me.  I remember spending hours looking at pictures of Saturn and its rings taken from large earth-bound telescopes.  I never imagined I would actually see it for myself, let alone in my own scope. But there it was in all its glory, this ringed giant, nine and half times larger than our planet at the equator, floating in the nothingness of space, gracefully dancing around the sun over eight hundred million miles away! 

 

I stepped back from the scope and looked at the small dot in the sky.  It seemed impossible to believe.  I was standing in my back yard, in my small town, looking at an object hundreds of millions of miles away.  You want to talk about feeling small!  I looked back into the scope just to be sure I was seeing Saturn.  Sure enough, the rings were still there and the planet was still suspended in the blackness of space continuing its circular dance just as it had from the moment of its creation.  As I looked at that planet and the other stars in the sky I was reminded that all of them had been viewed by other eyes thousands of years before I was born.  The same stars and planets I observed were the same as those seen by Moses, by Sampson, by King David, and by a man who received an eight hundred-million-mile promise, Abraham! 

 

In Genesis 15, we find Abraham gazing at the night sky.  In fact, God invited Abraham outside for what has to be man’s first recorded visit to a planetarium.  Only this was no planetarium!  Abraham received a personally guided tour of the heavens by the creator Himself.  Not a bad way to spend an evening, huh?  Genesis 15:5 reads, “He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”   

 

In this passage, God is confirming to Abraham His promise to make Abraham the father of many nations.  A promise is only as good the integrity of the person making it.  In order to reassure Abraham, God took him outside to view the stars. I can almost hear God speaking to Abraham. “Look at all of these Abraham.  You were not born when I flung them into the heavens.  They have been here from the beginning and they will be here at the end.  They are the constant display of my faithfulness to you.  I hung them on nothing, and I maintain all of them in their orbits, even the ones you cannot see.  You can trust me to hold you and to provide for every need you have, even the ones you know nothing about and cannot see.  You are far more precious and beautiful to me than all the stars in the night sky.” 

 

I believe Abraham heard something like this from God.  I am not attempting to add to scripture, far be it from me to do such a thing, but I also know that Abraham was God’s friend and I believe this is the assurance God impressed upon Abraham’s mind.  Saturn was in the sky that night just as it is now: the same planet, the same orbit, the same sun, and the same God!  Not bad for an eight hundred-million-mile promise, huh?   

Home Is Where the Heart Is

 

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t’san old adage we’ve all heard many times and, I venture, we’ve used it in appropriate situations just as our parents did before us and their parents before them.  That’s the wonderful thing about old adages. No matter who uses them, and no matter in what situations they are applied, their truths are ageless and always cause those who hear them to stop and think. 

 

I had several opportunities to reflect on the simple but profound truth found in the words, “Home is where the heart is!”  As I packed up books, stuffed clothes into laundry bags, gingerly placed dishes and glasses into protective packaging, and crammed books into box after box in preparation for moving into my new house, I came to realize that, while my possessions occupied my former apartment, my heart was no longer there.  In fact, my heart was anywhere but into packing and storing my worldly goods.   

 

Have you ever noticed just how many things we collect once we have a place to call our own?  I mean, how many twist ties does one person need? Yet, while packing up my life, I found myself musing over the smallest items, remembering where I got them or who gave them to me.  But the more I mused and the more I packed, the more stuff I realized I had accumulated that I really didn’t need.  Finally, after countless trips back and forth between my apartment and my new home, I placed the last box into my car, closed the door, turned the key, and left knowing I had to unpack all of it again when I got home. 

 

If you’ve ever moved, you can identify with the frustrations that accompany packaging all your belongings and moving them from one location to another.  You ask yourself constantly why you ever bought so much stuff and why you never used it as you intended to.  If this has ever happened to you, you will be able to appreciate Jesus’ words regarding worldly possessions and how they hinder us from having the relationship God fully intends for us to have with Him. 

 

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

 

This passage of scripture is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that worldly possessions have a way of possessing us instead of us possessing them.  This is nowhere more evident than in today's society. Not content with what we have, we are constantly at the malls, in the shops, or calling the number on our television screens to purchase the latest gadget or the newest “must-have” fashion.  Before our money is in the bank, before we can use it to further God’s kingdom, before we can help others in need, it is spent or obligated for something we don't need. 

 

The most difficult portion of this passage is found in the last sentence.  Throughout his ministry Jesus placed great emphasis on the heart and ensuring it was acceptable to God.  Yet, in this passage, Jesus states that our hearts will be found where our treasure is.  This statement is very powerful.  If God is our treasure, our hearts will be with Him and we will be content no matter our circumstances or our location.  This is what Paul meant when he said he had learned to be content in all situations.  However, if our treasure is not where God is, we will be miserable because nothing we can buy will ever satisfy the longing and desires of our hearts. 

 

If home is truly where the heart is, then our hearts can only truly be at home when they belong to God.  Because when our hearts belong to Him, we are always where He is; we are always with Him.  Not a bad place to be, huh?  Where is your heart today? 

How Did You Spend Your Day?

 

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ne of the most important lessons I have learned since moving to Texas is how to manage my money and live on a budget.  I had always heard others talking about having or not having enough money in their budgets to do a certain project or buy something for themselves or someone else.  The concept, however, was simply lost on me.  I figured as long as I had money in the checking account, I was doing OK.  The only problem was, at the end of the month, I could never figure out where I had spent my money.  However, a quick perusal over my check register revealed that money had gone out for movies, restaurants, things I wanted, etc. but precious little, if any, had gone into savings or even to buy clothes. 

 

However, this all changed when I started seminary.  It became very apparent very quickly that I needed to apportion my earnings in a very precise manner in order to steward my resources wisely.  This is a lesson I have never regretted, and I am now thankful that God continues to show His faithfulness to me on a daily basis.  Each time I reconcile my banking statement, I am always amazed and humbled at how God has proved Himself over and over by keeping me right on track with my money.  The money belongs to God, my responsibility is to steward it wisely and faithfully. 

 

But there is another area in my life that I am finding very difficult to steward.  It is an area we all struggle with and an area in which we always seem to run a deficit.  That area is time.  No matter how early I get up, no matter how good my intentions, and no matter how much I rearrange my schedule, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.  If I go to bed earlier than normal, the next day finds me worn out before all my tasks are completed.  If I make more room in my schedule in the morning, something always crops up in the afternoon to rob me of the time I’ve saved. 

 

Isn’t it amazing that we will spend such a long time poring over our finances, making sure we spend just the right amount in just the right place, but we will completely ignore our daily schedules?  We always seem to spend our time poorly, neglecting to give God His time, failing to spend time with our families, forgetting to tell others we love and appreciate them, and pushing ourselves to the limit on a consistent basis. 

 

The prayer of Moses in Psalm 90 addresses just this issue.  Israel wondered in the desert for forty years.  They could have been in the Promised Land in a matter of weeks but due to their disobedience and stubbornness, they spent their time poorly and what a price they paid!  All those twenty years of age and older never saw the Promised Land.  They all died in the desert and their children entered in their place.  How tragic!  They forfeited all those years of happiness and all those years of blessing because they disobeyed God. 

 

Listen to the words of Moses from Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  There are two important points in this short passage of scripture.  First, Moses looks to God for instruction on how to account for his time.  Moses realizes that left to ourselves, we are poor stewards of the lives and resources God gives us.  Only with His guidance, only with His wisdom, and only with His grace can we ever hope to spend our time and our lives wisely.   

 

Second, the purpose of following God’s instruction and learning from Him is to gain a heart full of wisdom.  We can only do this when we make God a priority in our lives.  We must spend time with Him.  We must make our relationship with Him top priority and learn to apportion our time in order be in His presence.  If we fail to do this, we will wander through life, wondering what happened to all of our time.  

 

So, how do you spend your day?  Does the budget of your time show you are spending it wisely or are you running a deficit? Think about it! 

A Note of Thanks

 

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he post office can be a place of extreme joy or extreme disappointment, depending upon the contents of your mailbox. When I was in college, the post office was a place of extreme excitement. Around exam time, my parents would send me a care package, usually filled with homemade cookies which I stashed away in my room. I knew that if the other guys on my hall found them, they'd be gone in a flash. Hey, I'm an understanding sort of guy but when it comes to mom's homemade cookies the word share does not compute!!!  

 

As I grew into real life, the post office began to lose its magical allure. Instead of boxes filled with homemade goodies and envelopes with spending money tucked inside, I began receiving statements and bills from various places. The phone company wrote regularly, the power company always seemed to remember me once a month and several businesses delighted in filling my mailbox with reminders of the big sales events they were hosting. Needless to say, going to the post office became less and less appealing. Instead of receiving cookies and treats in the mail, I was sending my hard-earned money to everyone. I began wondering if the mail system had any redeeming value whatsoever. 

 

Then, one day, it happened. My mailbox was unusually full. In fact, the box was completely stuffed! There were the usual bills, some promotional flyers, the ever-popular notification that I had won $1 million dollars, and several survey forms from charitable organizations I had never heard of. That's when I spied a small envelope with my address written on it. It was almost lost in the shuffle of unimportant and mundane pieces of mail. As I inspected the envelope, I noticed it lacked a return address. Understandably, my curiosity was peaked, and I quickly tore it open. Inside was a thank-you note in beautiful handwriting. A very dear friend had written to thank me for doing him a favor a few weeks before. What a breath of fresh air this was in comparison to all the other pieces of "junk" mail littering my mailbox. 

 

Our lives, it seems, resemble the mailbox described in the preceding paragraph. They are crammed full of things that are so very unimportant. Our lives are filled with requests, notices, promises, promotions, and junk. Rarely, if ever, is there room for important things like giving thanks to God for all He has done for us. When we do get around to thanking Him, our gratitude is very small compared to the other, more "important" things taking up room in our lives. 

 

In Leviticus 22:29, God gives a clear indication of the type of thanks He desires from His children. In this passage of Scripture, God says, “And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will." Take a very close look at that requirement again. Thanksgiving must be of our own "free will" if it is to be pleasing and acceptable to God. Thanksgiving which comes from tradition, coercion, or from a sense of obligation is not true thanksgiving. 

 

Yesterday, the United States celebrated its annual Thanksgiving holiday. We set aside this day to officially give thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us as a people and as a nation. Millions of people will gather with family and friends around a table filled with traditional foods. Before eating, thanks is given for the year's blessings and everyone sits down to eat. After just a few moments of fellowship, most people abandon the table and head for the nearest television to watch a football game or a movie. We give God a few minutes of thanks in return for His daily blessings and faithfulness to us. Something seems drastically out of balance here, doesn't it? 

 

As long as our thanks to God is dictated by the calendar, the clock, or family tradition, we really aren't thanking Him. The Scripture says we are to do this deliberately of our own free will. Thanksgiving is not something that we do; rather, it is something that we are. Thanksgiving is an attitude, a fundamental part of our character. Our lives must reflect thanksgiving to God on a daily basis, not when it's convenient or politically correct to do so.  

 

The thank-you note I found in my mailbox that day was very special to me. My friend didn't have to send it to me; he wanted to. Of his own free will, he went out, selected a card, thought about the message, inscribed it on the card, sealed the envelope, addressed it, and went to the post office to mail it. It required time and effort on his part as well as a real willingness to do it. That made the card all the more special to me.  

Should it be any different with God? When we were lost in sin, God gave us His best. Of His own free will He gave us Jesus so that we could be reconciled to Him. This gift was not something God just whipped up in an instant. Instead, He planned it out before the foundation of the world was laid. Think about that. Before God created all that is, He planned and made provision for us to be eternally with Him. Don't you think that requires more than just a quick prayer over a meal? Don't you believe it demands more than just a fleeting thought? What it requires, what God wants, is for us to give ourselves to Him willingly and totally as the ultimate expression of our thanks. When was the last time you sent God a real thank-you note? Why don't you do so today!! 

An Aisle Seat

 

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 few years ago, I boarded a plane bound for DFW airport.  I had spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and now it was time to return home. I decided to travel on Monday and Friday instead of Wednesday and Sunday to avoid all the headache, the mad rush, the long lines, and the delays that so invariably accompany this time of year. 

 

Both of my flights, both coming and going, were pleasant.  The flight home, however, was not as full as the flight back to Texas.  On Friday, there was not one open seat on the entire airplane.  When I purchased my ticket, the plane was only 2/3 full but now it was completely filled with no room even for a stow-away!  At the last minute, I decided to change my seat. Normally I love to sit by the window but the only window seat I could find was at the very back of the plane.  However, there was one aisle seat open very close to the front and I grabbed it just a few hours before takeoff. 

 

Window seats are wonderful because they allow you to see where you are going. I love to watch the changing landscape below, to see the majestic clouds as they whisk by, and to observe just how small we really are compared to the vastness of God’s creation.  The window seat also gives me reassurance that we are headed in the right direction, not that I could do anything about it if we were headed the wrong way.  The ability to see where I am going provides at least a modicum of control even though I have none! 

 

That Friday was completely different.  From the aisle, I could see only partially out the window and the view was always the same—blue sky, white clouds!  Not long into our flight, the captain’s voice sounded over the intercom system and told us all the pertinent information.  We would be flying at 26,000 feet, our flight path would take us over Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and finally into Texas.  He assured us the flight would be smooth with minimal turbulence. 

 

As his voiced faded, it occurred to me just how much I trusted this man flying the airplane whom I had never met.  All I had to go on was his voice and the information he gave.  In the aisle seat, I couldn’t see where we were, I couldn’t tell our direction, and I could see no landmarks.  I simply had to trust that when the plane landed, Dallas and Fort Worth would be right where he said they were.  Yep, the aisle seat is all about trust. 

 

Would it surprise you to know that the concept of the aisle seat is found in the Bible?  Way before the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, way before there were aisle seats on airplanes, and way before the idea of commercial airlines, the concept of the aisle seat existed.  Would you like to know who was sitting in it?  Let’s find out! 

 

In Genesis 12:1 we read, “The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”  Abram, known as Abraham later in his life, knew first-hand what it meant to sit in the aisle seat.  Look at the Lord’s call on his life in this passage.  Abraham has no idea where he is headed.  He cannot see familiar landmarks because he has never been where he is going.  He doesn’t know how far the journey will be, and he has no idea how long it will take.  Sound familiar?  All Abraham knows, all he has to go on, is God’s word and that word is simply go! 

 

Unsure of his future, unsure of his direction, unsure of success, and unsure of his direction, Abraham puts his foot forward and takes that first step.  The rest of his story is an incredible walk with God. 

 

Are you in the aisle seat today?  Do you long to see out the window, to know where you are going?  We have all been there.  Our Heavenly Father knows our destination and He is more than able to get us there safely.  All we need do is trust Him.  Bon voyage! 

 

A Good Drink of Water

 When it comes to plants, my thumbs are any color but green!  My brother, however, can make anything grow and draws so much pleasure and enjoyment from making things grow.  It is quite remarkable, then, that I have managed to keep two plants alive in my home for several years. 

 

One of the plants lives in my study. Her name is Tracy and the other lives in my bedroom and his name is Spencer.  Now don’t ask me why I named them, I just did.  As I walked through the house on Saturday morning, I glanced into my study where Tracy stands guard, making sure everything is in order.  I noticed that her leaves had begun to droop, a sure sign that a good drink of water was in demand. 

 

So, I stopped my house-cleaning chores and attended to her.  I picked her up, took her to the kitchen, placed her in the sink, and gave her a good drink of water from the faucet.  As I carefully guided the stream of water so that all the soil in her container was dampened, God spoke to me and reminded me of a great biblical truth. 

 

I knew that Tracy needed water. I also knew that she could not get that water on her own. There was no way she could make it to the kitchen, put herself in the sink, turn on the faucet, and get the water she needed.  She is my responsibility and her life is in my hands. 

 

It was at that time that God reminded me that I am just like Tracy. I am totally dependent on my Heavenly Father for everything in my life.  As the water poured from the spigot into Tracy’s container, this is what I heard God saying to me: “I know what you need.  I know when you need it. You are my responsibility and your life is in my hands.  I will see to it that you have everything you need exactly when you need it.  Trust me!” 

 

Water from the spigot wasn’t the only water flowing in my kitchen on Saturday morning.  Tears ran down my face as I felt God’s presence so real and His loving arms enfold me.  He reminded me of the truth that Paul shared in his letter to the believers in Philippi.  In Philippians 4:19 he writes “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”  

 

Wherever you are today, it is my prayer for you that this truth will become so real in your life.  God is our father. We are His responsibility.  He will see to it that our needs are met, right on time.  He knows when we need a good drink of water.  Have a great day!