High Fidelity

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he teenage years mark a milestone in a child’s development.  This era of life is filled with firsts—the first crush, the first date, the first driving experience, and the all-important first stereo. Now, I don’t mean a clock radio that plays cassettes, I mean a full-blown sound system that keeps parents knocking on the door with instructions to “Turn that thing down!”  Yes, all of these are proof that the teenage years have arrived in full force and that life for the typical family is about to change.

Now, back to that stereo system.  The selection of a stereo is a serious matter.  The name brand is important and of course, the bigger the system, the better it is, or so teenagers think.  There is nothing more impressive than walking into a guy’s room and seeing nothing but speakers!!!  The first reaction is that this must be one connoisseur of music.  However, the most important aspect of the speaker is not its size but how effectively and how clearly it produces sound.  The measure of any speaker rests solely in its ability to reproduce sound that is faithful to the original source.  Speakers that produce quality, undistorted sound are described with two words—high fidelity!

Now stop and think about that for just a minute.  That label guarantees that the sound produced by the speaker is exactly the same sound as the original.  The speaker remains faithful to its source (hence, the term high fidelity) and reproduces it so the listener receives the full measure, color, and mood of the original sound.  Speakers true to the sounds of an orchestra will produce not only the high and low sounds of the instruments, but will also communicate the full body of the entire musical score. They will relay the emotions and the attitude of both the composer and the conductor, giving the listener the total experience of a musical work.

As Christians, we can take a lesson from the stereo speaker. God has entrusted us with sharing the good news of salvation and the person of Jesus Christ with those around us.  The question we must ask ourselves is how effectively are we sharing his word with others?  Are we faithful to the original source, communicating God’s love and concern for all those who are not saved?  Can it be said of us that our sharing of God’s word is accurate and faithful?  If we were stereo speakers, would the words “High Fidelity” be attributed to us?

Psalm 15 gives great insight into the kind of person God permits to stand in his presence.  There is a long list of requirements but Psalm 15:2 addresses the message we send and how effectively we represent God to the world. “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart…” Notice that God requires us to speak the truth from our hearts.  It is with the heart that we truly understand and communicate with God.  It is with the heart that we have a relationship with him because it is the heart of man that most interests God.  King Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

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es, the quality of a stereo system is judged by the quality of sound produced by its speakers.  The decision to accept or reject the entire stereo is based on the sound produced by the speakers and their faithfulness in remaining true to the source.  When people listen to us, what are they hearing?  What message are we sending out about God?  Are we remaining faithful to his word or are we distorting it?  We are either doing one or the other. Based on what people hear from our speakers, do they accept or reject God’s message?  Do we deserve the label “high fidelity” today?

Daybreak!

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he sound of the piercing alarm clock rouses me from a deep, restful sleep.  The room is still dark, but the first tendrils of daylight indicate that the sun will soon rise in the east and a new day will start.  The alarm is still sounding so I throw back the covers, get up, walk across the room, turn off the alarm, and then climb back into bed for “just a few more minutes.”

As I lie on my bed looking out the window, I notice that it is steadily growing lighter outside.  I can now see the outline of trees, houses, and the birds and squirrels have started their early morning jaunts and their never-ending search for food and water.  Soon, the highways will be filled with people going to appointments or hurrying to their jobs and another hectic Friday will be in full swing.

But for now, the sun continues its steady approach and light is rapidly overtaking the darkness that has held the world captive for the past several hours.  I enjoy this time of the morning, as the night gives way to the day.  Although the darkness tries to linger for “just a few more minutes,” it is no match for the light.  The sun totally dispels all the darkness and chases it away, making everything clear and visible.

Isaiah knew what it was like to watch God create a morning.  I’m sure he watched the sun rise and dispel all the darkness and the gloom of night.  Perhaps that is why he used this analogy to speak of the coming Messiah and of a time when all would be made clear and visible.  He wasn't speaking about seeing the physical world better, but about having a clearer spiritual understanding of God and his plan for mankind.  Isaiah knew that the coming of the Messiah would remove the spiritual darkness holding mankind captive and would replace it with the burning light of God’s salvation, love, and mercy.

In Isaiah 9:2, the prophet writes these words, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned”  Can you think of a better way to describe a sunrise than this?  Isaiah heard an alarm sounding, indicating that the long night was ending and a new day was beginning.  From his vantage point, he could see the small but perceptible tendrils of God’s light that would one day dispel all the darkness of sin from the earth.

We are now living in that light and that light is Jesus Christ.  Jesus, himself, said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12).  Jesus fulfilled the promise Isaiah made so many years before.  The light of God’s salvation did come and it did remove the darkness from the world.  But notice that in order to walk in this light, we must follow Jesus.  He is the only way to God and he is the only means of light in a dark world.  Only by believing in and following him can we ever hope to leave the darkness behind.

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s it dark where you are today?  Are you walking in the light of Jesus’ salvation?  You can.  Listen carefully and you will hear the alarm clock sounding.  It is God’s voice calling you from the darkness to walk in his eternal light.  Won’t you get out of that spiritual bed and watch the sunrise today?  You will never see things in the same way again!

A Good Soaking

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Today's Title: A Good Soaking

Today's Scripture: 1 John 1:7

The meal was over, the table was cleared, the leftovers were placed into containers and stored in the refrigerator, the dishes were washed, and the only things left to clean were the baking dishes used to prepare the evening meal.  These had seen the worst of the action and displayed the heaviest battle damage.  A heavy, baked-on crust covered most of the dishes and there was a residue from the food that had been placed in them.  Getting these dishes cleaned was going to be no easy task and to that end, they had been filled with water and allowed to soak.

The water had slightly loosened the baked on stains but no progress had been made in actually making the dishes cleaner.  So they were placed into the hot dishwater for a good soaking before they were washed.  While in the dishwater, an interesting process occurred.  The stubborn, baked-on mess began to pull loose from the dishes so they could be cleaned.  The longer they remained in the dishwater, the more stuff came off and the easier they were to clean.

By the time a dishrag was applied to the surface of the baking dishes, the grease and the stains simply came off with minimal effort.  It would have taken so much muscle, so much sweat, and so much time to clean the dishes had it not been for soaking them in the hot dishwater.  In fact, had it not been for the soaking, no amount of rubbing, scrubbing, or buffing would have thoroughly cleaned the dishes.  What they needed was something that could remove and eliminate the stains, not simply remove only a part of them.

If we look very closely today, we will find a wonderful analogy of salvation and the cleansing power of Christ’s blood in the life of the believer.  Before we become Christians, our lives resemble these baking dishes.  Life has coated us and stained us with so much sin that it is impossible for us to become clean on our own.  All attempts to remove the stain ourselves end in failure and we end up no better off for all our efforts.  We need something that will remove and completely eradicate these stains from our lives and that something is the blood of Jesus Christ.

In 1 John 1:7 we read the following words, “But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.”  If we read very closely we will see that John is inviting us to experience a good soaking in the Lord on a daily basis.  The blood of Jesus Christ saves us and it is powerful enough to remove every stain sin has placed on our lives no matter how baked-on or caked-on it happens to be.  After we are clean, however, we need to remain in contact with our Lord and that is where the truth of this verse comes to light.

Notice that John says that if we are living in the light of God’s presence, we will have fellowship with each other and that Jesus’ blood cleanses us.  In fact, this verse is actually rendered that the blood of Jesus Christ goes on saving us.  In other words, Jesus blood not only works to remove the sin from our past but it continues to work to remove all future sins as well.  As we live daily for him we continually remain in God’s presence and “soak up” all the wonderful things He has planned for those who love Him.

Where are you in this story? Are you in the oven being baked, are you on the counter top with the other dishes waiting to get into the water?  Are you trying to remove all the gunk in your life by yourself?  If you are in any of these places, I invite you to make your way to the sink and enter the dishwater.  Only there will you be cleaned and only there will you be made useful for God’s purposes.  How about a good soaking in the Lord today?  Come on in, the water’s just fine!

A Beacon In The Night

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Today's Title: A Beacon In The Night

Today's Scripture: John 1:5

A 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 and alerting them to the possibility of 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 various 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 are 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 sigh, 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 and 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 I turned onto another road.  As I safely negotiated the intersection and continued on my way, my car was bathed in the warm yellow light that came on and went off and regular intervals.  I could still see it in my rear view 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.

No Fear

Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Monday, December 29, 2014

Today's Title: No Fear

Today's Scripture: Luke 2:10-11

Several years ago, T-shirts with the words No Fear emblazoned across the front were all the rage. Everyone from infants to adults sported the T-Shirts and the slogan was also plastered on everything from water bottles to jogging shorts.  Wearers of the slogan wanted to communicate to the world that fear was not part of their vocabulary.

But fear, or being afraid, is very much a part of our lives. We fear bad news from the doctor.  We fear learning about the amount of tax we owe to the government.  We are afraid when the phone rings at 3 a.m. in the morning and letters from bill collectors are never a welcomed site, especially after the holidays. And, last but not least, we fear the unknown.

So imagine how the shepherds felt as suddenly their evening is interrupted by an angel, something they had never seen before and certainly did not understand.  As we learned on Friday, they were terrified.  In fact they were, as we say in North Carolina, scared stiff!

But the angel's message was one of comfort, assurance, and hope. In Luke 2:10-11 we read, "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'"

God's first word to the shepherd is one of comfort.  There is no need to fear, no need to be afraid. The light has come and the darkness is over. The long awaited Messiah, he who was promised, whom the prophets foretold, is here.  Salvation has come and it's not very far away!  What a great message this was and the shepherds, as we will see tomorrow, wasted no time in acted on the angel's message.

God still works like this in our lives.  He is in control of every situation. He is in full control of our lives and even though it seems that the world is upside down and darkness is all around, God's message is one of comfort, one of assurance, and one of love.  Do not be afraid, whatever the circumstances. The same God who sent this message to the shepherds is still at work today.

Basking In The Light

Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Thursday, December 25, 2014

Today's Title: Basking In The Light

Today's Scripture: Luke 2:9b

 

Our house on Main Street underwent many transformations.  Every time our family grew, the house grew right along with it.  Every few years, or so it seemed, it was time to rip out something, rearrange several rooms, or add something to the house.  My mom and dad loved the end result but living through a remodel was, shall we say, challenging.

One of these remodels provided my brother and me with a new room.  Our sister, Heather, needed her own space so she took our old bedroom and the guest bedroom was transformed into a new bedroom, complete with new closets and a desk.  The carpet was royal blue and the wallpaper was a vibrant mixture of orang, blue, white, black, and yellow stripes.  It was very pretty and fun to see.  I remember our first night in the new room.  My brother and I had no problem falling asleep.  But the next morning, we learned just how “vibrant” that new wallpaper was.

Mom hit the lights at 7 a.m. sharp and with all those bright colors our closed eyelids provided no protection.  One minute I was snoozing in a velvety blanket of darkness and the next I was hit with a wave of light that jolted me into consciousness.  I opened my eyes and for a brief moment I didn’t know where I was.  Nothing looked familiar and I wondered if perhaps I was dreaming.

I believe this is the way the shepherds felt when the angel appeared to them.  Until that moment, everything had been routine.  The hills looked the same, the conversations were the same, the lowing of the sheep sounded the same, it was pretty much business as usual.  Then suddenly, from nowhere, the image of something they had never seen appeared before them.  What’s more, it spoke and there was light everywhere.

Luke records this for us in Luke 2 9b “…and the glory of the Lord shone around them…” Can you say hit the lights?  Just imagine how shocked these men were.  They were catapulted into reality and I’m sure they wondered if they were seeing things or even dreaming.  But notice that this light was all around them.  It dispelled all the darkness and left them only basking in the light of God’s glory.  How fitting this is.  The first thing created was light and the angel was announcing the birth of the “light of the world.”

No matter where you are on life’s road today I want you to grasp this truth.  The light of God’s glory dispels all darkness.  Wherever he is, there is light. Light to show you the way, light to dispel your fear, light to provide comfort, and light to assure that we don’t walk in darkness.  John said it best, that God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.  Are you basking in God’s light today?