Your Call Is Important To Us

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ou know how it goes.  You need some information so you spend several minutes trying to find the correct number in the phone book.  Of course, the number you're looking for is always listed in the most illogical way and when you do find it, there are several numbers from which to choose.  You always select the wrong one and then begin eliminating numbers until you find the one you're looking for.   On a scale from 1 to 10, your frustration level is a 5. You take a deep breath, dial the number, and wait.  As luck would have it, the line is busy, so you hit the redial button, not once, but several times.  Finally, the line is clear and it begins to ring and your frustration eases off to level 2.

That's when it happens.  The phone on the other stops ringing and you hear the all-too-familiar recording telling you how glad they are you called.  The message goes something like this:  "All lines are busy.  You're call is important to us.  Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order in which it was received." 

You roll your eyes, take a deep breath, check your pulse, and bite your lip.  The frustration monitor is now at 8.  You begin questioning the sincerity of the recorded message that is now playing for the fifth time.  If your call were really that important, someone would be on the phone speaking with you, assisting you, and listening to you.

Several times a day, we find ourselves spending more time in conversation with a machine than we do with those closest to us.  What is amazing is that we actually spend time listening to and believing the machine

However, it is not the machine's message that upsets us as much as it is the fact that we feel unimportant.  Instead of receiving priority treatment, we are assigned a number, placed in long line, and our call is addressed by someone we don't know, in a place we've never heard of, asking questions we can't answer, helping us with a problem we didn't call to report.  No wonder we get frustrated!!

Isn't it wonderful to know that God does not work like this?  In the book of Psalms, David gives us example after example of God's interest and care for his children.  He refers to us as sheep receiving constant care from our great shepherd.  In the Psalms, we come to know God as our defender and protector, one who knows us intimately and who knew us before we were even formed.  Here, we understand that God planned all our days and that he seeks a deep and meaningful relationship with us.  In the Psalms we find strength, courage, reassurance, peace, comfort, and grace.

In Psalm 34:15, David writes, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry."  What a wonderful promise this is, especially when placed against the background of our world today.  God is never too busy to listen to us or to understand our situations. 

The first part of this verse speaks to God's awareness of his children.  His eyes are on us, no matter where we are, no matter what we are facing, no matter how difficult the trial.   We are precious to him and considered righteous, not because of what we've done on our own, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us and because of who we are in him.

The second portion speaks to God's availability.  He is always aware of our needs and listens when we pray to him.  He gives us his undivided attention and is always open to our requests.  We have direct access to his throne, and can reach him at anytime, from any place, concerning anything, speaking any language, even the language of tears and silence.  His ears always hear us because God listens to our hearts.  No request is too large, no prayer is too small, no cry is too soft, and no praise is too loud.  Our God hears us, no matter what.

God does not own an answering machine!  You will never receive a message requesting you wait.  Instead, you will be speaking directly to God himself, not on the second, third, or fourth ring, but on the very first try!

Peace In Our Time

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ike most kids in most neighborhoods we had our little disagreements, our arguments, and our skirmishes.  Usually these lasted no more than a few hours unless a siege was declared in which case we could make it perhaps two days before a truce was called.  War in a neighborhood is rough, especially when you want to play outside and no one will join you because you’ve drawn battle lines over who has the best tennis shoes.

Honestly, I can’t believe the things we used to argue over.  But it wasn’t long until we found some way to bury the hatchet and get our friendships and our relationships back on track.  Usually, the peace treaty took the form of a simple I’m sorry.  But if the stakes were really high, candy, potato chips, a ride on someone’s bike, or some type of trade was involved.  The result was peace in the neighborhood until the next squabble came along.

Isn’t it odd how behavior among neighborhood kids reflects the greater neighborhood of the real world?  Unfortunately, though, neither a bike ride nor a candy bar can resolve these problems.  Even a formal declaration of peace between countries is no guarantee that the peace can be maintained.  The world learned that lesson during the Second World War.  Neville Chamberlain, England’s Prime Minister, returned from the 1938 Munich Conference with a declaration of peace with Nazi Germany, confidently stating that he had obtained “Peace in our time.”  Sadly, there was no peace and the treaty signed between these two powers was worthless. The scuffles in Europe’s neighborhood continued until the entire world was at war.

Peace is a very popular word in vogue today.  With all the conflicts around the world, it seems that every diplomat, every government leader, every political party, and every social movement has a solution for the world’s problems.  The cries for peace around the world sound like a verse from the children’s song, Old MacDonald had a farm.  It would sound something like this, “Here a peace, there a peace, everywhere a peace, peace!”  History teaches us, however, that permanent peace is seemingly beyond mankind’s reach as a whole.

Would it surprise you to learn that the word peace appears 292 times in the Scriptures?  From Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning to the end, we find mankind looking for peace with his enemies but also peace for his soul.  Fortunately, God’s word makes it crystal clear that mankind can achieve peace.  This peace is not between countries or individuals.  It is not based on a document or on a trade of goods.  It is based solely on God’s grace and His gift of salvation for a lost and dying world.

Micah 5:5a gives us this following statement on peace: “And he will be their peace.”  In this portion of scripture, Micah looks forward to the day when Messiah will come.  Notice that Micah does not say that Messiah will bring peace; he says that Messiah is peace. What a wonderful truth this!  The words of Jesus, spoken hundreds of years later, guarantee this peace for the human soul.  Jesus says in John’s gospel that he gives us his peace.  This is not the peace offered by the world but the very peace of God.  Paul also writes in his letter to the Romans that believers in Christ have received peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Do you have this peace today?  In a world that is rocked and torn by turmoil, hatred, war, and fighting do you have the assurance of God’s peace?  When your personal situation becomes difficult, when your family life is tense, when your future is uncertain, when it seems the burdens of life are more than you can bear, and when it feels as if you are being attacked from every side, cut off from all help, do you have God’s peace and assurance that passes all understanding?  If so, I pray that you will continue to walk in this peace today.  If you do not know this peace, I want to invite you to bow where you are now and accept Jesus Christ as your savior and lord.  He truly offers us “Peace in our time.”  Have a great day!

             

Don't You Care?

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ummers in North Carolina are known for their heat and for their humidity.  The air is so heavy with moisture that a quick walk to the mailbox and back can leave you wringing wet.  The month of August is especially this way when the summer reaches its hottest point and all outside activity comes to a standstill. 

In addition to the humidity, Carolina summers are also infamous for the severe thunderstorms that appear from nowhere.  The day can be perfectly clear with few clouds in the sky.  Suddenly, large, black clouds form on the horizon, the sky grows an eerie gray, the winds increase in intensity, and the rains come.  Added to all this, keen lightening and loud claps of thunder frequently accompany these storms.  At times, the thunderclaps are so loud they shake houses and buildings to their foundations.

One of my aunts dreaded thunderstorms.  I remember her coming over to our house with my cousins, riding out the storm because she didn't want to be at home alone.  She would sit on our couch and every clap of thunder caused her to shudder and grow more frightened.  The storms scared me as well, especially when the power went out.  However, I knew we were safe as long as we remained inside and as long as one of my parents was with us. 

Luke's gospel records a very famous account of a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been teaching all day and he and his disciples were tired.  They got into a boat to cross over to the other side of the lake.  Jesus, worn out from the day's work, fell asleep in the stern of the boat.  Suddenly, from nowhere, a huge storm formed over the lake.  The Sea of Galilee is known for sudden, tumultuous storms that form suddenly.  Due to the geography around the lake, these storms are usually accompanied by ferocious winds, causing large waves on the surface of the lake.  These storms have led to the sinking of many boats caught in the middle of the lake when they appeared.

Understandably, the disciples are afraid.  They see the winds, they feel the boat rocking back and forth, and they know the swelling waves could sink them.  Can't you just see them?  They are panicked, scared, and at their wits’ end.  They don't know what to do, or where to turn.  They only know they are in trouble!!  And where is Jesus?  Where is their friend and confidant?  Where is the one who promised to be with them?  He is in the stern of the ship, asleep!  Yes, in the middle of all this chaos, Jesus is sleeping!

The disciples wake him and fire one question at him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38).  Jesus, having been roused from a sound sleep isn't startled, angry, or the least bit agitated.  Their question doesn't offend or shock him.  However, instead of answering verbally, he demonstrates his care for them by calming the winds and the waves. 

This is always God's way.  He is not upset or shocked or agitated when we ask questions like the one the disciples asked Jesus.  Who among us hasn't wondered where God is at certain times in our lives?  Who among us hasn't asked why bad things happen if God loves us?  Who among us hasn't honestly wondered if God cared, really cared about His children?  We have all asked these questions and, perhaps, we are asking them now.

 

Life's sea is not immune from storms. Nowhere in the Scriptures does God promise us that smooth sailing lies ahead for those who follow Christ.  On the contrary, Jesus promised us we would have difficulty in this life but that we should be happy for he has conquered the world.  Notice that Jesus is in the storm with them, not hiding out somewhere, but he is right there in the boat with them.  This is a great truth.  God is not way out in space, far from reach.  Instead, He is with us in our trials, sharing our difficulties, experiencing all the things we experience in life's challenging moments.

Like the disciples, we often accuse God of not caring, of not paying attention to our needs.  These questions and accusations are usually born out of frustration, anxiety, anger, and fear.  At such times, God does what he does best.  Instead of verbally telling us he loves us, he shows us.  He wraps his arms around us and holds us to his chest.  There it is safe, warm, peaceful, and free from all care.

Today if you are experiencing a storm in your life, don't be afraid to call out to God.  He knows where you are, He knows you are afraid, He knows you are anxious, and He knows you are frustrated.  Do what the disciples did, go to Him, make your request to Him plainly, and let Him show you how much He loves you!  Had it not been for the storm that day, the disciples would have never learned what it is to have God say, "Peace, be still!"

Safely Sleep

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ur home on Main Street was a wonderful place to grow up.  We had great neighbors all around, there were plenty of other kids to play with and it seemed we never lacked for anything to do.  Mom would step out onto our back porch more than once to call us in, especially during the summer months when school was out.  Finally, as the last remnants of sunset gave way to the dark pall of night, we would head home for baths, and bed.

Each night before closing the house for the night, mom or dad would follow the same routine.  All the lights in the house were turned off, the thermostats were checked to make sure we were cool or toasty, mom and dad would stop by our rooms to kiss us good night, and the doors, both front and back, were firmly shut and the security latches fastened.

Peace then rained in our home and we all settle down for a good night’s sleep. I never felt afraid, nervous, or worried about anything happening to our family.  Mom and dad were there, they had secured the house, and all was well with the world.

Today it is quite different. I go through the same routine each night as my parents did but the last thing I do is to make sure the security system is armed and all the outside lights are on.  Then, I hop into bed and Trixie, my cat, takes settles into one of her many favorite spots, and we go to sleep.

Isn’t it funny how we place so much confidence in locks and security systems?  David, the shepherd boy who became king, had no such options. Instead, as a shepherd, he looked to God for his safety and security.  He records this for us in Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

There are three great truths tucked neatly away in David’s words.  First, notice his confidence in the Lord.  Despite weather, despite intruders who would harm the sheep or try to steal them, despite the lion and the bear that could easily strike the flock, David says confidently that he will lie down and sleep.

Then notice how David plans to sleep.  He will lie down in peace and sleep in safety.  No cares, no worries, no things going bump in the middle of the night, just deep, peaceful, and restful sleep. David knows full well that God is on watch, that God will protect him and let no harm come to him.

Lastly, let us take notice of why David will sleep in peace.  David categorically states that he can and will sleep in peace and safety because the Lord, and he alone, will make this happen. In fact, David uses the word, dwell, to demonstrate his faith and confidence in God’s provision. To dwell means to remain constantly in that state. In essence David is saying I will lie down and sleep in peace and safety because Lord you, and no one else, constantly stand watch over me, be it day or night.

Tonight, I will make the rounds just as I am sure my mom and dad will make the rounds at their home.  Before I turn out the light and settle in, I will remind myself that despite the locks, despite the outside lights, and despite the security system, I will sleep in peace and security because God alone will stand watch over me, just as he has every night of my life!  Do you know this security today?

After Sunset

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he hefty 737 airliner rumbled down the runway gathering speed in its effort to leave the ground and become airborne.  Just a few more seconds and we would leave the earth behind and begin our ascent toward the magical altitude of 37,000 feet, destination Paris, France.  The captain pulled back on the stick and the bulky piece of metal jumped into the air and gently floated aloft, upheld by the cool air passing over its wings and lifting it gently higher into the sky.

The plane continued its ascent, passing through cloud banks, playing tag with the small clouds that drifted near its wings, and shaking ever so slightly as small bumps of turbulence were overcome with ease.  After a hard right bank, the pilot evened the plane out and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport was soon nothing but a speck and a memory.  In the distance, the sun was making its way toward the western horizon, inching slowly downward, heading for the darkness of night and a well-earned rest.  All that remained was the soft drone of the engines and the conversations of passengers in the seats around me.

About three hours into the flight, I cast one last glance out my window and could see the final rays of sunshine disappear into the western sky.  The sun slipped below the horizon and night cast her velvety shawl over the clouds, bringing peace to the earth below.  What a wonderful sense of calm I experienced as I gazed at that sunset until the moon rose in the distance.  Then I closed blind, adjusted my blanket and settled in for my journey around the world, still thinking about the sunset I had seen at 37,000 feet.

There is something soothing about a sunset, whether it is viewed from terra firma or from 37,000 feet in the air.  It brings closure and is a welcomed rest from the work and hustle of daytime hours.  Perhaps this is why Mark paints the following scene of Jesus healing the sick and possessed after sunset.  In Mark 1:32 we read, “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door.” In the cool of the evening, after the hustle and the bustle of the day, Jesus comes and heals the people of the village.  He takes away the cares of life and replaces them with his presence, his joy, and his peace.  After sunset and in the presence of Jesus, the troubles, cares, pressures, and problems of this life simply vanish.

Jesus is aware of the difficulties of life.  He knows when friends forsake us, he knows when unexpected trials and tribulations come, and he is aware of life’s most difficult and challenging moments.  He invites us to bring our burdens and our cares to him and to place them at his feet.  Have you spent time after sunset with Jesus? Wouldn’t you love to do that today?

For Sale by Owner

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 ride through town is always a good thing, especially when you’re not pushed for time.  Usually when I am visiting my family, I take my sister for a ride around some of my old stomping grounds.  We ride past the house where we grew up, we ride past several parks where my friends and I used to play and ride bikes, we visit neighborhoods that haven’t changed in forever, and we drive right through the middle of downtown. 

For me, it is a visit to an earlier time, a time of no worries and no cares.  As I drive through neighborhoods, as I pass parks and schools, pictures of old friends and the memories of good times spent together flood my mind. The sidewalks I took to school are still the same, the trees I used to pass as a boy are still in their places, the buildings on Main Street have the same facades, and life still moves at a pretty leisurely pace.

Changes, though, are evident in many sections of town.  New houses have been built and old ones have been torn down.  New developments and new businesses dot the landscape and new faces are rapidly replacing more familiar ones.  Several houses have signs posted in their front yards advertising they are for sale.  Some of the signs bear the names of prominent real estate agency but others simply say “For Sale by Owner.”  Everywhere it seems, things are in constant flux.

If you think about it, people live their lives in much the same way.  We are constantly on the move, changing jobs, changing relationships, changing scenery, changing, changing, changing.  We never seem to be satisfied with the way things are and we are constantly looking for that next move which we promise will be our last.  The problem is, we never really find what we are looking for, do we?  The areas of life we move into soon lose their appeal and allure and before long, we put up the sign, “For Sale by Owner” hoping someone will come along and buy us, getting us out of the situation we are in.

This idea of constantly moving and forever searching was very familiar to the Apostle Paul.  In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul admonished his readers to remember who had purchased them and how their lives were to reflect that new ownership.  Paul writes the following to the Corinthian believers, “For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7:22-23).

In this brief statement, Paul makes it clear the relationship the believers in Corinth, and we as believers today, should have.  He takes great care in underlining the fact that their former way of life is over. Those who were slaves are now free in Christ and those who were free are now slaves to Christ.  Paul, here is not speaking of the Christians life as one of indentured servant hood.  Christ sets us free from sin and from its slavish hold on us.  When we become believers in Christ, he becomes our lord, savior, and master.  Our lives are to reflect him as our new owner.  Christ can claim ownership because he paid a high price for our salvation.  That price was his own blood and life on Calvary.

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hat are you looking for today?  Is there a sign in your front yard advertising you are for sale?  Are you looking for a new neighborhood in which to live?  Do you believe that a new job, new friends, a new location, or a new relationship can improve your life?  Are you ready to accept any payment as long as your situation changes?  Stop and think for just a minute.  If you are already a believer in Christ, then you need to turn every situation over to him.  Don’t make a move unless God tells you to do so.  If you are not a believer, I invite you to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior.  He will place you under new ownership and will supply all your needs.  He is all you need to make your life all it can be.  Trust him, accept him, and turn your life over to him.  It will be that last life-move you’ll ever need to make.  

Home-grown Tomatoes

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n highway 274 a few miles south of Cherryville’s city limit sign stands Shady Grove Baptist Church.  Behind this church there used to be a large field, completely hidden from view, accessible only by a winding dirt road.  Unless you were aware of its existence, you’d never notice or know the field was there.  This field, however, became the scene of one of the greatest lessons my dad taught me when I was only six or seven years old.

At the time, the field belonged to one of my great uncles who farmed for a living.  Every summer my dad liked to plant a vegetable garden. He loved working the land, caring for plants, and watching things grow.  This particular summer was no exception and he asked permission to use the field and my uncle gladly consented.  My dad’s intention was to use this field for a specific purpose.  It was destined to grow only one type of vegetable instead of providing different crops.  This field had been set aside to grow tomatoes and that is exactly what my dad planted—tomato plants, row after row of them.

I remember going with him to plow, plant, stake, and care for those tomato plants.  I love tomatoes and that year we had more than our share.  Dad and I would take a van, and as he plowed, hoed, watered, and tended the plants, he taught me one of the greatest lessons a father can teach his young son.  I remember dad telling me one day, “Son, a garden is the closest place to God on this earth!”  At the time, I had no clue what he was talking about, but now I understand what he was telling me all those years ago.

In Jeremiah 33:3, the prophet records these words from God, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  This is the lesson God would have us learn today and I began learning it over thirty years ago in the red mud of a tomato field off of highway 274 south.  Daddy was teaching me that after all the work of preparing the ground, planting, staking, watering, and weeding, he could do no more.  From that point on the job of producing tomatoes was in God’s hands.  All daddy could do was tend to the plants and do his best to care for them.  God made the garden grow and caused the plants to bear large, succulent, tomatoes.

It is exactly the same way in our walk with the Lord.  After we have studied our Bibles, prayed, and done all we can do, we have to turn the reigns over to God and trust him.  This is what Jeremiah was communicating in today’s scripture.  God is the only source for the answers we need. Only he can provide the love, the joy, the completeness, and the assurance that we need.  Too often we call out to people around us for answers.  We read every thing new under the sun and consult all the “experts” on a given topic.  But God says we are to call out to him and to him alone.

That summer, if we wanted tomatoes, all we had to do was visit that field and pull one off the vine.  They were better than any store-bought tomato because they came from daddy’s garden, grown with hard work and with love.  No other tomato from any other garden tasted the same.  Likewise, when we need answers, when we need assurance, when we need to know that someone cares for and loves us, we must go to the only source, our Heavenly Father.  We must draw our nourishment from his garden, because food from any other garden just isn’t the same and never as good.

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hen was the last time you called out to God?  When was the last time you sought his face and settled for nothing less than an answer directly from him?  He is waiting to teach us so much if we will just call on his name and wait for his answer.  When was the last time you had a home-grown tomato from daddy’s garden?  Why don’t you pick one today!

Lost In The Translation

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ne of the hardest lessons to learn when taking a foreign language is that word- for-word translation is impossible in every case.  Some sentences make very little if any sense when they are translated word-for-word.  This can be very challenging and frustrating for the student.

A better way and more effective way of translating involves the translation of whole ideas instead of words.  This approach requires an in-depth knowledge of both the foreign language and the target language into which the work is to be translated.  Knowledge of both of these languages comes from working with them on a daily basis, understanding their grammar and the various rules governing them.

However, even with such an intimate and thorough knowledge, some things remain untranslatable from one language to the next.  Without going into a long explanation, I can think of two expressions in French which have no English equivalents.  When used, they can turn any sentence into a question but they themselves have no exact match in English.  However, being able to recognize these structures enables communication to take place even if an exact translation isn’t possible.

The Apostle Paul understood this notion, especially when attempting to translate God’s love into a language that we can understand.  In his letter to the Philippians, he addresses God’s peace and how it applies to our lives even when we don’t fully understand its complete meaning.  In Philippians4:7, Paul writes, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

There are a few things this verse, though short, teaches us.  Just prior to this verse, Paul admonishes his readers not to worry but by prayer and supplication, in thanksgiving to make all their requests known to God.  When we do this, when we approach God reverently and with thanksgiving, telling him our requests, then his peace comforts us.

Who among us has not had this experience?  Perhaps you have been in a very difficult place, the loss of a job, the sudden illness of a loved-one, or you have encountered unforeseen financial problems.  You are at a complete loss to explain these events and you are at an even greater loss to understand them.  You pour your heart out to God, asking, pleading with him for an explanation and a resolution.  Your prayers, however, don’t even seem rise any higher than the ceiling, if that high.

But you are undaunted by this and you keep praying all the more. Even though God does not give you a direct answer, there is this assurance in your heart that he has heard you, that he is listening to you, and that he is making provision for you.  You don’t know how, you can’t explain it, and you don’t understand it, but in the middle of all the chaos, you experience a restful calm in your spirit.  Despite the circumstances, you know that God will care for you and that everything will be all right.

You have just experienced what Paul was describing above.  God’s peace cannot be translated, communicated, mailed in a letter, or sent through an email.  The only way it can be communicated is through personal experience and that personal experience comes by way of testing.  God’s peace is there when all else fails.  It is the one reality in a phony world.  Only the peace of God brings calm assurance and rest to the soul in need. Only he is able to communicate his love to your soul, even when you don’t fully understand the language.

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o take heart.  Even when we fail to translate everything perfectly, God understands.  His peace and his love are not dependent upon our ability to translate, only on our ability to trust and obey.  Lost in the translation, perhaps, but God’s peace is never misunderstood by the hearts of his children!

Covered Parking

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

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

Date: Friday, February 20, 2015

Today's Title: Covered Parking 

Today's Scripture: Psalm 91:1-2

Searching for an apartment complex in which to live proved to be both an enjoyable and a somewhat daunting task.  After spending five years in the men’s’ dorm at Southwestern Seminary, I was ready to have a place of my own with just a little more room to maneuver than my existing arrangement.  I began flipping through the newspapers, real estate magazines, and catalogs just to see what the area offered.  I got in my car and drover around town trying to decide what areas I liked and disliked.

Finally, I settled on an area of town and I began earnestly looking for apartments that had the features I desired within the price range I could afford.  Someone told me about several sites on the Internet that would prove beneficial so I began surfing the web, searching for that perfect apartment.  After several weeks of looking through ads, visiting apartment complexes, and listening to several PR pitches, I came across the complex where I currently live.

The location was perfect, the apartment had all the things I was searching for and the price was right on target.  In addition to all the things I was looking for in a home, the complex had one other feature which really peaked my interest.  Over 95% of the parking spaces in the complex were covered and the price of this parking was included in my monthly rent.  Most other complexes provided covered parking at an additional charge but this complex didn't charge extra for it and that was the deciding factor.

Now, I didn't have to worry about my car during bad weather.  The hailstorms here in Fort Worth did no damage to my car. In fact, no hail hit the car because it was safely parked underneath the shelter.  In bad weather, the car was safe. When it rained, the car didn't get wet. When it was windy, there was very little danger of something falling and hitting my car, and during the summer months the car remained cool because the sun’s rays didn't penetrate the covered area.  As long as the car remained underneath the shelter, it was safe and protected.  This was a great comfort to me and gave me one less thing to worry about.

Did you know that the Bible speaks very clearly about God providing shelter for those who trust Him?  In fact, the Scriptures state categorically that God, Himself, serves to shelter all those who know Him as their Heavenly Father and who have placed their hope and their trust in Him.  Psalm 91:1-2 reminds us of this wonderful truth, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Notice the words the psalmist uses to describe God.  His is a shelter, He is a shadow, He is a refuge, and He is a fortress.  The shelter and the shadow provide rest and safety from the elements of heat, wind, rain, and snow.  To hide or rest in a shadow means that you are hiding or resting in the shadow of something that is bigger and stronger than you are.  Not only is there rest in the shadow, there is also peace and contentment.

But God is also a refuge and a fortress.  The refuge is a place you go to escape your enemies and in the Christian life we have our share.  The enemies of doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, as well as all forms of temptation and harm have no power over those who take refuge in the Lord.  Moreover, God is a fortress, an impenetrable stronghold that safely and securely protects all those who place their trust in Him. There is, however, a part that we play in this relationship.  If we are to enjoy the peace and cool of the shadow, if we are to escape from our enemies and experience the safety of the refuge and the fortress, we must put ourselves in God’s hands. 

The psalmist says that only “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” can experience these things.  Dwelling means staying put, setting down roots, to make a permanent residence.  What a wonderful image for us and what a powerful lesson.  When we take God seriously, when we make Him our dwelling place, when we let Him become our protection, our provision, and our sustenance, then we will enjoy all the benefits of covered parking.  Is your life safely and securely parked under the covered parking of God’s protective mercy and grace?  

Access Granted

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

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

Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Today's Title: Access Granted

Today's Scripture: Romans 5:1-2

Access granted!  It sounds like a good beginning for a James Bond movie or the latest spy-detective novel, doesn't it?  I mean there’s something kind of mysterious and just a bit devious about having access to information no one else has.  But rest assured, nothing like that has happened. I've not been entrusted with any secrets of national importance.  I do not know who will be in the Super Bowl, and the knowledge of the winners in the upcoming Grammy Awards has not been imparted to me.

So what is all the hullabaloo about?  Exactly what information am I privy to that would cause such an uproar and be cloaked in secrecy?  Nothing really!  My job at the university has taken a slightly different tact than before.  I continue to be in the classroom but now I am also working with students as they plan their courses of study.  Based on the classes they've taken and their chosen areas of concentration, I am helping our department by advising them on the next steps they should take towards graduation.

The notion of access was not lost on the Apostle Paul.  He spells out in no uncertain terms how the Christian has direct access to God’s grace.  Paul reminds us that this access comes through Jesus Christ and him alone.  In Romans 5:1-2 he pens these words, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

From this brief passage of scripture, Paul describes our relationship both before and after accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  He says that after accepting Jesus we 1) are justified, 2) have peace with God, and 3) have access to God’s grace.  None of these are possible without Christ.  Without him we are at odds with God because of our sin.  Without Jesus we have no peace and without him we cannot participate in nor be recipients of God’s grace.

But when we accept Jesus and ask him to come into our hearts and save us from sin, then we become justified by faith, we have peace with God, and we stand in God’s grace.  Jesus Christ grants us this access—and it is full access—to God!  When we accept his free gift of salvation, our status changes and we can tap all the wonderful resources of God because of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

This doesn't require a top-level security clearance and it you don’t have to work for any underground or clandestine organization.  To have this kind of relationship, all you must do is to admit you are a sinner—and we all are (Romans 3:23)—and ask Jesus to become the Lord of your life.  Have you been granted access today?