To Do or Not To Do? That is the Question

    Some questions are easy to answer and others are more difficult.  That was not a profound statement but one that is rather obvious.  Easy questions are those that you can answer quickly and that require little thought.  Others, might take a bit more time.  The rich young man came to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked a question, "What do I need to do in order to have eternal life?"  He figured that there must be one major thing that he could do and then have eternal life in the end.  For him, it was all about works.    First john 5:11-13 says, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.   These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
       The  response in unbelief of the rich young man's question, might be "Duh!"  This would indicate that to us the answer is indeed simple.  It is so simple that one shouldn't even ask the question.  People, however, do ask the question and for many they go away sad because they refuse the answer that is so obvious.  It is an obvious answer, but it is also a simple answer, and we don't like things that are simple.  We want to complicate them with a long list of things to do.  This was the problem with the rich young man.  He wanted to know what he could "do."  This was my problem for many years.  I wanted to find something that I could do that would make me have a good standing with God, and then in the end, have eternal life.  That's when my fellow clarinet instructor and best man at our wedding, Ron Riley, came by my teaching "cubicle" and quoted First John 5:11-12 and then left.  He said nothing else.  Those verses answered my question,  If you have the Son, then you have eternal life.  If you don't have the Son, you don't have life.  Now, if the Bible's answer doesn't square with the world's answer, which one do you chose as being right?  Again, Duh!  We take the answer that is Biblical over any other view, opinion, guesswork or imagination.  He that has the Son has life.  Praise God today that He still is in the business of granting eternal life.

When Trouble Comes

       Our church decided not to have services on Sunday evening, October 29.  Well, it came time to go to church and my wife wanted to go somewhere so I chose two churches that would be a possibility.  One large church near us has changed their Sunday evening activity to what they call "Campus Groups."   I had no idea what that meant, so decided to go to Grace Church in Roanoke.  Upon arriving at the church, there was a sign on the door which said, "No Evening Services on October 29."  So, we left.  I could have chose a couple of churches of different doctrines, but ended up at home.  I tuned in Sermon Audio on the internet and found a church in Greenville, NC.  I tuned it in and was blessed beyond measure with a message from the new president of Bob Jones University, Dr. Pettit.  My spelling of his name is questionable, but it was an excellent message on "trouble."   James 1:2 says, " My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"  
      What do you do when "trouble" comes into your life?  That was the major question that the speaker addressed in his message.  Certainly, we all are confronted with "trouble" in our lives.  It can come from sickness, loss of a job or a loved one, discouragement, depression, or any other interruption into our perfect lives.  One of things mentioned of course in the Book of James is the consideration of joy.  Now, who wants to do that?  When trouble comes into our lives, it is rather hard for us to be happy about it.  God, on the other hand, uses trouble to develop our faith.  James goes on to say that this trouble is going to improve your faith.  Once the trouble gets taken care of, guess what?  You get another one.  Not only that, you might get two or three, or even four more at the same time.  The speaker went on to say that when trouble comes into his life, he immediately goes to the Book of Psalms.  He stated that the Book of Psalms is like a medical IV for trouble.  All of the Psalms are good.  They all work.  So, praise God today even for the trouble that comes into your life.  That means you are still growing in your faith.

What Is This Stuff?

        Have you ever come to a place in your life where you didn't know where the provisions for the next day would come?  I have long trusted in God and that He would provide during different times in my life.  I am at the point now where I can say that God has never failed me in the past so i don't expect He is going to start now.  One of the biggest changes in our lives occurred when I entered Washington Bible College as a full time student with a family to support, house payments, car payments and the list goes on.  We lived comfortably in our home in Alexandria, Virginia and I was working with A. T. and T. at the time when I decided to go into the ministry.  We never missed a house payment, car payment or any other bill during those years, even the bills that came in regard to my education.  I can and do say that God provided in each and every situation.  Exodus 16:4 says, "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no."
       The Israelites had, what they considered to be, a good life in Egypt.  They continually reminded Moses of all the wonderful food and water they had while living and being the slaves of the Pharaoh. So, while in Egypt, they complained and God answered.  It wasn't perhaps the answer that they expected, but God rained down a new "food" for them to eat.  They simply called it "Manna" which means, "What is this stuff?"  There was no Kroger or Safeway or Seven Eleven around the next bend.  They woke up and there it was.  Instructions were given and the people had a new food.  The lessons grew from this supply to the people as they wandered in the wilderness.  The bread continued to fall as God prescribed until they entered the Promised Land.  Then, the provision stopped and they ate the "corn of the land."  God always supplies our needs.  There may be those times today, tomorrow and the days to come, where you don't know how you are going to make it, but God will take care of you.  We can have perfect peace by trusting in God as the Scripture reminds us in Isaiah 26:3.  We often worry and fret over the things of this life when they are always in God's hands.  So, praise God today for His provision and you will soon realize that God has never failed you in the past and He isn't about to start.

God is Faithful

      They say that there are two words that we should not use.  One of them is "always" and the other one is "never."  If I say that I always obey the law when I am driving my car, I am probably not 100% correct.  If I also say that I will "never" break the law while driving, I would be equally in the wrong.  These are two words that we can't use.  We don't know what circumstances are going to come into our lives that will suddenly thrust us right in the middle of the thing that we have been so ardently against.  There is only one who can use these words.  That is God.  Notice the following verse.  Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  
       Did you notice that word "never?"  Now, if I were to say that I will "never leave thee nor forsake thee" it wouldn't be worth very much.  But, when God says the same thing it is worth a whole lot.  In fact, we can rest in the truth of this verse of Scripture because of the character of God.  People change and they change quite often.  God, on the other hand, doesn't change.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There is nothing about Him that is going to change.  Therefore, we can rest in the promises that He has made such as this one which reminds us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He won't give up on us when we fall down.  He won't cast us aside just because we did the wrong thing.  God never gives up on His own.  This is why we have His Book, the Bible, to inform us of what we are supposed to be doing and how we are to live this life.  Now, there might be times when you feel as if God has left you and given up on you but know that this is not the case.  How can we say that?  Because God has said in His infallible Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  You can rest in that truth no matter how you feel nor how many things happen to you.  So, praise God today for His presence in your life and the fact that He won't forget you.  You can also praise Him that He will "never" leave you because that is one of His promises to us.

Doing the Good Things

        I mentioned recently about instructions that one gets in products that you have to assemble or at least put some batteries in somewhere.  The instructions also tell us some of the benefits of the new device before you.  You may even find out that it does more than you expected.  My Kindle woke up one day and said that "Alexa" could help me.  I didn't even know I could get Alexa on my Kindle.  Then, it said for me to ask it a question when the blue light was on.  I wondered, "What blue light?  I don't see any blue light."  Then, I held my finger on a little circle for longer than usual and suddenly a blue light appeared.  I spoke and Alexa answered.  There are a lot of things in this life that we don't know fully all that we have.  I don't understand all of the features of my microwave, camera, computer, Kindle and the list goes on.  Nevertheless, they are all capable of doing more than I expected.   James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." 
     We may not know all of the benefits or instructions about our spiritual lives.  We are sometimes even surprised when God responds and we suddenly know that it was God Who did it.  There is another side of this when we realize that there are instructions for us to do but we fail to do them.  When we stay in God's Word, we do get a set of instructions that tell us how to live.  I am always reminded about the 38 imperatives in the Book of Ephesians.  These are all good things to do.  Imperatives are statements that tell us to do something and there should be no question about it.  James reminds us that to fail to do those "good" things is sin.  We sometimes think that doing bad things is sin.  That is true, but also failing to do the good things are also considered to be sins.  You can dump a pail of cold water on a believer who is being blessed by the Spirit in his life and you have then "quenched the Spirit."  You may also fail to forgive someone.  It  would have been good if you had done so, but you failed to do it and held on to the grudge in spite of God's instruction.  You may have failed to show love to that person who is hurting or you may have held back financially in spite of a brother's or sister's need.  There may be a lot of blessings that we don't know about in our Christian life but there are many things in this same life that we know that we should do but fail to do so.  Guess what?  That's sin.  You may have been successful in keeping from the temptations of sin this week, but you may have also failed to do the "good things" that God required of you in your relationships with others.  Praise God today He guides us in our spiritual lives.  Are you following His instructions?

Step by Step

     Many of the things I purchase these days have a little pamphlet in them which will say something similar to "quick start", or "Introducing your product."  The steps are set forth in the most simple way indicating how you can begin using your product.  I got a new blood sugar monitoring meter recently and there were two pamphlets inside, well actually three as one of them was in Spanish.  The English ones included the full instruction booklet of over a hundred pages and then there was the quick start one that had the list of easy steps.  It would begin with a listing of what was in the box and where to insert or check the battery and then went through a number of steps all the way down to measuring your sugar level in your blood.  Steps are important in the simple things in life.  If you follow them, things turn out the way they should.  When you skip a step, forget a step or ignore a step, things don't come out all right.   Psalm 37:23-24 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." 
     This is a comforting thought for the believer.  There are steps in our Christian life.  We don't even know all that they entail, but we know they are there.  A verse or thought like today's verse, reminds us that God is the one who set up the steps in the first place.  He knows the way in which we should go and how we are going to get there.  That is contained in the word,"ordered."  One definition includes the following:  "to be firm, be stable, be established."  God establishes our steps.   Do you sometimes wonder what God is doing in your life?  I recall going down the steps at one of the churches where I was the associate pastor.  It was dark and I thought I was at the bottom, but there was one more step.  I had quite a fall because I missed the last step.  It will be comforting for us to know that God has our steps all lined up and you will not miss one that He has for you.  You may not understand all of them, but God does.  You can go out in confidence today realizing that God has ordered, or established, your steps today and actually each and every day.  Praise God today that He has a hold on our hands.

Misplaced Priorities

     What's important in your life?  Where do you have your priorities?  What things are important in your life and what things don't really matter too much at all?  I mentioned a few days ago about getting rid of things that we don't need within a year.  We may consider out hoarding of earthly treasures as "recycling" or giving our accumulated boxes of unused material some other fancy name.  I often have to defend my own collection of used faucet parts as being somewhat necessary for the preservation of life.  I think, though, that the issue comes down to priorities.  It is an issue in which I have been challenged in my own life and especially for the church in America whose abundance in technological advances, information and devices to instill comfort have lulled it into a sense of apathy as a result of misplaced priorities.  What is important?   Matthew 19:21-22 says,  "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."  
     In the account of the young rich man, we find an individual who had a lot of concern for his earthly possessions.  He asked the right question.  He was concerned about eternal life.  He wanted to have eternal life, but obviously, didn't like the answer that Jesus gave him.  What was more important to the rich young m his possessions?  In the end, of course as the narration goes on, the man walked away empty handed.  He refused to do what Christ told him to do.  He went away sorrowful because he had great possessions.  The priority had been placed on the possessions rather than the eternal life.  He didn't like the answer.  There are many affluent believers in the world today who have the same goals of the rich young man.  They want to have their cake and eat it too, as the saying goes.  They want to have their possessions and get eternal life in the end anyway.  Riches are not wrong, but they become more like idols in our lives.  Riches are also the things that we accumulate in our lives that also bring responsibility.  I probably will always be haunted by the fact that 96% of the church's money goes to minister to 4% of the people, i.e., the believers of the American church.  Money for missions is reduced to a ridiculous level.  One man quoted that we spend more on dog food than we do on missions.  The priority has shifted and the material things are more important in our lives than the spreading of the gospel.  It is sad that many will end up missing eternal life because of their own desire for material things in their lives.  Where are your priorities in life?  What is important to you?  Don't be like the rich young man who walked away sad.  Praise God today that He offers the best gift ever and that it is free to all who would receive it.

Great Benefit Package

         I recall that in the state of West Virginia, when you become 60 years old, you receive a "Golden Mountaineer Card.  I always thought it a bit humorous that one of the few benefits was the fact that you got 15% off at Jiffy Lube when you took your car in for service.  Other than that point, there were not too many other benefits.  There are times when belonging to a certain group or organization gives you some good benefits.  We find in the days in which we live that there are not too many organizations or businesses that offer great incentives for becoming a member.  You soon find out that if you have nothing to offer the organization or business, they are not interested in you.  There are some outstanding benefits, however,  for becoming a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  First Peter 5:7 says, " Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."  
     When you become a believer in Christ, the benefit package is beyond your wildest expectations.  One could write or speak for days on the benefits of heaven versus hell, or the unconditional love versus indifference.  One of the little benefits tucked away in this package is the one mentioned above.  The little words, "He cares for you" are words of comfort and hope in a world that shows a lack of concern and care for its inhabitants.  People seem to show a concern for you if you have money to purchase what they are selling.  A restaurant wants your business so you will spend more money in their establishment.  Many organizations simply want to collect your "dues" that you have to pay in order to be a member.  When you come to Christ, you suddenly find that one of the greatest benefits is the fact that God cares for you.  I have found that one of the most popular songs in the nursing home is the simple little song, "Jesus Loves Me."  It is a children's song yet it expresses the fact that God does care for us and according to John 3:16, loves us beyond our wildest dreams.  When you  read God's Word, you suddenly find that this unconditional care is a great comfort.  It is especially a comfort when we find adversity in our lives. It is a comfort when the unexpected happens when sickness or even death cross our paths.  The above verse of Scripture, which is a relatively short verse, offers much comfort and hope to all believers in a world that is filled with adversity, trouble, war, and hopelessness.  Praise God that "Jesus love me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Treasures or Junk?

      I once was associated with an individual that had the philosophy, "If you have no need of an object within a year, get rid of it."  That is usually not the case with most people.  We come across an object and say to ourselves, "I might need that someday."  Then, we tuck it away in some place where we hope we will be able to find it later and forget about it.  When we returned from Spain, there was one box that we didn't unpack for about 6 years.  I knew what was in it, but just left sit in the corner of the basement.   Our accumulation of nuts, bolts, washers, nails and other assorted things make for a good use for the coffee cans that you don't want to get rid of either.   The result will often be a room full of boxes and cans that are filled with both large and small items that we might need someday.  We are good at keeping things.  God is also good at keeping things.  Philippians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  
       In this case, God is good at keeping us in a certain state due to His power.  Peace just doesn't come with an accumulation of things that we might need some day in the future.  Peace has its connection with the Lord Jesus Christ and He is the Only One that can give us that peace.  When trouble or adversity comes into our lives, we often feel as if we were going to fly apart, wringing our hands and saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do."  For the believer however, that is not the case.  Instead, we find ourselves at peace because we have our trust in God and He indeed "keeps" us in a peaceful state.  We do need at times to remember that the power to be kept is dependent upon the power of the Keeper.  In this case, the Keeper is God.  This is why this peace that God supplies is beyond our understanding.  Is your schedule full?  Are you about to have some medical procedure?  Are you having a tough time at work?  Place your dependence upon God and He will keep you in perfect peace.  So, praise God today for the fact that He is able and willing to "keep" you in His hands throughout all of the turmoil in your life.  The result will be a perfect peace that the world can never supply.  Praise God today that He provides the peace in our lives.

Getting Charged Up

     It seems as though we are getting more and more items that require batteries.  If it's portable and needs power it is going to have a battery somewhere.  The price of batteries however, makes it difficult to just purchase a set of batteries every time you want to use the device.  One of the answers to this is the rechargeable battery.  When it runs down, you simply take it out and place it in the charger for a couple of hours.  Soon, it is back to full charge and ready to be used again just like when it was new.  It would be nice if Christians could have a recharging station.  We often get to the point where we feel as if we just can't make it another step.  When that happens, we wish that there was a place where we could just plug into it and be recharged in a couple of hours.  Well, we have good news for you.  There is a recharging station where Christians can be strengthened back to full capacity.  Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 
        You can see by the verse of Scripture that there is a "waiting" required just as there is with the rechargeable battery.  The waiting here, however, is a waiting on the LORD because He is the One who is going to be supplying the power or the strength that we need in order to be refreshed.  The waiting here is due to the fact that we have cried out unto the Lord and we are waiting for Him to respond.  We have come to the point that we are waiting on Him for His response to our need.  This is the only place where we can find that refreshing that we need.  This is a refreshing of the inner life, our inner most being.  This is not referring to the outward appearance, although the outward appearance may or may not be affected.  This is referring to how we feel inside.  Many believers today may appear great on the outside, but are falling apart on the inside.  This is the time that need to be refreshed by coming and waiting upon the Lord.  Our lives may find that we are in ship wreck in our relationships, or in the work place, or in school or even in church.  That is when you need to take the time to pull back and refocus.  By this, I mean that you need to wait upon the Lord and get restrengthened by Him.  The affect of the Lord's strengthening is seen in the rest of the verse.  The verse continues and says that we shall be able to mount up with wings as eagles, to run and not be weary and walk and not faint.  We have the strength that we need.  So, if life is getting the best of you today, then just take a moment and head for the recharging station.  In this case, you don't need to plug it into the wall you just need to plug into the LORD.  Praise Him today for His supply of continuous strength.

Would You Repeat That Please?

    Perhaps you have heard of the expression, "to reinvent the wheel."  The meaning is, "Do something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort."  It is an expression that reminds us that there are some people who continually do the same thing even though it has already been done before.  In the Spiritual life, we have the central idea of preaching the Word of God over and over to those who have already heard it time and time again. I guess we are hoping that at some point it will really stick but that is a work of the Holy Spirit in that individual's life.  In the 1980's I became convicted about living in a small county of Virginia which had over 20 Gospel preaching churches for around 20,000 people.  At the same time, there was the situation in Spain where there was one church for a city of 200,000 people.  In my mind, there seemed to be a stronger need to help in an area with few workers, then to keep on doing the same thing to a group of people who seemed to be dead to the Gospel.   Romans 15:20 says, "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:"  

     The Apostle Paul was one who didn't let the grass grow under his feet as he went from place to place with the Gospel message.  It was also evident that the people cared for him in places like Ephesus where when he left, the leaders fell on him with tears, probably very sad to see him go.  So, Paul was well liked in some places.  Paul had spent two years teaching in the school of Tyrannus but there came a time when he brought it to an end.  The verse for today reminds us that there were more people who had never heard the gospel and Paul was determined to go there and to bring them the message of salvation.  Paul didn't want to build on another person's foundation but wanted to start from scratch.  There is real excitement when you reach a person with the Gospel message who has never heard it before.  The "ho-hum" of the church becomes the "hallelujah" of the tribe in distant lands who have never heard the message before.  Preaching the gospel time and time again to those who have heard it and refused it often reminds me of trying to build on another's foundation.  There are those in our country who have never heard the gospel message.  We find that especially true even in some of our large cities with a large foreign population.  It was once reported that the city of Charlotte, North Carolina had over 3,000 french speaking Africans.  You didn't have to go to Africa as a missionary, you just had to cross the street or to go into the next neighborhood.  Look for those who have never heard.  You might be surprised where you find them.  Praise God today that He still has a message of hope and peace for the people of the world.

A Bean in a Shoe

     There are some times when small things exert a lot of force on a much bigger thing.  When I worked on the farm, we always had a lot of work and a fun time bringing in the crops especially wheat, soybeans and corn.  Every now and then, a small item, such as a ripe soybean would get in my shoe.  I couldn't walk until I got the bean out.  We know how small items such as thorns, beans, or a piece of gravel can cause you to stop in your tracks and take care of it.  The same thing is true of the rudder of a large ship.  The rudder is small when compared to the size of the ship, but the ship will go the direction to rudder is turned.  James says in the following verses in  James 3:1-3 says, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.   For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.   Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body."  
     He speaks about the bit and how it is used to influence the direction of the horse.  We know that the size of the bit is small, yet when placed in the mouth of a horse, the direction of the horse can be altered.  James goes on in verses 5 and 6 to make the comparison between the bit and the tongue.  This was the whole point of this passage.  The tongue, which is relatively small when compared to the body, is responsible for things both good and bad.  James in this passage is referring to the "fire" that it kindles.  There is that small word or tone of voice that conveys so much when speaking to another person.  I have had too many occasions when a person will say something to me and then immediately say, "Oh, I was only kidding."  I usually find that they meant what they said in the first place and then tried to cover it up with another statement.  My father had a proverb that he would say, "Put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion."  Others have reminded us of the fact that we have two ears and one mouth so we should spend twice as much time listening as we do talking.  We would avoid a lot of problems if we took that advice.  People, however, don't want to listeners, but to get their own agenda across to others.  We are often admonished however, to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  How about your life?  Are you a listener, or are you one who wants to interrupt and get your point in quickly?  Listen to others and especially listen to God.  Praise God that He does hear our prayers and that He listens to us.

The Chase

      There are some things in life that you chase after.  You may find yourself chasing after your spouse saying, "You forgot your phone."  You may even find yourselves as being the one who is chased when you have forgotten something.  I often get reminded about this or that thing that gets left behind momentarily.  Fortunately, the race is slow as I don't move very fast anyway.  There have been times when I had to catch a certain chicken or even a certain pig.  Those were always fun times in one way or another.  The Scripture speaks of pursuing something different in the following passage of Scripture.  Hebrews 12:14 says, " Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" 
      The word "follow" is one that has the meaning of "pursuing."   In this case, it is a pursuing that is intense and that there is nothing that is going to stop you from reaching the goal.  We had a beagle that had a keen nose and she would pursue something in the woods, jumping here and there as she kept her nose to the trail.  Even in the snow, she would pursue the scent, bouncing up and down with snow flying here and there.  The point for us is that we need to have that same desire to pursue two things that are in this verse of Scripture.  One of them is peace and the other one is holiness.  I never saw my beagle loose interest in the pursuit. I have however, seen a lot of people who lose interest in the pursuit of peace and holiness.  As one pursues peace, they may come to the conclusion that it is going to be a long race yet we have peace in the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us.  The pursuit of holiness enters our life in a constant battle between the flesh and the Spirit.  The writer of Hebrews made mention of the importance of this pursuit at the end of the sentence where he said, "...without which no man shall see the Lord."    That is a pretty good reason to pursue holiness.  Holiness has the sense of becoming more and more separated to the things of the Lord and less and less connected to the things of the world.  One replaces the other.  You should not separate from the world and then have nothing to replace it with.  That is why it is necessary to develop holiness in our spiritual lives.  We can find the course of holiness in the Word of God.  So, it is going to involve our relationship with God through His Word and prayer.  We should be amazed to find that the phrase "Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of God" is so vitally necessary in our Christian lives.  Are you getting tired of the race or are you determined that nothing is going to stop you in your pursuit of peace and holiness?  Praise God that He has the plan for our Christian lives.

Extraordinary Days

      Are you ready for an extraordinary day?   There are many times in our lives where the days seem just be mundane and very ordinary to say the least.   Believers, however,  who are endeavoring to follow the Lord's leading, often have extraordinary days.  That is, great things are happening.  Just imagine the Apostle Paul as began his journey on the road to Damascus.  It was going to be just another day of rounding up some Christians and throwing them in Jail.  So, he set out for Damascus.  As he was riding along, something extraordinary happened to him.  Acts 9:3-4 says, "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"   
     This was not in Paul's plan for the day.  He was heading to the town where he was sure there was a large group of believers that he could capture and bring  back to Jerusalem.  Instead, he found himself confronted with God.  His life then took an abrupt change of course.  There are still things going on today that makes our days extraordinary.  God has a person for you to meet or a circumstance in which to place you.  You may find yourself involved in something that you didn't plan for when you started out.  God often does that.  Oh, He doesn't give you a "plan of the day" in which everything is laid out.  He just guides you through one event to the other and you find that you day is everything but calm.  When God gets hold of your life you find that you just need to hold on and let Him do the leading.  Once you start out your day with a time in God's Word and a time of prayer, you need to be ready for what God has in store for you.  Don't balk at the plans that He has for your life but rather follow Him and His leading.  Romans 8:12-14 says, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."  So, trust God today and be ready for an extraordinary day.  Praise Him for His guidance and protection.

Pity Party

    Sometimes I wake up, especially on a Monday, and think no one really cares for my ministry, my teaching or my musical ministries.  After all, it's Monday.  I won't say that it is restricted to Mondays but it does occur more on that day than many of the others.  I may think I should have said something differently, or that the lesson material was prepared well enough.  When I think more about it, I realize that I am having what is called a "pity party."  This is where you think you are on a certain level in life but in reality, you are at the bottom.  Romans 12:3 says, " For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
      Romans 12 seems to automatically be focused on the first two verses and perhaps we don't think about verse number three.  I was challenged by the words, "...not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think..."  If you regard yourself at the bottom, then you don't have to be concerned about anything else.  We know, however, that in God's eyes you are at the top.  It is God that does the exalting and not man.  It is God that lifts you up and not your great teaching, preaching or singing.  First Peter 5:6 reminds us, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"  So, in God's eyes you are lifted up.  The problem in our thinking is that we seem to think that everything in life is centered on us.  It is almost like the thinking that we are the center of the universe.  All of a sudden we realize that we are not the center and discover that the whole thing is not about us, it is about the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the One that should be exalted in each and every area of our lives.  Our focus needs to be on Christ rather than our own selves.   When you finally get to this point, your Mondays turn out much better than before.  What is the center of your life today?  Probably, many of you who are reading this are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ but sometimes you may feel down and out because of some experience that just took place in your life.  We should go back to verses one and two and make sure that we have presented ourselves on God's altar as a living sacrifice.  If we have truly done that day by day, then we won't be having days when we think we are getting cheated in our Christian life.  Praise God today for His exalting of our own selves in His way and in His timing in each and every area of our lives.  May you have a good day in the Lord as you seek to serve Him today.

Problem or Solution

    Every now and then we hear someone say, "Are you part of the answer or are you part of the problem?"  I get that impression quite often and end up asking myself if I should continue a in a certain direction or decide that a change is necessary.  It is easy for me to get excited about something and to then expect that everyone else is just as excited about it as I am.  That certainly is not the case.  People don't seem to jump on the band wagon in response to my urging them or anyone else.  I am excited about the fact that God is supervising the work of translating the Bible into the languages of the people around the world.  There are several agencies who are doing this work such as the Lutherans, New Tribes Mission and Wycliffe.  Our generation has had the Bible every since the founding of our country.  Even the Spanish world had a copy of the Scriptures for hundreds of years, but many of the tribes in countries like Paraguay and Papau New Guinea just got a copy of God's Word.  How exciting that was for all of them.  So, am I part of the problem in getting people excited about Bible Translation?   First Corinthians 9:26-27 says, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 
      Paul had this thought in the back of his mind wherever he went and whatever he did.  He had the fear of being put on the shelf, so to speak.  He says that he doesn't want to be a "castaway."  That would be saying that God was finished with his ministry so Paul would have been no more of a use to God and put on a shelf.  Of course, that didn't happen in Paul's life.  He came to the end of his life and was able to say that he had finished the course.  He had finished the work that God had given him to do.  That would be a comforting thing.  When you come to the end of your life, will God say that you did a good job, that you were faithful and that you have completed your task or will God say, "Well, you did the best you could but it was not what we had wanted."  I don't know too many people who would be content with that type of evaluation.  We would look more to the welcome statement, "Well done!"  As we go through this life, we need to make sure that we are following the directions given to us in God's letter, the Bible.  If we stay in line with what God's instructions say, we will end up with a positive evaluation at the end.  In the end, we want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  Praise God today for the instructions that He has given to us.

Are You Desperate?

      Have you ever hit your thumb with a hammer?  I got a little thing in the mail one day from a magazine that promotes do it yourself projects.  It looked like a thin, long rubber eraser, but had a split in the end.  The purpose was to hold a nail in place until you made that first strike with the hammer.  The first strike is the one where all the trouble starts when your thumb gets hit more than the nail does.  When we hit our thumbs with the hammer, we usually cry out in pain and dance a little until the pain begins to subside.  Let's face it.  There are some things in our lives in which we cry out.  If you hit your finger, you cry out in pain.  They may be, however, other times in which you cry out.  Psalm 55:17 says, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." 

      There are several verses in the Book of Psalms that describe the Psalmist crying out to God.  In several of the Psalms, the crying out is due to the attack of some enemy and the Psalmist then cries out for protection and deliverance.  I guess you could say that the person is desperate.  Our pastor has been preaching on the moving of God and how this usually takes place when people are desperate.  We cry out to God when we are desperate to be delivered from some area in which we have absolutely no control.  For many of us, we try to fix the problem ourselves and when we come to the conclusion that we cannot fix it, then we turn to God and cry out for help.  We know that He can fix it.  He can fix anything.  It is a shame that we wait until the last possible moment for that relief.  In some cases, however, especially when you are in some battle, you have no control over many things.  These are those special times when you cry out for God's help and it is amazing to see God move in those situations.  The question, as has been presented to our congregation, is how desperate are you for God's working in your life?   If you are not desperate enough, then you won't cry out to God but when you have that hopeless feeling inside of you, then you turn to God and as the Psalmist, cry out to God for help.  You may find yourself in a desperate situation, but you don't have to wait until the end.  Cry out to God in all of your needs even when things start looking just a little dim.  We can always praise God for His deliverance in any situation.  We don't have to wait until the last minute.

Bumps in the Road

      Life is full of unexpected happenings.  You may have noticed that things seem to never go as you originally planned.  It can be that unexpected phone call or an event that takes place.  Regardless of the cause, your plans suddenly change.  In the midst of that change can come frustration and even a wonderment of how you are going to get through this new event in your life.   Dr. Jeremiah once said that, he had an acquaintance of his that had an unusual favorite verse.  It was simply, “…it shall come to pass…”  While it is only a part of a verse, it still reflects the thought that the man wanted to convey.  No matter what takes place in your life, that at the moment seems to be an insurmountable object, it too shall come to pass.  Take the promise that God gave after the flood to Noah and his family.   Genesis 9:14 says, “And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:” 

      Clouds were going to be something new at first and would probably bring a quick remembrance of the recent flood.  However, God promised that even with the clouds would come the rainbow which would be a symbol of his promise that the world would not again be destroyed by a flood.  Clouds can sometimes be seen on the horizon of your life and mine.  It is when we see these clouds that we need to remember that God has promised to see us through in each and every situation.  So, whether it be a medical emergency, a relationship problem, a financial problem or other situation that occurs in your life, the Lord has promised that He will take care of you.  Just as He promised Noah and his family concerning the flood, so God has promised to provide all of our needs no matter what may arise in our lives.  If you are having a “cloudy” day, then remember that the Lord has also given you the “rainbow” that will chase away the clouds.  No matter how bleak things may be in your present situation, you can be assured that it will come to pass.  So, praise God today that He is working in all of our lives and that nothing is out of His reach.  The bumps in the road of life are what you grow on.

Another Thought About Grace

     Society often trains us from the beginning that we should strive to be successful and that we can do anything we want to do.  There is much written on the glorification of self in this world.  All of this tends to make it more difficult to understand the subject of grace.  Grace may not be the opposite of self or success, but it comes close.  In our world, there seems to be little room for something like grace.  Grace promotes God and not self.  After all, grace is that which comes from God and is offered to us.  Grace is something that I like to think about it because God's grace is always sufficient for everything that pops up in our life.   It is that attribute which gives us everything that we don't deserve.  There is no way of earning or achieving grace on our own.  Titus 2:11-14 says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 
         Not only can't we earn grace, it was manifested in the sending of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We see grace when we look even at the little acronym for the word: God's Riches At Christ's Expense.  Grace is vitally important in our lives.  If we are going to have salvation, then it is going to be the result of God's grace.  If we are going to get through problems in this life, then it is going to be the result of God's grace.  The one item that is so important in God's grace is that it can't be bought for even the smallest or the greatest of prices.  The moment that a payment is made for grace, it vanishes like a vapor.  It is no longer there.  So, there is nothing that  a person can do in order to buy a little grace or even to store up a little for tomorrow.  It is always there when you need it because it comes freely from God.  When the above verses say that grace has appeared to all men, we understand that it is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  He is the personification of grace.  He has been offered to all who only need to believe on Him.  Then, they too will understand and receive this marvelous grace.  So, praise God today for the fact of His grace, His unmerited love, that has been bestowed on us through the death of Christ on the cross.

Blankets and Comforters

        Have you ever wondered how some things got their names?  We have many different kinds of blankets in our home.  At first, I just thought that a blanket was a blanket.  Obviously, there is the size difference making them anywhere between twin and king size.  But, there are other differences.  We have some that are meant for just your lap while sitting in the Lazy Boy and then we have some that are called "quilts' denoting how they are made.  We also have horse blankets which describe where they are going to be put.   Then, there is that one that is called a "comforter."  I really don't know where the comforter came from but since it is rather bulky and soft, I presume that it is a blanket in which you could curl up and be protected from the cold outside.  It makes one feel comfortable.  The Apostle Paul was concerned about the state of the church at Thessalonica.  He wanted to know how things were going and was fearful that they had run into trouble.  He waited as long as he could and then finally sent Timothy to Thessalonica to learn how things were going.  The trip was not only a fact finding trip for the Apostole Paul.  He also wanted Timothy to do two things.  He wanted the Thessalonians to be established and he wanted them to be comforted.  First Thessalonians 3:1-2 says, "Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;  And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:" 
        Paul used this word eight different times in this short epistle.  It is a word that it used quite often in the Bible and is almost always connected with the strengthening of our faith.  What is it in this life that will take care of us like the comforter that we put on our bed?  What will keep us at peace?  It is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We soon find that the Scriptures are what gives us the comfort that we need.  In the Gospel of John, we find mention of a comforter.  It is not the word "to comfort" but it is the word which denotes He who is doing the comforting.  The Holy Spirit works in our life by the strengthening of our faith and then we are comforted.  it doesn't make any difference what is going on in the world.  it doesn't make any difference how things are in your life.  Comfort is always available to you through the working of the Holy Spirit.  You will find that meditation upon the things of God will do wonders in the light of your present struggles.  Your faith will be strengthened as your mind races over the various promises that God has given to you through His Word.  So, don't be left out in the cold spiritually speaking today when you have "The Comforter" right with you at all times.  Praise God for His protection and strength today.

Reverance

    There are some things in life that you just shouldn't do.  You just shouldn't pull the tail of a sleeping lion nor should you walk across an open field that contains a very large cantankerous bull.  You should not tempt these unpredictable animals for no cause.  You might find yourself running very fast trying to find safety.  That's just plain common sense.  Well, neither should you tempt God by making fun of anything that is in the Bible.  You can pretend that you are George Burns and make fun of God but that would not be the wisest thing to do. That's just common sense.  Psalm 33:8 says, "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."  
     The phrase, "Fear the Lord", occurs a number of times in the Bible and simply gives forth the idea that we are to hold God in complete reverence for all that He is and all that He does.  Now, this applies to everyone and not just to believers.  It is not just the Christian who needs to take this advice.  Notice that the verse said, "Let all the earth fear the Lord..."  It wasn't just implying a small group of people but indeed all the inhabitants of the earth.  In today's society, people think that they can use things from the Bible to make comedy, or to misquote, or to mix up with pagan theologies.  But, the warning is still there.  Everyone needs to fear God.  That is, we are to have a special reverence for Him.  Retribution can and often does follow the group that decides to disregard the warning.  Retribution may not happen right away, but it will happen.  This is why it is important for believers to take heed to the warnings and to make sure that their relationship with God is based on a strong reverence for Him.  Remember, it was God who spoke creation into existence.  It was God who sent His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world.  It is God who will hold all men accountable for their actions.  It is God that will preside over the final judgment at the Great White Throne.  There is no time to violate God's standards.   There will come a time in everyone's life when they are desperate and with no one to turn to.  Then, perhaps, they will cry out to God.   So, make sure that you are having a genuine reverence for God.  Praise God today for His power and His righteousness.

A Part of the Answer

 

       There have been several times in my life when a certain question was presented to me.  The questions is, "Are you part of the answer or are you part of the problem?"  After taking a glance at the news and checking the reports here and there, I see that nothing has changed dramatically since yesterday.  It did, however, get worse and not better.  People often ask themselves, "What is this world coming to?"  Humanity has proven that it cannot get along.  That is, it can't seem to work with and cooperate with other people of their own kind.  Countries are war with countries and people are taking each other's lives not only in our own part of the world, but around the world.  There is not Utopia of peace as it just seems to be getting worse.  You don't need me to remind you of that if you have read the morning paper in your part of the world.  What we do need to be reminded of is what is our part in all of this.  Many and indeed hopefully all of us would rather be a part of the solution instead of being a part of the problem.   Jeremiah 33:3 says, " Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." 

         We started a new series in church this past Sunday evening and our pastor reminded us of the great spiritual events that took place in our country when devout people came together to pray.  He also reminded us that there has not been a similar event for well over the past 150 years.  God has not changed but we have!  Spiritual awakenings have taken place in our land that has affected our area and even the other parts of the world.  When people get "saved" they want to see other saved as well.  When God works in our lives, then we want to see God working in the lives of others.  We don't want to hide the works of God on a shelf or lock them up in a safe, but we want to declare them to the whole world.  We want to shout, "Do you see what God is doing?"  Unfortunately, we have become more of the problem and not any part of the solution.  How do we find the answer?  The Bible has long said that we need to pray.  People are seen praying in the Bible.  People who are in "desperate" need come to God for answers and help in the times of trouble.  Maybe we don't have enough trouble in our own personal life to warrant our crying out to God in prayer.  That would be very hard to imagine.  Just look around you.  We are quick to shake our head but slow to bend the knee and the heart in prayer.  How many more storms have to come into your life before you are desperate enough to cry out to the Only One Who can help?  Praise God today that He answers prayer.

Fundamental Foundations

        I was at a concert years ago of a trumpet player named, Rafael Mendez.  He was rather good to say the least.  He was asked a question after the concert on what he considered to be the reason for his fantastic technique.  He replied that it was due to three things.  Scales, scales and scales.  Musicians know that the most fundamental area of study on any instrument are the scales which consist of at least 4 major forms including, major scales, pure minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor.  The accompanying arpeggio would go with them.  The scales are the most fundamental area but have lasting results especially in the area of technique on any instrument.  You can't get around things that are fundamental.  They lay the foundation and you can't have anything without a firm foundation.  When thinking about the Christian life, one thing stands out as being fundamental and that is the definition of the Gospel.  First Corinthians 15:1-4 says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.   For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;" 
        It is often mentioned that the one thing that believers have to do is the spreading of the Gospel.  Unfortunately, many don't have a clue as to what the gospel is and as a result, they are propagating their own belief system rather than what is defined as the Gospel.  The Apostle Paul defined the message of the Gospel when he penned the first letter to the Corinthians.  He states right at the beginning of the chapter that he declares the Gospel and then goes on in the 3rd and 4th verse to clearly define the Gospel message as being the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If the message that you are declaring does not have those three items in it, then you are not declaring the Gospel but rather your own ideas which really don't have too much to say about eternal life.  So, like Rafael Mendez, the fundamental thing responsible for success in the ministry is the declaring of the Gospel to a lost and dying world.  As scales were to Rafael, so the Gospel is for the Christian worker, the missionary and the believer as they seek to reach others with this important message.  Praise God today that He has given us a clear message to take to the world.