Thanks

 December 23, 2020

Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

    I thank you all for your prayers  and expressions of comfort especially during the past few days.  It's not over yet, but taking a one day breath and then going to Carilion Hospital in Roanoke for a vascular bypass on my right leg from the knee to the ankle to help increase the good blood flow to the foot which still has the hole in it.  I came home yesterday to a large bowl of fruit from Fleming Chapel and I immediately devoured two apples, one yellow and one red.  I thank them so much for the apples, pears, oranges and bananas.  I got discharged quickly and had almost two hours to wait before my daughter could come so I checked Facebook and got a way to call Michael Saunders who dropped what he was doing and came over to get me home.  Michael is also from Fleming Chapel.  Fleming is a small group but every one who goes there is a servant and ready to do what they can to help.  I appreciate them very much.  I had some interesting experiences at the VA hospital and more doctors that were attending to my circumstances.  There were about four or five different teams of 3 to 5 doctors in each team.  I had a lot of procedures while there, more blood drawn than a vampire on a Saturday night and not so tasty food.  I met nurses that cared for what they did and who never seemed to have time to even sit down for a break.  I had a roommate for about 2 hours who was in worse condition than I was and with whom I was able to have prayer before he was taken to another hospital for more care.  This is the longest break in the devotions in the past twenty one years.  We will get back to a regular schedule when things get somewhat back to normal.  However, I believe it was Beth Moore who said that "normal was just a setting on your dryer."  So whatever normal is, we will get there and get back to a regular occurrence as soon as possible.  Thanks again for you prayers.  Let me also say that Facebook has a bad reputation at times, but for my time in the hospital with no phone directories it was a blessing and a way to get my thoughts and prayer requests to you all.  May God richly bless you all during this holiday season as I will spend my second Christmas in a hospital.  God is good.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Dan, sometimes known as pastor dan.

The Inheritance

            My Father wasn't the one that communicated with me through letters. Mom did that. There was one time that he wrote me a letter after I had made some plans with which he strongly disagreed. One of his comments was, “I will disinherit you.” It is not that we had any great items for an inheritance. In fact after he did pass away, the biggest thing I inherited was his tool box which contained some tools I had never heard of and few that I knew how to use correctly. We just never had that much in regard to monetary reward for an inheritance. Just imagine my thrill upon learning that there is a time when I will receive an inheritance but won't be from my earthly Father, but from my Heavenly Father. Romans 8:16-17 says, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." 

            The Apostle Paul works this all up from the beginning and shows how we are not just heirs, but join heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. It all begins back in Ephesians 2:8-10 we are described as being saved by the grace of God and not by any works one way or another. Paul describes it as a "gift" from God. Since salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned or else it wouldn't be called a gift. Then, it would be "wages." One of the other tings that takes place is the receiving of the "ribs" from the Holy Spirit. We are Regenerated, Indwelt, Baptized and Sealed" at that split moment. Once we are sealed, we cannot be unsealed so in the end we receive the inheritance that is mentioned in Romans eight. How then do I live this life in the here and now? There are far too many believers who are living as though they are paupers when in reality they are in line for the biggest inheritance ever. Every description of heaven is going to become real. You won't hve to pay rent for a dwelling place in the Celestial City. There will be no more pain nor suffering. You won't even need the sun or the moon as we will have the light of the presence of The Light, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There will be no more sin nor darkness. For once, all will be right. So rejoice this special t ime of the year when we remember the birth of Christ. This was where the plan began to come to light as the Babe was born in a manger. As some have said, it began the journey from the cradle to the cross where are sins were paid for by the blook of Christ. Praise God today for His working in our lives.

Surprises

          I probably have had just a few surprises in my life. That is something where the completely unexpected takes place. Most of my surprises have been accidents that have taken place. I obviously wasn't expecting them to happen such as jabbing my big toe with a three pronged pitch fork while trying to move some straw from on place to another. My foot was under some straw in front of me and I thrust the pitch fork in only to hit my big toe with one of the prongs. It went through the leather of my shoe and stuck in my toe. Now, that was a surprise. Most of the good things in my life had been told to me before they happened. One pleasant surprise that took place was when my band director wanted me to play the bassoon. I didn't know what one was and since it was a double reed, I thought it must be the oboe. That was a surprise when the band director came out with a case big enough to store three oboes. I guess a surprise is something that you don't expect to happen but does and there can be pleasant and unpleasant surprises. One thing for sure, God is never surprised by any thing that takes place. Genesis 3:15 says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 

        God knew what was going to happen and the plan had already been put in place long before it was needed. There was no surprise to God when the events unfolded in the Garden of Eden. Since the fall of man took place, there needed to be a plan of redemption and God had already put the wheels in motion so to speak. Those wheels were centered on the Messiah and everything that would be needed to bring the plan to fruition. God promised in the above passage to bring forth a Messiah that was going to conquer Satan. As the plan unfolded in the Old Testament, we notice the various feasts and sacrifices of God's Chosen People. The plan was going to include a lot of blood sacrifices and a system that would eventually make the payment for the sin of all mankind. Of all the animals, God chose to use sheep and to make specific instructions on what type of sheep could be used. It had to be perfect, that is, without blemish and not one that was of no value or one that was sickly. Over time, many sheep were used to make a yearly atonement for sin but the plan was steadily marching to the final Lamb. John the Baptist made the announcement in John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."  Then, there was the final three years before the sacrifice was complete on Calvary. God wasn't surprised on the events of the garden and He isn't surprised by the events today. He is not surprised by world pandemics and He is not surprised by icy roads on your morning commute. Large or small, God is never surprised or caught unaware of what is taking place in the world from the greatest of events to the smallest of things in your life and mine. You might be surprised when you walk into a room with decorations or when someone hands you a special gift, but remember that God is never surprised. Praise God today for providing in every situation in every time and in every place.

The Lowest of Jobs

        Probably every generation has its own list of unfavorable jobs. There was one job in the U.S. Navy that was so bad that it was sometimes reserved as a punishment of some navy regulation. It was the job of cleaning out the bottom of the ship which contained what was termed as "bilge water." Bilge water has been defined as "Bilge water is not exactly water but a mixture of variety of substances. Its a mixture of fresh water, sea water, oil, sludge, chemicals and various other fluids." It was customary to gather up the bilge water and throw it off of the "fantail" or the rear end of the ship into the ocean. Someone always had to be assigned the task of getting rid of the bilge water as it would not drain away of its own accord. While in the Navy, we had a man who was being punished for violating some regulation and who was assigned the task of cleaning out the bilge water. He removed the water into a bucket and then headed up to the main deck only instead of going to the fantail of the ship decided to throw it off of the starboard side of the ship which also had the Admiral's Barge secured to the ship. Hence the morning brought the picture of the Admiral's barge covered in bilge water which then resulted in more punishment for the young sailor. In the end, we would say that someone indeed had to do the job and it was one of the worst ones to do. There was just no easy way of getting rid of the bilge water. Luke 2:8 says, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." 

        One of the worst jobs in the time of the birth of the the Lord Jesus Christ was that of a shepherd. We might assume that being a shepherd was a glorious profession due to the fame of such shepherds as David. It was not the case. I have been told that shepherds in those days were considered to be one of the lowest occupations on earth and that shepherds were not even able to do many things tha the average citizen could do in their lives. Now, think for a moment about the scene in the above passage. We know the familiar words of the above passage and how it is going to lead into the most important announcement ever. Notice that it is not set in the city of Jerusalem nor in the palace nor in the place of some Roman leader. It wasn't set in the place of the home of the chief rabbi nor in the glorious temple constructed by Herod. The announcement of the greatest event was to a group of shepherds who were tending to their sheep. God often does the unexpected. You can never guess what God is going to do in regard to any problem or event. Those things that you might expect to be impossible or even unlikely take place when and where you least expect it to happen. We always need to be aware of God's unexpected methods. He often uses unusual people and unusual methods to accomplish His will. He may even use you when you may least expect it. How will God use you today and how may He use some unusual event to accomplish something great in the world today? Praise God today that He uses people like you and me.

The Maze

              One popular exercise today is the “maze.” Sections of corn are mowed down in order to make a path in the corn field. You can construct a maze and then charge admission to go through the maze. The corn grows tall in Indiana.  As a young boy we loved to play in the corn fields. By August, the corn was over your head. It wasn't a maze as you knew that the end of the row would lead you out of the field. I and a group of my friends, would often play in the corn fields.  In the middle of summer, you could run down the rows with the long leaves batting against your body.  Once you got into the corn field, you could not see anything around you.  The other boys could make sounds and you could hear where they were coming from but you couldn't actually see them.  Once inside of the corn field, you were isolated from all else around you.  The only way you could find your way out was to follow the rows.  You always knew that the rows would take you to either one end or the other.  So, while you were lost in the corn, you could always find your way out.  Men and women are lost today.  Only this time, they are not lost in a corn field, but they are lost in this world.  Sin has separated them from God and they don't have any idea how to get out.  Jesus, however, did make a way possible to get out of our lost estate.  John 14:6 says, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."             Jesus was speaking about getting to heaven.  He was speaking about a place where dwelling places were being prepared for the believers.  Thomas said that he didn't know the way to get there.  It was then that Jesus spoke these words that we find in the Gospel of John.  Jesus is the way to eternal life and to those dwelling places.  We can be roaming around in this life in this world in our lost condition and suddenly, we find that there is a way out and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ.  If there was anything sad about this whole thing, it would be the fact that some people choose to remain lost.  Even though the answer is simple and straight forward, they choose not to accept it and to continue in their present condition.  At the same time, others have accepted the way and have found the road to eternal life.  Are you on that road or are you choosing to remain lost in the maze in the corn field?  Praise God today for providing such a wonderful plan of salvation.

The Wait

           I recently purchased an item and waited for it to be shipped only to find out that the item had a delay on it and would not be shipped until another thirty days. I felt like saying “boo, hiss” but there is nothing that I can do about it except wait for it to come. I hope that it will be worth the wait. Many people find that they have to wait for one thing or another in their lives. It won't be the first time I have had to wait for something and probably won't be the last. I usually don't have to wait for things on my grocery list but most everything else in my life requires some period of wait before I actually get the item. There was a man that we find in the New Testament that had a special “wait” in his life and that man was called Simeon. Luke 2:26 says, “And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.” 

           Simeon was waiting for something that was far more important than anything that I have had to wait for. He was waiting for the Messiah. He had been promised that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Israel had been waiting for the Messiah for almost 4,000 years. The first indication was to be found in the Book of Genesis and then reference to the coming Messiah was sprinkled throughout the period of the Old Testament. Many Old Testament women were hopeful that the man child born to them might be the coming Messiah. The Messiah had been promised but where was He? When would He come? Simeon's had a special promise given to him and that was that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. You might wonder just how he was going to recognize the Messiah when he saw him for the first time. We have the account in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Verses 28-31 say, “Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;” There was no trumpet fanfare or any special announcement. Simeon knew the moment He held the baby Jesus in his arms that he was holding the Son of God. His waiting had ended and he knew that he could now go to his eternal rest and peace. There probably not any cases in the world today where a believer is waiting for something for all his life and then when he gets it, he is going to die. We usually have hope of utilizing whatever it was that we were waiting for in the first place. It could be the occupancy of a new or different dwelling place or a new car or even a new appliance. Our hope is not that we are going to pass on after receiving the new item, but that we will have a life time of use of the item before we go to our eternal reward. Simeon, on the other hand, knew that when He had seen the promised Messiah that He was going to pass on in peace. There may be some things in your life right now for which you are waiting. It could be the birth of a child in your family or the healing of someone who is sick that is close to you. One important thing to note is the God is faithful to His Word and If He says it, He does it. God was faithful to His promise to Simeon and God is also faithful to the promises that He has given to us in His Word. How about, “I will come again...” May we all rest in His promises. Praise God today for His promises to us in His Word.

Benefits

                I get a lot of notifications on the computer in regard to some of my memberships. Some come from the Veterans Administration and  some from Social Security and some from my insurance companies. Obviously, it is important to know all of your benefits.  As you get older, you soon realize that there are certain things that are available to you that were not there before you reached a certain age.  You also soon discover that they don't come to you automatically but that you have to ask, or you need to make application in order to receive those same benefits. This is even true with my Medicare Advantage program. It changes from year to year and the new benefits for any given year are not automatic.  A social security check will not automatically come to your mailbox unless you apply for it.  Oh, it is there for you to get if you want it, but you still need to ask.  There is also a spiritual application to this principle.  There are some things that you need to ask for.  John 16:24 says, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."   

            God desires believers to have full joy in all of the benefits that He has in store for us. While God's blessings don't change from year to year, there are those things that require your asking in order to receive. There may be, however, some who do not realize the importance of "asking" God for something.  They just assume that since they are believers, that the benefits will come automatically.  While it is true that certain things will be afforded to you as a result of your belief, there may still be other things that are dependent upon your asking for them.  Are you wanting to speak to a certain person about their spiritual condition before God?  Are you getting ready to start a new ministry?  Are you seeking God's will in regard to a specific situation?  Then, you need to ask God for those things.  A person who is resting within the center of God's will finds that there is a newfound joy in his or her life.  No matter what the situation in your present life, there will still be joy when you are where God wants you to be.  How are you going to know where that is?  This is where you need to ask the Lord about it.  Prayer is important and it is a vital link between the believer and God.  So, don't put off asking God for those things that crop up in your life where you think there is no hope of ever coming to fruition.  As one hymn writer has expressed, "Take it to the Lord in prayer." Praise God today for His gift of full joy.

The Scrapbook

           I am not a famous person and there are just a few things in the world that bare my name. My Mother created a scrap book of things that took place in my life and if my name was ev3er mentioned in a newspaper article, she would cut it out and paste it into the scrap book. I have a book that is filled with little meaningless articles where my name appeared such as my singing at a wedding or being in the local chapter of the Future Farmers of America. You have to also remember that the local paper would print anything that it received word for word. Our wedding announcement has every word in it as well as my exploits with the Unitas III band as it toured South America. These days, there is little said in the news about the activities of one named Dan in Roanoke. While it is usually a good experience to see your name in the paper, there is one place your you are mentioned in the Bible and it always excites me to think about this. John 17:20 says, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” 

          We know the scene. The Lord Jesus Christ is praying. John 17 is devoted entirely to this prayer. At this point, Jesus prays for those that will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of “their word.” We know that the spreading of the Gospel message is through people like you and me. The Word went out from the early disciples and spread from one person to another person until it seemed in the early church that the world had been turned upside down by the spreading of the Gospel message. Finally, the Gospel message came to me through men like Gene Tabor, Ken Vining, Ron Riley, Dick Raven, and finally through the preaching of Dr. Fred Brown and Dolphus Price. It was the same message that had gone down through the ages and finally came to me. I had believed through their word. That means that at this point in the scripture, in the above passage, you can put your name in place of the word “them.” The “them” is you! The scrapbook that God keeps is a bit better and more complete in its job. It is commonly called, the Lamb's Book of Life. The name of every believer is in that book. We find mention of it in several places in the Bible and one of the places it is found is at the Great White Throne judgment. What is unusual here is that none of the names of the people at the Great White Throne are in the Lamb's Book of Life. The people are therefore judged by the content of the “books” which have recorded every deed that every person has ever done or even thought about doing in their life. The final piece of evidence against them is the fact that their name if absent from the Lamb's Book of Life. Praise God today that the name of every believer is mentioned in the Scriptures since we have believed as a result of “their word.”

What To Do With Used Biblea

            I only have two things in my house that I don't like to throw in the trash. One of the is the flag of the United States of America and the other one is any old bible. I am aware that there are groups that will dispose of a flag in a proper and dignified manner and so keep my frayed flag until an opportunity to get rid of it comes along. I also have a hard time throwing away a Bible that is falling apart. As a result, I have a stack of used Bibles in my basement that are Bibles that I have used and my wife has used plus there is another stack on my bookshelf in my study that has about a dozen Bibles that are not being used. Some bibles are inexpensive to acquire and can even be found in the “dollar store.” If I purchase a Bible for a buck or a hundred bucks, they are all the same. I am also aware of certain groups that will take old Bibles and give them to people who have none. I just have a real hard time parting with them as they all have memories such as the New Scofield, hardback edition that I needed for classes at Washington Bible College. I even put a temporary cover on it with contact paper and it is held together with the paper and still has a lot of notes in it so it remains on my shelf. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 

         There are some people who seem to have a fear of even touching a Bible. I offered a Bible to such a person and they were quire defensive that they didn't even want to touch one but were quick to say, “I believe.” They never finished the statement, but just said they believed as if that was going to solve the problem but of course, it didn't as they never were willing to say in what or in whom they believed. The Psalmist in today's passage has done a great work in the 119^th Psalm as it's 176 verses speak of the importance of the “Word” of God by its many descriptive names. Some of the verses have been put to memory such as today's passage as it describes the work of the Word in the lives of people like you and like me. It is described as both a light and a lamp. One lights the path and the other lights the feet. Have you ever wondered just where you are standing? When you don't have a lamp for your feet, you may end up in a very precarious place. The same thing is true with the path on which you are walking. The light allows you to proceed without endangering yourself by a fall or by running into something that would be harmful. The Word, the Bible is able to do that. A steady input of God's Word into your life will be able to offer the protection that you need as you travel along the “road of life.” Now, keeping twenty copies of the Bible on shelves will do you no good but reading just one of them will be far more profitable to your journey upon your road of life. Praise God today for giving us His Word.

The Rich and the Famous

          Our culture seems to be attracted to the rich and the famous. I recall my parents taking the car out and driving to Michigan City where we would drive through the wealthy part of town and look at their lavish houses. There was one house that the most lavish of all for that city which had an unusual background. The owner, during World War II, would often be seen driving around town in a wagon pulled by a horse. He was known as the town “Junk man.” If you had a piece of something to get rid of, just put it by the curb and he would take it. It must have paid off for him as he was known in his later years as a “millionaire.” First Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 

              The rich and the famous are not always the lucky ones in the world. They are not the ones that get chosen for the big things in life. They just have a lot of money and like to talk a lot about subjects they know very little about. The Bible is filled with accounts that show how God used that which was insignificant or the person who was perhaps the lowest on the success ladder. A pastor yesterday made mention of the birth announcement of the Lord Jesus Christ and who it was that first became aware of the birth of the Son of God as He took on flesh and lived among us. It wasn't the right and the famous that got the special announcement, but the shepherds that were keeping their sheep. There was only a handful of people that really knew what had happened. Mary and Joseph knew, Elizabeth and Zacharias knew. Simeon knew. A few shepherds knew. For the most part, the rest of the world didn't know about the most important event that had taken place. Kings, Princes, Premiers, Religious leaders nor those that were rich didn't know what had happened the night of the Nativity. Does it not surprise you than that salvation is offered to you? The events of the Nativity should have been a clue of things to come. The most important gift was going to be offered to those who were the least likely in the world. I am almost astonished by the list of the first converts in the church in Philippi. They consisted of a businesswoman, a former demon possessed girl and a jailer. There was not a religious leader among them at the time. It didn't sound like those on the roll of a church today. If you are reading this, you are probably one of the wealthy as you need to have a computer and internet access to do so. Yet, God has made salvation available to you by sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins and for my sins. We can always praise God for His plan for the salvation of mankind.

The Lost Hat

              While at a store, I once purchased a bright red Coca Cola hat. It just struck my fancy and I wanted to wear one, so I got it. While on a trip, I wore the hat into a restaurant where I left it after I finished eating. I did not discover the loss until we were so far away, that I just considered it gone. After all, I had a door filled with about 36 different hats. I had hats with company logos on them, hats advertising foods or restaurants, different countries and even some businesses that are no longer in business. Losing one here or there wouldn't make that much difference. I have lost a lot of things in my life, some important and some not so important. Sometimes an object appears that has been gone for a long time and I make the comment, “So, that's where that thing was.” John 17:12 says, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” 

            We learn an important lesson from this passage. God doesn't lose anything or anyone. If God had a key ring, He wouldn't lose any key that was on it. Of course, He doesn't need a key ring. After all, He has the Master Key for everything. We are not speaking of objects here but people. The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is God, didn't lose anyone that had been given to Him. In the passage for today, there is the mention of Judas Iscariot and a lot has been supposed about his actions and his resulting destination. The implication in the passage is that all were saved for eternity. None oft hem were lost that had been given to the Son.  John 5:11-12 remarks that we have eternal life in the Son. If we have the Son, we have life and if he don't have the Son, we don't have life; it is as simple as that. On God's side of the coin, He doesn't lose anyone or anything. One of the issues that has divided Christianity for the past 600 years has been the issue of “eternal security.” The question is, “Can a believer lose his or her salvation?” God is not in the habit of losing those who are in His family. How long is the “everlasting life” that is mentioned in John 3:16? For many, that everlasting life may last only until the next time they sin. One of the questions that comes us is “When does eternal life begin?” If it truly begins when a person is born again, then you can't lose it under any circumstances or it wouldn't be eternal? For some, eternal life seems to begin at death and it is up to them to die in a perfect state without sin. We know by our own reason that that can't happen. God, then doesn't lose anyone. He is holding on to us and it is not that we are holding on to Him. When does eternal life begin for you? When did it begin for you? It began the moment you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior. I am so glad that God doesn't say, “Oh, well, I have so many believers that losing one or two here or there just doesn't make any difference.” On the contrary, God keeps all that are His and loses none of them. Praise God today that He keeps ALL of His own.

The stones

             I recall the days when I would get a “love note” from a particular person. I would take the note and read it again and again. I wanted to know everything about that note and the intent of the person who wrote it. I would be just as intrigued by what was not said as by what was said. I would ask my self as to what the girl was really saying to me. The words on the paper would become faded over time simply by being read over and over again. If I was not careful, the creases of the letter would cause it to fall apart. Sure, it was just a collection of words put into sentences but did she really mean by those words. We often seek to find the meaning of things in our lives. Joshua 4:21-22 says, “And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.” 

           There was an action that took place in Israel when something important happened. It would be marked simply by a standing stone. Stones don't usually stand up erect by themselves and so one that was upright would be so for a particular reason. When Israel marched into the Promised land and was crossing the Jordan River, the water parted just as it had done for Moses when he led the people through the Dead Sea on dry ground. In the days of Joshua, they marked the event with some “standing stones.” Stones that were erect wold invoke the question, “Why are these stones standing upright?” Then, the people could relate the store of what happened that day when Israel marched over the Jordan River. There are other examples of “standing stones” in the Old Testament which spoke of certain events that took place on that spot. The standing stones are becoming fewer and fewer as the days go by as there are those that would tear down all standing stones that would remind them of something in their history. In our day, the standing stones become people. The stones are the testimonies of those whose lives have been changed by God and by His Word. Each converted person is a personal testimony of what God has done in their life. In most cases, that conversion experience is unique only to that individual. The Apostle Paul was converted while on the road to Damascus. I was converted in Tennessee in a motel room. Every believer has a testimony as to their conversion. The standing stones today are those whose lives have been changed by the Savior. It can be questioned today as to what took place to make a person a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The answer will be in their personal testimony as to what happened to them. I used to go to bed listening to the testimonies from the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, Illinois. Every night would be another testimony of one who had been lost and then became saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the stories were unique and it could just as well be said, “What happened here?” In all of the accounts, Christ changed their lives. In some ways, you and I are standing stones in our part of the world that should stand out so people will ask, “What happened here?” Praise God that He still calls and converts souls today.

A New Day

            What does God have in store for you today? My day started differently yesterday than what I had planned. I took my shower, dried off and reached down to remove the bandage from my foot. When I did, blood went everywhere including small streams arching and hitting the cats litter box. I knew I was in trouble and my wife managed to get me the phone and I dialed the emergency number. In a few minutes they arrived. It was our coldest day of the year so far. I was naked in front of four strange firemen and standing in a slippery pool of blood. The stretcher was outside and I got on and was immediately covered up with sheets and blankets and so began my well planned day. Everything quickly changed. The hospital doctors and nurses took care of the problem, wrapping my foot in a football shape of pressure bandage thus stopping the loss of blood. Now began the process of waiting for the paper work to catch up with me. Our son was with me but would pop in and out for this or that doing some of the paperwork and getting the car up to the door. I med a lot of new people and almost always ask them where they are from and where they go to church. It begins the conversation. I met a nurse from Wisconsin. I guessed she might be Lutheran but she was a former Catholic who was now Baptist. She gave me the short story as to how that took place. While no one was around, I began singing all of the hymns I know from memory which are not a lot. I wasn't singing too loud as the mask shielded some of the sound. I knew the comfort of the Scriptures. 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.” 

           This verse has a lot applications. Being on blood thinners, I knew the time frame and the number, 7 minutes, kept popping into my mind but it wasn't my time yet even though I am in overtime anyway. When God is finished, He is finished and so in the meantime, why not sing a hymn or two or find out where all of these overworked servants are from? They usually tell me a lot more when I give them more information that I am a retired pastor. The truth of today's verse is not only during the cliff hangers of your life but also the simple and perhaps mundane times also. God is with you during your morning devotions or when you are driving to work or off on an errand. There are two words I usually don't use and they are “always” and “never.” God can use them because He can actually do what He promised. If He says He will never leave us, then it is true all of the time and not just part of the time, almost all of the time. It is always. Whether bombs are falling or you are drinking coffee on the deck, God is always with the believer. What a comfort that is. While you may not know how life is going to turn out today, rest in the fact that God will “never” leave you. Praise God for His promises.

The Fly on the Wall

            “I would like to have been a fly on the wall during that time.” We usually say that when we would just love to know what was being said in a certain closed door meeting in which we were not invited. I was working for American Telephone and Telegraph Company back in the late 60's and early 70's and was offered a job in our district office as head of security, budged and OSHA for our district. To be honest, I didn't know a thing a about any one of those categories but with the assurance that they would train me, I took the promotion and we packed our bags for Washington, D. C. This is where I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting where it was decided that I would be a good candidate for such a position. At that point, they knew I could chop down weeds with a machete, and knew the difference between the tip and ring at the test board. Stranger things have happened. Luke 1:56 says, “And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.”

           We know from previous verses that when Mary walked into the room, the babe in the womb of Elizabeth, who was going to be John the Baptist, leaped. First of all, that tells you something about preborn infants that are still inside of the mother. In Jeremiah 1:5, God reminds Jeremiah that He knew Jeremiah even before Jeremiah was born. Psalm 139 also speaks of us as being known by God even before we were born. The exciting part here is that even when Mary walks into the room, John jumps. This passage reminds us that Mary and Elizabeth were together for 3 months before returning to her own home. Having had the initial experience that they had when they met, what would they talk about in the three months to come? For some reason, I don't think they just talked about how to make bread or to prepare meals or basic child care or the fact that they couldn't see their feet anymore. This had to be different. We read in other passages that there were those times when Mary would ponder certain events or words in her heart. This had to be different. I would imagine that Elizabeth spoke of the events in the temple and the message from the angel and Mary would be speaking about the event where Gabriel came to give her a personal message. God had chosen Mary to be the vessel that would bring forth the Son of God. Yes, I truly wonder what they spoke about for three months but the Bible doesn't give us a clue. We just know that she was there “about three months” and then went home. In a few months, God would direct the government to get all of the people back to their home town and Mary and Joseph were going to be taking a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It is amazing to see how God puts together a plan and how people re moved from one point to another. It still happens today. I have never believed in coincidence as God puts us exactly where He wants us each and every day. Paul and Silas were traveling around at the beginning of their second missionary journey and the Holy Spirit began directing them and telling them that they should not go to certain areas that they wanted to go and so they end up waiting in Troas until the receiving of the Macedonian Vision. Yes, God is always working in mysterious ways or at least, ways that we are not aware of at the moment. I wonder what He has in store for us today? Praise God today for His directing of our lives.