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.