Author: Rick (Page 22 of 36)

”For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20

The gospel is the good news that God sent Jesus to undo what Adam undid; Romans 5:18-19 says “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Jesus died and rose again for sinners, just as God promised! Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance wight he scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised again on the third day according to the scriptures.”

It is the good news that we can once more be truly human. No longer are we, like Adam, evicted from God’s presence and under his wrath. The garden—the kingdom—has been regained with a plus. It is the good news that we are sons of the second Adam and have been remade—not just considered to be remade, but new creatures. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We have been actually remade—not fully … yet—but actually, truly. We’ve been re-born, made new, in a word, regenerated.

We sons of the second Adam, or Jesus, have been raised with him to new life. His resurrection guarantees new life. Ephesians 2:5-6 tells us that “even when we were dead in our trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We are new creatures. All things become new in Christ- His person, His Life, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, His seating, His interceding, His coming, His reigning. And, yes, it means we’ve got something we must share now with our unbelieving neighbors before it’s too late. However, for far too long we’ve missed what the gospel means for us now. We’ve missed why the gospel is good news for Christians today. We have missed the changes it can make in our lives right now.

In one of my recent sermons I shared the story of Albert McMakin who was a twenty-four-year-old farmer who had recently come to faith in Christ. He was so full of enthusiasm that he filled his truck with people and took them to a meetings to hear about Jesus. There was a good-looking farmer’s son whom he was especially keen to get to a meeting, but this young man was hard to persuade – he was too busy falling in and out of love with different girls, and did not seem to be attracted to Christianity. Eventually, Albert McMakin managed to persuade him to come by asking him to drive Albert’s truckload of guys. Since driving was always a treat, his friend relented. When they arrived, Albert’s guest decided to go in and listen to the gospel speaker Mordecai Ham and was ‘spellbound’ and began to have thoughts he had never known before. He went back again and again until one night he went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ. That man, the driver of the truck, was Billy Graham. The year was 1934. We have all heard of Billy Graham, but few of us have heard of Albert McMakin. We cannot all be like Billy Graham, but we can all be like Albert McMakin – we can all introduce others to Jesus.

We don’t need to be afraid to share. We are new creatures, we are regenerated, we are reborn and our old fears are passed away. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

What mindset invariably leads to treating others correctly? Humility. When we see ourselves as undeserving of the least of God’s goodness, then we see others weaknesses in a different light. Nothing brings our perspective of others more in line with how God sees them than looking at ourselves first. When God looks at us, he loves us even though He is perfect and we are not. When we look at ourselves first then others, we will realize that they are not perfect, but neither are we.

And when we, in genuine and personal humility, esteem others as we ought, we will cease to look for ways to please ourselves and begin to look for ways to help others. Rather than using others to better ourselves, we will use ourselves to better others. Our concern becomes not how can we fulfill our own desires, but how can help others fulfill their needs.

How we plan our day, how we use our time, how we spend our money — these are all barometers of true humility. We can find great joy and satisfaction in giving up our own pleasures for the sake of others. If Christ would not have been able to do that for us, no one would be saved.

Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Today we live in a society that cares little about how we do things as opposed to what our results are.  There seems to be little concern about what tactics get us to the top as long as we get to the top. Integrity can often get lost in the journey to reach our goals and sadly few seem to be bothered by that.  The old idea that “it matters little who wins or loses, but how they play the game” has become a saying of derision and mockery.

Today’s verse tells us that playing the game (living our lives) with integrity is important. In fact, if we don’t, the result will be destruction.  Our lack of integrity may seem to be working and “getting us to the top,” but in the long run it will fail us.  A wise man once said, “Be careful who you hurt on the way up the ladder, because you are sure to meet them all again on your way down.”

There are many stories which illustrate the value of integrity, but here are just a couple I am familiar with.  An aging king woke up one day to the realization that he had no male in the royal family to take his place.  He decided he would adopt a son who could then take his place.  He knew that such an adopted son must be extraordinary, so he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys.  After a series of tests, only the ten most intelligent and physical boys were left in the competition.

Since the kingdom depended solely on agriculture, the king gave corn seed to each boy.  The boys had three weeks to cultivate it and at the end of the time whoever showed the best cultivating would be king.  The boys all rushed home, planted their seeds in pots and started caring for their plants.

One boy in particular was very disappointed.  He did everything he should, even praying over his corn day and night, but his seed would just not grow.  Many of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that because no one could tell one seed from another. The boys parents, however, had always taught him to do what was right and they reminded him that if the king wanted them to use their own seeds, he would have told them that. His parents told him that not all are destined to a throne, and it is better to not receive than to receive through deception.

The big day came and it was obvious that everyone had had great success with their seeds except for our one young boy. The king began making his way down the line while asking each boy, ‘Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?’  Each boy responded, ‘Yes, your majesty.’ And the king would nod and move down the line.

The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up who was shaking with fear.  The king looked at the empty pot and said, “What did you do with the seed I gave you?’  The boy answered, “I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but I could not get it to grow.”  The boy began to cry as the crowd booed and mocked him.

The king raised his hand, turned to the crowd and said, “My people behold your next king.” The stunned crowd listened as he continued. “I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn, almost all can do that. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test. To be a true king, he must place truth above all things. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout. Never!!”

We live in a society obsessed with success at any cost.  Sports figures shorten their lives with illegal substances just to increase their temporary fame.  Business people cut ethical corners to work their way to the top.  Students have someone else do their work to better their grades.  Does anyone care?  Yes, God does and those who have integrity do as well.  For all the world’s flaws we have hundreds of stories that are passed down through the years of people who have shown great integrity and are revered for it.

Bobby Jones, one of the greatest golfers of all time, once cost himself a championship by admitting that his ball moved a bit when he removed a piece of grass next to his ball, an automatic one stroke penalty.  No one else saw it and even argued against it because they did not see it move.  Even the tournament director said he did not notice it.  But Bobby was adamant, took his penalty, and lost the tournament by one stroke.  Afterwards, when the story made headlines, Bobby said, “What is the big deal, to congratulate me for this, is like congratulating me for not robbing a bank. It was what had to be done.”

Bobby Jone’s action lives larger than almost any other golf story from the past.  Why? because as much as society says the end justifies the means, it still honors honesty.  In the long run, failure often is often an opportunity for us to show the world that the integrity God speaks of is still alive today.  Doing right, for right’s sake, is always right.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.   John 1:12

A few years back Elaine and I went to the movie Overcomer with our daughter, her husband, and a granddaughter.   It is one of those faith-based films that gets a 30% approval from the ten critics on the Rotten Tomatoes site and a 98% approval from the 2000 viewers.  Pretty typical, especially when the gospel is clearly articulated.   As soon as one of the characters started talking about the need for having Jesus I am sure the critics started noticing all kinds of poor lighting, poor performances, poor plot lines, and poor music.  Other than these things, I am sure they loved it.

One of the interesting things that stood out to me in the story was the contrast between a dying  man Thomas Hill and the main character John Harrison.   Thomas Hill had come to believe in Christ in his latter years after a lifetime of abusing himself in every way possible.  John Harrison, on the other hand,   was a successful basketball coach who had been a believer for many years and had just recently fallen on some hard times.   At one point in the movie Hill asked Coach Harrison who John Harrison was and the coach answered with  things like coach, husband , father, and other typical answers until he eventually said he was a Christian.   Hill  then asked Harrison why he had placed Christ so low on the list.  The coach was indignant at first, but the Hill’s words began to work on him as the movie progressed.   Thomas Hill was right.  The reason Coach Harrison placed Christ so low on the list was because Christ was so low on his list.

Thomas Hill’s difficulties had led him to a sincere faith in Christ, while Coach Harrison difficulties had exposed his weak faith in Christ.   In the Greek original of the New Testament the word sincerity means ‘judged in the sunlight’; and the English word is derived from the Latin—’sine cera’, which means ‘without wax’. In the days when art flourished in ancient Greece, it was the common practice to repair with ‘invisible’ wax any vase or statue that had, as a result of carelessness or misadventure, been damaged.

A rich man or a person of high rank might employ a sculptor to chisel the dignatary’s  bust in marble. Sometimes, if the chisel slipped, an important part of the bust would be chipped off. Rather than start all over, the sculptor would mend the damage with wax. The flaw could not be detected by a layman except under very close scrutiny. This way the sculptor was able to palm off  his defective workmanship to the unsuspecting buyer.  However, if the client happened to be a knowing person, he would carry the finished statuette out of the studio into the open before paying for it, and  would examine it carefully in the sunlight. If he failed to do this sometime in the future he would possibly see the nose drop off his statuette in the heated room of his house. The statue was not `sincere’, not ‘without wax’, and could not bear careful scrutiny or intense heat.

Many Christians have John Harrison faith.  They say that Christ is the most important person in their lives, but believe their identity comes from people, possessions or position.  If they can squeeze Christ on the list somewhere between some of these things, that’s fine, but He certainly can’t replace any of  them.   The difficulties the coach was facing shined the light on his identity of Christ.  He had be playing the Christian game for  a long time and as long as the heat didn’t get too hot,  the wax stayed in place.   When tough times came his waxy faith was exposed.   Likewise, today’s Christianity can often be inauthentic because appearance is more important than actuality.   

Many products today are designed to imitate the real thing. There is plastic decking that looks like real wood. Vinyl flooring that appears to be ceramic tile. You can purchase fake fur or jewelry, phony noses, hairpieces, and other body parts. We have even reached the point to make artificial mud designed to fool the neighbors. 

Spray-on Mud was created for use on the outside of your SUV or four-wheeler. That way it appears you use your expensive hobby for more than taking up space in the driveway. Spray it on and friends might think you’ve just returned from a wilderness adventure.  People want the authentic look without authenticity .  It’s the best of both worlds- a cheap way to look real.

There are many expressions of imitation Christianity that we can try to pass off as the real thing. Occasional church attendance when convenient passes for worship.  Giving when there is some extra money can substitute for sacrificial service.  Christian bumper stickers and symbols can be used as evangelism replacements.  Christian clichés handed on facebook can  appear to be deep biblical wisdom.  Talking a good Christian game can be just that- a game.  Charles Spurgeon once said, “I would sooner possess the joy of Christ five minutes than I would revel in the mirth of fools for half a century.”  

Let the words of Paul  in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 inspire a real walk with Christ, “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.  I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.  And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.  I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”

So what is authenticity?  Easy. It looks like Jesus!

Well, Elaine and I just finished up our quarantine from having Covid.  I just wanted to digress from the normal devotion to extend a little be of thanks on this wonderful Thanksgiving.  You might be thinking, “Wonderful?”  Prices are up, daubers are down, and the only constant in the world is the constant state of chaos.   Regardless of what the world looks like around us, I would like to look at three things in my life that continually bring things back into perspective for me- my family, my church family, and my heavenly family.

During these dark times it would be easy to ignore the bright things that are in our lives, so in an attempt to remember them, I am going to write about them.

Since Elaine and I have been sick we have received calls from close neighbors and far-away family members offering prayers, love, and supplies.  I am especially appreciative of our children who are so quick to do whatever they can for us.  Not only that, but they are quick to do whatever they can for each other.  Family (IMG_0750) is a great gift from God.

The family of God is also a great gift.  As soon as we got sick there were prayers, calls, texts, offers of help, and very concerned hearts. In these very difficult times when so many people feel there is no where to turn for help, we had a church full of people who reached out to us and that we could have reached out to in return.

Today when the airways are so available and you can see any preacher you want on your TV, computer, iPad, or even your watch, you might wonder, “what is the use of having a home church.”  It is for many reasons, but especially for times like these.   I often watch Charles Stanley and think he is a fantastic preacher, but to be honest with you, when Elaine and I came down sick, he did not call us.  I know he is a busy man, but we have watched him for years, bought his books, contributed to his ministry, and I know he has our address because we are on his mailing list.  Yet, we did not even get a Get Well card.

I am being sarcastic, of course.  Pastor Stanley seems like a great guy but Elaine and I are not on his radar.  In fact, if I needed something, like counseling for instance, I don’t think he would be available.  Fortunately, I would not have to call Charles… I have a herd of people in my own fellowship willing to give me counsel.   If I needed a shoulder to cry on, our church is full of shoulders and people willing to share them.  Also if I am in a spiritual battle that requires reinforcements, I have a whole battalion at our church waiting to do battle.

In Hebrews 10:25 the author tell us not to neglect, “meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  What this verse seems to be saying is that we need to pick up our encouragement every day because every day brings us closer to the Lord’s return.  That is why we need to follow the admonition of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to “encourage one another and build one another up.”  There isn’t anyone on tv, radio, or on computer that can replace the fellowship of someone who knows and cares about us.

And finally, I am so glad to be a part of the family of God. 1 John 3:1-2 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”  In this world there are many who try too pull us into their family.  But only God truly adopts us as one of His own.

There was once a man who contributed to an orphanage for very wayward children.  Unfortunately, even though many contributions had be made to the home for years, the children still had terrible struggles.  In fact, there were complaints in the neighborhood because of the orphans unruly behavior.  The man, who was the orphanages greatest benefactor, visited the children one day and told them the following, “Things are not working out at the orphanage and I have decided to shut it down.”  Even though each of the orphans carried a tough kid’s bravado, it was mostly an act and there was great fear in their eyes.  One of the twenty orphans finally blurted out, “but where will we go?”

The man put his hand on the young boy’s shoulder.  “You will go with me to my house.  I am adopting all of you.”

The man knew what the kids really needed… a loving home,
a loving parent, a loving family.

That is what God did for me and for many of you.  He put His hand on our shoulder and said, “This world is not your home.  I am adopting you into my family.
You will live with me and I will be your Father.”   I am so thankful that He has done that for me because the worldly orphanage I was living in just wasn’t working.

So this is the devotion for today.  Just a prayerful thank you to my family, my church family, and my heavenly family.

In these trying times it is important that we join hands in a world that is intent on division.  God bless.

Praying is hard. It probably shouldn’t be, but it is. Our minds wander, we grow restless, we battle fatigue, but why? We have the opportunity to go to the great Creator of the universe to lay out our deepest desires, hurts, questions, and praises, yet we sometimes find ourselves in a battle to do what should be wonderful. Why?

For one thing, Satan hates prayer. If he can bring any distractions to bear on us during our time of prayer he will. He really doesn’t care about most of our other activities. Reading a book, fishing, working, watching TV and a myriad of other daily dealings don’t concern him.  As long as we are not praying, he is satisfied. That may partly explain why we have an easier time concentrating on facebook than God’s face.

Our own flesh makes the prayer life more challenging. In our flesh we are not inclined toward God. Righteousness is not natural for us. ‘’There is none righteous, no not one.” Just like a person must tend a garden, or weeds will grow prolifically on their own, we must tend our spiritual lives. Sin grows without much watering. In our flesh prayer is not our first resort (unless a grenade just rolled into our foxhole), but we more naturally work our way through a multitude of worldly solutions until we are eventually brought back to God.

So how can we pray effectively? There must be a way or God would not have called us to do it. George Mueller was one of the greatest pray-ers of all time. He cared for thousands of orphans during his lifetime and never once sent out a request of monies other than to God Himself. His diary entries of answered prayer are phenomenal. From the ordinary to extraordinary, God’s grace was illustrated in Mueller’s life on a daily basis. His way of praying (which he discovered during his ministry) reflects the kinds of prayer that is called for in the Word. It is truly Holy Spirit led.

I recently have read books and watched some videos on the idea of praying the Bible. I have to say, it works. If our minds our going to wander naturally, we need to train our minds to wander with a purpose. Praying the Bible allows the Holy Spirit to bring to mind those prayer requests that need our attention. One concern that I think all pray-ers have is the dilemma of list praying. We have a prayer list and we pray the list faithfully, but it seems too routine, too sterile. Unfortunately, if we pray without a list, we miss important prayers and realize after a week that we haven’t brought Auntie Em’s heart condition before the Lord one time.

So how do we remember things but yet not become mechanical in our prayer time. Well, I think there is a way to use lists effectively but also to leave the lists aside for certain types of prayer. I think one of our problems is that we box our prayer time in and if it is not a certain way at a certain time then we tend set things aside. In other words, if we can’t do it “right” we won’t do it at all. There has to be a better way.

Let’s divide our prayer time into two types- Bible prayer and Idle prayer. Let me explain the difference and then detail them a little more over the next few days. Bible prayer is when we can have a Bible in front of us, without distraction, such as our daily quiet time in the morning or evening. Idle prayer is prayer that we do when we cannot read our Bible because we are walking, driving, working out, fishing or in any other place where detailed reading would not be logical or advisable. Idle prayer does not mean we are idle in the pure sense, but idle or away from the Bible. In short, Bible prayer is when we can read our Bible along with prayer, and idle prayer is when we find ourselves without access to our Bible. Really, when we think about it, these two times cover all times. Is there any place or any time we cannot think?  Not really. So there is there any place or any time that we cannot pray?  Not really.

Prayer is something that we can do any time. They say there is no prayer in school, but who can really prevent that? A school might be able to prevent folding hands, closing eyes, and even dropping a head before a meal, but that is not prayer, those are just common indicators that a prayer is happening. Indicators are not prayer. Prayer is an inside thing. There is a story about a child who was told to stand in the corner and he said he wanted to sit. After a brief argument with his mother, he went to stand in the corner. Standing with his face to the corner he said to his mom, “I might be standing on the outside, but I am sitting on the inside.” How true. No one can make us pray (except maybe a bad taxi driver) or keep us from praying. Our thoughts and prayers are our own and no one can prevent them.

In the next couple of weeks, I am going to tell you more about these two types of prayer and tell you how I think we can improve our prayer life dramatically.