Category: Uncategorized (Page 20 of 34)

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.

“But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’” (Matthew 5:37)

This verse is nestled into an admonition from Jesus that we should tell the truth at all times. In verse 33 we see that we should “keep our word,” and in verse 36 we are told that we should not “swear by the head.” The latter phrase was a common expression of the times which meant, in essence, swearing on one’s life. The rest of that verse says “because you cannot make one hair white or black.” What that phrase is saying (and what Christ is saying) is that we should not think that we have more control over our lives than what we do. God is the author of life and if we swear on our lives, we are superseding His authority. It would be akin to swearing on our mother’s grave. We have no more control of our mother’s grave than we do on our own lives. Jesus is saying that swearing on anything is a useless endeavor; the key is living our lives in truth. After all, the worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them.

There is a tremendous need for truth in this day and age… well, in any day and age. However, we are particularly surrounded with falseness as the time of Christ approaches.Like a massive boulder gathering speed down a mountainside, falsehood is gaining momentum both in and out of the church. This should be expected, but should not be accepted. As Christians we have the opportunity to illustrate the power of Christ by making sure that our “yes is yes” and our “no is no.” That small show of consistency can separate us from a world filled with erraticism.

A few years back, Brian Williams, well-known NBC anchorman, was caught in a series of lies about his involvement in some of his news stories. He was suspended and has a black eye that will follow him the rest of his career. However, not everyone felt he did much wrong. His series of lies carried less of a stigma than single lies of newsmen, politicians, and public figures of the past. Lying has become almost acceptable if the person lying has the support of the majority. It seems that apologies for lying in this day and age are really apologies for getting caught. One of the early church fathers, Augustine, said, “When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” We live in a time when many words carry the haze of doubt with them. As Christians we are instructed to make sure there is no haze to our words. Others should, as they say, be able to take our words, “to the bank.”

It has been said that lies have no legs. They require other lies to support them. Lies are never individual and always come in herds. Lies maintain their lives only from more lies. Lies, like weeds in a garden, will choke out truth when it tries to surface. In Psalm 86:11 we are told, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” Untruthfulness is a result of not fearing God. If we fear God, being truthful will be a priority. When we realize that all lies are an offense to Him, we will think twice about what we say. When our world revolves around us instead of God, lying is an insignificant trespass.

A minister told his congregation that he would be preaching on lying the following week and asked them to read Mark 17 in preparation. The following Sunday before he delivered his sermon he asked how many people read the assigned chapter. Many hands went up in the air. He smiled and said, “Mark only has sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.” It might be funnier if it wasn’t entirely possible. Lying is not just for alleys anymore.

Jesus lived out the words He said. In Matthew 22:16 He is told, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” Jesus knew the value of truth. He knew that truth was freedom. He did not have to listen to the words of others or test which way the wind was blowing.  He knew that the truth would set people free and their freedom was more important to Him than popularity. We are to follow the example of Christ and the apostle Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 11:1 when he writes “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” Every believer should imitate Christ, and every believer should prioritize truth, not occasionally, but constantly.

The world cries out for those whose “yes is yes” and “no is no.” As believers we need to respond to that cry. Only the power of Christ can equip us to accept nothing less than the truth from ourselves. The great American author William Faulkner said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.” But Faulkner was wrong. Truth alone cannot change the earth, but truth about Christ can. As Christians we can change the world because our truthfulness lends credence to our words about Christ.

Christ is not just truthful, He is Truth. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Our word should always be our word, because our credibility about The Word will be determined by the truthfulness of our other words. Truth is the intention of many, but the deed of few. For believers truth must be much more than just intention. It must be real. Our words of Christ should not be diminished by others doubt in us. There is no better reason to let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no,” than the knowledge that it makes us better equipped to represent Christ. We should be truthful today, so that we can boldly share The Truth of Christ tomorrow.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.” (John 3:16)

This was the first verse that Chris and Jon memorized when they were little. Jon was really young and after Chris recited the verse he ended it with “John 3:16.” Jon dutifully said the verse and finished it off by saying “Chris 3:16.” His assumption was that you finish the verse off with your brother’s name. He still got credit and an ice cream for his efforts.

Denver’s playoff game against Pittsburg in 2012 ended with an 80 yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow for the win in overtime. Tebow wore “John 3:16” on his eye-black, threw for 316 yards, and averaged 31.6 yards per completion. When he wore the same verse (his favorite) in the national championship game in 2009, “John 3:16” was googled over 90 million times. After the Pittsburg game the googling started again and it was the most searched term on google the next day. It was a wonderful seeing so many people checking out one of the greatest verses in the Bible and it was really the best thing about both games (although the right teams won both times).  Still, it was sad to know that so many were totally unfamiliar with one of the most important truths of the Bible.

Of all the stars in the sky, the North Star has been the most useful to the mariner. This verse is a North Star of salvation, because is it has guided more souls to a life in Christ than any other Scripture. It is among promises what the North Star is among the constellations. It is the greatest truth wrapped up in one line so clearly that a child can believe it in a moment and adults can study it for a lifetime.

It has long been one of the most memorized verses in the Christian faith, but for us who know it well, it would surprise us that there are millions, even in our own country, who are oblivious to its existence. That was apparent when millions had to google their way to it after Tim Tebow wore it. As much as we believe this is a “Christian” nation, there are still millions of people who are unfamiliar with even the most foundational verses of the Christian faith. But even if millions are unfamiliar with John 3:16, the millions of us who do know it, need to understand its importance in our relationship with God.

In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when people run from God, they feel it is to escape His punishment. But what they are actually doing is eluding his rescue. As we travel through our life God will use people and circumstances to try to reach us. He does not want to see us perish. He desires our rescue.

John 3:16 points us to the place of safety. Like the North Star, the words in the verse shine with incredible brilliance. In the first half we have the essence of God’s deep abiding love and in the second half we are told how we can receive that love. This verse is divided into three sections each of which explain God’s part and then our part in spending eternity with Him.

“For God so love the world,” gives a short description of fact. The word “for” indicates that because He loved us He was going to do something to illustrate that love. “That He gave His only begotten Son,” was that illustration of love. The word “that” marks the gift. He could give no more than the life of Christ on our behalf. God saw the need and filled it.   “So that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life,” then describes our part in God’s wonderful plan of salvation. The word “so” directs us to believe on Him to receive the offer of eternal life. We cannot do anything to earn salvation. The cost was beyond our resources. God, however, paid that price in full and all we need to do is say yes to His payment on our behalf.

DL Moody, the great preacher and evangelist, once said, “The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it. Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise.” God reaches out to us, helpless as we are, to offer us an eternal sanctuary. He reaches down into our hopelessness and saves us. In John 3:16 he changes the phrase “Christ is a Savior” to “Christ is my Savior.” That little personal pronoun makes all the difference.

So this verse is the North Star directing us to safety. Because He loves us, He gave his son and because we need Him, we need to receive His Son. This verse stands out brilliantly to guide us in the darkest time of our journey. We are all mariners trying to weather life on storm-tossed waters searching for that port of peace. Sailors knew there was no substitute for the North Star. Technology can fail, but the North Star will always remain brilliant against a black sky lighting the way to safety. It has always lit and will always light, the way to the safe waters of everlasting life.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

What is courage? Courage has been defined as bravery, but a synonym is really not a definition. I can see a conversation with a student going like this: “What is courage?”

“Courage is bravery.”

“What is bravery?”

“Bravery is courage.”

“But what do bravery and courage mean?“

“They mean the same thing.”

Some have tried to explain it in a little more detail than that. One writer defined it as “fear that has said its prayers.”  Mark Twain said, “Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.” A courageous person is not someone who is fearless. (That is, in most cases, a stupid person).  A courageous person is someone who can control his or her fear and then act. It is overcoming the fear that we naturally have.

Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast one day when he saw a small girl being swept down a flooded drainage ditch. He knew if she was not rescued she would be swept into the main culvert which would certainly result in drowning. He raced ahead of her and jumped into the water and when he surfaced he grabbed the girl’s arm. They went under the surface and came up again, over and over until they were only a few feet from the lethal waters of the main culvert. Ray’s free hand touched a rock protruding from one bank and as the water tore at him and the young girl, he hung on until help arrived. He was later awarded with the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. His courage was more than the medal could signify. Ray Blankenship couldn’t swim.

We read of acts of courage everyday in these difficult times. We see courage on display among those who are first responders. Firemen and police officers learn to put others before themselves in times of crisis. Certainly the soldiers serving our country display courage every day. These kinds of people tend to go toward danger rather than away because… well, because that is what they do. That’s their job.

Besides the courage fire fighters and soldiers show, there are other kinds of courage, too. There is moral courage, which is the ability to do right in the face of opposition or discouragement. We will be faced with these kinds of situations much more often than we will be faced with saving a child from a burning building. In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul tells us that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Everyday we will be tested to do the right thing and tempted to do the wrong. God gives us the power to show moral courage by being honest and having integrity. Having the power of the Holy Spirit means that we don’t cheat on the test, cheat on our taxes, cheat on others, or cheat in life. Moral courage is honoring others by honoring our word, even when we don’t feel like it. It is saying our “yes, is yes, and our no, is no,” and not turning a yes into a no just because it is convenient for us. God has equipped us with courage, we just need to use it.

It also takes courage to follow Jesus Christ. It takes courage to stand up for Christ.  It takes courage to share Christ. We are living in an ABC culture today: “Anything But Christ.”

People are fine with whatever we believe, unless we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe the Bible is the Word of God.” Suddenly we will have joined group of backward intolerants who at the best are laughed at and at the worst are branded public enemy number one.

It takes courage to invoke the name of Jesus Christ. In some countries it takes the courage of first responders to be believers. They are, in essence, running toward danger by standing for Christ.  In our country, in most cases, we merely face discomfort. Of course, it is getting worse and in some cases people might face job loss or public ridicule or more. But let’s face it, bullying is not the same as bullets.

The Prussian king Frederick the Great was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, General Von Zealand, one of his most trusted officers, was a devout Christian. At a party the king began making crude jokes about Christ until everyone was rocking with laughter–all but Von Zealand, that is. Finally, he arose and addressed the king: “Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming. I salute you, sire, as an old man who loves his Savior, on the edge of eternity.” The place went silent, and with a trembling voice the king replied, “General Von Zealand–I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!” And with that the party quietly ended.

Von Zealand, a man of great courage, may have found it more difficult to confront his king than to confront the enemy, but he did it. We live in an age of artificial courage. People suddenly become “gallant” behind the anonymity of the internet. But courage is not a unsigned castigation of someone who offends Christ in cyberspace. Courage is the reasoned, loving, defense of our Savior with those that we can look in the eye.  Years ago I heard a coach on the other side of the lockers make an offensive Jesus joke.  I did not approach him.  I don’t know why.  But even to this day, it haunts me.  I wonder if that wasn’t my chance to stand strong and in doing so to share the gospel with someone who needed to hear it.

A few years ago shared Christ with a homeless woman at a rest stop. It still took me awhile to get to the point. Afterwards I ask myself why was I so nervous about sharing Christ with someone I did not know, who I would never see again, who needed to hear about Jesus. Her cardboard sign was not a weapon and the only negatives I faced was maybe a sneer or an unkind word. I really didn’t fear those things as long as I held a few bills in my hand. I talked to her about the Lord, gave her some literature, and had a nice talk, but I was struck by my hesitancy.

If I am this nervous about conversing with a complete stranger, how can I muster up the courage to speak to a co-worker, friend, or relative. Gosh, I might have to see them the next day! I have been equipped, but sometimes I leave my armor at home.  I must put it on everyday.  I know better than to fear.  In all my years of sharing the Lord, I have never had a terrible experience.  I have maybe had some pushback, but never more than that.  Sure, I did get one negative remark on a teaching evaluation once about “sharing” a bit too much, but whoop-de-do.  The firing squad must have been off duty that day.

We should have more courage than those who don’t have the truth, but there are times that we seem more fearful. It is funny that many around us have no compunction about offending others. They mistake that for courage. But, insulting others is not courageous. Offending others is not courageous. Truthfully pointing out sin, the need for redemption, and the way to salvation is courageous. Doing that is much more difficult than just insulting someone.  The gospel is the most important thing we can share. It can be life changing. Name calling is easy, asking someone to call on His name is more difficult.

Courage starts with the little things in our daily lives. I used to tell the athletes I coached that they needed to work as hard as they could in practice because victory over the little things in practice when there was no opponent prepared them for victory over the bigger things when there is an opponent. If we cannot stand for right in the face of little opposition, how will we ever stand against the real enemies.

A boy was trying to impress a girl he liked by saying, “I will climb the highest mountain, swim the swiftest river, and cross the driest desert for you, and I will come over tomorrow if it is not raining.” Can we do great things for God during times of great trial, if we struggle to do simple things for Him in everyday life?

Psalm 27:1 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”  We all want to believe we are courageous, but courage is action, not just belief. We must stand firm in the faith. We must be courageous. We must be strong. That’s our job.