“And all believed and were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing.”   Acts 4:32

In this verse Luke gives us a picture of the early Christian church, and he reveals the source of its power to impact the world around it. Remember, the early Christians were not superhuman. They were human; they were frail; they were sinners; and just like us they needed God’s grace and power- especially if they were going to keep the gospel alive at a time of small numbers and great persecution.

It seems that the church finds its greatest growth in times of persecution.  In some parts of the world today the church is growing at an unheard of rate.  Yet, in the western nations, the church is experiencing decline. Difficulty seems to breed a togetherness of purpose. In places where people must work together, they do work together.  In places where people can be individuals and survive, they work as individuals.

So, what were the keys to the ministry of the early church that changed the world forever? First, they are described as believers. Only those who have a common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can enjoy the unity of spirit and purpose that was seen in the early church. Our power to live for God, rely on God, and commune with God depends on our belief in God. That does not mean that if we have a day of doubt we lose our relationship with Him, but it does mean that we need the indwelling Holy Spirit to have the faith necessary to grow in Him, and consequently, to grow the church.

Secondly, because of their common faith in Jesus Christ, they were of one heart and soul; they were singular and focused in their objective. They knew the reason for their existence as a church was not to entertain or even to do good in the community. Their single intention was to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. They were unified, but not at the sake of truth. Today too many churches and Christians put unity above truth. They say we must get along at no matter what, but that cannot be. The early church put truth above unity and truth above tolerance. They would never have sacrificed truth for any temporary peace. They knew that unity gained at the cost of truth would only result in a false unity.

 Jesus did not skirt the truth in His ministry.  He would have gotten a D in most evangelism classes today.  He said that we must die to ourselves, must leave mother, father, brother, sister, must prepare to be persecuted.  He overturned cultural norms.  He did not embrace cultural abnormalities just for popularity sake. He did not just overturn the money changers tables, he overturned the long-held (fallacious) beliefs of the church, culture, and communities.  For all His efforts, He was killed.  He placed truth above all.  He presented the kingdom of God in its truest light, even at the detriment of popularity.

Finally,  using Christ as their model, the early believers endeavored to glorify Christ in their actions. This resulted in practical implications for their daily lives. Although they had personal possessions, they did not see these things as their own. They saw a need to freely give and saw all they had as gifts from God. They knew that part of the key of spreading the gospel was to live out the gospel. To present the gospel of the great Giver of peace, they needed to be givers themselves. Believing, unifying, and sharing were the prerequisites of presenting Christ to the world.

Believing, unifying, and sharing are still prerequisites of presenting Christ to the world.  Without belief we will lack power, without power we will fail to work together, and without togetherness, our sharing will be more limited. The early believers modeled a growing church in the face of difficulties.  You notice that the first letters of our devotional words form the word BUS- believe, unify, and share. The early church rode that “bus” because if they hadn’t, the early church would not have moved.

We, too, are called into oneness with fellow believers to be examples to the world of Christ’s love. We are called to allow that “BUS” to move our churches forward. We should strive with fellow believers to exalt the name of Jesus by our actions. If we believe, it is because of Christ; if we live in unity, it is because of Christ; if we consider all we have as God’s, it is because of Christ. If we do these things, others will see us and want to know what is different about us. It is then that we can say to them, “It is not what is different about us, but who is different within us.” Step aboard and allow God’s Bus to take us where He wants us to go.

He also said: “A man had two sons.  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them.” (Luke 15:11-12)

Recently I did a sermon out of Luke and in preparation  I reread the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The more I read, the more I realized that there are a lot of truths packed into a small number of verses. In the past I usually concentrated on the actions of the Father,  but this time I noticed some harsh warnings through the actions of the son.

As we can see in verses 11 and 12, the youngest son was unsatisfied with his life and not willing to wait around for his father’s demise (I hope not all children are like that!), and he asks for his inheritance early. Surprisingly, his father grants his request and gives him his portion of the estate early. The son takes the cash and makes a dash for his new life of excitement. In doing so, he leaves us a playbook of destruction that if we follow will result in eventual pain and suffering.

The young son was unhappy with what he had in his normal life and was seeking more. He was much like all of us in different times of our lives. Benjamin Franklin said that, “Discontent makes rich men poor, and contentment makes poor men rich.” I think he had it right. We often look at the lives of others and envy what they have. Constantly looking at what others have and comparing it to what we have is a dangerous venture. It can lead to pursuits that take us into the wrong places, to meet the wrong people, to experience the wrong pleasures. Often instead of hobnobbing with the princes we end up hog-slopping with the pigs.

“Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country,” (Luke 15:13a)

We can notice here that to be involved in a new lifestyle, the son had to go to places where his new lifestyle was accepted. People who want to absent themselves from the things of God, must absent themselves from the places of God. Church is not a very good setting to run a gambling ring (ignoring the Baptist bingo rings here). Most people think it would stink to get skunk-drunk at a Bible study. Telling dirty jokes in a sermon seems a little too….well, dirty.

If we want to replace God in our lives, we must place ourselves in some pretty ungodly places. That is the first thing this young son did. He ran off to a place far away that would not remind him of the things he was avoiding. He took his money and ran to a non-threatening setting where he could be “himself,” surrounded by others who could be “themselves,” in an environment of nonrestricted behavior. It was a nirvana of guilt-free bliss…for awhile.

I read a story once about a person who took in a raccoon as a pet. Raccoons go through some radical physical changes at about two years old. During this time they can (and most of the time do) become very aggressive. The raccoon owner was repeatedly warned about the danger, but believed that her raccoon would be different and their relationship would overcome the natural tendencies of aggression. The woman had to go through several surgeries after her pet attacked her and left deep lacerations in the her face and neck. We can develop a relationship with sin and believe that it will never turn on us, but it does. That is the natural way of sin. Sin is a slicked-up escort who comes dressed for an elegant ball and takes us the sewer sock hop instead.

To the delight of the Father, the son returned to the fold, but the older brother was not so delighted. These were the words of the unhappy older brother.

“But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.” (Luke 15:30)

Apparently they had some knowledge of the younger son’s behavior in his absence. We can see here that the younger brother had taken another important step in starting a new life without God. He had to replace the people in his life with those who would be complicit in his new lifestyle. We find out that he began running with riotous people and harlots. These people would be enablers more than advisors. They could not condemn his lifestyle without condemning their own. Years ago a psychology professor performed and experiment in his classroom. He would bring in ten students, nine of which were in on the ruse. They would look at three lines on the board of varying lengths. He asked the group to raise their hands when he pointed to the longest one. The nine students who were in on the ploy raised their hand when he pointed at the medium-length line. The “stooge” would look around and eventually raise his hand. It happened time and time again, in fact, the unsuspecting “sucker” went along with the group 75% of the time. There is a saying that many people would rather “be president than be right.” In other words, it is easier to go along with the crowd than to examine the truth. If we surround ourselves with people who will reinforce what we want to believe, like the young boy did, we will not see the flaws in our thinking. We will go along with things that may be wrong and be happy about it.

The son in this story would probably say that he wanted to hang with people who were not judgmental (ever heard that before). He wanted to buddy with those who would not correct him or point out the danger in his decisions. The boy squandered all his money. Did his friends council him away from such. Probably not, because they may have even had a part of the action themselves. After all, maybe they could make up for some of the money they had already squandered. There is a commercial that says, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” Is there an outcry against this commercial because it illustrates intolerance?  No, because it is right to warn people of danger and everyone knows it. Is it judgmental to stop people from doing something that is not good for them? I would think it would be evil not to stop them.

“where he squandered his estate in foolish living.” (Luke 15:13b)

Finally, the young boy had to change his pleasures if he was to truly adopt this new lifestyle to its fullest. He had to immerse himself in activities that left no reminders of his previous commitments. It is doubtful that his pleasures included worship any longer. Pleasures that conflicted with a godless lifestyle would have to be abandoned because he would not want throw a moral monkey wrench into his new and exciting life. When the son abandoned his family, he had to also abandon any activities that reminded him of the life that was. He had to take on new pleasures that would not give him any tinges of guilt. His pleasures had to help sustain his new life by not reminding him of the old.

Of course, sin only satisfies so long. Sin is like cotton candy. It looks substantial when you buy it. It can be a pink delight twice the size of someone’s head. But it is really just a small amount of sugar and coloring whipped up to look large. As soon as you take a bite, you realize that it melts into nothingness. It is not filling. Can you imagine how many cotton candies it would take to fill us up? More than any of us could afford, I am sure. Sin is that way. It looks satisfying, but will come up short in the long run.  It is like the modern bag of chips that is size of a pillow, but consists of air and six chips.  After all, Satan is a deceiver. He will not let us be “fulfilled” for too long. He is much like the fickle slot machine that will let a person win just enough to keep him coming back, but lose enough to keep the person broke.

The lesson of the prodigal is a warning for all of us. Most of the time, if we are running from God we will change the places we go, the people we see, and the pleasures we enjoy. If we see ourselves moving away from the things of God we should check our hearts. Often our move away takes place slowly until there seems to be no turning back. Most of us will not change lifestyles in a moment’s time. The young son in Luke 15 did not change overnight. In his heart he started a move away from God, and his feet finally followed.

Satan won’t let the party last too long. After a little festive celebration, a person will look around and realize his life is a pigpen and the only thing on the menu is slop. It is inevitable. If we want to stay close to God, we need to surround ourselves with God things. We can run, but we can’t hide. He will be wherever we go, but we often try to overwhelm His presence with the things of the world. He stands in the field, checking the horizon, awaiting our return, so He can run to meet us. We need to do our daily check to see if we are getting closer to or further from God. Where do we frequent? Who do we run with? What do we like to do? If God things play a minor part in these areas, we might want to check the previews of coming distractions. We might not like what we see.  Maybe then we will realize that we cannot use world-shaped pegs to fill a cross-shaped hole in our hearts.

Have a great day.

“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 feels he did that much wrong. His series of lies carry 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.” A wise man once said, “Lies are like hobos. You let one in and all his friends show up.”

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 the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be snatched away at the same time together with them in the clouds for a meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we will be together with the Lord always. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:51-53).
These are very remarkable verses that describe the snatching away of the church to meet Christ in the air.  This event is imminent, meaning that it could come at any time. It is unlike the second coming of Christ which needs certain events to take place before it can take place.

It is important to remember that rapture and second coming are similar but separate events. Both involve Jesus’ returning. Both are end-times events. The rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. The second coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire.

That is a very brief summary of two cataclysmic end-time events, but the above verses have a very important place in our lives today.  Even though the rapture will come on us without warning and takes place at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation (some disagree, but they are not writing here this morning, so they can save their thoughts for their own devotionals), there are things that are going on inour world give us hints that the rapture could be soon upon us.

The word “maranatha” is a Syriac expression that means: “our Lord comes.” It was used as a greeting in the early church. When believers gathered or parted, they didn’t say “hello” or “goodbye” but “Maranatha!”  It is too bad that Christians don’t have that same upward look today.  How it would change the church if we all looked at the return of Christ with certainty and conviction.  How differently would we look at all those around us.  I have a friend who says, “See you here, there (pointing upward), or in air,”  instead of goodbye.  It is really the three choices two believers have- they will see each other on this earth, or in heaven, or in transit.  It is a neat way to remember the “where” in “till we meet again.”

It is true that certain things must take place before the second-coming at the end of the tribulation and many of those things have already happened or are happening right now.  The stage must be set for the tribulation and anyone who has even the slightest interest in prophesy and current events can see that the table is being set for the end times.  For instance, the nation of Israel was scattered across the face of the earth, but yet just fewer than 60 years ago was brought back together and is today one of the most powerful nations in the world.  That process of scattering a people then reestablishing them has never taken place before. That had to take place as a prerequisite before all the other events could occur.

So, why worry (oops, I mean think) about all this? Because we never know when the Lord will come again.  It is important that we are looking for opportunities to share with those who do not know the Lord because the instant Christ comes that chance will be lost forever.  In fact, if you share the gospel with someone and if that person put his belief in Christ, look up, because the word says that the rapture will not happen until the body of Christ is filled.  That person that you just shared with might be the last one to fill it, and so we all might be leaving right then!

One of my favorite men of courage is the British explorer Ernest Shackleton.  I have read several books chronicling his incredible voyages to the South Pole. While on one of the voyages he had to leave a few men on Elephant Island because their ship was crushed and there was not enough room for the entire crew. He promised them that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, the huge icebergs shifted and a channel opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, Shackleton said to his men, “It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!”

They replied, “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘The boss may come today.'”  That is the same attitude that we should have!

We should not fear the coming of The Lord because it will be a glorious event, but unlike Elephant Island, we do know that there will be many “left behind.”  We should do all we can to make sure that our friends and family are not part of that number by living our lives for Christ and sharing Him in word and deed.  What incredible verses Paul left for us to remind us of the spectacular transfer of believers from this world to glorious presence of Christ.  Let’s just make sure we are rapture ready and let’s encourage those around us to be ready as well!  Like the men on Elephant Island we should be packed and ready to go. The “Boss” may come today.

“And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” Genesis 42:8

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

One of my favorite men from the Bible is Joseph. His years with his brothers, their rejection of him, his ascent to the throne, and his eventual forgiveness of his brothers is a wonderful story that closely parallels Christ’s time on the earth. When Joseph became ruler over Egypt, his name was changed, and his identity and appearance was so altered that when his ten brothers arrived in Egypt they had no idea that the prime minister sitting before them was the same brother that they had abandoned in the desert years earlier.

Joseph’s rejection and forgiving heart to those who hurt him would be revisited again centuries later in the person of Christ. Like Joseph the rejection of Jesus resulted in His becoming a savior to a world in need. Joseph met the physical needs of a dying world and Christ met the spiritual needs of a dying world. Christ was so different from the king that the people expected that he became virtually unrecognizable to His own people. Just like Joseph’s brothers who stood before Joseph without recognizing him, Christ stood before his “family” and they knew him not.

Today we are surrounded by those who do not recognize Jesus. Jesus, like Joseph, has the keys to the future. Joseph would provide bread to his brothers during a famine and Christ can be the bread of life to those who are in spiritual famine. Jesus, like Joseph, sits ready to forgive, to extend mercy and accept those who have previously rejected Him. Jesus and Joseph both desired mercy over justice, both were willing to give the good things that are not deserved to those who do not deserve them. Both Jesus and Joseph found themselves in a position to turn their backs on those who had hurt them, but instead both reached out to meet the needs of their “enemies.”

We are surrounded by so many who need to know the Christ who sits on the right hand of God mediating for those who love Him. Let us do all we can to reveal that Jesus to the entire world, especially reaching those whom the Lord has placed in our lives. Every time Jesus is truly revealed, another one of “Joseph’s brothers” can weep with joy, gratitude and amazement, that the humble Suffering Servant who they rejected has forgiven them and is now their great and glorious King!

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

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.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

When I was young and playing softball with my brother Gary, he went through a hitting slump very uncharacteristic for him. After he tried changing bats and everything about his swing, I suggested that maybe he should have his eyes checked. He pooh-poohed the idea saying that his vision was great and that couldn’t be it. After a bit, however, he did go in and was amazed at the difference in his eyesight when the doctor flipped the different lenses into place. He could actually see the chart!

Well, my brother found out that he did have a problem, but it took some close examination to determine it. We can very easily find ourselves thinking we are in a good place with The Lord when just the opposite is true.

My brother didn’t suspect that his eyes were the problem because he assumed that what he was seeing was what everyone else was seeing. Until he got a distinct contrast, until he saw what he should be seeing, he was unaware of his problem.

We might think we haven’t done much wrong in a long time and so we are probably doing really good with God. We might look around and think we are doing much better in our Christian walk than many, so we’re fine. We might pray before meals, wear a Christian shirt once in awhile, and even go to church sometimes. We get to thinking we’re in a good place — a safe place — home free. What finally got my brother into the doctor was not how he stacked up against others, but how he stacked up against himself. He really did not compare himself to others (he was still better than most), but he compared himself to where he should be, could be, and used to be. One of the most powerful weapons satan wields is wrapped up in the word “tomorrow.” We will start reading the Word “tomorrow.” We will get that prayer life going “tomorrow.” We will do that self-examination “tomorrow.” If Gary would have always put that exam off until “tomorrow” he would have never found out there was a problem!

A safe place can be a dangerous place! It lulls us into thinking that all is well and well it will always be. One of satan’s greatest tools is to get us to think that what we did yesterday is good enough for tomorrow. The reality is that we attribute all contentment to God, but sometimes Satan wants us to be content in where we are, as well. He wants us to compare ourselves to others and feel we’ve arrived! We can always find those who are messed up more than we are, but that doesn’t mean we are not messed up! God wants us to continually strive to be more like Him! (see the verse above) It is only when we come to a place of humbly looking at ourselves and asking us the tough question, “Am I all God wants me to be” that we will begin to see what God wants us to be.

We need to do a daily “I-examine.” We cannot be satisfied with seeing the world and everything we do out of focus. We need to ask if we are seeing what could be and should be in our Christian walk. We need not compare ourselves to others, but strive for God’s perfection today! When Gary got is his eyes “fixed” he not only made himself better, but he made the others around him better as well. We need to examine ourselves not just for our own sake, but for the sake of those around us who are dependent on us and need us to be all we can be. To be less than what we should be, is less than what we need to be, if we really want to live for Christ.

“Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.”   1 Corinthians 9:24-27

In these verses Paul compares the Christian with an athlete in competition. He talks about our discipline, our effort, and our integrity. These are good verses for us to keep in mind because today our opponents are many. Besides battling against our own flesh and the principalities and powers, we battle against a world that has turned right upside down and is changing the rules of morality to suit a disintegrating world.

Christianity is a faith of common sense. As we stray further and further from Christian principles we also leave common sense further and further behind. I find it amazing that groups that will close entire sections of a forest down for the tiniest of creatures can support the continual killing of the tiniest of humans. Unfortunately, most Christian principles are recognized by everyone as Christian principles. Some are so against Christianity that they must oppose everything about Christianity to prove their dismissal of the faith. Consequently, they must reject many of the common sense principles that Christianity brings to this world. Much of the world is going along with this craziness, but every day you will hear people saying, “where is people’s common sense?” Sadly, it is disintegrating by the same proportions that people reject the Biblical world perspective

I read a story about an unusual happening in the 1990’s in an NCAA Division II national championship cross-country race in California. A runner named Mike Delvaco and 127 of the states best runners were competing on 10,000 meter course to see “who would win the prize.” About three miles into the race, Delvaco was somewhere in the middle of the pack, when he realized that the runners had made a wrong turn. So he yelled out, “You’re going the wrong way,” but they didn’t listen. Only 4 others followed Mike when he turned in the right direction…and suddenly, he found himself in the lead. He must have had some doubt when the field dropped from 128 to 5, but he stayed on course.

However, that lasted only about a mile. Mike and the runners who followed him were soon reunited with the larger pack who, having gone the wrong way, actually shaved about a half a mile off the course. The shortcut of the many put them ahead of the small band of runners that took the correct path. This was bad enough for Mike, but the final blow came when, because so many of the runners had gone the wrong way, the officials changed the official course route to accommodate their error. So when Mike Delcavo finally crossed the finish line, he was number 103 overall. His right action was ignored and because so many went the wrong way they were rewarded with a shorter race. At the end of the race, one of Delcavo’s competitors “thought it was funny that he went the right way.”

Isn’t that a telling statement? In our mixed up world, when so many are wrong, wrong becomes right. Instead of the world keeping a standard of acceptable behavior, it changes what acceptable behavior is. But although the world changes “the course” to accommodate itself, God does not. He know the course; He made the course; and He expects us to run the course as marked. Numbers do not influence God. No matter how many go astray, he does not accept the majority as a sign of rightness. In Noah’s day God did not change his plan for the sake of the majority.

It takes courage and conviction to follow wholeheartedly after God instead of the rest of the world. Sometimes it can get lonely running alone, and we may be wondering where the others are going. Sometimes we will be heckled by the crowd while we are going the right way, maybe even laughed at by others in the race. And ultimately, the “race officials” may reward others for bad turns. But we must remain on God’s course. We must run with discipline, doing our best, staying on course, and when the race is over and we have finished the course, may He who is the true judge say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  (1 John 5:14)

Last week I wrote about how many of us struggle in our prayer life.  I went on to mention two types of praying that I think could be helpful for those who are hoping to have more consistent prayer lives.  I don’t think any “system” is the right one, nor do I think that these ideas are unique or necessarily for everyone.  I am just sharing what I think might work for some and part of that some might be you.

First of all, I think that most of the information we receive on prayer emphasizes organizing when it should probably emphasize agonizing.  Prayer, no matter how well organized will not be as effective if we don’t pray from a softened heart.  I think of the short, wonderful, heart-breaking, heart-felt prayer of Christ on the cross that was born of agony, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Not so much grace in so few words has ever been uttered.  Our concern for those around us should fill our hearts with a pain that only God can heal.  When we hurt for others, that hurt can only be relieved by our prayers for others. When we pray from pain our prayers will be real and no “system” is better than that.  With that in mind, there may be some things that we can do that will clear the table from encumbrances so that our prayers can come from the heart rather than the head.

A little history might be in order here.  I tend to organize (which might surprise those who have visited my garage). I am a list maker.  From my introduction to Christ in my early twenties to present day, I like to write down requests and try to refer to them often. Let me tell you how that obsession with listing has, in some ways, hurt my prayer life.  My routine has always been an early morning one.  I try to divide my list as I am sure many do, some prayers are daily, some every other day, some weekly, etc.  But even doing it this way, daily prayers (when you include national and global prayers), number close to fifty or more every day.  (For instance, I have nineteen immediate family members and another sixty or so extended family members on my list.)  I have another one hundred or so from our church, fifty from work, and multitudes of others from vagrants to presidents. Actually, when we look around us, there is probably no one that does not need prayer- so mine is a short list.

Here lies the problem.  With so many people, situations, needs, praises, and the like, prayer time can become mechanical.  Going through a list is time consuming and can become routine.  We can begin to pray the same things for the same people without really thinking of what we are saying.  Worse yet, we look at the almost impossible list and realize we need over an hour to make a dent, so if we don’t have that hour, we drop the whole thing.  The task looks overwhelming, so we surrender to avoidance.  In an attempt to pray for all things, we pray for no things.  We get discouraged and our prayer life suffers.  I have gone through all these struggles over the past years.  Because of these struggles I have begun to embrace the old adage, “Less is more.”  But it has not been an easy road.

My dilemma seemed overwhelming.  I did not feel like shorting the people who needed prayer, but I also did not want to bite off more than I could chew and choke on prayerlessness.  Too often I felt the guilt of hearing an update on someone I should have been praying for, but didn’t.  I always said a prayer of thankfulness for those who were faithful and praying in my stead, but it didn’t assuage the guilt.  I needed to find a satisfying middle ground between my need to list multitudes of requests and the ability to find time to discuss those requests with God.  I wanted a Spirit-filled prayer time that allowed me to intercede for others.  There had to be a way!

First of all, I had to commit to the necessity of prayer.  I think we often do not pray because we wonder if prayer really works.  If God is Sovereign and His will will be done, why pray?  I got over that hurdle theologically quite awhile back, but I got over it logically as well.  If God tells us that He is sovereign and if He also tells us we have free will, both of those must be true.  So even though God is in control, He is still moved by our prayers.  How can the mighty immoveable God of the universe be moved by the prayers of puny man?  I don’t know  how God reconciles these seemingly contradictory statements, but I know He does.  God would not call us to do something that was meaningless, so His call for our prayers must have meaning.

In Jeremiah we read, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”  (Jeremiah 29:12)  God is truth and would not say this if it was not true.  Our first step in a strong prayer life is faith in who God is.  Prayer is not important because of who we are and what we say, but because of who God is and what He says.

Today I did not give any helpful hints, I will begin that next week when I talk about something that has radically changed many people’s prayer lives.  Today’s emphasis is this: we need to believe prayer is important or we won’t find it important to pray.