Read I Samuel 18:1-4
The first step in making a covenant with someone is found in the exchange of the robes or garments. "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle."
The robe was a garment worn over a tunic by men of rank, or a garment of the High Priest. What Jonathan was saying in effect to David was, "I’m giving you my life; all that I am and all that I have." Jonathan was the Crown Prince, son of King Saul, destined for the throne. From birth he had been trained, schooled, and groomed for Kingship. He had everything to live for, possessions beyond our imagination, money, prestige, and a future to be envied. However, he was ready and willing to give it all away.
God, in his humanity, Jesus Christ wants to exchange robes with us today. He would like to take your sinful flesh and attach it to the cross and give you a new robe or garment. He left the indescribable beauty and the unspeakable glory of heaven to manifest, or robe himself in our filthy humanity in order to give to us His Robe of Righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10 states "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness," Ephesians 4:24 declares, "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:24 is written in covenant language which the Jews understood far more deeply than we generally do today. Paul was emphasizing that there had been an Exchange of Life. We are now to walk in another man’s garment, taking on His Identity, reflecting His Nature, manifesting His Goodness. You and I do not carry the weight of our own identity, but we carry the identity of Jesus Christ. Our names were changed. In biblical times you were known as Joseph ben Jacob or as you and I would say, Joseph, the son of Jacob. Well, when I entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus, my name went from Tim ben Frank to Tim ben Jesus. That is why it doesn’t matter who your earthly father is, if you enter into covenant with Him, you take on his garment. This was what Jesus had in mind when He said: John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
How about you today? Are you willing to exchange your filthy flesh for the glorious robe of Jesus Christ? He is standing at your door and knocking to begin that covenant relationship. Now, will you go answer the door?
“I was born in the fire, and I dare not sit in the smoke.”
- Unknown
Read I Samuel 18:4
Have you ever said something to someone in secret and they let the cat out of the bag? How did it make you feel? Were you hurt, upset and defensive? That is how we often respond to the hurts from a friend, but in covenant relationships, we must give that up. When we get hurt, the first thing we usually do is build up walls that will not let anyone else in. Covenant goes through the walls to the exact place of our vulnerability.
The second step in creating a covenant is found in the exchanging of the belts, or the weapons. "And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle."
By giving up his personal weapons of defense, Jonathan was surrendering his ability to defend himself against attack. His entire defense was now in the hands of his "Covenant Friend". He deliberately made himself vulnerable. He also rendered himself incapable of hurting his "Covenant Friend" it was a commitment of utter loyalty holding nothing back. A Covenant does not depend upon the faithfulness of the other person. David could have broken that relationship by turning and attacking Jonathon with those weapons that he just gave up, but the principle of covenant is that you make yourself totally vulnerable to that other person.
Ephesians 6:13 demands, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” I Samuel 17:45-47 shares, “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” Deuteronomy 20:4 says, "For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."
As our covenant partner, God Himself, is committed to fight our battles, to be our defense, and preserve us to everlasting life. It is tragic that many born again children of God are unacquainted with this provision of our covenant with God. We continue to live as though we must fight our own battles. I am amazed at how easy it is for us to have the hairs on our neck raise up and we want to go to battle for something that, in all actuality, God is taking care of. I wonder how many times our situations become so much worse because we try and fix the situation without letting our covenant-friend take care of the circumstance.
Will you become vulnerable today? Will you place all of your “weapons” in God’s hands and let Him fight for you and protect you? Here’s the hardest question, do you trust Him enough to place all of your defenses in Him? It is my suggestion that you do everything possible to enter that aspect of the covenant today.
“When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.”
- Madeleine L'Engle
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
In Covenant...
Sorry that I have disappeared for a while, but I'm back and in the saddle!!
Read Genesis 2:24
I would like to talk over the next couple of days about covenants. We are people of covenants. Covenants are not contracts. Contracts can be broken; covenants are designed to be permanent. When you enter into covenant with someone or something, it is until death. Contracts are time sensitive and if one party does not fulfill their side of the contract, the contract is null and void. Covenants are binding whether or not one party fulfills their particular responsibility. For instance, Jesus Christ made a covenant with all mankind that He would pay the penalty for our sins. His blood was shed and it does not matter whether you and I respond to that shed blood, it was shed nonetheless.
In literal terms, covenant means “to cut”. It is a solemn agreement, negotiated or unilaterally imposed that binds parties to each other in permanent, defined relationships with specific promises, claims and obligations on both sides. There are two types of covenants: “Parity” covenants, which are among equals and negotiated mutually, or covenants of “sovereignty” which is among non-equals; the greater party sets the conditions and the lesser either accepts them; or rejects them; non-negotiable.
God is a covenant God when he created man He made a covenant with Him in Genesis (Edenic). We are created in God’s image and are therefore created for covenant. Adam and Eve were in covenant relationship. Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Matthew 19:5 “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” Being joined basically means "cling to" or "stick to," the same word is used in Deuteronomy 11:22 when the Jews were commanded to "stick to" or "hold fast to" the Lord. This was part of their covenant with God. If you remember, when God gave them the Ten Commandments, they made a vow and said, "Yes, we want you to be our God, we’ll do whatever you say." So it was a covenant. Both parties agreed to do what they promised. God promised to take care of them and make them prosper, and they promised to obey him. So when we read here that the husband is to cleave to his wife, it suggests the idea of a covenant. When you take your wedding vows, it’s a covenant. It’s a promise. It’s a deal. You can’t go back on your word. In God’s eyes it’s permanent. You’re stuck with and to each other. Once you realize that, you’ll be much more willing to work on your marriage than to just give up when it gets difficult.
Among friends, Jonathan and David were covenant friends. I Samuel 18:1-4 “Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.”
Jonathan recognized Gods call on David, and so he made a covenant of love with David. By doing so, he gave up his own position to usher David into his purpose. Jonathon legally had the right to the throne of his father Saul, but loved David and God enough to realize that the covenant he would make with David would usher in an everlasting kingdom. For David’s part, he fulfilled the covenant with Jonathon after Jonathon had been killed by taking in Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth as his own family.
It is imperative that we develop a covenant relationship with God, and with someone that we love dearly. I think it is quite obvious why we should be in covenant with God, but because we are created in Him image, we must find those people in our life, either marital spouses and/or friends that will help us stand in the last days when everything else seems to be falling apart.
The question becomes, how do you establish covenants? I am so glad that you asked. Over the next couple of devotions, I would like to share with you the nine biblical steps in making a covenant.
“A covenant made with God should be regarded not as restrictive but as protective.”
- Russell M. Nelson
Friday, September 4, 2009
Walk in Peace
Read Ephesians 6
My brother had a habit when I first got married. Every time he came to visit us he would wear the worst shoes he owned and played on my wife’s heartstrings to go buy him new ones. My wallet was a little lighter every time he visited. Having said that, today we will look at the armor of the sandal, or the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. It is often said the peace is not the absence of trouble, but the strength to pass through the trouble. To a certain extent that saying is fairly accurate. In biblical times warfare was obviously not carried out with missiles that could travel thousands of miles. It was carried out in hand-to-hand battle.
What I believe Paul was trying to say was that even though you stand in the midst of the battle, if you had prepared in the gospel of peace, you would stand strong. Peace, in the Greek, means ‘a harmonized relationship between God and man”. The gospel simply means “good news”. Paul is saying that it is good news to have your relationship harmonized with God before you go into battle. I have often said that the thing that is most lacking in churches and saints today is the lack of confidence in the personal relationship of an individual and God. All too often, men and women worry about what someone else is doing, saying or how they’re being used. Too often we compare ourselves to someone else. God did not design us originally to be a horizontal people. He designed us for himself, which must be a vertical people.
Satan wins every time he gets us to look on a horizontal venue. When we begin looking at each other or even when we spend most of our time looking at ourselves, he wins. No matter how ‘spiritual” someone is, they are still human, and there is not one person better than another. Everyone has the same opportunity to reach God. The people that don’t think that they are worth anything are the people that spend the majority of their time focused on themselves or others instead of God. When your relationship is right with God, it doesn’t matter what others think, say or do because you know exactly where you belong. No matter what storm arises or what battle is raging, you have peace because you’ve prepared to walk in that personal relationship with Him.
The warriors of that day had no time to think once the battle began. They basically fought on instinct because things would move so fast and any step could be their last one. Paul is telling us that when we go into battles have your feet, or your mode of transportation, where God is taking you, wrapped up in that harmonized relationship between you and Him. I believe there are a great deal reading this today that would do a great deal of conquering if you just had confidence in your relationship between you and God. You have walked in trepidation because you feared what someone else may say or do and you have dodged the battle that needed to be waged because your travel was not done in confidence. The only way to become confident is to spend time with each other and listen to each other. I pray that every person reading this would become so strong in his or her relationship with Him that when he spoke we jumped. We remove the worry of who is watching. We erase the doubt of talent. We get rid of the thought that we aren’t qualified to do something. Listen; when God asks you to do something, you better believe that He trusts you. Why don’t you trust Him? Most likely it is because you have not prepared the gospel of harmonized relationship on your mode of travel.
“The feet of the humblest may walk in the field Where the feet of the Holiest trod, This, then, is the marvel to mortals revealed.”
- Phillips Brooks
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Read Ephesians 6
We have entered, or about to enter, yet another year of school. Children all around are entering or have just begun a new year. This means that there will be new challenges, new pressures and new battles. It is imperative that our children are equipped with the tools necessary to stand in these last days. All adults everywhere need to be prayerful for each person entering the doors of our schools.
I remember a young man that was a few years younger than me that was raised in the truth. His father was a preacher, and his family was strong in the faith. This young man went to Bible College and then went on to a university. It was at the university that he was bombarded with false doctrines and mistaken philosophies. It is a sad story to see men and women that sat on the pew but never received for themselves the tools to withstand the onslaught of hell. Needless to say, this young man became entangled in all these false ideas to the point that he began to question whether there really was a God. I do not know where that young man is today, but I do know that he represents thousands of young men and women that once held to the principles of the Bible and did not possess the tools to withstand in the heat of battle.
The armor that Paul writes about can be obtained by falling in love with Jesus Christ. When we really fall in love with Him, He places the tools necessary for the fight at our disposal. The only thing we need to do is to pick them up. It reminds me of my grandmother. I spent an entire week with her and her sister at my uncle’s cabin. We had a blast. She showed us how to use an old fashioned sickle. After that week I was glad to have that battery powered hand clipper!! In the midst of showing us how to use this old farm tool she made a statement that I remembered while writing this devotion. She said, “Tim and Jeffy (my cousin), the only way to get something done is to do it. Use whatever you can and you will be able to finish the project.”
What about you? Are you like thousands of others that have the tools at their disposal, but you fail to pick it up? This week we are going to look at these different tools God provided for us, but like Grandma Cele said, “You have to pick it up to make it useful.”
“In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”
- Mark Twain
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
August 10-12
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
The last key to running in life is persistence. Verse 27 stated, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” The word “discipline” is the Greek verb “hupopiazo”, and literally means, “to strike under the eye” and gives the connotation of giving someone a “black eye.” We need to literally have the Self-Control that makes us black and blue on our bodies. I’m not talking about sacramental scourging, but I am talking about beating our flesh so that our human nature is unable to lead us. Without discipline, one is sure to fail. An athlete’s strength comes from discipline.
I want to tell you a story about the strength of the first marathon runners, which is where the NIKE company derives its name. The battle of Marathon was fought around 490 B.C. when king Darius launched an attack on Athens. Since the surrounding city-states would offer little support to the Athenians, the Persians outnumbered them. Although the Athenians were outnumbered, they caught the Persians by surprise by running the full length of the plain and catching the Persians unorganized. The Athenians were able to defeat the Persians by not only striking from the front, but they also flanked the Persian army from the sides. Because of this sudden attack the Persian troops broke ranks and fled back to their ships. Since the Athenians won they wanted to send word back to Athens to tell of victory so the city could prepare for the Persian fleet attack from the sea.
So Miltiades sent his best runner Pheidippides to take word to Athens. He ran the whole distance, about 26 miles, and when he arrived he was able to say one word . . . and then he died. What was the one word that Pheidippides was able to say before he died? It was “Nike!” He cried “victory!” The Athenians ran the whole distance of the plain of Marathon, which is some 26 miles. This could not have been accomplished without hard training and discipline.
What aspects of our lives do we need to discipline? We need to discipline our minds. We need to train ourselves to think properly. II Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We also need to discipline our bodies. We need a disciplined moral character. Many leaders with many talents have been “disqualified” because they didn’t discipline their moral character. The word “disqualified” carries the connotation of being rejected. We need to discipline our appetites. Let your moderation be known to all men. We also need to discipline our speech. James 1:26 says, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” No matter how self-controlled you are; if you haven’t bridled your tongue, you’ve still got a way to go. You may have a disciplined mind, a disciplined body, and a disciplined will; even disciplined appetites, but a loose tongue will get you in a lot of trouble. Oftentimes it is best just to keep your mouth shut. We need discipline in arranging our priorities. There are a lot of things that pull at you every day. You must decide what is important. God has given us victory over sin. However; we must not let our guard down. We must use the strategies of God to defeat the power of Satan.
If we stay on course we will finish the race. I believe that persistence is stubbornness with a purpose. We must be consistent to win the race. We can never quit striving to do more and be more for God. To win the race requires that we never give up. Paul is calling the children of God to remain steady no matter what the cost. The goal we have is heaven and we can never give up on it. I’ve read where Winston Churchill rose to give a speech, and everyone thought it would be an amazing oratorical rendition. He just rose to the podium and said, “Never, never, never give up!” And they won the war.
I hope these keys over the last week will help you in the race for glory, and I look forward to meeting you at the finish line.
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
- Bill Bradley
August 11
Read Genesis 22:1-18
The old man stopped walking. It had been a long day and he was tired. To look into his eyes though, you would have realized that it wasn’t his body that was tired, but his spirit. The place of sacrifice was getting closer. He had wrestled with the matter in his heart a thousand times since God had spoken. As he was thinking, his servants ran up and suggested a time of rest. The sun was extremely hot and the old man agreed to stop for a while. The animals were tied down and the servants both laid down under a tree for a nap. Beside him, one other figure was still standing; a young male that bore a striking resemblance to the old man. To take a look at the two of them, you would have surely thought it was the man’s great-grandson. It wasn’t. “Isaac my son,” the old voice spoke out, “Come sit with me for awhile.” Isaac, after making sure the animals really were secure, came and sat next to his father. The heat had made him tired and he quickly fell asleep. Abraham turned his eyes toward his son Isaac. A tear began to roll down his face as he realized what must take place in just a few short days. Part of him wanted to pick up Isaac and run away. The other part knew he had to go. The old man never closed his eyes. While everyone else slept, his eyes never left his son.
God surely gives Isaacs. Isaac was a special gift from God to Abraham, and you and I have received gift upon gift from God throughout our life. It is true that God gives Isaacs to our lives.
It is also true that Isaac can become almost a god to us. Consider this, what did God ask Abraham to sacrifice? I don’t read anywhere in the text that God asked Abraham to sacrifice Sarah, or sacrifice one of his servants, or sacrifice his wealth (give it away), or even sacrifice himself. God asked Abraham to sacrifice the one thing that had an opportunity to become another god in his life. For Abraham, that was Isaac, his gift. It would have been very easy to do. Isaac was a special child. He was the son that was going fulfill the promise of God. From this son, his descendants were going to multiply. It must have been so easy for Abraham to begin trusting in Isaac more than He was trusting God. Whenever you begin to trust in something more than you trust God, that thing whatever it may be, will become your god.
Isaac had to die. Whenever we have an Isaac that we have lifted up, God will eventually ask that we sacrifice it. We cannot have two gods. I tell you the truth today; it’s not easy to loosen the clenched fist that restrains your Isaac. Your Isaac will often be the thing you trust in dearly and it’s hard to be asked to willingly give it up. God comes though and asks us to trust in Him, not in the gifts He’s given us. Sometimes we don’t realize how tough it was for Abraham. He was going to kill everything that God had promised and given to him. Yet, he was still willing to trust God. Can you be the same? Will you allow God to point out Isaacs in your life to be sacrificed? Moreover, will you obey?
I’m sure there are people that read this story and walk away believing God to be a beast that requires human sacrifice. God never wanted to see Isaac physically sacrificed. He wanted Isaac to be sacrificed in Abraham’s heart. Once God knew that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God stepped in and stopped it. Truly, the sacrifice had already been made. God steps in though and provides a ram to be offered in place of Isaac. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. Are you willing today to place all He has given on the altar of sacrifice and allow Him to provide a way?
“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”
- James Allen
August 12
Read John 7:37
Have you ever been thirsty? I do not mean the average thirst where a drink of water sounds good after a long walk or after working in the garden on a hot summer day. I mean really -- really thirsty…where your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and you have to peel your lips off of your teeth and all you can think about is water.
I am not talking about H2O. We come to church… surrounded by the ocean of “Living Water”. Americans can buy Pink Bibles, Women Bibles, Devotional Men’s and Teen Bibles and we are thirsty. We can buy Christian bumper stickers, t-shirts; go to cool and trendy Christian bookstores and we’re still thirsty. We come to church and sing the songs that quench our souls, listen to the Scripture that hydrates our lives and we still are thirsty! We are walking through a Gatorade culture of opportunity with a Sahara desert soul? Why? Why can’t we drink from the well that never runs dry? Why are our souls shriveled and dehydrated?
The story is told of a young student who went to his spiritual teacher and asked the question, "Master, how can I truly find God?" The teacher asked the student to accompany him to the river, which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the teacher said, "Please immerse yourself in the water." The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the teacher put his hands on the young man’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle.
The master held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the master held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The teacher waited for a few moments and then said, "When you desire God as truly as you desired to breathe the air you just breathed -- then you shall find God."
It is when we get as thirsty for God that the young student was for air that we will begin to sense the thirst of our souls to dissipate and be quenched. Are you thirsty today? Jesus told us that if we thirst to go to Him. Will you run to Him right now?
“He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well.”
- Baltasar Gracian
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
The last key to running in life is persistence. Verse 27 stated, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” The word “discipline” is the Greek verb “hupopiazo”, and literally means, “to strike under the eye” and gives the connotation of giving someone a “black eye.” We need to literally have the Self-Control that makes us black and blue on our bodies. I’m not talking about sacramental scourging, but I am talking about beating our flesh so that our human nature is unable to lead us. Without discipline, one is sure to fail. An athlete’s strength comes from discipline.
I want to tell you a story about the strength of the first marathon runners, which is where the NIKE company derives its name. The battle of Marathon was fought around 490 B.C. when king Darius launched an attack on Athens. Since the surrounding city-states would offer little support to the Athenians, the Persians outnumbered them. Although the Athenians were outnumbered, they caught the Persians by surprise by running the full length of the plain and catching the Persians unorganized. The Athenians were able to defeat the Persians by not only striking from the front, but they also flanked the Persian army from the sides. Because of this sudden attack the Persian troops broke ranks and fled back to their ships. Since the Athenians won they wanted to send word back to Athens to tell of victory so the city could prepare for the Persian fleet attack from the sea.
So Miltiades sent his best runner Pheidippides to take word to Athens. He ran the whole distance, about 26 miles, and when he arrived he was able to say one word . . . and then he died. What was the one word that Pheidippides was able to say before he died? It was “Nike!” He cried “victory!” The Athenians ran the whole distance of the plain of Marathon, which is some 26 miles. This could not have been accomplished without hard training and discipline.
What aspects of our lives do we need to discipline? We need to discipline our minds. We need to train ourselves to think properly. II Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We also need to discipline our bodies. We need a disciplined moral character. Many leaders with many talents have been “disqualified” because they didn’t discipline their moral character. The word “disqualified” carries the connotation of being rejected. We need to discipline our appetites. Let your moderation be known to all men. We also need to discipline our speech. James 1:26 says, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” No matter how self-controlled you are; if you haven’t bridled your tongue, you’ve still got a way to go. You may have a disciplined mind, a disciplined body, and a disciplined will; even disciplined appetites, but a loose tongue will get you in a lot of trouble. Oftentimes it is best just to keep your mouth shut. We need discipline in arranging our priorities. There are a lot of things that pull at you every day. You must decide what is important. God has given us victory over sin. However; we must not let our guard down. We must use the strategies of God to defeat the power of Satan.
If we stay on course we will finish the race. I believe that persistence is stubbornness with a purpose. We must be consistent to win the race. We can never quit striving to do more and be more for God. To win the race requires that we never give up. Paul is calling the children of God to remain steady no matter what the cost. The goal we have is heaven and we can never give up on it. I’ve read where Winston Churchill rose to give a speech, and everyone thought it would be an amazing oratorical rendition. He just rose to the podium and said, “Never, never, never give up!” And they won the war.
I hope these keys over the last week will help you in the race for glory, and I look forward to meeting you at the finish line.
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
- Bill Bradley
August 11
Read Genesis 22:1-18
The old man stopped walking. It had been a long day and he was tired. To look into his eyes though, you would have realized that it wasn’t his body that was tired, but his spirit. The place of sacrifice was getting closer. He had wrestled with the matter in his heart a thousand times since God had spoken. As he was thinking, his servants ran up and suggested a time of rest. The sun was extremely hot and the old man agreed to stop for a while. The animals were tied down and the servants both laid down under a tree for a nap. Beside him, one other figure was still standing; a young male that bore a striking resemblance to the old man. To take a look at the two of them, you would have surely thought it was the man’s great-grandson. It wasn’t. “Isaac my son,” the old voice spoke out, “Come sit with me for awhile.” Isaac, after making sure the animals really were secure, came and sat next to his father. The heat had made him tired and he quickly fell asleep. Abraham turned his eyes toward his son Isaac. A tear began to roll down his face as he realized what must take place in just a few short days. Part of him wanted to pick up Isaac and run away. The other part knew he had to go. The old man never closed his eyes. While everyone else slept, his eyes never left his son.
God surely gives Isaacs. Isaac was a special gift from God to Abraham, and you and I have received gift upon gift from God throughout our life. It is true that God gives Isaacs to our lives.
It is also true that Isaac can become almost a god to us. Consider this, what did God ask Abraham to sacrifice? I don’t read anywhere in the text that God asked Abraham to sacrifice Sarah, or sacrifice one of his servants, or sacrifice his wealth (give it away), or even sacrifice himself. God asked Abraham to sacrifice the one thing that had an opportunity to become another god in his life. For Abraham, that was Isaac, his gift. It would have been very easy to do. Isaac was a special child. He was the son that was going fulfill the promise of God. From this son, his descendants were going to multiply. It must have been so easy for Abraham to begin trusting in Isaac more than He was trusting God. Whenever you begin to trust in something more than you trust God, that thing whatever it may be, will become your god.
Isaac had to die. Whenever we have an Isaac that we have lifted up, God will eventually ask that we sacrifice it. We cannot have two gods. I tell you the truth today; it’s not easy to loosen the clenched fist that restrains your Isaac. Your Isaac will often be the thing you trust in dearly and it’s hard to be asked to willingly give it up. God comes though and asks us to trust in Him, not in the gifts He’s given us. Sometimes we don’t realize how tough it was for Abraham. He was going to kill everything that God had promised and given to him. Yet, he was still willing to trust God. Can you be the same? Will you allow God to point out Isaacs in your life to be sacrificed? Moreover, will you obey?
I’m sure there are people that read this story and walk away believing God to be a beast that requires human sacrifice. God never wanted to see Isaac physically sacrificed. He wanted Isaac to be sacrificed in Abraham’s heart. Once God knew that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God stepped in and stopped it. Truly, the sacrifice had already been made. God steps in though and provides a ram to be offered in place of Isaac. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. Are you willing today to place all He has given on the altar of sacrifice and allow Him to provide a way?
“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”
- James Allen
August 12
Read John 7:37
Have you ever been thirsty? I do not mean the average thirst where a drink of water sounds good after a long walk or after working in the garden on a hot summer day. I mean really -- really thirsty…where your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and you have to peel your lips off of your teeth and all you can think about is water.
I am not talking about H2O. We come to church… surrounded by the ocean of “Living Water”. Americans can buy Pink Bibles, Women Bibles, Devotional Men’s and Teen Bibles and we are thirsty. We can buy Christian bumper stickers, t-shirts; go to cool and trendy Christian bookstores and we’re still thirsty. We come to church and sing the songs that quench our souls, listen to the Scripture that hydrates our lives and we still are thirsty! We are walking through a Gatorade culture of opportunity with a Sahara desert soul? Why? Why can’t we drink from the well that never runs dry? Why are our souls shriveled and dehydrated?
The story is told of a young student who went to his spiritual teacher and asked the question, "Master, how can I truly find God?" The teacher asked the student to accompany him to the river, which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the teacher said, "Please immerse yourself in the water." The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the teacher put his hands on the young man’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle.
The master held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the master held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The teacher waited for a few moments and then said, "When you desire God as truly as you desired to breathe the air you just breathed -- then you shall find God."
It is when we get as thirsty for God that the young student was for air that we will begin to sense the thirst of our souls to dissipate and be quenched. Are you thirsty today? Jesus told us that if we thirst to go to Him. Will you run to Him right now?
“He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well.”
- Baltasar Gracian
Sunday, August 9, 2009
August 8 & 9 (Sorry!)
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today’s key for running the race of life well is Purpose, or get energized. In our passage today, verse 26 says, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” This makes it very clear that we should not practice for an event without a goal. Paul said that he did not run without having a reason. Many people today run for fitness, which is a goal. Have you ever noticed that many professional athletes give up running, biking, or whatever sport they were doing when there are no more prizes to win? Why run if you cannot obtain a prize?
Paul asked why in the world someone would fight if they were just going to swing at the air. What is the point of shadow boxing if you are never going to fight? Whatever sport we choose to participate in, or whatever resolution we chose to make… we must not just go through the motions. We need to set a goal before us. Any race that we run, we should aim for the finish line. Do not enter an event; do not enter a resolution, do not live your life or walk your walk without having the goal of finishing.
Another thing to point out is that too many times we focus more on the task than the outcome. There’s a true story of a man who approached a laborer who was laying bricks and asked him, “What are you doing?” The laborer said, “Can’t you see I’m laying bricks?” The man then walked over to another bricklayer and asked, “What are you doing?” And the workman answered with pride, “I’m building a cathedral.” Both were physically doing the same thing, but the first laborer was occupied with the present task, and the other was concerned with the ultimate goal. If we forget the outcome of our task, we will become bogged down in what we are doing. One translation of verse 26 is… “Do not run like a man running aimlessly”. If we want to win in life we must strive towards our purpose. A life without purpose is like a race without a finish line.
Understanding the need for purpose is easy. Defining purpose is difficult. To win the race requires knowing our purpose. Paul tells the Corinthian church that they are to run this race with divine aims and purposes. We are to move through life with purpose and direction. When we know our purpose in life it creates energy for us. A Peace Corps Commercial makes an interesting statement, “If you’re not doing something with your life, it doesn’t matter how long it is.”
Paul knew where the finish line was. He wasn’t shadowboxing. His opponent was real and he fought “not as one who beats the air.” It is interesting to note that Paul stopped using the word ‘we’ in this verse and started using ‘I’. He was trying to let us know that at some point in our walk with God, each individual must become responsible for the way one lives. I can’t save you and you can’t save me. Also, if I am unable to save you, I am also unable to lose you. The only way for someone to be lost is to stop running or fighting. They become fighters that shadow box or beat the air.
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
- Mitch Albom
August 9
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will talk about Produce, get fruitful. Some of the most frustrating people are those that always talk big, but never accomplish anything. Those that live by the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do”, are especially irritating. I believe that unless you produce something that is meaningful, you have really wasted your time. I have often heard it said that if you were just faithful to the house of God everything would be all right. My friend, part of being faithful is producing when you have the opportunity. Even if you fail, you are producing. Like Einstein once said after one of his many failures, “Well, at least I know it doesn’t work that way.” If you fall flat on your face, you then know you have to try it a little different. Nevertheless, in order to be successful in this race, you must produce.
I once heard it states that on a gravestone it is not the dates that are important, but the dash in between. You will be remembered by what you produced in this life. How is your “dash” today?
“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”
- Aristotle
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today’s key for running the race of life well is Purpose, or get energized. In our passage today, verse 26 says, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” This makes it very clear that we should not practice for an event without a goal. Paul said that he did not run without having a reason. Many people today run for fitness, which is a goal. Have you ever noticed that many professional athletes give up running, biking, or whatever sport they were doing when there are no more prizes to win? Why run if you cannot obtain a prize?
Paul asked why in the world someone would fight if they were just going to swing at the air. What is the point of shadow boxing if you are never going to fight? Whatever sport we choose to participate in, or whatever resolution we chose to make… we must not just go through the motions. We need to set a goal before us. Any race that we run, we should aim for the finish line. Do not enter an event; do not enter a resolution, do not live your life or walk your walk without having the goal of finishing.
Another thing to point out is that too many times we focus more on the task than the outcome. There’s a true story of a man who approached a laborer who was laying bricks and asked him, “What are you doing?” The laborer said, “Can’t you see I’m laying bricks?” The man then walked over to another bricklayer and asked, “What are you doing?” And the workman answered with pride, “I’m building a cathedral.” Both were physically doing the same thing, but the first laborer was occupied with the present task, and the other was concerned with the ultimate goal. If we forget the outcome of our task, we will become bogged down in what we are doing. One translation of verse 26 is… “Do not run like a man running aimlessly”. If we want to win in life we must strive towards our purpose. A life without purpose is like a race without a finish line.
Understanding the need for purpose is easy. Defining purpose is difficult. To win the race requires knowing our purpose. Paul tells the Corinthian church that they are to run this race with divine aims and purposes. We are to move through life with purpose and direction. When we know our purpose in life it creates energy for us. A Peace Corps Commercial makes an interesting statement, “If you’re not doing something with your life, it doesn’t matter how long it is.”
Paul knew where the finish line was. He wasn’t shadowboxing. His opponent was real and he fought “not as one who beats the air.” It is interesting to note that Paul stopped using the word ‘we’ in this verse and started using ‘I’. He was trying to let us know that at some point in our walk with God, each individual must become responsible for the way one lives. I can’t save you and you can’t save me. Also, if I am unable to save you, I am also unable to lose you. The only way for someone to be lost is to stop running or fighting. They become fighters that shadow box or beat the air.
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
- Mitch Albom
August 9
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will talk about Produce, get fruitful. Some of the most frustrating people are those that always talk big, but never accomplish anything. Those that live by the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do”, are especially irritating. I believe that unless you produce something that is meaningful, you have really wasted your time. I have often heard it said that if you were just faithful to the house of God everything would be all right. My friend, part of being faithful is producing when you have the opportunity. Even if you fail, you are producing. Like Einstein once said after one of his many failures, “Well, at least I know it doesn’t work that way.” If you fall flat on your face, you then know you have to try it a little different. Nevertheless, in order to be successful in this race, you must produce.
I once heard it states that on a gravestone it is not the dates that are important, but the dash in between. You will be remembered by what you produced in this life. How is your “dash” today?
“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”
- Aristotle
Friday, August 7, 2009
Get Focused...
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will deal with another key to running this race called life effectively. It is to Perceive or get focused. Again in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
We do this to receive a crown that will last forever. If we want to run the race you must know where we are going. Our finish line is heaven. Heaven is our goal and we must be heavenly minded. All of us have heard the phrase “They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.” That should not pertain to any of us reading this today. Our goal is heaven but we continue to live balanced lives here on earth. To win the race requires us to be focused on the goal. The prize we seek is not temporal or earthly. The things of this earth will pass away. Our focus should be on that which will remain – the imperishable crown.
We are a reward driven people. We do our best if we know that there is a reward waiting for us. We are taught at a very young age that rewards are at the end of the journey. I remember when I was a kid and I wanted to go outside and play football or something. My mom’s response almost always was, “Is your room cleaned up?” You see, when I got my room cleaned up, I was able to have the reward of going out and playing.
God knows us so well that he created in us a desire to receive the reward of rewards. In every human being is a drive to earn rewards. While we cannot earn our heavenly crowns, we can run the race with the reward in view. I remember seeing my first pig race at the state fair. They would line the pigs up and place some food at the end of a stick and those pigs would chase that food all around without taking their eyes off that food. We need to live with the reward of heaven in front of us and not take our eyes off of that reward for one second.
The winner who received the crown only did so after much endurance. His crown was a perishable crown - BUT OURS IS IMPERISHABLE. It will last forever. Since these athletes did so much training for a perishable crown - how much more should we strive for an imperishable crown.
“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.”
- Greg Anderson
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will deal with another key to running this race called life effectively. It is to Perceive or get focused. Again in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
We do this to receive a crown that will last forever. If we want to run the race you must know where we are going. Our finish line is heaven. Heaven is our goal and we must be heavenly minded. All of us have heard the phrase “They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.” That should not pertain to any of us reading this today. Our goal is heaven but we continue to live balanced lives here on earth. To win the race requires us to be focused on the goal. The prize we seek is not temporal or earthly. The things of this earth will pass away. Our focus should be on that which will remain – the imperishable crown.
We are a reward driven people. We do our best if we know that there is a reward waiting for us. We are taught at a very young age that rewards are at the end of the journey. I remember when I was a kid and I wanted to go outside and play football or something. My mom’s response almost always was, “Is your room cleaned up?” You see, when I got my room cleaned up, I was able to have the reward of going out and playing.
God knows us so well that he created in us a desire to receive the reward of rewards. In every human being is a drive to earn rewards. While we cannot earn our heavenly crowns, we can run the race with the reward in view. I remember seeing my first pig race at the state fair. They would line the pigs up and place some food at the end of a stick and those pigs would chase that food all around without taking their eyes off that food. We need to live with the reward of heaven in front of us and not take our eyes off of that reward for one second.
The winner who received the crown only did so after much endurance. His crown was a perishable crown - BUT OURS IS IMPERISHABLE. It will last forever. Since these athletes did so much training for a perishable crown - how much more should we strive for an imperishable crown.
“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.”
- Greg Anderson
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Prepared?
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
We’ve talked this week about Proceeding, Pursuing and today we will deal with Preparing, or getting ready. Verse 25 states, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.”
An athlete who wants to win always goes into strict training. The key word to preparation or training is; temperance / self-control. This gives the idea of inner strength - strength not to indulge or act on impulse. The word ‘compete’ that Paul uses is the Greek is the word for agony. It points to the tremendous effort that was put forth to win. I remember when I started playing hockey. We would have to try out for the team and the first day we would only skate. People would be hanging over the boards losing lunch while others were cramping up. It was pure misery, but we all knew that if we endured, we would be on the team. Although the presence of our self-control is from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the practice of our self-control is our responsibility (2 Peter 1:4-7). The point here is not necessarily abstinence, but having a strong control of our appetites and passions.
If we want to win, we must prepare. Life is full of unexpected events and we must be ready at a moments notice. If you want to excel as an athlete you must go into training. The same is true of our walk with God. We need spiritual workouts – Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in worship. To win the race requires that we are ready. We must be in a state of constant readiness. We must be ready when God calls us to serve. We must be ready for when we cross the finish line. “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” – Benjamin Disraeli.
The key is “self-discipline.” The athletes that competed in this competition had to provide proof that they had been in training for at least 10 months before the contest. They had to prove that they had spent the last 30 days doing exercises in the gymnasium. In the Greek games - only one received the prize. But for the child of God, the prize is available to all who run the disciplined race. The child of God should run as the winner runs. Philippians 3:13 states, “brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” In the relay races, teammates would run up to the next runner and reach the baton forward to the next runner. They constantly move forward.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience that race that is set before thee.” Revelation 3:11 states, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
In 1976 the University of Indiana won NCAA National Title. When interviewed about their success, coach Knight said, “The will to succeed is important but what is more important is the will to prepare”. We must prepare ourselves for the race.
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
- Arthur Ashe
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
We’ve talked this week about Proceeding, Pursuing and today we will deal with Preparing, or getting ready. Verse 25 states, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.”
An athlete who wants to win always goes into strict training. The key word to preparation or training is; temperance / self-control. This gives the idea of inner strength - strength not to indulge or act on impulse. The word ‘compete’ that Paul uses is the Greek is the word for agony. It points to the tremendous effort that was put forth to win. I remember when I started playing hockey. We would have to try out for the team and the first day we would only skate. People would be hanging over the boards losing lunch while others were cramping up. It was pure misery, but we all knew that if we endured, we would be on the team. Although the presence of our self-control is from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the practice of our self-control is our responsibility (2 Peter 1:4-7). The point here is not necessarily abstinence, but having a strong control of our appetites and passions.
If we want to win, we must prepare. Life is full of unexpected events and we must be ready at a moments notice. If you want to excel as an athlete you must go into training. The same is true of our walk with God. We need spiritual workouts – Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in worship. To win the race requires that we are ready. We must be in a state of constant readiness. We must be ready when God calls us to serve. We must be ready for when we cross the finish line. “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” – Benjamin Disraeli.
The key is “self-discipline.” The athletes that competed in this competition had to provide proof that they had been in training for at least 10 months before the contest. They had to prove that they had spent the last 30 days doing exercises in the gymnasium. In the Greek games - only one received the prize. But for the child of God, the prize is available to all who run the disciplined race. The child of God should run as the winner runs. Philippians 3:13 states, “brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” In the relay races, teammates would run up to the next runner and reach the baton forward to the next runner. They constantly move forward.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience that race that is set before thee.” Revelation 3:11 states, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
In 1976 the University of Indiana won NCAA National Title. When interviewed about their success, coach Knight said, “The will to succeed is important but what is more important is the will to prepare”. We must prepare ourselves for the race.
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
- Arthur Ashe
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
August 4 & 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
There are seven keys to running well, and over the next couple of days we will concentrate on this passage and those keys. Today, the first key is to PROCEED. We must be willing to get going. Notice verse 24 “know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?” It is important to notice that “All the runners run”.
In order to run the race we must first begin. The great Nike slogan fits here – “Just Do It”. There is no way to win a race if you aren’t running. To win the race requires that you get in the race. We cannot serve God from the starting blocks. Winning starts when we dare to begin. The more daring we are, the more glorious the victory. It is impossible to be victorious without doing something.
The last three days of elementary school was always the best. It was track and field week. We were never in the classroom, but everyone signed up for five events they would participate in. I would always do the 50 yard dash (the 100 was wayyyyy toooooo long!!). I would also do the high jump because I enjoyed landing on the big foam pads. I won in every event. I would walk away with medals that made my classmates drool (alright, they really didn’t care much). There was one event that I could never win as hard as I may have tried. It was the 400 meter relay. It wasn’t because I wasn’t asked to be on some of the teams, or because I wasn’t fast enough that I never won. The reason I could never win that race was that I never ran in it.
Likewise, until we get in the race for eternal life, we will never have the opportunity to win it. Remember these words, “We cannot expect God to say, ‘well done’ if we will not first ‘well do’.”
“I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.”
- Neil Armstrong
August 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
As I said yesterday, we want to look at the keys to running the race well. Yesterday we mentioned that you have to proceed, or get going first in order to possibly win. Today we want to deal with the second key. It is to pursue, or to keep moving.
Again in verse 24 – “So run, that ye may obtain.” This race isn’t over until we cross the finish line. If we want to win the prize we must pursue excellence in everything that we do. Paul is telling us that we cannot settle to watch from the sidelines but that we must be involved. We must be willing to take action. We must be willing to change our attitude. We must be willing to keep moving – even when we feel like giving up.
When I was playing hockey, I always looked forward to the end of the year banquet. It was at the banquet that everyone that made it the whole year received some kind of trophy. We started something and the guys that played and the coaches that coached and the parents that raised funds and drove us everywhere were able to see that child receive a reward. In biblical terms it is “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
The value of the prize was not monetary but symbolic. The prize for Paul was a sense of satisfaction that God was using him in ministry. It was that he had used all his energies and talents and gifts for God’s glory, for the good of the kingdom. He described that prize in… Philippians 3:14 - “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When we run our race …whatever it may be, let us put on our faith or our NIKE gear, the gear of victory, and strive for the prize. We run to receive a crown of righteousness. It is not a crown of riches, but a crown that will carry a message to all who see it.
“You get very tired, and there was a certain amount of pain and you slow up. Your legs are so tired that you are in fact slowing. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy.”
- Roger Bannister
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
There are seven keys to running well, and over the next couple of days we will concentrate on this passage and those keys. Today, the first key is to PROCEED. We must be willing to get going. Notice verse 24 “know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?” It is important to notice that “All the runners run”.
In order to run the race we must first begin. The great Nike slogan fits here – “Just Do It”. There is no way to win a race if you aren’t running. To win the race requires that you get in the race. We cannot serve God from the starting blocks. Winning starts when we dare to begin. The more daring we are, the more glorious the victory. It is impossible to be victorious without doing something.
The last three days of elementary school was always the best. It was track and field week. We were never in the classroom, but everyone signed up for five events they would participate in. I would always do the 50 yard dash (the 100 was wayyyyy toooooo long!!). I would also do the high jump because I enjoyed landing on the big foam pads. I won in every event. I would walk away with medals that made my classmates drool (alright, they really didn’t care much). There was one event that I could never win as hard as I may have tried. It was the 400 meter relay. It wasn’t because I wasn’t asked to be on some of the teams, or because I wasn’t fast enough that I never won. The reason I could never win that race was that I never ran in it.
Likewise, until we get in the race for eternal life, we will never have the opportunity to win it. Remember these words, “We cannot expect God to say, ‘well done’ if we will not first ‘well do’.”
“I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.”
- Neil Armstrong
August 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
As I said yesterday, we want to look at the keys to running the race well. Yesterday we mentioned that you have to proceed, or get going first in order to possibly win. Today we want to deal with the second key. It is to pursue, or to keep moving.
Again in verse 24 – “So run, that ye may obtain.” This race isn’t over until we cross the finish line. If we want to win the prize we must pursue excellence in everything that we do. Paul is telling us that we cannot settle to watch from the sidelines but that we must be involved. We must be willing to take action. We must be willing to change our attitude. We must be willing to keep moving – even when we feel like giving up.
When I was playing hockey, I always looked forward to the end of the year banquet. It was at the banquet that everyone that made it the whole year received some kind of trophy. We started something and the guys that played and the coaches that coached and the parents that raised funds and drove us everywhere were able to see that child receive a reward. In biblical terms it is “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
The value of the prize was not monetary but symbolic. The prize for Paul was a sense of satisfaction that God was using him in ministry. It was that he had used all his energies and talents and gifts for God’s glory, for the good of the kingdom. He described that prize in… Philippians 3:14 - “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When we run our race …whatever it may be, let us put on our faith or our NIKE gear, the gear of victory, and strive for the prize. We run to receive a crown of righteousness. It is not a crown of riches, but a crown that will carry a message to all who see it.
“You get very tired, and there was a certain amount of pain and you slow up. Your legs are so tired that you are in fact slowing. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy.”
- Roger Bannister
Sunday, August 2, 2009
You Don't Have To Go!!
Read Luke 16:19-31
As you can tell, my spirit feels an urgency to remind you that we are truly living in the last days. Hell has fallen on hard times. A recent George Barna survey found that 67% of Americans do not believe in hell. That means that only 33% of Americans believe in a literal hell. Couple that idea with a rapidly declining biblical knowledge and in just a few short years there will be no hell. . . . at least in the minds of Americans.
“There has been a shift in religion from focusing on what happens in the next life to asking, ‘What is the quality of this life we’re leading now?’” said Harvey Cox Jr., an author, religious historian and professor at the Harvard Divinity School. “You can go to a whole lot of churches week after week, and you’d be startled even to hear a mention of hell.”
Despite what the popular preachers and theologians of our seminaries say about hell, they forget what the greatest preacher who ever lived had to say. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about Hell twice as much as He did about Heaven. There was only one subject that He dealt with more and that was money. Suffice it to say, if the Lord thought it important enough to speak about hell then I too am bound by that same task.
There are four things that I would like to remind you about hell today. First, hell may be in your future even if you are prospering on earth. In biblical times, people believed that if a person was blessed with wealth, power, authority, etc. in this life that he would receive even more in the next life. How mistaken the rich man was. Second, hell is a place of eternal torment and agony. One of the torments that this passage deals with is that the rich man was able to remember his whole life. Those in hell will remember all the opportunities they had to love God. They will remember every Sunday school lesson, every sermon and song, and their memory will torment them for eternity. Third, hell is a place of unanswered prayers. You think that God is not listening sometimes in your present day; He will be even more silent in those days.
The fourth thing that I want you to know about hell is that you DO NOT HAVE TO GO. One day, when Vice President Calvin Coolidge was presiding over the Senate, one Senator angrily told another to go "straight to hell". The offended Senator complained to Coolidge as presiding officer, and Mr. Coolidge looked up from the book he had been leafing through while listening to the debate and wittily replied. "I’ve been looking through the rule book," he said. "You don’t have to go."
The same is true for everyone in this room today. You do not have to go to Hell. The rich man realizes that his fate is sealed but he also realizes that his brother’s, who are still alive, do not "have to come to this place of torment." He desires to warn them so that they will repent, which means acknowledge wrongdoing, listen to God and go in a different direction with God’s help. He understands that if a person will turn form his sinful ways and be baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in an unknown language they will not go to Hell.
I apologize for the length of this devotion today, but I do not apologize for its content. My prayer is that everyone that reads this today will find a place where everything is right between you and God so that we can rejoice together when we see Him face to face.
“It’s time we give hell a heaven of a day!”
- Stan Gleason
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Are You Ready to Meet Him?
Read John 3:16, I John 3:2
I have a dilemma. I am required by my relationship with Jesus Christ for you and I to establish an honest, genuine relationship before I discuss with you what I'm about to discuss. But it's a catch 22. I may never meet some of you. There are those I send these devotions to that I do not know, and there are those of you that are receiving these from people that are forwarding them to you. Yet I cannot bring myself to face my Creator unless I do my best to give you the opportunity I've been given.
So I'm going to assume that you, dear reader, do not believe the things I do and I'm going to tell you about my Lord. You see, someday I WILL face Him and I couldn't stand it if He said, "You say you cared about people, yet you didn't even try to tell them about My sacrifice for their sake?"
The thing is, someday you'll face Him, too. And you won't be able to point to my poor presentation of this message, my "pushiness," or any other way in which I may have been a bad example. I'll answer to Him for those things. At some point, you'll have to humble yourself, examine your own heart and admit your need of a Savior regardless of my bad example. You will not be able to look at some poor televangelist’s bad example of Christ. There will be no one that you will be able to blame for your choices today.
Someday it will be just you and Him and He'll say, "That messenger on the Internet? Oh yes, his interview is next week. The Televangelist? He may be a hypocrite but that's not your concern. He will answer to me if he was. Now I'm asking you why YOU rejected My sacrifice."
God so loved each one of that He did not send someone else to save the world, He came himself. I remember that statement hanging on either side of our sanctuary growing up. I think about it often. The great God of the universe, the one that spoke all things into existence, loved me so much that He became a man like me so that one day I might be like Him. I can’t wait to see Him.
The older we get, the more urgent it becomes to discuss this subject. So I cannot afford to mince words. You have a choice to make today. Will you bow to Him now or will you wait until later. The sound of His return is in the air. We are closer to the coming of the Lord than ever before. We MUST be ready to see Him.
The bottom line is a changed life can be yours if you want it. You say you want the one you have? Consider yourself fortunate for the time being. But it won't last forever. When you face the Master, you can do it with confidence.
“Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.”
- Dion Boucicault
Monday, July 27, 2009
Some random thoughts...
*Sometimes God calls collect, but some have refused to accept the charges.
*It is hard to live for God easy, while it is easy to live for God hard.
*I was born in the fire of the Holy Ghost and I cannot just sit in the smoke.
*If we don't have a powerful present, we will have an anemic future.
*The cure of crime is not the electric chair, but the high chair.
*The stone at Jesus' tomb was just a pebble to the Rock of Ages inside.
*There is no traffic jams on the straight and narrow way.
May God richly bless you all today.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Walking with God
Read Genesis 5:18-24
I am not much for exercising? I know that surprises some of you, but it is true, exercise for exercise sake is not my cup of tea. I’ll exercise as long as I am playing a sport or something of that nature, but just to go take a walk is unheard of in my vocabulary. There is something unique about taking a walk, however, that you cannot get by playing a game of basketball. If you take a walk with someone it can become an intimate experience. Sharing dreams, absentmindedly making yourself vulnerable about your aspirations and contemplations and getting to know the person that you are walking with is something that could never happen when you’re getting run over by a power forward on the basketball court. Because it is important for me to have those times, and seeing that I don’t like to walk much, we drive around the city!! It is not the walking that is important (at least for this devotion), it is the time spent with another.
As we read through the Bible, Genesis 5 sounds like the records kept down at the county courthouse. Name, age at death and survivors leap from the pages. But in this terse list, we are suddenly confronted with a man who stands out from everyone else. "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (v.24). For those people that just skim through these types of passages, they miss someone that should be a hero among us.
We don't know much else about Enoch. He probably took care of the herds, worked the land, cared for his family. Whatever his duties were, we know that he had an ongoing conversation with God. Enoch expressed his joys, his hurts, his confusions, and the responsibility he felt for his children. He walked with God. Somewhere in his life, whether he was literally walking or just spiritually walking, he came into contact with the Almighty. He would never be the same.
Enoch must have come to love what God loves and hate what God hates. More interesting, though, the Lord was pleased with Enoch (Heb. 11:5). It is one thing to be pleased by the blessings and direction given by the Lord, but it is entirely different when you begin to wonder if God is pleased with you. One day He must have said something like: "Enoch, we've come a long way together. Why don't you just come on home and stay with Me." The ancient writer simply reports, "And he was not, for God took him" (v.24).
I think the Lord sincerely misses men like Enoch. I believe He is looking for those of us that will desire to get so close to Him that He cannot help but yearn to bring us home. I wonder how many would really be able to say if He invited you home, let’s go, or would we think, I’ve got to let my family now, make sure the bills are together, the job, or whatever else that we have become attached to is taken care of. Enoch must have been so unattached to the things of this world that he was ready when the offer came to go to the Lord. The Lord still looks for those like Enoch who will walk with Him. What a privilege for us! The One who is the Creator of the cosmos, the Ruler of heaven, and the Redeemer of mankind seeks our friendship. As one author put it, “The closer you walk with God, the less room for anything to come between.”
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
-St. Francis of Assisi
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Patience?!?!
Read Luke 8:4-16
There is something that few of us possess but all need. It is the thing that gets us through the darkest hours of our life, and it is the thing that keeps our feet on the ground when it would be easier to fly on cloud nine. It is something that one has by personality and it is something that one can learn through practice. It is something that God has a lot of and wishes to share it with us. When answers seem far away, bills are piling up, the tire on the car has gone flat, friends have turned their backs, the kitchen sink starts to leak, the diaper on the baby didn’t hold it all (if you know what I mean!!) and you just wonder where God is in the midst of all your calamity. Are you getting the picture? This is what you and I need more than anything else.
A new resident at a drug rehabilitation center was given the task of planting runner-bean seeds. With no experience growing vegetables, Jim quickly became bored waiting for the seeds to sprout. Have I lost you yet? Just relax. I’ll get to my point. After weeks of seeing nothing happen, Jim finally noticed signs of life coming up. Before long, he had to put poles in the ground for the beans to climb. One day Jim ran excitedly into the kitchen with some freshly picked beans for dinner. "Wow! All this from tiny seeds!" he exclaimed. "I've sure learned a lot!"
Are you getting the point yet? It was clear that Jim learned more than how plants grow. He gained a new insight: If we willingly listen to God in His Word and do what's right for the right reasons and for the right length of time, our lives will be fruitful. That’s the point. That is what we need more than just about everything else. It’s patience. I know, it is not something that we equate with grace and salvation and all the other wonderful things of God, but we really do need patience. Most people that have had an experience with God believe that He is able to “do exceedingly abundantly”, but our biggest problen is when He doesn’t do it right now.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a farmer could plant a crop and the next day harvest that crop? It sure would send the prices down!! It is just impossible to do. Just like the farmer has to wait for the crop to mature, we must be willing to allow God to work in us and then reveal the answers to our needs in His time, not ours. After all, He is the master farmer and He more than anyone knows when the harvest of our lives is ready to bear fruit.
If your life is seemingly like the description I gave you in the paragraph above, just hold on, be patient for there is nothing that God starts that He does not finish. Thank God!!
“Patience and perseverance have a magical affect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”
- John Quincy Adams
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
It's All About the Team!!
Read I Corinthians 12:12-27
When I was young I played the great sport of hockey. Through that experience I quickly found out that the only way to be a winner is to play a great team. We played against a team called Little Canada all the time. We never lost to them. They had a great player, number 5 (at least in the eyes of a fourth grader), but the rest of the team wasn’t very good. We always won because we had several people that may not have been great, but good, and yet, when you put all of us together we were always better than the other team.
Teamwork is essential in business and industry. To underscore this point, Co-op Magazine included this item: "You've heard of the corny Tate family. They pervade every organization. There is Dick Tate, who wants to run everything. Ro Tate tries to change everything. Agi Tate stirs up trouble whenever possible, and Irri Tate always lends him a hand. "Whenever new ideas are suggested, Hesi Tate and Vegi Tate pour cold water on them. Imi Tate tries to mimic everyone, Devas Tate loves to be disruptive, and Poten Tate wants to be a big shot. But its Facili Tate, Cogi Tate, and Medi Tate who always save the day and gets everyone pulling together."
Unless you are Jesus Christ, a one-man show doesn't get very far. He could obviously do anything on His own and be better than anyone else, but He wanted people around Him working with Him. It is why we were created. God wasn’t satisfied with doing everything on His own so He created us to share with Him in all things, including His image. That is why there is nowhere else that the truth of teamwork is brought to a higher and more powerful fulfillment than in the body of Christ. The Scriptures teach that by God's design all that is in Christ have been made dependent on one another. We may think we can go it on our own, but we can't. We can't fulfill our high calling as members of the body of Christ until we begin to realize that we all have a vital part to play. We are family. We need one another. The song that I love to hear when talking about others in the body of Christ is, “I need you, you need me, we’re all a part of the body.” Just imagine how different and empty our lives would be if we didn’t have one another with which to share this life.
“The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.”
-James Cash Penney
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sorry AGAIN!! I'll get back on track.
July 1
Read John 8:36
The month of July carries into my heart a passion for Patriotism. The July 4th holiday is always one of my favorites because it reminds me of all that America stands for. I have never served in our military, but I have a passion for the soldier. I am fully aware of the price that was paid for my family to have everything that we enjoy. Daniel Webster said, “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to defend it.”
This is a somber time in our nation’s history. With the events of September 11, 2001 still very much on our minds, we are sending our troops a world away to fight for freedom from tyranny. Generation after generation has faced challenges similar to ours, but that doesn’t make it any easier. John F. Kennedy stated, “In the long history of the world only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.”
We live in such a generation. Whether it was the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World Wars I & II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War to the war on terrorism today, adequate words of gratitude can never be uttered. Young men and women have defended the freedom of Americans and those abroad, but that doesn’t make the pain of the families who watch their loved ones leave any less real. Every generation in American history has stood to fight in some way for our freedom, but that doesn’t make our support for our fighting men and women in these difficult times any less important.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given, of other generations much is expected.” Today, we live in both. We have been given so much, and yet so much is expected of us. That is why those who fight and guard our liberty is a story of bravery and sorrow, a story dedicated to country and love of family. It is a story of leaving those you love most behind so that they can live in safety and freedom.
America is an incredible nation. While we work to promote our freedoms here at home everyday, our young men and women have always been willing to step into the international scene to protect those who need it most. In doing so, we realize once again that freedom isn’t free. We can never, and will never, take our freedom for granted.
“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”
- Calvin Coolidge
July 2
Read Isaiah 53
As a nation, we have set aside holidays such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July to remember and honor those who have sacrificed to fight and guard our liberty. After September 11, 2001, we realized that there is also a very important group of people that also step in harm’s way for the sake of our liberty. These are the people who maintain our freedom.
We honor all of our police and fire forces, our hospitals, doctors and nurses, our civic leaders and justice departments, who are brave men and women who work to keep the infrastructure of our liberty intact. Adlai Stevenson said, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” Those that maintain our liberty are men and women that have spent years in preparation for their particular field. Daily they prepared and now daily they perform the duties that protect the freedoms we possess.
From the blazing fire, the confronting of some criminal, legislating laws to fighting disease, these men and women place themselves in the way of harm for our lives to be better. Harm is defined as “Physical or psychological injury or damage or wrong; evil.” In harm’s way is defined as “a risky or dangerous position.” This defines the firefighter, the police force, the medical field, the utility worker. Those that step into risky situations so that we can be safe from that harm are those that maintain our liberty.
Firefighters protect us from the flames, police protect us from the criminal, the doctors and nurses care for our sickness and the utility worker makes sure we have the power necessary to live in our relative comforts.
When fire is cried and danger is nigh,
"God and the firemen" is the people's cry;
But when 'tis out and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the firemen slighted.
~Author unknown, from The Fireman's Journal, 18 Oct 1879
This little poem can be applied to all those that maintain our liberty. We often do not think of the medical field until we have some illness that needs to be righted. We often only think negatively of the police force because we usually only think of them as they write out that speeding ticket. Today, however, we come alongside the military personnel that we have honored, and we honor you. To the police, fire, medical, political and utility fields of labor, we thank you.
“The line of life is a ragged diagonal between duty and desire.”
- William R. Alger
July 3
Read Hebrews 11
A Texan was trying to impress on a Bostonian the valor of the heroes of the Alamo. “I’ll bet you never had anything so brave around Boston,” said the Texan.
“Did you ever hear of Paul Revere?” asked the Bostonian.
“Paul Revere?” said the Texan “Isn’t he the guy who ran for help?”
We cannot live fully without heroes, for they are the stars to guide us upward. They are the peaks on our human mountains. Not only do they personify what we can be, but they also urge us to become what we should be. Heroes are who we can become if we diligently pursue our ideas in the furnaces of our opportunities.
Heroes are those who have changed history for the better. They are not always the men and women of highest potential, but those who have exploited the potential on society’s behalf. Their deeds are done not for the honor but for the duty.
Heroes are the personification of our ideals, the embodiment of our highest values. A society writes its diary by naming its heroes. A diary writes its society by naming its heroes. We as individuals do the same. When Socrates said, “Talk, young man, that I might know you,” he may also have added, “Talk of your heroes that I might not only know who you are, but also who you will become.”
Our heroes tell us much about our value structure. Heroes do not possess a superior gift, but a superior spirit! All real heroes are real people. Heroes come from people that give us inner strength when we reflect on them. Heroes are sometimes people who spend their entire lives doing something for which they never receive rewards. Those that follow them receive plenty, but they usually do not. We usually want to be like the heroes. They make you want to develop into something greater.
Today, people like our 1st grade teacher, our t-ball coach and our trash collector need to be honored. We honor people like our banker, the grocery store clerk, the car wash attendant and the paper boy. We honor you, interpreter for the deaf, postal carrier, phone operator and hotel cashier. Plainly put, all people everywhere that live and work in this great country of America are our heroes.
Martin Luther King said, “Never allow it to be said that you are silent onlookers, detached spectators, but that you are involved participants in the struggle to make liberty a reality.” Today, we stand together as Americans. We stand together as defenders of liberty. We stand before God and lift our voices to God for our dear land. For truly, it is in God we trust.
“Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of the sacrifice of our nation's founders and heroes. As the ultimate icon of America's storied history, the Stars and Stripes represents the very best of this nation.”
-Joe Barton
July 4
Read Leviticus 25:1-13
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson - Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, and another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants; nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. However, they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." (Author Unknown)
When you read that, what emotions, as Americans, well up? In me, I am forever grateful for those men, women and children that sacrificed so that I could have what I have today. Still today, men, women and children sacrifice in our military forces to protect and serve our great country. At the same time, I remember June 16th, 1980 at Camp Galilee on Grey Cloud Island in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, when I had a personal day of Independence. The sacrifice that was paid came in the form of a betrayal by a friend, smiting upon the cheek, plucking of the beard, lashes upon the back, a crown of thorns upon the brow, nails in the hands and feet and forgiveness for all. Surely, whom “the Son sets free is free indeed.”
“Freedom is knowing what is right and wrong, and having the ability to do right.”
-David Norris
July 5
Read Hebrews 12:25-13:6
Have you ever had any worries in your life? We worry about house payments, car payments, credit card payments, doctors’ bills. We stress about which school to send our kids to, which grocery store to shop in, what kind of car we should have and which direction we should drive. We concern ourselves with the quality of our clothes, our yards and our neighbors. We get tangled up in the issues of the day such as, social insecurity, taxes, gas prices and the weather. Are you noticing a trend here? We get so consumed with here, we forget there!
Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw had a wonderful philosophy of pitching. He called it his “frozen snowball” theory. “If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded,” Tug explained, “and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat, there’s no reason I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling through space, and nobody’s going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded!”
While we read in the Bible that the earth will someday “melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10), there is much validity to McGraw’s statement: We need to keep life in perspective. Most of the things we worry about have no eternal significance. We get so tied up with earthly things that we fail to see the blessings of the heavenly things. We are not designed for this earth – we are designed for His presence.
The writer of Hebrews was concerned about our perspective. Throughout the book, he keeps our eyes focused on heaven and away from earth. Unless our minds are on heaven, we will have little eternal influence on earth. I would rather influence someone to follow Him and gain eternity, than to lead someone into the right investment and make then a million dollars. While we all have to live in this world and deal with all of these issues, our perspective must remain on heaven. In fact, I am not sure how anyone can even survive the pressures of this earth without the hope of that heaven.
There will come a time when the earth will be shaken, and things that once seemed permanent will be gone (Hebrews 12:27). What you fear most today will be forgotten like yesterday’s headlines. What really matters is what you do today that has a touch of eternity about it. Remember, there is only one life to live for Christ, and if lived for Him, then eternity is your reward.
“The awful importance of this life is that it determines eternity.”
-William Barclay
July 6
Read I Corinthians 1:18-25
I love school. I love to learn. I have been going to school pretty much since I graduated. I was excited when my wife decided to go back to school. She is studying to become a Medical Transcriptionist. I have found very quickly an interest in all the functions of the medical world. Just opening the books peaked my interest to read and learn some things.
In 1692, Harvard College adopted as its motto Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church.” Its crest showed three books, one face down to symbolize the limitation of human knowledge. But in recent decades that book has been turned face up to represent the unlimited capacity of the human mind. And the motto has been changed to Veritas-"Truth." It is truly a sad commentary on one of the leading Christian developed schools in our country. They have now taken the position that truth can be obtained without Christ and the Church.
The pursuit of knowledge is praiseworthy, yet learning can quickly lead to pride and a refusal to acknowledge any limits on our mental abilities. When that happens, biblical truth is ignored or rejected. It is even frustrating to have to write the phrase biblical truth (I do so for clarity) because without biblical truth, there is no truth.
What, then, is the truth about truth? A wise king wrote centuries ago, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). We must recognize the relationship between God and truth. Without the help of the Holy Spirit and the instruction of God’s Word, man will be ever “learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). When we acknowledge and obey His truth, however, we will be set free from spiritual ignorance and error (John 8:32; 17:17). In John 18:38 Pilate asks the question, “What is truth?” Truth was standing right in front of him and he failed to see it.
That’s why we must be diligent in our study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). It is the only book that tells us the truth about truth. In studying the written word of God, we see how many limits are in our own understanding, but we also see through the written Word, the Living Word or the Christ. I know Him today because I have been revealed truth from the bible and now all things are filtered, not through my own understanding but through the Word of God.
“Facts are many, but the truth is one.”
-Rabindranath Tagore
Read John 8:36
The month of July carries into my heart a passion for Patriotism. The July 4th holiday is always one of my favorites because it reminds me of all that America stands for. I have never served in our military, but I have a passion for the soldier. I am fully aware of the price that was paid for my family to have everything that we enjoy. Daniel Webster said, “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to defend it.”
This is a somber time in our nation’s history. With the events of September 11, 2001 still very much on our minds, we are sending our troops a world away to fight for freedom from tyranny. Generation after generation has faced challenges similar to ours, but that doesn’t make it any easier. John F. Kennedy stated, “In the long history of the world only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.”
We live in such a generation. Whether it was the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World Wars I & II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War to the war on terrorism today, adequate words of gratitude can never be uttered. Young men and women have defended the freedom of Americans and those abroad, but that doesn’t make the pain of the families who watch their loved ones leave any less real. Every generation in American history has stood to fight in some way for our freedom, but that doesn’t make our support for our fighting men and women in these difficult times any less important.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given, of other generations much is expected.” Today, we live in both. We have been given so much, and yet so much is expected of us. That is why those who fight and guard our liberty is a story of bravery and sorrow, a story dedicated to country and love of family. It is a story of leaving those you love most behind so that they can live in safety and freedom.
America is an incredible nation. While we work to promote our freedoms here at home everyday, our young men and women have always been willing to step into the international scene to protect those who need it most. In doing so, we realize once again that freedom isn’t free. We can never, and will never, take our freedom for granted.
“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”
- Calvin Coolidge
July 2
Read Isaiah 53
As a nation, we have set aside holidays such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July to remember and honor those who have sacrificed to fight and guard our liberty. After September 11, 2001, we realized that there is also a very important group of people that also step in harm’s way for the sake of our liberty. These are the people who maintain our freedom.
We honor all of our police and fire forces, our hospitals, doctors and nurses, our civic leaders and justice departments, who are brave men and women who work to keep the infrastructure of our liberty intact. Adlai Stevenson said, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” Those that maintain our liberty are men and women that have spent years in preparation for their particular field. Daily they prepared and now daily they perform the duties that protect the freedoms we possess.
From the blazing fire, the confronting of some criminal, legislating laws to fighting disease, these men and women place themselves in the way of harm for our lives to be better. Harm is defined as “Physical or psychological injury or damage or wrong; evil.” In harm’s way is defined as “a risky or dangerous position.” This defines the firefighter, the police force, the medical field, the utility worker. Those that step into risky situations so that we can be safe from that harm are those that maintain our liberty.
Firefighters protect us from the flames, police protect us from the criminal, the doctors and nurses care for our sickness and the utility worker makes sure we have the power necessary to live in our relative comforts.
When fire is cried and danger is nigh,
"God and the firemen" is the people's cry;
But when 'tis out and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the firemen slighted.
~Author unknown, from The Fireman's Journal, 18 Oct 1879
This little poem can be applied to all those that maintain our liberty. We often do not think of the medical field until we have some illness that needs to be righted. We often only think negatively of the police force because we usually only think of them as they write out that speeding ticket. Today, however, we come alongside the military personnel that we have honored, and we honor you. To the police, fire, medical, political and utility fields of labor, we thank you.
“The line of life is a ragged diagonal between duty and desire.”
- William R. Alger
July 3
Read Hebrews 11
A Texan was trying to impress on a Bostonian the valor of the heroes of the Alamo. “I’ll bet you never had anything so brave around Boston,” said the Texan.
“Did you ever hear of Paul Revere?” asked the Bostonian.
“Paul Revere?” said the Texan “Isn’t he the guy who ran for help?”
We cannot live fully without heroes, for they are the stars to guide us upward. They are the peaks on our human mountains. Not only do they personify what we can be, but they also urge us to become what we should be. Heroes are who we can become if we diligently pursue our ideas in the furnaces of our opportunities.
Heroes are those who have changed history for the better. They are not always the men and women of highest potential, but those who have exploited the potential on society’s behalf. Their deeds are done not for the honor but for the duty.
Heroes are the personification of our ideals, the embodiment of our highest values. A society writes its diary by naming its heroes. A diary writes its society by naming its heroes. We as individuals do the same. When Socrates said, “Talk, young man, that I might know you,” he may also have added, “Talk of your heroes that I might not only know who you are, but also who you will become.”
Our heroes tell us much about our value structure. Heroes do not possess a superior gift, but a superior spirit! All real heroes are real people. Heroes come from people that give us inner strength when we reflect on them. Heroes are sometimes people who spend their entire lives doing something for which they never receive rewards. Those that follow them receive plenty, but they usually do not. We usually want to be like the heroes. They make you want to develop into something greater.
Today, people like our 1st grade teacher, our t-ball coach and our trash collector need to be honored. We honor people like our banker, the grocery store clerk, the car wash attendant and the paper boy. We honor you, interpreter for the deaf, postal carrier, phone operator and hotel cashier. Plainly put, all people everywhere that live and work in this great country of America are our heroes.
Martin Luther King said, “Never allow it to be said that you are silent onlookers, detached spectators, but that you are involved participants in the struggle to make liberty a reality.” Today, we stand together as Americans. We stand together as defenders of liberty. We stand before God and lift our voices to God for our dear land. For truly, it is in God we trust.
“Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of the sacrifice of our nation's founders and heroes. As the ultimate icon of America's storied history, the Stars and Stripes represents the very best of this nation.”
-Joe Barton
July 4
Read Leviticus 25:1-13
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson - Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, and another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants; nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. However, they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." (Author Unknown)
When you read that, what emotions, as Americans, well up? In me, I am forever grateful for those men, women and children that sacrificed so that I could have what I have today. Still today, men, women and children sacrifice in our military forces to protect and serve our great country. At the same time, I remember June 16th, 1980 at Camp Galilee on Grey Cloud Island in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, when I had a personal day of Independence. The sacrifice that was paid came in the form of a betrayal by a friend, smiting upon the cheek, plucking of the beard, lashes upon the back, a crown of thorns upon the brow, nails in the hands and feet and forgiveness for all. Surely, whom “the Son sets free is free indeed.”
“Freedom is knowing what is right and wrong, and having the ability to do right.”
-David Norris
July 5
Read Hebrews 12:25-13:6
Have you ever had any worries in your life? We worry about house payments, car payments, credit card payments, doctors’ bills. We stress about which school to send our kids to, which grocery store to shop in, what kind of car we should have and which direction we should drive. We concern ourselves with the quality of our clothes, our yards and our neighbors. We get tangled up in the issues of the day such as, social insecurity, taxes, gas prices and the weather. Are you noticing a trend here? We get so consumed with here, we forget there!
Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw had a wonderful philosophy of pitching. He called it his “frozen snowball” theory. “If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded,” Tug explained, “and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat, there’s no reason I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling through space, and nobody’s going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded!”
While we read in the Bible that the earth will someday “melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10), there is much validity to McGraw’s statement: We need to keep life in perspective. Most of the things we worry about have no eternal significance. We get so tied up with earthly things that we fail to see the blessings of the heavenly things. We are not designed for this earth – we are designed for His presence.
The writer of Hebrews was concerned about our perspective. Throughout the book, he keeps our eyes focused on heaven and away from earth. Unless our minds are on heaven, we will have little eternal influence on earth. I would rather influence someone to follow Him and gain eternity, than to lead someone into the right investment and make then a million dollars. While we all have to live in this world and deal with all of these issues, our perspective must remain on heaven. In fact, I am not sure how anyone can even survive the pressures of this earth without the hope of that heaven.
There will come a time when the earth will be shaken, and things that once seemed permanent will be gone (Hebrews 12:27). What you fear most today will be forgotten like yesterday’s headlines. What really matters is what you do today that has a touch of eternity about it. Remember, there is only one life to live for Christ, and if lived for Him, then eternity is your reward.
“The awful importance of this life is that it determines eternity.”
-William Barclay
July 6
Read I Corinthians 1:18-25
I love school. I love to learn. I have been going to school pretty much since I graduated. I was excited when my wife decided to go back to school. She is studying to become a Medical Transcriptionist. I have found very quickly an interest in all the functions of the medical world. Just opening the books peaked my interest to read and learn some things.
In 1692, Harvard College adopted as its motto Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church.” Its crest showed three books, one face down to symbolize the limitation of human knowledge. But in recent decades that book has been turned face up to represent the unlimited capacity of the human mind. And the motto has been changed to Veritas-"Truth." It is truly a sad commentary on one of the leading Christian developed schools in our country. They have now taken the position that truth can be obtained without Christ and the Church.
The pursuit of knowledge is praiseworthy, yet learning can quickly lead to pride and a refusal to acknowledge any limits on our mental abilities. When that happens, biblical truth is ignored or rejected. It is even frustrating to have to write the phrase biblical truth (I do so for clarity) because without biblical truth, there is no truth.
What, then, is the truth about truth? A wise king wrote centuries ago, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). We must recognize the relationship between God and truth. Without the help of the Holy Spirit and the instruction of God’s Word, man will be ever “learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). When we acknowledge and obey His truth, however, we will be set free from spiritual ignorance and error (John 8:32; 17:17). In John 18:38 Pilate asks the question, “What is truth?” Truth was standing right in front of him and he failed to see it.
That’s why we must be diligent in our study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). It is the only book that tells us the truth about truth. In studying the written word of God, we see how many limits are in our own understanding, but we also see through the written Word, the Living Word or the Christ. I know Him today because I have been revealed truth from the bible and now all things are filtered, not through my own understanding but through the Word of God.
“Facts are many, but the truth is one.”
-Rabindranath Tagore
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sorry...Closing out June!
Read John 14:6
My uncle and I did not show each other much mercy when it came to pulling each other on the tube behind our speed boat at the cabin. For those that do not know what I am writing about, you attach an inner tube to a long rope and lay on top of the tube while someone drove the boat fast and in circles so that the person on the tube would fly over the waves that you created. My uncle and I did our best to see who could cause the other to fly the highest. It amazes me today that we never broke any bones considering how high, fast and hard we hit the water.
The key to making it on the tube was very simply; you had to hold on for dear life. You learned after awhile how to maneuver yourself around back there until you started bouncing out of control.
Who is driving your boat today? You see, when my wife got behind the boat, my uncle was so sweet and kind, and then the devil possessed him when I would get behind the boat and he would try to torture me.
In life, is the kind uncle or the not so kind uncle driving the boat? Life has a tendency to take you on the ride of terror. You must hold on for dear life, lest you crash into the waves below. Life is not always so kind. It tries to beat you down, batter your brains and destroy your dexterity. However, there is a kind driver, named Jesus, who said that He was the life that desires you to enjoy the ride, have fun, sense the excitement, but in the end, find rest.
The easiest way to get off the ride of terror was to just let go. Likewise, in life sometimes we need to just let go and let God. He is a kind driver, and wants to see us face to face and full of life.
My uncle and I are probably both too old to treat each other that way behind the boat...oh, who am I kidding; I’d still drive him that fast!
“The man who says his evening prayer is a captain posting his sentinels. He can sleep.”
- Charles Baudelaire
June 27
Read Psalm 13
It was September 13, 1992. My wife and I entered Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN for our honeymoon. Our old car could barely make it to the top of the mountain where our chalet was located. I remember on our way up that the fog or mist was so incredibly thick that is was often difficult to see very far. The mountain was beautiful, but the view at times was less than desired.
Yesterday, I was walking through a store and noticed a rack of postcards. On each was the best picture of the Twin Cities that you could imagine. Why anyone would not want to visit based on those cards is beyond me. Then I remembered some of the postcards that we looked at in our preparation for our honeymoon. Perfect pictures and perfect scenery is what the postcards indicated.
Our vacation and the postcards of the Twin Cities that I saw in the store caused me to question the way I portray my faith to people around me. Do I present a "postcard" view of my life with Jesus Christ? Do I give the false impression that my life is always sunny—that my view of God is always clear?
That's not what David did. In the passion-filled poetry of Psalm 13, he admitted that he couldn't see God and didn't understand what He was doing (v.1). But by the end of his prayer, he was certain that what he couldn't see was nevertheless there because he had seen it before in God's bountiful care (vv.5-6).
I do not know about you, but my life is more like the weather outside of the store where I saw those beautiful postcards; thunderstorms. I am like the person at the top of our “honeymoon” mountain. I’ve seen the mountain before, so I know it exists even when clouds are covering it.
When suffering or confusion obscures our view of God, we can be honest with others about our doubts. But we can also express our confidence that the Lord is still there by recalling times we've witnessed His grandeur and goodness. That's better than postcard Christianity. Jesus is the light of the world so when living under clouds of adversity, remember that the sun is still shining above them.
“It was a September afternoon, with a broad expanse of pure sky across which large clouds, like mountains of silver, moved in majestic slowness.”
- Francois Coppee
June 28
Read Luke 6:46-49
For the most part I believe that people have good intentions. After all, we were created in God’s image. However, since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, our actions usually speak something entirely different from our intentions.
I read in Readers’ Digest about Robert Ginnett, a researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, who has found that the values we claim to have are not as closely linked to our actual behavior as we might like to believe.
One business executive, who said his 5-year-old daughter was the most important part of his life, realized that he usually went to work before she got up in the morning and often returned home after she was in bed at night. So to spend time with her, he took her to work with him one Saturday. After looking around his office, she asked, "Daddy, is this where you live?" He may have acknowledged that his daughter was important, but his behavior revealed what he truly valued.
In our relationship with Christ, He asks for our obedience, not a warm feeling or a statement of belief. He asked those following Him, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Jesus illustrated His point with the parable of the wise and foolish builders (vv.47-49). The rock-solid foundation of the wise builder's house illustrates the result of our obedience to God. This honors Christ and enables us to withstand the storms of life.
The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is accurate. What we do, more than anything we say, reveals what we truly value the most. If that is the case, and I believe that most people think so, and then to show that you value eternity, make good use of your time today.
“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
- Stephen Covey
June 29
Read Philippians 1:3-6
I am not very good at jigsaw puzzles. I am more the word game kind of guy. It is difficult for me so see the different shapes and colors and then match them up together. I would rather just look at the box cover than to open it and try to recreate that picture.
Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles. From the moment we took our first breath we were creating pieces of the puzzle that is called our life. I cannot imagine what God must think as He is trying to put the shattered pieces of my life back together, but somehow He always seems to come through.
As I look over my life, I see so many places, eras and endeavors that seem so foolish. For those that know me well, I hate to lose. When I was a boy growing up there was four of us that hung out in the neighborhood. It was Doug, myself, Brian and Wayne. Wayne was the youngest and Doug was the oldest so they always formed one team and Brian and I were the other team. We played every sport imaginable, and it was always those teams. In football, we were even because Brian and I were slightly bigger. In hockey, we always won because the other three couldn’t really skate. In basketball we were even because Brian knew how to play. Baseball was our shortcoming. To this day, I don’t know why.
It was after one of the baseball beatings that Brian and I decided that we would practice and then try to beat them. We hit balls to the outfield so that we could catch and hit. It was after some practice that we became fairly even in this sport as well.
I said all of that to say this, “If Brian and I had not taken the time to pick up the pieces of our failures; we would never have raised our game to the level of Doug and Wayne’s.”
Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles and baseball games; the only way that we will be successful is to pick up and fit together all of our failures and mold them into success. Jesus came to reconcile, or put together the broken pieces of failure of our lives to form a beautiful masterpiece. Will you allow God to put in some time on your life to bless the broken pieces because if you do, very shortly you will see a tapestry of failures rolled up together in success?
“The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life.”
- Erno Rubik
June 30
Read II Timothy 4:1-5
I received an interesting call the other day. It was from someone who claimed to be a “Torah Observant” Jew. This simply meant that the New Testament is not the holy writ of God. He believed that all of the Old Testament is what dictated salvation. Today, he is still looking for the Messiah.
The recently discovered manuscript The Gospel of Judas alleges that Jesus asked Judas to betray Him. Supposedly, Jesus hoped that His death would free Him from this world of matter to become a pure spirit again.
There is a big problem with this ancient text. Judas could not have written this manuscript that bears his name, since it was written long after the time of Jesus. But because The Gospel of Judas has been newly discovered, it provides a novelty for those who like to speculate.
Proposing a fake story to replace the New Testament account is not new. Paul wrote, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (II Tim. 4:3-4).
There’s a trend today to look for new theories to undermine the Bible. In I Thessalonians 5, Paul told us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (v.21). Based on the questionable content and authorship of The Gospel of Judas, we know that it’s a fable. The real gospel (good news) lies with the apostles, who walked with Jesus and wrote down His life-saving message in the New Testament.
To trust God is to trust in His holy Word. Those that would attempt to distort the gospel and the New Testament are only solidifying it by proving what the apostles wrote in admonition was accurate. Paul wrote that no one was to add or take away from the Word of God and that heaven and earth would pass, but God’s Word will never pass away. I am glad that I know His Word and that I know Him. In these last days, remember to balance all of the “new” philosophies off the Word of God because it is when the Word becomes clouded in our lives that those philosophies can take a hold of us. Remember, His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths.
“Because the New Testament provides the primary historical source for information on the resurrection, many critics during the 19th century attacked the reliability of these biblical documents... By the end of the 19th century, however, archaeological discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament manuscripts.”
- Josh McDowell
My uncle and I did not show each other much mercy when it came to pulling each other on the tube behind our speed boat at the cabin. For those that do not know what I am writing about, you attach an inner tube to a long rope and lay on top of the tube while someone drove the boat fast and in circles so that the person on the tube would fly over the waves that you created. My uncle and I did our best to see who could cause the other to fly the highest. It amazes me today that we never broke any bones considering how high, fast and hard we hit the water.
The key to making it on the tube was very simply; you had to hold on for dear life. You learned after awhile how to maneuver yourself around back there until you started bouncing out of control.
Who is driving your boat today? You see, when my wife got behind the boat, my uncle was so sweet and kind, and then the devil possessed him when I would get behind the boat and he would try to torture me.
In life, is the kind uncle or the not so kind uncle driving the boat? Life has a tendency to take you on the ride of terror. You must hold on for dear life, lest you crash into the waves below. Life is not always so kind. It tries to beat you down, batter your brains and destroy your dexterity. However, there is a kind driver, named Jesus, who said that He was the life that desires you to enjoy the ride, have fun, sense the excitement, but in the end, find rest.
The easiest way to get off the ride of terror was to just let go. Likewise, in life sometimes we need to just let go and let God. He is a kind driver, and wants to see us face to face and full of life.
My uncle and I are probably both too old to treat each other that way behind the boat...oh, who am I kidding; I’d still drive him that fast!
“The man who says his evening prayer is a captain posting his sentinels. He can sleep.”
- Charles Baudelaire
June 27
Read Psalm 13
It was September 13, 1992. My wife and I entered Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN for our honeymoon. Our old car could barely make it to the top of the mountain where our chalet was located. I remember on our way up that the fog or mist was so incredibly thick that is was often difficult to see very far. The mountain was beautiful, but the view at times was less than desired.
Yesterday, I was walking through a store and noticed a rack of postcards. On each was the best picture of the Twin Cities that you could imagine. Why anyone would not want to visit based on those cards is beyond me. Then I remembered some of the postcards that we looked at in our preparation for our honeymoon. Perfect pictures and perfect scenery is what the postcards indicated.
Our vacation and the postcards of the Twin Cities that I saw in the store caused me to question the way I portray my faith to people around me. Do I present a "postcard" view of my life with Jesus Christ? Do I give the false impression that my life is always sunny—that my view of God is always clear?
That's not what David did. In the passion-filled poetry of Psalm 13, he admitted that he couldn't see God and didn't understand what He was doing (v.1). But by the end of his prayer, he was certain that what he couldn't see was nevertheless there because he had seen it before in God's bountiful care (vv.5-6).
I do not know about you, but my life is more like the weather outside of the store where I saw those beautiful postcards; thunderstorms. I am like the person at the top of our “honeymoon” mountain. I’ve seen the mountain before, so I know it exists even when clouds are covering it.
When suffering or confusion obscures our view of God, we can be honest with others about our doubts. But we can also express our confidence that the Lord is still there by recalling times we've witnessed His grandeur and goodness. That's better than postcard Christianity. Jesus is the light of the world so when living under clouds of adversity, remember that the sun is still shining above them.
“It was a September afternoon, with a broad expanse of pure sky across which large clouds, like mountains of silver, moved in majestic slowness.”
- Francois Coppee
June 28
Read Luke 6:46-49
For the most part I believe that people have good intentions. After all, we were created in God’s image. However, since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, our actions usually speak something entirely different from our intentions.
I read in Readers’ Digest about Robert Ginnett, a researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, who has found that the values we claim to have are not as closely linked to our actual behavior as we might like to believe.
One business executive, who said his 5-year-old daughter was the most important part of his life, realized that he usually went to work before she got up in the morning and often returned home after she was in bed at night. So to spend time with her, he took her to work with him one Saturday. After looking around his office, she asked, "Daddy, is this where you live?" He may have acknowledged that his daughter was important, but his behavior revealed what he truly valued.
In our relationship with Christ, He asks for our obedience, not a warm feeling or a statement of belief. He asked those following Him, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Jesus illustrated His point with the parable of the wise and foolish builders (vv.47-49). The rock-solid foundation of the wise builder's house illustrates the result of our obedience to God. This honors Christ and enables us to withstand the storms of life.
The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is accurate. What we do, more than anything we say, reveals what we truly value the most. If that is the case, and I believe that most people think so, and then to show that you value eternity, make good use of your time today.
“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
- Stephen Covey
June 29
Read Philippians 1:3-6
I am not very good at jigsaw puzzles. I am more the word game kind of guy. It is difficult for me so see the different shapes and colors and then match them up together. I would rather just look at the box cover than to open it and try to recreate that picture.
Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles. From the moment we took our first breath we were creating pieces of the puzzle that is called our life. I cannot imagine what God must think as He is trying to put the shattered pieces of my life back together, but somehow He always seems to come through.
As I look over my life, I see so many places, eras and endeavors that seem so foolish. For those that know me well, I hate to lose. When I was a boy growing up there was four of us that hung out in the neighborhood. It was Doug, myself, Brian and Wayne. Wayne was the youngest and Doug was the oldest so they always formed one team and Brian and I were the other team. We played every sport imaginable, and it was always those teams. In football, we were even because Brian and I were slightly bigger. In hockey, we always won because the other three couldn’t really skate. In basketball we were even because Brian knew how to play. Baseball was our shortcoming. To this day, I don’t know why.
It was after one of the baseball beatings that Brian and I decided that we would practice and then try to beat them. We hit balls to the outfield so that we could catch and hit. It was after some practice that we became fairly even in this sport as well.
I said all of that to say this, “If Brian and I had not taken the time to pick up the pieces of our failures; we would never have raised our game to the level of Doug and Wayne’s.”
Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles and baseball games; the only way that we will be successful is to pick up and fit together all of our failures and mold them into success. Jesus came to reconcile, or put together the broken pieces of failure of our lives to form a beautiful masterpiece. Will you allow God to put in some time on your life to bless the broken pieces because if you do, very shortly you will see a tapestry of failures rolled up together in success?
“The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life.”
- Erno Rubik
June 30
Read II Timothy 4:1-5
I received an interesting call the other day. It was from someone who claimed to be a “Torah Observant” Jew. This simply meant that the New Testament is not the holy writ of God. He believed that all of the Old Testament is what dictated salvation. Today, he is still looking for the Messiah.
The recently discovered manuscript The Gospel of Judas alleges that Jesus asked Judas to betray Him. Supposedly, Jesus hoped that His death would free Him from this world of matter to become a pure spirit again.
There is a big problem with this ancient text. Judas could not have written this manuscript that bears his name, since it was written long after the time of Jesus. But because The Gospel of Judas has been newly discovered, it provides a novelty for those who like to speculate.
Proposing a fake story to replace the New Testament account is not new. Paul wrote, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (II Tim. 4:3-4).
There’s a trend today to look for new theories to undermine the Bible. In I Thessalonians 5, Paul told us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (v.21). Based on the questionable content and authorship of The Gospel of Judas, we know that it’s a fable. The real gospel (good news) lies with the apostles, who walked with Jesus and wrote down His life-saving message in the New Testament.
To trust God is to trust in His holy Word. Those that would attempt to distort the gospel and the New Testament are only solidifying it by proving what the apostles wrote in admonition was accurate. Paul wrote that no one was to add or take away from the Word of God and that heaven and earth would pass, but God’s Word will never pass away. I am glad that I know His Word and that I know Him. In these last days, remember to balance all of the “new” philosophies off the Word of God because it is when the Word becomes clouded in our lives that those philosophies can take a hold of us. Remember, His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths.
“Because the New Testament provides the primary historical source for information on the resurrection, many critics during the 19th century attacked the reliability of these biblical documents... By the end of the 19th century, however, archaeological discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament manuscripts.”
- Josh McDowell
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