Sorry, Just Catching Up!!

Read Philippians 2

To all of you fathers and men desiring to be fathers and to our spiritual fathers, Happy Father’s Day! I find it very interesting to watch my sons grow up. He takes on more and more traits of his parents. His expressions have mirrored ours, and his vocabulary has taken on many of our words. Amazingly, he even understands most of them.
When I was a little boy, I wanted to be just like my Dad. I watched the way he dealt with people, the way he played sports, and especially the way he preached. Something inside of me began to form my idea of who I was by who my father was. When I was bullied my first response was, “You don’t know my dad, do you? He used to beat people up on the ice like it was nobody’s business so you may not want to mess with me!” Needless to say, that did not impress too many people.
When I grew a little older, I realized that, as good as my father was, I needed to find my own place in this world, and more importantly, in God’s Kingdom. I began to look at what God desired for my life, and began to question and search for the example of my heavenly Father. It took me to Philippians chapter two. When Jesus was born, He wasn’t born to royalty, although He deserved to be. When He was a young boy, He did not have servants waiting on Him, although all of heaven was at His beckoned call. When He was a young man, He built furniture with His adopted father, Joseph, with the wood that He created. When His ministry began, He chose some fishermen, tax collectors and zealots for His companions. These men were hardly the ones that most others would have chosen, but Jesus saw something different in them.
That brings us to Philippians 2 where we see the man with all of heaven and earth at His disposal become a servant to you and I so that we one day would be able to reign with Him. Notice that He did not pick-and-choose whom He would serve, He served all mankind. It is very easy to serve people that we deem worthy of servitude, but it is entirely Christ-like to serve all. When I realized that Jesus was calling me to serve, I began to focus my life choices to attempt to fulfill that call. The call to serve is not only to the preacher or the teacher, but it is a call for all that want to call Jesus their heavenly Father. If you want to be like Christ, you must begin to do the things that Christ did.
Are you willing to serve the neighbor that constantly has music blaring from his home? Would you serve that family that never cleans their yard? Would you be willing to serve your employee? Your spouse? Your children? Would you be willing to serve that friend that slapped you in the face, talked about you behind your back and betrayed you to others? If not, then you will never achieve the goal of being like your daddy. The good news is that this is our aim—to be like Him. Each family can make the decision this week to try harder, and not only try, but also in the mindset of the Spirit, become more like Christ.

“My childhood should have taught me lessons for my own fatherhood, but it didn't because parenting can only be learned by people who have no children.”
- Bill Cosby


Read Genesis 11:1-9

Imagination. It is a powerful thing. It makes hot-wheels fly down the corridors of our homes. It makes little plastic elephants fill the largest of living rooms. My son even has imaginary friends. He will spend several hours playing with friends and his animals, and everything that he plays with comes to life with imagination. He rides the horse at the grocery store like he is in the Kentucky Derby.
Have you ever imagined things for God? You know, when the clouds are thick, and the tempest is strong, do you ever imagine what it would be like to have Jesus physically step into your situation? I may be an oddball, but I have to believe that everyone at one time or another must have imagined accomplishing some great feat in life, whether it is a personal business or a ministry. Have you ever imagined where you and your family would be in the future? What kind of house, job or car would you own?
There is something unique in the passage of Genesis that gives you the secret to have your imagination come to life. Notice that God had to step on the scene because the people could do whatever they imagined to do. What is it that gave them the power to accomplish a task that was actually contrary to the things of God? They wanted to make a name for themselves, and they wanted to do it on their own. God saw that they would accomplish the task without any aid from Him, and so, He confounded the tongue and the people failed to finish because of the confusion of the tongues. It is interesting to note in this passage that it is because they all spoke the same language, desired the same thing, or in our modern day vernacular, they were all on the same page.
Is that where your family is? How about your church? Are you adding to the unity of your surrounding or are you just on a different page? Everything is available to you and your family as long as you dwell in unity. What can you imagine together? What new heights can you attain together spiritually? Use your imagination and unity in Christ to bring some of those toy elephant goals and hot-wheel dreams to life.

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Read I Peter 1

I have used a chiropractor several times in my life. The best part of that trip is the opportunity to lie down on the table that totally massages your muscles. You lie there about 5 minutes or so, and invariably I struggle to stay awake. Well, yesterday, I was put in a room on that table and the lights were turned low so as not to be in my eyes. This room was different from the normal room I am in because there were no windows. It became dark, and when they came back into the room and turned the lights on I was blinded by the brightness.
The brightness that day must have been incredible. It was so bright that the strongest sunglasses would not have prohibited the penetration of the light’s rays. It causes man to fall to his face and bury his eyes in the ground. When Moses saw the brightness of God’s glory, he could not physically bear the brightness thereof. The most exciting part is that Moses did not see all of His glory, but only the hind parts, or the leftover parts of His glory.
Peter lets man know that there is an inheritance that is free from corruption. It is the full aspect of the brightness of the glory of God. It goes beyond our very imagination and comprehension of things that are eternal. In this life, everything has an ending. From the time of day to the end of physical life, all things bear a conclusion. Our finite minds only comprehend things that end. However, we know of three things that never end, and often, it is impossible to grasp.
God, His Word and our inheritance are the only things that will never end. What a promise. Someday soon, everything that we know will be gone, and everything will be new. All hurt, sorrow, stress and heartache will end and be replaced by a joy that we really do not even understand yet. With all of our imperfection, it goes beyond reason that we should be able to dwell with a Holy God, but through the blood of Christ, we receive our inheritance; we are able to dwell with God.
However, we often look at this passage as referring to some future event, and that is correct, for it is the primary purpose of this writing. However, we have received the earnest of our inheritance when we were born of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, we have the opportunity to dwell in the spiritual realm with God Almighty. We can boldly enter His throne room, and we can lay our petitions at His feet. What needs or desires have you refrained from asking God for because you felt unworthy to receive it? What would you ask God if you would receive it without question? Well, our inheritance allows us to ask our heavenly Father anything, and whether He says, “Yes, no, maybe or we’ll see,” we know He has heard. All of Heaven is at your beckoned call because you are a part of His family.

“Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
- Edwin Hubbel Chapin

Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

I know it is June right now. Again, I have not lost my mind. However, I am writing this in November, and the leaves are falling and the sun is setting earlier every day. I love the seasons.
Depending on where you are reading this, there are actually four distinct seasons. I grew up in the great state of Minnesota where people think that it is always cold. I beg to differ. Minnesota is one of the states that have a definite four seasons.
Growing up, I always knew that the first of March is when the snow would begin to melt and the trees would again get ready to blossom. The beginning of June is when it would begin to get warm enough to make the lake refreshing to swim in. The end of August signified that the water temperature, as well as the air temperature, was getting pretty cold, and fall would begin. November first is when you knew that winter was on its way and it would not be too long for the lake that you swam in a few months earlier would be ready to skate upon for the next few months.
Then, I lived in Missouri, and the season goes from unbearably hot to cold dampness, to ice storms, to temporary springtime air and back to hot summers. It can be hot or cold during any of those “seasons” in Missouri. Just now, the day of this writing, in November, it was 75 degrees. How can a lake ever be ready to skate on???
God created the seasons, and when He spoke, He often used natural principles to reveal spiritual reality. Just as there are four seasons in nature, there are seasons in our spiritual walk with Him. Spiritual Spring carries new blossoms and new fruit into our walk with God. This leads to the hot summers where you are “on fire” for God. Something happens and you “cool down” and then the dying of the spiritual winter.
The great Creator of the Universe designed this concept of seasons. He understands the season of our lives because He created our lives. Think of Jesus. When he was born in Bethlehem, everything was new. It was a new day in the history of mankind. Not everyone noticed, but nevertheless, it is true. Then Jesus started His ministry and everything began to “heat up”. Miracles were performed, lives were changed and disciples were formed. Then things began to “cool down”, and those that seemed to love Him began to call for His crucifixion. From the cooling of the followers, came the winter of the cross, and death followed shortly. Here is the exciting thing; winter only lasts for a short time. Christ’s winter only lasted three days, and the resurrection of the springtime happened. Then the disciples caught the summer of the spirit, and the cycle has continued to this day. What season of spiritual living are you in today?

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.”
- Sarah Ban Breathnach

Read I Timothy 1:1-7, 3:14-15

Daniel Webster said, “If we work upon marble it will perish. If we work upon brass time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work upon men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with the just fear of God and love of their fellow men, we engrave on those tablets something which no time can efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity.”
I read a conversation a few days back. It went something like this. "My great-grandfather owned this rifle," the man said proudly. In his hand was a mint-condition rifle from the days when the pioneers were moving across the American West. I admired its beautiful walnut stock and shiny brass fittings. He said, "It came down to my grandfather, who passed it on to my father, who gave it to me. It has been in the family more than 100 years. I'm going to give it to my son when he turns 25."
Every parent wants to leave something for their children to hold onto long after they are gone. I began thinking about this because just over the desk where I am writing this is a picture that has been given to me from my grandmother. My grandmother was a very interesting woman. She could cook better than anyone I have ever known, and yet she could work in the garden all day as well. She could take care of my grandfather, their five children and then their sixteen grandchildren. I have two things of hers that I treasure. They are the picture that I referred to earlier, and a porcelain train that will forever be in my possession (at least until I can give it to my son). Heirlooms are important to us.
However, the greatest treasure she gave to me was not an object. It is something that no one can put a price tag on. In fact, if these devotions have somehow blessed you, it is due in large part to her. She gave me Jesus. More than anyone else in my life, my grandma Cele displayed Jesus Christ to me. She was my nursery Sunday School teacher. She stayed on my Dad to make sure that I was raised in the family of God. She was always checking on me, making me kiss her on the cheek every time I saw her. She crossed her finish line on September 12, 1998, my sixth wedding anniversary. At her funeral, everyone present gave her a standing ovation. It is something I will never forget.
I look at my son today, and I know that what she gave me; I can now give to him. He is a sixth generation believer. I read this passage, and I think Paul wrote to the Timothy whose last name is Sanders. Just replace Lois’ name with Cele and Eunice with Kathy, and the scripture is talking directly to me. Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice trusted in Christ and taught Timothy to do the same. Mine did also. As you think about what you will pass on to your children and grandchildren, do not forget the example of your faith in Jesus. It's the most valuable "heirloom" of all.

“This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family. The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich indeed.”
- Patrick Henry