Time is a gift from God. Redeem it! How?
Rejoice in each moment of this day! Yes, every moment. Demonstrate a child's heart.
Treasure those in your life that God has given you to make you rich.
Let them know you treasure them with your words and actions.
Spend time alone with the One who gave you this day to draw closer to
Him so He can draw closer to you--which is the deep desire of His heart.
No murmurings. They kill a thankful heart.
Sing.
Don't despise the little things that His love gives you every day. You'll be surprised some day at how big they were.
Remember those past blessings.
Be anxious for nothing. Cast your burdens on Him. A simple prayer will do it.
Build up those around you! Anyone can tear down.
Eagerly anticipate that this will be the day He comes to make all things right.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Paul
There
is a word in the New Testament that we often just slide right over when
we should just stop for a moment and contemplate its lesson. The word?
"Paul." Here was a man born a Roman citizen--a man of prestige. Here
was a highly educated man especially in Judaism--he sat at the feet of
one of their all time great teachers: Gamaliel. Here was a man of
leadership--a Pharisee of the Pharisees.
Here was a man who put into practice what he believed with all
diligence. Here was a man who hated Christianity and the name of Jesus.
Cheered at the death of Stephen and then in brutal cruelty tried to
wipe Christians from the face of the earth--both men and women. His
hateful zeal was so strong that he wasn't satisfied with just trying to
rid Jerusalem of Christ's followers, he was going to go wherever he
could go in order to attack and destroy them. Damascus--and who knows
where else was on his list of targets. We don't know for sure what was
eating at his soul--Stephen's face glowing at his trial, his call for
forgiveness as they stoned him to death, the faithfulness of the
believers that he persecuted as they refused to blaspheme the name of
their Savior. No one could see his heart but our Lord and Savior. But
this we know--he was saved by the grace of God. He was transformed into
a child of God, a faithful witness to Jew and Gentile, a man who lived a
life of steady obedience to the Lord he came to know and
love--faithful, no matter what.
Lessons: Two, at least, come to mind; in a sense they are intertwined. First, God's grace can save anyone. The best education, tremendous intellect, positions of authority, religious zeal and fervency, hatred for the Christian message and Christians--nothing is a hindrance to the Spirit's work of grace in any person's heart. Any person can be saved by grace. Which leads me to the next lesson. Second, who is that I know who seems so arrogantly, blasphemous toward the gospel that I've assumed that he or she is beyond the reach of grace? Who is it I have quit praying for that he or she might find the Redeemer because I think it is impossible for God to reach such a heart? Shame on me! May I stop for a moment and reflect the next time I open one of the epistles of the New Testament and read these words, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God." Keep praying. With our God of infinite forgiveness and infinite grace nothing is impossible. Nothing.
Lessons: Two, at least, come to mind; in a sense they are intertwined. First, God's grace can save anyone. The best education, tremendous intellect, positions of authority, religious zeal and fervency, hatred for the Christian message and Christians--nothing is a hindrance to the Spirit's work of grace in any person's heart. Any person can be saved by grace. Which leads me to the next lesson. Second, who is that I know who seems so arrogantly, blasphemous toward the gospel that I've assumed that he or she is beyond the reach of grace? Who is it I have quit praying for that he or she might find the Redeemer because I think it is impossible for God to reach such a heart? Shame on me! May I stop for a moment and reflect the next time I open one of the epistles of the New Testament and read these words, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God." Keep praying. With our God of infinite forgiveness and infinite grace nothing is impossible. Nothing.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Doers
When James admonishes us to be "doers of the word and not merely hearers," he immediately tells us what we should be doing:
Taking care of orphans and widows,
Keeping ourselves unstained by the world.
How are you doing?
Taking care of orphans and widows,
Keeping ourselves unstained by the world.
How are you doing?
2014
I gave up on New Year's resolutions years ago. Who wants to feel like a failure on January 2nd?
What I do instead is make a list of prayer requests for the coming
year. I begin, of course, with the prayer request that is the foundation
of our prayer life: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
Here are my others as I begin a New Year in His presence:
1. May you Lord by any means necessary continue to draw me and the ones I love closer to your heart.
2. May you remind me on a daily basis that I do not have the strength necessary to do what you have called me to do. I need to rely on your strength and power--which is always enough for each day.
3. May I have the vision to see all the wonderful things--"great" and "small"--that you bring into my life on a daily basis so my heart of gratitude will be unceasingly overflowing.
4. May each student in my classes know that regardless of their academic prowess or even their desire to serve and follow you that they are unconditionally loved and that that love is only possible because you first loved me.
5. May the beauty of the Acres constantly remind me that you are the Creator and the source of all that is lovely and that you are "Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature."
6. May "the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." When this year is over, may I be more like you than I have ever been before.
7. May I pray daily for those you have chosen to put in position of authority knowing with confidence that the heart of the king is in your hands.
8. When I look into the mirror of your Word, may I not walk away unchanged.
9. When I walk through difficult days and the circumstances seem to say, "He is not here. He cannot be in this"--may I remember that your goodness permeates all things and that it is by faith in Who you are that I please you and may I soar on the eagle's wings that you provide in the winds of adversity. May I be faithful to you no matter what.
10. May I live a life of visible joy. Each day may you put a song in my heart.
11. As you lay before me needs that I can meet, may I trust in your provision and give sacrificially and as anonymously as possible to meet those needs.
12. "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"
1. May you Lord by any means necessary continue to draw me and the ones I love closer to your heart.
2. May you remind me on a daily basis that I do not have the strength necessary to do what you have called me to do. I need to rely on your strength and power--which is always enough for each day.
3. May I have the vision to see all the wonderful things--"great" and "small"--that you bring into my life on a daily basis so my heart of gratitude will be unceasingly overflowing.
4. May each student in my classes know that regardless of their academic prowess or even their desire to serve and follow you that they are unconditionally loved and that that love is only possible because you first loved me.
5. May the beauty of the Acres constantly remind me that you are the Creator and the source of all that is lovely and that you are "Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature."
6. May "the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." When this year is over, may I be more like you than I have ever been before.
7. May I pray daily for those you have chosen to put in position of authority knowing with confidence that the heart of the king is in your hands.
8. When I look into the mirror of your Word, may I not walk away unchanged.
9. When I walk through difficult days and the circumstances seem to say, "He is not here. He cannot be in this"--may I remember that your goodness permeates all things and that it is by faith in Who you are that I please you and may I soar on the eagle's wings that you provide in the winds of adversity. May I be faithful to you no matter what.
10. May I live a life of visible joy. Each day may you put a song in my heart.
11. As you lay before me needs that I can meet, may I trust in your provision and give sacrificially and as anonymously as possible to meet those needs.
12. "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"
2013
2013
is about to become the past--forever. It has been an eventful year for
this chubby old bald guy. After I had been taking care of Mom for over
four years that ministry ended when the Lord took her Home in late
February to a reunion with Pop and the old Chatham church gang. I never
imagined that such a ministry of one was part of my future; yet, I loved
that the Lord saw fit to use me in such
a way. And the Acres that He had given me years before were a perfect
fit for the days Mom and I had together. (She loved them as much as I
do.) Imagine that--He knew what was coming years before it arrived and
had "made arrangements."
And I really believed that once she went Home that I would probably lose the Acres. Especially after I had looked unsuccessfully for work just about everywhere; and in addition, couldn't find anyone willing to refinance the old Homestead. And then, He opened another unseen, unexpected door--back to a ministry of the hundreds. (How did I even make it from February to August? Hadn't even thought of that miracle.) If you had told me last year at this time that I would be back in the classroom torturing students, I would have laughed--loudly. It was not in my plans--remotely. Yet, He opens the door where He needs us (and closes the other doors we're trying to kick down), and puts us to "work" back in the kingdom. I suppose if the school can continue to tolerate me as its resident IDE, I will continue on as long as the Lord gives me the health to do so. (IDE: Idealistic Dinosaur Educator--a rare species that should be extinct, but has at least one survivor still hanging around, hiding out in classrooms.)
And I still have this totally illogical ministry of trying to minister to others that I've known from my high school days til today through technology which I despise. A ministry that came into existence because I was at home all day taking care of Mom. (Blame my sister Chloe and her husband Larry; they gave me the computer.)
I even ended up with a pet through all this "stuff." Well, a new boss.
What lessons have I been taught in 2013?
1. God has a plan. Precious in His sight is the homegoing of one of His kids--even the kids that are 99 years old.
2. And He makes His plan known so that even the dumbest of His children can see what He has for them to do next.
3. You don't have to wait to go to Heaven to bask in God's goodness. He's active right now in your life doing indescribable good things.
4. God can use anything/everything He's given you to do His will. Five acres in the country. A computer even. Who knew?
5. And the greatest lesson of all. Shame on the Christian who does not have an overflowing heart of gratitude toward the Lover of his soul.
Who knows what 2014 will bring? He does. And it will be good--as promised.
And I really believed that once she went Home that I would probably lose the Acres. Especially after I had looked unsuccessfully for work just about everywhere; and in addition, couldn't find anyone willing to refinance the old Homestead. And then, He opened another unseen, unexpected door--back to a ministry of the hundreds. (How did I even make it from February to August? Hadn't even thought of that miracle.) If you had told me last year at this time that I would be back in the classroom torturing students, I would have laughed--loudly. It was not in my plans--remotely. Yet, He opens the door where He needs us (and closes the other doors we're trying to kick down), and puts us to "work" back in the kingdom. I suppose if the school can continue to tolerate me as its resident IDE, I will continue on as long as the Lord gives me the health to do so. (IDE: Idealistic Dinosaur Educator--a rare species that should be extinct, but has at least one survivor still hanging around, hiding out in classrooms.)
And I still have this totally illogical ministry of trying to minister to others that I've known from my high school days til today through technology which I despise. A ministry that came into existence because I was at home all day taking care of Mom. (Blame my sister Chloe and her husband Larry; they gave me the computer.)
I even ended up with a pet through all this "stuff." Well, a new boss.
What lessons have I been taught in 2013?
1. God has a plan. Precious in His sight is the homegoing of one of His kids--even the kids that are 99 years old.
2. And He makes His plan known so that even the dumbest of His children can see what He has for them to do next.
3. You don't have to wait to go to Heaven to bask in God's goodness. He's active right now in your life doing indescribable good things.
4. God can use anything/everything He's given you to do His will. Five acres in the country. A computer even. Who knew?
5. And the greatest lesson of all. Shame on the Christian who does not have an overflowing heart of gratitude toward the Lover of his soul.
Who knows what 2014 will bring? He does. And it will be good--as promised.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Right and Wrong
Right and wrong are not decided by a Gallop poll. "A majority of Americans now believe" . . . is irrelevant.
Right and wrong are not decided by Congress or a majority of Supreme Court Justices or even political documents such as the Constitution of the United States.
Right and wrong are not determined by my personal convictions, by my statement "I believe that "such and such" is right--or wrong.
Right and wrong are not even determined by someone's willingness to die for what they believe in.
Right and wrong is not a by-product of man's reasoning abilities or his emotional response to any issue no matter how sincere. Man is a fallen creature--marred by sin in his entire being.
The infinitely good, righteous, holy, loving, immutable God has revealed to us through His Word what is right and what is wrong. Any discussion of right and wrong must begin with those four words that we too often hate to hear and so instantaneously and easily begin to chafe under in our puny but arrogant self-righteous pride: "Thus, says the Lord."
Now the reason we should be clear in communicating what God says is right and what God says is wrong is because the man or woman who dies in his or her sins will spend eternity separated from God and all that is good and lovely and beautiful and glorious and worthy of praise. How can I possibly say to someone that "I love them" and then, refuse to speak of the sin that will keep them forever separated from Eternal Love? To agree with a man or woman that their sin is really not sin, or really not a big deal, is to hate them, to despise their eternal souls. And how horrible would it be to do that masquerading under the guise of "love"?
Jesus said, more than a few times, "Unless you repent, you will die in your sins." And He came into the world, lived a sinless life, and died for our sins, so that anyone who recognizes his or her sinful condition and need of a Savior and who believes in Him--trusts fully and solely--on His finished atoning work on the cross will not perish but have everlasting life lavished by Eternal Love--surrounded by all that is good and lovely and beautiful and glorious and worthy of praise.
Christ Jesus came into the world to call sinners to repentance--not the "righteous." How can we do less--sinners who have been led by His Spirit to put our faith in His marvelous grace?
"The wages of sin is eternal death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Right and wrong are not decided by Congress or a majority of Supreme Court Justices or even political documents such as the Constitution of the United States.
Right and wrong are not determined by my personal convictions, by my statement "I believe that "such and such" is right--or wrong.
Right and wrong are not even determined by someone's willingness to die for what they believe in.
Right and wrong is not a by-product of man's reasoning abilities or his emotional response to any issue no matter how sincere. Man is a fallen creature--marred by sin in his entire being.
The infinitely good, righteous, holy, loving, immutable God has revealed to us through His Word what is right and what is wrong. Any discussion of right and wrong must begin with those four words that we too often hate to hear and so instantaneously and easily begin to chafe under in our puny but arrogant self-righteous pride: "Thus, says the Lord."
Now the reason we should be clear in communicating what God says is right and what God says is wrong is because the man or woman who dies in his or her sins will spend eternity separated from God and all that is good and lovely and beautiful and glorious and worthy of praise. How can I possibly say to someone that "I love them" and then, refuse to speak of the sin that will keep them forever separated from Eternal Love? To agree with a man or woman that their sin is really not sin, or really not a big deal, is to hate them, to despise their eternal souls. And how horrible would it be to do that masquerading under the guise of "love"?
Jesus said, more than a few times, "Unless you repent, you will die in your sins." And He came into the world, lived a sinless life, and died for our sins, so that anyone who recognizes his or her sinful condition and need of a Savior and who believes in Him--trusts fully and solely--on His finished atoning work on the cross will not perish but have everlasting life lavished by Eternal Love--surrounded by all that is good and lovely and beautiful and glorious and worthy of praise.
Christ Jesus came into the world to call sinners to repentance--not the "righteous." How can we do less--sinners who have been led by His Spirit to put our faith in His marvelous grace?
"The wages of sin is eternal death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Abraham and Lot
The
choices of Lot and Abraham in Genesis 13 are especially instructive for
this age in which we live. The issue was really fairly simple: who or
what will you trust in to supply your needs. Abraham, the eldest and by
all rights the one who should have done the choosing, let his nephew
Lot choose. He asserted no rights, no conditions, just put Lot first.
Abraham realized that no choice made by a
man could undermine the promises of God. He would walk by faith. Lot,
on the other hand, used man's criteria to make his choice--he walked by
sight.
We all know the results of the choices. Abraham is protected and blessed by God. All his needs are met abundantly. With his eyes fixed on the heavenly city, he grows closer and closer to God, deepening his relationship with Him. Oh, it's not a trouble free walk. He at times slips in his faith and looks at the circumstances through eyes of fear and worry, but he is headed in the right direction. Having chosen the right treasure--the right security--his heart leads him to a deeper love and growing confidence in his Master. His security was his faith in the promises of God.
On the other hand, Lot, walking by sight, loses everything. And the walk is a heart rending one. Peter tells us that, being a righteous man, his soul was vexed day after day by the lifestyle and values of those whom he had chosen to live among. Lot never had a day of peace in his relationship with God no matter how much earthly security he found in the fertile fields of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, of course, the security of men can be lost in an instant. God moves and it becomes dust and ashes.
In what do you place your trust? The criteria of men? The seeking of material security in the attractive fields of human wealth and prosperity? Success there will torture your soul, destroy your family, and leave you empty handed without a moment's notice. Like Abraham, walk by faith, and the God of infinite resources will meet your needs according to His riches in glory. That's really the choice, isn't it? Self-reliance or God-reliance. Will you rely on your resources or His? Think about how simple the choice should be.
"And Abraham died . . . satisfied with life."
We all know the results of the choices. Abraham is protected and blessed by God. All his needs are met abundantly. With his eyes fixed on the heavenly city, he grows closer and closer to God, deepening his relationship with Him. Oh, it's not a trouble free walk. He at times slips in his faith and looks at the circumstances through eyes of fear and worry, but he is headed in the right direction. Having chosen the right treasure--the right security--his heart leads him to a deeper love and growing confidence in his Master. His security was his faith in the promises of God.
On the other hand, Lot, walking by sight, loses everything. And the walk is a heart rending one. Peter tells us that, being a righteous man, his soul was vexed day after day by the lifestyle and values of those whom he had chosen to live among. Lot never had a day of peace in his relationship with God no matter how much earthly security he found in the fertile fields of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, of course, the security of men can be lost in an instant. God moves and it becomes dust and ashes.
In what do you place your trust? The criteria of men? The seeking of material security in the attractive fields of human wealth and prosperity? Success there will torture your soul, destroy your family, and leave you empty handed without a moment's notice. Like Abraham, walk by faith, and the God of infinite resources will meet your needs according to His riches in glory. That's really the choice, isn't it? Self-reliance or God-reliance. Will you rely on your resources or His? Think about how simple the choice should be.
"And Abraham died . . . satisfied with life."
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