Month: May 2018

I remember a line from a movie, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Followed by, “It’s all small stuff.” Experience and the Holy Spirit have taught me to be very careful around the seemingly small stuff in my life. The older I get physically, the smaller an obstacle needs to be in order to trip me up. (Sometimes I think a shadow might be all it takes.) I first realized I was getting old when my doctor started asking me every visit if I have fallen.  Sometimes it is weakness, dizziness or vertigo that causes an elderly person to fall and seriously injure themselves, but most of the time they just trip over something small and lose their balance.

Sometimes the enemy puts a mountain in our path to distract and discourage us, but one of Satan’s favorite lies is, “That little thing won’t make any difference. How can that possibly harm you?” When I was young, Ouija boards were popular party games. It seemed innocent enough, but it provided a way for demons to enter the lives of unsuspecting players. Talk about playing with fire. What harm could it do to check my horoscope every day or consult a “fortune teller” just for the fun of it? The Holy Spirit has prompted me, “Try it and you will find out the hard way.”

I have spent over thirty years in the pest control industry in the Chicago area with 17 years as a trainer. I remember a friend from the South telling me about his first encounter with fire ants. He was digging in his garden when he came across an anthill. Thinking nothing of it, he dug it up and thousands of tiny red ants came pouring out to defend their seven or eight foot underground nest. He quickly found out why they are called fire ants when they began biting him. Their bite is very painful and they have actually been known to kill animals or small children with bites all over their body. I used to thank God that in northern Illinois I didn’t have to deal with fire ants, scorpions or Africanized (killer) bees. Just as that small anthill was connected to a dangerous threat, a small, seemly insignificant temptation can be connected to addiction or other serious spiritual consequences.

I’m not writing this to alarm or worry anyone. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” We need to pray about everything no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to be. When we do, the Holy Spirit will keep us from digging up unexpected trouble.

 

 

 

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A friend from high school days recently posted on Facebook, “Never ask a pastor about politics and never ask a politician about religion.” When I responded that I get all of my instructions on both topics from God, she seemed flabbergasted. First she tauntingly wrote, “Wow. I didn’t know God gave instructions.” Then she added, “I don’t want God in my politics.” I have heard similar statements from business men and women who don’t want God in their businesses, principals who don’t want God in their schools, activists who don’t want God on public property and atheists who don’t want God anywhere, except perhaps behind the closed doors of a church. In every single case the reason people feel that way is clear, if God entered those areas, things would have to change. Just as Jesus cleared the temple of animals and profiteers who didn’t belong there, God would drive out sinful thoughts, evil deeds and false beliefs. Those secret idols to which they are clinging would have to go.

Is there a room in your home that you wouldn’t want guests to see? Is there an area of your life that you have designated a “No God Zone”? Is it really possible for us to keep the Creator of the universe out of all or even a portion of our life? Only you know the answer to those first two questions, but the answer to that last question is, “Yes, we can!” It certainly isn’t because we are more powerful than God. It is because God is “prochoice”. He has given us the freedom to choose or reject Him and He won’t enter where He is not welcomed. Oh, He already knows our private thoughts, the desires of our heart and all of those secret things we are not willing to share with Him. He loves us in spite of those things and longs to show us a better, eternal life, but He won’t force Himself on us. It must be our decision to open the door and invite Him inside.

I can’t compartmentalize my life. To me that would be like telling my doctor, “You can examine me, but my blood pressure and body temperature are off limits.” I guess it really boils down to a matter of trust. My wife and I kept no secrets from each other. There was no part of our life that was off limits. We shared the good, the bad and the ugly without reservation because we had complete trust in each other. Trust is the foundation upon which all strong relationships are built. I have to be “all in” or “all out” in my relationships. Where God is concerned I’m all in. He is my Heavenly Father, Jesus is my savior and His Holy Spirit is my loving, constant companion. Being a Christian is not what I do or what I say – it is who I am. Christianity is not my religion – it is my relationship with God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every day is open house with the doors of every room in my life wide open for God to enter and rearrange the furniture as He sees fit.

I didn’t get to this point of openness and peace overnight. It has taken seven and a half decades on this roller coaster ride that has been my life. I’ve experienced ups, downs and some very sharp curves along the way. But as I near the end of my ride I am so happy that I have turned every area of my life over to God without reservation or exception.

In olden times, when I was a teenager at church camp, we had archery classes. I tried so hard to hit the bulls-eye in the center of the target, but sometimes I would miss the target altogether. A few years later, in basic training, I found myself on the rifle range trying to hit the bulls-eye once again. This time I didn’t miss the target but there was not a tight pattern of bullet holes in the center either. I was not an expert marksman with a perfect score. My point is that perfection doesn’t come naturally to the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. We have all known perfectionists and have seen the stress that kind of life puts on them and the people around them. We just can’t attain perfection on our own.

God is perfect and he requires perfection of His children. If we break one commandment, we might as well have broken them all. God’s law shows us the way to live a perfect life, but
it is also a mirror that reminds us how imperfect we are without Jesus. “God’s law was given so all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (Romans 5:20) We need God’s help to hit the bulls-eye without a miss. Repeated animal sacrifices were required by the law as temporary fixes to cover the imperfections in God’s people. They were a mere prototype of Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice. The blood He shed on the cross is permanent and all we have to do is repent of our sins and admit that we can’t hit the bulls-eye every time on our own. He forgives and forgets our sins, covering them with His blood to make us acceptable in His sight. Then the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us to teach us how to live the way He created us to live.

None of this is new to those of us who have been born of the Spirit, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded from time to time just how imperfect we were without Jesus Christ in our life. Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” (Matthew 5:17) He actually makes the target even harder for us to hit. He tells us we can’t just obey the law going through the motions with our actions. We must obey the law with our mind and our heart as well. (See Matthew 5:22-23 and Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus makes it clear we cannot hit the mark successfully without Him. When we accept Christ as our savior, it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20) and His perfection will hit the target dead center every time if we trust His aim and not our own.

I save cute photos of animals with great captions and put them in power point slide shows. One of my favorites is a kitten with his paws in a prayer position with this caption: “Lord, I know you told me you would not give me more than I can handle. I just wish you didn’t have so much confidence in me.” I think most of us have felt that way at one time or another. It is so easy to focus on the trial or temptation instead of focusing on God who is the source of the strength we need to overcome.

What God actually tells us in His word about our temptation and trial is this. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us build endurance.” (Romans 5:3) “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” (1 Peter 1:6) Jesus faced temptations and trials, so why would we think that we can escape them as we follow Him. Those who hate God will hate us who have taken on the name of Christ and His message. The enemy will continue to tempt us in order to distract us from our mission for God in His kingdom here on earth.

One of my wife’s favorite songs was Farther Along. The first verse of that song points out a mistake we often make when we face adversity. “Tempted and tried we all seem to wonder, why it should be thus all the day long, while there are others living among us never molested though in the wrong. Farther along we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why. Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine. We’ll understand it all by and by.” It never helps for us to compare our lot with that of others from our human perspective. It simply keeps us from focusing on God and the answers that only He has to enable us to overcome our trials and temptations.

In one of the verses I quoted above, Peter wrote that our trials are “for a little while”. When we are in the middle of a tempest, we lose sight of the sunshine coming behind the storm. Temporary is a relative term. Some troubles, like the financial problems I’m facing at present, will be resolved soon with God’s provision. Other trials, like my arthritic knees, may continue for years, but that too is temporary. After all, even twenty years of pain or discomfort is but a little while compared to the joy of an eternity without pain, sorrow or separation.

Have you ever shared a private joke with a close friend or family member? Something you both experienced and found funny, but you kept it just between yourselves. Every time a similar situation arises or someone says something that triggers the memory, you just look at each other and start laughing. My wife and I shared several of those private jokes. Now I share them with Jesus.

Here is just one example. When I get ready to stand at home, I hesitate for a few seconds in anticipation of the pain, then count to three and push off with a groan to stand. In public, I count to myself and stifle my groan, but it still brings a smile to my face as I thank my Lord for the ability to stand. I have shared with Him many times that it is just my way of “counting” on Him and I know He smiles with me every time I do it. Some might consider it sacrilege to write about the Creator of the universe in such a familiar tone. I feel sorry for them. They obviously have not experienced the close relationship with God that is possible through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

I may have shared the words of this song before, but even so it is still worth repeating. “My Friend is the king of all kings, and yet my friend walks beside me. My Friend rules the earth and the sun and yet my Friend stops to guide me. My Friend takes my hand just when all appears in vain and makes it plain through joy or pain He’ll be there. My Friend tells me life is a road and though it ends at the bending. My Friend tells me then there’s a road beyond this road that’s unending. Some day when I walk up that happy road that lies around the bend, who will there be to welcome me, my Friend.”

Jesus tells us, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friend, if you do what I command.” (John 15:13-14) Here are other Scripture verses that give us a great look at friendship.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) “… A real friend sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) “An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city…” (Proverbs 18:19) “I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends.” (Job 16:21) “The Lord is a friend to those who fear Him. He teaches them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14) “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11)

What a friend we have in Jesus!

I read a verse of scripture the other day that made me smile. It was Proverbs 27:14 and it read, “A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!” I could just visualize trying that with some people I know before they have had a cup or two of coffee in the morning and it got me to thinking about how important timing is in our life and relationships.

Ecclesiastes is not one of my favorite books of the Bible. It takes a very depressing look at life that is not compatible with my positive, encouraging nature. Other than the writer’s conclusion at the end, the one verse that I have found useful is “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (3:1) He goes on to list activities that must be done at a specific time. There is a certain order to life. It doesn’t make sense to try to reap before you have planted. Other activities require some insight for us to know the right time for them. For example, we may possess some knowledge, but it is wisdom that warns us to keep it to ourselves until the time is right to share it with someone. Have you ever known someone who just can’t tell a joke? Even when they get the setup and punch line correct, their timing is off and the humor is lost in their delivery. Timing is everything.

Timing also matters in the most serious and important areas of our life. Looking back, when I proposed to Carol in 1962, it seemed to be the worst possible timing, but it turned out just right. I had been through basic training and two technical schools in the Air Force and was about to deploy on an eighteen month tour of duty on Okinawa. But my six months away from her made me realize how much I wanted Carol to be a permanent part of my life. I wired my savings to my step-mother and asked her to pick out a nice engagement ring set. When I got home on leave, I prayerfully and very nervously presented the engagement ring to Carol and asked her to marry me when I return from the other side of the world. Fortunately, she felt the same way and said yes! We shared a strong Christian faith and complete trust in each other, so we knew the separation we faced, though painful, would not affect our relationship or our love. That event set the stage for over fifty years of married life together.

Believe me when I tell you that without the prompting of the Holy Spirit I doubt that I would have had the courage to pop the question to her on that particular day. His presence in our life together also allowed us to get through some rough times during our long marriage. God’s timing is perfect and if we rely on Him for advice, He will show us just the right time for us to take action no matter what the situation might be.

 

As a boy, I remember reading a poem by Robert Frost in school. The title of the poem was The Road Not Taken. It has stuck with me all of these years because it is a great example of the choice we must make as we come to the fork in life’s road. Here is that poem in case you haven’t read or had forgotten it.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler. Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair and having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear: though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same and both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

As God’s chosen people were on the verge of finally entering the Promised Land, Moses told them they too were at a fork in the road. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him and committing yourself firmly to him. This (He) is the key to your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

That seems a simple choice to make, but Proverbs warns us twice. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25)

One path leads toward God and the other leads away from Him. Jesus came to earth to make our choice easier. He became the once and for all sacrifice for our sins. All we have to do is believe in Him and follow Him on the road that leads to God. When we are born of His Spirit, He even dwells within us to keep us on that path to eternal life with God. (See John 3:1-21)

God loves us so much and wants so badly for us to take the path to Him, but He wants it to be our free choice to make. Sadly, many people take the enticing, well-travelled road that leads to death, thinking to themselves, “I can always come back to that other road someday.” But way leads on to way and they never get back to it.

I am so thankful for the road not taken and for my long life on the path with Jesus. It hasn’t always been an easy route, but it has always been worth every (often weary) step of the way. At the end awaits eternal life with my Lord and a happy reunion with my wife and parents.

 

 

 

I have mentioned several times that my arthritic knees make it difficult for me to overcome inertia and stand. Once I’m on my feet, I use two canes now instead of one. It gives me more stability and confidence than even a walker would do. Others see my struggle and their first instinct is to try to help me, bless their hearts, but once I start forward the only help I need is for them to open the door and get out of my way. My momentum carries me forward one step after another until I reach my destination.

I have done a fair amount of public speaking in my life and I can always tell if I’m getting through to my audience by their body language. When they are interested in what I’m saying, they will automatically lean forward to capture every word or thought. It isn’t something they consciously do. It is a reflex action that moves them closer to something of interest to them. When we read God’s word or pray, are we leaning forward to grasp all that God has to say to us? When He shows us the path He wants us to take, are we leaning forward and letting our momentum carry us one step after another until we reach our destination? When we stop leaning and moving forward, inertia sets in again and it may become even more difficult to regain our momentum.

In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who decided to store up his excess crops and lean back and take life easy, but his life was cut short and he never attained that goal. We may shake our heads at such a self-centered fool, but when God richly blesses us aren’t we Christians sometimes just as guilty, sitting back and expecting God to continue to pour out His blessings without us pressing forward in His service?

Let’s see what else God’s word tells us about moving forward with momentum. “The righteous keep moving forward and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9) “And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.” (Hebrews 6:3) And my favorite: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” (Psalms 143:10)

In team sports, we often refer to momentum as the “Big Mo”. That is when a few members of the team come out of their slumps and begin to achieve success. Their momentum is contagious as other members of the team begin to gain confidence and lean forward toward success themselves. That momentum continues to build and can lift the entire team to its full potential. It is an intangible expectation that success is within reach. I hope that somehow watching me overcome my handicap and successfully get where I’m going will give others the momentum they need to overcome the obstacles in their lives. But, more importantly, I hope that as I lean forward toward God and His will in my life, others will feel the urge to lean forward and draw closer to Him as well.

 

After using my reading and writing skills all of these years, I tend to take them for granted. Then, I read this report that came out early last month. I shared it on Facebook and I want to share it with visitors to my blog as well. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released its report card for 2017. Only 37% of high school graduates in the U.S. can read at a 12th grade level of proficiency. Math proficiency was much lower than that. At the same time, our graduation rate has climbed to 80%, so we are handing out more high school diplomas, but do they have any value to the graduate or to prospective employers?  I suppose after handing out trophies to all sport participants, it was just a matter of time before diplomas and degrees would be awarded for showing up. No wonder those on social media have resorted to communicating with a sort of illiterate shorthand and emoji’s (u no what I meen ☺).

Imagine not being able to read and understand at a 12^th grade level and therefore relying on others to tell you what is in our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, America’s recorded history or even the contents of the Holy Bible, God’s word for each of us. I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but those in positions of authority won’t have to ban or burn books if they can produce a generation that cannot read or understand them. That will make it easier for those in power to indoctrinate them.

When I graduated from high school in 1961, my reading and writing proficiency was probably at or above the level of a college graduate with a BA degree today and I was not an exceptionally bright student. Using those skills has broadened my knowledge each and every year of my life.

Reading, writing and math are still being taught in home school and parochial school classes, but we need to put pressure on public school boards across the U.S. to return to teaching those basic skills instead of political correctness and societal issues. In the meantime, churches might consider offering remedial reading classes in conjunction with Bible studies for those who need it. They might ask retired teachers in the congregation to help adults improve their reading skills in a relaxed atmosphere of love, without one bit of embarrassment, perhaps using the NLT as a text. The more that people are encouraged to read God’s word, the more likely they will find His special message for them as they read. After all, the Christian Reformation was fueled by the invention of the printing press that made the Bible available for all to read for themselves.

I quote scripture throughout my blogs, normally from the New Living Translation, but I also encourage my readers to investigate God’s word for themselves. It saddens me so much that 63% of recent high school graduates might not be able to read and fully understand what I have just written.