Month: July 2018

There is so much hate in the world. News reports and social media seem to thrive on it. There are stories and posts filled with hateful language, false stereotypes and vulgar name calling. Hate groups keep firing up their members by inciting violent actions and demonstrations. It seems only a matter of time until people are going to get badly hurt. In the midst of all of this unrest, I have found that love still flourishes.

It has been said that kindness is love dressed in coveralls and work boots. Acts of kindness are certainly love put into action. Many of my friends on Face Book search for and then share positive, heartwarming true stories the media ignores.  One video was a candid camera type set up titled, “What will a homeless person do with $100?” They found a homeless man and an actor gave him $100. It brought tears to his eyes and he kept saying, “Are you sure?” When the actor left, the hidden camera followed the homeless man to see what he would do. With his large travel bag strapped around his neck, he immediately headed to a liquor store across the street. The camera then caught him coming out of the store with his bag that was obvious much heavier than when he went in. They continued to follow him as he looked for all of his homeless friends giving each of them snacks and food items from his bag. After he had shared his good fortune with four or five people, the actor appeared again and told him they had watched to see what he would do with the money and they were stunned by his generosity. After giving him a big hug, he also gave him another $100 for himself. If they had an agenda, that camera crew could have shut off the camera when he came out of the liquor store. They would have strengthened the stereotype of homeless people wanting money for alcohol or drugs, but they would have missed those beautiful acts of kindness. Needy people long to be able to help others in need. Jesus said the widow who put her last two cents in the collection box had given more than any of the rich people who made a big deal of their donations. She gave all that she had to help others.

There is another story of a woman who ran out of gas at night on her way home. A homeless man approached her car. He told her to roll up her windows and lock her doors and he would be back in a few minutes. He brought back a can of gasoline purchased with his last remaining cash and sent her safely on her way home. Later, she and her husband searched for him to thank him and repay him. They took time to get to know him and the story of how he became homeless. They started a Go Fund Me account for him using his story and his act of kindness. He now has a small home, a pickup truck and a small annual income from the donations to that account. One act of kindness can sometimes set off a chain reaction of kindness that is amazing.

Kindness doesn’t always involve money. As a person with obvious physical limitations, I can tell you that just the offer to help is an act of kindness. If I can use their help I do, but even if I don’t need help at that moment, I make sure they know how much I appreciate them going out of their way to offer help to a stranger. I hope I have encouraged them to continue reaching out to others. Kindness has many benefits and rewards for all of those involved.

I want to leave you with a favorite post my friends love to share. “You can be anything, so be kind.”

I want to share with you a very personal experience this past weekend. Over breakfast Saturday two of my Christian brothers who I love deeply and who have proven their love for me, once again brought up their prayers for the healing of my arthritic knees and possible reasons I haven’t received it yet. They think there must be something within me that is blocking my healing. Since I know my faith and my relationship with God are strong, when this happens I feel like Job when his well-meaning friends assumed it was his sin that caused his miserable condition and like Job’s friends they don’t understand my defensiveness.

I’m no stranger to apparent unanswered prayer. My mother and I were baptized on the same day when I was 12. About one year later she was diagnosed with leukemia and less than six months after that she was dead in spite of her prayers for healing, the prayers of my father and me, and the prayers of our entire church. My parents even traveled to a healing service by Oral Roberts to no avail. The one thing I know for sure is that it wasn’t my mother’s lack of faith that kept her from being healed.

When I got home Saturday I spent time in prayer asking God if there really is something within me that is blocking the healing of my knees. He spoke directly to my heart, “You know better than that! How many times have I told you that my grace is sufficient for you? Our relationship has become stronger these last six years than ever before. You know I healed your sciatic nerve pain when it got too much for you to bear. I gave you the love and support of your brothers and sisters in Christ when you needed them the most. I meet your needs. I give you words to write. Like an earthly father, when my child asks for something I may answer yes, not now or no. You know that I have answered yes to most of your prayers. I am concerned with your spiritual well being and I know what is best for you in the present and your future. Each of my children has been created uniquely, so my answer may be different to each of them when they pray for healing or extended life on earth. Never compare yourself to anyone else. You are special in my sight. Just don’t challenge my authority the way Job did. You don’t need to know the reason for my actions. I’m not just looking out for you. Your faith, in spite of your struggle with your limitations, is touching more people than you know and giving them encouragement and hope. Just keep calling on me and I will walk with you and keep you from falling.”

Many people feel that beginning a prayer for healing with “If it be your will,” is a sign of doubt. They think you should just stand on God’s word and command healing in Jesus’ name. They site verses like Matthew 7:8, “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is in that context that all prayers should be offered. He said if we have faith like a tiny mustard seed we could move mountains, but if it is not His will, those mountains won’t budge. He is in control whether we acknowledge His will or not.  Proverbs 16:3 says, “We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.” When we pray through the Holy Spirit, our prayers will always be in agreement with God’s will. “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:26-27 emphasis is mine) May God’s will be done in your life and in mine.

This is the shortest post I’ve written on my blog, but it may well be one of the most powerful. When I was a teenager I came across a poem by Myra Brooks Welch. I shared it with my youth group at church and it has continued to have a profound effect on my life over the years. I want to share that poem with you.

“Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while to waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bid, good people’, he cried. ‘Who starts the bidding for me? One dollar, one dollar, do I hear two? Two dollars, who makes it three? Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,’ but no. From the room far back a gray bearded man came forward and picked up the bow. Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up the strings, he played a melody, pure and sweet, as sweet as the angel sings. The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low said, ‘What now am I bid for this old violin?’ as he held it aloft with its bow. ‘One thousand, one thousand, do I hear two? Two thousand, who makes it three? Three thousand once, three thousand twice, going and gone’ said he. The audience cheered, but some of them cried, ‘We just don’t understand. What changed its worth?’ Swift came the reply, ‘The Touch of the Master’s Hand’. And many a man with life out of tune all battered and bruised with sin is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, he is going and almost gone. But the Master comes and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the Touch of the Master’s Hand.”

It is so sad to think that there are Stradivarius violins silently on display in museums. It is even sadder to realize that there are people on display in the pews of churches on Sunday who are silent the rest of the week, when they could demonstrate their true worth to the thoughtless crowd around them every single day with just a Touch of the Master’s Hand.

Whenever you find yourself in a hopeless situation, turn to the only source of real hope. Whenever you have run out of answers, turn to the source of all knowledge. Whenever it seems like you have run into a brick wall, turn to the one who will help you find a door through it. Whenever you feel unloved or unwanted, turn to the one who loves you so much He thought you were to die for. Whenever you feel life is slipping away from you, turn to the only source of eternal life. Whatever help you need, God’s help is just a prayer away.

As I think about this subject it won’t surprise my regular readers that the words of a gospel song come to my mind. “You’ve been walking the same old road for miles and miles. You’ve been hearing the same old voice tell the same old lies. You’ve tried to feel the same old holes inside. There’s a better life. If you’ve got pain – He’s a pain taker. If you feel lost – He’s a way maker. If you need freedom or saving – He’s a prison shaking Savior. If you’ve got chains – He’s a chain breaker.”

As Christians, we often forget the power that is available to us. I have mentioned several times that one of my favorite verses of scripture is Romans 8:11, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” That is more power than I will ever need in this life. To release that power, all that is needed is one sincere prayer.

The Holy Spirit within us will help us communicate with the Father for help even when words escape us. Whether you are a charismatic Christian who has experienced the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” or a more conservative, evangelical Christian (like me), we all have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us from the moment of our spiritual rebirth. Some may use a prayer language while others spend time in silent prayer allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to the Father on our behalf whenever we are at a loss for words, but what is important is not how we pray, but the one to whom we bring our needs. God’s help is only a prayer away.

Just one caution: don’t expect God to answer your prayer for help instantly. It may happen that way, but God is not limited by time and space as we are. His timing is perfect and He will give us the help we need at the precise time it will benefit us the most.

High school journalism coaches teach their students the five basic questions that must be answered in each article for the school newspaper: who, what, when, where and why. I don’t know if how is left out because it isn’t as important or because it doesn’t begin with a W. When we are seeking the truth, those are good questions to ask, especially when we study events in the Bible. However, when we seek answers from God in prayer, we often get hung up on two questions: why and when. Why me, Lord? Why am I in this situation? Why did this happen to me, my spouse, my friend or my relative? Why? Then we ask when? When will this be over? When will you answer my prayers? When will you open that new door for me? When?

God doesn’t always answer those questions. It might be because our finite mind couldn’t handle His infinite answer, but I think there is another reason those questions remain unanswered. When I was in the Air Force my security clearance allowed me to handle and read the most top secret of documents but only if I had “the need to know”. Just because I could access certain material didn’t mean I needed to know it. I think Job encountered this when he sought the reason for his situation and how much longer it would last. He was informed in no uncertain terms (beginning at Job 38:1) that he was in no position to question God – he simply didn’t have the need to know many things including why or when.

As we come to God asking for relief, here are some better questions to ask Him in prayer. What do you want me to do about this situation?  What can I learn from this experience? How will going through this allow me to help others experiencing the same thing? Then, instead of asking Him why it occurred or when it will pass, just pray for strength to wait upon His perfect timing.

God is all-knowing – we are not! We don’t need to be. We just need to be obedient to His word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Obedience doesn’t require our understanding. Obedience requires our love for Him, our trust in His plan and our prompt action. When we do our part, He will always do the part that is beyond our pay grade or ability. I’ve learned all of this through bitter experience. Don’t follow my example. Be obedient to Him.

 

This is my 157^th post on this blog and God continues to provide new material, but I feel this is a piece of American history that deserves repeating. As we celebrated Indepence Day last week a TV crew interviewed young people at the beach. Most of them did not even know from what country we declared our independence or in what year. If that wasn’t sad enough, many of them said they weren’t proud to be an American, although they had trouble explaining why. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t around in 1776, but I want to share some history I have lived through that might explain why they feel the way they do.

A few years ago, our President announced to the world that America is no longer a Christian nation. From a cultural standpoint he told the truth. But I remember a time 61 years ago when America was a Christian nation spiritually and culturally. I was 14 years old in 1957. The number one song that summer on Billboard’s Pop chart was Three Bells by the Browns. As you can imagine it received a lot of radio play. I can remember being with a carload of teens from church and when that song came on the radio there was silence until it was over. We were Christians, but we were also teenagers so silence was not normal. That song covered the life of Jimmy Brown from birth to death in just three verses and was filled with faith and prayer. It would not receive a single play on any pop station today.

If anyone tells you that the Civil Rights movement was strictly political and only in the black community, don’t believe them. It was a movement of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of Christians of all races. I know because I was one of them. In the summer of 1957, Billy Graham held integrated nightly crusade meetings in New York City for three whole months. He preached to well over two million people that summer not counting the millions watching on TV (like me) or listening on radio. I remember watching on TV as Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood side by side on a platform in Madison Square Garden and proclaimed that there is only one race – the human race – and everyone in that race needs Jesus Christ as their Savior. Later, people with various shades of skin came forward together to receive Christ. Ethel Waters sang His Eye Is On the Sparrow at one of those crusade meetings. She rededicated her life to Jesus Christ that evening and joined Billy’s team. She was revered by the team and audiences everywhere. She always referred to Billy Graham as “My boy, Billy.” When they left New York, they took those integrated crusades to Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas.

In the fall of that year, I entered high school as a freshman and joined the Youth for Christ Club. Those clubs were on every high school and college campus across America. We met once a week after school in a classroom with one of my teachers, Mrs. Saltzman. She led us in prayer at the beginning and close of each meeting. The memories of the support I received from that club are precious to me. My mother had died the previous year and my Christian faith was receiving its first big test.

We’ve come a long way in the wrong direction since 1957, but Christian faith has not died out. Powered by the Holy Spirit, it is spreading like wild fire once again in our communities and our culture. The enemy will not give up that territory easily, but the battle is on.

Thankfully, animal sacrifices are no longer a necessary part of worship because Jesus gave Himself as a once and for all sacrifice for our sins. We no longer have to rely on priests to intercede for us because that heavy curtain separating us from God’s Holy presence was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died. So what is the proper way for us to worship God as Christians? Is there some rite, formula or procedure for us to follow in order to worship God in a way that will be not only satisfy our desire to worship, but will satisfy Him? Can worship only take place in the house of the Lord with other believers?

Most churches now set aside time at the beginning of the service to worship God in song. We no longer have an organist or pianist, choir and choir director to lead us in hymns and anthems. There are now keyboardists and a variety of other musical instruments and vocalists forming a worship team to lead us in singing worship music. Is that a joyful noise to the Lord? Or do we need to clap our hands or raise them to the sky? Do we need to kneel in reverent silence or shout out our praise to God? How can we know that our worship pleases God?

Jesus gave us the answer to all of those questions when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. “But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in that way. For God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) So, what is important isn’t where we worship or the actions we take during worship, it is that our worship of God comes sincerely from our heart, allowing our spirit to connect with His Spirit. Our mind needs to be stayed on His glory and the truth of His word. That is the only form of worship God desires of us. The rest is just personal preferences that vary widely from one person to another because He created us uniquely. All of it pleases God as long as you love and adore Him “with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength” without reservation or distraction. (Mark 12:30)

From the oldest hymns to the latest worship songs, those powerful words of poetic imagery touch our heart and lift our spirit preparing us to worship God in spirit and in truth.

 

 

You have heard people say, “I found God” or “I found Jesus Christ”. You may even have said it yourself. But God was never lost – we were. He is the one who found us. The powerful worship song Reckless Love describes how relentlessly God pursues us. “There’s no shadow He won’t light up, no mountain He won’t climb up coming after me. There’s no wall He won’t kick down, lie He won’t tear down coming after me. Oh, the overwhelming, never ending reckless love of God. It chases me down, fights till I’m found, leaves the 99.”   Leaving the 99 to find one lost lamb doesn’t make a lot of sense – unless you are that lost lamb. He seeks us out so He can save us from our sins and we can worship and serve Him as we were created to do. Why would the Creator of the Universe search for us like that? The answer is found in that familiar verse, John 3:16. It is because he loves us so much.

God’s loving search began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was the first recorded case of hide and seek. God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” I always had trouble understanding why an omnipotent God didn’t know where Adam was hiding. He knew! I heard somewhere that the Hebrew could have been translated, “Why are you where you are?” Of course God knew the answer to that as well, but He wanted Adam and Eve to admit their disobedience and their shame. God never asks a question to get information. He is the source of all knowledge. He asks questions to get us to realize our situation and our need for Him.

Once He found them in sin and disobedience, death entered the Garden for the first time as God sacrificed an innocent animal and used the hide to cover their nakedness and shame. That was the first of countless sin offerings to temporarily cover man’s sin from God’s sight. Then, in due time, God presented His Son as the perfect, innocent and permanent sacrifice for our sins. Even now He continues to call to us and chase after us to get us to admit our disobedience and accept Jesus’ sacrifice.

I am so grateful that 64 years ago this summer God found me and covered my heart with the sacrificial blood of Jesus. I celebrate that event every time I see someone else realize that they have been found and brought into the fold by our loving Shepherd.

We don’t have to look very hard to find “churches” today that seek to fill their pews and their coffers by offering a religion that makes people comfortable in their sins, their world view and in their own concept of God. I have friends who have a secular, political view of the world. They find the preaching of God’s word very uncomfortable and have sought out such churches in which their world view and concept of God are accepted.

We should not be surprised by this. Jesus warned, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) The apostle Paul also warned us, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3) “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

I recently came across a Facebook post that was shared from the Episcopal Church website by a friend who professes to be a Christian. It was a drawing of Jesus with a child on His lap and a very diverse crowd of people around Him. The caption read, “I never told you to hate, I don’t care where they come from, what they look like, who they love, or who they worship. What is so difficult?” Old age may have slowed me down some, but it hasn’t shut me up yet. This is my comment to that post: Yes, Jesus teaches us to love and not hate, but His love for us includes the instruction, “Go and sin no more.” The two biggest lies being spread today are: “In order to show love for someone you must accept their sinful behavior” and “If you don’t accept someone’s sinful behavior you hate them.” There is not a bit of truth in either of those statements. I will never accept lying or adultery as acceptable behavior, but I don’t hate the ones who do it. I have never paid attention to a person’s national origin or their appearance, but I do pay close attention to their character and the content of their heart. By the way, Jesus makes it very clear who alone is worthy of our worship.  There was no response at all to my comment.

You may have noticed that I did not respond to the veiled reference to homosexuality in the post. I believe I got my point across without getting caught up in that politically charged trap. I simply used another, more common, sexual sin instead. Just because some church leaders use the image and name of Jesus, doesn’t make their teaching sound doctrine based on the scriptures. Satan knows the scripture better than we do and some of his biggest lies are verses taken completely out of context (a tactic he used in tempting Jesus). We must measure all teaching with the truth of God’s complete word and the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit within us. When we do that we will quickly separate the sheep from the wolves.