Month: February 2019

Our God operates at a level far above our pay grade. He is beyond measure in every possible way. His magnificent power and endless love are not only beyond measure, they are beyond our wildest imagination. Isaiah wrote, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” (Isaiah 40:28) Habakkuk 3:6 tells us, “When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One!” Jude writes, “All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”

Do you want to know what awes and humbles me most about the powerful God we worship and serve? It is that he loves me and wants a relationship with me. The truth that John 3:16 applied to me personally changed my life and lingers with me always. Sometimes I just start to sing, “Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I that He would pray, ‘Not my will, thine Lord?’ The answer I may never know; why He’d ever love me so, that to an old rugged cross He’d go for who am I.”

When I was in my mid-twenties, I did some preaching as a lay evangelist. This is one of the stories I used as an illustration. A farmer set up a farm stand along the road to sell vegetables to those passing by. His neighbor came by carrying a large gunny sack. He greeted him asking what he had in the sack. The neighbor replied, “It’s a male pig that’s just been weened. I’m taking him over to the Musgrave farm. George offered to buy him to raise as a breeder.” The farmer told him that was great and said, “If I’m not here on your way back, I’ll see you at church Sunday, Lord willing.” His neighbor spun around and tersely responded, “Jed, you’re always saying ‘Lord willing’ this and ‘Lord willing’ that. Do you really think you need the Lord’s permission for every little thing you do? I’ll see you at church, period.” He marched off having made his point. But a short time later, he was trudging slowly back up the road. His hair was standing straight out, his clothes were a mess and he looked like he could keel over any second. Jed asked him what happened and he replied, “As I was going along, a rain shower came up, so my pig and I stopped under a big tree to keep from getting soaked. Suddenly there was a clap of thunder and a lightning bolt struck the tree. I thought for sure that I was a goner! I dropped the sack and the scared pig ran away. I was too stunned and weak to chase after him.”  “WOW,” exclaimed Jed. “What are you going to do now?” His neighbor looked him straight in the eye and said, “I’m going home, Lord willing.”

I hope it never takes a bolt of lightning to remind us that God wants to be involved in every part of our life – even the mundane tasks that sometimes seem minor and unimportant.     

I have written numerous times about general topics like love, faith, mercy and grace. But I try hard to keep from repeating myself. If you have read my blog for any length of time or follow me on Face Book, you know where I stand on the subject of abortion. Lately, it seems like every other day there is a news story of some state legislature extending the right to abort later and later into the pregnancy (even post birth in some cases), or another state  limiting abortion to before a separate heartbeat is detected or prior to the twentieth week. I can no longer ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit to write once more about how God and science (not politicians) look at this practice.

Back when there was disagreement among scientists about when life begins, abortionists and their supporters decided life doesn’t begin until after birth as the new born baby takes in his or her first breath. Now, geneticists have scientifically proven that life with a unique DNA code begins at conception; abortion providers and supporters don’t care. Biologists have determined that a separate heartbeat can be detected as early as ten to twelve weeks and at twenty weeks a fetus’ nervous system allows them to feel pain; once again they just don’t care.

From a spiritual standpoint, I am concerned about how God views this procedure. It was John the Baptist while still in his mother’s womb, who was the first to leap for joy and rejoice about the conception of Jesus when he simply heard Mary’s voice greet his mother, Elizabeth. God told Jeremiah He knew him and called him to service while he was still in his mother’s womb. David described how God miraculously knit him together in the quiet and safety of his mother’s womb. Jesus told his disciples to let the little children come to him for such is the kingdom of heaven.  Abortionists and their supporters have made this a secular, political issue to intentionally try to keep God out of the picture.   

Racism and abortion are closely tied together. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was openly racist and she saw abortion as a way to remove “the human weeds” from our society. It is no coincidence that the organization she founded has clinics in poor and minority neighborhoods. In 2013 (the most recent year I could find official, detailed birth statistics) in New York City, nearly 5,000 more black babies were aborted than were born alive and the difference was even higher than that the previous year. Never the less, there were cheers in New York recently when the governor signed a bill allowing for abortion up to the completely formed child’s day of birth. States like New York that prohibit lethal injection for those found guilty of the most heinous crimes; legally permit painfully terminating the innocent and vulnerable life of a fully formed infant. It is the crime of inconvenience that has become the offence worthy of a death sentence there and in several other states, including Illinois.

There is an old Dutch proverb, “Change the world – begin with yourself.” Jesus gives us this advice: “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye, then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (Luke 6:41-42)

Humans tend to be self-centered, but when we look at ourselves we either see the person we want to be, or we see the person others have told us that we are. It is like looking into a distorted mirror at the fun house of a carnival. We can only get a true vision of ourselves reflected by God’s word. Instead of judging ourselves by our own standard or the standard of others, we can use God’s standard to compare ourselves to the new creation God has ordained us to be. To paraphrase a worship song, we are who He says we are and He says we are His own.

I love the story you may have heard before about a woman who announced to her pastor that she was leaving to find another church. When he asked her why, she responded, “I look around the church on Sunday morning and people are looking at their devises, talking to each other or even nodding off. I can’t stand to be around such disrespect for God.” He asked her to do one favor for him before she left. He gave her a full glass of water and asked her to carry it outside and completely around the church without spilling a drop. She agreed even though she had no idea why he would ask her to do such a thing. When she returned he asked, “Did you see anyone disrespecting God on your trip around the church?” She told him she didn’t see anything because she was concentrating on the glass to make sure she didn’t spill the water. He said, “When you concentrate completely like that on your worship and honor of God, you will no longer be aware of what others are doing.” She was so concerned about the disrespect of others that she didn’t see how disrespectful her people watching had become.

Only God can change a person, or the world for that matter. Remember the change that He wrought in your life when you became a Christian? The best way for us to change the world is to accept Jesus Christ ourselves and then introduce others to Him. I have heard many parents say they want to leave a better world for the sake of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They may well accomplish that goal by leaving better, godly children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the sake of the world.

I have written several times that when the Holy Spirit prompts me to do something I only have two choices – do it or regret it.  As a matter of experience, I highly recommend that first option. James put it this way, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (James 4:17) When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He places His Holy Spirit within us to guide us to obediently follow Him.

I have not had the privilege or challenge of raising children, but as hard as it might be to imagine, I was a child myself once upon a very long time ago. When I was told to do something, I was very aware that failing to do it was an act of disobedience toward my parents and that disobedience was just as much a punishable offense as doing something I was told not to do. I never wanted to disobey my parents, but there were times I would put off doing what I was told to do until I found myself in trouble. Procrastination is one of the enemy’s favorite tools to get us to put off what we know we should do until it is too late and that is where the regret comes in. Whenever the Holy Spirit has prompted me to do something, it must be done at a specific time. If that time passes without me doing it, I will not have another chance to obey that command and receive the blessing that obedience would have provided me.  

Unlike the line from that old Frank Sinatra song, “Regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention,” I have more regrets than I care to mention. I think most of us do. The ones that bother me most are the things I should have done or said, but missed my opportunity. None of us is guaranteed another day of life. When a loved one dies that loving word or kind deed you intended for them but never delivered is a huge regret. The only regret bigger than that would be to put off accepting Christ as your savior until it is too late. As a result of my regrets, I am obedient to God’s will in my life now more than ever before and I’m much more aware of the opportunities He gives me each day to reach out to others with help, encouragement and love. We can’t go back in time to correct our mistakes, but we can learn from them. The more we obey God and do His will, the fewer regrets we will have and the more blessings we will experience.

Have you ever been in an art museum and paused for a while in front of an artistic masterpiece, taking in the immense talent of the one who created it and the message the artist was expressing? Have you ever stopped along a nature trail to take in the beauty and variety of plant and animal life God has created, or gazed for hours at the sky on a clear night with wonder and awe at the vastness of God’s masterpiece of creation? If you have, take a long look in a mirror and see another masterpiece of God’s creation.

Our physical body is an amazing masterpiece of extraordinary complexity. Our DNA is not only unique, but it is so complex that one of the scientists who mapped the human genome stated, “We now know that the first living cell could not have come into being by chance.” I wonder if he realized the full impact of that factual statement. Every cell in our body contains the signature of our Creator. As amazing as our body and mind are, God didn’t stop there. God, who is a spirit, created us in His own image. We are spiritual as well as physical beings. When we became marred with sin, God offered to recreate us into the masterpiece we were meant to be through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we accept His offer, He restores us by making us a new creation through His mercy and grace.      

Writing in defiance of religious leaders who were teaching adherence to the Law of Moses by requiring the circumcision of all followers of Christ, Paul wrote in large letters, “It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.” (Galatians 6:15) He described that “new creation” to the Ephesians this way, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

As an artist creates a masterpiece to convey a message to the art world, God wants us, His masterpieces, to convey His message to a lost world.

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly and you will keep singing as the days go by. When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; count your many blessings – wealth can never buy, your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. So, amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all; count your many blessing, angels will attend, help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.” Johnson Oatman, Jr. penned those encouraging words in 1897, but they are just as true and inspiring today as they were back then.

I think Mr. Oatman may have had these scriptures in mind as he wrote that inspiring hymn. “Oh Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all of your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” (Psalms 40:5) “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

Gratitude is a powerful antidepressant. As Christians, we have the advantage of knowing who to thank for every good thing in our life – even for life itself. The older I get the more grateful I am for the people God has put in my life and all that they do to bless me. I just received a text from the young woman who lives next door. She just got back from California and wanted to see how I’m doing and bring some food over to me tomorrow. I am so thankful she thinks of me. (She even loves to read my blog.) With my physical limitations, even strangers bless me so much. I can’t remember the last time I had to open a door.

If your struggles have blinded you to the blessings in your life, just ask God to open your eyes to them and His Holy Spirit inside you will point out all of them for you. You will be amazed at all of the things you have been taking for granted or overlooking. It is impossible to be depressed or feel sorry for yourself when you are grateful to God and others around you for all that they do. If you have trouble sleeping, instead of counting sheep, count your blessings. My problem is that I always lose count before I drift off to sleep.

On my blog I encourage Christians and show unbelievers what, in my experience, living the Christian life is really all about. Today I am going to let God’s word do that better than I ever have by sharing passages from the eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Roman (NLT).   

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end of sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so the just requirement of the law would be satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you have received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him ‘Abba Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

“And I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Neither death or life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

This past Sunday completed 21 days of prayer and fasting at our church. (I heard one of our young pastors remind us that fasting without prayer is called a diet.) Fasting physically is a prominent Biblical principle. Jesus prayed and fasted before he was tempted. When his disciples could not heal a boy possessed by an evil spirit, Jesus told them, “This kind can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29) Because I take medication twice a day that must be taken with food, I skipped lunch each day, fasting for ten to twelve hours a day between breakfast and dinner. I found even that limited fast increased the intensity and focus of my prayers. Prayers are still being answered throughout our congregation as a result of the fast.

Physical fasting benefits our body and also benefits our prayer and spiritual life more than I had realized. There is, however, another kind of fasting many of us do that has a detrimental effect on every aspect of our life and we may not even realize we are doing it. It is a form of spiritual fasting. We feast spiritually each Sunday on God’s word, worship, prayer and fellowship; then fast spiritually as we go back into a wilderness without God; a world that provides fewer and fewer spiritual oases and more distractions to keep us from hungering and thirsting after righteousness. By the time Sunday rolls around again we are famished and eager for another spiritual feast.

That cycle of feast and famine is not what God wants for us and it certainly is not what we need. How can we produce the fruit of the spirit when we are spiritually malnourished most of the time? The sad truth is, we can’t! So what can we do? It isn’t practical or even possible to attend church every day. That is why God has provided us with a kind of spiritual feeding tube to keep us spiritually nourished all week long – every week. Jesus describes it this way, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4) Jesus is our constant source of spiritual nutrition as long as we stay connected to Him through His Holy Spirit within us, prayer and God’s word.

Even when we are connected to the Vine for a constant supply of spiritual food, we still hunger and thirst for more. Sunday worship or meeting with a life group during the week will no longer be a desperate effort to gorge on life-giving spiritual nutrients to get us through the rest of the week. it will be more like a delicious dessert at the end of a satisfying meal. It will be the icing on our cake and the cherry on top of our sundae. As the old hymn about spiritual nutrician, based on Psalms 1:3 describes, “Like a tree that’s planted by the water, we shall not be moved!” We will remain strong and fruitful. God is good – all the time; not just on Sunday or when we are with other Christians.