Month: April 2021

The story of God rescuing His chosen people out of their heavy bondage under the Egyptians is one of the most familiar and dramatic stories in the Old Testament. The Hollywood version, The Ten Commandments, was released when I was 13 and had only been a Christian for two years. Seeing it on the big screen in color was a thrill for a young believer and it encouraged me to read that account in Exodus. Although they took some “artistic license” for the most part that movie followed the Biblical account. I wouldn’t begin to try to review the whole story here. You can read that for yourself.

How does that story relate to God setting us free from the bondage and penalty of sin? There are some differences, of course, between God’s covenant with His chosen people then under law with animal sacrifices and His covenant with us today under mercy and grace with the sacrifice of Jesus, but I think there are some lessons for us as well. They were rescued from bondage under Egypt as a nation; we are rescued from bondage under sin one at a time. They had been enslaved for 400 years so there was no one to tell them what it feels like to be free; we have the testimony of everyone who has been set free from sin over the last twenty centuries.  God still hears and answers our plea for relief just as He did theirs. We too have a “wilderness experience” after being set free. They failed that test and as a result that entire generation did not enter the Promised Land. I think we can learn from their failure. They kept holding tightly to selective memories of the food and shelter they had in Egypt while forgetting the brutally hard labor they endured for those privileges when they should have been looking forward to the new life God prepared for them. We have the Holy Spirit to give us strength and the ability to let go of the old life and grasp firmly to our new one. But, sadly, there are still some people today who fail that test. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not writing about fond memories of loved ones or positive experiences in our past. Those are wholesome and I cherish them. I’m writing about that comfortable old habit we want to hold on to that no longer belongs in our new life.

There is a drawing that always brings tears to my eyes when I see it. There is a little girl grasping a tiny teddy bear in her hands. Jesus is reaching out to take the tiny bear with one hand while holding a much larger one behind his back with his other hand. The girl is saying. “I don’t know, Jesus. I really love this bear.” I think that is the way we look when we receive a new life from God through Jesus Christ and then try to hold tightly to a comfortable piece of our old life instead of letting go and opening our hand to receive the full blessings of our new life. Let go of the old and you will be amazed at what God places in your open hand.

Have you ever spent prayer time trying to sell God on your plans and goals; trying to get Him on board to support them? You may have even tried to negotiate with God; “If you do this for me, Lord, then I will…” I admit my guilt and I think most of us have done that at some time in our Christian life. It probably comes about because we think of God as our heavenly Father and then remember our attempts to manipulate our parents when we were children. God is a loving Father, but unlike an earthly parent, He is also all knowing, all powerful and always in complete control. His will power is far superior to our sales pitch or ability to persuade; not to mention the fact that His plans and goals for us are much better than anything we come up with on our own.

The right attitude for Christians to have when approaching our heavenly Father in prayer is humble obedience. “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” (1 Peter 5:6) During the Civil War, a reporter asked President Lincoln, “What makes you so sure God is on your side?” Abe Lincoln humbly responded, “My concern is not if God is on my side; my primary concern is that I am on God’s side, because His side is always right.” We can’t know God’s side unless we ask Him in prayer, search His written word and then get on board and support His plan and goal for us. We have the Holy Spirit within us. However, as I heard a preacher say recently; “The Holy Spirit is our guide and not our ride. He is not our spiritual Uber driver taking us wherever we want to go.” He is our guide through the mine field of life to where God wants us to be.

On a side note; the two verses following the one I quoted above are very interesting. After humbling ourselves Peter tells us to, “Give all your worries and cares to God, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) It is a very familiar verse of scripture that is often quoted on its own. But then Peter tells us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Is it just me or does it seem like Peter is telling us to give all of our worries to God and then he gives us something to worry about? It reminds me of when I was a young boy and my mother would say, “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” It is a proven fact and my own experience that most of the things we worry about never happen. I think what Peter is telling first century believers (and us), is to turn those uncertain worries over to God so we aren’t distracted from the real and present danger our enemy presents for us.   

Ben Franklin was famous for his short, but deep observations. I came across one of them a few days ago that I thought worth sharing with you. “Well done is better than well said.” About ninety years later, Abe Lincoln used a phase in a speech that is perhaps more familiar to us today, “Actions speak louder than words.” Both of those quotes should lead us to pay more attention to what someone does than to what they say and make us aware that our actions are very important.

How does that apply to us as Christians? Our salvation does not come from our actions. It comes from God’s actions in the form of Jesus. He bore our sins on the cross to show us how much God loves us. He then presents His sacrifice to us as a gift of love. The only actions we need to take are to accept that gift, repent and follow Jesus. John 3:16 makes that very clear. “For this is how much God loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God doesn’t just tell me He loves me; He proves it to me beyond any doubt by His actions every day.

It is after we become a follower of Christ and a child of God that our actions matter more than our words. “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14) “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (1 John 3:18) It is through our actions that we demonstrate to the world around us the change that takes place when we are born of the Spirit and a follower of Christ. There are people we don’t even know who are watching us to see if our faith and our love are real, by the way we live.

When I first read the quote from Ben Franklin, this scripture came to mind. “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”’ (Matthew 25:23) I long to hear those words; “Well done!” from my Lord when my tour of duty on Earth is completed, don’t you?    

The only place in scripture that I can find the phrase, “Well said” is when the teachers of the Law complimented Jesus. I cherish every red word in my Bible, but when I look up at the moon and stars in the night sky and contemplate all of the creation He spoke into existence, I lift my eyes to the sky and proclaim, “Well said, Lord!”  

I have found an exception to actions over words. If your physical and financial limitations leave you with only words to offer, like me; then God will transform your words into acts of love and kindness. My words have become my actions; long phone conversations with friends to cheer and encourage them; prayers for the needs of others; even reaching out to the readers of my blog with love and encouragement. I am doing all that I’m able to do and, like the widow described in Luke 21:1-3 who gave what little she had, that is all that God requires of us. I know He will continue to provide me with ways to serve Him by serving others and will continue to bless my efforts in countless ways.   

Early yesterday morning, four men and a young boy met at a restaurant for Christian fellowship. As usual – always keeping His promise – our Lord’s presence was strongly felt at our table. “Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

The presence of the young boy is never a distraction, but always a blessing. As Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” (Matthew 19:14) He is a great reminder to us of the child-like (not childish) innocence and awe we need to hold onto as God’s children. The love between father and son is also inspiring; especially as we approach our Heavenly Father together in prayer to bless our food and our fellowship.

I am especially grateful for my two Christian brothers who make it possible for me to attend. Their care and patience getting me from my door to the car, from the car to the restaurant table, back to the car, and then back into my home again is wonderful! It is always a slow and often painful process, but this time I had what I call Rice Krispy knees (Snap, Crackle and Pop), which made walking even more of a challenge. The love and assistance of those two wonderful friends and brothers in Christ got me safely home as always and it was very much worth all of the effort and pain.

Why am I sharing all of this with you? It is because fellowship with other Christians is a very important part of the Christian life. It is a part that has been missing for many during the past year due to social distancing and isolation that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. Worship, prayer and Bible study are critical, of course, but there is nothing to compare to meeting in a small group for fellowship with Jesus and each other. The joy of sharing problems, prayer requests, praise reports, laughter at our latest misadventure or the latest humorous story we have heard and (last but certainly not least) breaking bread together is so inspiring, encouraging and important. I’m always exhausted when I get home from our breakfast meetings, but I am also full both physically and spiritually. I think it is a taste of what it must have been like as a member of one of first century churches we read about in the New Testament.       

I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life that it boggles my mind sometimes. I pray that each of you reading this have a growing number of Christian brothers and sisters around you to provide the fellowship and support you need as you live your best life for Christ.

Mark Twain wrote, “The most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” Pablo Picasso went a little farther, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Neither of those gentlemen is a noted theologian, but then neither am I. However, I do find their insight has application for our relationship with God and living a Christian life.

The revelations described in those two quotes are real, but sometimes they come to us in stages over time and not in a “Eureka!” moment or even a single day. From birth to age eleven, I was just learning to marvel at the world around me; love, respect and obey my parents; feel their love for me; and respect my teachers and elders. Then, I was introduced to Jesus in Vacation Bible School and I received my second, spiritual birth. (John 3) From that point on I began my search for the meaning and purpose of my life with the Holy Spirit within me leading the way.

By the age of 22, I had completed my four years of military service and was ready to settle into married life. My wife and I were active in our church. She taught a girls’ Sunday School and I began to speak at Wednesday evening prayer meetings. I loved studying the Bible as I wrote the messages and enjoyed just as much sharing them. Our elders gave me an exhorter’s license that allowed me to preach as a lay preacher in our denomination. I loved sharing the Gospel with others, but I always knew I wasn’t called to pastor a church and my wife wasn’t called to be a pastor’s wife. I was getting closer to my gift and purpose, but not there yet. My secular jobs took us from St. Louis to Iowa and finally to the Chicago suburbs. Each position allowed me to improve my communication skills but I still wasn’t sure how to use my gift. It wasn’t until I became a corporate trainer and had several articles published in a national trade magazine that I realized mentoring others was both my gift and my calling.  

My gift went into an incubation period after my retirement and my wife’s three year battle with cancer. When she died, I was lost and on my own for the first time in fifty years. Then, as I’ve written before, that young pastor looked at me one Sunday and said, “God isn’t done with you yet!” My passion to “give my gift away” was renewed. God provided me with this blog to allow me to finally use my gift to share my Christian experience with others; again with the Holy Spirit leading the way. I am so grateful for the popularity of this blog that has allowed me to touch and encourage Christians from around the world. It has always been His message, not mine. I’m just glad He has taken me along for the ride. I thoroughly enjoy sharing with you and I pray you are encouraged by it. I will continue until God tells me my tour of duty here is complete.

Whether you have a “wow” moment or it takes many years as it did for me; there is a gift and purpose for your life. One warning; never compare your gift or purpose to someone else’s! We are each unique so any comparison is meaningless. Every gift God gives each of us is valuable and important to Him and every purpose is noble! The miracle is this: no matter how many people you share your gift with; you will never run out, but you will be blessed beyond measure.    

I saw a disturbing picture posted on Face Book recently. The background was a painting of Jesus on the cross and the crowd gathered around. In the foreground was a photo of the back of a young man with a crew cut, pale skin and an American flag on the back of his t-shirt with a thin blue line on it indicating his support for police. He was pointing at Jesus and shouting, “He shouldn’t have broken the law.” It was an obvious political statement about the George Floyd murder trial. I refuse to get into politics on this blog, but comparing the crucifixion with anyone else’s death made me cringe.

When I commented that it was a bad and objectionable analogy, he replied, “It’s a great analogy. Yeshua obey the Spiritual Laws, but not the societal laws. These societal laws created in a unholy alliance of the Pharisees (Religious Right) and Sadducees (Liberal Left) enforced by the temple police. Sentence to death by Roman Pilot (Civil Law) due to political pressure and not wanting to lose support therefore power in Jerusalem.” That response confirmed my first impression about his post and reminded me of the people from my youth who blamed Jews for killing Jesus, while ignoring the fact that He is one.  

I prayed and then responded, “You and I disagree completely about this my friend. Jesus (Yeshua) was not ‘killed’. He gave His life freely. If you want to assign blame for His death on the cross to a person or group of people; first look in the mirror, then look at me and then at every person you know. He could have called ten thousand angels to set him free or just walked right through the angry crowd as He did several times earlier. It wasn’t Roman spikes that nailed Him to the cross, or even the envy and hatred of religious leaders; it was our sins and His infinite, unfailing love for us that caused Him to take on our sins and our punishment on that cross.”

Why am I sharing this with you? It is because we must never be tempted to humanize Jesus to the point that His deity becomes a footnote. To compare Him to any other man is misleading and futile. Calling Him by the Hebrew name (Yeshua) that His mother (Miriam) used to call him to supper doesn’t make Him less God and more man. (I’ve written about that before.)  He is 100% God and 100% human. As C.S. Lewis so aptly put it, “The Son of God became a man so that men could become the sons of God.”

If you need to be reminded of Jesus’ deity, read the first chapter of the Gospel of John; then read the accounts of His resurrection in the four gospels. If you still need more proof, read the red letters in the book of Revelation and the description of His triumphant return to Earth in the near future. Anytime you want to blame someone for Jesus’ crucifixion; look in the mirror. He died for you, me and everyone who accepts His sacrifice for their sins and follows Him.     

Have you ever known someone who was so negative they seemed to suck the oxygen right out of a room when they entered it? I have encountered a couple of people like that; always looking for something to criticize or complain about. They seem to take pride in taking the wind out of someone’s sails or raining on their parade. They claim that they are just being brutally honest, but there is nothing constructive about their criticism. I think they are miserable and want to share their misery with everyone around them. It is easy to see and identify problems. They are all around us, and sometimes even within us. The real question is, what do we do about them?

In one of His most familiar teachings Jesus tells us, “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 getridoftheloginyourowneye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” There is a very important underlying principle in the example Jesus gives us that we need to consider. It isn’t just that our own problem can get in the way of helping another person solve theirs. When we have solved a similar problem in our own life we are much better equipped to help someone else. The best advice I have every received in my life came from a person who had overcome a similar problem or climbed that same mountain.

Sometimes our first reaction when we see a problem is to find fault. I have written before about the “blame game” when we blame someone else for our problem. Some people seem prone to assign blame on others, but there are some who are actually much harder on themselves. I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life I have looked for someone else to blame and other times I have been very hard on myself. The fact is that assigning blame to anyone for a problem does not help solve it. Henry Ford once said, “Don’t find fault; find a remedy.” That is easier said than done. Solving a problem often requires long thought and hard work. It is so much easier to identify a problem or even assign blame for it.

As Christians, we need to face every problem head on and solve it with God’s help. When it seems to have no solution; that is when we completely put it in God’s hands without worrying about fault or guilt. There is no better solution than that decision to give it to God. Once we have dealt with all of our problems, we can reach out with love to help others overcome theirs. Victories, testimonies and blessings are all meant to be shared with others; but we can’t share something we don’t possess.      

Today is Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day) 2021. Even though four live church services are occurring at Christian Life Center today, I’m still only able to watch online because of physical limitations. I’m not complaining. I am blessed and have been all of my life. I have so many fond memories of attending Easter sunrise services as a young Christian and then in 1964, reliving that first Easter morning as I knelt in prayer at the entrance of that empty Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. I had the privilege to share fifty Easter services and nearly that many Easter brunches with my beautiful wife, each of them filled with joy and love. This is the fifth Easter I have been able to share my thoughts and feelings on this blog. Yes, this holiday holds some precious memories and great significance for me.

Sometimes Christians have fantasies of how wonderful it would have been to have known Jesus when he was here on Earth. How great it would be to walk with Him and eat with Him every day; listening to all of His teachings first hand. But even the twelve men who were closest to Him during His time on Earth did not fully understand what He was telling them until that morning He walked out of the tomb. So many times He had told them He must die and be raised from the grave, but it didn’t sink in until they saw Him die on the cross and come alive again three days later. It wasn’t until then that all of the pieces fell into place for them. The risen Savior told Thomas, “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29) So it is we who are blessed because we walk in faith. Instead of fantasizing about the past, let us look forward with great anticipation and excitement to our future; spending eternity in His presence. Here’s one of my favorite Easter songs. “God sent His son, they called Him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living, just because He lives. And then one day, I’ll cross the river. I’ll fight life’s final war with pain. And then, as death gives way to victory I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living, just because He lives.” I wish each of you reading this a blessed Easter