Grandpa Richard

Hey, all! As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, my Grandpa Richard passed away this past weekend, March 18th. As I sat in the funeral home Tuesday morning listening to the various stories that were told, it got me thinking about the precious memories that I have of Grandpa. And today, my Aunt forwarded me what my cousin Rachel in New Mexico wrote about our Grandpa. It got me thinking again.

Grandpa was as long as I can remember a hard working guy. He worked for Ford as the resident electrical engineer, I believe. He was extremely innovative, and holds several patents for Ford. I just found out about that this week. But that innovation went beyond the workplace. A trip in the backyard displayed his accomplishments. One of my favorites is the compost pile. I know that lots of people have compost piles, but Grandpa's was unique. He made a chicken coop like thing, fenced around with chicken wire. Attached to the side of the compost pile was sprinkler, and he would turn the water on and soak down the leaves and grass clippings to hasten the decay. Then there was the homemade wood mill. He rigged up this mill and used a chainsaw as the cutting tool. It worked great, as he could cut his lumber from logs.

Grandpa loved working with wood. He was a master carpenter if I ever saw one. From the beautiful trim in their house, to the bookshelves and little colorful oval-shaped boxes made from very thin wood, Grandpa was amazing. I remember when he and my dad built the shed in dad's backyard. Grandpa had such a love for woodwork. I always loved going over to Grandpa and Grandma's house, and going down to the workshop with him. I think I worked on a few pine-wood derby cars down there.

After I graduated from High School, I spent the summer at Grandpa's house. When I wasn't working, I could be found in the backyard with Grandpa cutting up a huge downed tree with the 6-foot Stihl chainsaw, or even just tossing horseshoes in the horseshoe pit.

One of the things that Grandpa did was push for civil rights in the 60's. He pushed for open housing, and helped to see it voted into law. On a side note, that only reminds me that the Hollywood of perceptions of conservatives as heartless meanies is completely false. Grandpa was the example that being conservative meant that you believed that we all have been created equally, no one is better than anyone else, no matter what color the skin was. That is a great testimony to his life. I learned some other important life lessons from Grandpa, like the value of hard work, honesty and integrity. I saw displayed for years the importance of loving your family. I remember the last phone conversation I had with him. He was home from the nursing home he had been staying in, and he asked me how my family was doing. Then he asked how work was going. He said, "You've worked for that company for a long time. You've always been a good, hard worker". A couple weeks later, he was back in the hospital, and had been sleeping most of the time. I went to see him one Sunday, and when I got there, he lay on the bed, a machine helping him breathe. I took a walk down to the cafeteria with Grandma for a cup of Starbucks. By the time we got back up to his room, he was sitting up in bed and eating. I had a chance to talk with him, and I'm glad I did. He asked me the usual stuff, like, "how's that nice house you bought?" and "how is your family doing".

The Tuesday before he died, I went up to the hospital to visit with him. My uncle Mike and his girlfriend Laura were up there, and Uncle Mike was playing his guitar. He handed it to me, and I began to play some Gospel music, and sing some modern praise and worship songs. Though Grandpa couldn't respond, I know he could hear. I'm so glad I had that time.

I know that this blog is used to preach the Gospel, and encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as those reading that may not yet know Jesus Christ. But today, I wanted to take the time to share with everyone a little bit of Grandpa Richard. I miss you, Grandpa

Don't Hog the Blessing!

I know it’s been a few days since my last entry. A lot has happened in these past few days. Saturday afternoon, my wife and I headed up to the hospital to see my Grandfather, literally on his deathbed. My dad called me from the room there, and suggested that if we were to see him before he passes, we needed to get there pretty soon. That afternoon, we got the hospital, went up to his room, and saw my Grandmother, my dad and my uncle and aunt, and great aunt, Grandpa’s sister, gathered around his bed. I couldn’t see him, but dad heard us and turned to tell us that he had just passed away minutes before we got there. My brother and our cousins must have gotten the message that he was going, because they showed up within minutes of us getting there. We said goodbye to Grandpa yesterday morning.

Having lived this experience, I have been thinking about our need to be outlets of God’s grace. We don’t know when we or our loved ones will have our number called. We must take the time to share the Lord Jesus Christ with those around us, and what he has done for us and them. I read another blog this morning by Pastor Brad Leach , of Church of the King, in Berkley, Michigan. He spoke of our need “exhale spiritually”. What he means is that we are constantly taking in spiritual things. We have lots of Bibles, Christian bookstores, online sermons, church services, etc. We are always receiving from God, but what are we doing to give? He makes the point that when we inhale naturally, an exhale must follow. How true is that in the spirit?

How does this connect with my experience with Grandpa’s passing? It reminded me of the need to share my faith with those around me. I am a professional sermon listener. I love to hear good preaching, but at the same time, I need to share what God has given to me with those I come in contact with. I love reading the Bible, but I have to allow the Bible to change not only me, but those around me, via my life and my testimony.

I’ve heard it said that everything in God’s creation is designed to give. The sun gives off light and heat. The rivers and lakes give us water. Plant life gives off oxygen for us to breathe. It’s no different with us who have been saved, re-created in the Lord’s image. Jesus took the time to get alone with his Father and pray, but he came out full and ready to give.

So, I’d like to thank Pastor Brad for giving me something to stretch me out. Now I encourage you to go out and rub off Christ on some today! God bless.

It's Dinner Time! (Part 2)

As Christians, we tend to have our own language, like any other group of people or sub-culture. Ours is called by some “Christianese”. It’s our lingo, words that can be seen as mere clichés by those outside the faith. And it can be puzzling for not only unbelievers, but even for new believers just trying to understand the faith they have now come to have. Yesterday’s blog has the potential of sounding too much like a cliché, as well, so I thought it best to take today’s entry and expound on how we should go about studying the Bible. While I believe I conveyed our need for the Word of God, I really didn’t get into the nuts and bolts of actually studying the Bible. Today, I will attempt to do so.

First of all, why do we do Christian’s call the Bible the “Word of God”? Because the Bible itself tells us that the Holy Scriptures were inspired, or “God-breathed” by God. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). When Jesus referred to the Old Testament, he called it the Word of God (see Mark 7:5-13). The teachings of Jesus were called the Word of God (see Luke 5 and 8). The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:21 about the scriptures as being inspired by God when he said, “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God”. Finally, in the third chapter of the same book, Peter spoke of Paul’s writings, and put them on the same level as the scriptures that were known to be inspired, like the Old Testament.

So, how do we go about studying this most precious book? Not like your history or social studies textbooks, that’s for sure. Remember, the Bible is inspired by God. Our first step in the study of the Bible should be to ask the one spoke the words through the people he chose to help us understand what he was saying. When my Grandfather was younger, he made a makeshift wood mill. If I were to learn to use it, it would be best to go to him and ask him how to use it properly, as he created it. Who would know better than the one who made it? So it’s the same with the Bible. Go to the One who inspired it. We are also promised by Jesus that the Holy Spirit will teach us. So, right off the bat, a time of Bible study should begin with a time of prayer.

Next, I look for the context of what I am reading. Many people today can quote the Bible, and they’ll quote it to back up their theological viewpoints, but often quote it out of context. One famous verse that is taken out of context much of the time is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, the you be not judged…” This is a verse that needs to be interpreted in light of its original context, which in this case is further explained by the passage as a whole. Jesus didn’t mean that we should never judge, rather we must not pass judgment on someone else while turning a blind eye to our own sin.

Also, sometimes cross-referencing scripture with other portions of scripture that are related helps us to understand it more clearly. For instance, to understand Matthew 7, one could read Romans 2 to get a good picture of what Jesus was talking about, where Paul talks about those who judge others, while they themselves are doing the same things.

Finally, it is always good to get Bible study tools, and even a good study Bible in a translation you can understand. There are commentaries, such as the Matthew Henry commentary, and Bible encyclopedias and dictionaries, to help us to understand the various times that the Bible was written in, and to get into the Hebrew and Greek languages that the Bible was written in. Oftentimes, a word we read in English has a much deeper meaning than the form we read in our Bibles, such as the word, “believe” from John 3:16. In that case, the word doesn’t merely mean a mental assent to a historical fact, like, “I believe George Washington was the first president of the United States”. It means to commit ourselves to something or someone. It means to entrust ourselves and our souls to someone, in this case, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is more to it than what I have written, and to be sure, we can’t stick a formula on God. But I believe that these are essential to studying the Bible. God bless you as you set out to study the Word of God!

It's Dinner Time!

As I have mentioned before, I have been reading the through the Bible this year, attempting to read it in its entirety within 10 months. However, no matter how we have planned and tried to stick to schedule, life has a way of tossing us curveballs that can make us swing off course. My curveball was more than a week of the flu and a cold, and not only did it wipe me out, but I didn’t want to read anything. I forced myself to read some Bible here and there, but I have fallen far off course from my target. I am certainly working my way back on course, but I got to thinking about the Word of God today.

How many of us read the Bible like we read the newspaper, or a novel, or Newsweek magazine? In other words, do we just read the Bible casually, not really gleaning much from its wealth? I was listening to a message my one of my favorite preachers, Pastor Tim Dilena, and he was preaching on eating the Bible as opposed to reading it. I know the eating brings up an interesting picture when talking about the Bible, but let’s look into it.

When you are hungry, hardly anything will stop you from sitting down to a good meal. From time to time, my parents have us over for Sunday dinners, and my Step dad Don is the best chef (I know you’re reading this, Don!). He can grill up a steak that would make Emril jealous! And when it’s time to sit down and eat, I can hardly say grace fast enough (not to be irreverent, God knows my heart!). And when it’s time to eat, it’s not just some casual meal, but for me, it’s an event. I devour the steak! Our study of the Word of God should be as well. The timeless Word of Almighty God, inspired by His Spirit, written through human beings to convey His Truth down through the ages is at our fingertips! Let us dig in.

Think of the most important person you can think of. Perhaps it’s someone like Ronald Reagan, or Winston Churchill, or another wise person that is looked up to in society. Given the opportunity, most I think would want to sit down with such people and pick their brains, and glean from their wisdom. How much more the Creator of the universe? I’m reminded of a story out of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Jesus was preaching to a multitude of people, and he had said some things that were too hard for them to swallow. People then immediately started to turn away from him, and stopped following him. Jesus turned to the twelve disciples and asked them, “Will you go also?” Peter looked at him, and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (see John 6:60-69) The disciples found someone that they not only wanted to glean from, but who had picked them personally, so he could pour himself into them. He had the “words of eternal life”.

That is what the Bible is. It’s not just some dusty old book that’s outdated and of no value to modern society. Neither is it the moldy, old account of what God has done in the past, but it contains the very words of life. That is why it is paramount that we take the time to study the Bible, and to glean from it the Truth that God has provided for us all.

It’s not just the preachers, my friends. It’s for you, whether you are a pastor or a fireman or a garbage man. We need the Word of God. Just to whet your appetite for the Bible, I heard this neat little summary of the Bible, called “The Bible in 50 Words”. I am closing out this little article today with it. God bless!

God made, Adam bit, Noah
arked, Abraham split, Joseph
ruled, Jacob fooled, bush talked,
Moses balked, Pharaoh plagued,
people walked, sea divided,
tablets guided, promise landed,
Saul freaked, David peeked,
prophets warned, Jesus born,
God walked, love talked, anger
crucified, hope died, Love rose,
Spirit flamed, Word spread, God
remained.

How Great is our God!

My good friend Pastor Darrell Garrett over on his blog, The Dawg Howse, mentioned today in his entry the worship song, “How Great is Our God”, by Chris Tomlin. It got me thinking about just how great of a God we really have. And as we read God’s Word in Isaiah 40, we get a good picture of just how immense and above us God really is. I heard a message recently by Pastor Tim Dilena of Revival Tabernacle in Highland Park, MI, where he spoke on the greatness of God from this chapter. You can hear his sermons at www.revivaltab.org. Check out some of these verses from Isaiah 40.

vs.12-“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?”

vs.15-“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.”

It’s been said that the hollow of the hand is the little center part when the hand is cupped. God holds all of the earth’s water in the hollow of His hand! For us people, it’s hardly enough to wet our whistle, let alone quench our thirst. Think of the dust that gathers on your furniture. Could you possibly even begin to get an accurate count of each microscopic grain of dust? I think not, but God can. He measured out the dust of all the earth. He is some awesome, he knows every speck of dust, every grain of sand! And he should, he created it.

Think of the immense mountains, their sheer size. I remember when I was much younger, I was flying out west on vacation. Even at cruising altitude, the Rocky Mountains were huge! They seemed so big, even from several miles up. I remember the beauty and majesty of the Smoky Mountains several years back, as I was driving a group of teenagers back from a retreat in Knoxville, TN. When I was 17, I remember being in Washington State with my dad. We were blessed with great weather that week, and we hiked at the base of Mt. Rainer. What an amazing site! Yet, the sheer size of these great mountains to us is hardly anything to God. He can take these huge mountains of the earth and measure them out together.

He goes on to say that the nations of the earth are as a drop from a bucket. Just a little tiny drop. And like dust on a scale. I heard the illustration once of buying meat or cheese from a deli, and telling the person behind the counter that they need to wipe off the scale before weighing the meat, so as to not rip off the customer. Like that makes a difference? Yet, the nations are like that. God is so great! He is so far above us. When we hear this, and read it in the Bible, how can we not give him praise? But it gets even better.

The God who is so far above us is the same God who desires to be personally involved in our lives! I like what Psalm 147:3-4 says:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”

Look closely at this verse. What it is doing is describing the hugeness of God, in that he not only created the stars, he knows the exact number of them. When you think that the total number of stars in the universe is incalculable, it’s utterly amazing. And not just that, but God named each one as well! I at times can’t get my kids names straight! How great is our God! Yet, this huge God that simply spoke this universe and everything in it into existence cares about us. The God that is flung the stars into place is the same God that wants to heal the hurts in our lives! He cares about your pain. He is concerned with your welfare. He knows of your struggles and cares. He wants to be involved in your life personally. Perhaps that boggles our mind more so than declaring his greatness in creation.

So how do we respond to such knowledge? I, for one want to fall on my face and worship him with everything that is in me. Knowing how much God wants to be in my life makes me want to go deep in my relationship with him. So deep that even when the winds of adversity blow, I’m not blown with them, but moved by the depths of God. Knowing the God Almighty wants to have a real relationship with me makes me want to know him so much more. How many of us, if we had a chance to develop a relationship with someone we considered immensely important, would pass up the opportunity? For me, as a preacher, I would be foolish if I had the chance to get to know Billy Graham personally, to sit down and talk with him, and to glean from his wisdom, and passed it up. How much more the One who made everything? Get to know God!

We can read passages like Isaiah 40 and rejoice in the Majesty and awesomeness of God, but let us also remember something Jesus said: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (see John 14:9). The Bible tells us that Jesus is the “exact representation of his (God’s) nature”. If we want to understand just how much God cares for us, and loves, we only need look to Jesus Christ.

I pray that this study today has been a blessing, and sparked a desire to know God more than ever before. And thanks to Pastor Darrell for poking me today with worship! It was your blog that got me going.

God bless!

I've Got that Run-Over Feeling

Hi to all who read my blog! I am back at work after nearly a week at home with a sick child, and being sick myself. I pretty much over a bout with a nasty flu bug, but I hope I'm back to normal tomorrow. Thus, that is the reason I haven't written since last Wednesday, as that was the last time I was in the office.

I have to be honest here, friends. Right now I feel like the well has dried up. I am physically tired, as I spent my time being sick running around like a beheaded chicken taking care of the kids, and trying to keep the house clean, and clothes washed. My car even broke down Wednesday night. Starter pooped out, we put a new one in, replaced a transmission line, and put a new brake light switch in. Plus 2 great Sunday services, it's no wonder I'm so worn out.

Perhaps this is how David felt when he cried out to the Lord in Psalm 61:2.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Certainly the circumstances are different. David was often running for his very life. I can understand his sense of being totally overwhelmed, though. Life has a way of not only loading burdens upon us, but wearing us down with those burdens.

I suppose the best remedy is to once again sneak off to that secret place that David often spoke of, that place of quiet communion and worship of the Lord. Whatever temptations we endure, whether to commit gross sin such as adultery or viewing pornography, or simply to allow our circumstances to harden our hearts to the Holy Spirit, can be graciously placed at our Savoir's feet, at the throne of Grace (Heb.4:15-16). He is a faithful High Priest who knows what we have to endure, and he has the grace we need to get through it.

So keep praying for me, saints. I am now about to sneak out on my break to do just what I wrote about, that is, like Mary of Luke 10:38-42, enjoying some time at Jesus' feet. God bless!

Whatever Doesn't Kill You...

As I mentioned a few days back, I am attempting to read the entire Bible in less than a year. So far, things are going very well. Today, I started on the book of Exodus, which chronicles the call and ministry of Moses, and God using him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. As I was reading the first chapter of the book this morning, I came across a passage that the Holy Spirit seemed to illuminate for me. Here it is:

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.”Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land." So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. Exodus 1:8-12

Israel had enjoyed life so far in Egypt, that is, until a new king was established, and after Joseph was dead. The new king didn’t know Joseph, and was quite fearful of the Hebrew people. They had entered the land just seventy strong, yet now they were growing by leaps and bounds. Pharaoh, king of Egypt was afraid that these people would turn on them. So, to put them in their place, he thought it would be best to enslave them. Eventually, he even called for the deaths of all Hebrew baby boys, as a way to curtail their growing population.

When God’s hand is on someone, or a group of people, great things happen. When Pharaoh thought that the hard labor was his answer, God continued to bless his people. The more he afflicted them, the more the multiplied and grew. This has been God’s method throughout time, hasn’t it? Centuries of enslavement and hard life did nothing to stop these people from growing, and when it was all said and done, and they were led out of the country by Moses, the Bible says that they left with great abundance.

Let’s fast forward now to the city of Thessalonica, in the first century AD. These first years for the infant Christian Church were turbulent. Many believers paid the ultimate price for there faith, and in fact, many today still do. That is, with their lives. (In fact, in countries where Christians face hard persecution and death, the Christian church is rapidly growing!) These good folks in the city of Thessalonica were no exception. They had been dealing with heavy persecution for their faith. It seems logical to human reasoning that such pain and trouble would cause people to question their faith, and turn from it. Kind of like the guy who says to his doctor, “It hurts when I do this.” The doctor, in all his medical knowledge and wisdom, says, “Then don’t do that!” But God’s logic and man’s logic are two different things. You see, God uses our storms and trials to make us grow in him! Let’s read what the Apostle Paul wrote to these precious saints of God:

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.” 2 Thess. 1:3-4

While we would think that such affliction would drive us from the pain, these people ran to it! They were growing in spite of the trials. As Romans 5 tells us, tribulation brings about proven character, which in turn brings about hope in our hearts. Hope isn’t some wistful wish, but an earnest expectation that God will take care of us. Simply put, God uses the times of suffering in our lives to make us stronger in him. I know that it’s not a popular teaching today, but it is the truth of the Word of God.

I’ve been reading a book lately entitled, Don’t Waste Your Life by Pastor John Piper. So far, the crux of the message is that a life not lived boasting in Christ crucified is a wasted life. After all, it was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross that purchased us, and cleansed us. He knew that suffering was the way he would bring about our salvation. But he also told us that we must take up our cross as well, and follow him. So whether suffering means a little discomfort, or laying down your life, or anything in between, be encouraged that you will come out stronger and better.

Live your life in such a way as to allow God to get all of the glory, in the good and the bad. I guarantee on the Word of God, that in so doing, God will pour into you a full joy that rejoices in Christ even in the face of pain. You too, like the Israelites and the Thessalonians, will grow and abound in faith! God bless!

Living Sacrifice, Lives of Worship

Last night was our midweek service. Our youth pastor was out of town, and his mother, our pastor’s wife, preached the youth service. She spoke on praise and worship, and what the difference really is between them. What followed was a powerful time of worship for the teens, and us adults, that were there. But now, I’ve been thinking about worship this morning.

What do we often think of when we think of worship? I don’t think I’m too far off when I say the majority of people tend to think of worship in terms of the church service. They think of the fast praise songs that get people moving, and the slower, more worshipful songs that follow. Maybe they think of worship as the time spent around the altar after the pastor preaches his sermon. A lot of people really tend to think in this way when it comes to worship.

I’d like to help change our thinking. You see, worship isn’t just what we do on Sunday and Wednesday. Worship isn’t simply an act. It’s a way of life. Our English word “worship”, comes from an old English word, “worth-ship”. It means to express to God how valuable he is to us, how much he means to us. Simply stated, to worship God is to express to him his worth in our life. I don’t know about you, but a song and an upraised hand can’t touch how much the Lord means to me. I use that time to express my love to him, and honor him, but worship goes far beyond music and physical gestures.

One of the great scriptures in the Bible about worship, in my opinion, is Romans 12:1.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship.”

This tells us that worship isn’t something we just come together and do; it’s a choice we make, really, on a daily basis. We are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord. That is, we must first of all realize that we are not our own. The Bible says that we were bought with a price, the blood of the Lord Jesus. We are his. Therefore, if we belong to him, then he has us everyday, not just for Sunday visits. We need to worship the Lord in our actions and our attitudes.

Yesterday, I spoke of Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah. We always look at the story as one of Abraham’s faith, and it is. But let’s consider Isaac. While the Bible calls him a “lad”, a more proper translation is “young man”. Some scholars think Isaac was as old as 30! In any view, he was certainly strong and quick enough to wrestle away from his elderly dad. Yet, we don’t see Isaac running once it becomes apparent to him that he was the sacrifice. We see a picture of a young man who knew that this was God’s will, and he laid his life down voluntarily. Really, it’s a beautiful typology of the Lord Jesus, how he laid his own life down for us. In fact, history says that the hilltop Abraham and Isaac were on is in fact the very hill that Christ was crucified upon!

The point in my telling this story is that Isaac willingly laid his life down as the sacrifice that day. Friends, we are called to be a sacrifice too. We belong to Christ. Knowing this, worship takes on a whole new meaning. It becomes less about a church service, and more about honoring and expressing our love to God, and declaring his value to us. That’s why it’s so important to live lives of integrity and honesty. That’s why it’s important to do what’s right. That’s why we must truly love and honor those around us, because as we do, we are truly worshipping God. In fact, the Bible goes so far as to say that if we don’t love those people around us, we don’t truly love God! “How can you love God, who you can’t see, when you can’t love you brother, who you can see?” (1 John 4:20) When we prayerfully read our Bibles, seeking to know God more intimately, we are worshipping. When we stay in an attitude of prayer in our hearts, we are worshipping. Let us worship him with our very existence!

Friends, I pray that you are encouraged and prodded to live lives of worship. Let everything you do be an expression of your love of God, and of his worth to you. May God bless, my friends!

Lay It on the Altar

*Today, I am going to follow with the same thought as yesterday, that is the provision of God.

We love getting blessings, don’t we? How many of you have ever had a time where God came through and met a need in your life in some amazing, and even miraculous way? I’ve had my share, too. One in particular, several years ago happened at a time when we were totally broke, with no money for groceries. We were really low on food in the fridge and cupboards, and my sensed the Holy Spirit tell her to write out a grocery list. So she did, listing everything we needed, and even some things we wanted. When she was done, she prayed over the list, and asked God to do whatever it was he wanted to do. She went back about her business that day.

I came home from work that afternoon, and grabbed the mail from the mailbox. I walked in, and my wife was relaxing on the couch. She saw in the mail that I hadn’t even looked at yet a small card, like a thank-you card, and she said, “Ooo, a card came!” She happily opened it to see who sent it, but she didn’t notice the green paper that fell from the card. I did, and I quickly grabbed it, and found that it was a folded $100 bill! That was when she told me about the grocery list, and we rejoiced because God had provided for our need. Immediately, I took that list she had made and went to the store. We got everything on the list!

I have many other stories that I can share about our wonderful Savior who provides for our needs. After all, Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. God is a gracious God who knows what we have need of, and provides it! Often, I have verbally praised the Lord the way we often do when he has provided for us, with a shout of “Jehovah-Jireh”, which means, “The Lord will provide”.

Where do we first see this name of God in the Bible? It is in Genesis 22, when Abraham commanded by God to take his son Isaac to a certain mountain and offer him as a burnt sacrifice. I can’t imagine how hard this must have been for Abraham. This was the son of promise, miraculously born to him and his wife Sarah in their old age, and with Sarah having been barren her whole life, unable to have children. He loved his son, yet he loved God more, and did as he was commanded.

When they got to the place God showed them, they began the ascent to the top. Though the Bible refers to Isaac as a “lad”, most scholars believe that he was a young man, possibly 30 years old (Chuck Smith’s commentary). At any rate, he was easily quick and strong enough to overpower his elderly dad to escape certain death. But instead, we see Isaac as a willing participant. There is no reading of a struggle ensuing as if he sought to save himself. He laid his life down on that altar in complete obedience to his father, and to God. I’ll save that for a later devotion.

As they walked to the place of sacrifice, Isaac asked his father where the lamb to be sacrificed was at. Abraham responded prophetically, saying, “God shall provide himself a lamb…” (v. 8) With his son now tied up and laying on the altar, Abraham took the knife, and raised it to kill him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham just before the knife made contact. God commended him for his faith, and provided a ram that had been caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham untied Isaac, and got the ram, and sacrificing the ram that God had provided, called the place they were “Jehovah-Jireh”, or “the Lord will provide”. It’s interesting to note that the place this event happened was called Mount Moriah, which was the very place that Christ hung upon the cross. God did indeed provide himself a sacrifice there, in the person of Jesus Christ!

Nowadays, we often look to God to take care of our every need. We look to him as “Jehovah-Jireh”, but he didn’t become known as the God who provides until Abraham made the sacrifice. How often do we want God to provide for us, yet the area we want his providence in remains in our hands? We want God to give us a better job, or more money, but we refuse to take our hands off of it and let God do what he will. Our finances, our homes, our children, and our jobs all belong on the altar. We have to give these areas of life up to God, for him to do what he will with them. Perhaps there are friendships that need to go on the altar. Maybe relationships that we want God to move in, but we’re unwilling to totally remove our hands and let God do what he will. How can we expect God to bless areas we refuse to give completely to him?

I have to give my family to him, my marriage, and my work. How do I do that? I have to come to the understanding that I can’t help any of these areas without God’s help. I recently took a second job delivering pizzas to make some extra cash for my family. How do I make sure I’m keeping my hands off and doing things God’s way? I make sure that I pay my taxes on what I earn in tips, first of all. Most delivery drivers don’t do that. I’m certainly not above them, but I want to honor God, and I want to walk in his provision. I have to have integrity. I have to do what is expected of me from my boss. I can’t cut corners and expect God to bless it. Keeping my hands off means I’m not trying to make it work by myself, but I’m doing it God’s way. He will bless it.

I encourage everyone today to put those areas of need on the altar. Get your hands off it, and let God do what he wants to do with it. The Bible tells us that God desires to give us good things. But unless we’re willing to take our hands off, and give him complete control, I have to believe that God can’t bless whatever area we need his touch in. May God bless you as you put your situation up the altar.

The Place of Provision

This year I have embarked on a mission to read the entire Bible through in less than a year. I actually got started a little late, about ten days, but I am well on my way now. My plan is to read four chapters every day, which will cover every chapter in just less than ten months, reading two from the Old Testament, and two from the New Testament. I have fallen behind a time or two, but I manage to get caught back up.

In my reading however, I am learning a lot. Since I have been one to know financial hardship, as well as dealing with asthma problems with a couple of my kids that can be quite serious, I know a thing or two about the trials life often tosses our way. And, it’s been a while since I’ve written about trials, I decided that it's now time.

In Genesis 39, it seemed that things were finally starting to go pretty good for Joseph. Yea, he was a slave, but at least he was the head slave. He oversaw the entire house of his master Potiphar. Things weren’t to stay that way, however, because his master’s wife became, well, quite fond of Joseph. In fact, she on several occasions tried to seduce him. Yet, not wanting to sin against God, Joseph turned down her advances. Finally, one day, she grabbed a hold of him, and demanded he sleep with her. He did the only thing that he really could do, he ran. She had such a tight grip on his shirt that it came off in her hand when he split. She immediately screamed out, and accused him of attempting to rape her. Potiphar believed his wife, and had Joseph put in the King’s prison.

“And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.” Gen. 39:20

Things had gotten quite bad for this young man that had a promising future. First, his brothers didn’t like him. Then his dreams made them hate him. Next they tossed him in a pit, and sold him into slavery. Now, here he was sitting in a prison. He had done nothing wrong, yet he ended up in a cell block, where he would be for at least a few years. Yet, something in that verse above spoke to me, not just about Joseph’s situation, but mine and yours, as well. “…a place where the king’s prisoners were bound”.
Remember the rest of the story. Two of Pharaoh’s servants, his butler, or cupbearer, and his baker had gotten on his bad side. He tossed them both in the slammer. One night, they both had very peculiar dreams. When Joseph saw them the next morning, they seemed down and dejected, because they had no idea what the dreams meant. God gave Joseph the interpretations and they came to pass. The butler was restored to his job, and the baker was hanged. But I’m not going to talk about the servants dreams. God used the butler in that jail cell to eventually bring Joseph out of prison, and into a position of honor and power. When Joseph went to prison, God had put him in the place of provision!

We often get mad during our times of struggle and trial. I have had my share of angry outbursts, even being mad at God, because he had chosen to let me stay in such a hard spot. But let’s keep in mind that our “prison” so-to-speak, is also a place of provision. God uses the tough times in life to place us for the next spot he’s taking us to. Joseph had to be in that prison, because it was there that Pharaoh’s servants would be sent. That was how God chose to make Joseph known to Pharaoh. Not to mention what he must have learned, spiritually speaking, there in the Big House. He learned how to be forgiving; he learned how to be patient. He learned to exercise the skills that would be necessary once he was the Prime Minister of the whole country of Egypt.

Friends, don’t discount your “prison”. Let God use it to make you into the man or woman he called you to be. And take comfort in knowing that even in the prison, you are in the place of provision. God bless!

Start Digging!

* I was inspired to write this from the title of a sermon, of which I could only hear a minute of two of, “The Resurrection of the Hidden Talent”, by Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church in New York City.

"But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money…And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'” Matthew 25:18; 24-25

I have heard a good number of sermons based on this passage of scripture, or the similar passage in Luke’s Gospel, known as the “Parable of the Minas”. Every message focused on those who were faithful and fruitful in what was entrusted to them by their master. That’s a message that needs to be preached today. After all, there a good many Christians that are doing what God has called them to do, and in the face of adversity and trying times, could use the encouragement. But that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. I want to address that last type of servant in the passage, the fearful one who hid his master’s money.

It’s interesting that money was called a “talent” back then. I’ve actually heard that it is the source of our current word use of the word concerning the gifts that God has given us, like musical ability, or artistic ability. The important thing to realize, however, is that the money given to these servants in the story told by Jesus is that it was not theirs. They were basically given it to manage on their boss’ behalf. It’s the same with our talents and gifts today. I believe that we will be held accountable to God for how we used what he has entrusted to us, just as this parable tells us.

The first two servants are a great example of people who step out and use their talent to honor the Lord. They show us a picture of fruitfulness and faithfulness. When these servants set out to bring their master the biggest gain they could, they did it at some risk. Surely they were somewhat fearful. Who knows what the stock market was like back then? Did they find a good investment in Saul’s Tents Company? Did they make a killing in Zechariah’s Sheep Farm? Obviously, I’m using a little imagination here, but the point still stands that there was risk involved in what these men did. Yet, they trudged on and made their boss an even wealthier man.

Yet the third servant is a picture of the person who is so fearful to use the talent entrusted to him, that he buries it out of sight and pretends he never saw it. He too had to give an account for what he did. It is a most fearful pronunciation of judgment, too.

Though we may deal with fear, friends, we need to press on by the power of the Holy Spirit and put that talent to good use. Someone reading may be a gifted singer, called to sing with all their heart for the Heavenly Master. Don’t let fear keep you from doing the work you’ve been called to. Start digging, and use that talent! Maybe someone has a definite call to ministry in an area you feel totally inadequate in. Perhaps you feel that God has called you to preach, but you can’t stand before a class to give a book report. God didn’t make a mistake when he called you to that. It’s a talent that he entrusted to you. Start digging! Maybe you feel that you have a mission to start up a new church. That’s a noble call indeed, but an incredibly hard one. Some have said that God only uses someone with a magnetic, dynamic personality to do such a work, yet you’re as shy as they come. If God called you, then don’t be put off by naysayers! God still calls the weak to put to shame the strong, and he still calls the foolish to put to shame the wise. Step out and put that talent to work. Start digging!

I’m reminded of Timothy, the young protégé of the Apostle Paul. This was a man who seemed from what Paul told him to be somewhat shy and timid. Yet he was called by God to be a bold witness and mighty preacher of the Gospel. We read in 2 Tim. 1:5-7,

“For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that {it is} in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”

For whatever reason, this young man had a fear come over him, and he was intimidated. Yet, Paul, his spiritual father, reminded him that the Spirit within him was one of boldness, of power. It was a Spirit of love and discipline and self-control. In other words, Paul was telling him that even in the face of fear, the power of the Spirit of God inside him was there to help him rise above it. Paul, in a sense, was telling him to start digging! He needed to fan into flame that gift.

For a long time, I repressed a talent that God gave me. It is writing. I know I have a lot to learn, and with time and “putting it into practice”, I will get better. But I realized that it was a talent that I had long ago buried. So, at least in the articles I write and the blog I write, I have dug up that talent, and I am using it for Christ, my Heavenly Master!

Friends, it isn’t too late for you. You see, the Master hasn’t yet returned, though his coming is soon approaching. In fact, that is a running theme of Matthew 25- the sudden return of Christ, at an hour that we just don’t know. We must be ready. Makes sure you have enough oil in your lamp, and make sure you don’t keep your talent hidden in the dirt, but use it to God’s glory.

May God bless you today!

It's Valentine's Day!

OK, guys, I hope you rememebered to get the flowers and candy. If you miss today, you will be hurting!

You know, I'm not going to get to deep today. I will say that the Bible exhorts us to love our wives and Christ loves the Church, and today is a good a day to express that love as any. But let's also make it a habit to express to our spouses just how much we love them everyday. You know, if we would listen up to the Spirit of God everyday, we would get reminders of just how much Jesus loves us. From the warm sun on a cold day to the gentle nudging of his Spirit to spend close, intimate time with him, he tells us how much he loves us.

So, be like Christ, and express your love for your Spouse today. God bless!

Oh, a note to my wife: Sweetie, I love you more than you could even imagine! Happy Valentine's Day!

The Lord's Desire

Fellowship. What does that word mean to you? Some may think of a few friends getting together for Monday Night Football and pizza. Some might envision an Elks’ or Lions’ club meeting, or a bridge game. Some I’m sure think of family get-togethers, or even going to church. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “companionship”, and “the quality and state of being comradely”. Whatever you consider a time of fellowship to be, one thing is certain- Jesus was a person who loved good fellowship.

One day Jesus and his disciple’s came into Bethany, to the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Theses were good friends and supporters of Jesus. He had been out doing ministry, healing people, casting out demons, preaching, and dealing with those who sought to tear down his ministry. Perhaps Jesus needed a break from all the action. So he came into the house of his friends.

I can imagine everyone gathered around the Lord, laughing and joking, and having a good time (yes, Jesus knows how to have fun, friends!). And they were listening to him. They heard what he preached and taught, and they hung on every word. Well, everyone but Martha, that is. She wasn’t out in the family room with Jesus and the gang. No, she could be found in the kitchen, frantically rushing to prepare a good meal for Jesus. And she was getting more upset be the second. Finally, Martha had all she could take. Let’s read what happened:

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it-and I won't take it away from her." Luke 10:38-42

You see, what was really important that day wasn’t the food, or a clean house. What was important was taking the time to fellowship with Jesus. We can get so “Martha-minded” today, can’t we? We insist on doing work for Jesus, but he wants us to spend more time with him, sitting at his feet, so –to-speak, to learn from him, and just enjoy his presence.

That was in a time when the religious folks thought that by doing good works, and keeping the smallest detail of rabbinical law, they could please God. God does have work for us to do, mind you, but not at the expense of time spent with him. My kids could sit in their rooms all day and clean them for me, but not at the expense of coming down and sitting with me, playing games with me, just because they love me. I think that Jesus is the same. We can’t let our works for him replace our relationship with him.

It was this way from the very beginning. God created man, not because he was bored one day, but because he desired fellowship. God would walk with Adam in the Garden in the cool of the day, enjoying Adam’s fellowship. Friends, that hasn’t changed. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, and his blood he shed, we have been given access to his throne of grace. We can enter his presence. In fact, he is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, it’s my prayer that you are blessed by this simple message today. Take the time to get into the prayer closet, and spend some time with the Savior. I leave you with one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, one that speaks so clearly our need to have fellowship with our Savior. Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.”

God bless you this day!

Someone To Look Up To

I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoy sports. Especially football. As everyone knows, my hometown of Detroit has been making football waves lately, not because of our wonderful Lions (can you just sense the sarcasm?), but because the city hosted the Superbowl this past weekend. I stayed out of downtown, but I heard it was one nonstop blast. Everywhere you looked, you saw pro ball players, singers, and entertainers such as Jimmy Kimmell. The city was crawling with celebrities.

In these Hollywood times, we love celebrities, don't we? Some so much that they know more about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes than the Lord Jesus, or the Bible, or even our spouse. We can get so fired up about meeting Alan Iverson or Ben Wallace or Steve Yzerman, but what have these people done to affect our lives?

When I was a kid, we seemed to know the real heros. If the teacher would have asked my first grade class what we wanted to be when we grew up, the words "police officer", "firefighter", and "doctor" would get the majority of mention. Nowadays, its "Pro basketball player", or "a rapper", etc. Yet these people are often terrible role models, with police records and jail time. Who did I want to be like as a kid? That's easy, my dad. He has always been a loving father, working hard to take care of his kids. He taught me how to live. He demonstrated what an honest person was. He had integrity. Yea, he taught me how to throw a baseball, and how to swing a golf club. But more than that, he gave me an example of what it means to simply do the right thing.

We need heros today, not celebrities. Thank God when a pro athelete has a testimony of Jesus Christ. They realize that they aren't just a role model for up and coming kids hoping for a shot in the big leagues, but they model what integrity is, and teach people what it means to live "above the rim", and I'm not talking basketball.

That being said, let's look to our own Eternal Hero, the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you want to see a hero at work? Read the Gospels. A hero is someone who lays down their life for someone else. One of my favorite scripture passages is Philippians 2:5-8, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." That's my hero!

God bless you today!

Effective, Fervent People

Recently I have written about the life of Jacob, and his encounter with God that caused him to take a good hard look at himself, and admit what kind of character he had. He had to come to terms with who he was. We need to do that, as well. There are times that God calls on us to examine ourselves, to look at our own faults and sins, and to ask God to give us the grace to overcome. While it is important to do this between ourselves and God, we must not forget the importance of having someone near us to hold us accountable and to hold us up in prayer. Today, I want to speak about having the right people in our lives.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16

How many services have we been in where we are told the last part of that verse? We may be around the altar in a prayer meeting, and we are encouraged that our prayers can move heaven. That is true, God answers prayer. But we can’t ignore the context of the passage. We are told to confess our faults to each other, that we may be healed. The problem is how do we know who to confess our faults to? Who can we really trust?

Many would read this and shudder with the thought of airing out their dirty laundry with someone else. What if that person blabs my issues to everyone and they’re dog? That is where the context comes into play. So many people spend their time telling the wrong people about their struggles. They tell a friend, a co-worker, or a family member without so much as praying about who they are talking to. But the verse tells who we should speak with- someone who is righteous! Not the church gossip that acts as though they are a consultant to the Godhead, but one who realizes that their righteousness isn’t their own, but Christ’s. When we find folks who are truly walking in Christ’s righteousness, we find those who can be trusted. We find those who won’t take your problem or sin to others, they will take it to the cross!

What we need are true friends. The Bible says that a friend loves at all times (Pro. 17:17). A true friend that we can put our trust in will show us that love by keeping our issues in confidence. Otherwise, it isn’t a true friend, is it?

We need each other. The description of the Church as the Body of Christ is so accurate. Think if your arm suddenly became disabled. The rest of your body would come to its aid and compensate for what is lacking. It’s the same in the Body of Christ. We need to be there to help each other get through life’s tough points. We need help to shoulder our weaknesses at times. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

So be encouraged today, my friends. If you are struggling with a sin, find someone you can trust in to hold you up before the Lord, and hold you accountable. Because in finding that righteous man or woman to come to your side, you are finding the one to help you get the healing and deliverance you really need. God bless!

A Non-Value Meal

When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die; so of what {use} then is the birthright to me?" And Jacob said, "First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:29-34

Some years ago, after a Sunday morning service, my family and I were heading somewhere, but we were hungry. My wife really wanted Arby’s, so that is where we went. We walked inside the fast food joint, only to find an unusually long line for a Sunday. My wife told what to get everybody, and took the kids to find a booth. It seemed like an hour passed before I was finally next in line. I placed the order, and the total was pretty pricey. You see, Arby’s is quite expensive in comparison to McDonald’s or Burger King. The cashier then put our food on the tray, and I set off to find my family.

Expecting a tasty, hot lunch, the first bite into my curly fries proved my hope wrong. They were cold and shriveled, and my Beef & Cheddar was severely lacking in both. I’d like to say it was just me, but, alas, my wife and kids got shafted just the same. You see, I paid too much for a meal that didn’t deliver what those shiny overhead menu pictures promised.

We just read of a similar situation regarding these two brothers, Jacob and Esau. As I wrote about several days ago, Jacob was a deceiver, a conniver. His goal for a good part of his life was looking out for number one. And here, he took advantage of his brother’s obvious hunger, and swindled the birthright that would have been Esau’s away from him. As I mentioned briefly in the last talk about Jacob’s life, God had already promised that he would exalt Jacob to prominence, and that his older brother would serve him. All his scheming was unnecessary. Yet, he took his future into his own hands, and cheated his brother.

Still, if there were an award for a dummy of the year, I think Esau would have won hands down. He had just come in from a hunting trip. He undoubtedly shot a deer or some other game. And he was hungry. I’ve been there when I was so starved I thought I would pass out and die, but that really wasn’t the case. Esau could have taken the time and cleaned a deer, and had venison steaks for dinner, yet his hunger was greater than his IQ. Imagine the scene: “Jake, I'm so hungry you’d better plan my funeral. Can I please have some of that stew you’re cooking?” Jacob snickers as a thought passes through his mind. “Sure, but it’ll cost you your birthright.” Esau thinks for a minute, and says, “Hey, I’m dying of hunger. What good will that do me then? Pass the soup, bro!” (Thanks for allowing me to use a little imagination!) And with that, Esau lives for the moment, and sells his family blessing for a bowl of soup. At least Jacob threw in some bread and water. A real value meal!

The New Testament tells us that these historical events were written for our good. So let’s learn from Esau’s stupidity. We can be that stupid, too. How often to we give into fleshly temptations and pursuits, trading the blessings of heaven for the equivalent of a bowl of Campbell’s? Maybe we spend too much time with someone who keeps us from really growing in Christ, simply because that person is fun to hang with? How about the man that sneaks online late at night when everyone is sleeping, to secretly view pornography? Perhaps it is the one who takes their God-given money, and blows it at the casino, or the track. It may be the teenager reading this that is in a sexual relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend, yet trying to worship God in spite of the blatant sin. You are selling out your relationship with Christ for something that can’t even satisfy!

God has so much for us. Jesus said that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32). Romans 8:32 says, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” And also, “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9) Friends, the Bible is clear. God loves us and so much for us. I fear to think of what we may be giving up as we choose to live far short of God’s will for us.

Let me encourage every one of us today to sell out to the Lord Jesus. How many of us have gone to buy a concert of movie ticket, and found it sold out? That means there are no more tickets left to buy. Sell out to the Lord! Don’t leave any more of yourself for the Devil to buy. Jesus spoke a couple of parables in Matthew 13. One spoke of a man found who found treasure in a field. He quickly buried it, and sold everything to buy the field. Then he spoke of a man that was pearl salesman. He found the one pearl of immense value, sold everything and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46) Jesus was talking about being a sellout! So be blessed, and keep your eyes on Christ today. Don’t let temporary urges and desires jeopardize what God has for you! God bless.

Just Like Him

I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus lately. Specifically, I’ve been dwelling on his ministry here on earth. I’ve been studying it, looking closely into his earthly life, because his life was lived not only to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world, but as an example of how a servant of God lives. I have recently starting reading a new book by author Max Lucado, called Next Door Savior. In the book, the point the author is making is that our Savior is near enough for us to touch, and strong enough for us to trust him totally. I’m not here to review the book. In fact, I’m only a few chapters into it. It got me thinking about the Lord in fresh way, though. Let’s review some of Jesus’ ministry, shall we?

I think first of all of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. After a forty day fast, Satan came at Jesus at his weakest point physically. This tells me that when we are in God’s will, we can expect to be attacked, right from the outset. I like what Pastor Jim Cymbala spoke about in his book, The Church God Blesses. He said that just as the enemy tried to kill Jesus early in his life through King Herod, so he will come after us when we first step out to do something for Christ. Just because we experience hardship in life, and bumps in the road, does not mean that we are out of God’s will. Quite the contrary, we can expect to be attacked.

In Mark’s gospel, we read that after Jesus began to call his disciples to follow him, he has an encounter in the synagogue with a demon-possessed man. Right away, he confronts the spirit and commands him to depart from the man. Yes, Jesus is a picture of meekness, but that doesn’t rule out the need for forcefulness and confrontation. The result? A man bound by demonic powers is finally free.

Then there was the leper. He was cast out of his home, away from his family, living a miserable life in quarantine. But then he saw Jesus. He must have heard of his power. He must have heard the stories from the others in the leper colony of the power Jesus had over sickness, disease and the Devil. He came running to him, begging him to heal him. This was an especially dangerous move on this leper’s part. He wasn’t allowed to come near people that were free of the horrible disease. But something drove him to run and bow down to Christ that day. “If you are willing, you can make me clean”, he said. What Jesus said that day would have been utterly repulsive to the “religious elite” that day, and what he did would have probably given them a heart attack. He said, “I am willing. Be clean” and he touched him.

Then there was the time when he was walking with a man named Jairus, to heal his daughter of a fatal illness. No, it wasn’t just the two of them; there was a massive crowd all around him, pushing into him, thronging him. And one lonely, sickly woman was there. Suffering from some kind of hemorrhage that rendered “unclean”, she, like the leper earlier, set aside legal requirement because she said within herself, “If I can just touch the hem of his robe, I’ll be healed”. She mustered up whatever strength she could and crawled on her hands and knees through the crowd. And she made it. As soon as she reached out and took hold of his robe, she was healed. She knew it, and so did Jesus. “Who touched me?” he asked. When he found out who touched him, he proclaimed her healing.

Then there was the day he received word from the town of Bethany that his friend Lazarus was gravely sick, nearing death. Did he drop whatever he was doing and rush of like some divine paramedic to the scene? No, he did just the opposite. He stayed longer. Why would he do that? He knew that his friend was dying. Yet, upon arriving at Lazarus’s house four days after he died, he assured his grieving sisters that if they would just believe, they would see the glory of God. “Take away the stone”, said Jesus. “But Lord, he’s been dead for four days. He has got to stink by now.” But Jesus didn’t care. He isn’t afraid to go where it stinks. Once the stone was removed, he called Lazarus back to life at his own funeral.

How about his sacrifice on the cross? He didn’t do it because it was good for his health. It killed him. But that was exactly why he did it. “He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:2 NLT). How much greater a display of his love for us, than to die for us? “…the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends” (John 15:13b). That’s just what he did, isn’t it. He loves us so much, friends, that he died for us. He took our sins upon himself, and the One who created us laid down his life for us.

As I said before, Jesus is an example for us to follow after. Like Jesus, we need to shine compassion to others. Perhaps you know of someone who you think is a modern-day leper or woman with a grotesque physical problem. Not in the physical sense as much as someone you want to simply avoid. I’m talking about the person that if you are caught with would ruin your reputation among your “friends”. People like that are looking with desperation for someone to “touch” them. They want someone to reach out to them. Follow our Lord’s example, and be his hands and feet. Go ahead and reach out to that person.

As I said before, just as Jesus went to the smelly tomb of Lazarus, he will go to those whose lives are stinky and messy. That was my life at one point. Be honest, yours too. Some reading this today may still be in that place were you need Jesus to come to the tomb of your life and raise you out of the spiritual death you are in. That’s what the cross was for.

I just want to mention one last thing. Let’s remember that Jesus came not to care about himself and his interests, but ours. He didn’t die for himself, he died of you. Let’s follow his example of a life of sacrifice. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, {and} being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8). Look for others around you to reach out to. Don’t think of yourself as being above anyone. What if Jesus thought that way about us?

I hope this little study has encouraged us all to live a little more like Jesus. Get out your Bibles and take a dive into the life and ministry of Jesus. Allow his Spirit to mold you into his image. God bless as you seek to be more life him!

It's A Boy!

Well, my wife had the ultrasound this morning, and it's a boy! That evens out the kids now, 2 girls, 2 boys. My son will be happy. Now the task of coming up with a name for the little guy. Our kids names are all from the Bible, so we have to pick out a good biblical name. Sorry, not Goliath of Mephebosheth!


I hope to have another post in the next day or so. God bless!

Bigger Than My Imagination

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Having kids has been a reminder of my own childhood. When I watch them play, I see their very active imaginations play out the fanciful scenarios in their heads. Like my older daughter's ability to come up with a one girl show, complete with a storyline and plot, with splashes of humor tossed in. Or my younger daughter's imagination running wild one day as she took the rounded plastic lid from her toybox, and pretended it was a sled-down the stairway! No worries, she was shaken up a bit, but I think she learned her lesson. Then watching my son get into his toy batmobile car, and try to drive it around the living room. Kids have such a great sense of imagination.

It reminds me of the times my brother and I did the same things. We would sled down the stairs on an old mattress-cushion thing with a smooth vinyl bottom. Then there were the times we would stretch out our bedsheets between our dressers, which were across the room from each other, and do running football plays, as if we were a running back at the goal line diving over the opposing teams linemen.

I had a big imagination as a kid. But now as one who has been "born again", made knew in a relationship with Jesus Christ, there are things I can imagine myself doing for Him. My dream and vision is to see a ministry started in Detroit's inner-city that is much more than a church. I want to see God raise up a place where people can not only find out that there is a Savior that loves them, and died for them on the cross of Calvary, but a place where they will find there needs are being met, from a hot meal to shelter to educational assistance. My vision is for a ministry center that helps those less fortunate realize the potential that God Almighty placed inside them, and to have the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

I am not interested in simply stopping a bowl of soup, a kind word and a gospel tract. Those may have a place, but God has put inside of me a passion to not just tell them about Christ, but to demonstrate His love in a viable way.

Yet, there verses I quoted at the beginning of this blog absolutely blow my mind away. I guess that is a simple explanation of the verses, too. God's plans are so far above and beyond what I can think of right now. I am currently reading two books by Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. His story absolutely stirs me up, because he speaks often about the start he and his wife had in ministry. They had absolutely no training. In fact, Pastor Cymbala to this day has never been to seminary. His wife has no musical training, and can't read or write music. Yet, God through His mighty power raised up a wonderful ministry, with thousands in attendance and a choir that is just amazing. What makes this church so great isn't the numbers in attendance every week. It's the power of God through people who simply cried out to God to be used by Him, and to touch that city for His glory.

When I see the ministry going on in Brooklyn, NYC, out of this congregation, I see the great things God has in store for Detroit. Yet, even the things that God has placed in my heart seem too big, too impossible to achieve. Yet, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9, that "eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for them that love him."

So dream big for the Lord Jesus, my friends. And realize that when God has placed in you that dream, you don't even know a fraction of it! Submit yourselves to His will today, and watch God use you for things that go abundantly beyond all you could ever dream up! God bless!

What's Your Name?

On Friday, I wrote about how we as followers of Christ tend to let ourselves “get ahead” of the Lord, to take the wrong position in the relationship we have with him. As I said then, this was Peter’s sin when he took the Lord aside and rebuked him for even thinking about going to the cross. Today, I am going to focus on another necessity upon taking a spot before the Lord, to try to force our own plans. Today, we will focus on the life of Jacob.

Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Gen. 32:24-28

Jacob was a man that spent a good part of his life trying to get ahead, through whatever means necessary. It didn’t matter if it was ethical or not. He swindled his brother out of the birthright that would have been his. His mother and he conspired to deceive his father, who was blind, into believing that he was his brother, Esau, so he would get the blessing that God had promised to go to him. So instead of allowing God to work everything out, he continued a life of lying to get what he wanted. Jacob was a conniver, he was a deceiver. In fact, that is what the name Jacob meant. Here was a man living up to the meaning of his name.

Jacob was forced to run away to his mother’s country and live with his uncle, who turned out to be a bigger deceiver than Jacob. But there, he began to learn to do things right, and after twenty years in his uncles service, he left him blessed, God’s hand being with Jacob.

The time had now come to return back to the land of Canaan. What’s funny here is that Jacob thought he was running away from a problem, but he found that he had to face his demons after all. You see, Esau wasn’t Jacobs issue; Jacob’s conniving was his issue. He needed to take care of himself. If we are honest with ourselves, other people aren’t our problems either, it’s us. It was now time to take a good, hard look into his own heart.

As we read in the text, Jacob was really striving and wrestling with God. He didn’t walk away unmarked either. As he wrestled with the “angel of the Lord”, his hip got dislocated, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his days. Maybe we can call it a “battle scar”. But he was asked, “What is your name?” Now, we all know that God knew his name. So then, what does the question mean? Think back to what the name “Jacob” meant. It meant “deceiver”, or “supplanter”. What God was bringing Jacob to was an in-your-face realization of what he really was. He was a deceiving man. Yet, when he came to this realization, he was blessed, and his name was changed to “Israel”, which means “prince with God”.

Anyone going through a 12-step program of any kind, be it drugs, alcohol, or whatever, have to take the step first and foremost of admitting what they are. They will never find the help they need unless the truly take that step. It’s the same way spiritually. If we are to advance in our relationship with God, there will be times that we must “confess our faults”. It may not be alcohol or drugs, or an eating disorder. But you may be dealing with fear in your own life. You may be dealing with lust, or an addiction to pornography. Maybe you are an angry person. Whatever it is, confess it to God. It’s when you get real with him and confess your weak points that you find real healing.

We live in a time when Faith Teachers tell us not to make “negative confessions”, because “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Pro. 18:21). I submit to you that if we ignore those areas where we are weak, or are lacking, we can not receive what God has for us. It is not a lack of faith to state the truth. If I have a cold, or if I’m broke, it is not a faith shortage to admit it. Imagine if blind Bartimaeus, when asked by Jesus what he wanted him to do for him, had said, “I can’t tell you what I need, that would be a negative confession”? He made known to Jesus what he needed, and he was healed. Friends, it’s no different with us.

Would you get alone with the Lord Jesus today and confess where you fall short today? Believe me, the Bible tells us that he really understands. Just listen to what Hebrews 4:15-16 says:

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Get to the Throne of grace, friends, and you will find a God that is gracious, merciful and always ready to help. God bless.

Life in the Back Seat

**A special thanks to Pastor Neil Smith for giving me something to think about. What I thought about is as follows.

They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top {will reach} into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."Gen. 11:4

I drive a lot. I spend a good amount of time daily in my car, going to work, or to the store, or wherever I need to go. There is one thing I can't stand when out on the road with someone, be it my wife, or anyone else. That is not being the one behind the wheel. Not that I really like driving that much, but I like to drive because I like to be in control. I want to determine where we are going, and dictate what happens along the way. I want things to run smoothly, and I want to get where we are going ASAP. When I am not driving, I don't have that control. We get that way with our lives to, don't we?

In the scripture above, we are meeting up with a group of people who decided that they were also in the driver's seat. These folks had a vision, and they had the manpower to achieve it. That almost sounds like the making of great ministry to the Lord. But this was anything but that. These people had selfish ambition to make a great name for themselves, and let the world know how great they were. You see, these folks were descended from Noah, and if you recall, God had given him a command to be fruitful and multiply, to replenish the earth. Noah and his family did just that. These people a few hundred years later now had different plans. Life was all about them. It was certainly not about God.

It reminds me of another event in the Bible, that of Peter rebuking Jesus for his mission of going to Calvary's cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Peter, upon hearing this come out of Jesus' mouth, took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Lord, this will never happen to you!" This man Peter did not understand the plan of God, and how that the Christ of God, the Messiah, was come to be a "sacrificial lamb", to have our sin laid upon him, so that we may be forgiven. This man who just minutes before had voiced an amazing revelation that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, now received one of the strongest rebukes anyone could get. "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

Ouch! That hurts coming from Jesus. But it was true. Let's look a little bit at the Fall of Lucifer, now Satan. Satan was an angel of great power. Imagine this mighty angel before God, worshipping and honoring him. Yet, this angel began to desire the power for himself, and he chose to rebel against God. Isaiah says of him in the fourteenth chapter: "For thou hast said in thine heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.'" (vs.13-14). Satan's sin was that he didn't stay in his proper place, but decided to try and outdo God.

That was Peter's problem, too. His place was one of following, not leading. The second he got all over Jesus about the cross, he took a step in front of him. Peter truthfully was more interested in a victorious Jesus wiping out the Roman occupiers and seeing the Kingdom of God established. Neither he, nor the rest of the disciples, could fathom what Jesus was going to do. Not only what Jesus was doing, but what they would have to do as well. They were called as disciples of Christ to follow his example, and to take up their own cross, not necessarily a physical cross, but to lay down their ambitions, their desires, even their ideas of what God's Kingdom should be like.

Yes, we like to be in the driver's seat. But the truth is, we don't even belong in the front passanger side! That's why I can't stand the bumper sticker that says, "God is my co-pilot". No, I'm not flying this plane, I'm like the flight attendant serving peanuts and Pepsi to those along for the ride. I'm going where he takes me, and serving others along the way. Our job is to submit ourselves to God, and follow him wherever he leads us.

God bless!

Down Through the Roof

And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Mark 2:3

Every now and then, I am called upon to assist someone by giving them a ride somewhere. There are times I give rides to work for a coworker. I do this without hesitation. The person needs to work, and I have the means to get them there. I remember one time when a good friend of mine had injured himself, and could not drive himself to the urgent care facility. So, of course, I loaded him up in my car and drove there. I’m sure there have been times where you have been called on for similar things, and undoubtedly, you did whatever you could.

We see the same thing happening in the scripture that I started this message with. Four men had a friend who was paralyzed. Knowing that Jesus was in town, they decided to take their friend to where Jesus was. They knew that sick people were healed by him, and other amazing and miraculous things would happen. The problem was, everybody in town knew that, too. They arrived to find the house overflowing out the door with people, all packed in, listening to Jesus preach. It’s a good thing these guys weren’t like me when it comes to waiting and crowds. I have no patience. I’ll drive around at lunchtime looking for the shortest line, even if it’s the fast food joint I hate the most, just because I’m impatient (I’m working on it!). Thank God these men didn’t decide that there were too many people, and give up. Instead, they hoisted the buddy up on the roof of the house and began to rip apart the roof! They then lowered the guy down right in front of the Lord. The Bible says that when Jesus saw their faith, he performed the miracle!

Perhaps the man was tired of always hoping for a miracle, and he had resigned himself to simply living on his back for the rest of his life. Maybe he was even upset at his friends for running him across town like they had. Whatever state this guy was personally in, it was the faith of his friends that caught the attention of Jesus.

There is a message in here for us. The Bible clearly tells us that it is our responsibility to watch out for the needs of others. We must be there when other people are in need of prayer, and other needs, physical and otherwise. Perhaps it is finding that person struggling with an addiction of some kind, and is at the mercy of it. Pray for them. Talk to them, tell them about Jesus. Be there to listen to them when they need an ear. Do whatever you can do to get them to the One who can do something! And when they are touched by the hand of Jesus, don’t set them aside, but stay with them. When Peter and John were on their way to the temple at the hour of prayer, and healed the crippled beggar, the Bible says that he went with them to the temple, and that he was holding on to them! When you see the prayer answered, and that person changed, it time to hold on tighter and help him in his walk with Christ.

I used to work an inner-city ministry where we would feed the homeless and poor people of that city. We would begin to recognize people who came in month after month. Many of the same people would respond to an altar call for salvation over and over again. They would come to Jesus, but be turned back out to the streets, to drugs, alcohol and prostitution again. Could it be that they had no one to hold on to them? There was no one to take the time and disciple them? That is why it’s so urgent to stay with people, and see them transformed by the power of God. It may not be some hard case like I mentioned. It may be the teenager next door whose life is in shambles because he found out that his folks are divorcing. It may be taking time to reach out to the woman who has just lost a child or husband. It meeting people at their weakest, and being the strength the need.

May God bless you as you seek to get that person to Christ!

Not Just on Sunday

I want to put out a thank you to Darrell over at The Dawg Howse for bringing up the topic of worship. It got me thinking about what worship really is, and why we as Christians worship. When some people think of worship, they think of Sunday morning church services, because that is the traditional time to go to church and worship. Some also think that worship isn't worship unless they are singing a hymn or chorus. Some people think that they have to clap their hands, and raise them in the air to really worship God. While these are all aspects of worship, these alone are not worship.

First of all, we need to know what the word means. Worship means to express reverent love and devotion to God. It also means to ascribe worth to God. Simply, worship means to express our love and devotion to God, to realize that we are expressing to him how much he means to us. But you see, that isn't just something we do on Sunday morning, in a public worship service. Worship is private, too. We need to understand that worship isn't simply an act, but it is a way of life. Perhaps an illustration would be helpful. I love my wife. But how do I express that love and devotion I have for her? If I kept myself busy all week long, and only popped by once in a while to tell her that I love her, my marriage wouldn't last very long, would it? But I try to express my love, not just by the words I say, but by my actions. I show her my love in caring about how her day went, and taking the time to listen. I show her how much I love her by occasionally cooking dinner, and cleaning up afterward. I show her my love by surprising her with flowers or chocolates. You see, my love for my wife causes me to reach out and express it with my life.

It's the same in our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our lives should be expressions of worship to him. It's not just about the songs we sing, or the time we go off to church, but it's shown through walking in honesty and integrity. It's done through obeying God's commands. Jesus even said that if we love him, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15). We express our worship in how we treat others, through loving our neighbors. We express our worship to God in giving, not just money, but our time, our gifts and our talents. We express our worship by going to work and doing our jobs with excellence, because we are working not to simply please the boss, but The Boss, the Lord Jesus himself.

I want to honor the Lord in all that I do. I want him to take pleasure in my life, in every area of it. Just as Christ offered up his life as sweet-smelling sacrifice to God, I want my life to be that sweet-smelling sacrifice. It's my desire to show him my love for him by living out my life totally for him. I pray that it is your desire, too. God bless.

Why People Live in California

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the wintertime. These are from an email I received called, "Why people live in California". God bless!

Leadership Principles

Today I was listening to a message by a pastor out of Lafayette, Louisiana, preached up here in the Detroit area, at a Youth Conference called Warweek. His name is Jacob Aranza, and he was preaching at the youth leader session of the week long event. He was talking about Biblical Leadership Principles. I won’t attempt to include a word-for-word transcript, but I will give a brief overview, hitting the main points. I don’t know much about Pastor Aranza, except that he is a former youth leader for years, and now pastors a large church, as well as planting new ones.

1. As leaders, we must be life-giving. We must be willing to pour ourselves into others. Does the way we live our lives stir people to live for Christ as well? Do we ignite a desire in others to follow God passionately?
2. The quality of life will be determined by the quality of relationships. And these quality relationships will cost us. It will cost us time, as we seek to make ourselves available to the person we want to “rub off” on us. I’ve heard it said this way: hang out with those with similar callings and giftings, or qualities. If you desire to be a prayer warrior, it helps to surround yourself with prayer warriors, etc., etc.
3. Quality of life is determined by how we solve conflict. When trouble arises, whether in your church, or youth group, or even at work, deal with it. Don’t hide it in the closet, so to speak. By dealing with the issues that we as leaders have to deal with daily, we also are saving ourselves a lot of headaches and stress.
4. You can’t treat all people the same. It almost sounds un-Christ like, doesn’t it? But let’s look at Jesus. He preached to the multitudes who just wanted another miracle. But he picked out 12 men to disciple, and then 3 out of the 12 that seemed to get special attention. He loved them all the same, but not all received the same treatment. Pastor Aranza spoke of the Parable of the Sower, and how some reproduced 30, 60 or 100 fold. Jesus then said, “He who has an ear, let him hear”. In Greek, the words “hear” and “obey” have the same root. Look for those who hear and obey, and pour into them. He said to watch out for the “spiritual leeches” who want to suck all the life out of you, and find the “spiritual investments” that want to do great things for God. By the way, this is a great way to change the precedent in your church of youth group. Those who do crazy things to win your attention will begin to see that it’s the wrong way to go about it, that they begin to see that being committed, faithful and obedient is how to go about it. Again, love everyone, just so no one thinks I’m saying otherwise.
5. Always honor, even those who are critical of us. Joseph’s brothers were very critical of him. Some of which he brought on himself, through a lack of wisdom about the sharing of his dreams. Yet, he was not critical of his brothers at all, and when the time was right, nothing but grace and mercy was bestowed upon them.
6. Trust is the bridge we must cross to carry truth to someone. The heavier the truth, the stronger the bridge must be. This speaks for itself.
7. Leadership is not an opportunity to finally be the exception; it is the privilege of now being the example. We are called on to be servants, our ultimate example of course be Jesus Christ, who “came not to be served, but to serve”. Don’t allow an attitude of superiority take root in your heart. You are a servant.
8. Finally, if God is with you, you don’t have to tell people; God will advertise for Himself. Stay humble, stay touchable. Enough said.
I hope that this is a blessing to you. And, by some slim chance that Pastor Aranza stumbles across this blog, thank you for this teaching, it has really touched me. God bless everyone.

P.S. Here is the address for the message so you can listen to it.
Click Here>

Challenged!

This past weekend, I was challenged. No, I don’t mean that I stepped out and took some huge leap of faith for the Lord. What I did, however was find myself being stretched in the area of mechanics. You see, for some time, my car has been sitting beside my house, because the brakes weren’t working. Finally, after months of sitting, I finally had it towed to one I know can fix just about anything on a car- my father-in-law. He is kind of an “amateur specialist” when it comes to cars. He really knows his way around them.

But, one thing that has always happened whenever I have taken a car to him for repair is that I didn’t just drop off the keys like at a shop, but I rolled up my sleeves and got busy, working alongside him. This weekend was no different. I went out to Murray’s Auto Parts, and bought the necessary items, and took them to his house, and he helped me to get the brakes working again.

I spoke in my last post of 2005 about stepping out in faith, with the attitude of Jonathan, that says, “Perhaps the Lord will work for us”. I want to speak a little more to that today, without beating it into the ground. You see, just as I did what was very uncomfortable for me this weekend, I believe that God wants us to walk past the borders of our comfort zones. It gets very easy to just sit on our hides, waiting for everything to be “just right”. If that had been my attitude, there would be quite a few things that I would never have had the blessing of doing. I wouldn’t be playing the guitar at my church, because I would have sat on the pew, rather than take a step, and fill a need that was there. If I hadn’t taken that first step toward the ministry that God called me to more than six years ago, I don’t think I’d be where I’m at today.

I want to live a life in pursuit of the Lord Jesus. Yes, I know that He is in me, that He has saved me. But I want more of Him. One of my favorite scriptures of late is Philippians 3:12:

“Not that I have already attained, either were made perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am also apprehended of Christ Jesus”.

Out of this hunger and thirst to know Him comes this desire to do more for Him. Daniel 11:32b says, “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits”. Literally, that means as we come to know God, it will cause us to take action.

As we begin this new year, I want to make a splash for my Savior. I am not satisfied with the status quo, simply holding the fort till Jesus comes. I want to be like Joshua, and take the land before me, for God’s glory! I pray that you also desire to do something great for God. Be challenged alongside me today, friend. May God use you and your faith to make waves for Him! God bless.

He Knows Exactly What We Need

This past weekend a need I've had in my life was starting to get fixed. No, I don't mean a spiritual need, or anything like that. For quite some time now, my car has been sitting next to my house, not going anywhere. I finally had it towed to someone who can fix it- my father-in-law. Though he isn't a professional mechanic, he knows his way around a car. You name, he can probably fix it. The term may be contradictory, but he is something of an amatuer specialist when it comes to automobiles.

We serve a Savior who is a specialist. Before His earthly ministry, Jesus was a carpenter. Perhaps He was called on to help build someone’s new house. Maybe He was called on to fix certain items that only a master carpenter could. But just as Jesus was a man of trade before His public ministry, so He was after. Yet, it wouldn’t be houses, tables, or doors needing His touch, but the lives of men, women and children. And, as any good master tradesman, Jesus knew exactly what each person needed.

In John 3, we read the account of Nicodemus coming to Jesus one night. Here was a man steeped in the rabbinical traditions and the knowledge of the Law of Moses. But, as the Bible teaches us, the Law was powerless to save anyone, because of our sinful nature. It was intended to point out our sin, and show of our need of a Savior. Here was Nicodemus, face to face with that Savior. What did he need to hear? “You must be born again”, or be given a new beginning through faith in Christ, forgiven of the sins that have offended a Holy God.

In the next chapter, Jesus is seen in Samaria speaking with a woman at a well, who had come to draw water. Jesus used her drawing from the well as an illustration of a spiritual truth, and just what she needed to hear. Her true need was not physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst. He said to her, “Whoever drinks this water will thirst again: but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never thirst: but the water that I will give him will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (vv. 13-14). This woman had a spiritual thirst deep inside her that she thought would be quenched by something tangible and physical, like her love life (vv.15-18). But, praise God, Jesus knew exactly what she needed.

He knows just what you need too. One of the names we call Jesus is “The Great Physician”. We call Him that because He knows just what to prescribe to every one of us. He didn’t speak of Living Water to Nicodemus, and He didn’t talk to the Samaritan woman about being born again. Friends, won’t you let the Master Tradesman have a look at you today, and let Him give you what you need today. God bless.