“…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you ‘always,’ even to the very end of the age.” (like white on rice) my paraphrase Matthew 28:20

Jack is a member of our church. Having recently lost his heroic and sweet wife, he traveled to Indiana to be with family. I met him yesterday upon his returning home to Florida to make sure he was ok. When I left, he was in good shape. At 10pm last night I saw I had missed 2 calls and a text!

Jack’s daughter, who lives in Texas, had been trying to reach him to verify he had gotten home. Jack didn’t answer. After a few hours she managed to get my cell number, but I had forgotten my phone in the car. She found another number for one of our church folks here, who happens to be on vacation in Boston. HE called Jack… no answer! Then HE texted me. To top it off, she had called the police to check on him and Jack hadn’t answered the door! I immediately drove over to His house and through the window saw he was sitting there, TV blaring… watching Baseball! Jack is fine!

I knocked REAL loud! Jack got up and came to the door with a look that said, “who the heck would be knocking at 10:30 at night!” I met his look with a fun stare and said, “Jack… why aren’t you answering your phone? Your family is worried about you!” His answer… “I forgot to take my phone with me tonight!” Jack and me are a lot alike!

The last verses in Matthew contain both a prompting and a promise. A job and a jackpot! In summary, Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe says, ‘Let’s get to work… I got you covered!” Even though I KNOW His words are directed at me, I have to confess that I too often forget the mission, and then wonder where He went!

Years ago I read a saying, “if God feels distant…guess who moved!” Theologically that statement contains error because we are ‘not’ called to operate on ‘feeling’ but ‘Faith’… and THIS verse already promises that Jesus will NEVER leaves us. Where we go, He goes! Yup!!!! Even THERE! It may be a hard concept to learn and fully understand. But it is ‘The Truth!’

No matter where I go or how far the distance in miles or trials, He is ALWAYS with me. He won’t be shaken, so neither must I. God’s entire mission is wrapped up in me and you! Without us, He can’t and won’t finish. I guess one could say… How far He WENT proves how far He will GO! So leaving me is the last thing on His mind. Leaving HIM should be the last thing in mine!

I am going to remind myself, like Major Payne said in the movie, that God and I go together “Like white on rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm! And make a few calls!

“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:27

Monday night is $5 BURGER NIGHT at several restaurants in the area. As we headed out, dark clouds and thunder reminded us to take rain gear. Arriving, the place was packed, and the only available seating was in the bar area. It seemed the revelers had been there a while, as they were loud and jovial. We got our burgers, the thunder roared, lights went out and the revelers howled! What happened next was chaos!

Among the noise and growing darkness, battery powered lights were brought in. I watched the computer screen on the cash register with interest, “surely there was some kind of back up power,” I thought. But no! Blank screens matched the faces of confused wait staff, who stood not knowing what to do. Since most would pay with Credit Card, and no bills could be generated, the revelers howled some more. I paid the estimated bill with cash and we exited the darkness.

There are generally 2 reactions to unexpected events… cheer or fear. Matthew 24 is mostly written in red ink, meaning that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, is speaking. His message is a coming “great distress, unequaled since the beginning off the world!” He is speaking of His future return in Judgment, the time with the game clock of life… will stop!

The Boy Scouts have the motto… “Be Prepared!” If you have ever experienced a natural disaster, like a hurricane or tornado, you can appreciate the head’s up. Knowing what kind of things happened in the past helps to pre-gather supplies. But what does one do with the ‘End of Days?’ Thankfully, God has already told us. His Word tells us to put our eyes and hearts on His Son!”

Everyday life brings choices and consequences. We can choose to live like there is no tomorrow. Or live like tomorrow is our last. The choice, God infers, is ultimately our own… cheer or fear! We CAN look at our lives to see what we’ve done and read God’s Word to know how our life stacks up against HIS standards. Knowing our failure at perfection, we CAN choose to take His free offer of Grace and live HIS way… building on HIS-story! OR… we can simply party on!

The King is coming and His Judgment will be final. But because of His love and grace, it need not be fatal! We can ‘Be Prepared,’ if we choose to be. It is not even hard! All I have to do is to take each next step with Him in mind! Doing so brings no fear for me. But It is MY choice.

I hear thunder!

“On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Having written something that contained graphics as well as text, I moved the cursor on my computer screen and paused over the “Print” icon, double checking to verify that all the settings were right. I had NO idea that God was doing the EXACT same thing, at the EXACT same time… with me! I hit “Print,” and THAT is when “The Test” began!

As I sat listening for the printer to begin its work, the silence was of concern. Soon a message popped up…”printer error.” I tried again. Nothin’! After each attempt at a ‘fix’ I got the same message. There is a LOT that can go wrong with simply printing out a final product. While searching for the problem, the LAST thing, that ended up being THE thing that was wrong, was shocking! The printer was out of ink… 3 of the 4 wells were dry… and all at the SAME TIME!

Having been in this situation in the past, I had made it my policy to keep ink in stock. When this had happened before, I had to run to the store to buy ink. Now all I had a to do was reach into the drawer. The clock was still ticking and my temperature was a little high. But overall I was O.K.! Pulling on the silver, foil tab that covered the bottle, it didn’t come off. I pulled again… Harder. AGAIN! Splash! The foil gave way as physics took the bottle the other. Black ink landed on the desk, rug AND me! THEN my temperature hit ‘boil!’ Grade on test??? ‘F!’ I was operating in ‘error mode!’

To be entrusted with God’s stuff is an expensive privilege. Before He puts us ‘online,’ He works with us to ensure that we are ready. As we move along in life, He has the right to test our hearts to make sure we are in top shape with Him. And He does… whenever He wants and at any inconvenient time He pleases.

Like you, I am God’s greatest creation. There are infinitely FAR more things that can go wrong with me than with a printer! It could be a selfish thought or desire, a slight HINT of a bad attitude, a cold shoulder or fatigue. Or it could be as simple as… being out of juice and needing a refill! I must remember that GOD is making me to be the best product of His Love and Grace that He can. And He is in NO hurry. It MAY take some time and be painful… but He WILL see me through. All the way to completion! He said so remember? And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

So how is YOUR connection? Are YOU filled up and ready to go? Because a pop-quiz is coming!

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:17 (NKJV)

One of life’s joys is that first cup of coffee in the morning. Groggy and not quite awake, I grabbed a granola bar, then poured my wife and our morning coffee (Hebrews). Opening the refrigerator to get the creamer, the EYES laid upon the cookies, the HAND grabbed one and shoved it into the MOUTH! All before my BRAIN had time to think about it! So there I stood… cookie breath and all… wondering what just happened!

It really ISN’T a mystery. Paul wrote this verse 2000 years ago to give a heavenly explanation to what every one of us should already know. He gave it even MORE detail in Romans 7. Humans make BAD choices… ALL the time. I listened to it at Celebrate Recovery last night as each one said, “I don’t understand why I keep doing the wrong thing!” The only surprising thing is that ALL were genuinely surprised!

NO GOOD THING LIVES IN YOUR FLESH (Romans 7:18).But that is NOT what the WORLD, the FLESH or the DEVIL says about you. The message that screams to ALL of us is, “you’re a winner, believe in yourself, you’re enough or you can do it!” And the dude with the cookie breath just refuses to smell it!

We are agathokakological beings. That means we consist of both good and evil. We aren’t BORN good and then go bad. If anything, it is the reverse. Steeped in sin, we have the natural tenancy to choose the WRONG things. ALL evidence points out that WE NEED A SAVIOR! A fact that quickly disappears with the whisper of, “Eh…I’m fine!”

If I agree with God as to my lost and dead disposition, why is it my natural inclination to defend myself? Why do I fight so hard to be right, when I know that the majority of the time my flesh is wrong? In a world of sin, why is a drink or drug chosen over responsibility? Why is it easier to take a nap then get something done? Why is it easier to quit than press on? If you’ve read this far then you already know the answer. We stink!

Sin is a stench in the nose of God. If we even had a HINT of its awful reality, we’d faint! Want a taste? Hold your hand over a candle for 1 second! THAT is a TINY taste of what the wage of sin brings. Now multiply that by a gazillion and times that by eternity! THAT is GOD’S view! THAT is what HE took to free me from it. The very LEAST I can do is see it for that it is and be prepared to pay attention… before I grab the cookie!

 

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7

Heading north on the interstate I was headed to a place near Tampa. A traffic report on the radio indicated an accident and major backup ahead. Pulling off the road, I decided to tap into old learned skills of map reading with new technology from my cell phone. Plotting a course I wrote down the roads I would need to take to reach my destination without interference. All went well, until I realized I had gone 9 miles past my exit!

I have a cell phone, but the apps that direct me ‘turn for turn’ either weren’t working or I had no signal that far out yonder! So I did the best I could with the information I had. Or so I thought! After a long drive in the country, something started dinging in my head that made me feel I was off course. I had only 2 choices. I could stop and recalculate. Or just keep going. One good thing about being 63 is, I have learned the BEST option is to “stop and recalculate!”

When Paul wrote the Book of Galatians he had his dander up. He didn’t have a cell phone or the ability to teleconference. He was far from town had to get updated travel information to the Church in Galatia the fastest way possible. That meant a letter! We have a copy of it and we know from simple deduction that the Believers there had taken a turn in the wrong direction. If left unchecked, their chosen path would take them WAY off course. It was time to recalculate!

The ways of obeying the Law and the ways of Grace are 100% opposed to one another. We are not saved from our trip to the lake of fire by our obedience to a set of rules. We are save by receiving the free gift of Grace through the death and resurrection of Christ. Once turned around by that Truth, we do not change course and go back to a set of old rules. We are not ‘heaven bound’ because we are good, we are ‘heaven bound’ because we are HIS!

All believers in Christ carry the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This ‘New Technology,’ as compared to the old list of rules, enables ME to KNOW when something is wrong. That is ‘IF’ I am paying attention. And ‘IF’ I choose to pay attention, I really only have 1 of 2 choices. I can STOP and recalculate… or just keep on going. ‘MY CHOICE’ is what makes the difference as to whether I reach God’s destination for me… or not!

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

40 years ago I was a carpenter. It was my first job after getting married. I started out as a frame carpenter and bought the tool pouch, speed-square, tape, chalk line, circular saw and a 20 oz Craftsman framing hammer. I could drive a 16d nail in 3 hits! 10 months later I became a trim carpenter. All I really needed to swap was my hammer. I bought a wooden handled 12 oz. Hammer. I became good at using it as well. EVEN upside down!

Yesterday at church I needed to install a door. I grabbed those same 40 year old tools and got to work. Everything went well until I had to drive in the finish nails to hold the door. It seems that a lot has changed in 40 years. Nails ain’t like they used to be! They bend easier!!! And that ain’t all!

As sweat poured down my face, I couldn’t see very well because my reading glasses kept fogging up. When I bent over to drive a nail upside down, my glasses dropped from my eyes onto my head. My back hurt and to top it off, the nail set kept slippin’ off the head of those junky finish nails!!! I’d a laughed if I hadn’t gotten so upset at myself!

I once was a legend! Now it’s just in my mind! I can’t do what I used to. But that’s OK! I don’t have to make my living at hammering anymore! Or do I? You see, being a preacher and teacher I need to know Jesus REALLY well! That means I need to spend a lot of time with Him and His Word. My Doctor knows Doctoring because he does it every day. I know Jesus because I spend a LOT of time with Him. So here’s a not so little secret!

I know my Bible. And I know what it says. I know what works, and I know what doesn’t! And I ALSO know that if YOU aren’t spending time with Jesus and His Word, your life isn’t going as well as it could. Joy isn’t present, peace is absent, love has fled and worry, doubt and fear are probably your constant companions. I know because I’ve been there. But ON one has to STAY there!

It wouldn’t take me TOO much time to get my swing back with that hammer. And it wouldn’t take YOU long to get back on the working road with God either! Jesus doesn’t want you ashamed. He wants you HIS. The promises He makes are WAY above ANYTHING you can get here. So why not join a Bible Study or group? Or pick up your Bible, read a devotional or 2 a day and get those spiritual muscles going again! Cuz friend…. we have an eternal life to build!

“This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.” Ecclesiastes 7:29

Babysitting my youngest grandson Coast, he noticed a baby ‘izerd.’ If you live in Florida you know they are not actually lizards, but anolis. And they are everywhere. Attention grabbed, Coast decided to catch it. It scooted away. As he gave chase, the baby ‘izerd’ got behind a tool. When I moved the tool to make for an easier catch, it fell on and immediately killed the thing. Coast picked it up, and when it didn’t move, he just dropped it. The interest was gone! I know what YOU are thinking!

“Why weren’t you more careful? What kind of example are you setting for your grandson? How could you kill an innocent creature? Poor izerd!” These are common statements because EVERYONE knows that animals, fish and reptiles are just ignorant, innocent creatures caught in a man’s world. An increasingly popular belief would even raise creatures ABOVE men…since ‘mankind’ is the cause of so much trouble on this planet!

The death of someone, especially a child, to an accident will often produce a similar response. “Poor _______ (fill in the name).” Pity for a creature or another person just comes natural. We have a natural tendency to mourn. BUT… do we ever mourn for ourselves?

Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom, written by the wisest man who ever lived, over 3000 years ago. Yet its message STILL continues to be ignored. It clearly states that ‘Man’ is NOT a poor, innocent creature! That includes YOU. And while it is easier to feel sorrow for someone else, do YOU ever feel sorry for YOUR life’s situation?

Have you ever reached the point in your life where you realize that there is NOTHING poor or innocent about YOU? According to The Word of God, YOU are GUILTY and YOU will have to face up to it. Solomon says YOUR death is certain and YOUR life and schemes, to get what YOU want, will be weighed against God’s perfect standard. Did you ever stop to think that an ‘izerd’ may actually have it better than YOU. It will never have to face that kind of justice.

God knows all about you and He wants to set you free from yourself… AND your scheming choices. But to take advantage of His offer, you must die to yourself and let HIM live through You! If you don’t see that as the best and only blessed solution to your life, then that is proof that you are NOT just a poor, innocent creature! Those are just the cold hard facts. And if ‘yer squirming… God is still interested in YOU!

Got Jesus?

“you must not listen to the words of (a self proclaimed) prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:3

Stopping at the local dollar store, I picked up a bag of bubble gum balls. As a kid, I remember my instant reaction when I’d see a gumball machine. Hundreds of those little colored balls in a big glass container simply called out…”come get me!” I STILL get a little jolt of that same feeling looking at a bag of about 100! But these weren’t for me…I had a plan!

Taking the bag to see my family I knew grandkids would be around. Just for fun I laid (gave) the bag down in front of one who was busy coloring. He INSTANTLY dropped his crayon and grabbed the bag. HE has the same reaction to gumballs as I do! I watched as he picked up the bag, grabbed a few and then left the bag on the open table. I smiled because he had passed the test!

As cousins came around, they helped themselves to the bag without hindrance. No one grabbed the bag and hid it away for themselves. BIGGER SMILE!!!

A question… was I ‘mean’ for having an ulterior motive for a bag of gumballs? In reality, they became MY gumballs the minute I paid for them. And “I” am allowed to do whatever I want with them. Teaching or testing a principle is something parents do. And God does the same thing.

EVERYTHING we have comes from God (Romans 11:36). We own NOTHING and God has a right to test us in our actions or reactions to ‘STUFF! He does it to see if we love HIM most!

One of the hardest lessons I ever learned, AND TEACH, is the lesson of giving. Over and over I tell folks, especially younger married adults with kids, if you want to GET… God first tells you to GIVE! From the Old Testament Mosaic Law to the New Testament command of Christ, GIVING ALWAYS precedes GETTING. I learned that lesson a LONG time ago… the HARD way. Now that I am older, I can absolutely and emphatically state that God is NOT a liar. Giving generously opens God’s hands because… He designed it that way!

The 2 most precious commodities on this planet are time and money. God, being God, promises He will bless us with plenty of both, IF we give the first part back to HIM! But WE have to go FIRST! THAT is the test! “How much time and money do I give back to God,” you ask? Well the answer is simple.. Ask HIM!

Our relationship to God is kind of like an appliance. It is either working or not. But the FIRST thing we have to do is to make sure we are plugged in. And when we are plugged in to HIM…giving and getting, we KNOW it!

So what are you doing with YOUR gumballs?

 

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

D’ja ever have one of those days? You know what I am talking about. A day where life comes at you at 110 mph and it is all you can do to simply hang on? It can come from any angle… body, soul or spirit… or any combination of the three. Mine came from deep within my soul. For the 2^nd time this week I was notified of the passing of one of our church saints. Yep… one of those days!

First Don passed. Then yesterday, Louise. One of the toughest parts of ministry is the return visitation of Dr. Death. He is rude, ill-mannered and shows up at the most inconvenient times. He NEVER fails to capture my attention and drags me away to places I have been, but don’t particularly care for. So I knew where we were going. But the journey is never one I can get used to.

As an old man, Don fought age and Alzheimers. Louise fought pain and illness. BOTH of them did it with a courage and grace that gives me something to aim for. I’d see them walking slowly into the church, coming to worship their Savior. And I could not help hearing the voices of other folks NOT there, choosing to stay home because “it was the only day they could sleep in!” inevitably the contrast made them nobler in my eyes.

Painfully, Dr. Death never comes alone. He brings memories with him. My dad, brother, mother and friends. He reminds me that one day he won’t just come for a visit. But will take me away too. But knowing and loving THEM, It is THEN that I see him for the liar that he is!

I try to imagine what it must feel like to have been Louise, with a body so sick and in pain. And like Don, who was trapped with Alzheimers. I try to imagine what it must be like to just SUDDENLY AWAKE in Heaven and see Jesus, Glory and all the Saints. How suddenly that Joy must hit. How LARGE it must be. And how unexplainable here! But THAT is THE blessed hope of all Believers who KNOW Jesus Christ as their Savior. And it is what we all look forward to. But first, we must face Dr. Death!

Death always brings a double edged sword, with sorrow on one side and Joy on the other. Both cut deeply into our souls. Maybe that is why the mourning process takes so much time. One cannot sort all those emotions quickly. Mortals weren’t meant to have to. So, like you, I follow the Dr. where HE leads. But I remember that no matter where his stormy visit takes me, it will never ultimately overcome me. Thank you Jesus for the saints, AND for the promised joy and blessing of hanging onto You.