“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.” Lamentations 4:1

It is a fact that has been proven beyond all doubt. When it comes to eating dinner, it is actually cheaper and less painful for my wife and I to eat OUT than to stay home and cook for ourselves. WHY? Two things… uncertainty and craving. O.K….ONE thing… discipline! We never know what we REALLY want.. and when buying ANYTHING at the store… and SINCE there are SO many choices, we actually end up spending MORE time and money sorting through the choices than if we’d gone to Burger King. And so it is with life!

As dinner time approached, I had a craving. I KNEW what I wanted to eat, but also knew that Katie wasn’t that interested in picking the place. But it didn’t matter. The place ‘I’ was wanting to go was a place SHE loved as well. It APPEARED a win-win situation. Even more-so, since I had a coupon AND a gift card! It all went well … until it didn’t!

Have you ever noticed that cravings can be very deceptive? Born of desire, cravings PROMISE something that SEEMS to be better than it actually is. A craving can actually accentuate the idea that THIS THING will REALLY satisfy me! Which makes its failure worse than normal when it doesn’t. Such was the case with the choice of food. Everything was just a little off… and in the end, disappointment was NOT our friend!

The children of Israel were God’s kids. He was MORE than just particularly fond of them. Unlike the situation in the Garden of Eden, where God said “Don’t” just once, He had REPEATEDLY told them “DO NOT” with LONG explanations as to WHY they were to obey Him. AND He even added what would happen if they didn’t. And here, in Lamentations, they lie at last. With Jerusalem destroyed and “God’s chosen people” killed or ripped from their land. It APPEARED that the punishment did not fit the crime! How could a little craving have led to such complete destruction?

You and I are the gold and gems of Jesus Christ. I know it makes no sense to us… but isn’t that why we were created in the first place… to SHINE and reflect HIS Glory? The only problem is that pesky little CRAVING of independence. A desire to do things OUR way instead of His. And like a plague, desire, when full grown, soon contaminates EVERYTHING. Like old gold, we lose our shine. Like lost gems, regret becomes our daily food.

This Easter season is a good time to reflect on what it is we TRULY desire. Will doing things MY way lead to satisfaction… or destruction? Will I SHINE for Him or will I be lost in a dusty place? Easter reminds that Christ came to rescue me FOR Himself. His reach, seemingly beyond His grasp, stretched across a cross and spanned the abyss of death itself. But it STOPPED… just laying there at the threshold of my heart. All because TRUE love demands there be a choice. And choice is ALWAYS influenced by desire. How badly do I really want HIM? He is waiting for my answer, which will be proved by the very next step I take. Really!

“you were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect…chosen before the creation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:18-20

I was in the swimming pool with a bunch of my grandkids. As usual, my ears were continually bombarded with one phrase over and over… “my turn!” As I am getting older and weaker… my grandkids are getting bigger and stronger. But it didn’t matter! For now… they cried out, “throw me to the Moooon!” And for now I still can… sort of! So I did!

It all started when my own children were children. We had been blessed by God to buy a house with a swimming pool. Living in Florida, it was one of our greatest blessings and is still a maker of memories. I started inventing different ways to throw my kids around in the water and came up with labels to apply like ‘To the moon,’ ‘The Statue of Liberty,’ ‘Ballerina,’ ‘Flip-a-rooski’ and the family famous ‘helicopter, belly-flopper SMASH!’ My whole family knows that each means!

These days, my body pays a price for such physical exertion. I can only go so long before I get worn out and have to tag team one of my 4 tough sons to take over. I say 4 because I consider my in-laws to NOT be in-laws. They bought into the family when they pledged their lives to my own kids. They continue to pay that price every day without complaint and take over tossing around the kids the same way.

There is really only 1 unstated rule to a ‘Flip-a-rooski,’ or any other throw for that matter. BE STILL! The energy and success of the toss is all on the thrower. If the kid is all jumpy and moving around, it becomes a ‘Flop-a-rooski!’ And while it may seem to be a stretch for a metaphor, it still works when applied to my salvation. The verse above proves it.

In Christendom, we generally use the word ‘Saved’ for someone who has accepted Christ as their Savior. It is a good word. But just like the description ‘To the moon,’ I can’t help but feel it falls FAR short of its true description. The words in this chapter call it what it is…‘Redemption!’ It is an extravagant word! I can be saved from drowning or falling by grabbing onto an inanimate object like a limb or rope. But getting into God’s family and Heaven is FAR more expensive.

The word ‘Redeem’ means to ‘deliver by paying a price.’ I was REDEEMED ‘with the precious blood of Christ!’ If I were even able to collect 1 drop if that blood and carry it to heaven with me, it would NOT get me in. The process of redemption is ALL up to God. HE came up with it, HE paid the price and HE has to apply it to my life. I am simply required to Be Still… and LET HIM!

Have you taken YOUR turn at His redemption? Do you KNOW what that means? Are YOU in the family? If not… He’s waiting and you CAN be next!

As you know, I normally write the Words of the Day.  After reading this, I couldn’t say it better.  I pray this is a blessing passed on. 

It was only a matter of days before He would be crucified, and Jesus had just entered Jerusalem. The crowd had been waving palm branches and shouting His praise. The onlookers weren’t sure what was happening. In Matthew’s words,

“When [Jesus] had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’” Matthew 21:10

“Who is this?”… This question does not belong only in first-century Jerusalem. Throughout the centuries and continuing today, people have been opinionating and speculating on the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Some say He was a sort of guru, a wise and gentle teacher of trite platitudes and object lessons. Others say Jesus was one in a long line of prophets. And more than one apologist has argued that there are only three possibilities as to Christ’s identity: He was a liar, falsely claiming to be God; He was a lunatic, bona fide crazy and delusional, out of touch with reality; or He was, in fact, who He said He was, the Son of God, Lord.

Jesus was not low profile when He entered Jerusalem. Matthew reported that when He entered the city on Palm Sunday, “all the city was moved” when He arrived (Matthew 21:10). in their puzzlement, they asked, “Who is this?” Do you desire to see God move in such a way that your own city is stirred and your neighbors begin to ask, “Who is this?” Who is this who put your life back together and made something beautiful of it? Who is this Who restored your family? Who is this who delivered you from addiction? Who is this Who turned your sadness into joy? Who is this?

What does it take for God to move, shake, and stir an entire city? We can learn from this singular day two thousand years ago. It happened when Jesus’ followers began to experience Him, to extol Him, and to extend Him to others. The result? The people around them began to ask, “Who is this?”

We come to know Jesus when we experience being in His presence. And the way to genuinely experience Him is to listen to Him and obey Him. Such was the case two thousand years ago. The stage was set for the city to encounter and experience Jesus when He instructed two of His disciples to go into a nearby village, find a donkey, and bring it to Him.

“So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.” Matthew 21:6

No doubt. No defiance. No delay. They just “went and did” in obedience to Jesus, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that

“Your King is coming to you;… lowly and riding on a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

These two followers who were sent to get a donkey could have decided that a white stallion would be much more appropriate for their Master. But they didn’t. They simply obeyed Him. Too many Christ-followers today, however, let what we think ought to be take priority over His actual commands. Yet one reason God moved the city that day to ask, “Who is this?” was the tremendous spirit of obedience among those who listened to Him. Jesus is still on His throne today, He is still speaking to us, and He is still commanding us to obey His commandments as set forth in His word. when we honor Him by obeying Him, when more of His own people begin to experience Him through obedience to His word, we will find that He is also still in the business of moving cities to ask, “Who is this?”

As Jesus began His descent into Jerusalem, the people began to honor and extol Him. They literally carpeted the road with their coats and palm branches as they shouted their praise:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

What brought about this outburst of praise? Put yourself in the crowd and you’ll soon find out. Look over there at Bartimaeus. Just last week in Jericho, he was blind and begging by the side of the road. But then Jesus noticed him, stopped, and gave sight to his darkened eyes with a spoken word. Now Bartimaeus was seeing everything around him. No wonder he was praising Jesus! And look over there at that man with tears of joy streaming down his face. Why, it’s Lazarus of Bethany, who not long ago was dead and in the grave… until Jesus gave him new life. And there, over there, is that formerly crippled man who for thirty-eight years could be found lying by the pool of Bethesda. But look at him now, dancing and singing and shouting his own hosannas to this King of kings.

Do you and I have any less reason to extol Jesus, to shout our own hosannas today? We have seen His greatest miracle ever: His provision of new birth through His death and resurrection. We were dead in our sin until He brought us new life.

Yet, sadly, some of us have lost the joyful spirit of praise — and we desperately need to recover it. God will move in our cities and prompt those around us to ask, “Who is this?” when we, like those of old who have experienced Him — we who choose to obey Him — extol Him with our praise.

Those faithful followers lining the street on that original Palm Sunday did not only praise Jesus, they began to extend Him to others. They wanted others to meet their Savior and Lord. Nothing could keep them from sharing the good news that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah and that they had found in Him their hope. Enthusiasm filled the day. Caught up in the excitement of this moment, the people began to ask, “Who is this?” And the crowd lining the street responded with,

“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 26:10-11

The people who had gathered not only experienced Jesus that day, they not only extolled Him, but they extended Him to others. “This is Jesus!” was their cry.

When we do the same — when we praise Jesus for what He has done in our lives and share our stories with others — the people around us will also ask, “Who is this?” Who is this… Who transformed your life? Who is this… Who put your family back together? Who is this… Who brought you peace in the midst of such tragedy? Who is this… Who enabled you to be victorious over your addiction? Who is this… Who gave you hope in the darkness of your circumstances? Who is this? Who is this? “This is Jesus!” You have experienced Him, so now extol Him and extend Him to others.

Q & A: “Who is this?” Ultimately, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. Who is Jesus to you? Was He a liar — a figure out of history who made some outrageous and completely untrue claims about Himself? Was He a lunatic — some crazed prophet from the middle of nowhere with illusions of grandeur and delusions of deity? Or is Jesus Lord? Your eternal destiny rests on your answer. May you join with the crowd in exclaiming, “This is Jesus!” riority47 \lsdl

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.” Titus 3:14

Recently my wife and I had a mutually stressful day. Usually, one of us is more up than the other and can pull the other one out of that funky hole. Not this time! I came ‘up’ with the idea of going ‘out’ to one of our favorite places to eat. A kind of ‘get-away,’ ‘pick-me-up’ place. I knew I had hit a home run when she smiled. So off we went.

After being seated, our waitress arrived. After asking her name I did what I do… I sang a song with her name in it. There are LOTS of songs with peoples names… when there is one that matches the greeted, it’s kind of an icebreaker and usually gets a smile. It didn’t! Determined to have a good night anyway, I let it slide so that we could go about getting out of our funk. We didn’t!

The term ‘waiter’ or ‘waitress’ is kind of an oxymoron. The job denotes that ‘they’ wait for the ‘patron’s’ orders and then deliver. In turn, the customer provides T.I.P.S…. ‘To Improve Professional Service!’ In this case, the only folks doing any WAITING were US. We waited and waited and… well you get the picture! We both felt like this day would never end. My wife asked, “have you ever felt like you are simply treading water?”

If you think about it, treading water is MUCH more difficult than treading on land. Movements are slowed and you never really GET anywhere… except more quickly fatigued. It’s days like this that make me think of the children of Israel during the 400 years of slavery in Egypt. The thought, at least, made me feel better, because at least we weren’t being PHYSICALLY beaten. But some days, mental and physical fatigue can feel just like we are.

A natural question that is too often in life is…“what can a believer DO when getting nowhere?” I believe the Holy Spirit was WAITING for my question. Because this Bible verse jumped right out at me like a TIP…. “Learn to DEVOTE!” One of my life thoughts is that I have never learned ANYTHING the easy way. Have you? Learning usually comes AFTER a crisis or difficult time. It FORCES me to pay attention so I can get out of difficulty quicker. In a rare mood, I felt like He was trying to tell BOTH of us something!

What can you do when exhausted from treading water? FLOAT! It is simply a way to take a break from the strain and simply STOP DOING! I felt like He was saying that in order to ‘DEVOTE,’ I needed to ‘FLOAT.’ I felt God calling me to do the ‘train track’ thing… to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN! Having been a believer for over 50 years, I like to say that Christ has NEVER let me down.. EVER! And here He was AGAIN… waiting for my attention.

This verse proves that God hates socialism! As servants, just like HIM… I cannot get the strength, courage or motivation to DO what He wants in and of myself. That has to come from Him. I must get back to square 1… the OBJECT of my faith. Devoting is like floating. It is a wonderful thought that Jesus never BEATS me into subjection! He simple calls me to Himself. “Come to ME… you who are weary… and ‘I’ will give you REST.” Between you, me and my wife…it’s the best TIP I got all week!

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 3:3

My hands and arms were full of stuff as I approached my truck. Having mentally run down the list of places to go, people to see and things to do, I was confident I had it all. I fired up the truck and started backing out the driveway when out of nowhere a mental ‘zing’ ripped through my head…”phone!” Looking at the ‘stuff’ on my seat, it wasn’t there. I reversed the process.

STOP the truck, remove the keys, walk to the house, unlock the door… search. The phone wasn’t in the house@#^! Walking back to the truck, I discovered it had fallen down in between the seat and the center console, laying almost unseen! RE-starting my truck, I went on with the morning… until!

I had made a list of things that needed done this week. One of them involved a special request to fix the whiteboard in my wife’s Sunday School room. Her room is ALSO the place where the printer was. Needing to make copies for church, the very first thing I saw when I entered the room… was the whiteboard! Then it hit me…. I had forgotten the tools I needed to fix it!!!

Initially I was upset with myself. I started to blame it on getting older… then being too busy. But BOTH of those are simply EXCUSES. I had been asked by my wife to do something for her. So I took a breath… FORGOT about the circumstances, or finding something or someone else to blame… and remembered her request. What was Jesus asking me to do in love and faithfulness? I immediately left, went home, got the tools, returned and ‘got-r-dun!’

In this world failure, forgetfulness, fatigue and frustration lead to LOTS of dead ends. Places that force me to stop, think and reprocess what I am doing, where I am going and WHY! In this case, I HAD it in my memory, then forgot, I HAD written it down, but didn’t read my own notes! But thankfully, no one had died and no catastrophe happened because of my humanness. THIS time!

Proverbs 3 is a very good chapter as it gives a LOT of good advice to those who choose to follow God. This verse is NOT about telling us how to take better notes to get more things done. It IS about starting out with the correct attitude, dealing with the ‘WHY’ I do what I do… or don’t! It is literally cause and effect.

If I live my life with Love and Faithfulness toward God as my FIRST priority, this chapter lists the blessings that come with such a life! Excuses and blame are useless when my heart is wrong. They are completely unnecessary when my heart is right! “Heart… take a memo…”  

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

It’s always been there, though I rarely give it any thought. That is, until it gives me a problem. But this week, as I was cleaning out the brush and trees that were growing around my house, I rediscovered the un-seeable. It had been covered up for so long I had completely forgotten it was even there. But seen or unseen, It was still there doing its job… drip, drip dripping away!

Most of us have experienced a clogged air conditioning drain-line. We rarely notice it otherwise. This very important pipe sticking out of the wall provides a channel for water condensation from the air handler in the attic. As the hot air is turned to cool, the vapor is converted into water and runs off outside. In Florida we have to keep them clean or they clog up and can cause big problems. Suddenly I had an idea!

Grabbing a bucket, I set it under the pipe then left. Returning later, I found the bucket full AND overflowing! Now it became a math calculation. How much water does my air conditioner produce in a day? I was about to find out.

My wife loves plants and she has LOTS of them. We have a hose we can use, but the water isn’t free. I had set up a barrel to catch rainwater running off the roof, but in the dry season the barrel is empty. Since plants need regular watering, I got a little excited to see a new source for the stuff. My math calculations concluded that, depending on temperature and humidity, I can get anywhere from 4-6 gallons of water a DAY from my air conditioner! I have a new hobby!

Preachers get pretty good at similes and metaphors. We use them to get points across. And this new source immediately reminded me of this verse today. I think you have already figured it out though. My spiritual life in Christ is like an AC drainpipe! He is ALWAYS there, rain or shine, pouring out His Spirit, through His Word, to provide real life to me. When I get hot, He can cool me. When thirsty, He gives me drink. BUT!!!!

It is really up to ME to make provisions for His provision. If I fail to notice, collect, or take advantage of His supply, HE isn’t the failure. I am! And if my life gets clogged with gunk and junk, It is up to ME to acknowledge and take measures to clean it up so He can continue to provide, and I can live.

I have up to 180 gallons of water a month to use for free! I have His, even MORE, abundant and eternal life available to me as well. Will I take advantage of the resource? Will you?

“The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” Psalm 34:7

I awoke this morning to no big surprise… which is ALWAYS a joy! Nothing happened over night that rocked my world or caused me great pain or sorrow. Much needed rain was falling, and as I settled into my daily routine of spending time with the Lord, I had all my resources at my fingertips. Bible, devotionals, pens, markers… and coffee!

I have had this same coffee pot for at least 7 years now. Knowing how ‘time flies,’ it has probably been longer. In a society where things are not made to last, this Black & Decker beauty just keeps on going. The warmer is crusted with something that doesn’t wash off anymore, but it keeps on warming. The timer keeps time perfectly, supplying coffee at just the right time in the morning… as long as “I” don’t mess up the programming. Let’s just say that when it comes to my coffee pot…it does what it does.

Many of my life’s joys and pleasures are often taken for granted. This morning, with the clouds out and the rain falling, I was able to appreciate the comfort of a dry place to set and a hot cup of coffee to sip, even more than usual. I was grateful that what was going on OUTSIDE was NOT going on INSIDE! God prompted me that HE is the reason for my joy.

As time ticks by and age becomes a factor, I find it a JOY to be able to see things more clearly. Fads and stuff have come and gone. Fixes and repairs have come around to where they are due again. But the things that I have grown to MOST love about life are not ‘things’ at all! The most important and precious to me has become the love, care and faithfulness of God… toward me. Looking back… He has NEVER let me down. EVER!

The verse today prompts a picture I saw years ago of a camp of soldiers during the Civil War. Tents spread out to form a little city. Not surprisingly, the Headquarters of the General was in the middle of the camp. If a threat WERE to come from an enemy, it would have to prevail over a HUGE powerful army to get to its leader. In the verse today, God’s way proves that HIS ways are not OURS. For the one encamped in the middle of the fray… is ME! And He has made ME a promise!

It is the world’s way that the weak, poor and servants of the world exist to provide for the King. God’s way is more shocking than it is anything else. HE, The King, provides, protects and positions Himself around HIS subjects, with the guarantee of promised deliverance. All we need to do is stay within the heart of His camp!

In the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is not some unknown creature. He is the one and only SPECTACULAR Son of God… Jesus Christ. Because of His death on the Cross for ME, He delivers on His promise that I WILL be delivered. It is wonderful to be able to look back and see that He always has. Like my coffee pot, and even BETTER and BIGGER, Jesus does what He does. THAT is why I love sitting with…and spending time with Him. Do you?

“By oppression and judgment He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested?  For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was punished.”  Isaiah 53:8

For years we have had meandering trees and plants growing alongside our house. While WE liked the shade and the greenery, the love was not exclusive… rats and varmints loved it too. A friend suggested that if I wanted the rats gone, I would have to make the jungle disappear! Determined to erRATicate the forest, I set to work to cut out the offending trees by the roots! The deforestation was going well… until!

One particular tree had roots that went everywhere! Grabbing and pulling usually freed the smaller roots from the surrounding earth, but one root refused to budge. I am human. I am smart. I have tools! In determined frustration I isolated the offending root, grabbed my loppers and CUT! What I saw within a nano-second was not good!

The tree had been planted by my wife AFTER the internet fiber optic cable had been installed. Not able to go DOWN into the ground, the root grew OVER the cable. I could not see the cable until AFTER the fatal cut! I knew immediately that this was going to take a professional to fix…someone who had skills BEYOND my understanding and abilities. I called the internet provider to restore communication!

It would have been easy if it was just coaxial cable. I know how to splice a wire. But this fiber-optic stuff is different and requires special tools and skills. I was blessed to meet the technician to tuned out to be an old Jesus acquaintance from years ago. I got to watch him do his thing, learn what it took to restore fiber AND talk about Jesus… all at the same time. What could be better?

The roots of sin are deep and stubborn, confining mankind to a life devoid of God. It was going to take a specialist to root out the problem that kept me from God. Mankind had NO way of knowing just how far God had to go to accomplish the restoration. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay MY penalty for the sin that kept me disconnected from true life. He came willingly and at no cost to humanity. And we killed Him for it!

This week, as we approach Palm Sunday, we may want to read Isaiah 53 to see how far Christ had to come to restore my connection to the Father. To do it, HE had to be cut off from His Father first. A painful operation that nobody could understand. But one no one really cared in the first place!

Humans are infested with rats and roots. God came to restore us to life. For those of us who HAVE taken God up on His ‘free offer’ of restoration there is nothing better on this earth. Sadly, most of those who HAVEN’T, don’t even know there is a problem. You might say they cant see the forest for the trees… or the roots! Are YOU connected?

“be anxious for nothing.” Philippians 4:6

‘Hakuna Matata!

Ain’t no passing craze
It means no worries
For the rest of your days.’

For Christmas my kids bought us tickets to go see ‘The Lion King,’ a Broadway play base upon Disney’s animated movie of the same name. One of the highlights from the movie is when Timon and Pumbaa use the phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’ to teach Simba the lion to put everything in the past and to live a ‘worry free’ life! By the end of the song, Simba is eating bugs instead of zebra’s… and liking it!

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good Disney movie. The creativity of Walt Disney and the ‘WORLD’ he built is a HUGE success. And while the movies can teach and show the good and evil sides of humanity, it is VERY clear that the religion of Disney is NOT Christianity. The concepts portrayed in this move have a smattering of Animism, Buddhism and Hinduism blended together. All for your kids enjoyment!

It was Paul who said, “be anxious for nothing.” Which are funny words from a guy who said just 2 chapters earlier that he was anxious (Philippians 2:28). But the concepts of ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘do not be anxious’ carry a danger that can be worse than a zebra facing a Lion. It is the temptation to simply put everything into the past… to FAHGETABAHDIT and party on! Later, Rafiki wises Simba up with a ‘conk’ on the head. “Hey.. THAT HURTS?” ‘Hakuna Matata’ never relieves the pain!

I was MOST awed at the opening of the play, when all the creatures came out to the spectacular song ‘The Circle of Life.’ Being a Jesus Guy, I was moved at the beauty, creativity, sound and performance that ALL came together, NOT because of Walt Disney, but because of Jesus Christ! It was JESUS who created creation and made us for Himself (John 1:3) giving us incredible imaginations and talents to Glorify God. Imaginations that sadly, became tuned toward ourselves instead.

As the play moved toward its conclusion, I was anticipating an even bigger reprise of the opening song. For me… it fell a little flat. It seemed that the ending wasn’t as big as the opening. Another major difference between Jesus and the god of Disney. The Greatest part of life for the Believer is when we step off the dirt of this world and onto the Golden Streets of Glory. Life will then just be beginning! The question REALLY is… am ‘I’ living FORWARD?? Or BACKWARD?