“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Five of us had been standing at the corner, holding signs for Jesus. As we started to pack up, 3 heads simultaneously turned, our eyes cautiously drawn to the backpack of the passerby. All 3 held their vigilant gaze until the strange man moved out of the danger zone. I immediately asked the 2 other men staring… “Did you see that?” “Yup!” Was all they could say. Satisfied, we all moved on.

It took a few seconds, for me anyway, to realize that the black cylindrical object was an umbrella! NOT a suppressor at the end of a submachine gun! The 3 of us, who’s heads turned, were familiar with what looked to be a possible danger… but wasn’t. The object was a thing, out of place, that warned of a possible threat. Most folks wouldn’t have noticed. But we were aware… and did.

The Bible clearly commands me to read the Bible. By reading it, I see, hear and know exactly what my Heavenly Father wants me to see and know. Studying, memorizing, meditating and remembering are the tools that give me, and ALL of His followers, the ability to recognize danger with a simple glimpse. In His Word, I find His command. It is full of potential danger signs to warn me of a fact!

I have an enemy. He is quiet, sneaky, calculating and hungry. Most of all, he wants and seeks to destroy me. He has that ability, if I let him get the best of me. He is very good at what he does. But today’s verse doesn’t leave me with a Psalm 23 kind of ease. Where God automatically takes care of all my enemies. Here, God lets me know that I bear some responsibility as well.

God expects me to turn and flee from situations He calls ‘dangerous.’ God wants me to see the potential and fatal results of NOT paying attention to things that can draw me away from Him… and into satan’s paws and teeth! Minds and eyes that don’t see the enemy’s schemes, can and will be turned. What does that bible warn YOU about? What are YOUR weaknesses? Are you vigilant?

“You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.” Psalm 88:18

“I WANT MY BINKIE!” was screamed loudly across the restaurant… with TEARS! Someone in my party said, “that kid is out of control!” And they were right. But somewhere is a rule book for ‘out of control’ situations that says, “Thou shalt not interfere in other people’s problems!” So I tried to control myself while, 1. the kid screamed and 2. everybody LET him!

I was VERY uncomfortable. And it was VERY HARD to keep it to myself. I didn’t know WHY I suddenly wanted a Binkie! Haaaa just kidding. It wasn’t me. But I probably felt the same as the kid, sans Binkie! I was instantly angry that someone allowed someone to disturb my family’s night out. The kid shoulda been taught self control BEFORE going out to eat!

I saw a friend yesterday… again. He didn’t look any better than he did the last time I saw him weeks ago. Having lost his father before Christmas, he is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. I know several in that valley now. Having been there many times, I know that, like a binkie… it sucks. I tried to break the rule and interfere. But it didn’t help.

Some consider Psalm 88 to be the saddest Psalm of all. Reading it, I can see why. It’s just plain HORRIBLE. David is in the pits! So much so that he throws a tantrum right at God, blaming God for killing off those close to him. But another rule book says that, ‘just because someone says something in the Bible, doesn’t make it so!’ BUT!!!

God got David’s blame ANYWAY! And here’s the crazy thing! God didn’t correct David or retaliate! He just let him sizzle! I’d a snuffed Dave out! But not God. He knows the despair of losing His closest someone… to a violent death. That, plus His love, gave David a pass… and time… to get THROUGH the valley. So God switched writers. Look at the next Psalm.

Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” But it was written by a guy named Ethan. Not David. I find it interesting that the order of praising immediately follows the whining of sorrow. Which makes me wonder if keeping my mouth shut when someone is having a bad day is the right call!

God has proven His love and faithfulness to me. Even in times of suffering and struggle, this psalmist calls God’s people to bless the Lord and call upon His strength… even in the time of need. From tantrum to praise!  Do you?  

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35

The word was out! A new restaurant was opening in town! In a tourist town that basically survives on restaurants, that was a big deal. So plans were made. So were anticipations and expectations. A group of us decided to give it a try and were looking forward to going. I actually had the giddy going because I LOVE the theme of the place. Soon… we were there!

No.. I’m NOT going to tell the theme or the menu… because I DON’T want to be the root of bad gossip. Maybe it was just a bad day and they’ll get better. I don’t want to be responsible for closing them down before they get it right! But, as high as my expectations were, so was my depth of disappointment! As it turns out, THEY hadn’t expected that many customers!

Florida in winter is LOADED with people looking for something new… and possibly without a line. When we got there, they were out of practically EVERYTHING! And it was only 11:45! One of our party was looking forward to a homemade strawberry milkshake. The machine was DOWN! So was the soda machine! Someone expressed the death words, ‘Never again!’

I know what it means to expect and not receive. So does Jesus. Remember that Crucifixion thing? That sweating of blood is proof He wanted something different than what He got! So knowing human nature, He gave us His recipe for life on this planet. Rule 1. Expect enemies. 2. Love, lend and do good by them anyway! 3. Expect NOTHING from them in return!

The words of advice from Jesus are horrible! I mean really! They amount to allowing the opposing team to cheat and win every game! Or to throw down your arms and let the enemy win the war! But look closely. These rules do not end the battle… they merely point out our Captain… who is NOT in control… until He is! Yup! Jesus will ultimately win the war. Not me!

Trusting Him and doing what Jesus says in the ‘here and now’ comes with promises. A GREAT reward.. and the even bigger title of ‘Child of the Most High God!’ Can I trade my ‘attitude’ and ‘getting even’ for those things? Well, let’s say I’m practicing every day. Are you?

“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

It was blue, it was full… and it was lying right there in front of my house! I simply couldn’t believe it when I saw it! Then I got PO’d about it, after confirming it was exactly what I thought it was! A bag of dog poo! Someone had walked their dog, picked up it’s poo in a bag, and then dumped the bag in front of my house! The infraction was deserving of hell’s fire!

Looking up and down the street for a poo infractor revealed no clues. So I picked up the poo bag, then disposed of ‘it’ in MY garbage can. After washing off, I got in my truck and headed out to hold signs for Jesus! Approaching the corner, I saw potential Poo-perps rounding the corner. ‘But it couldn’t have been them,’ I reasoned. ‘They’re old folks, have 2 HUGE dogs, and the bag was small!’

Lowering my window, I asked if they might know of any dog owners with blue bags. “Well WE have blue bags,” the excited English lady exclaimed! “Where was it lying again?” After I told her, she said, “Oh that’s OUR bag! We collect it and then leave it to pick up on the way back home!” I stared… then blinked… then said, “Well ma’am, today I took care of your it for you!”

What else could I do or say? I couldn’t believe the audacity of someone who would do such a thing. But this woman confessed! And while it wouldn’t be something ‘I’ would conceive, her thought process held some logic! Why carry poo when you can choose to NOT carry poo… quite as far? I felt kinda stupid, but smarter as I had learned a lesson after all.

The lesson I got was… ‘the sooner one drops their poo, the easier life gets!’ AND ‘carrying around poo longer than necessary is really silly!’ Then I thought, ‘maybe Jesus had that lesson in mind when He told Old Solomon about getting rid of sin.’ So…. Whatayado with YOUR poo?

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'” Mark 16:15-16

After yesterday’s ‘Words of the Day,’ I prayed and asked God to deliberately put me in front of someone who DIDN’T know Him. If God is waiting ‘until the full number of the Gentiles has come in’ before sending Christ back with His Kingdom, I prayed, “send me to that last stubborn one!” He did! After putting on my dark glasses, I could see that THIS one fit the bill!

I was in for a nuclear MRI. So I figured the technician HAD to be smart. Asking how long they have been using this technology for diagnosing gallbladder conditions she said, “oh… about a year now!” “Where are you from?” I asked. “Pittsburgh,” she said. “Me too,” I responded. The conversational window had been shattered. So I got busy doing the Mark 16:15 thing.

She was young, married and a mother of young twins. Culture has a LOT to do with any conversation, and though we were from the same town, our understanding of what’s important was as comparable as grits to marbles. So I asked lots of questions… praying for careful guidance. It was a long test! Having no formal faith, she proved she was winging it.

Knowing Jesus Christ personally is my greatest evangelism tool. Spending time with Him in His Word everyday, and talking with others about Him, keeps me sharp. I talk from what I KNOW. I knew this young lady was working toward the LAST part of today’s verse. Because Jesus wants her rescued, so did I. After an hour and a half, our time together was coming to a close.

I pulled out a Gospel card and an Invitation card, then walked to her desk. Saying her name, I laid them in front of her. I said, “This is the way to know God personally. This is where you come to hear how. If you want to know, I can guarantee I can introduce you to Him, show you your purpose in life and show you a guarantee of heaven. If I can’t, I’ll give you $100.”

I knew she wasn’t the last person to receive Christ before He returns, because… He didn’t! SO at the next stop I did Mark 16:15 again. I am starting today’s day the way I did yesterday. Asking God to send me to someone who needs and wants His Son. I just pray she has the guts to take me up on my $100 offer! Are YOU going into the dark world and doing Mark 16:15?

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved.” Romans 11:25-26

It’s the time for health checkups. Every year I get them. It seems this year, I am adding more! Appointments for Doctors, labs and medical facilities have all adopted a method to keep order and business flowing. Every time I have an appointment, I can be SURE that I will get at least 1 email, a text and/or a phone call saying, “Now remember your appointment is at… Press 1 to confirm!”

I received a phone message yesterday, but couldn’t answer it because I was at another appointment! So they left me a voicemail. “Mr. McCay, we know your appointment is for 10:30am, but if you could come at 10:15am instead, that would be good!” I had to smile at that one, because anytime I can get something done and over with, sooner than later, I prefer it. Sometimes, I wish God thought like me!

I’ve been hearing that Jesus is coming back since I was a kid. That message hit a crescendo in my teen years in the 70’s. Ever since then, every world news story is used as an excuse for another prophecy for ‘The End of Days.’ Though Israel has been a miraculously regathered nation since 1948, I’ve seen it ‘at war’ more than not! I’ve prayed… “Lord, can you just get this over with?” ‘SILENCE!’

I haven’t gone looking for it, but lately it seems the Lord has been pushing my eyes and head toward the prophecies of the Nation of Israel… Our Mother! I say that because Romans chapters 9-11 were written, by my Father, about what is going on, or MUST go on, before God can ‘throw the flag!’ The one that says, “That’s it! Times’ up!” The ramp-up of more war rumblings has ME looking UP more!

I could spend a lot of time looking up Old Testament prophecies about it. But today, as I did that, I fell upon this verse. Then it hit me. Studying all the verses in the past about what is going to happen in the future isn’t really what God wants me to focus all MY time on. MY mission… and I accepted it, is to go tell the world about Jesus and make Disciples. His end can’t come until the last one comes!

So I’m going huntin’ today. I pray the Lord will place someone in front of me who doesn’t know Jesus, so I can introduce them! Maybe that ONE will be the LAST One! And we can get all this mess wrapped up… once and for all! Are YOU sharing Jesus with a VERY LOST WORLD? Because as Billy Graham alluded to in his book, I can hear ‘Approaching Hoofbeats!’

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3

The phone rang! It rang early in the morning as I was getting ready to go out. The nature of the call dictated a change in my plans. One of our Church families had been involved in a car crash. The location was less than 1/5th of a mile from where I was actually heading. So I headed there first. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt. But mom and 2 kids were in shock and a mess.

The phone rings! And when it does, it often means someone has a need that needs a touch from God. They call me because… God doesn’t HAVE a phone number! Per Se! They call me because they need a tangible voice to try to make some sense out of an overwhelming situation. Or to tell someone of their good, bad, sad or joyful experience… or to fill a need. I answer on His behalf.

It is an honor to be called. Most often, the most immediate need is a prayer, a hug, an encouraging Word from God’s Word. Sometimes that’s all they need. But more often, it’s just the start of a trial, a test or a life-changing event. Sometimes what I do does it. Most times, that phone call is just an initial door to a valley of change. Sometimes short. Sometimes very long!

Like everybody else, I have trials. Some have come and gone just as quickly. Some lead to very long valleys with lots of shadows. Today’s verse gives interesting advice about trials. When they come, it appears I’m supposed to be Happily Joyful about them when they do! I’ve never arrived at a crash scene and handed out party horns and balloons! Maybe I need to think about that!

Humans in the Garden of Eden were programmed to expect God’s arrival at any and all times. Face to face! After that little sin incident, those meetings came to an end, and death turned the party life into a long drudge in a dark valley. So humans, looking for what USED to come natural, sought ways to party! And even today, most miss the point of this whole life. God still DOES party favors.

I have to remind myself, in and through all MY trials, that God is using my life to Glorify Himself on this darkening planet. He is my light and joy, if I LET Him be. But far too often, I fall for the deception that THIS world is my home. That working to get a good life HERE is the plan. And nothing could be further from the truth! God wants me WITH HIM… FACE TO FACE. FOREVER!

Someday I’ll be with Him face to face. But for now, I can look to him in trials and know that He is right there with me to help. If I let Him. What are YOU facing that could use a little God Time?   

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3

“What kind of music do you like?” was the question. When I told the technician, “Elvis,” I assumed Elvis was who I’d get! I didn’t… but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t there for a concert. I was there under Doctors orders to get an MRI scan of my prostate. Something I now do every year. The music didn’t matter because it was only a distraction for getting the real thing. A picture! WITH NOISE!

Lots of questions get asked before I go into the tube. CAREFUL questions. They want to know if I have any metal in my body of any kind. The ‘M’ in MRI stands for Magnetic! They really didn’t want ANY part of my innards pulled out and splattered all over their machine. Neither did I. So I had to really think long and hard to give them honest answers. My life depended upon it!

Going into ‘the tube’ gives me an opportunity to do what I like to do best… spend time with Jesus. The loud sounds and bangs may drown out the music, but it can’t make Jesus disappear. We talked in our own special way, and I rested in the knowledge that no matter what happens, He is ALWAYS with me. Even in and all the way through… life’s tests! I used to get confused about that!

Everyone goes through difficult and bad times. This verse in Proverbs, because it relates to experiences in life, could very well be one that God’s enemies use to provoke the evil thought that ‘God is IN CONTROL!’ Most believe that God hurls us into a terrible situation to strengthen, punish or test our metal! But nothing could be further from the truth. The loud bangs of life already exist!

My physical body, unlike my soul and spirit, has limitations. God does NOT apply those limitations. They come through experiences, time and genes. While not deliberate, my dad handed down the propensity gene for prostate cancer. God didn’t GIVE it to me. But I’ve got it! Now, good people are watching to make sure it doesn’t kill me! I appreciate them. But God was with me in the tube!

Sadly. I have discovered there are a LOT of people who see God as the creator of evil. They figure that since He made everything, He must be in control of it all! NOT! In fact, God calls satan the ‘god of this age.’ But He calls ME to walk WITH Him THROUGH the dark valleys of this life. It took a lot of practice. But I get it now. Who needs Elvis when I’ve got JESUS!??? Do you rest in God… or blame Him?

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Last night, going into my garage, the light bulb flickered when I turned it on. Then later, it happened in the kitchen as well. This morning, going to put something away in a drawer, I was surprised to find a light bulb lying right there in a place… out of place. I smiled because all those circumstances just HAD to be mere coincidences. But then again, as I reminded myself, I don’t believe in coincidences!

Just yesterday morning I preached a sermon about what it means to be a Believer in Christ. What does it cost? What does the Savior of my soul expect from ME? And honestly… from ANYBODY who calls themselves a “Christian.” The sermon wasn’t a fun one to prepare for. As I read, prayed and lived through the week, I listened closely for Jesus’ topic. Yesterday morning, I had too many ideas.

Occasionally I get confused. But having done this for so long, It didn’t surprise or scare me when I sensed Jesus whispering… “I’ve got this!” And He did! There were lots of comments like, ‘I loved that one!’ But, I gave up receiving ‘atta-boys’ years ago. ‘I’ don’t preach sermons. HE does them THROUGH me. For I too, am a listener.  And Jesus was asking me, “How bright is YOUR light for Me?”

Jesus wasn’t stuttering or rephrasing a clause when He said in John, “I” am the light of the World.” And in Matthew, “YOU are the light of the world. The world is in darkness. HE shines through ME into that darkness. That is how He intended His light to work. Today’s verse refers to Zion, future Israel, who today… is FAR from reflecting ANYTHING resembling God. Jesus asks ME to do a checkup on ME.

How bright is MY light? How well am I shining? Can people, both saved and lost, see Christ through the light I am shining? Or do I hold no fear to the darkness, as it engulfs the lost, leaving no trace? Am I deliberate in my walk with Him? Do I put Him first, read His Word, listen for His voice, give my time and resources to His cause? How up at His house?  Do I pierce the darkness, or has darkness swallowed me?

To answer… I am a 200 watt-er and I know it! I am intentional and ALWAYS ON…. even when I am off! Darkness hates me… but The Light of the world LOVES me.  And He wants me BRIGHTER! I am a 200 watt-er baby! He WANTS me to be 1000! I’m working on it. Are you?