“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2
My mom’s dearest friend from High School is celebrating
her 90th Birthday today. Which happens to be my birthday too! Since
my mom is busy doing other things in Heaven, I am planning to attend the
celebration. I rented a hotel room in Orlando a day early and started a fun
weekend. Yesterday, as I sat beside a lake, I overheard a worker talking about
life! He was prophetic!
He was telling a fellow worker about how his life USED
to be. “Man… I had clothes and shoes and WHEW! I was fancy!” As he stood there
sweating while trimming bushes, I felt God move, so I followed. Popping out
from behind the bush I enthusiastically said, “YOU sir, are a WISE MAN!”
Looking dumbfounded, I told him that he had just PERFECTLY summed up life! He
was perplexed!
I asked him if he knew what the wisest and richest man
ever to live on earth had said? With “Huh?” was his reply, I told him about
Solomon’s summation of life as “MEANINGLESS!” This seemed to depress him even
more, so I added the cure. “Do you know what the ONLY thing that matters in
life happens to be? To Love God and follow His directions in the Bible.” A
twinkle came to his eye.
This morning, while Katie slept, I went and got a cup
of coffee, sat out by the pool, then opened my Bible. But before I even had a
chance to read 1 word, I sensed the Holy Spirit of God say, “Good Morning son!
And Happy Birthday!” Smiling, we went on to spend some beautiful time together.
I was glad no one else was out there because I felt like I was beaming! God…
I love Him!
Meaningless? Without God in my life… it would be! But
with Him, there is not a thing in this world that I need. Not only did I get to
spend meaningful time with Him, I also got a sermon out of it! I’ll share it
with the folks on Sunday… because that is HIS purpose and meaning for MY life!
Is YOUR life meaningless… or is it filled with
Him?
“One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” Proverbs 14:16 ESV
Having just turned onto the main road heading south
toward town, I didn’t expect to see one this close to home! But like a polar
bear sighting in Florida, there he was! And he was a BIG one! As I got closer,
I was able to confirm that, right there in front of my eyes… stood a fool!
And so close, I had to swerve to miss him!
He was driving a Cadillac SUV which in some circles
for what he was doing, MAY have been a clue! Because sitting askew on top of
his car, was a mattress! Putting 2 + 2 together, I knew why he was on the side
of the road, because he was trying to retie the mattress to the SUV’s luggage
rack. Having had the same experience years ago, I knew his problem was LACK of
experience. He was a newbie!
There are some things I have had to learn the hard
way! Book studies on aerodynamics in science class was boring. Math and
calculations were meant for people who liked that sort of thing. Until one day,
while moving a mattress with only a car to do it, I received a ‘show and tell’
lesson in physics. I too ended up on the side of the road trying to keep my
cargo from lifting off in the wind!
Using a Cadillac SUV to transport a mattress was NOT
what identified the man as a genuine fool. It was his location that made him
stand out! With 2 lanes of traffic moving at 55 mph, his car was parked with 2
tires ON the highway! All right lane traffic had to swerve to miss hitting him!
The fool was relying on MY actions to avoid imminent danger. Satan LOVES fools!
God’s text book, The Bible, gives me words to live by.
Admittedly I have had to learn MANY of His lessons the hard way. But I’ve come
to realize that, while more painful and slow, there is nothing wrong with the
hard way. As long as learning is the end result. But allowing desires, satan
and other people’s ideals to define Truth is truly foolish. I thank God for HIS
offered wisdom.
What makes YOU stand out… and is the cargo of YOUR
life secure?
“…no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14
It just so happened that I was in the middle lane of a
3 lane highway moving at the speed limit of 55 mph. While I was coming up on a
merge from the right… and an eventual reduction into a 2 lane highway, I
was unconcerned, having done it thousands of times before. It was then that I
saw the smashed bottle, wildly dancing in the center of the road! “Oooo,” I
thought. “A metaphor!”
The speed of the traffic caused air currents to spin
wildly out of any kind of long term prediction. As a car passed the bottle on
the right, the helpless debris was thrust to the left. When a left side car hit
the bottle’s position, it responded by veering to the right. Interestingly
enough, as the dozens of cars passed, there was no way to determine where the
bottle would ultimately come to rest.
There was no doubt the bottle was litter. Also no
doubt that WHERE or HOW it got there in the first place would ever be
discovered, recorded or told. Was it deliberately tossed out by an unlawful and
unconcerned citizen? Was it an accident… maybe falling from a recycling truck
or dropped by someone who later became thirsty, but then had no way to satisfy
their thirst?
Deep pondering would have to wait because I was in
traffic with far more important things upcoming which required my full
attention. So I drove… and the bottle danced! But because the bottle lacked a
soul and spirit, it’s fate was really of no concern to anyone… including me.
But the metaphor started to form when a question popped into mind. What if it
HAD a soul or spirit?
There are BILLIONS of people on this planet, and the
currents of peoples, governments, groups and individuals blow in all
directions. For every thought or idea, there is a counter. Being created as an
individual with free will, I am left to decide my own fate. I am not junk or
trash, but made for the highest possible honor above every other creature.
While winds blow ideas, God awaits my choice!
All the traffic was moving in the same direction, at
the same speed. Larger vehicles created more disruption and, like doctrines,
had greater influence over the bottle. But when it comes to MY direction of
choice for a forever location, my Creator had a PARTICULAR goal in mind from
the very start… to make me HIS Child… FOREVER! I am no accident. Neither are
you!
“We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:23
Our Church has a Memorial Garden in the back, where
the cremains of over 2 dozen former Church and family members lie
in rest, awaiting the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. It was my father’s
idea. He felt that scattering precious ashes to the wind seemed disrespectful.
So the Memorial Garden was set up, without markers, as a place go,
remember and pray. WORK just kinda came along!
As it stands, only half the Garden has been kept up.
That half is where the people are. The other half just kind of… GROWS! And since
Florida is a flowering state, stuff grows like crazy! We don’t have a regular
gardener, so when things get out of hand, whoever feels led goes to the garden
to trim or pull weeds. This last week Katie and I felt led to get to work. This
morning… we groan!
‘Out of control’ describes the ‘other half’ of the
Garden, and trees, weeds and vines have grown to that state! The ONLY way to
get things back under control is to get in there and manually pull, cut, trim
and haul away the debris. When the temperature and the humidity hit in the
90’s, desire and expectation often fail to meet! Realistically, it’s gonna take
longer than we thought!
As hours passed by yesterday, we both became sweaty
messes. Passing a point where I had no more to give, I looked toward the site
where my father’s ashes lay and actually felt jealous! Where HE is now, I will
go. But not just yet. For now… I work, sweat and groan! As I remembered this
Bible verse, my soul became buried in sorrow, but my spirit was refreshed with
God’s Hopeful promise!
This world is EXACTLY how it was for Adam and Eve
after ‘The Fall.’ The curses of work, weeds, sweat and death remain as evidence
of sin’s consequence. Yet my desire to live, enjoy, prosper and flourish point
to the inward Truth, written on my heart by God, that THIS is NOT the way
things were meant to be! In joyful sorrow, He calms me with His promise… Where
He is… I will go… but not just yet!
Will YOU be there with Him? And are you looking
forward, with Hope, to the trip?
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38
It has been said, “When you play with fire you either
get burned or smell like smoke!” And while I don’t know who said it, I can
vouch for the accuracy of the statement. Except for now! Technology has proven
that as time passes, convenience just seems to happen! And Katie and I were
conveniently sitting by a fire, completely safe… and NOT smelling ANYTHING!
A dear friend had asked a favor. He had a large wooden
yard ornament that ‘needed some repair’ and, having mentioned that I used to be
in carpentry, he sprung the repair request in my direction. “Sure!” I said.
“I’ll take a look at it.” When he got it to me, I couldn’t imagine how he got
‘miracle worker’ out of ‘carpentry!’ “Just take it home and look at it,” He
said. So I put it in my garage.
Because ‘the thing’ was so broken and rotted, I
determined there was no way it could be fixed. Every once in a while he’d ask,
“did you take a look at it yet?” and I’d just laugh, thinking there was NO way
he was serious! After it sat there for over a month, I heard something in his
voice that made me realize ‘the thing’ was VERY sentimental and important to
him. So I adjusted my impossible level.
It took a few months and plenty of ‘miracle,’ but it
got done and he was more than pleased. One day we received a package at our
door. Opening it I found a box of blue, glass rocks and some kind of cover! A
couple weeks later an outdoor propane fireplace was delivered. In our
discussions I had mentioned that we used a fireplace that burnt artificial
logs, but the stink and smoke was nasty!
Last night Katie asked, “would you like a fire
tonight?” Instead of a grumpy look, my face just smiled! Being the fire
builder, I’m the one who ends up stinking! But now… with only the turn of a
knob, we enjoy a clean, non-smelly and smokeless fire! It is WONDERFUL! And
it’s all because my friend gave me something I thought was impossible, and then
blessed us back in return! Just like God does!
The rules of giving were written BY God! As with most
rules, there are doubters and naysayers who question the possibility of
receiving AFTER giving! But just like the rule of gravity, how many times does
one have to fall off something to certify it’s authenticity? Sitting beside my
wife and beside a beautiful fire reminded me that… truly, one getteth AFTER one
giveth! But giveth-ing cometh firsteth!
Have YOU tested God’s giving and receiving principle?
“…be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24
Decorating
the house for Holidays is a ‘thing’ for Katie. With the 4th of July
approaching, putting up the Patriotic decorations became a priority. My
daughter painted a picture of an Eagle’s head we both like, so Katie hung it on
the front door. When I shut the door, the painting crashed to the floor,
breaking the frame! And while fixing broken frames is not ‘my thing,’ it had to
be done.
I
learned that PLANNING can take as much, or more time, as DOING! With each
repair idea came a need for a different tool. I have LOTS of tools. As I
planned my work I worked my plan. But even as I’d line up 1 corner, it would
misalign another! Determining I needed either 6 hands or more tools, and having
neither, the project is taking longer than I had hoped! Kind of like my life!
There
are days when I feel like a broken picture frame. If someone were to ask, “How
are you doing?” I’d have to answer, “it’s complicated.” Reading this verse this
morning while looking in the rear-view mirror
at yesterday, I got a clearer picture of what’s
really going on. Being made body, soul and spirit, I realized they go together
like gasoline, muriatic acid and a match! Life is WAR!
With
NO benefit of choice, I was born an enemy of God. Human sin had placed me in
that position. Thankfully, God wasn’t happy about my condition, and took the
necessary steps to get me back onto His side… at The Cross! But while the
opportunity to ‘get right’ was there, the CHOICE to JOIN God rested upon MY
shoulders. The challenge to ‘be right’ still does. And it starts in my mind.
Inside
this aging body lies a soul and a spirit. And all 3 are constantly at war! When mind gets an idea, body is too tired. When God’s Spirit calls, soul and body battle to answer. Reading the Bible can give me
God’s clear direction as to where I should go, but my THREE-GOS have to decide
to unite and actually DO it! NOT doing it can become tiring… and complicated!
Because ‘I KNOW!’
I
was CREATED in God’s Image to BE and ACT like God. I KNOW when I am not! His
Spirit inside continually prompts me to walk in the direction He is pointing.
Obeying Him is the only thing that allows me HIS peace and joy. Made to be like
the image I hold, I am His framework that constantly needs work to keep it
together. I have been framed to display HIS Image!
Are
YOU showing Him off? Or are you in need of repair! He’s GREAT at
fixing frames if you will let Him!
“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11
My
8 and 5 year old grandsons were over yesterday, and because it was hot, they
ended up in the pool. A favorite game of ours is my throwing pennies into the
water and their diving down to get them. After I ran out of pennies, it was
time to introduce them to something new. What happened next was a good lesson
for anybody who wants a more abundant life!
I
challenged the oldest to dive down to the bottom and stay there. Because he had
a tendency to float to the top, I stood on him to keep him underwater. Over a
minute later, he still wasn’t struggling. But I let him loose and he came up
laughing saying, “that was cool!” His younger brother then hollered, “do that
to me too grampa!” So I held BOTH of them underwater… while their mom laughed
and videoed the scene!
“Horrible!”
or “Child abuse!” some might say. But attempted murder is probably more like
it! What I DIDN’T say was what made all the difference. Because floating above
them was a scuba tank with 2 regulators supplying air to them! Though
underwater, they were breathing just fine! And LOVING IT! What under normal
circumstances would be considered horrific, had just become a great time!
Unless
one is a fish, breathing and underwater do NOT go together. When Jesus told
Nicodemus that to enter Heaven one had to be ‘Born Again,’ His words were
shocking! They still are! People who haven’t exercised Faith in Christ have the
tendency to drown in the sea of common sense, rather than trusting in the
Savior. Jesus is just trying to get them under… to show them the life that is
greater!
My
grandsons are smart. They know staying underwater too long can be a serious
problem. They SAW the contraption with the hoses floating in the water, but my
trying to explain the scientific and practical applications of scuba was NOT
going to get them down and keep them down. What they needed to do was what they
did! They TRUSTED me… then gave it a try! Just like Jesus asks us to do!
Faith
requires action. That means that I can be told over and over that God is good
and that His ways are better and more joyful than what I am used to. But until
I do more than just , and be willing to dive under and be held by Him, I will
NEVER experience the REAL life He promises me. But FIRST, I must be willing to
die to my own old way of seeing and doing things! I’ve tried and… Jesus
Works!
Have
YOU exercised faith in Jesus Christ and been Born Again? If so… how’s it
going?
“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.” Isaiah 1:16
I
have a couple of older cars, which is what I prefer. It’s not like I wouldn’t
LOVE a new car for both my bride and myself, it’s just that the cost for new
does not justify the benefits. So we keep our 18+ year old cars going. To do
that requires me to have a mechanic… and I do! I am blessed because my
mechanic is ALSO my friend and a fellow Believer! Lately, he’s been making a
suggestion!
When
I last took my truck to him, I had run out of electrical tape to cover the
flashing indicator dashboard lights. He repaired the problem and then did an
inspection on my vehicle because, like I said, he is also my friend. When I
picked it up, he said, “we need to get this back in soon… your back brakes need
to be replaced!” My response was, “O.K.!” But my thought was, “Pshaw!!!!”
Look…
my brakes have been working fine! I have not had even 1 incident when I pushed
on the brake pedal and my truck didn’t stop. But… we made an appointment to get
my truck to him last week… then I completely forgot! Still, I can tell you that
I haven’t had even ONE close call with any braking issues! BUT, like I said,
he’s my friend, so I guess I’ll humor him and get my truck to him this Friday.
I
have learned that maintenance is such an inconvenience! It takes time, effort
and determination to keep things in good working order. Me being me, I don’t
like wasting time on things I don’t see as THAT big a problem. Reading the Old
Testament Prophets lately, I see that Israel had the same issue! Their attitude
was, ‘why bother cleaning up when we’re having so much fun in the mud?’
As
I look around at America, I no longer have to look OUT THERE to hear a news
story that indicates a ‘stopping problem!’ Just looking around my own little
community, I see lives that are completely out of whack and headed for
disaster! As evil becomes more acceptable and normal, I am reminded that
STOPPING… will soon become an impossibility! A crash is certain!
Reading
the Word is ALWAYS inconvenient to me. It is obvious that ‘I’ am NOT Israel…
and that ‘I’ alone am not America! When I read the Word it is easy for me to
tape over the dashboard lights that indicate that ‘I’ have any problems.
Sometimes, it takes more than a little nudge by my friend ‘The Holy Spirit’ to
help me see that “I” do indeed… have a ‘Stopping Problem!’ And it’s Shop Time!
This devotional popped up in my email and, if you have been listening to me over the last several months, mirrors my own heart. America is in a heap of trouble and heading for the cliff! WE are ‘The Called’… the ones who have been given the responsibility to be light and salt to our world. That means we are to DO something! There are voices out there saying the same things. Here is a perfectly eloquent example.
Find a Storm to Stir You
Article by Marshall Segal Staff writer, desiringGod.org
Complacency
falls softly, even pleasantly, on a sleeping soul. It’s the secret to its
appeal and power over us. The complacent crave comfort, quiet, ease — an inner
life resembling a calm lake just after sunset. The birds have fled, the fish
descended, the other animals have hidden themselves away for the night. Even
the water stops to rest. Serene. Peaceful. Undisturbed.
Complacent people may still do a lot of things — just not what
matters most, what requires more of us. Few of us, of course, think of ourselves
as complacent. Life is “full” and “hard” and often overwhelming. But underneath
there’s an eerie stillness — not the stillness of peace and security and joy,
but of a spiritual stagnancy. Like a child in a car seat during rush hour, the
harried rhythms of life slowly lull our souls to sleep.
The Bible stays closed for days at a time. Prayers are quicker
and less frequent. We keep one eye on our email, our texts, our feed.
Conversations linger near the surface and feel inconvenient. Excuses multiply for
missing church. Needs around us go unnoticed. We go to sleep and wake up
anxious and distracted, and we’re not sure why. The spiritual seas within us go
from restless to sluggish to dormant.
Unless, of course, God lovingly sends a storm to awaken us:
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. . . .
Provoking Good
The pastoral charge in Hebrews 10:24–25 can easily become so familiar
that it’s no longer provocative. The storm it describes can begin to sound more
and more like a gentle breeze.
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The Greek for “stir up” means “to provoke” or “to agitate.” The same word is used just one other time in the New Testament, and it’s used (surprisingly) to describe the “sharp disagreement” that arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:39). There’s a kind of sharpness in the imagery. Shake one another, unsettle one another, upset one another — with a holy interruption — until love spills over and good works spring to life.
Why reach for such strong language to describe ordinary life together in the church? Because, like any good preacher, the writer of Hebrews knows how easy it is for any of us to settle into lives of little love and few good works. He knows how deeply and regularly we need brotherly storms to keep our souls alert and alive to God.
First Step in Good Stirring
How do we send these brotherly storms in love? The first step in
stirring one another up may be so obvious we miss it. It comes in the next
verse: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of
some. . . .” The first step in stirring up one another is simply to see one another face to face — to consistently
gather in the same place with the explicit purpose of enjoying and obeying
Jesus.
Many of us tasted the painful absence
of this over the last couple of years during lockdowns and social distancing.
We tried hard to bridge the gap with technology, but we all felt its
inadequacy. One of the many good lessons God was teaching us amid all the
confusion, tension, loss, and heartache was that we need to be stirred, we need
more than Zoom calls and livestreams, we need to meet. God has given presence a soul-stirring power that texts and
screens cannot replace.
And yet some, then and now, neglect the gift and necessity of presence. Why had some made a habit of avoiding the gathering? The excuses may have been many and varied, but they likely shared a common root: some unrepentant sin (next verse, Hebrews 10:26). They knew deep down that sin went to church to die, and so they found ways to stay away from church. Maybe it was secret sexual sin. Maybe it was bitterness over past hurt. Maybe it was envy over another’s marriage, or children, or home, or success. Maybe it was an idol of me-time. First, they had a bad morning and missed worship once. Then a couple times in a month. Then most of the summer. Over time, absence was no longer an anomaly, but the norm. A habit.
The storms we all need only come when we each keep investing what it costs to meet. Week after week, we need to be awakened. We need to be reminded that God exists. We need to be reminded that he really came in the flesh, died a sinless death in our place, and three days later broke out of the grave. We need to be reminded that all the burdens and responsibilities that feel so heavy and demanding are small and light next to our coming reward. We need to be reminded that sin will ruin us. We need to be shaken free from the sleepy spiritual fog that so easily sets in. In other words, we really need to meet.
Love Prepared for Us
When we stir one another up to love and good works, we join God
in something he has been conceiving over centuries. We’re being used by God to
enact a plan he outlined before the world was born. “We are his workmanship,”
the apostle Paul writes, “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Any good work we do today is a good
work that God himself has prepared for us.
“God chose us in Christ before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4).
And he knew precisely what shapes and colors that holiness would take. He knew
and planned the details of our love, our patience, our kindness, our generosity
and hospitality. The good steps we take, with his help, are steps he placed in
front of us. Before God poured the Pacific Ocean, he had planned ways for us to
step in and sacrifice ourselves for others. Before God laid out the sunflower
fields in Italy, he had planted needs that we would uncover and meet. Before he
formed the Himalayas or carved out the Grand Canyon, he had prepared fruitful
conversations for us to have, even this week.
And we get to help one another walk into those good works, works written out for us, specifically for us, before we knew what one was. In fact, our stirring others up into this Christ-like love is one of the many good works God prepared for us beforehand.
Consider One Another
Perhaps the most overlooked dimension of the command to stir one
another up, however, is how personal it is: “Let us consider how to
stir up one another to love and good works.” Literally, “one another” is the
object of the verb consider: “Let us consider one another . . .”
Provoking one another well begins with studying one another well. It means
paying close enough attention to know each other’s particular abilities and plans,
temptations and fears, challenges and opportunities. These are the kinds of
questions we might regularly ask as we consider one another:
What strengths or abilities has God given you?
What specific callings has he placed on your life?
What other needs has God put around you?
Who, in particular, has he called you to love? And who do you struggle to love?
What are areas you excel in where I could affirm grace in you?
What are areas you struggle in where I could come alongside and encourage you?
What fears keep you from taking good risks and making sacrifices in love?
How might God use me to help you carry out the good works he’s planned for you?
Often, just asking good questions is enough to spark the right
kind of awareness, selflessness, creativity, and love. And asked consistently
enough by people who love us and know us well, they can serve as something of a
spiritual alarm clock, calling us out of cycles of sleepiness.
So, who stirs your heart out of the soothing calm of complacency? Whose friendship awakens the right kind of conviction, ambition, and joy? And who might need you to be that loving storm for them?
