“just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,..” Hebrews 9:27

My truck is in the hospital, and being down to 1 vehicle, I have been taking my wife to work each morning. Since her work is not far from the Beach, I headed there to just spend a little time with God and to think. Far across the parking lot, I saw a man setting on a bench…smoking. What happened next made me think!

A woman, maybe in her late 50’s, came jogging by carrying a bottle of water. I watched as she, staying on the path, came upon the man. As she dodged as far as she could from him, I watched her head as she gave a quick ‘ick’ nod in disgust. It was OBVIOUS she not only didn’t approve, but judged the man’s behavior to be disgusting! Which made me think about, what THEY were thinking about!

Today’s verse is one that is easily misinterpreted. Sometimes it is used as a kind of an appointment prediction! When news of a death comes, some say, “it must have been his ‘time.’” As if God sits in Heaven with a stopwatch and a finger on a death button! When I saw the 2 people in front of me, this verse came to mind. Which was kind of funny to me because…I wondered if EITHER of them had even given ‘death’ a thought!

EVERYBODY DIES! It’s a statistical fact that is indisputable, yet rarely considered. Death has a 100% success ratio. Which SHOULD be rather convincing to EVERYONE. With such an evil winning streak, you’d think people would be thinking about it a LOT! But no! Getting into the woman’s head, I could almost hear her thinking, “that guy’s stupid, unhealthy and killing himself!” All the while she must have been thinking SHE was outrunning Dr. Death herself!

Yesterday, I spoke to a man who HAD been a Church guy for years. Being who I am, I brought up my favorite person…Jesus! When I questioned him about HIS ultimate destination after death, He replied, “I don’t want to talk about it!” There must be something in the air, because he was the 2^nd elderly person I met this week who held a grudge against Jesus, simply because of the way ‘CHURCH PEOPLE’ had mistreated them. In BOTH cases, stinkin’ thinkin’ was CLEARLY the winner!

It is the Lenten season. As we approach Easter, the subject and thought of everyone should CLEARLY be about DEATH! It was not only a major topic of discussion for Jesus, it was the REASON He CAME HERE in the first place…to DIE so that I could LIVE. Sadly, most don’t give as much thought as they should to the subject of termination and ‘what then?”

Eternity is a LONGGGGGG time. In fact, 50, 60, 70 or 80 years is a tick of a clock when compared to it! To be honest, whether I use that time to jog or smoke doesn’t really matter. In the end, Death wins. Unless one has Jesus, that is. Me? I just smiled and enjoyed the morning. Because I don’t care! You see, I know Jesus. He is right here with me making me think! And He will be there when I go! No sweat!

“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1:14

Wanting a little quiet time in the morning, I went to a familiar place on a little backwater canal. When I got there and sat on the bank, I noticed some Ibises just standing on the far end of the canal. After a while I saw them start to move along the water’s edge. And just like that…the game had begun!

As the birds waded deeper into the water, I saw its surface begin to display little splashes, followed by bigger ones…BAIT-FISH! Smaller fish, or possibly shrimp, were corralled in the end of the canal, and the birds simply had to grab them with their long beaks. UNDER the water, larger fish were drawn to the bait as they began to pluck them from below. Soon, other birds came from every direction to get their fill!

I have to admit wishing I had a fishing pole so I could join in the feast. Returning to that same spot on another occasion was a thought. But it would be useless, unless ‘the bait-fish’ joined in the visit as well! Because BAIT was the cause of the action. It was a beautiful, peaceful Florida scene for every blood carrying creature there…except for the bait-fish!

We ALL have appetites and desires. Each one of us is different though, and for whatever reason, is drawn to fulfill those desires by our own special appetites. Unfortunately, Jesus isn’t the ONLY one fishing for men. Satan is a PROFESSIONAL at it! All he had to do was simply wait, watch and take notes. But that investment paid off because, men are just as dumb as bait-fish in showing up to what baits THEM. It’s easy pickings, if you just pay a little attention.

I think of the things that I’ve fallen for over the years. As I matured, so did my desires. Enticing me seemed to become a great spot for my own flesh and satan! Having fallen into traps far too many times, I have paid dearly and often. And it is embarrassing! Because ‘I’ handed satan the bait myself.

THANK GOD for JESUS CHRIST! Need I say more than that? When sin and death were overwhelming to me, He came and did the unthinkable. HE volunteered to get swallowed up in MY place! And then offered me the peace and serenity of a life where bait just doesn’t matter! Even though I fail occasionally, it isn’t catastrophic. Now.. I just like setting and getting to know JESUS better as we fish together for MEN! 

“But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.” Romans 7:8

It’s that time of year again! FUNDRAISER TIME! With it comes the offer of a trade from my granddaughter, who is raising money for her dance lessons and competitions. For every dollar I give her, she will give ME 1 candy bar of my choosing! It is a TERRIBLE dilemma!

She is family! She is required to sell candy or her parents (MY daughter) will have to pay ‘out of pocket’ expenses out of her own pocket. Naturally, they go for the easier sale…family and friends! Because I LOVE her, I was compelled by a bigger urge to buy. But I was embarrassed when I was told that other people spent a LOT more than my $15! Like I said…a TERRIBLE dilemma!

I LOVE Chocolate. But for these last 6 months, I have been cutting back on the sugar to try to keep my weight down. And it’s been working…KINDA! When I don’t have candy or cookies around, its easier to not eat the stuff. But then another problem arises…DESIRE! If I don’t have cookies…I WANT cookies. Which becomes a passionate fight until I give in and BUY cookies. And the whole vicious cycle continues.

The Law of Human Nature says that if someone tells me I can’t HAVE something…that prohibition actually PRODUCES MY DESIRE FOR IT. The ‘giving in’ produces guilt, which then produces a further desire for the very thing I feel guilty about…because I need comforted over my guilt! And EVERYONE is guilty! ANOTHER excuse!

The Old Testament Law, while factual and true, actually PRODUCES the very sin it prohibits! That is the point of Romans Chapter 7! Tell me “don’t speed,’ and I want to go fast! “Set still,” and I get wiggly! “Don’t Touch,” and I’m all fingers! Hearing, “Don’t Eat the Candy,” compels me to EAT IT! The excuse comes after I’ve eaten… “But it’s for a good cause and she’s FAMILY!”

The only words I can say are, “Oh Wretched man that I am, who can deliver me?” Which is precisely what Paul said at the end of Chapter 7. But Romans 8:1 does provide a solution! But OH what a Terrible Dilemma!

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15

Years ago I had a draining problem in my pool area. When it rained, the water rose until it threatened to come into the house! Drilling through a concrete wall, I laid a pipe to drain away that water. This week I had reason to check out that drain and found out I was heading for a problem. It wasn’t a drain problem YET…but it was potentially even worse!

Somehow that pipe had cracked underground and a tree root, searching for water, grew alongside the pipe. When it discovered the crack, it did what roots do…it kept rooting. Once inside the easy path of the open pipe, it got bigger and bigger. Had I not discovered it, the whole pipe would have eventually filled and choked shut. An even MORE difficult and expensive problem down the road. Telling the hardware guy, he told me of a banyan root once he saw that filled a 3 story tall pipe!

I’m a once saved, always saved guy! But Bible verses like this one cause me to carefully inspect my own condition. According to this verse, it IS possible to FALL SHORT of God’s Grace! Since this letter to the Hebrews is written to believers, it makes me want to find out what is really hidden in this message.

Roots are not the purpose of a tree. They are the means of supplying water and nutrients to the tree so that it can bear fruit. I know Jesus has a LOT to say about FRUIT…both good and bad! I think this verse parallels the Old Testament command of not taking the Lord’s name in vain. They think they are keeping it by NOT putting 2 words together! The same principle can apply to bitter roots that can produce bitter fruit!

I read that 65% of the U.S.A.’s population identify as Christian! Yep! My eyebrow raised too! But in speaking with people about the Gospel, I have found people who really believe they ARE Christians! To them, everything is just fine. The root to bad fruit has grown for so long, they actually believe it! When I try to dig deep to go further…resistance, rock and rubble prohibit any means to discover how big their problem really is!

This warning is from God. And He wants me to be CLEAR about where I am and HONEST with Him to allow correction and change. Just because I THINK everything is fine doesn’t mean it really is. Just like my physical body needs a periodic checkup, so does my spiritual body.

SO what kind of fruit rootin’ is going on in YOUR life?  

Lately everything has been breaking down, needing repaired or replaced.  From my roof, pool screen, pavers, truck transmission to our garage door…and just when I thought the worst was over, this morning when I was about to hit ‘SEND’ on the daily Words of the Day…my main computer just quit.  So at the last minute.. here I am in a rush to git-r-dun!.

Today is Fat Tuesday  If you lived in New Orleans, you’d be partying!  Why?  Because, according to tradition, it’s the last day before the Lenten season. A time for holiness, sacrifice, praying and fasting.  So get your party on NOW before you miss your last chance for a while!  If it sounds ridiculous…it is!

I love Jesus Christ!   If you do too, you know the struggle.  The spirit and the flesh battle constantly, with the flesh winning a large part of the time.  Until I learned the HARD way… that winning at partying isn’t a win at all!  As I approach the time to remember Jesus’ life and sacrifice, I find it more peaceful to walk with Him every day!  Together…everyday is a joy.  Even when things go wrong or bad!   

What are YOU going to do today?

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

While pumping gas, I noticed the wind whipping up from the south, clouds coming with it. A rainstorm was on the way! Flags at several storefronts were straight out…fiercely waving with the wind. Then I heard it…Brawwk! Looking up, I saw 5 birds on overhead several wires. Some facing the wind, others parallel to it. As a gust hit, another one spoke up…Brawwk! At least that is what I THINK they were saying!

Now I’m not sure a bird can even MAKE the ‘R’ sound with it’s beak! But I was intrigued and watched. With the wind literally whipping up a storm, they balanced there, clamped to the swaying wires by their little birdy feet! Their feathers and heads counterbalanced the waves of wind as if they had not a care in the world! I wondered…why are they doing that??? Brawwk! Was all I got!

I thought of some possible scenarios if I were a bird. I could fly into the wind…but eventually collide with the storm. Or fly away WITH the wind…ultimately facing the same result when the storm eventually caught up. The birds didn’t seem to be pondering ANYTHING. They simply clung there in the wind, saying little, seemingly quite content! Silly birds!

While there is a reference to some people mounting up as eagles, the Bible refers me to a sheep and Jesus as The Great Shepherd. Remembering Psalm 23, I noted God supposedly led David beside still waters! As I watched the birds, I couldn’t help but wonder.

Psalm 23 is the Old Testament, much of it with David running for his life! I quickly hashed through verses in the New Testament and remembered that, in this world, it promises me everything BUT stillness. Things like persecution, trouble, hatred, tribulation, possibly a sword…but definitely a cross to carry…if I want to follow Him that is! I heard it again! Brawwk! It was then I think I got the message He was trying to tell me!

Those birds had no care in the world because they were BIRDS! If they got blown off, they had wings and could FLY! At best it would be fun. At worst they’d get a little work out. But nothing around them was of any great concern because they were ABOVE their environment! And so it is with me! Peace doesn’t come from the environment I live in, but from the Savior who lives in me! To that I can only say in agreement…Brawwk!

What do YOU say?  

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13

Driving down the road I came to a stop light! No surprise there! But when I got the green light to ‘GO,’ the going was rather slow. The natural instinct to help it along came with pushing harder on the gas pedal! This action led to some unfamiliar whining and reluctance upon its movement. After I got it up to speed, the ‘check engine soon’ light came on! DUH!

The first thing I did when I got home was to grab something to eat! Then I got the mail, did some work and then thought I’d better get out there to check the transmission fluid before the truck cooled all the way down. Starting the engine produced the same ‘warning light’ reminder. After making sure the oil level was ‘normal,’ I took it for a spin just to verify! Yup! Something’s wrong!

I KNEW something wasn’t right before the light came on. Owning this truck for 16 years, I know how it sounds and feels when it’s in good shape. After it started behaving badly, the light came on…almost like a ‘HEY DUMMY’ memo! It was simply a confirmation of what I already knew…and SHOULD have known. Kinda like this Bible verse!

Being born into this world comes with LOTS of inbred knowledge and instincts. The evidence around us SCREAMS a warning that ‘something’s wrong!’ But that evidence SHOULD only be like that ‘check engine soon’ light of verification! If we all were honest with ourselves, we already KNOW life wasn’t meant to be like this!

The Bible is God’s written Word to us affirming what is already written on our hearts. This particular verse is the light that screams how to KNOW for SURE! Sinful man is INCAPABLE and UNDESERVING to stand before the Perfect God. Common sense tells us that there is NO REASON God should, or could, give us a pass and ignore the breakdown. The ‘Master Mechanic’ has NO choice but to pass an ominous judgment. ”BROKEN!” “Unacceptable” “Ir-repairable!”

When I discovered that I was broken, I was offered the only solution possible. A NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus. HE paid the penalty for my breakdown and made me an offer I could not refuse! Asking and receiving His New Life in me, He came and took up residence in the engine of my heart. This Bible Verse CONFIRMS the LIFE’ I already KNOW I have! I have no worries! Except for…now I gotta call my truck mechanic!

What do YOU know for SURE!??? 

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Going to the mailbox turned out to be an adventure. Having determined that junk mail seems to increase when the economy is stronger, it hasn’t been uncommon for me to throw the whole pile from the mailbox…into the trash. But THIS one SCREAMED to me something I LOVE to hear! “I am a WINNER!” All I needed to do was investigate the mailer to find out WHAT I won…and WHY and HOW I collect it!!

Having been in sales most of my working career, I know the tricks devious people and companies can use to make sales. If they can get your ‘attention’ and pique your ‘interest,’ they have a good shot at ‘convincing’ you that what you WANT is what they HAVE. Knowing this was a scam, I wasn’t interested in knowing WHAT I won as much as I wanted to know WHO was referring to me as a ‘WINNER!’

I flipped the heavy plastic card around and glanced at the big print…nothing! I then focused on the back side where, about 1/5th of the card was REALLY fine print. Even after reading all of THAT, I still had NO clue as to who thought I was worthy of receiving $1,000,000 (or ‘up to’ $100)! For that, I had to CALL!!!! Then it clicked!

Words have a powerful impact on people. “You’ve got a cold” is a small thing when compared to, “you’re pregnant!” And “Hi!” doesn’t carry NEAR as much weight as “I love you.” A strange mailing calling ME a WINNER sets my bells ringing because SOME words just don’t seem to ‘go together.’ Today’s Bible verse is kind of like that because, using strength and weakness in the same sentence just doesn’t seem to fly!

Mention the name Jesus Christ in a crowd and you’ll generally get 2 different and extreme responses. One positive and the other…not so much! I think it’s because the message Jesus Christ came to proclaim has ZERO fine print! He never minced words or could be considered indecisive. He said (in so many, yet few words) “it’s me or the Lake of Fire!” And ‘if you want to get to God, I am your ONLY winning ticket!” Which leaves people who WANT to WIN, generally looking for the fine print!

“Take up your cross and follow me!” is a hard piece of mail to read! Concepts like, ‘the greatest is the leastest!’ ‘Serve others not yourselves.’ ‘Give and it will be given’ (but you go first)! ‘Turn the other cheek’ and ‘lend to those who ask,’ just seem to help weed out the dead leads that weren’t going to buy anyway!!

Today’s verse is kind of freaky and a concept that I have NEVER seen used in the commercial world! ‘Give ALL of your possessions away and come see what you’ve won!’ is the craziest contract I have ever seen. But wondering or complaining about it isn’t going to help because… I have already signed the contract!

Are YOU a winner too???  

“Why do you look at the speck (mote) of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank (beam) in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3

I’ve been trying to be very careful lately. When my eyes started bothering me a couple months ago, I went to my eye doctor and got an exam. She gave me a prescription, with which I ordered some sunglasses and reading glasses to be able to see FAR AWAY. Now, no matter WHAT I am looking at…I need glasses to see it! But I’m STILL trying to keep track of my glasses?

Seeing and knowing my limitations now also requires notes! I have an app on my phone for that. Since I see and think a lot, it is understandable why I get so flustered when I can’t find my phone or glasses! What makes it worse now is, NOT being able to find them points out some rather large beams and motes stuck in my own eyes and heart! By necessity, I am working on not getting flustered!

Katie put a fish bowl in the middle of the dining room table and threw all of our $1 reading glasses in there. She needs them too, so when we need a pair, we just go to the bowl and grab from about a dozen pair. Strangely, I seem to keep grabbing the same pair…the one that has a flaw on the right lens! It’s right there in the center so I actually have to turn my head to see around it! Which is kind of a funny metaphor for my life right now!

I find the biggest problem is the motes. A mote is like a tiny spec of dust. I never had as much problem with those tiny particles as I do now! I’m not sure if God is pointing them out MORE as I get older or if I just didn’t notice as much before. But paying attention certainly makes life a little easier. Maybe that is the point He is getting across to me.

Paul said it in a way I may never have understood it until now in 2 Corinthians 12… “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Being a grumpy old man is a natural option. And I can see why. But with God at work in my seeing and note taking, I am finding the ‘grumpy’ option to be MUCH more painful than ever before! Maybe I’m learning that I don’t want to have to look around a flaw to see what’s really there. Hmmmmmmm.