Saturday, September 30, 2006

Blessed Are The Poor

Here it is the first of October and the change of the seasons is well under way. Autumn is the opposite of Spring, but both have a lot in common. Weather patterns change from hot to warm or cold to warm. We get more rain than any other time of the year, which still doesn’t add up to a whole lot. Then there are the grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies and birds, birds, birds, all migrating to more compatible regions of the globe. For the past two weeks it’s been the crickets getting into everything and the birds roosting everywhere. I think crickets are born in litters, a million at a time. There’re sneaky little critters, hiding in wait for a door to open and then like an invading army they flood in, hopping every which way, making them impossible to capture. For years the birds seem to like congregating by the hundreds at a certain highway intersection here in town. Even though the field they’ve always gathered in has been developed and paved over, they still use the area. I drive past there early every morning and the remaining trees and parking lot are literally blanketed with blackbirds, all seemingly to be squawking at the same time, sounding like a group of conventioneers on a smoke break. Oh well, in less than a month they’ll all be gone, until the Spring time equinox.
A mother was telling her daughter what her own childhood was like. “We used to ice skate outside on a frozen pond,” she said. “I had a swing made from an old tire that hung from a huge oak tree in our front yard. We rode our pony and we picked wild raspberries in the woods.” The little girl, wide eyed taking this in, listened intently to all her mother told her. At last she said, “I wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”
[Matthew 5: 3] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The word blessed means: happy. Well; you say, I don’t understand why the poor are supposed to be happy. Jesus spoke not of the physical person, but the spirit. The poor in spirit are the opposite of the proud, conceited, arrogant and disdainful. Only the poor in spirit will enter the kingdom of God. Maybe if we look at spirit this way. When we say an animal has spirit we look at the animal in two different ways. It is considered to have a mind of its own, self-willed and dominant, (high spirited) or it is dependent, loving and submissive, (low spirited). Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is not for the “high spirited” individual. Commentary, William Barkley, has this to say: “Blessed is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God.” ‘If a man has realized his own utter helplessness, and has put his whole trust in God, there will enter into his life two things. He will become completely detached from things, for he will know that things have not got it in them to bring happiness or security. He will then become completely attached to God, for he will know that God alone can bring him help, hope and strength. The man who is poor in spirit is the man who realizes that things mean nothing, and God means everything.” A Christian, whether rich or poor, must have the spirit of poverty. He must possess his wealth as if he possessed it not. He must be able to resign it at any moment without regret. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the lord.” (Job 1: 21) Become poor in spirit. Submit yourself to God. It won’t be long before you’ll say, “Lord, I wish I’d gotten to know you sooner.”

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Take The Mulligan

Before I sit to write I go over in my mind what I want to say, and believe me, sometimes the original idea is completely gone from the scene by the time I actually start putting my thoughts on paper. I take a “mulligan” so to speak. Now that’s a word popping up in the oddest places lately. “Mulligan” has been a golfing phrase for some time. It’s sort of an unwritten amateur gentleman’s agreement that one mulligan may be taken during a round of play for an exceptionally poor shot. A mulligan is a “do-over”, or a “freebee”. The mulligan gave forgiveness for, and replaced the poor shot. Look it up in a dictionary, and you won’t find it. Its origin is a mystery, but the most popular is this. A well known saloon keeper named Mulligan, used to place a bottle of whiskey on the bar every day, accessible to his patrons on the honor system that they might take one free drink during their visit. Hence, the freebee was on Mulligan and the bottle became known as “the mulligan”. Somehow the mulligan made it to the fairway and is becoming an expression of forgiveness and “second chance” everywhere.
A grandmother was surprised by her seven-year-old grandson one morning when he brought her a cup of coffee he had just made. While watching her with a big smile of accomplishment on his face, she drank what was without a doubt the worst cup of coffee in her life. When she got to the bottom, there were three little green toy soldiers in the cup. She asked, “Honey, what are these army men doing in my coffee?” Her grandson said, “Grandma, it says on TV, ‘The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.’”
Another grandma sat next to her daughter as her three-year-old grandson opened his birthday present. He squealed with delight when he discovered the water pistol and headed for the nearest sink for a fill-up. The mother turned to grandma and said, “I’m surprised at you! Don’t you remember how we used to drive you nearly crazy with water guns?” Grandma looked at her daughter and replied with a big grin, “YES!”
[1 John 1: 9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can’t take a mulligan until you first admit you’ve done something really poorly and you need to do it over again. God does not grant mulligan’s to those who are not out there playing the course on the straight and narrow fairway. Praise the Lord, God made “mulligan’s” a part of Christianity! Jesus was asked, in the law which of the commandments was the greatest. He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 36-39) How many times has it been you felt you deserved a second chance, but were willing to bet your neighbor didn’t? Peter asked Jesus, “How many “mulligan’s” should I give to my brother that sins against me?” Jesus told him, “…seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18: 21-35) In other words, if the one who sins against you, comes to you asking for forgiveness, give him a mulligan. God’s word teaches me to forgive my neighbor in the same way He forgives me of my confessed sins. God’s grace is overflowing with mulligan’s. If God granted only one mulligan for each life, nobody would enter heaven. The greatest mulligan of all? When we’re finished the game in this mortal sinful world, we get to live an eternal, sinless life.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Can You Hear HIM Now?

I acquired an old IBM laptop computer not long ago for a tank of gasoline. It was pretty messed up, but still functional. Come to find out it had the smallest hard drive in the world trying to compute with the largest operating system. The hard drive was full to the brim with operating programs and no room for doing any work, so it was as slow as a turtle. I was beginning to doubt myself and wondering if I had made a mistake buying this thing. Well, I didn’t have much invested so decided the only corrective action is to upgrade the hard drive to a larger one and that’s what I did, except the new drive didn’t want to cooperate. All my commands to wake up the new drive weren’t working and frustration was setting in. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to work hard at something only to see it going nowhere. It took a little basic review of computer language, typing in different commands and finally the laptop came to an understanding of what I wanted to accomplish. The new drive started accepting data and we’re working together again, at a far greater speed. Just goes to prove, you only get out of something what you put into it. And, you’ve got to know computers before they can serve you.
The young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn, so he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preachers study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me! Tell me, why doesn’t God answer?” The old preacher, who was seated across the room answered something in reply, but it was so hushed it was undistinguishable. The young man stepped closer, “What did you say?” he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the chair the preacher was sitting in. “Sorry”, he said. “I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads nearly touching the old preacher spoke once more. “Sometimes God whispers” he said, “so we will move closer to hear Him.”
[Matthew 4: 9-10] The young man in the story was expecting God to thunderously bring about a solution to his problem so he could get on with his life. We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problems, but it just isn’t that way. Jesus knew the answer when confronted by the Satan as He was tempted to serve himself. The tempter approached Jesus and said, “All these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” Jesus replied, “Go Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” We all have one great decision to make in this life; to serve God or serve self. Many say they worship God and not self, because they’ve even obeyed the Gospel, and have become a Christian. But, good intentions go astray and we tend to return to serving self once again. “That’s not true!”, you say. “I attend worship every week.” I ask you, “Why?” Are you attending to give God praise or are you just going through the motions and emotions to satisfy an inner craving you have. Jesus knew He would receive much more from God than Satan could ever give Him. The world is still boisterous and tempting, luring everyone into sin. God is quiet and loving. How will we ever hear what He has to say if we don’t sincerely draw close to Him? God wants to serve you. Your faith and service to Him will open the door to understanding, and answers. But, you’ve got to know God before He can serve you.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Everybody's Got To Be Somewhere

Ever had one of those days when it seems everything is going wrong, but at the end of the day you sit back and discover that because of all the unexpected things that happened, it turned out to be a perfect day? Weird isn’t it? Then, of course, if you’ve had a drivers license long enough you’ve found yourself happy to be running a couple of minutes late when you drive up on an accident which just occurred. It happened to me just the other day. I stopped to just say “Hi” to someone then traveled on. Two blocks away I saw a pick-up run the stop sign at the intersection I would have been at if I hadn’t have stopped for 5 seconds to greet someone. By the way. I also have to admit, having driven long enough, I’ve run right through stop signs, my brain being someplace else at the time. That cold chill of near death runs through the body every time we do stupid things like that. Do you take a moment to thank God for looking after you? I do for sure.
Where was God on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001? First of all God was trying to discourage many from taking one of the four flights with a potential of carrying over 1000 passengers. All together only 266 passengers boarded the flights of demise that fateful morning. God was on each of those four commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the loved ones phoned from any of the high-jacked aircraft reported hearing any screaming in the background. On one of the flights God was giving strength to the passengers, enabling them to try to overtake their high-jackers. God was busy creating obstacles, preventing employees from entering the World Trade Center. Many reported odd things happening, causing them to be late for work that morning. It has been estimated that as few as 20,000 out of 50,000 daily employees were in the two towers when the first plane crashed. God was holding up two 110 story buildings allowing 2/3 of the people in the towers to escape death. Amazing was the fact that neither tower simply toppled over from being impacted by a jumbo jet traveling at over 400 mile per hour. Being without a doubt the worst event witnessed by the world in fifty plus years, I can see God’s love at work in every bit of it.
[Psalm 107] I can’t swear to it, but I think it was the great philosopher, Yogi Berra, who said, “Everybody’s got to be somewhere”. That’s what makes the world go ‘round and I thank God we’re like snowflakes, no two the same. I can quote Yogi on this one: “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.” Think about those who answered the call that frightful Tuesday morning. Police, Fire and Medical personal who never thought twice about their own safety, only of helping others in their time of peril. These folks have hundreds of hours of training and countless hours of experience, and knowing the risks that lay in front of them as they approached the towers complex, they put their life on hold to do all they could to rescue or save another. Thank God for their courage and their love for their neighbor. And, the next morning you think the whole world is against you because the children won’t get dressed fast enough, or you can’t find you car keys, or the car won’t start, or you have a flat tire, or you hit every traffic light red on your way to work, or you turn back to answer the phone, stop and think, “This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.” Let your frustrations melt away in the comfort that God is watching over you and perhaps rescuing you at that very moment.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Shoe Man

I am an advocate of the Sunday Comics for much truth of the condition of mankind can be found there, even though it is with tongue in cheek. Hagar The Horrible, a self-made Viking warrior with a hodgepodge of followers, a teenage daughter, a younger son and a wife who rules the roost, was speaking with his son about the life cycle of a great Viking. “One day you’ll become a great Viking warrior, my son!” he began. “And a Viking is a very special person! His life is filed with adventure, and above all, lots of fun! But a Viking doesn’t spend all his life just having fun.” Where upon the boy perks up, “What else does he do, daddy?” “Well”, Hagar explains, “When he reaches 70 or 75 he begins to slow down a little and take life more seriously.” What’s your life cycle?
I showered and shaved, I adjusted my tie; I got there and sat, in the pew just in time. Bowing my head in prayer, as I closed my eyes, I saw the shoe of the man next to me, touching my own; I sighed. With plenty of room on either side, I thought, “Why must our souls touch?” It bothered me, his shoe touching mine; But it didn’t bother him much. A prayer began, “Our Father…,” I thought, “This man with the shoes, has no pride; They’re dusty, worn and scratched; Even worse, there are holes in the side!” Thank You For The Blessings…”, the prayer went on; I tried to focus on the prayer, but my thoughts were on his shoes again! At the end the shoe man said a quiet “AMEN”. Aren’t we supposed to look our best, when we walk through that door? “Well, this certainly isn’t it”, I thought, glancing toward the floor. And then the songs of praise began. The shoe man was certainly loud, sounding proud as he sang. His voice lifted the rafters, his hands were raised high; The Lord could surely hear, the shoe man’s voice from the sky. It was time for the offering, and what I threw in was steep; I watched as the shoe man reached into his pocket so deep; I saw what was pulled out, what the shoe man put in; I heard a soft “clink”, as when silver hits tin. The sermon really bored me to tears and that’s no lie. It was the same for the shoe man as I saw tears fall from his eyes. At the end of the service, as is the custom here, we must greet new visitors, and show them good cheer. But I felt moved somehow, wanting to meet the shoe man; so after the closing prayer, I reached over and shook his hand. He was old and his skin was dark, his hair was truly a mess; But I thanked him for coming, for being our guest. He said, “My names’ Charlie, I’m glad to meet you, my friend.” There were tears in his eyes, but he had a large wide grin. “Let me explain”, he said wiping tears from his eyes. “I’ve been coming her for months and you’re the first to say ‘Hi’; I know my appearance is not like all the rest, but I really do try to look my very best. I always clean and polish my shoes before my very long walk, but by the time I get here there’re dirty and dusty, like chalk.” My heart filled with pain and I swallowed to hold back my tears, as he continued to apologize, for sitting so near. He said, “When I get here I know I must look a sight, but I thought that if I touched you our souls might unite.” I was silent for a moment, then spoke from my heart, not my head, “Oh, you‘ve touched me”, I said, “And taught me in part, that the best of any man is what’s found in his heart.” The rest I thought, the shoe man would never know; Like just how thankful I really am, that his dirty old shoe touched my soul.
[Acts 17: 24-31] Are you living like tomorrow is Judgment Day? It could be.