There are two days in
every week about which we should not worry, which should be kept free from fear
and apprehension. One day is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults
and blunders, its aches and pains – yesterday has passed forever beyond our
control. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single
word we said. Yesterday is gone. The other day we should not worry about is
tomorrow with its possible adversaries and burdens. Tomorrow is always beyond
our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise either in splendor or behind a
mask of clouds, but it will rise (unless the Lord returns first). Until it does
we have no stake in tomorrow for it is yet unborn. That leaves only one day,
today, and any person can fight the battles of just one day. Let us do our best
this day to live with and love one another, one day at a time.
When Abraham Lincoln
was shot and killed in Ford’s Theater April 14th, 1865, he had no idea that
night would be his last. Lincoln
loved the theater and it was his common diversion for his stressful job. So he
probably didn’t think much about what he carried in his pocket that night, but
maybe we should. In the personal effects found on Abraham Lincoln that night: a
small handkerchief, a pocketknife, a watch fob, glasses (one repaired with
cotton string), a Confederate five-dollar bill, and a wallet with only some
worn-out newspaper clippings in it. Most of the items were common enough but I
want you to notice the newspaper clippings. One began, “Abe Lincoln is one of
the greatest statesmen of all time.” The clippings were, even at the time of
his death, so well-worn they were almost unreadable. They mostly extolled his
presidency. Lincoln
was probably the most vilified president in history by the media. In the midst
of a Civil war, criticism was lobbed his way by enemy and ally alike. Those
articles must have been a personal comfort he always carried with him to
reminded him that some supported his efforts. “Therefore encourage one another
and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians
5:11). It doesn’t matter if it’s the man in the highest office or the man in
the lowest job; everyone wants to feel someone cares for them. Many people feel
under-appreciated, unloved and ignored. The greatest gift we can give them
isn’t an item but a sense of appreciation. You matter. You are important. Your
work is not in vain. A kind word is something a person can always carry with
them no matter where they go.
[Matthew
24:36-39] While on a South Pole expedition,
British explorer Sir Earnest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island,
promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs
blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by chance, an avenue opened in the ice and
Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly
scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island harbor, the ice
once again crushed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the
explorer said to his men, “It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to
go.” They replied, “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice,
we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘He may come today.’”
In like manner, we do not know when the Lord shall return, only the Father
knows (Matthew 24:36); but we had better be ready. The Lord may return today,
tomorrow, next week, next year, or 1,000 years from now. The Lord has given us
no date, only that His return will be like a thief in the night, without
warning. Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day
your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42-51). If the Lord were to come today, would
you be ready? Is your love for Him packed and waiting, ready to go, today?
Did you know that our
English words “think” and “thank” come from the same root? I believe that
brings forth an important concept. Our thankfulness is based upon our “think”
fullness. In other words, we can always give thanks if we just give it some
thought. That’s what David seems to be doing in the 103rd Psalm. He begins by
saying “Bless the LORD” (v.1). That phrase in the Hebrew means to express
gratitude. He then states, “And forget not all His benefits” (v.2). David then
goes on to list a few “benefits” of knowing the Lord, like forgiveness and
healing (v.3), protection and blessings in life (v.4), food and revival of
spirit (v.5) – on and on he goes. As David thought upon the benefits that God
gives, his response was to thank Him. We should be no different. No matter what
circumstances the world puts in our life, we can always thank God – if we’ll
just take some time to think on Him! Think on what He has done and has promised
to do. So give it a try – think and you will thank! Count your blessings instead
of your crosses. Count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys
instead of your woes. Count your friends instead of your foes. Count your
smiles instead of your tears. Count your courage instead of your fears. Count
your full years instead of your lean. Count your kind deeds instead of your
mean. Count your health instead of your wealth. Count on God instead of
yourself. A thankful heart doubles our blessings, causing us to enjoy them
twice – when we receive them and when we remember them.
[Ephesians 5:20] We
have so much for which to be thankful! Every single day our Almighty God
blesses us with numerous good things. Because have been blessed, we have a
responsibility to our Lord to show Him gratitude. In fact, Jesus actually
expects us to say “thanks” when He blesses (Luke 17:17). With this in mind, let
us consider the fact that there is a proper way to say “thanks.” Thankfulness
involves… “Thoughtfulness” -
We need to give some real time and consideration to the various ways in which
we’ve been blessed. We must not take things for granted! Such is like the swine
that eats the apples that have fallen to the ground without ever looking up to
the tree from which they fell. Think about how richly you’ve been blessed. Be
thoughtful and thankful. (James 1:17; Psalm 100). “Happiness” - We can be happy with what we have—what we
do-all because we know, love, trust and obey the Almighty God! Happy is that
people whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144:15). “Appreciation” - When you tell someone, “I appreciate you,”
you are telling them, “I highly value you.” What value do you give your life?
Your family? Your church family? (Colossians 2:6-7; 3:15). “Notification” - If you are thankful…tell someone! Make it
known! Don’t keep it to yourself. Make it clear to the person that blessed your
life that you know that said blessing came from them. Paul made a habit of
telling people he was thankful for them and for what they had done on his
behalf (Philippians 1:3; 4:10; Philemon 4; Romans 16:3-4). “Kindness” - Simple kindness shown to others is a
demonstration that you are thankful for the things/people that have found their
way into your life. Remember the example of David in 2 Samuel 9:1. “Sacrifice” - The Macedonians
were so thankful for their spiritual blessings they were willing to sacrifice
physically and financially (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Our God asks that we live
each day as though we are thankful for His mercy. (Romans 12:1-2). “Thanks be
unto God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). God wants us to be
a thankful people and we really ought to make every day a day of thanksgiving.
“...in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
A man walked into a
doctor’s office early one morning. He expected there would be a long wait, so
he came prepared with a book to read. After a long time of reading, a nurse
approached him and tapped him on the shoulder saying, “Sir, it’s 5:00; we are
closing now.” Dropping his book to his lap he exclaimed, “What? I’ve been here
since 8:30 this morning and my name has yet to be called!” The nurse asked,
“What is your name?” He told her his name; she checked the log and responded,
“Sir, we called your name five times and you never answered.” The man was so
busy reading that he didn’t pay attention to listening for his name to be
called. I wonder sometimes if we haven’t become so busy in our family life, our
academic life, our occupation, our recreational life and even our church life
that we fail to hear the true calling of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit in our
life. Are we so busy that we may fail to anticipate the one true event that
makes everything else worthwhile? Christ is coming again! Are you prepared and
ready? Or, have you prepared to depart this world in an untimely manner? Do you
look forward to meeting the creator? Do you pray about it? I suggest to you
that most of us don’t think enough about it. We busy our lives with life to the
point that we pay little if any attention to the One who can make a greater
life at His coming. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels
in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on your guard! Be alert! You do
not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32-37).
[John 17:16] “They
are not of the world, even as I am not of it” Each week we go many places and
do many things. This is normal and natural. Christians are in the world and
participation in the world cannot be avoided. There is work to do; groceries to
buy; ball games to play and friends to visit. The world is very powerful
however. Its influence can be overwhelmingly strong. Could it be that the world
sometimes overwhelms our thinking and our faith? Our Lord prayed to the Father
for his disciples. He was concerned that while his disciples continued to live
in the world they must not become part of the world. “I have given them your
word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than
I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but
that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I
am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me
into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself,
that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:14-19). We, as Christians in
the world, must have an emotional separation from the world. We must be able to
critically examine our environment and know what is sinful and what is righteous.
We may still be in the world but we don’t have to be part of the world. The
Lord prayed that we be kept from the evil one. We must do our part to stay away
from the evil one. We must not allow the world to become the dominating factor
in our life. Instead, the Word of God must be the principle factor; we must be
sanctified in the Word of Truth. We have been left in the world to change the
world, not be changed again by the world. John reminds us how hard emotional
separation from the world is. “Do not love the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything
in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the
boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives
forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Satan will use any and every part of the world to
entice, deceive and lure man away from God and his Word.
I’m a fan of the Star
Wars movies. At the end of the first Star Wars movie that debuted in 1977
(Episode IV for those in the know), we find the forces of good launching a
desperate attack on the immense and seemingly impregnable enemy stronghold.
Despite all of their weapons and defenses, there is a weakness. To exploit this
weakness and destroy the enemy's mighty battle station, all the forces of good
have to do is navigate a fighter ship through a narrow trench and shoot a
torpedo down an exhaust port that is about six feet wide. Sounds easy enough,
right? The forces of good carry out their attack as planned. As they enter the
trench to approach their goal (the exhaust port), they discover it is protected
by enemy gun towers that are mounted all along the trench, and they realize
that enemy fighter ships are closing in to attack. It doesn't sound as easy
anymore, does it? However, despite the opposition and the odds, the forces of
good press on, and it is during this sequence that we witness a very noteworthy
scene. Three pilots are making their attack run. One is a veteran; the other
two have less experience. As they approach their target, the three find
themselves being shot at from the front by the fortress' guns and from behind
by the enemy ships. As the less experienced pilots give in to fear and doubt,
the veteran pilot calmly utters: “Stay on target...”
We live in a broken
world and the writers of science-fiction duly note that when the time comes we
will find ourselves living in a broken universe. As long as there are people
involved, there too, good and evil will exist. The battle between the two will
never end so long as mankind continues to recognize the difference between
right and wrong in our relationships with one another. This conflict extends from
the home to the school, to the workplace, in governments and on the
battlefield. There are veterans of all sorts who have served proudly to defeat
and contain evil and a lot of them find themselves broken physically and
spiritually. Thank, honor and encourage a battle-weary veteran today.
[John 3:16-21] It
happens more often than your think. A car gets hit from behind by another car.
No one is hurt, and the damage to the rear bumper appears minimal. The
insurance company instructs the owner to take the car in for a closer
inspection and repair estimate. During the inspection, they discovered that the
damage is more extensive than first thought. Then an insurance letter arrives a
few days later that begins, “Your vehicle listed below is a total loss.” It
goes on to explain the reasons that they chose not to repair the vehicle. The
very next day, a tow truck shows up at the house and hauls the car away. A
total loss. There’s not much that’s complicated in that phrase. It all came
down to one decision—the cost to fix what was broken was more than the price
they were willing to pay, so it was cheaper to declare it a total loss. God
could have easily looked at our lives and said, “The cost to fix what’s broken
is not worth the price I’ll have to pay.” It wasn’t just a dent or a
scratch caused by our sin, but a complete separation between man and his
Creator; a severing of our relationship that required, not money, but the blood
of his perfect Son to repair. What if our Father had decided we weren’t worth
it? What if our Savior had been unwilling to pay with his own blood? What if we
were simply beyond repair? When Jesus wanted to communicate the value of one
sinner to the Father, he told, not one parable, but three—the lost sheep, the
lost coin, and the prodigal son. Each parable drives home the same message,
“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who
repents” (Luke 15:10). One sinner, at extraordinary cost, and God says, “It’s
worth it.” Our Savior says, “I’ll pay.” The redeemed say, “Praise God.”
Well, here we go
again with the argument of “...what will define ‘standard time’ across the
nation and around the word in the future?” Give me daylight. I can’t work in
the dark!
When Dick Fosbury was
a sixteen-year-old high school student in Medford,
Oregon, he wanted to be good at
the high jump, a popular track and field event. Only one problem – Fosbury
couldn’t jump over the five-foot bar; the basic qualifying height for most high
school jumpers of his day. Fosbury was too tall to execute the “straddle”
method, a technique that required the jumper to go over the bar face first
while bring each leg over the bar individually. There was no rule regarding how
a jumper could clear the bar; but he must initiate the jump by lifting off the
ground with one foot only. Fosbury began experimenting with all sorts of
techniques, finally perfecting a method that sent him over the bar backwards,
bending his torso over the bar and then arching his legs in the shape of a
rainbow so that his body would curl over the bar. The success of the technique
was dramatic. He was the NCAA National Champion in the high jump in 1968. He
then went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal in Mexico City that same year, clearing a height
of seven feet, four inches. His technique, popularly known as the “Fosbury
Flop” is the only method used by high jumpers today. Dick Fosbury found a way
to meet the standard. At first, the standard seemed impossible. But he didn’t
give up. He didn’t try to lower the standard so that he could achieve it. He
simply used his talents to reach his goal.
[Isaiah 5:20-21] “Woe
to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to
those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight.” It seems
since the beginning of time that people who turn from God are confused about
the question of God’s standard for his created mankind. Man isn’t wise enough,
and at times, honest enough, to discern between right and wrong or good and
evil. Jeremiah wrote, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it
is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). For all of his flaws,
even Solomon knew he lacked the techniques and methods it would take to be the
leader expected of him. Solomon petitioned God, “Give me wisdom and knowledge,
that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of
yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Back to our scriptures from Isaiah; we are seeing
in our society today where folks are defining true goodness as evil. Why?
Because the moral standards of God contradict their lifestyles. Because God’s
righteousness lived in the lives of some people convicts and “pricks” those who
won’t submit to it. So, they redefine what is the true morality or standard. If
one can have society accept that baby-killing (abortion); same-sex marriage
(homosexuality); welfare and social programs (handouts for many who won’t
work), etc. is fine, then morality has been redefined. When we turn from God,
we will have chaos. Look at what atheism and evolution have done to our last
several generations. It led to apathy and outright rebellion against God. It
led to devaluation of human life (since we came from monkeys)! It led to many
people questioning the Bible as the true word of God and thus, writing a new
standard of humanistic morality. This has been going on for a long time, the
rewriting of God’s word or morals. How do we combat this? Pray. Read God’s word
and live by it. Let others see it in you. Let them see you living by the one
standard, faithfully. Show them the benefits of everyone living by God’s
standard. Try to show them the inconsistency and woeful methods found in man’s
morality. That’s really all we can do and all that God expects.