Are You Complying As Instructed?

 

There is an old story of the west about how cattle act in winter storms. Some storms would start with freezing rains and the temperature would plummet below zero. Then, bitter cold winds would begin to pile up huge snowdrifts. Most cattle turned their backs to the icy blasts, and they would begin to move downwind until they came up against the inevitable barbed wire fence. In the big storms, they would pile up against the fence and die by the score. But one breed always survived. Herefords would instinctively head into the wind. They would stand shoulder to shoulder, head down, facing the blasts of the wintery winds. As one cowboy put it, “I guess that’s the greatest lesson I’ve learned on the prairie – just face life’s storms.” Christians facing life’s storms together, shoulder to shoulder, encouraging one another and praying for one another, fulfill God’s formula for the abundant life. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

When it’s raining, there’s no way to fix a leaky roof, and when the sun is shining, there’s no need. We are our own worst enemy and God knows this. He tells Ezekiel that as a watchman He is holding the prophet responsible for warning the people against enemies, both physical and spiritual, and if they didn’t take precautions, then their blood was on their own heads. Even God’s people won’t heed the dangers that threaten their salvation. To the elders He addresses on His way to Jerusalem, Paul warns them to first keep watch over themselves and then over their flock to guard against the wolves that would arise from within and without. Still, God’s people won’t heed the dangers that threaten their salvation. It is no surprise then that on the eve of the Good Shephard being struck and the sheep being scattered that Jesus would warn His disciples to “watch!” He doesn’t do this to get them to escape or avoid the coming spiritual storm that was about to burst but to prepare to weather it. Do we prepare …even when the sun is shining? Or are we going to sit under a dripping roof in the midst of a storm and cuss the rain? Are you watching? A big storm is coming!

[John 14:15] “Non-Compliant” … That’s the word that was written on his medical chart a few years ago. On one visit he happened to see it and asked why it was there. The nurse told him it was there because he was not complying with the instructions the doctor was giving him. You see, his sugar levels were not coming down and his cholesterol levels weren’t either. Although he took the medicine prescribed, he hadn’t started eating better. Should he have been surprised? He paid the doctor money but then wouldn’t follow his educated advice. Non-compliance is not limited to doctors and their patients. We see it everywhere! Speed limits are exceeded. Zoning laws are ignored. Students disregard the instructions of their teachers. And sadly, God’s unchanging Word is challenged, rewritten, or just plain ignored. The Lord’s commandments are good for us whether we understand them or not. When God’s Word conflicts with our life what do we do? Do we quit reading the Bible or tear a page out because it goes against the way we are living? Or do we repent and say, “Not my will, but Your will be done, Father.” God saw us dying in our sin and sent the “Great Physician” as our cure. Jesus has the right to make the rules and regulations of our salvation. “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). Can one go to heaven while being non-compliant to Jesus and His Word? The obvious is NO! Just being a good person won’t get one to heaven. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Luke 6:46). Obeying God is full compliance.

Laugh and Rejoice

 

The late comedian Victor Borge once said that “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” People need to enjoy life. I have heard it said, one of the greatest lessons about having cancer is it teaches a person that it is important to rejoice more. Life is a wonderful gift. Too many people are wasting it being negative or unhappy. Researchers have noted that the average child laughs 150 times a day. The average adult only laughs 15 times a day. We are losing our smiles, and a laugh is really nothing more than a smile that finally bursts. The presence of laughter improves virtually every situation. I recently read a suggestion from a marriage and family therapist who said that we should tell jokes at the dinner table to our family members. First, of course, we need to sit down long enough to actually enjoy being with our family. Laughter also blesses mankind with inner peace. Actor Alan Alda once said that “When people are laughing, their generally not killing each other.” It takes a willing heart to open up enough with another person so as to laugh with them. Laughter builds relationships. It rewards with memories. It is positive reinforcement. It reminds us that life is great!

The Bible pictures the Son of God as one who was full of joy. Children do not flock to grumpy people. As Jesus took the young people into his arms, I believe there were wonderful smiles and amazing laughter. It would have been the most natural thing for our Savior to have with them. He experienced every emotion a man could experience. The people who are the closest to God are the happiest. How close was Jesus to the Father? His closeness must have made Him a man who usually wore a smile. The promise Jesus gives the faithful servant at the end of time is “…enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25: 21, 23). Heaven is going to be a place where laughter abounds. There will be nothing to prohibit eternal rejoicing there. Laughter, then, is a momentary taste of divine blessings. It is a prelude to a greater time when we will all be in the presence of God.

[Job 14:1] In this life there will be terminal illnesses, tragedies, family and marital problems, many heartaches, and death. However, God has promised that with each burden He will provide the strength to sustain His children: “Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). The following are some Scriptural ideas that will help us deal with the burdens of life:

1)   Remember to take it “one day at a time.” No one can live tomorrow until it comes, so one might as well live for today. Do not worry about tomorrow, next week, or next year, just do your best to make it through the day (Matthew 6:34).

2)   Depend on family and friends for encouragement and comfort. Christians are to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). In time of trials, having a spiritual family to depend on is indeed a wonderful blessing.

3)   Get closer to God. It is possible for one who is suffering to get bitter and turn from God. The Christian must have the faith to hold on to God and know that He is “…our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). By prayer and reading God’s Word, we can get closer to God. We talk to God and He talks to us. His Word will comfort us in times of despair.  “…the comfort of the Scriptures…” (Romans 1:4).

4)   Be assured there is a better world to come. Jesus said that in His Father’s house are “many mansions” (John 14:1-3). The “house” of course, heaven – a place where there will be “…no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying …no more pain” (Revelation 21:4).

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). PRAY!

Only An Eclipse?

 

On July 22, 2009, we experienced one of the longest total solar eclipses on record with a time of 6 minutes and 39 seconds. There is, of course, a difference between a “solar” eclipse and a “lunar” eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, blocking out the sun. A lunar eclipse is when the earth passes between the sun and the moon and blocks the light shining upon the moon. Total lunar eclipses are much longer than total solar eclipses according to the keeper of longest records known as: The List of the Longest Stuff at the Longest Domain Name at Long Last .com. They claim way back on May 31, 318, there was a lunar eclipse that lasted 1hour, 47 minutes, and 14 seconds. Total solar eclipses on the other hand, according to Longest Stuff Wikipedia Encyclopedia and Hermit Eclipses, are much shorter. They claim the recent black-out of the sun on July 22, 2009, was the longest since July 11, 1991, which lasted 6 minutes and 53 seconds. They also added that total solar eclipses occur every 18 months or so. The United States has experienced several solar eclipses in recent years: August 21, 2017; July 11, 2020; and this very day, October 14, 2023. If you missed this one there will be a total (that means midnight black) eclipse in San Antonio, Texas, just a few months away, April 8, 2024. One more fact – most solar eclipses we experience are called “near perfect” eclipses, not a total black-out. The reason they are called “near perfect” is because all the experts say that theoretically, the longest a total solar eclipse can last is only 7 minutes and 31 seconds. Even the longest solar eclipse on record is only 7 minutes, 8 seconds back in 1955. Remember, the longest a total solar eclipse can physically last is 7 minutes, 31 seconds – period!

[Luke 23:42-46] When Jesus was crucified there was darkness over the land for three hours!! Jesus was crucified about nine o’clock Friday morning, in the daylight (the third hour of the day [Mark 15:25]). After Jesus had been on the cross for three agonizing hours, the darkness occurred, at noon. “Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the nineth hour.” This means the darkness lasted for three hours from noon until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Jesus died in the ninth hour - so he was on the cross for a total of six very long excruciating hours. Within the natural laws of the universe, the sun cannot be darkened in the daytime for three hours – it cannot happen! Natural phenomena cannot explain away what happened that day. There were no sandstorms or rainstorms recorded for that day. Darkness lasting for three hours is proof that it was one of the supernatural events which took place during the crucifixion and death of our Lord. The only rational explanation is this. When hanging upon the cross Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) which separated Him from God the Father because sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). He (Jesus) is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). The incarnation wasn't Jesus's beginning. He set the foundations of the world in place, and He holds everything together. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). When separated from God because He (Jesus) took upon himself the sins of the world, that separation caused chaos to set in and all of creation went into a tailspin (Matthew 27:51-53). The temple veil ripped from top to bottom, the earth quaked, rocks split, graves were opened, and many who were asleep arose. The darkness was a symbol of God turning His back on mankind until man’s sins died with Jesus. Jesus truly took away the sins of the world and left them in the grave. Why do we keep digging them back up? Through Jesus, thank God I am saved (1John 1:5-7).

Has Someone Got Your Goat?

 

Hoover Rupert used to say, "The measure of someone is the size of the thing it takes to get his or her goat." The old phrase “get your goat” refers to the sensitivity of racehorses. According to Dr. Rupert, racehorses are infamously high-strung. Horse trainers learned many years ago that highly sensitive animals like a stall mate, and a goat is one of the most suitable companions for a racehorse. In fact, once a racehorse has bonded with a goat, that horse would go crazy if the goat were taken away. On the theory that all is fair in love and horse racing, gamblers used to try to shorten the odds by stealing a thoroughbred's stall mate. The hope was to reduce the racehorse's chance of winning. From this practice, "to get one's goat" came to stand for upsetting a person so that there was a complete loss of temper. So, the measure of a person is the size of the thing it takes to get one's goat. What does it take to upset you? What does it take to make you lose your temper? How emotionally high-strung are you when you find yourself in a situation with your goat being out of the stall? Perhaps, we should give close attention to the words of Paul, "Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26).

From the book Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa (pp. 143-144): During World War II, the famous heavy-weight boxing champion, Joe Louis, aided the war effort by giving inspirational speeches and recruiting. One day he was riding with a GI when they were involved in a minor traffic accident with a large truck. The truck driver got out and approached Louis, swearing, and yelling at him, but Louis sat quietly in his seat and just smiled. Later, the GI asked Louis, “Why didn’t you get out of the Jeep and knock him flat?” “Why should I,” Louis replied. “When somebody insulted Caruso, did he sing an aria for him?” Joe Louis didn’t have to prove who he was because he was secure in his own identity.

[Matthew 5:11-12] “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus did not have to prove He was the Son of God when Satan tempted Him (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13), or when the Jews asked for a sign (Matthew 12:38-39, 16:1-4; Mark 8:11-12; Luke 11:16; John 2:18, 6:30). Jesus did not have to prove He was the King of the Jews by calling twelve legions of angels to defend Him (Matthew 26:52-54). He did not have to prove His power by identifying those who smote Him while He was blindfolded (Luke 23:63-65), or by descending from the cross after He was crucified (Mark 15:25-32). He knew who He was and was secure in His identity. In due time, His Father would exalt Him (Acts 2:32-36).

If we are secure in our identity as God’s children (John 13:34-34), we will not have to prove it to doubters who insult us or our sense of piety. Although we may be tempted to “put on a show” of our righteous indignation so that they “recognize” our love for the Heavenly Father, there is no need to do so. We are already blessed of God, and He will honor us in due time.

Your influence is like your shadow. It may not always fall where you want it. Therefore, you need to be especially careful to see that wherever it falls, it will have a good effect on all. You may not be able to control the shadow, but you can control the one who casts the shadow. Make your influence count for God. Be not deceived! Others are being influenced by your example this very hour. Are you casting a “Christ-like” image?