A "Yes" Face

 

During his days as President, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, “Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?” The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. “All I know,” he said, “Is that on some of your faces was written the answer ‘No,’ and on some of them was the answer ‘yes.’ His was a ‘Yes’ face.” Bible.org/illustration; The Grace Awakening, C. Swindoll, Word, 1990, p6.

On his first night in the barracks the new recruit faced a real test. At home, he had the habit of reading the Bible and kneeling down to pray before retiring. In the barracks, he was entirely surrounded by rough fellows, many of them cursing and joking loudly. The new recruit thought it might be wise to go to bed and read the Bible where nobody would notice him. Then he thought and boldly decided, I’m a Christian! I ought to be an example for Jesus before these guys. I won’t pull down my colors. I will do here what I always did at home. So, he took out his Bible and read for a while. Then he knelt down to pray. The barracks became noticeably quiet. After a while, the talk began again, but it was more subdue. No one said anything about the young soldier’s behavior. The next night when he got out his Bible, eight other soldiers got out their Bibles. Within a month every soldier in the barracks would have fought for the lad. They came to him with their questions and their troubles. May you and I have the same level of courage before the Lord and humanity.

[Matthew 5:16] “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.” Sometimes it’s good for us to walk where we’re not comfortable. Comfort is difficult to define. It is generally the feeling we have when we know the people around us, are familiar with the place we are, and know pretty much what is going to happen next. On the other hand, discomfort is that feeling when we don’t know the people, the place, or what to expect. We would rather be comfortable. As followers of Jesus, we need to walk where it isn’t so comfortable. It isn’t comfortable to stand beside someone’s hospital bed, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn’t comfortable to go to the home of someone who has recently died, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn’t comfortable to go to someone who is in distress because of a rocky marriage, a wayward child, or a moral violation, but Jesus needs to be in all these places. So, He sends us. We are the ones to go, not seeking comfort, but giving it. We are the ones to stand in the presence of difficulty so that God will be remembered there. We are the ones who are to be more concerned with the wellbeing of others than we are about our own comfort level. And, truly, this is one of the ways He leads us to a greater adventure. Because of Him we end up going places we would never have dreamed of going, doing things we would have never dreamed of doing, and changing the lives of people we would have never met. God has a way of providing what people need, and often times, they need us. A “Yes” face to offer help and comfort.

Kindness

 

For the past several years, we’ve been hearing a lot of comments on “the graying of America.” According to statistics, American’s are reaching retirement age in startling numbers, and it affects everything from Social Security, to health care, to corporate retirement benefits. The discussions in the media usually center on the problems associated with older age. Believe me when I say older age presents one with new challenges and difficulties and one thing is for sure – the “golden years” and old age isn’t for sissies! Physical abilities decrease, eyesight diminishes, and memory seems to temporarily fail at the most inappropriate times. Sadly, one’s doctor list gets longer than their Christmas card list, time flies, and it seems there’s more to do every day than ever before.

It seems the only time we hear about goodness and kindness is when it’s noted in the news as something out of the ordinary. I personally would like to make a shout out to our community as being one of the friendliest, most courteous, and respectful people around. When it comes to holding a door for someone, or having a door held out of kindness, without fail there is always an exchange of “thank-you and you’re welcome” expressed which makes one want to do it repeatedly. A smile and a “Hello” or “Good Morning” from a complete stranger, or delivered to a complete stranger, can, and has, changed the attitude and outcome of one’s entire day. I just want to say thanks to those who unashamedly express a Godly love for one another in this increasingly demonic depraved world.

[Romans 12:9-21] At a murder trial, a victim’s relative said, “When I lost my brother, I lost someone who never said an unkind word to me!” I have to confess with shame that, if I were her brother, she could not have said that about me. How many of us could have somebody say that about us? Kindness is an integral part of the Christian character. It is linked strongly to our Lord and our God. The kindness of God is mentioned hundreds of times in the Old Testament. Jesus said of our Father, “…For He is kind to the unthankful and evil” (Luke 6:35-36). Paul’s deep analysis of love tells us, “Love suffers long and is kind…” (1 Corinthians 13:4). And again, Paul reminds us to be, “…kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate)…” (Ephesians 4:32). Paul warned Timothy that the Lord’s servant must be, “…kind to everyone …not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:24). He instructed Titus to tell the older women to teach the younger women to, “…be kind so that no one will malign the Word of God” (Titus 2:5). I wish I could take back every unkind word I have spoken in this life. What about you? We can’t do that, but we can change our present attitude to become a people of respect. Therefore, be Godly in attitude toward one another; Be kind and respectful if you expect to receive kindness and be respected.

One winter morning the old preacher brought out a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of glass, crystal, and plain-looking cheap cups. When those present all had a share of hot chocolate in their hand, the preacher said, “Notice that all the nice-looking, expensive vessels have been taken and used, but not the plain and cheap ones. What each of you really wanted was the chocolate, not the vessel, but each subconsciously went for the best vessel.” Consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money, and position in society are the vessels. They are just tools to hold and contain life. Sometimes, by only concentrating on the vessel, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate. Individuals choose the vessel. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have! Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate - every day!

Are You For Heaven Certain?

 

We live in a world that is full of doubt and mistrust. People are skeptical and we can see the reason as many high-ranking officials and CEO’s have lied and cheated in their positions on their way to the top. We see many who do not believe there is an absolute truth for all of mankind. It seems ridiculous to many folks to think there is anything that is “sure.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “sure” as: 1) firmly established / steadfast; 2) reliable / trustworthy; 3) admitting of no doubt / certain. So, is there anything that is “sure” anymore? Is there anything that is certain and without doubt?

If you knew that in the next fifteen minutes you would have to stand in front of the Lord to learn your eternal destination, what would your reaction be? Would you be relaxed, sitting comfortably in a chair with no worries and anxiety? Or would you be pacing back and forth, wondering if you were assured a place in heaven, hoping for the best, but unsure about it all? How many of us Christians are confident that we are going to heaven? Whenever I ask that question in a public setting, I am always surprised to learn that many are unsure. Why is that? Why do we not feel assured of our salvation?

We humans are good trash collectors, but we’re not very good garbage collectors. We allow the trash of sin to build up around us, many times to the point of suffocation. We go through life carrying it around on our backs. It weighs us down. It’s rotten and it smells because it’s trash, yet we cannot seem to throw it away. And so, we haul around this burden of guilt; never fully enjoying the benefits of the Christian life. To enjoy the assurance that comes with being a Christian we must be good garbage collectors. We must be able to throw out the trash and not allow it to pile up around us any longer.

Psalm 103:12 reads, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” How reassuring it is that God not only forgives, but He also strikes it from the record; He wipes the slate clean. If God can forgive even the most heinous sin, why can’t we forgive ourselves? We are all sinners (Romans 3:23). We are not good enough and we are not worthy enough to earn an assured place in heaven. But that’s what’s so amazing about God and His grace. We don’t have to be good enough or worthy enough.

[1 John 5:11-13] “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” We just have to be His! Unfortunately, there are many devoted Christians who feel uncertain about their salvation. They feel as though they can never really know for sure whether they have eternal life or not. But we don’t have to feel uncertain about our eternal fate. God gives Christians eternal life, and that eternal life is in His Son. Therefore, when one believes in Jesus Christ and obeys the gospel (Acts 2:37-41; Romans 6:1-11), he receives this precious gift. It is a life that includes all blessedness and fellowship with God and is not broken by physical death. When we clothe ourselves with Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27), we become a child of God. We are a part of His family. And by being a part of His family we can rest assured that He will save us if we continue to live in faithful obedience to Him (1 John 1:5-7). “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15, 17). Are you sure you’re going to heaven with Jesus? (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Love Suffers Long

 

Edmund Morris, in his book, “Theodore Rex,” wrote the following about President Theordore Roosevelt and his wife, Edith (p.451). “Teddy Roosevelt’s attitude toward Edith - beyond the fact that they personified every syllable of the marriage vow - as one of dog-like adoration he looked to her for porch company, for approving pats and hugs, and sometimes, guiltily, for discipline when he had done something wrong. She could bring him up short, during one of his indiscreet monologues, by giving off a special quietness that he could sense within seconds. Roosevelt often outraged her sense of propriety. ‘You only have to live with me,’ she periodically reminded him, ‘while I have to live with you.’”

Her statement brings to mind Bible words about love we don’t often hear in modern music, movies, etc. By the Spirit of God in 1 Corinthians 13:4, the apostle Paul wrote, “Love suffers long…” Some translations say, “Love is patient…,” ad that is certainly true, for the Greek term makrothumei (from makros) means “to be long-spirited, forbearing, patient.” The word also means to “be longsuffering, have long patience, patiently endure.” And so, the King James is right to translate it, “Charity suffereth long…” If it’s the real McCoy, love suffers. And, if circumstances call for it, love suffers long. Important to remember since you have to live with me, and I with you!

[Genesis 29:1-30] (v.20) “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” Jacob no doubt had deep feelings for Rachel, but his love was more than a fleeting and flimsy feeling based on instant gratification. One of the worse things we have come to believe about love is that it is supposed to always feel good, or more pointedly, is supposed to always make me feel good. We talk about “falling in love” like love is an accident that people have no choice and control over. So popular thinking says, if we “fall in” love, we may also “fall out” (and then walk out) of it through no fault of our own. Traditional wedding vows ask the marrying couple to love each other “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness as in health.” Sadly, many love only until suffering sets in, and often very slight suffering at that. Parents, help your children to prepare for a happy, enduring marriage by modeling love that suffers long.

Fred Smith wrote about being in a donut shop in Grand Saline, Texas. “A young farm couple was sitting at the table next to mine. He was wearing overalls and she, a simple gingham dress. After finishing their donuts, he got up to pay the bill, and I noticed she didn’t follow him. But then he came back and stood in front of her. She put her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up, revealing that she was wearing a full-body brace. He lifted her out of the chair and backed out the front door to the pick-up truck, with her hanging around his neck. As he gently put her in the truck, everyone in the shop watched. No one said anything until a waitress remarked, almost reverently, ‘He took his vows seriously.’”

[1 Peter 2:0-24] The cross of Christ reminds us that in any human relationship, true love is willing to suffer long. “But for what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps …who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose strips you were healed.”