Watch Your Back

I know a man with a bumper sticker that reads, “I’ve Worked Hard All My Life. I Finally Got It All Together, And Now I Can’t Remember Where I Put It.” I felt just about that brokenhearted last weekend, as I laid in bed too sick to care about anything. I had just been bragging about how I’d dodged all the illnesses going around and was quit proud of my health. My whole life, it’s rare to find me ill enough to put a hold on everything and simply lay down in defeat. It seems though, that about every ten years, during the change of fall to winter weather, my tonsils decide to rebel with a full-blown attack on my entire well-being. No cough or congestion, not even a small sneeze suggesting the onset of a cold, oh, no, nothing that kind. They attack with infection and toxins throughout the body making me feel like I’d been hit by a train, producing temperatures above one hundred and screaming out with pain every time I swallow. So, if you missed me in your mailbox last week, now you know why. Well, I missed writing and must admit feeling rather awkward not doing my normal Saturday routines and missing Sunday worship. I guess our good health is always resting in the perils of time.
Two robins were sitting in a tree. “I’m really hungry,” said the first one. “Let’s fly down and find something to eat for lunch.” The other agreed, so they flew down and found a nice plot of newly plowed ground that was full of worms. They ate and ate and ate until they could eat no more. “I’m so full, I don’t think I can fly back up into the tree,” said the first one. “Let’s just lay back here and bask in the warm sun for a little while,” said the second. “Sounds like a great idea,” said the first. So they plopped down, basking in the warm sun. No sooner than they had fallen asleep, when a big fat tomcat jumped them and gobbled them down. As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he let go with a loud purr and thought to himself, “I just love Baskin-Robins!”
[1 Peter 4] I must admit, as I laid in bed feeling completely helpless and thinking that just a microscopic bug could do this to me, life isn’t easy to deal with sometimes even though I might be doing all the right things. Paul reminds us at the end of his letter to the Ephesians that our struggles in this life not only deal with the physical perils of the world, but “…against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6: 12-13) I think that’s what Peter is trying to get across to us here. No matter how good we are, no matter how well we practice the will of God in our day to day life, trials are going to come our way to discourage and attempt to defeat us in our righteous living. Peter says we should not be surprised as though something strange were happening to us; it’s completely normal for the world to attack our way of life. He encourages you and I to endure these trials and hang on to the end, for they are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us. No matter how hard we struggle in our physical well-being, let’s face folks, it’s still a losing battle. Take your vitamins, eat right, wash your hands, do all the right things and some microbe is going to crawl in and break you down. Peter warns us in the next chapter (5: 6-9) that even though we may be doing everything right in the eyes of God, our spirit must still be on alert because “…Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Resist him; stand firm in your faith; and he will go away. Amen!

Gingham & Homespun

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off a train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment to the Harvard University President’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks, had no business at Harvard, and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Cambridge. “We want to see the president,” the man said softly. “He’ll be busy all day,” the secretary snapped. “We’ll wait,” the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn’t and the secretary grew frustrated, then finally decided to disturb the president. “Maybe if you see them a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she urged him. He sighed in exasperation and agreed. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time for them. The president, stern faced and with self-dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady addressed him; “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was very happy here. But about a year ago he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.” The president wasn’t touched at all. “Madam,” he said gruffly, “We can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.” “Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes, and then exclaimed, “A building? Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard!” The lady grew silent. The president was pleased. Maybe they would go away now. Then the lady turned to her husband and said, “If that’s all it takes to start a university, why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. & Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away. They returned to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University; a memorial to a son that Harvard rejected. (A true story by Malcolm Forbes)
[Isaiah 53] Nearly 2000 years ago a prophet of God brought a message from God to the chosen Jewish Nation. He spoke of a kingdom that was coming, that he would be the one to establish it and would be its king. He explained that this kingdom would not be of this world, but would be a spiritual kingdom open to all the people of the world. The leaders of the Jews were too entangled in the laws and rituals of the world to spend any time with this prophet investigating his claims. They simply rejected him as a prophet of God. They rejected his message because they could not see their God as a loving and compassionate being. He was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. The one they read about in the scrolls of Isaiah. But because he didn’t speak or appear as they expected, he simply was a problem, and he needed to be gotten rid of as soon as possible. The prophet Jesus, the Son of God, paid the price himself to establish the kingdom of God, the church, by giving his life as the perfect sacrifice to God for the sins of mankind. For those who believe in the message and are baptized into the likeness of the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus, for the forgiveness of their sins, the Kingdom of God welcomes with open arms. I may be rejected by the world, but never by God, who loves me, for me.

A Black Day

“Black Friday” is a phrase coined a decade or so ago by the retail community as the day when so much money is traded for goods that most retail businesses find themselves out of debt and their bottom line is in black ink instead of red. The day following our national holiday, Thanksgiving, is always Friday, the day that retailers kick off their sales frenzy for the Christmas shopper, and this is where things seem to start getting out of hand. After the meal is finished, the dishes cleaned and put away on Thanksgiving Day, the serious shopper sits down with the newspaper sales flyers to strategize their activities for “Black Friday”. Stores promise to be open at 5 a.m. and the super-serious shopper will actually camp-out overnight on the doorstep increasing their chance of being the first person in the door to grab one of the, not enough in stock, sale items. I will never understand what it is that happens between the prayers of thanksgiving the day before and the unlocking of the retail store door the next morning. If you’re too slow, you get run over and trampled. If you inadvertently step in front of the wrong person, you’ve got a fight on your hands. One woman survived the whole mess only to arrive home and be robbed at gunpoint for a product she spent her whole paycheck on. I don’t know. To me “Black Friday” seems to bring out the “Dark Side” of man’s greed.
The day after Thanksgiving ought to be, “My Personal Best Day Of The Year”. Sounds good doesn’t it? How can I accomplish it? Well, the most useless thing to do …Worry. The greatest joy you can experience …Giving. The most satisfying work you can do …Helping Others. The greatest “shot in the arm” you could ever give someone …Encouragement. The most beautiful attire you could wear …A SMILE! Now, if you truly want to be successful at self-improvement, think about adopting the following. Get rid of your ugliest trait …Selfishness. Overcome your greatest problem …Fear. Tame your deadliest weapon …The tongue. Also remember your most worthless emotion is …Self-pity; and your greatest loss is …Loss of self-respect. Stop making excuses; Own up to your failures. And above all remember; No-one likes a gossip.
[1 John 5: 18-20] Believe me when I say, “Self-improvement is a daily chore.” The apostle Paul struggled with his daily activities as a man when he was tempted, finding himself slipping into sin (Romans 7: 14-25) and admits he had to work on his “self” as he daily ran the race of righteousness. (1 Corinthians 9: 24-27). So, what makes you and I think we are any different. If you’re a child of God then you have the traits of God within you. You have discovered the most effective sleeping pill …Peace of mind. You have an “I can” attitude and a most courageous spirit …Enthusiasm. You’ve discovered the most powerful force in life …Love, and press on every day because you’re filled with …Hope. You deem your greatest asset to be …Faith. And your most prized possession is …Integrity. You always use the most powerful means of communication …Prayer. And the most important thing in life to you is …GOD. “My Personal Best Day Of The Year” ought to include gathering up my traits as a child of God and sharing them with someone lost in sin. John said we know that Jesus came and gave us an understanding of the truth. Paul said it is Jesus who will save us from our sins. A “Black Day” is coming for everyone. Will you be black in sin or red in the blood of your Savior

Food For Thought

Well, with the advent of the awaited cold, or should I say much cooler weather, it’s beginning to feel like the holiday season should. The year is winding down and as it was being discussed at coffee this morning in about six more weeks the New Year will have arrived. Isn’t it ironic how we begin the season by giving thanks for all the many blessings of life, then express our love for one another by giving gifts and sharing the blessings of life, and then we plan, scheme and calculate, how we can grab and take all we can get our hands on for the next nine months, so we can once again give thanks for all we have? Just food for thought in your New Years resolution planning.
I stuff the turkey every year with good things from the shelf; Then when everything is ready I sit down and stuff myself. Then it’s time to look around and survey all my blessings and giving thanks for all the wonderful things I possess in this life. Lord, thank-you for this sink of dirty dishes for it means we have plenty of good food to eat. Thank-you for this big pile of dirty clothes for it means we have plenty of them to wear. Thank-you for these unmade beds for they were very comfortable and warm last night. Thank-you for this finger-smudged refrigerator, that desperately needs defrosting, for it has served us well for many years. Our family is grateful for the tall green grass, that needs mowing, for we much enjoy our private yard. Thank-you for that slamming door for it shows our children are healthy and able to run and play. And Lord, the presence of all the chores awaiting me says that you have richly blessed this family.
[James 4: 13-17] There are loved ones that are missing from the fireside and the feast; There are faces that have vanished there are voices that have ceased; And we know they passed forever, from our mortal grief and pain; And we thank thee, Heavenly Father, for the blessings that remain. Thanksgiving! Oh, Thanksgiving! And their love once blessed us here, that so long they walked beside us, sharing every smile and tear; For the joy the past has brought us, but can never take away, the sweet and gracious memories grow dearer every day; For the faith that kept us patient, looking at the things unseen, knowing Spring will follow Winter, and the earth again be green; For the hope of that glad meeting far from mortal grief and pain; We thank thee, oh our Father, for the blessings that remain. (Author Unknown) You might get the idea I don’t think much of planning ahead but, that’s not my thoughts at all. A person would be a fool to not plan and have goals and aspirations in this life for we never know how long we’re going to have to endure the trials of life. But, on the other side of that coin, we don’t know how long we’re going to have life. I read this the other day: “I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t; Than live my life as if there isn’t a God, and die to find out there is.” Evil is very strong in the world today and with the media pushing every possible scenario which opposes the teachings of the Bible at the younger generation convincing them of a “better” lifestyle, evil is going to get stronger. Examine your life and honestly ask yourself, “Is my life really following God’s will?” We’re being whitewashed with the concept that life itself is going to be rewarded with eternal life with God, or reincarnation, for eternity. If that’s true, why then did Jesus give His life for the sins of man? Food for thought in your spiritual New Years resolution plans.

Heroes Welcome Home

Could this be you? I sat in my seat of a Boeing 727 wanting everyone to hurry and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home. People were taking their time, stuffing luggage far too big to fit comfortably into the overhead compartments, holding up the growing line boarding the aircraft. I was anxious to get home to my loved ones totally focused on “my” issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. Finally with everyone settled in, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going, even though we were already past our departure time. An attendant spoke over the intercom explaining our delay, “We’re holding the plane for some very special people who have been held up in traffic on their way to the airport.” The entire plane let out a collective groan. “The delay shouldn’t be more than another ten minutes”, the voice reassured us. A considerable amount of time had passed before the voice fulfilled its promise and the VIP’s began funneling through the cabin door. I strained to look down the isle to see and discover what all the “hoopla” over these folks was. I was expecting some celebrity or dignitary or sports giant. Just hurry up, sit down and let’s get going. At the same time I saw with my own eyes who it was we had been waiting for, the attendant announced in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U.S. Marines returning home from Iraq!! The men were taken by surprise as 340 people erupted into applause. They were having their hands shook by almost everyone within arms reach as they passed down the isle searching for their seats. One elderly lady kissed the hand of one Marine and the whistles and cheers didn’t stop for a long time. During the flight I got my selfish outlook back in order and suggested to the attendant she ask everyone to remain seated until our heroes had deplaned. We waited in thankful prayer.
[Revelation 6: 9-11] Impatience must be a universal thing. John tells us even those who have gone to battle and given their life for the sake of God’s Word are asking, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitance of the earth and avenge your blood?” They were told they must wait a little longer, “…until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed had been completed.” I receive a lot of mail & email from around the world and let me assure you, this very day someone on this planet will lose their life for the sake of the Word. If this is hard for you to believe, go to www.persecution.com; The Voice Of Martyrs. When I read this passage of scripture I’m reminded of what Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, (6:12) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The day is coming that right here in America someone is going to stand up for God’s Word and be slain for their conviction. I fear it will be soon. (James 4) Read this chapter carefully, and you might begin to see God’s Word as something you’re willing to give your life to. (Ephesians 6: 13-18) Have you got your armor on? If you really want a home in heaven, you’re going to have to fight for it. All of heaven is waiting for the heroes that are defending God’s truth to arrive home again. A thunderous applause will be heard by those who have been diligent in their work.