"Healing From Forgiveness" (Part 3)

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man."' "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.' "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.'” (Luke 15:11-24 NLV).

While we must acknowledge God’s grace and remember that we have been cleansed from sin, there is a third truth necessary for us to know the fullness of God’s healing from His forgiveness. With the change of our condition comes a change in our position. We must recognize that we have not only been cleansed of sin, but we have been clothed with righteousness. Certainly, this is the impact of the parable we have started with this morning.

You’ve surely heard people say before "clothes make the person." In the spiritual life, this is very true. What covers us is what makes us who we are. The Bible states that "God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." When Christ took away my sin, He put His righteousness on me in return. It’s what we call "imputation." The sin of Adam was imputed to the whole world. The sins of the world were imputed to Christ. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to those who have placed their faith in Him. It is a credit that is given. Even though I have sinned and still sin, I am "dressed to the nines" in righteousness. So, when the Devil begins to accuse me of being less than perfect, I can say to him, "I may not be what I should be, I am not what I will be, but by the grace of God, I am not what I was." I have been clothed with righteousness because of Jesus Christ.

Paul asks in Romans 8: "If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who is he that condemns? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" It isn’t a "what" that hinders the Christian life, it’s a "who." Satan is against us, bringing a charge against the elect, condemning us and attempting to separate us from the love of Jesus Christ. Perhaps some of you are feeling his attack. You have been driving around with rearview mirrors so big that you can’t see out the front windshield. Guilt is overwhelming you. The Devil is prosecuting you in a court of false accusation.

As you move toward the celebration of Easter, I hope that God is restoring to you the joy of His salvation. Our verdict has already been pronounced in the court of grace and the Devil has nothing on us. So, when you hear the voice of accusation, remember that we have been chosen by grace, cleansed of sin and clothed with righteousness. And so, we may rejoice with the Scriptures that says: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

"Healing From Forgiveness" (Part 2)

Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers – none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLV).

Yesterday we saw that the first essential in achieving healing through forgiveness was to acknowledge that we have been chosen by grace. The second we should know is that we have been cleansed of sin. In Zechariah we are told Joshua stood before the Lord with filthy clothes that represented sin. We need to get the full impact of the picture here. The word "filthy" literally means "excrement." Joshua’s sin was like dung in the presence of God.

Notice that the Lord didn’t let Joshua off the hook by diminishing his sin. And, when the Devil accuses us, our defense is not to explain away sin because all sin is a nasty, stinking mess before a holy and pure God. Even when Jesus, the righteous Branch came, He didn’t just wink at our sin. He didn’t ignore it or pretend that it wasn’t as bad as it was. Jesus dealt with our ugly sin by dying an ugly death. At the cross, our sin wasn’t excused. But it WAS erased.

Baptism, no matter which form you may practice, is a beautiful picture of the cleansing of God’s grace. As the candidate completes the baptismal act, with water flowing off him, it pictures the washing of the soul by the grace of God. No wonder the scripture teaches us that God’s forgiveness is so complete that our sin is separated from us “as far as the east is from the west.” I know you’ve heard it said before of this verse, but it bears repeating for emphasis. While the distance from the north to the south may be measured, since both have a beginning point, the distance “from east to west” has no such measurement. God takes our sin forever away from us.

Under the old covenant people were forced to sacrifice animals for their forgiveness of sin. However, it left them feeling guilty because the sacrifice was always incomplete. When Christ came, he took away sins once and for all. We are encouraged to draw near to the presence of God, not under accusation, but with the full assurance of faith that our hearts have been cleansed from a guilty conscience. The great hymn of faith says it so well:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

So, when the Devil begins His assault, sing those words with confidence. You have been cleansed of your sin.

"Healing From Forgiveness" (Part 1)

O Lord God Almighty, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Israel. O God, look with favor upon the king, our protector! Have mercy on the one you have anointed. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you. (Psalm 84:8-12 NLV).

In order to experience the healing of God’s forgiveness, the first essential for us to recognize is that we have been chosen by grace. Just as the Lord had chosen Israel and had rescued her from the Egyptians, the Caananites, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians like a stick is snatched from a campfire, so He has rescued us. Israel had done nothing to earn God’s favor. Their salvation was an act of His mysterious grace. So is ours.

We live in a world of performance. In 1988, the Houston School district nominated bus driver Lillie Baltrip for a safe-driving award. As she was driving a busload of her colleagues to the awards ceremony, she turned a corner too sharply and flipped the bus over sending herself and sixteen others to the hospital. Now, do you think she still got the award? No! Even though she was accident-free for a whole year, she ended up with a poor performance. Most airlines will give you a free seat, but only if you earn the advantage miles. Colleges and universities all across our land will give out diplomas this May, not because they’re a loving institution, but because the students have earned them. The Boy Scouts of America aren’t in the habit of handing out honorary Eagle Scout badges. Our world is perpetuated by performance. Acceptance, acknowledgment and applause are earned through achievement. Satan uses that same mentality to accuse the Christian. He tries to convince us that God will only award those who perform well. Heaven is reserved only for the upper-level saints. And so, when we remember some past sin or present failure, we feel condemned by our own lack of performance.

But the Scriptures say something completely different. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul writes that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." In other words, salvation is a free gift of God, not a trophy that we can earn because we do well in life. In 2 Timothy 2:9, Paul reminds us that God has saved us, not because of anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace. In Titus 3:5, we learn again that we have been saved, not because of any righteous things we have done, but because of the mercy of God.

God didn’t choose any of us because of our accomplishments, our manners, our net worth, our intelligence, loving attitude or good looks. Rather, He chose us out of His grace. That is, we were destined for God’s righteous judgment but God chose to rescue us from His wrath. Every Christian is a burning stick snatched away by the righteous Branch. Mark Twain once wrote that “heaven must be based on grace because if it were based on loyal performance, we’d be rejected, only our dogs would get in.” So, when the Devil begins to accuse, remind him and remind yourself that you are a sinner. But just as your performance didn’t gain you a seat in heaven, neither can your failure cause you to lose what God has given by His wonderful grace.

"Faith or Fear?" (Part 2)

So they arrived in the land of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. Homeless and naked, he had lived in a cemetery for a long time. As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell to the ground before him, screaming, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was shackled with chains, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon's power. "What is your name?" Jesus asked. "Legion," he replied – for the man was filled with many demons. The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the Bottomless Pit. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons pleaded with him to let them enter into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission. So the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake, where they drowned. When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, for they wanted to see for themselves what had happened. And they saw the man who had been possessed by demons sitting quietly at Jesus' feet, clothed and sane. And the whole crowd was afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. And all the people in that region begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. The man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too, but Jesus said, "No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you." So he went all through the city telling about the great thing Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39 NLV).

Yesterday, in part one of this little series we read from the first part of this episode how the disciples were afraid they would die in the storm on the sea. Immediately after landing safely on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they are confronted with a demon possessed man. Jesus confronts the demons who had driven the man to insanity and sends them out of him. The key to the cure of this individual is in the explanation from Luke that “they saw the man who had been possessed by demons sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, clothed and sane.” It is a marvelous picture of the power and promise of God for all of us. There are so many different ways Satan has of robbing us of our peace. The root of all of his power over our lives rests in the use of fear. Fear and faith cannot operate in our lives simultaneously. One must win over the other. It is the nature of each belief.

Let me emphasize that fear is not caution. There is a great difference between the paralysis of fear and the wisdom of caution. Faith does not require us to act foolishly or with reckless abandon. Faith does not suspend the natural consequences of our decisions. If you decide to jump from a ten-story building the natural consequence of gravity will cause you to fall. Further, since your body is no match for the abrupt stop when reaching bottom, you will likely do irreparable damage! Fear would cause you to never go to the top of the building; caution causes you not to get too near the edge. Satan’s desire is to keep us from ever going to the top of the building. So many people have lost their joy in life simply because they cannot look beyond the lies of the devil. The truth is that Jesus has conquered Satan, death and hell. Trust in Him!

"Faith and Fear?" (Part 1)

In the book Hell’s Best Kept Secret, by Ray Comfort, there is a true but tragic story. It seems a woman was once walking along a riverbank with her child. Suddenly the child slipped into the river. The mother screamed in terror. She couldn’t swim, and besides, she was in the latter stages of pregnancy. Finally, somebody heard her screaming and rushed down to the riverbank. The utter tragedy was when they stepped into those murky waters to retrieve that now dead child, they found that the water was only waist deep! That mother could have easily saved her child but didn’t because of a lack of knowledge. In today’s Scripture we will see the same kind of reaction from fear and Jesus’ encouragement to face life with victory.

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and started out. On the way across, Jesus lay down for a nap, and while he was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" So Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! Then he asked them, "Where is your faith?" And they were filled with awe and amazement. They said to one another, "Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?" So they arrived in the land of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. (Luke 8:22-39 NLV).

There are at least two important principles of truth to be gained from this passage. First, the disciples did not deny the reality of the danger they faced. Luke said it was a “fierce storm” and “they were in real danger.” It is important to recognize that mere whistling in the dark will not keep us safe from harm. Satan’s efforts to harm us are very real, however, so is the promise of God. There are so many times in the Bible when our Lord has promised to be with us that we hardly may number them!

And, that brings us to the second principle: the disciples did not recognize the power of Jesus. They had no faith in either who He was or what He could do. They were in real danger, but they were not going to drown! It is the knowledge of who He is and what He can do that is the basis of our faith response to the attacks of Satan designed to rob us of our joy in life. We’ll see that vividly illustrated tomorrow as we continue this passage in Luke. Jesus’ casting out the demons from the man in Gerasenes is such a clear example of who He is and what He can do. Today, however, rest in the knowledge that He can calm the storms in your life.

A preacher once said, “A wise bird knows that a scarecrow is simply an advertisement. It announces that some very juicy and delicious fruit is to be had for the picking. There are scarecrows in all the best gardens. If I am wise, I too shall treat the scarecrow as though it were an invitation. Every giant in the way which makes me feel like a grasshopper is only a scarecrow beckoning me to God’s richest blessings.” He concluded, “Faith is a bird which loves to perch on scarecrows.” Come with me the garden of God’s rich blessings! Whatever you are facing today, as real as it may be, deliver your future into the hands of the One who can speak and “even the wind and the waves obey”!

"Is Your Hut Burning?"

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud, or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. (Psalms 40:1-5 NLV).

As is true with many of David’s psalms, this one today is no exception - it is born out of adversity. As David found himself more and more a target of the wrath and jealousy of Saul, pursued like an animal, he cries out in praise to the Lord. The following story illustrates an important attitude that each of us ought to cultivate in the midst of our own walks.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

I have noticed in my life that it is easy to pray and praise the Lord when things are going well. However, it is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. As tough as it is to remember, we shouldn't lose heart. God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Paul wrote, "... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (cf. Philippians 4:12). Paul had confidence that good would come out of everything, so he learned to be thankful, not bitter, even when he was suffering.

I am often asked why such bad things happen to so many good people. Of course there are easy theological reasons that may be offered, though none of them give very much comfort in the midst of trial. Usually I try to do two things in the middle of my own trials. First, I seek out a trusted friend. All of need to have God “with skin on” in a time of trial. Find that special friend God has given you to comfort and encourage you through the difficulty. Second, I do my best to remember that when my little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. His plans really for us really are too numerous to list. If we try to recite all His wonderful deeds, we would never come to the end of them!

"Frogs and Life"

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness. We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (James 3:1-10 NLV).

It is always easy to speak. However, speaking wisely is often a more difficult task. The art of encouragement is one which all of us ought to develop and use. The following little story illustrates the truth in this passage from James.

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

First, there is the power of life and death in our tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. When you’re gathered with friends, family, or coworkers today don’t fall into the trap of discouraging conversation. Be positive and encouraging. Watch the power of your words change the climate of your surroundings.

"Armor Hot Dogs"

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today." Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost." (Luke 19:1-10 NLV).

Everyone possesses his or her own unique desires, attitudes, and abilities. We are all individuals. The world knows this and emphasizes it. Do you recognize the following jingles?

 “Hot dogs - what kind of kids eat armor hot dogs, fat kid’s, skinny kids, kids that climb on rocks, tuff kids, sissy kid’s, even kids with chicken pox.” Or
 “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders won’t upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way….”

Of course these little commercial jingles are easily recognized. They have a very important message. The business world has come to realize that because of the immense nature of our individuality, especially in America, success means meeting the needs of everyone. Virtually every aspect of modern thought is consumed with individuality. Legislation that secures the rights of the individual above all else is now most common. Judicial rulings increasingly use the same standard as their ultimate aim: that of placing the needs, desires, hopes, and dreams of the individual as the centerpiece of modern society.

God cares about us as individuals also. The story of Jesus meeting Zacchaeus is a great example of His love for one man just as he was. So often today we come away from church or Bible study with the feeling that we must conform to a set of rules or laws in order for God to love us. That is simply not the truth. Jesus desires to meet us where we are now in our individual lives. He has a specific plan for each of us. When He stopped on the road and addressed Zacchaeus, Jesus was revealing the plan of God for all men. First, He wants all of us to be saved. And, second, He wants all of us to be a part of His family. Regardless of where you have been, or what you have done God desires to come to you today. No matter how many times you may have “failed” in life, God desires to be a Father to you.

Perhaps you have been looking for that kind of acceptance, however you don’t feel like you can measure up to the standards set by others. I have good news for you today! Jesus has already “measured up” to all of the standards for you. Isn’t it time you came down out of your tree and experience the warmth of God’s loving grace today!

"Are You Too Busy?"

O Israel, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case? Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27-31 NLV).

I recently read a story where Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. But, if they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches, let them have their conservative lifestyles; but steal their time, so they can't gain that relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" shouted his angels. "Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!" "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive; to keep the TV, VCR, CDs, and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. HA! That will fragment these families quickly! Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion. Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. IT WILL WORK! IT WILL WORK!"

I guess the real question is has the devil been successful at his scheme in your life? Are you too busy?

"A Matter of Perspective"

Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night's sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one's children. People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born. And this, too, is a very serious problem. As people come into this world, so they depart. All their hard work is for nothing. They have been working for the wind, and everything will be swept away. Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud – frustrated, discouraged, and angry. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-17 NLV).

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "Oh, no more than fifteen or twenty years." "But what then, senor?" The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions, senor? Then what?" "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

We ought to remember in the midst of our busy lives that it is the love of money that brings about our ruin. Money and success are not the problems. Today, ask yourself, “what am I in love with?” If you find the right answer to that question, then you will find the time to do some of the other things in life you may have been “too busy” to do lately!

"Famous Last Words"

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. (Ephesians 3:14-21 NLV).

These were some of Paul’s “last words.” He wrote them while imprisoned and waiting Nero’s judgment. They are full of optimism inspired by his deep sense of faith in the promise of God. There are plenty of opportunities in our lives to choose between optimistic faith and pessimistic belief. Consider the following “proclamations”:

 "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." --Western Union internal memo, 1876.
 "Everything that can be invented has been invented." --Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
 "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" --David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
 "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
 "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." --Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
 "I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." --The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
 "But what ... is it good for?" --Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
 "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." --Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
 "640K ought to be enough for anybody." -- Bill Gates, 1981

It's amazing that we've accomplished so much technologically in this country considering the pessimistic views held by so many, some of them coming from people who at one time held the pessimistic views themselves! What is your vision for the future? What would you like to accomplish? More to the point, what would you like to see God accomplish through you? There will likely be someone around you ready to tell you that "it can't be done", or "we've tried that before with no success", or "it's too much trouble". Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May the God who can do more than we can even imagine be with you this day!

"A Cowboy's Guide to Life"

Whether the following came from Will Rogers or not, no one knows for sure. However, its homespun wisdom is both humorous and thought provoking. It is called “A Cowboys’ Guide to Life.”

 Don't interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.
 The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
 If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
 If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.
 The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.
 Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.
 If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
 Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.
 Generally, you ain't learnin' nothing when your mouth's a-jawin'.
 If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya.
 Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
 Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back.
 The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back into your pocket.
 Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Wisdom is a very important part of God’s gifts to us. Solomon certainly understood this truth. When he was given the chance to ask for anything from God, he chose wisdom. No wonder he encourages all of his readers to do the same.

Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding. For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. (Proverbs 3:13-18 NLV).

There were three basic paradigms in Israel's religion: law, prophecy, and wisdom. It was not the form of Israel's religion that made it distinctive, but its content. “Wisdom” was a way of viewing and approaching life. This way of life made them different from every other people group in the world. We are also to be different. Wisdom is the thing that will make us different. Remember that it is not information that we are called to seek after. That’s not what will guide us down delightful paths nor bring us to the tree of life. There are many people who are informed, and yet miserable. Joy comes to those who find this way of viewing and approaching life. Jesus explained it very succinctly. He summarized simply by saying we ought to love God with all that we are and our neighbor as we love ourselves. We know this principle as “the Royal Law.” As I first read the “cowboy’s guide to life,” it reminded me of many practical ways to practice the Royal Law. Embrace wisdom today and walk down your own delightful paths.

"Frogs and Life"

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness. We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool. If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. (James 3:1-16 NLV).

It is always easy to speak. However, speaking wisely is often a more difficult task. The art of encouragement is one which all of us ought to develop and use. The following little story illustrates the truth in this passage from James.

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

First, there is the power of life and death in our tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. When you’re gathered with friends, family, or coworkers today don’t fall into the trap of discouraging conversation. Be positive and encouraging. Watch the power of your words change the climate of your surroundings.

"Is Your Hut Burning?"

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD. Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud, or in those who worship idols. O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. (Psalms 40:1-5 NLV).

As is true with many of David’s psalms, this one today is no exception. It is born out of adversity. As David found himself more and more a target of the wrath and jealousy of Saul, pursued like an animal, he cries out in praise to the Lord. The following story illustrates an important attitude that each of us ought to cultivate in the midst of our own walks.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

I have noticed in my life that it is easy to pray and praise the Lord when things are going well. However, it is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. As tough as it is to remember, we shouldn't lose heart. God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Paul wrote, "... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (cf. Philippians 4:12). Paul had confidence that good would come out of everything, so he learned to be thankful, not bitter, even when he was suffering.

Someone recently asked me why bad things happen to so many good people. Of course there are easy theological reasons that may be offered, though none of them give very much comfort in the midst of trial. Usually I try to do two things in the middle of my own trials. First, I seek out a trusted friend. All of us need to have God “with skin on” in a time of trial. Find that special friend God has given you to comfort and encourage you through the difficulty. Second, I do my best to remember that when my little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. His plans really for us really are too numerous to list. If we try to recite all His wonderful deeds, we would never come to the end of them!

"The Tasteberry of Christianity"

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings. I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely. But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. But the king will rejoice in God. All who trust in him will praise him, while liars will be silenced. (Psalm 63:1-11).

I’ve heard a story about a man who bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so, on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes we’re like that. We start out with the best of intent to keep Christ first in our lives. But soon, our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose.

There are some practical habits that we can develop that will help us stay on track. The psalm from David we have just read gives us five of these.

1. First, we ought to worship. There are some that have seen this exercise as merely going to church. However, as important as that can be, David was no where near the temple when he made wrote this psalm. He was hiding in the hillsides of Judea, yet he worshipped. He understood that genuine worship is the standing in awe of God wherever you are.

2. Second, we ought to praise God. Praise is the "taste berry" of Christianity. There is a berry in Africa that the natives use to “sweeten” their foods. It is a bitter tasting berry. They will eat one before other foods and the juices from it cause anything else they eat to be sweet to the taste. You may be in a time when you feel there is nothing to praise God in your life. Lift up your soul to face Him and watch how the “taste” of your life’s events starts to sweeten.

3. Third, we ought to meditate. Meditation is the art of listening to God. Find a quiet moment and think on the things of God that you already know. Listen for His response as you open your spiritual ears to Him.

4. Fourth, we ought to sing. For some of us the thought of singing is as near torture as we will ever come! All of us have the ability to make music. Do you remember the song in Snow White, “Just Whistle While You Work”? There is a wonderful change that takes place when we let our soul sing the song planted within it by the grace of God. Try it for yourself this morning, even if it’s only a whistle!

5. And, last, we ought to rejoice. This is the point of genuine surrender. Here we find a true sense of gratitude rising within us bringing us before the face of our Father. Here we find ourselves back on the real trail we were intended to follow.

"Love v4.0"

Happy Valentine’s Day! I found the following imaginary exchange between a “home computer user” and a “service representative” that I thought might be of some inspiration to you today as you meditate on the spiritual implications of this day. Remember that when Jesus was asked to list the greatest commandment, He simply said that loving God and others were the two essentials in obedience. Install “Love v.4.0” today!

Service Rep: Hello, you have reached the Heart Systems Software Company help desk. How may I help you?
Customer: I just received your latest program, LOVE v4.0... you know... the freeware. I don't understand it. Can tell me how to install it?
Service Rep: Sure thing ma'am. Do you have the installation disk and instructions with you?
Customer: Yes I do, but first can you tell me what the program does?
Service Rep: Sure thing ma'am. LOVE is a unique program; there is no other like it anywhere. LOVE attaches to your operating system and runs silently in the background. You will never see LOVE on your monitor or your toolbar, but you will notice its affect on every application you may have. It makes the good programs run smoother and greatly restricts and/or deletes the bad ones.
Customer: Wow! That sounds great. How does LOVE make my machine run smoother?
Service Rep: Well, good sound files, like COMPLIMENT.WAV, ENCOURAGEMENT.WAV, and KINDWORD.WAV will play frequently. Also, FORGIVENESS.EXE will be invoked every time there is an external violation, including the ever-popular syntax errors. Also, all those aggravating errors that say "unable to connect" will be avoided. LOVE allows for a smooth connection with external devices, regardless of what country it is manufactured in, the brand name, or the age of the model.
Customer: That's exactly what I need, my machine has been isolated far too long. But what about the bad programs?
Service Rep: Good question. LOVE searches your memory for programs like HATE.COM, BITTERNESS.EXE, SELFISH.COM, and SPITE.EXE. These programs can't be entirely deleted off your hard drive, but LOVE overpowers those programs. LOVE stops their commands from being executed and runs its own instructions. You will no longer hear INSULT.WAV and you won't be able to write with the fonts "BADWORDS12" or "HARSHNESS10".
Customer: That's a fantastic program you have. Are the upgrades free too?
Service Rep: They sure are ma'am.
Customer: How do I get the upgrades?
Service Rep: That's easy. Once you have LOVE installed and running, it automatically copies a module, or a piece of itself, to every external Hard-drive Email And Remote Terminal (HEART) that it comes in contact with. In turn those external devices run whatever version of LOVE they have and return a module to your HEART. You will be upgraded with each and every module that you receive. But you have to remember, to receive the upgrades you have to be running LOVE, and you have to come into contact with other computers while it is running.
Customer: I can do that. I'm not very technical, but I think I am ready to install now. What do I do first?
Service Rep: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?
Customer: Yes I have, but there are several programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?
Service Rep: What programs are running ma'am?
Customer: Let me see... I have PASTHURT.EXE, LOWESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.
Service Rep: No problem. LOVE will automatically disable PASTHURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOWESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGHESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to manually turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Service Rep: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, I'm done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?
Service Rep: Yes it is. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?
Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?
Service Rep: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEARTs in order to get the upgrades.

"Just a Whisper" (Part 2)

Life can make us feel that our actions make no difference, but that is merely another lie of the devil. In his book Second Thoughts, Mort Crim writes, "Fairy tales are wonderful because they always have everyone living happily ever after. Once we accept the fact that bad things do happen to good people, then we can get on with the business of living life to its fullest: giving, loving, creating, sharing, building, walking through every door of opportunity offered by this fragile, unpredictable, exciting experience called life." That’s great advice but still difficult when we feel that we are scraping bottom. But in Jesus Christ there is more than good advice there is hope and the power of God for our situation. When we feel that nothing we do matters we must listen for the voice of God and rely upon His power, even when it is just a whisper.

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. (Ephesians 3:14-21 NLV).

A man by the name of Max DePree related the following heart-touching story:

Esther, my wife, and I have a granddaughter named Zoe, the Greek word for life. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven ounces, so small that my wedding ring could slide up her arm to her shoulder. The neonatologist who first examined her told us that she had a 5 to 10 percent chance of living three days. When Esther and I scrubbed up for our first visit and saw Zoe in her isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit, she had two IVs in her navel, one in her foot, a monitor on each side of her chest, and a respirator tube and a feeding tube in her mouth. To complicate matters, Zoe’s biological father had jumped ship the month before Zoe was born. Realizing this, a wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave me my instructions. "For the next several months, at least, you’re the surrogate father. I want you to come to the hospital every day to visit Zoe, and when you come, I want you to rub her body and her legs and arms with the tip of your finger. While you’re caressing her, you should tell her over and over how much you love her, because she has to be able to connect your voice to your touch."

God knew that we also needed both his voice and his touch. So he gave us not only the Scripture but also his Son. And he gave us not only Jesus Christ but also his body, the church. God’s voice and touch say, "I love you." His voice comforts, challenges, guides, and reassures and makes his presence known to us. Listen for Him today.

"Just a Whisper" (Part1)

There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." "Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:9-12 NLV).

Someone has said, "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child." There is a great deal of truth to that. Very often what we really need is to be quiet before the Lord so that we can hear him speak the works that will calm our fears. The passage above recounts a time when one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament was so afraid that he begged God to take his life. Elijah felt alone and abandoned. He needed to hear from God. All of us have found ourselves in similar predicaments when our faith seemed to being failing us. The same “whisper” of God’s grace will come to us if we will just listen.

Before there were refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. "I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."

It really isn’t a matter of whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear. At various times in our lives we will face perplexing situations and fear provoking circumstances but we must remember that the Lord is not far from us and He will never fail to guide us. God will speak to us if we will get alone with Him and tune the rest of the world and its voices out. In the next few days we’ll look at some practical ways to get still enough to hear even God’s whisper. There are some things we can do to “tune” out the world that yells out toward us with its deafening roar. For today, just ask Him to reveal Himself to you giving you the wisdom to recognize Him in His appearance. Taking refuge under the scant shade of a broom tree, Elijah prayed for death. He, the mighty prophet, had stood for God as boldly as any of those who had gone before him. Yet here he was, alone and seemingly deserted in this desert wasteland, the very symbol of a wasted life. Yet God would tenderly nourish and lead his prophet to a place where he would get some much-needed instruction. He will do the same for you today!

Always Welcome"

"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6 NLV).

I have a friend who worked in the Middle East. Recently he shared the following story with me. It reminded me of the wonderful grace we have received through Jesus Christ and how we are always welcome to come to our heavenly Father. As we have been thinking about the love of God these past few days, this seemed to be especially appropriate now. He wrote:

A couple of weeks ago, a Kuwaiti friend invited me to the diwaniya (men's meeting) of Muhammed Al-Rashidi, the head of the Al-Rashidi tribe in Kuwait. As we were entering, my friend pointed out to me that there were no doors on the front of the house leading into the 2 large sitting rooms, known as the diwaniya. There are inner doors leading into the rest of the house where the family lives. He told me to mention this strange thing and ask our host why he had no doors on the front of his house. Mr. Rashidi smiled and explained that his family for generations has been the leading family of the tribe. His father, grandfather, and those before him had also been chiefs of the tribe. By long years of tradition, the head of this tribe is known for his hospitality and an open door policy, so that any traveler or visitor can come and find a place to rest, food to eat, and even a place to sleep for the night.

One day in 1975, Mr. Rashidi had gone to work, the children were at school, the women shopping, and the last servant to leave the house had locked the front door. About 10:00 a.m., a man from Saudi Arabia came to see him. Finding the door locked, the man simply laid down in front of the door and went to sleep. Coming home around 1:00 p.m., Mr. Rashidi found the man lying in front of his door and learned that he had found the door locked and been lying there for 3 hours. He was so embarrassed by this that he immediately ordered his servant to call a carpenter to remove the front doors to his house. "No one will ever come to my house and find a locked door again," he said. And for the past 25 years, there has been no door on the front of his house.

There once was a door separating us from the presence of God. However, nearly two thousand years ago, when Jesus spoke His last words from the cross and declared, “It is finished!” that separation was finally and completely removed. To physically reveal that truth to mankind, the Bible says, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.” That was the “door” that separated God’s presence from all but the high priest of Israel. With its removal, all people now had access to His grace and love. Come into His presence today. Rest in His arms today! You will always be welcome!

"The Most Beautiful Heart"

Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. (Galatians 6:1-3,9-10 NLV).

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart. Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared. "How can he say his heart is more beautiful?" they thought.

The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears." "Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared." "Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges. Giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.

How beautiful is your heart today? Who will you walk with today, side by side?

"God's Valentine" (Part 5)

God’s love may also be seen in the Scripture. His word was given to help us to remember the God of Love that created us and comes to us to live with us and be with us. The Scripture is not of a few well-educated individuals with a private interpretation, but it has been given to everyone so that we might come to know, to love, and to experience God. This God of Love has made every provision for us to have him and for him to have us who believe, receive, and choose to follow him, accept him, and love him.

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLV).

There’s a wonderful story of a conversation between a man and God. It serves to challenge us all at the point of our response to God’s many valentines. As you read it this morning, ask yourself the question: What will you do with God’s valentines?

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah the beauty of God's creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me, "Do you love me?" I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and Savior!" Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?" I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do, the things that I took for granted. And I answered, "It would be tough, Lord, but I would still love You." Then the Lord said, "If you were blind, would you still love my creation?" How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation. So I answered, "It's hard to think of it, but I would still love you."

The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?" How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word." The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?" How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, "Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name."

And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?" With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes, Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!" I thought I had answered well, but God asked, "THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?" I answered, "Because I am only human. I am not perfect." "THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY WITH EARNEST?" No answers. Only tears. The Lord continued: "Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?" The tears continued to roll down my cheeks. "Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?" I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give. "You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all." "DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME?"

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When I my heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, "Please forgive me, Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child." The Lord answered, "That is My Grace, My child." I asked, "Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?" The Lord answered, "Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love you forever." And for the first time, I truly prayed.

"God's Valentine" (Part 4)

God’s message of love continues in His children. Peter, James, and John were the first generation of eyewitnesses who had seen and spoken of the God that loved them. They spread the gospel and now it has passed on to us. We become God’s “valentines.” We are God's living letters of love to the world.

If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help – how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. (1 John 3:14-24 NLV).

Real love means we stop "keeping score." Dale Galloway tells a story in "Dream a New Dream" that beautifully illustrates this point:

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fella. One day he came home and told his mother, he'd like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, "I wish he wouldn't do that!" She had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines. Valentine's Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed. It hurt her to think that he wouldn't get many valentines, maybe none at all. That afternoon she had the cookies and milk on the table. When she heard the children outside she looked out the window. Sure enough here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears. "Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you." But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was: "Not a one, not a one." Her heart sank. And then he added, "I didn't forget a one, not a single one!"

So it is when God is in control of the servant's mind. We realize as never before that life's greatest joy is to give His love away with no expectation of personal gain, a thought that brings to mind the saying:

It isn't a song until it's sung.
It isn't a bell until it's rung.
It isn't love until it's given away!

"God's Valentine" (Part 3)

God’s best and most extravagant Valentine did not come to us in the beautiful hues of the sunset or the wonderful fragrance of spring bouquets. It came in the form of His only Son, Jesus.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. (Romans 5:6-11 NLV).

There is a natural, logical kind of loving that loves lovely things and lovely people. That’s logical. But there is another kind of loving that doesn’t look for value in what it loves, but that CREATES value in what it loves. Like the story of Rosemary’s rag doll. When Rosemary was three, she was given a little rag doll, which quickly became an inseparable companion. She had other toys that were intrinsically far more valuable, but none that she loved like she loved the rag doll. Soon the rag doll became more and more rag and less and less doll. It also became more and more dirty. If you tried to clean the rag doll, it became more ragged still. And if you didn’t try to clean the rag doll, it became dirtier still. The sensible thing to do was to trash the rag doll. But that was unthinkable for anyone who loved the child. If you loved Rosemary, you loved the rag doll; it was part of the package. Newell has expressed the wonder of this same kind of love expressed “At Calvary”:

O the love that drew salvation's plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

Very little else can be said when faced with this truth. After hearing the gospel explained, people often say, "You mean there's nothing I can do to earn it? That's too easy." It seems natural for people to object to the idea that God's unmerited favor can be given so freely to unworthy sinners. Many find it difficult to trust a God who offers salvation as a free gift. Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coal miner who came to him and said, "I would give anything to believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask Him. It is too cheap." Morgan said, "My dear friend, have you been working today?" "Yes, I was down in the mine." "How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?" "Of course not. I just got into to cage and was pulled to the top." "Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?" Morgan asked. "Oh no," said the miner, "it was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink the shaft." Suddenly the truth struck him. What had not cost him anything, salvation, had not come cheap to God. This miner had never thought of the great price that God paid to send His Son so He could rescue fallen humanity. Now he realized that all anyone had to do was to "get into the cage" by faith. The same truth applies to living our Christian lives. It is by faith! Do you need to get in the cage today!

"God's Valentine" (Part 2)

Yesterday I introduced the theme of the “Valentines” God has sent to us. There are so many ways that He has sent us His message of love. One of the first and most basic can be seen in creation itself. Just the simple truth that God created the heavens and the earth is a message of His great love for us. This is how the Apostle John thought of the creation:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14 NIV).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the world-famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, was not above telling tales about himself in which he was the laughing-stock. Here is one of those stories. As he tells it, he was waiting at a taxi stand outside the railway station in Paris. When a taxi pulled up, he put his suitcase in it and got in himself. As he was about to tell the taxi-driver where he wanted to go, the driver asked him: "Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?" Doyle was flabbergasted. He asked the driver whether he knew him by sight. The driver said: "No Sir, I have never seen you before." The puzzled Doyle asked him what made him think that he was Conan Doyle. The driver replied: "This morning's paper had a story about you being on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi stand where people who return from Marseilles always come to. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English, and not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." Doyle said: "This is truly amazing. You are a real-life counter-part to my fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes." "There is one other thing," the driver said. "What is that?" "Your name is on the front of your suitcase."

There are two ways to be personally aware of God's existence. We can deduce from intricately crafted arguments, or merely pay attention to the fact that God's name is plastered all over creation. Oh, I think there is a necessary place for such carefully worded arguments, but I also have a great deal of admiration for the little boy who was told by an atheist, "I'll give you an apple if you can show me where God is." His simple response, "Mister, I'll give you a bushel of apples if you can show me where God isn't." Take a moment to look outside and see the signature of God. Everything you see is His Valentine message of love to you today!

"God's Valentine" (Part 1)

Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:9-17 NIV).

"Be My Valentine." This is a phrase that conjures up a lot of different images associated with the celebration of Valentine's Day. Cards with hearts and little poems on them. Candy and flowers given to someone you love. And images of cupids flying around shooting their arrows of love into unsuspecting youths. Young and old alike express their affection for their sweethearts. February 14th for many means cards, candy, flowers, and cupids.

However, many of our forefathers in the Christian Faith would be surprised at what has become of Valentine's Day. What we call Valentine's Day was at one time the Feast of St. Valentine. It was a religious holiday. They would be especially shocked at the use of cupid since he was a character from pagan mythology. For Christians in the past this holiday it was a day to remember and celebrate the life and death of a Christian martyr. According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 AD At that time the Roman Emperor was imprisoning Christians for not worshipping the Roman gods. During this persecution Valentine was arrested. Some say he was arrested because he was performing Christian marriages, but others say it was for helping Christians escape prison. During the trial they asked Valentine what he thought of the Roman gods Jupiter and Mercury. Of course Valentine said they were false gods and that the God that Jesus called Father was the only true God. So the Romans threw him in prison for insulting the gods. While in prison Valentine continued to minister. He witnessed to the guards. One of the guards was a good man who had adopted a blind girl. He asked Valentine if his God could help his daughter. Valentine prayed and the girl was given her sight. The guard and his whole family, 46 people, believed in Jesus and were baptized. Because these people had come to know Jesus, Valentine praised God right there in his prison cell. When the emperor heard about this he was furious that Valentine was still making converts even in prison, so he had Valentine beheaded. Valentine knew that he might get caught in his Christian activities. He knew that if he told the court the truth about the Roman gods that he would be thrown in prison. And he knew that if he continued to witness to Christ in the prison he would make his captors angry. But he continued, because he loved the Lord and his fellow humans. He was willing to risk his life to free the prisoners and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who needed to hear it.

He was living proof of this verse we have read today: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." As we go through the next few days, we’ll look at different aspects of the love God has for us and the love we are to have for one another. For today, know that “Be my valentine” has a very special meaning for God. It cost Him the life of His only Son to extend that offer!

"How to Stay Stressed"

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:32-34 NIV).

Yesterday we looked at some of the symptoms of stress. Today I have listed (from a negative perspective) some of the ways to stay stressed. It is a little unusual to study this list instead of the positive, but it will provide a little clearer picture of where we really are in our lives. I hope you enjoy the “tongue in cheek” style. Here's how to stay stressed.

1. First, never exercise. Exercise wastes a lot of the time that could be spent worrying.
2. Second, eat anything you want. Hey if cigarette smoke can't cleanse your system, a balance diet isn't likely to either.
3. Third, gain weight. Work hard at staying at least 25 pounds over your recommended weight.
4. Fourth, take plenty of stimulants. The old standards of caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and cola will continue to do the job just fine.
5. Fifth, avoid "woo-woo practices." Ignore the evidence suggesting that meditation, prayer, and/or praise help to reduce stress. The Protestant work ethic is good for everyone, Protestant or not.
6. Sixth, get rid of your social support system. Let the few friends who are willing to tolerate you know that you concern yourself with friendships only if you have time, and you never have time. If a few people persist in trying to be your friend, avoid them.
7. Seventh, personalize all criticism. Anyone who criticizes any aspect of your work, family, dog, house, or car is mounting a personal attack. Don't take the time to listen, be offended, and then return the attack!
8. Eighth, throw out your sense of humor. Staying stressed is no laughing matter, and it shouldn't be treated as one.
9. Ninth, males and females alike should be macho. Never ask for any help, and if you want it done right, do it yourself! Become a workaholic. Put work before everything else, and be sure to take work home evenings and weekends. Keep reminding yourself that vacations are for sissies.
10. Tenth, discard good time management skills. Schedule more activities every day than you can possibly get done then worry about it all whenever you get a chance. Or, procrastinate. Putting things off to the last second always produces a marvelous amount of stress.
11. Eleventh, worry about things you can't control. Worry about the stock market, earthquakes, and the approaching Ice Age. You know, all the big issues.
12. Twelfth, become not only a perfectionist but also set impossibly high standards, and either beat yourself up, or feel guilty, discouraged, and/or inadequate when you don't meet them.

So, what will it be today? Stress or trust? Today’s trouble really is enough for today. Let tomorrow rest in your Father’s hands. He is more than capable of caring for our every need.

"Momma Always Said"

Perhaps one of the most widely mimicked movies of recent years is “Forrest Gump.” Some of the most often used lines form the movies are those that begin “My momma always said.” Do you remember the one where his mother said, "There's an awful lot you can tell 'bout a person by their shoes, where they goin’ and where they been"? Forrest answers, "I've worn lots of shoes." Or there’s another when he says, "There is only so much fortune a man really needs, and the rest is for showin' off." However, the all time favorite must be when she says, "Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get." There is so much truth to that! Perhaps it is the unknown quality of tomorrow that so enslaves us to fear. Jesus spoke so clearly to that in the Sermon from the Mount.

So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. "And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-34, NLV).

Some of us have become so accustomed to stress that we fail to recognize its real destructive potential. Stress helps us seem important. We rationalize that anyone as stressed as we are must be working very hard and therefore, are probably doing something very crucial. Well, this like so many of the devil’s lies eat away at our true sense of joy and our joy is erased in a flurry of busyness. Too much stress produces the following conditions. If you have any of these, perhaps you need to start practicing the art of only taking on today’s trouble.

1. Stress causes us to maintain personal distance and avoid intimacy. Stress also helps you keep your authoritarian management style. This is the authoritarian style of "just do what I say.” If you maintain a permanently stressed crisis atmosphere, you can justify an authoritarian style all of the time.

2. Stress causes us to avoid responsibilities. We are so tired, or so “busy” that we can’t do the ordinary and mundane chores of life.

3. Stress causes us to avoid success. Stress can keep your performance level low enough that success won't ever be a threat.

Tomorrow we’ll look at some practical “stress busters.” For today, practice a little “Forrest Gump.” Life really is a box of chocolates, and you can’t know what each one holds! So, rest in the hope of Christ and His unchanging love for you.

"MistakeOut"

Bette Nesmith had a good secretarial job in a Dallas bank when she ran across a problem that interested her. Her thought was there must be a better way to correct typewriter errors? Having had some art experience, she knew that artists who worked in oils just painted over their errors. So she began to think that maybe that would work for her too. So she concocted a fluid to paint over her typing errors. Before long, all the secretaries in her building were using what she then called "MistakeOut." She attempted to sell the product idea to marketing agencies and various companies (including IBM), but they all turned her down. However, secretaries continued to like her product, so Bette Nesmith’s kitchen became her first manufacturing facility and she started selling it on her own. When she eventually sold the enterprise, the tiny white bottles were earning $3.5 million annually on sales of $38 million. The buyer was the Gillette Company and the sale price was $47.5 million. Soon the little bottles of “Liquid Paper” were found in every desk drawer.

There are so many success stories like this one spanning every imaginable area of life. Each one involves overcoming some obstacle in order to reach the goal. In Bette Nesmith’s story, the obstacle she had to overcome was the fact that no one believed in her product. Yet Bette Nesmith did not let that stop her from accomplishing what she had set out to do.

I wonder this morning if there is some “obstacle” that has been erected in your life that seems to be keeping you from reaching your goal. Jesus knew a great deal about obstacles too.

But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:14-21 NIV).

Let me make some practical suggestions as you face your own “Pharisees.”

1. First, trust your life to God’s care. Jesus did not fight the Pharisees. He knew that His heavenly Father would not allow these men to stand in the way of His will. That promise is yours also. Even when the obstacle seems insurmountable, everything is possible with the Lord.

2. Second, don’t quit. One of the devil’s best weapons is the deception of the impossible. Real hope comes from those things that are unseen. Some of the best victories in life come to us with an entirely different appearance than we might have imagined. Just keep going in the path God has given you to walk. Right does win!