The Simple-hearted

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. (Psalm 116:1-6 ESV). “Childlike faith” can be translated “simple-hearted.” That’s me! As I was thinking about this morning’s devotional I was looking for a place I fit in and here it is: simple-hearted. I can identify with that! It seems to go in cycles, but occasionally I will get a wave of Morning Devotional replies criticizing me for spelling, grammar, or punctuation. They are all legitimate complaints. Even though I use spelling and grammar checker, I am not very good at producing an error free product. I am certainly an imperfect typist and my command of the English language seems to have grown weaker not stronger over the years. I guess the reason these simple thoughts for your day have been successful is because they are just that: simple thoughts. They are put together by a simple mind, which views life rather simply. Oh, I have a formal education, when I look at God, I don’t look at Him as complicated. Yes, He is deeper than I can imagine. Yes, He is more complex than I could ever figure out. Yes, there is so much more for me to learn about Him and all His ways that I’m not sure I will ever figure Him out. But, His love is never complicated. He meets me at my point of need and He communicates with me on my level. He doesn’t expect me to know all about Him in order for me to speak about Him. In my lifetime of searching for Him, I seem to have at least one thing understood. God is more interested in my desire to know Him, than He is my accumulation of knowledge about Him. That’s good to know. It’s a comfort actually, because I have a great desire to know Him. Simple, yes, but strong just as well. Today would be a good day to ask yourself about your desire. Do you desire to know Him, or just know about Him? There is a great difference between those two positions. One brings a relationship that can never be severed. The other merely brings knowledge. Focus your desire on knowing Him today!

The Glory of God - Part 2

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ESV). In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord did not reside within man. It was seen in His creation, and it was hosted in the man-made temple, but it was not within the hearts of men. When Jesus came, and the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, God’s glory began to live within the hearts of men. The temple made with human hands was no longer needed to host the glory of God. I cannot read that phrase, “for we are the temple of the living God”, without being humbled by the fact that God’s light to the world now lives within us. At Pentecost, when the new Christians were still freshly mourning the death of Jesus, the promised Holy Spirit of God came into the hearts of Christians. Those who had believed in Christ suddenly became the habitat for the Spirit of God. They became the literal temple of God. And the same thing happens today as we experience the grace of God through faith in Christ. God’s glory resides within us. I wonder how clean your temple is? Are there places within the temple of yours where God obviously does not feel welcome? Knowing that sin, any sin, separates God from man, we should realize that the sin within our heart has kept God from fully indwelling our being. Paul expresses this when he said, “the good I want to do I do not do and the those things I don’t want to do, I do.” Does that apply to you? Today would be a good day to ask God to open the areas of your life so that he would be completely welcome in your life! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if his glory could shine so bright in your life that others would experience Christ through it? Perhaps its time for a little fall tune-up! Then you might really be ready for the glory of God to live within you fresh and new! Max Lucado wrote: If there are a thousand steps between us and God, he will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours. What’s it going to be for you today?

The Gory of God - Part 1

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38 ESV). The glory of the Lord is a powerful entity. When the glory of the Lord appeared to Moses, it was too much for him. Once, when Moses wanted to see the face of God, God told him to hide himself in the cleft of a rock and He would pass by, but He could not see God’s face, because Moses couldn’t handle the glory of God. When the glory of God filled the temple, no one could enter into it. That’s a powerful glory. That’s also what makes the tearing of the temple veil, at the crucifixion of Jesus, such a powerful event. Having been removed from God’s glory for so many years, the people, including us today, were given immediate access into the very presence of God. But, in the Old Testament, God’s glory had limited availability. It wasn’t that God’s glory was less powerful, or that it was more powerful in the New Testament. God has been and will always be the same. It wasn’t that the people were less interested in God’s glory. They sought it in every way. It was just that there was no mechanism to get God’s glory to them. Even though God’s glory is now available to us, as much as we can handle it, I don’t sense very many people seeking it as much as they could. Rare is the time when we really experience His glory in a powerful way. When we do, we can’t seem to contain it within us for very long. His glory is too awesome for us to sustain. I wonder if we don’t take for granted what God shared with us through Jesus Christ when He brought forth His glory to those of us who will believe. I wonder if we are missing part of the glory God has for us, because we am not seeking Him with all our heart. In the next few days, as we look at the glory of the Lord, specifically as it relates to His temple, will you search your heart with me to see if you are experiencing God’s glory and all He has for you?

The Secret Things

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV). Change Management, the Knowledge Gap, Knowledge Based Education, and the Knowledge Turn-Over are just a few of the catch phrases describing how much technology and the general base of knowledge has increased over the last few decades. In fact, it is said that much of what we learn today will be obsolete in three years! Praise God He has revealed some things to us, but there is still so much we do not know. We have figured out the chemical make-up of water, but will we ever really be able to know when it will fall upon the earth? We know many of the characteristics of cancer, thanks to hundreds of dedicated scientists, but will we ever really be able to make our society cancer free? We understand much of what makes up a person’s heart and personality, but will the mystery between males and females ever be figured out, or will it always be that, as the book claims, “Men are from Mars” and “Women are from Venus”? Pick any topic or subject and you realize quickly that there is so much more for mankind to learn. Scientists, sociologists, and other researchers will never lack for something to study. Man has so much to learn. God has hidden some things from our discovery. He hasn’t given us full knowledge; some more than others maybe, but none of us have all of it. What if we did know everything? What kind of life would that be? If you knew everything about your spouse, wouldn’t that take away some of the excitement of growing together? If you knew all that would happen in your life, would there be a need for our word “anticipation”? Wouldn’t life be boring at times? If you are going through something today that you cannot understand, don’t be too discouraged. Maybe you aren’t supposed to understand it all right now. I like the song that goes “We will understand it better by and by”. Someday we will. For now, we must trust the One who understands the secret things.

Tears in a Bottle - Part 2

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5 ESV). There are those times when I wish that I had much more room to write than this one page format. Today is one of those times. Yesterday, I talked about the compassion of God who “catches our tears in a bottle.” Underlying this topic is the possibility that you may come to believe that I view the trials and difficulties of life flippantly. Nothing could be further that that from the truth. There are times in our lives when we simply don’t believe we can go on. There are those who suffer physically in ways that most of us cannot imagine. There are those who are depressed. These people cannot merely “snap out of it” with easy answers and empty promises. However, God does understand your suffering. He sees your pain and wants to come alongside you to help you bear the load. He “catches your tears in a bottle”! God has been catching your tears, storing them up all your life, so that one day He can wipe your eyes dry of them forever! God cares that much! That’s the unalterable promise of God. That sounds like “pie-in-the-sky” preaching, doesn’t it? In a way, it is. The ultimate comfort for every child of God is to be home with him in heaven. And, though that doesn’t seem to give us any immediate relief from the pains we suffer today, it does give us the encouragement to go on. I have heard a lot of talk about the uncertainty of the future in the last few months. I suppose that’s just a normal part of national news. Of course, no one can accurately predict the future. However, this one thing I can say with absolute certainty: God loves you and has prepared a place for you that is beyond our imagination in its goodness. Someday’s glory does make it easier to bear today’s sorrow! Do you have any tears you need to shed? Go ahead let them flow. God is watching. He cares so much that He longs for the day when He can take them away! It’s His greatest desire for your life that you may be with Him forever; where there will be no more tears! Oh, dear fellow struggling Christian, hold on tight! Our God, our Redeemer lives! He sees our pain, and He is saving our tears for our future glory!

Tears in a Bottle - Part 1

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? (Psalm 56:8 ESV). I once again returned to this verse recently and it really got my attention. Of course, knowing that God understands and feels our pain is not in question, but the statement of the psalmist is that he collects them “in his bottle.” I began to wonder, “What does the bottle look like? Do each of us have our own bottle? And, what is this book? Don’t the pages get wet?” I know these may seem like silly questions, but they are real to me. I want to know all I can about a God who would collect tears! What does He do with them? Why are they so important to Him? Does He measure the size of the drops? Does He analyze the chemical makeup? Does He catch them with His hand or with the bottle? Has He ever dropped one? The Bible talks a lot about tears. I suppose that is because tears are such a real part of life. The more I read this verse, the more I began to see a wonderful truth. Tears can be a wonderful thing, especially as God catches them! Look at 2 Kings 20:5 – Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, “This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the LORD.” God does see our tears! The Bible is very clear about that. In this story, Hezekiah was told he was going to die. He cried out to the Lord and the Lord healed him. God added fifteen years to his life. Sometimes we just need to cry out before the Lord. We need to be willing to approach him, holding nothing back, with honesty and humility. When was the last time you shed tears before the Lord, crying out to Him with your needs? Not long ago, a client of mine, who was crying, said, “I don’t know why, but I just can’t get over my disappointment.” They shared some of the details with me and afterwards, I prayed with and for them and they seemed so much better. I don’t know if it was the prayer or the tears, or possibly both. They felt closer to the Lord after! My dear friend, don’t “bottle up” your tears! Let God bottle them up! Pour out yourself, including your tears, before the Lord. Show yourself openly and honestly to Him! And, no, it does not make you less of a man to shed a tear. There are times to cry and times to be strong, but when your life is caving in, or you are facing something far bigger than your own abilities, cry out to God! Shed some tears! He’ll catch them! And, you’ll catch more of Him!

The Prodigal Son - Part 2

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:14-16 ESV). Yesterday, in the first of this little series, I said that hopelessness often is a part of being lost. That’s the impact of Jesus’ story of this young man who was in the fields feeding the pigs. He had been the golden boy that had everything. He was the second son from a man that at least had an “estate”. To have an estate indicates that you have at least acquired some assets. The father was wealthy. He had means to give his son good things. Perhaps he had spoiled the young boy a little too much, we just don’t know, but we do know the father at least had “a fatted calf”, a “best robe”, and could “put a ring on his finger”. That indicates a certain lifestyle. Imagine that the son gave up this lifestyle, took his money and ran, so to speak. After it was all gone, he found himself in a hopeless situation. If you are lost you have been there and done that. You know that where you are is not the best place to be. Being separated from God’s best for you will grow to the point of being miserable. I remember an incident when Kyle (our oldest son) had tried out for the basketball team in high school. He had enjoyed that sport when he was younger. Although he was not blessed with height, he was a good shot and played excellent defense. I never imagined that he would not be good enough to make the team. I received a call to come and pick him up early at the school the final day of tryouts. I found him sitting on the curb with his head in his hands, He was miserable. He had not been given a jersey. He had not been chosen for the team. I was surprised. He was dejected and miserable. Like any dad, I began to console him. We talked on the way back home and he seemed to feel a little better. I explained that whether he made the team or not, my love for him would never change. I have always tried to express to the boys that love is based on who they are, not what they do. By the way, that’s the message of God to all of us! Before we arrived at home, my secretary called from the church and told me to take Kyle back to the high school immediately. There had been a mistake and the coach merely overlooked giving him a jersey! No matter how hopeless your situation seems. Even when the devil has convinced you that you “didn’t make the team.” God has other plans for you! Call out to him and ask him to help you. He is just waiting to welcome you back with a robe for your back, rings for your fingers, and sandals for your feet. He has a grand party planned to celebrate your homecoming!

The Prodigal Son - Part 1

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:14-16 ESV). This week we will look at a very familiar story from the gospels. It is most known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. A better title would be “the Parable of the Loving Father.” Jesus is talking. He has told the crowd that a certain man had two sons. One son, the younger, asked for his share of the estate in advance. He left home and squandered all his money on wild living. This is where we pick up in the story with today’s Scripture. I want to talk this week about a subject I have thought a lot about lately. What we can learn about lost people by this story is very revealing. Before we get started, I need you to understand that this is not for those who are spiritually lost, as in those who have never accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. Those people are spiritually lost, but I hope this week will apply to those Christians, born again, who have “lost” their way. They are not following God as closely as they know they should be. The first thing we can learn about lost people is that lost people often know they are lost. There comes a time in their life when they know something is missing. No one really needs to tell them or even share with them about the void in their life. They know. In fact, it is a knowledge that may gnaw at them from deep within in a sense of emptiness that cannot be verbalized. This is true of most all people who are lost. It is also true of those Christians living outside of God’s perfect will for them. The abundant joy and the peace that surpasses understand is not present in their life. They want it, but it is not there because they aren’t living God’s plan for them. Without that plan, the real blessings of Christianity are never realized. A second thing we can learn about lost people from this parable’s introduction is that lost people often will settle for less than they are entitled to in their life. This young man was desperate. In his desperation he settled for pig’s food. I wonder how many people have been driven to such an existence as that simply because they felt they had no alternatives? Are you lost? Is there something missing from your life? Do you desire to experience all God has for you? I have good news for you! God desires to welcome you back home with robes, rings, and sandals! He has a party waiting for you in honor of your return! Perhaps this week is just for you!

David's Heart - Part 4

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. (2 Samuel 24:18-25 ESV). There have been times when I have received offers from church members of donations of various items. Some of them were small, others large. Several of them stand out in my mind for different reasons. In on of these a well-meaning individual came to me at the end of the fiscal year and wanted to write a check for a substantial amount to be used in our building fund at the time. I was very glad to receive it until I heard his reasoning for giving. He told me that his business had made too much money that year and his accountant had advised him to give that amount as a tax deduction! That was in stark contrast to the morning I came to my office after preaching an early service and saw a plain white envelope on it. Inside the envelope were a diamond ring and a short anonymous note. The note said, “Pastor, I do not have anything else of value. This ring was given to me by my husband for our tenth wedding anniversary, please sell it and use it to help build our new building.” I was overwhelmed. The ring was eventually sold for $350.00, actually a little more than it was valued at, but it inspired others to give more than ten times as much! That was a true example of giving! David realized the same truth. Whether it is in our gifts of time, talent, or resources, they should never be costless. After all, God has set the example in the gift of his only Son on our behalf. The Christian life can be filled with sacrifice and difficulty. However, it will be worth it in the end. I can’t tell you how many people I encounter that think the Christian life is supposed to be easy. They think that this Gloryland Train is going to carry them safely into Heaven with barely a scratch. I have to be honest with you. That is wrong! The Christian life is tough at best! In David’s heart, he realized that in order to really please God, he had to be willing to sacrifice for Him. That was a heart that pleased God. Is that the kind of heart you have for God?

David's Heart - Part 3

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. (2 Samuel 1:11-12 ESV). David had spent seven years running from Saul. Saul had befriended him and then tried to kill him. David was hiding in caves thinking he was going to die. He had surrounded himself with all those who were down and out and he, himself was considered a renegade. David had left his home and was made to be homeless, all because of Saul. Yet, when David finds out that Saul has died, he mourns! He didn’t just mourn for his friend Jonathan. He mourned also for Saul, his enemy. Why? The answer to this question gives us an idea as to the qualities of a person that pleases God! David knew that Saul’s death could ultimately be a blessing to him, but David was a patriot. He loved his country and so he loved his country’s king. Do you love your leaders, even when you don’t agree with them? God had allowed Saul to be king! Should David have spit on God’s choice, or should he have rallied around him? He should have respected him, of course. David respected authority. Do you? Also, David knew that God had selected Saul. David was sensitive to God’s heart. David knew that Saul had disappointed God, just as he had disappointed David and Jonathan. David’s heart was heavy, because he could sense that God’s heart was heavy. Do you mourn over the things God mourns over? Does sin disappoint you? Does the death of unborn children cause you to weep? Do those who refuse to submit to God hurt your heart like it does God’s? Finally, I think David, who knew the heart of God so well, knew there was a changing of the guard. David knew that with the death of Saul, the path was cleared for David to be anointed king. David felt the wait of leadership upon his shoulders. Rather than jump for joy, David mourned and wept. He didn’t rush into leadership, but he humbled himself before his men. David was not always trying to get ahead. Instead, David waited for the Lord to place him where He wanted him to be. Do you have a heart like David’s? Do you respect authority? Are you sensitive to the heart of God? Are you willing to humble yourself before the Lord and allow Him to lift you up in due time? That is the kind of heart that pleases God.

David's Heart - Part 2

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. (1 Samuel 22:1-4 ESV). David learned how to wait on God. Sometimes I have illustrated God’s will with three circles, one small, encircled by a larger, which is encircled by a still larger circle. Inside the smallest circle, I write the “Individual Will of God.” These are the things in life that God allows you lots of latitude in the decision. Do you want Fruit Loops or Cheerios for breakfast? What color car will you buy? Everything is important to God, but in some things God gives us much more latitude. In the middle circle, I write the “Moral Will of God.” This is that will of God for your life that determines what type of character you have. God ultimately wants you to be like Jesus in all that you do, so this is His moral will for your life. Included here are things like should you lie or should you tell the truth? This may be the way you treat those around you. Could you be within God’s moral will for your life, for instance, if you cheated on your wife? There is a definite moral will of God for your life, but you have still have some latitude in the decision. That is why I think this will of God is the most important for you to concentrate on each day. It will determine what your Christian character looks like. Finally, in the largest circle, simply because it surrounds everything else, I write the “Sovereign Will of God.” This is God’s ultimate will. It will happen just as He wants it to happen. You cannot change it. It is Sovereign! An example of this will of God is your salvation. God said if you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Savior you will be saved. Period! God said He will never “leave you nor forsake you”. That is His Sovereign will. Also, He said He would one day take us to Heaven if we were saved. It’s not going to change. Theology has a big word for this concept, “immutable.” David told the king he was going to wait until he understood God’s will for his life. Today’s verse might be interpreted, “until I learn what God’s will is for me”. David wanted to wait until he knew God’s will. This was a heart that pleased God. God does not force us to choose to be like Jesus. He does communicate that will to us and then we may choose. What’s your choice going to be today?

David's Heart - Part 1

And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” (1 Samuel 17:22-27 ESV). One of my favorite characters in the Scripture is David. There is so much to be learned from his life. David had a heart that pleased God. This week, I hope we can begin to understand exactly why David’s heart pleased God. And, if that were the case, perhaps, if it so were your goal, you would choose to have such a heart. When David saw that the Philistine giant was teasing the Israelites, he wanted to know why. After all, God had already promised victory to the Israelites in battle. He had commanded them to rid the land of all those who did not follow God. The Philistines were still surviving. David knew the Scripture. He had pondered the ways of God out on the shepherd’s field. He knew that this Philistine, regardless of his size, was no match for a man of God. “So why hasn’t someone clobbered Goliath yet?” David must have thought! David put his faith in God, even when it didn’t make sense. Can a little boy beat up a huge giant? “Of course not” the world would say, but David knew it didn’t matter what was said against him, he was on the winning side! This was a faith that greatly pleased God. Are you up against some odds? Would the line makers say are the odds against you? Would the world tell you to throw in the towel? May I ask you something? Are you sure you are within God’s will for your life? Then what are you worried about? Victory is already declared! Your Goliath is dead! Jesus was our David in conquering our greatest enemy – sin and death! Our task is to line up with God regardless of the odds. It is a very daunting challenge, but one which will bring victory. Do you have the heart of David? If not, you can. Begin with a simple prayer for the Holy Spirit to rekindle your faith and strengthen your resolve.

Lessons from Naaman - Part 11

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” He said to him, “Go in peace.” (2 Kings 5:14-19 ESV). For a minute I thought Naaman finally got it! He loads the mules with dirt to take back as a means to worship on the same soil that he met God on before Elisha. It is a very meaningful symbol. It was his moment of faith. It had to be a very moving experience for him. And, then the inevitable happened. He began to think of his life before faith and tried to bargain with God about his commitment. He said, “Yes, but…” God simply does not tolerate “yes, but.” Jesus said it this way: “Another said, ‘Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:61-62 ESV). One of the most tragic events during the Reagan Presidency was the Sunday morning terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which hundreds of Americans were killed or wounded as they slept. Many of us can still recall the terrible scenes as the dazed survivors worked to dig out their trapped brothers from beneath the rubble. A few days after the tragedy, I recall coming across an extraordinary story. Marine Corps Commandant Paul X Kelly, visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital. Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident. Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived. As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant. On the slip of paper was but two words—”Semper Fi” the Latin motto of the Marines meaning “forever faithful.” That’s what God desires from us. We are to be forever faithful. We are to practice Semper Fi in the spiritual realm. I wonder if you could examine your life this morning and determine your level of faithfulness? Have you been looking back? If so, then reaffix your gaze on Jesus!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 10

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. (2 Kings 5:14-17 ESV). NOTE: I always use disclaimers sparingly, however I must say at the outset that today’s devotional is intended to speak to those of us who do not work as vocational ministers. The Scripture is very clear about our responsibility to provide financially for those who minister to us. In fact they deserve a “double portion.” Our providing for them in this way frees them from “tent-making” and allows more time to minister. That having been said, let me ask why do you serve God? Are you trying to impress your preacher? Are you looking for a pat on the back? Do you want to make the “servant of the week” award? Are you serving because you are bored with nothing else to do? If something better comes along, are you out of here? Naaman was used to paying for what he got...or at least working hard to get it. He hadn't done anything to deserve God's healing. Elisha wouldn’t accept anything for healing his leprosy, because he realized it all belonged to God. Elisha hadn’t healed Naaman; God had. Elisha was just God’s messenger. Elisha wasn’t serving God for reward, but because he loved God, and wanted to please Him. He didn’t need payment, because he was simply doing his job for his Lord. Some people today have a hard time accepting this part of the gospel. Like Naaman, they react with an attitude of repayment. The fact that the gospel is free is contrary to many of the ways of the world. Who gives something, which lasts forever, and is more valuable than anything else, away for free? Yet, the Bible tells us that we cannot do anything in which to be saved. “It is a gift of God, so that no one may boast.” You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t talk your way into it. Nothing you do will ever make you saved. Only what Christ did for you on the cross will suffice. If you are trying to be saved by works, or even trying to keep your salvation by works, remember what Elisha told Naaman. God will accept nothing from you! Naaman could have kept his wealth to give to the poor, in the name of God. All your works are as filthy rags when compared to what Jesus did for you! Use your works instead to glorify the One who died for you!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 9

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” (2 Kings 5:14-15 ESV). When you experience God, you know He is real. I don’t know how anyone could be satisfied with half-hearted Christianity. I want it all! I don’t want to sit on the sidelines and watch others experience all God has to offer. I want God to be active in my life today! I can’t imagine anyone not wanting that too. The only way I know to really experience God is through trust and obedience. When we fully place our faith in Him, trusting that His way is best, and then we obey everything He tells us to do. Then we will experience Him to the greatest degree possible in this lifetime. Naaman had a problem. God had a solution. The hard part for Naaman was accepting, and then waiting, for that solution to take place. I can certainly relate to Naaman because Naaman is a lot like me. God’s way didn’t make sense, so he was tempted to go out on his own. Thankfully, Naaman was willing to listen, and, in the end, he learned that God’s way is best, and there is only one true God! All too often we find ourselves at the same crossroad of faith as Naaman. We don’t always obey right away. Sometimes we take things into our own hands. Sometimes we kick God’s plan around a while to see how it fits in our lives. Sometimes we need someone close to us to gently encourage us toward the correct path. Sooner or later, we come around to God’s plan, and, when we do, God proves again that He knows what He is doing! Funny how that is always true! I wonder why we don’t just trust God from the start? It would save us a lot of pain and misery. If you find yourself like Naaman today, perhaps you’d like to go ahead and admit it. Declare that God is right, His ways are just, and that you will trust in Him! By doing that you will have taken the first step in the formula to trust and obey. The second step is a little harder, but commit yourself to that too. Obedience is always harder that trusting. However, once you exercise your will in faith, taking the steps to healing are possible. Our best response is to trust and obey, and allow Him to work His will! Are you with me?

Lessons from Naaman - Part 8

But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:13-14 ESV). I hope you have been following these past few days of devotionals. Naaman has had so much to teach us! Today we will see vividly that when we obey God the results are nothing short of spectacular! I have to be honest with you for a moment, however. God’s ways don’t always make sense to me. Forgive me if that offends anyone, but there are times when God takes me places that just don’t seem like the right direction. If I were planning things on my own, I would do things differently. Who, in their right mind, would plan sickness or tragedy in their life? Would Paul have planned his thorn? Would Elijah have planned for Jezebel to threaten his life? Would David have planned for Saul to chase him through the wilderness threatening his life? Would Job have planned the death of his children or the loss of his livestock? Of course not! The answer is most definitely no! We don’t wish for the ways of God sometimes! It isn’t always pleasing to the eye. And, yet, we know from Scripture and experience that God’s ways are always best. I don’t have to understand His ways, but I do have to trust them, because they work out every time! He has a perfect track record! Naaman didn’t want to dunk himself seven times in the muddy water of the Jordan River. It didn’t make sense to Him, but when he obeyed, his skin was clearer than it had been in years. His wife must have thought she had a new husband! He probably couldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror. He was a new man. God changed Him when He obeyed! The key is obedience. It always has been. I received a phone call this week from one of the folks who are on the list for Morning Devotionals. He asked me how to trust God? I answered with another question. I asked him how he sat down in a chair? He was amused and said, “You just do it.” There is the answer to faith and obedience. You just do it. The results will always be good! God is still changing people today, praise His name! He is still taking people who will obey Him, even when it doesn’t make sense, and molding them into new creations, far better than they were before! If God has you in a situation right now that you cannot understand. Be patient. Follow through. Stand firm. Obey Him fully, just as Naaman eventually did, and see the deliverance of the Lord! It’s coming! Just wait and see!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 7

And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:7-10 ESV). Today’s reading is so commonplace in the lives of countless men and women through the ages. I find it almost humorous as I read the story of Naaman. This fine military hero went to the king of Israel for healing from his leprosy. The king couldn’t cure him. Then Naaman is sent to the house of Elisha. Now you need to understand that Elisha was probably poor, like most prophets of the day. They depended on God to feed them each day, just as God had done for the Israelites in the wilderness. Elisha probably didn’t have an impressive house. Plus, Naaman was from royalty. In his country, a prophet would have been a magician or wise one, who would have probably reported directly to the king. Elisha reported directly to God! I can almost imagine Naaman riding up to the house of Elisha, with his mighty band of warriors, planted firmly upon their horses and chariots, to come to the shack in which Elisha lived (I am taking some literary license here). When the Bible says Naaman "stopped at the door of Elisha’s house", I picture it was because Naaman was thinking, "you sent me here?" It wasn’t where royalty would usually come for healing. What’s even more humorous is that Naaman, from the powerful country of Aram, didn’t intimidate Elisha. Elisha didn’t come running out to greet Naaman. He sent his servant to tell Naaman what to do. Elisha, in his true character as a man of faith, was not awe struck by Naaman, or struck with fear, as many would have been in those days. This story reinforces for me the principles of God’s kingdom. Sometimes the Godliest Christians are the "least of these". Sometimes the ones to whom God reveals Himself are those who aren’t considered the strongest by the rest of the world. Sometimes God uses a humble servant to bring about His mighty plan. And, you and I, the children of God, don’t have to fear like the rest of the world. Are there some Naamans in your world, causing you to fear, bringing havoc to the peace in your life? Take it from Elisha, God gives grace to the humble and causes His children to stand tall!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 6

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:9-14 ESV). Naaman was used to doing great things. He was a mighty warrior for his country. He had brought great victory for his king. He was accustomed to being in the midst of great battle. He wasn’t afraid to fight hard to win. He knew the cost of suffering for an outcome. He was ready to do whatever it took to rid his life of this plague of leprosy! Elisha told him to go jump in the river! He was to dunk himself seven times. “ I can almost hear Naaman protesting. If Elisha had asked him to go get the claw of an eagle, from the nest high upon a mountain, wrestle a lion to its death, or steal the thrown of a great king, then Naaman might have been impressed! He could have bought that kind of cure, something that would require his greatness to prevail. Dipping into the dirty river was humbling, and, as much as Naaman wanted to be healed, he didn’t want to lower himself to that degree. You know, when you and I are asked to serve God in the roles that gain great attention, we are ready to sign up to volunteer. We don’t mind serving if we can’t just be recognized, but when we are asked to serve in the lesser roles, we sometimes resist. Ask people to do the quiet, unrecognized tasks and there aren’t many takers. We are like Naaman sometimes in our Christian life. We have no problem with the “great things” God calls us to do, but the “lesser” things don’t quite gain our enthusiasm. We would much rather be doing something important, than to “be still and know” that He is God. Wouldn’t we? Is Naaman alone in his desire for greatness? Or, do the things, which will show us to be great, often tempt you, like me? Often God’s best is found in the simplest, the humblest, and the most non-conspicuous places, which give Him all the glory. May we look to Him for His greatness, and let our greatness be found only in Him!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 5

And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. (2 Kings 5:7-12 ESV). How often this has been repeated in countless lives through the ages! Naaman expected a miracle. He thought surely Elisha would have a magic potion to sprinkle on him, or he would wave his hand, say a few magic words, and “poof”, the leprosy would be gone. That’s the way he was used to seeing it work. That’s the way the magicians do it back home. Wash in a river? What’s that all about? Naaman wanted substance to his miracle. He wanted action. He wanted greatness, because he himself was considered great! Elisha burst his bubble when he suggested such a menial task to Naaman. I suppose it would be easy to be hard on Naaman. After all, he was a Gentile. How could we expect any more from him than this? Easy to criticize, hard to realize how similar we are to Naaman sometimes. Don’t we sometimes just want the big miracle? I mean, how hard would it be for God to just wave His hand over our problems and make everything right? He’s God isn’t He? What do you mean we have to trust Him? What do you mean we need to learn to wait on Him? What do you mean we have to continue to obey Him until something happens? We want results, and we typically want them now! Be honest for a moment this morning. Don’t you too struggle to wait on God? Aren’t you tempted to look to God as an eternal fairy godmother with magical solutions to your problems, expecting Him to grant you your every wish? Don’t you struggle to trust and obey? I do. So did Naaman. So what are we to do? Tomorrow we will see that reason and common sense prevailed for Naaman. We too must exercise common sense. God has proven himself over an over in the past as one to be trusted. Just trust him. He will indeed “work all things to good,” even when the means to that good seem rather strange!

Lessons from Naaman - Part 4

And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” (2 Kings 5:5-7 ESV). First of all, Naaman didn’t follow directions. He was supposed to go to a prophet, not a king. Of course, Naaman, the second in command in Aram, was not used to going to lowly prophets for advice. He was on the “A” list, and he was used to going straight to the king! When he does this time, however, the king doesn’t know quite how to respond. Have you ever felt “out of your league”? That’s the way the king of Israel felt. I can hear him saying, “Who me? I can do a lot of things, but I can’t produce life.” I have heard a lot of talk recently about human cloning. There have been tremendous advancements in the science of creation. However, I’m willing to go out on a limb and declare that we will never be able to actually create life. As advanced as we may get there will be that one last step that we will not be able to duplicate. It is the bringing of life where there was none. Without the help from the Creator of life, there simply will not be life! Sure, you might be able to genetically alter cells to form the cells necessary for reproduction, but who made the cells? Who made the knowledge of what life is? And, where did it all begin? I’ll tell you where, God created it! God spoke and there man was! God made life and God controls life! Period! The king couldn’t help Naaman, because as great a king as he may have been, he had no control over life! Neither does mankind today. We are not gods. When we confuse the roles of Creator and created, it will always lead to destructive ends. God’s power is unlimited, while man’s power is not. A young boy traveling by airplane to visit his grandparents sat beside a man who happened to be a seminary professor. The boy was reading a Sunday school take-home paper when the professor thought he would have some fun with the lad. “Young man,” said the professor, “If you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple.” The boy thought for a moment and then replied, “Mister, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole barrel of apples!” In who’s power are you trusting?

Lessons from Naaman - Part 3

Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. (2 Kings 5:2-5 ESV). God had a plan. Doesn’t He always? Naaman had been a successful military leader, under the power of God. We saw that yesterday. Naaman had a flaw in his life called leprosy. I have no doubt God used this difficulty to reveal a greater truth. Here in today’s verses, we also see the hand of God. A simple Israelite girl, taken from her homeland against her will, provides the answer for Naaman’s leprosy. This ordinary girl simply tells Naaman that there is a prophet in Samaria who can heal him! It is wonderful to watch God work a plan! Out of the unsuspected, God does the unexpected! God produces miracles through ordinary people and ordinary circumstances. I guess that’s why it still amazes me whenever He uses people like me. We may lead a pretty ordinary life, but with God’s direction it can be extraordinary. In Elmer Bendiner’s book, The Fall of the Fortresses, he describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel: Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple. On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks—eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn. He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them. One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.” God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. What in your life is mundane, routine, and not abnormal? What in your life is just not that exciting? Could God have a purpose in mind for your ordinary life? Could God use you in a miraculous way, just because you are obedient to Him? Of course He can! Why don’t you let Him today?

Lessons from Naaman - Part 2

Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. (2 Kings 5:2-5 ESV). God had a plan. Doesn’t He always? Naaman had been a successful military leader, under the power of God. We saw that yesterday. Naaman had a flaw in his life called leprosy. I have no doubt God used this difficulty to reveal a greater truth. Here in today’s verses, we also see the hand of God. A simple Israelite girl, taken from her homeland against her will, provides the answer for Naaman’s leprosy. This ordinary girl simply tells Naaman that there is a prophet in Samaria who can heal him! It is wonderful to watch God work a plan! Out of the unsuspected, God does the unexpected! God produces miracles through ordinary people and ordinary circumstances. I guess that’s why it still amazes me whenever He uses people like me. We may lead a pretty ordinary life, but with God’s direction it can be extraordinary. In Elmer Bendiner’s book, The Fall of the Fortresses, he describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel: Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple. On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks—eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn. He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them. One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.” God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. What in your life is mundane, routine, and not abnormal? What in your life is just not that exciting? Could God have a purpose in mind for your ordinary life? Could God use you in a miraculous way, just because you are obedient to Him? Of course He can! Why don’t you let Him today?

Lessons from Naaman - Part 1

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. (2 Kings 5:1 ESV). We don’t know a whole lot about Naaman, but we know from just this verse that he was considered a great man in his time. He was not an Israelite, but God was still allowing victory through him. That proves that God is Lord over the good and the bad. As great as Naaman was, however, he had a problem. He had leprosy, and nothing, including all his money and power, had been able to cure him of the disease. It is interesting that he is seen as such a great leader having contracted leprosy. While we don’t see very many cases of leprosy in our modern world, the disease still affects thousands of people. It mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes, apart from some other structures. Leprosy has afflicted humanity since time immemorial. It once affected every continent and it has left behind a terrifying image in history and human memory of mutilation, rejection and exclusion from society. Leprosy has struck fear into human beings for thousands of years, and was well recognized in the oldest civilizations of China, Egypt and India. A cumulative total of the number of individuals who, over the millennia, have suffered its chronic course of incurable disfigurement and physical disabilities can never be calculated. Since ancient times, leprosy has been regarded by the community as a contagious, mutilating and incurable disease. In short, it was a very great problem! We all have problems, don’t we? Oh, it seems that some people get away without them, but they don’t. Some may not have the money problems you have, but they have other problems. Some may not have the physical problems you have, but they have other problems. Show me a human being and I’ll show you someone susceptible to the problems of life. I remember when I was younger, before my chest started to fall into my belly. I used to wonder why some guys had all the muscles. I’m sure there are ladies out there who wonder why some girls have just the right figure. I remember someone telling me once, that even among the most beautiful in the world, there is always a flaw. Even the biggest models have something about their body they would love to change. Life simply is not perfect. We all have problems. This world takes its toll on each of us. Naaman had so much going for him, but he had one thing against him, and it was a plague that affected everything else. This week, as we look at the life of this great Biblical character, think about your own life. Have you got a problem or two? Is there a certain problem area of your life that affects all the others? Perhaps, like Naaman, you will find that God is ready and able to help you through the problem and make your life whole again. It is what happened to Naaman.

Which Way Did I Go?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV). Do you remember the movie “Every Which Way But Loose”? It was a comedy starring Clint Eastwood. I remember it now only for the premise that it was written around. The story is about a man and is pet orangutan, Clyde. It was amusing in that Clyde always seemed to be able to help Eastwood’s character out of trouble. Sometimes I wish that I had such a pet! Perhaps the most asked question in our lives is “which way do I go?” If we are indeed trying to live by faith, it is natural to wonder about our direction. Theology is full of those kind of how-to questions. If I know that I am supposed to live a life of faith; a life that pleases Him; then how do I live that kind of life? I think that is why the write of Hebrews next gives us this verse. It is a practical, meaty part of scripture, a guidebook for life. I really could just encourage you to read and memorize the verse, because it speaks for itself, but I’ll try to explain. You see, this life is tough, isn’t it? Sometimes, we don’t know which direction to turn. We don’t know what to do. We can’t always discern the hand of God in our lives. Which direction does He want us to go? What does He want us to do? I think what this passage says to us, is that the real answer to our daily dilemma in the Christian life is found only in Jesus. We learn how to get along in life, in a way that pleases God, by following the One who always pleases Him! Do you want to know where to go? Follow Jesus? Want to know how to live? Follow the example of Jesus? Do you remember the WWJD bracelets? I’m not promoting the WWJD bracelets necessarily, but the idea behind it is correct. If we want to be correct in God’s eyes, then “What Would Jesus Do?” He alone knows all the ways of God! He alone can direct us into the heart of God, because He sits at the right hand of God, and they share hearts. The quickest way to please God is to act like His Son. Which, going back to the verse, is why the write says to “fix our eyes on Jesus”. If you are looking at Jesus, and following in His ways, you won’t ever be far from the mark God is calling you to. In decisions about something as mundane as your daily activities or something as important as your future career or mate, ask yourself honestly, “What Would Jesus Do?” Keep you mind focused in that direction and you will not go far wrong.

Like a Child - Part 2

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16 ESV). Recently a young man I know was released from the county jail. He had been serving three months of a sentence for violating a restraining order that had been placed against him. He understood why he had been placed in jail. He was very sorry that he had made such destructive choices in his life. The drug habit he had chosen has destroyed his family, his reputation, and his career. He was a broken man. Yet, he could not seem to stay away from the drugs that had contributed to his fall. I encouraged him to seek help from Narcotics Anonymous. The first step in recovery through NA is for a dependent individual to admit that they are powerless over their addiction. It is that step that leads them to find help. He was unable to do that yet. He didn’t want anyone else’s help! He had not become “as a child.” This is a part of Jesus’ teaching in our reading this morning. When you come to Jesus, like a little child, helpless, defenseless, needing someone to carry the load, you are in the best position to be blessed. Have you discovered this principle yet? Do you know that if you try to do it alone, Jesus can’t help you as easily? God does not want to be ten percent, or even ninety-nine percent of the equation. God wants all of your dependence. Sure, He will use the skills and talents He has blessed you with, but He wants to work through you not with you, and there is a big difference. When God was about to take the Israelites through the parted sea, He told Moses “I will fight for you. You need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14) Now obviously Moses and the Israelites were moving through the sea, but God was doing the work. God can help you, and will help you in a way that gives Him the most glory. Go to Jesus today, like a child, and ask Him to help you today!

Like a Child - Part 1

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16 ESV). Yesterday I began reading this passage from Mark’s gospel. It reminded me of the importance of family and the influence we have on our children. As I began to think along those lines, I saw a theme emerge. Jesus’ teaching indicated that faith like a child was necessary to be a part of His kingdom. Cynthia Copleand has written a wonderful article quoted in MSC Health Action News. It falls under the category of “things we can learn from children.” See if this list doesn’t strike a chord in your heart and mind: • You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. • Nobody can pedal the bike for you. • If you wait until you’re really sure, you’ll never take off your training wheels. • Nobody notices when your zipper is up, but everyone notices when your zipper is down. • Sometimes you have to take the test before you’ve finished studying. • If you’re going to fight, use pillows. • Before you trade sandwiches, check between the bread. • You have to eat a lot of cereal before you find the free toy. • If you want a kitten, start out asking for a horse. • You don’t have to own a swing to enjoy it. • It doesn’t matter how fast you’re running with the ball if you’re going in the wrong direction. • Sometimes the biggest apple has the biggest worm. • Every castle has a dungeon. • A little kiss can make a big difference. Can you and I, the “children of God” learn anything from these things today? Read over the list again, and see what changes you might need to make in your life.

For the Sake of Ten

So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:22-32 ESV). Some people think God was changing His mind as Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom. Actually, I believe God was allowing Abraham to learn something that God already knew. If I someone would have predicted forty years ago that today over half the marriages would end in divorce, do you think anyone would have believed them? In the 1920’s, if someone had described the AIDS virus, would they have understood? If in the 1950‘s, when television would still new for most people, someone had described the content of programming for prime time viewing we must sift through each evening, would they have believed it? Could Abraham have possibly imagined that there were not at least fifty people who were righteous in Sodom? He knew of God’s ways. He had left everything to follow God. He knew He was not a harsh God, but a loving God. So, after God declares His plan of destruction, and Abraham offers God the fifty people deal, and then God agrees to it so quickly, he must have realized that there must not be fifty righteous people; and so he begins to gradually lower the number. When Moses sent the twelve men out to search the Promise Land, only Caleb and Joshua came back ready to go into the land. That’s two out of twelve. That’s one in six. That’s about 17%. Folks, that’s not good, but that’s what God went with. What percent are you in today? Are you among the faithful few? Are you ready to go all the way with Jesus? You can. Turn and see him today!

The Glory of God - Part 2

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ESV). In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord did not reside within man. It was seen in His creation, and it was hosted in the man-made temple, but it was not within the hearts of men. When Jesus came, and the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, God’s glory began to live within the hearts of men. The temple made with human hands was no longer needed to host the glory of God. I cannot read that phrase, “for we are the temple of the living God”, without being humbled by the fact that God’s light to the world now lives within us. At Pentecost, when the new Christians were still freshly mourning the death of Jesus, the promised Holy Spirit of God came into the hearts of Christians. Those who had believed in Christ suddenly became the habitat for the Spirit of God. They became the literal temple of God. And the same thing happens today as we experience the grace of God through faith in Christ. God’s glory resides within us. I wonder how clean your temple is? Are there places within the temple of yours where God obviously does not feel welcome? Knowing that sin, any sin, separates God from man, we should realize that the sin within our heart has kept God from fully indwelling our being. Paul expresses this when he said, “the good I want to do I do not do and the those things I don’t want to do, I do.” Does that apply to you? Today would be a good day to ask God to open the areas of your life so that he would be completely welcome in your life! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if his glory could shine so bright in your life that others would experience Christ through it? Perhaps its time for a little fall tune-up! Then you might really be ready for the glory of God to live within you fresh and new! Max Lucado wrote: If there are a thousand steps between us and God, he will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours. As believers we have now been given the opportunity to sow good seeds. We have the freedom of life in Christ. What will you do today with that freedom purchased at such a great proce?

The Glory of God - Part 1

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38 ESV). The glory of the Lord is a powerful entity. When the glory of the Lord appeared to Moses, it was too much for him. Once, when Moses wanted to see the face of God, God told him to hide himself in the cleft of a rock and He would pass by, but He could not see God’s face, because Moses couldn’t handle the glory of God. When the glory of God filled the temple, no one could enter into it. That’s a powerful glory. That’s also what makes the tearing of the temple veil, at the crucifixion of Jesus, such a powerful event. Having been removed from God’s glory for so many years, the people, including us today, were given immediate access into the very presence of God. But, in the Old Testament, God’s glory had limited availability. It wasn’t that God’s glory was less powerful, or that it was more powerful in the New Testament. God has been and will always be the same. It wasn’t that the people were less interested in God’s glory. They sought it in every way. It was just that there was no mechanism to get God’s glory to them. Even though God’s glory is now available to us, as much as we can handle it, I don’t sense very many people seeking it as much as they could. Rare is the time when we really experience His glory in a powerful way. When we do, we can’t seem to contain it within us for very long. His glory is too awesome for us to sustain. I wonder if we don’t take for granted what God shared with us through Jesus Christ when He brought forth His glory to those of us who will believe. I wonder if we are missing part of the glory God has for us, because we am not seeking Him with all our heart. In the next few days, as we look at the glory of the Lord, specifically as it relates to His temple, will you search your heart with me to see if you are experiencing God’s glory and all He has for you?

The Best of Times

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5, ESV). In his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, opens with these famous lines: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..." While Dickens was referring to life in the 19th century, we can also apply this same sentiment to our entire existence. Life is in no way stagnant. Rather, the emotions and experiences we encounter in an entire lifetime can most definitely run the gamut. The fact is, in our life, we will encounter pain as easily as pleasure and sadness as quickly as happiness. Along with wise decisions, there will be mistakes and poor choices. The same mouth that can utter soothing words of love and comfort can occasionally spew hatred and bitterness. We can rejoice in our gladness and fret in our despair, yet, through it all, the good times and the bad times, it is part of who we are and the fact we are not cold, unemotional, robots, but feeling humans who have been given the gift of intelligence and free will. Our Creator gave us these gifts because He had no desire to make us as obedient puppets on a string and, when something goes wrong, we often fail to take responsibility for the choices we ourselves made. We shake our fists and cry out, "Why me, God?" As we sow, so shall we reap. In my life, I have made plenty of mistakes; yet, there comes a time when we must learn to let go of the hurts and disappointments, the opportunities lost, and all things negative that keep us looking back rather than gazing forward. If we call on God in earnest prayer, and claim to have repented of the past, then why do we refuse to let go? If God is faithful to His word, then the mistakes of our past are long forgotten as a slate is wiped clean of its chalk marks. Just as Charles Dickens seemed to make peace with the dual nature of the 19th century in all its advances and turmoil, so, too, does our Heavenly Father see the good and evil within our lives and He is quick to forgive those who call upon Him in repentance so that we may truly make peace with the past and get on with the future.

Worth Doing Right

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:1-7 ESV). “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” That’s one of the proverbs my dad taught me as I was growing up. Though I’m sure it was not original to him, it was a watchword that described his life and I hope describes mine. The February 1998 issue of Success magazine contains an excerpt from a story that the magazine printed 100 years ago. The article, "A single-minded Tom Edison," contains an interview with Thomas A. Edison, the great inventor. Here is part of the conversation Theodore Dreiser had with Edison: "Dreiser: 'What's the first requisite for success?'" "Edison: 'The ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly . . .'" "You do something all day long, don't you? If you get up at 7 and go to bed at 11, you have put in 16 good hours, and it is certain with most men that they have been doing something all the time. The only trouble is that they do it about a great many things, and I do it about one. If they applied it in one direction . . .they would succeed.'” In that short interview, Edison reveals the same principle my dad tried to teach me all those many years ago. The one requirement for achieving success is focus. Each person, regardless of race, sex or nationality, has needs deep down inside. Unfortunately, many of us fail to maintain a correct focus for meeting them. In our reading this morning, the prophet is asking the people why they settle for less than the best. You can buy many material things, but they are not what you really need. You can work hard for success and prestige, but they will not bring satisfaction. Real, eternal satisfaction is only obtained from God, as we listen to Him and digest His truths. Sounds good, right? The problem is that, if we listen to God at all, we listen to a little of His word on Sunday, and then try all kinds of other things during the week! Even with our spiritual lives, it is true. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right! Focus on Him today!