Flowers in Life

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 ESV). I have been to a lot of funerals. And there are lots of flowers there, not just the kind with petals, but verbal flowers. You hear people talking about how much that person meant to them, about their strong points, about special qualities or experiences that touched the life of the person talking. It would be very affirming to the person if only they could hear it. If only they could, in essence, smell all those flowers that are suddenly coming their way. Mother’s Day has come and gone; Father’s Day is soon coming. Mary’s birthday is less than a week away. I can't help but wonder if there are those who I need to give some flowers to now, while they could still appreciate them? This birthday for Mary will be rather special. Someone asked what I had planned for the day. My first thought was some flowers and a special outing of some sort. That brought me to our reading today, "Encourage one another and build each other up." That's one of those commands from God that would be good to have up on the wall in a prominent place either in your home, at church, or in your office. Too often, we are very communicative about what we don't like that a person is doing. The criticism, the put-down, the sarcasm, the complaint they all come pouring out pretty quickly. But we ought to train our mind and mouth to look for and express what we like about that person, what we should thank them for, or what they've done that has helped us. We shouldn’t save that good stuff for the funeral. The people in our personal universe are people in desperate need of regular encouragement. How are you doing in giving it to them? Some of us came from a background where there was little praise, little encouragement, so it's hard for us to give what we never got. But you of all people should know how much it hurts not to get it. Ask the Lord to give you eyes to see the positive in the people around you and the words to tell them. When you praise someone, thank someone, compliment someone, tell someone the good things you see in them, you do what the Bible calls "building them up". The alternative, of course, is tearing them down. However they may treat you, your job is to be like Jesus and give them the gift of encouragement. Some of the difficult people in your world may be difficult because they've had so little encouragement. Whatever nice things you might say at a person's funeral, would you say them NOW? A pile of flowers after they're gone won't do a thing for them. But your flowers could make a BIG difference if you give the flowers to them when they can still enjoy them.

The Light of the World

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:16-27 ESV). I’ve often thought that the darkness of the day Jesus was crucified would be unbearable if it were not for the fact that the resurrection followed! None of us can stand the darkness for very long. The following poem speaks of that truth: It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. And many of us have lit our small candles. But always we were aware of the shadowed corners. When we discovered we could light our candles together, the darkness vanished. Our Father's work is done when we together, with joy, bring our gifts, However small, to be used by those God chooses to bear His light. 1 We do need each other. One candle in the darkness is effective, though still a small thing. Many candles brought together can light a much larger area. In this world we live in, how easy it is to feel like a cold stone tower standing erect in a vast wilderness. Regarding ourselves as a fortress of strength, we often isolate from the outside world, and, sadly, in the process, turn our back on the One who created us. We turn our emotions inward instead of outward. Nothing passes these cold, hard walls for, in essence, we have unknowingly become our own 'god.' We need no one and no one needs us. Or so we think. God gave man a great gift and this is our ability to love. When Jesus made provision for the care of His mother, He provided us with a wonderful example of how to love one another. Perhaps your “candle” will not be nearly so bright as this act, however it may be just as profound. Within each of us are special small gifts. It is not our heavenly Father's intention for us to selfishly horde these talents, but to use them and share them for the betterment of mankind, so that all people may experience love. The smallest gestures often have the greatest affects. Do not hide your love. Reach out to God and others.

The Problem with Now

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:6-16 ESV). Someone has said, "Never sacrifice the ultimate on the altar of the immediate." That is the summary of the problem so many people have with “now.” While it is true that we ought to live our lives in the present tense, it is also true that our choices ought to be measured against their ultimate consequences. In our reading today we see Judas, who was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and keeper of the moneybox. It is widely suspected that He used to pilfer what was put into the box. It is no wonder that he was upset with Mary Magdalene for using the expensive ointment on Jesus. He saw it as a waste. When he was reprimanded for his greed he went to the religious leaders to offer Jesus in return for a reward. He was willing to sacrifice the ultimate for the immediate. In today's world, many are so busy spending their time and energy seeking after wealth and gratification of their immediate pleasure, that they are in the same danger. They are in danger of joining Judas in betraying Jesus for silver. We are told by Jesus (cf. Matthew 6) not to store up for ourselves treasures upon earth, but to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where it will last forever. We are also admonished in the same passage that no one can serve two masters, that we cannot serve God and wealth. Christ does not say we must not, or we should not, but that we CANNOT serve both God and wealth. This is not to say that we are to be lazy and not work or save for the future or that God does not want us to enjoy the blessings He gives us. On the contrary, we are to be hard workers. However, it is only to say that there is something of far greater value that should be our priority, and we should not let our senses and their demands and pressures from the world around us keep us from the ultimate by enslaving ourselves to the immediate. As you make your choices in life, look at the consequences. Where you place your time and energy ought to draw you closer to the Lord, not drive you further from Him.

Gun-Shy

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:35-43 ESV). I have trained several different breeds of hunting dogs in my past. By far the easiest for me were the Beagles that my dad and I raised. One of the most important qualities of these animals was that they be tolerant to the sudden loud noise of a gun discharging. We didn’t want them to be “gun-shy.” We have all heard that term applied to humans as well, usually in reference to a person who was emotionally injured in a relationship and is now cautious about entering another relationship due to the hurts of the past. It is also a known fact that one's childhood does, to some degree, affect one's adult psyche. It can make you equally as “gun-shy.” Knowingly or unknowingly, we humans tend to carry lots of emotional baggage. These hurts of the past often affect how we react to situations today, embracing them or fearing them. It is a sad fact that such past injuries can so easily allow one to erect walls, supposedly for our own protection, but which often end up imprisoning us. The secure fortress we create to keep out hurts, soon becomes a prison. Outside the walls are love, peace, and happiness, but unless the walls are removed, we can never fully know the joy that is ours for the taking. Ralph Waldo Emerson, wisely states, "Why should we grope among the dry bones of the past, or put the living generation into masquerade out of its faded wardrobe?" In my own life, I can recall how the injuries of my past, not only robbed me of various personal and professional opportunities. During one particular period, I avoided any meaningful interaction with others. It was only after some honest soul-searching and professional help from a wonderful Christian counselor that I was able to be honest and admit that the emotional baggage I carried was in no way helpful, but actually harmful to my entire being. Releasing the often negative and suffocating grip of the past is exactly what Christ calls us to do. We are not to dwell among the barren bones of past loves and past hurts, but to feast our eyes upon the richness of the moment, and the joyous hope of the future! Emotional scars are not signs of weakness or defeat, but badges of victory that we have tread rough waters, and not only survived, but emerged all the more wise! Difficult moments in life are not meant to be a heavy ball and chain, but a balloon on a string that allows us to live, learn and cast our eyes always to the Lord. Then we can focus on present joy and keep the past with its failures and the future with its fears from robbing us. Today, won't you call out to God and tell Him you are ready to let go of the past and look toward a new tomorrow?

The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:34-36 ESV). Imagine taking a grain of rice and holding it at arm's length. It’s not too big from that point of view. Now go outside this evening and look near the Big Dipper for a spot about the same size as that rice grain you held earlier. Probably you will still not see too much. However, that same spot in question has intrigued astronomers because it appeared, for all practical purposes, to be devoid of stars and galaxies. In December 1995, the $6.9 billion US Hubble Space Telescope was aimed at this presumably empty patch. Over the next 10 days, Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera, the WFPC-2, snapped 342 images that later were digitally combined. In the resulting image, called the Hubble Deep Field, amazed astronomers counted 1,500 discernible galaxies or fragments of galaxies. This point in the sky, the size of a grain of rice held at arms length, yielded a mind-boggling 1,500 galaxies or fragments of galaxies and each galaxy contains thousands of stars (suns) light years apart, just like the Milky Way planet Earth is in! That little bit of information amazed me. Life can be just like that grain of rice held an arm’s length away from us. From our vantage point the rice of life may be so small but with a magnifying lens, we could photograph thousands of problems that are mind-boggling. Problems like stress, loneliness, isolation, and lack of self-esteem, chemical or sexual addiction. Even the barrage of the late-night TV news can discourage us. But that grain of rice can be the spice of life as well. Hidden beyond the clouds is an answer that has come to us in the form of Jesus Christ. He came to planet Earth to give us a new perspective on life. In His great love for us, Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we can see the goodness of living, the sweetness of light and the value of virtue. So this evening as you look near the Big Dipper, you may not see 1,500 galaxies but you can enjoy the thought that God is still there, filling our lives with opportunities disguised so often in ordinary clothes.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:8-14 ESV). The reading today comes in the midst of encouragement to the people of Israel in their captivity. Because of their sin, God allowed them to be taken captive by the Babylonians. This was to last for seventy years. However, even during that time, God promised to be with them and bring them back home. It is a great picture of the faithfulness of God. I was reminded of that faithfulness one Sunday as I was preparing breakfast. Every Sunday I cook breakfast. It’s a tradition that we have developed over the years. Usually it consists of the same things. I have fallen into a routine as I prepare it. The pancake mix is the most involved of all the preparations. I don’t like to use just a mix for the batter. I haven’t been able to make them fluffy enough without adding a few ingredients. I always add a little sugar, vanilla, baking powder, and club soda. They turn out light and fluffy every time! If you’ve ever cooked with baking powder, you know it doesn’t taste good by itself. Alone it is unpalatable, but without it, the recipe would be incomplete. God works in our lives in much the same way. He has a goal in mind, an end in sight. Some of our experiences are quite painful, even bitter. We go through times of difficulty, which seem purposeless. If we focused on them, we would surely be discouraged and lose hope. The key is not focusing on the process. Baking powder is just as necessary for the success of a cake as is the sugar. Don't focus on the process, but rather trust that God will use all our experiences, both pleasant and painful, to mold us into what He desires. A. J. Gordon noted that if you tear down a sparrow’s nest the little bird will build again in the same place. However, if you pull it down several times, she will seek a new location, a shelter higher up, where it will be less vulnerable. Gordon then observed that Christians are not always so wise. They form dwelling places of happiness and hope in this temporal world, only to see them pulled down time after time. Yet after each brief interval of sighs and tears, they begin building all over again in the same way. They never realize that through their defeats the Lord is directing them to put their security in Him. Don’t focus on the mere process. Trust in the Lord.

All Work and No Play

From time to time I receive responses from the devotionals I write. One recently really caught my attention. The gist of the devotional was that many of us need to learn how to play more. This reader wrote: "I [thought] just this morning about how much I am NOT having fun. It is not easy to totally relax. There is so much to do, too much at stake. I am a full-time worker with two kids, ages three years and six months, and also a part-time student in a graduate degree [program]. It is not easy to have fun. ... I am going to ask God to teach me to play and have fun..." Not a bad idea at all! I had to laugh one day at an error message that came up on my computer: "Your system is low on virtual memory." I'm not sure what virtual memory is exactly but I sure know when my human memory isn't working. Lack of concentration and memory is one indicator of overloaded circuits. This is not just a problem in North America. From overseas a man wrote: "Though I live in a small country in Europe, I think the problem of middle-age men with a profession, family, and any other duties can be very similar. Your devotional gave a small light in our busy lives." Then from the heartland of North America, Ohio, a woman writes, "I am an Amish widowed mother of seven children. My husband died October 9, 2001. So my days sometimes seem all uphill. But sometimes it goes better. My children are ages 16, 14, 12, 10, 7, 4 and almost 2." (And I thought I was busy!) Another woman wrote, "This was just what I needed to hear. I work 40 hours a week (with my job currently transitioning into a new, more responsible position), have a large sales business on the side, and am a single mom that commutes 1-1 ½ hours each way to work." She had just decided to give up her side business even though she really enjoyed it, because, "Both my full-time position and my family were suffering. It's time for me to play." So, this morning I decided to encourage you again to put a little play into your schedule! Why not take a day this week and declare for yourself a mini-vacation, right at home. Any day will do. Just sit and watch the dog, or butterflies, or birds, or flowers. I would suggest not even reading or watching TV for at least a part of your mini-vacation. Force yourself to do nothing, and be still with your thoughts. If you have small (or even older) children, take time to do nothing but play with them. Hang out with your teenagers: if they can't stand silence, lounge in their room if they'll let you and listen to their music, or watch them play a computer game. These are all little ways to wind down and relearn the restorative power of play. All work and no play really will make you “dull.” It takes away your strength to rejoice!

Grace for Living and Dying

Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:23-30 ESV). George Prins tells a story about a very ill woman. "Are you scared of dying?" the chaplain asked the bedridden lady. "No sir, I am not. But I was scared a few years ago when I became very ill was sent to the hospital and came close to death. I was frightened. But, my father, who died many years ago, always had a special way of saying my name, Anneke. No one else could quite say it like he did. As I lay in the room all alone on what I thought was my deathbed, I heard a voice calling, 'Anneke', the same way my father called me. 'Anneke' I heard but I knew it was not my father's voice and slowly it dawned on me that it was the voice of Jesus calling me. That gave me much comfort and strength; it was not long before I was convalescing at home. I was given the grace to live. Now I am going to die but God is now giving me the grace to die. Chaplain, God called me by my name. He knows my name, Anneke." As our reading this morning reminds us, God does know our names. Even more importantly, God desires to give us grace for living and dying. He gives us the grace to die the grace to accept death. "The grace to die?" you ask. The following true story illustrates this truth. John Martin, born on June 8, 1986, was given many presents as he fought the losing battle of leukemia. He enjoyed them and would often show them to his friend Brad. Five-year-olds have little comprehension of death. Yet, he decided, just before he died, to give his treasures to Brad. Indeed, he felt God saying, "It's time, John Martin, your toys are not that important any more. Come with Me." God gives both the grace to live and the grace to die. God desires that we ask for forgiveness for the messed up life we created. He then invites each one of us to enjoy the grace to live when we turn our lives to Him in service and praise. But there comes a time when we will all face death and for many of us, that may be a fearful moment. David knew that fear and so wrote: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me...You comfort me." (Psalm 23:4). Our mortality need not cause us concern. Listen to the Apostle Paul: "O death, where is your victory, O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Whatever your age may be God gives you grace for all of your needs. He knows your name and nothing can snatch you away from His protection. Grace for living or dying is yours. Trust Him!

The English Chunnel

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11 ESV). In this month, in 1994, the English Channel tunnel opened. In a ceremony presided over by England's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand, a rail tunnel under the English Channel is officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age. The channel tunnel, or "Chunnel," connects Folkestone, England, with Sangatte, France, 31 miles away. Napoleon's engineer, Albert Mathieu, planned the first tunnel under the English Channel in 1802, envisioning an underground passage with ventilation chimneys that would stretch above the waves. In 1880, Colonel Beaumont, who bore a tunnel more than a mile long before abandoning the project, made the first real attempt. Other efforts followed in the 20th century, but none on the scale of the tunnels begun in 1986. At a cost of $16 billion, millions of tons of earth were moved to build the two rail tunnels, one for northbound and one for southbound traffic and one service tunnel. The Chunnel cut travel time between England and France by 45 minutes, and the monumental number of workers needed to build it provided a much needed boost to the economies of Britain and France. This connection between England and France is something of an engineering miracle. And, as wonderful as it is, it is nothing compared to the miracle of God reconnecting us to Him through Christ! Paul, in our reading today, says that while we were still God’s enemies, He did all that was necessary to “connect” us to His love! Wouldn’t it be tragic if no one used the Chunnel? About 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mails. Wilson was tried and sentenced to be hanged. The President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sent Wilson a pardon. But, Wilson did a strange thing: he refused to accept the pardon. No one seemed to know what to do because of this, so Wilson’s case was sent to the U. S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Marshall wrote the opinion: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” And he was. If God has chosen you as His child, accept the pardon and live in His grace!

HGTV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ESV). Watching HGTV has brought me back to a very familiar passage of Scripture for this morning’s devotional. HGTV is a cable channel dedicated to decorating homes and gardens. One particular program deals with renovating old homes. I must confess that the “before and after” of these projects are dramatic. Recently I saw them take what I would have said was good for nothing more than bulldozing and make it into a very nice home. What the architects and decorators did for that house, Jesus does for people's lives. Certainly that’s what the Apostle Paul meant in today’s reading. “A new life” is how he describes the work of Christ in our lives. It is like the amazing change that took place in that house that was going straight downhill when someone who loved it finally was allowed to have it. And I have seen that same miracle take place when a life that was getting more and more damaged, was finally turned over to Jesus Christ. And He lovingly has gone to work to repair what looked unrepairable... to fix what looked unfixable... to forgive what seemed to be unforgivable... to make it a new creation. It could be you're in the market for that kind of miracle. Whatever the damage that's accumulated during the years when you've been running things, there is Someone who has loved you all along, who's been saying all these years, "If only he/she would let Me have their life, I could do with it what they have never been able to do." Think about it, the Son of God promises to make you a new creation with the old behind you with a new beginning. But He won't force His way in. He starts the forgiving, the healing, and the re-creating the day you open the door and say, “Jesus, this place isn’t mine anymore It's Yours." That wonderful new beginning could be today. You may be saying that too much has happened for you to begin again. Kim Linehan holds the world record in the Women’s 1500-meter freestyle. According to her coach, Paul Bergen, the 18-year-old is the leading amateur woman distance swimmer in the world. Kim does endless exercises and swims 7 to 12 miles a day. The hardest part of her regimen? “Getting in the water,” she says. Perhaps you merely need to start. Begin the project today!

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 9

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7 ESV). Over the past week we have looked at seven different principles for Christian parenting. Today we’ll se the eighth and final for this little series. There is no substitute for showing your children the truth through the Scripture. Teach your children to know God and bring them up in the Church. Parents will build a secure foundation for their children if the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place regularly. While it is best to start as early as possible, it is never too late to share Scripture with your children. Every time I encounter a strong, vibrant human being, I always remind myself that that individual did not come to such strength all by himself or herself. At the back of every healthy personality lies one of the oldest and most significant of all human arts, namely, the art of parenting. Here is human creativity at its highest. But these days the task of parenting ought to include far more people than just two biological mates. It is becoming painfully obvious in our day that the isolated nuclear family cannot bear the full load of parenting. In fact one of the finest missions a church could assume would be that of "compensatory parenting" where the natural family structure has broken down for one reason or another. Back in the days when people lived in clan-like groupings, if a child's parents became incapacitated in some way, other family members stepped in to fill the vacuum. The same needs exist today, only we no longer live in clans, so some other mechanism needs to function here. The Church could be an expanding family which monitors what is happening to whom and then steps in to help a child grow into those two most important realities, who they are and why they are. Finally, to really succeed as a parent one needs above all a happy heart, free of worry and care. This allows one to carry the heavy responsibilities of raising children with joy and confidence. That's why parents need above all a good trusting relationship with their Heavenly Father.

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 8

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (Colossians 3:20-21 ESV). Yesterday we saw that it is essential to be consultant parents in our style of discipline. Today is a continuation of that principle. We should discipline our children lovingly. Parents' discipline should be based on four F's: firmness, fondness, frankness and fairness. Giving children choices in our discipline is not permissiveness. It merely means that "no" should be said as lovingly as "yes". Deal with the situation, not the person. Always deal with the action rather than the actor. Most discipline problems consist of two parts: angry feelings and angry acts. Each part has to be handled differently. Feelings have to be identified and expressed; acts may have to be limited and redirected. There is no good substitute for thinking before we act in our discipline. The Police Department of Houston, Texas, has issued these ten easy rules for raising a delinquent: 1. Begin at infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living. 2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute. 3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is 21 and then let him "decided for himself". 4. Pick up everything he leaves lying around books, shoes, and clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others. 5. Quarrel frequently in his presence. In this way he will not be too shocked when the home is broken later. 6. Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them? 7. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink and comfort. Denial may lead to harmful frustrations. 8. Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. 9. When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him". 10. Prepare for a life of grief. You are bound to have it. Firmness, fondness, frankness and fairness – these are principles that will help us achieve balance in our discipline.

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 7

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 ESV). The sixth principle in our studies deals with a parenting style. We ought to guard against being over-protective. There are actually three basic style of parenting. First there are the helicopter parents; second, there are drill-sergeant parents; and, last there are consultant parents. We should strive to be the latter of these if we desire to have well-adjusted and positive children. Let me explain this a little. Helicopter parents can't stand to see their children suffer, so they hover over them and then swoop down to rescue them whenever they are in trouble, she explained. This parenting style carries the unspoken message to a child, "I'm going to rescue you because you're not capable." Drill sergeant parents bark out orders and tell children their only responsibility is to do as they are told, Bird noted. Their actions teach a child, "I'll tell you what to do because you're not capable." Consultant parents guide their children, point them in the right direction, and then let them bear the consequence of their own actions, unless their bad choices are life threatening. Brenda Bird offers the following suggestions to help parents develop more of a consultant style. They are seven "C's" to use as a guide for building strong families: 1. Choices. Instead of making threats or rescue attempts, give children non-threatening choices you can live with. 2. Control. Teaching children to make choices empowers them and gives them more control over their lives, as they grow older. 3. Consequences. Allow children to "own" their problems by helping them to see that the choices they make have real consequences. 4. Count. Kids must know that they count and that they matter to someone. 5. Capable. Teach children they are capable by giving them tasks, allowing them to make mistakes and letting them learn from those mistakes. Then give them the same task again, showing them that you trust them and that they are capable." 6. Connections. Children need to feel connected to someone older, preferably a responsible parent or a positive adult role model. If kids don't feel that they count, if they don't feel capable, and if they don't feel connected at home, they'll find it someplace else, perhaps in a negative place. 7. Courage. By encouraging children, adults can inspire them to have the courage to learn new things, make new friends and take risks. How are you training up your child? While it is much more difficult to be a “consultant,” it is the only way to truly instill positive self-esteem and godly values. It is the only way to prepare your children for successful adulthood. Try the seven C’s!

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 3

And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’” (Deuteronomy 4:8-10 ESV). The second principle in the quick course in parenting is to do meaningful things together. It's not enough simply to spend time with your kids: make sure this time is spent qualitatively. There are so many examples that I might draw on to illustrate this principle from my own experience! Perhaps the most vivid is the conversation I had with my oldest son, Kyle, while we were watching a baseball game of one of my other sons, David. It was years ago, but I have never forgotten it. With no prompting at all, Kyle said, “Dad, I’m glad you come to our games. We just play better when you’re there.” It was his way of saying that my presence was important to them. It was merely a matter of being together. There have been so many memories we have built through the years simply by doing things together. Playing family games together, going for hikes together, or building something together are merely a few of the things you may choose. The critical thing is to choose something. It will amaze you how many of their “firsts” you will experience with them. Each of these builds on the other to develop a solid foundation of values and principles of life. They become the markers of life. If a family really battles for what one psychologist has called "superordinate goals," the kind of unifying struggle for existence that once cemented families of pioneers, these help parents and children to pull together. Have you ever wondered why farmers' kids are so loyal to their families' goals? It is because they have achieved them together in an experience of togetherness. Whatever they achieved, they did so together. There is no better way to teach our children our goals and values than by being with them in the experiences of life. It is a principle that builds on the first we touched on yesterday. We need to spend time with our children, but that time should be used to experience life together. Develop a plan of doing things with your children. Even if your children are older, it is never too late to do meaningful things with them.

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 2

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10-12 ESV). As we begin this mini-series, the first principle in our course in Christian parenting is to spend time not money. Did you ever hear the story of the Prodigal Father? Some years ago Dr. Joplin wrote it. "A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to the father, 'Father, give me the portion of thy time, and thy attention, and thy companionship, and thy counsel and guidance which falleth to me.' And he divided unto them his living, in that he paid his boy's bills, and sent him to a select preparatory school, to dancing schools, and to college, and tried to believe he was doing his full duty by his son. And not many days after, the father gathered all his interests and aspirations and ambitions and took his journey into a far country, into a land of stocks and bonds and securities and other things which do not interest a boy, and there he wasted his precious opportunity of being a chum to his son. And when he had spent the very best of his life, and had gained money, but had failed to find any satisfaction, there arose a mighty famine in his heart and he began to be in want of sympathy and real companionship. And he went and joined himself to one of the clubs of that country and they elected him chairman of the house committee and president of the club and sent him to the legislature. And he fain would have satisfied himself with the husks that other men did eat, and no man gave him any real friendship. And when he came to himself, he said: "How many men of my acquaintance have boys whom they understand and who understand them, who talk about their boys and associate with their boys and seem perfectly happy in the comradeship of their sons, and I perish here with heart hunger? I will arise and go to my son and will say unto him: 'Son, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called thy father. Make me as one of the thine acquaintances.' And he arose and came to his son. But while he was yet a great way off, his son saw him and was moved with astonishment, he drew back and was ill at ease. And the father said unto him, 'Son, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight. I have not been a father to you, and I am no more worthy to be called thy father. Forgive me now, and let me be your chum. But the son said, 'Not so, for it is too late. There was a time when I wanted your companionship and advice and counsel, but you were too busy. I got the companionship, the wrong kind - and now, I am wrecked in soul and body. It is too late - too late - too late!'" Studies show that a parent’s absence has destructive effects on their children ranging from low self-esteem to hunger for immediate gratification and susceptibility to group influence. Many parents have no idea what their children really think because they never give them a chance to explain. "Can't you see I'm busy?" is a put-down that ought to be banned from the parental vocabulary. One of the songs the Beatles sang says: "She's leaving home after living alone for so many years ..." Woven into the poignant ballad of a runaway daughter is her parents' haunting lament: "We gave her everything money could buy". But they didn't realize money couldn’t buy love. It is interesting that after buying a house for the aunt who brought him up, John Lennon presented her with a plaque, which now hangs in her living room. Engraved on it is the phrase she directed his way almost every day of his adolescent life: "The guitar's all right, but you'll never earn your living with it." It may be a good idea for parents not to be too judgmental about their kids' hobbies! Like so many things in life, parenting is about our presence more than anything else is. Spend some time with your children. Choose your words carefully. They will be long remembered, good or bad!

A Quick Course in Parenting - Pt 1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV). Every parent loves the first three verse of Paul’s writing in today’s reading! It’s that fourth verse that most of us have trouble with! Recently, as I was talking with Aaron, he expressed how happy he was that he had Mary and I as his parents. We had been talking about some of his friends and their parents and some of the “injustices” they felt they had suffered. Whether they really were or not is always a debatable position. However, there have been those of others that parenting made a significant negative impact. I read the following examples not long ago. Lynette's father was a little Hitler, a tyrant, according to her childhood friends. She was not allowed to eat with other children in the dining room but was banished without reason to the kitchen. She got the silent treatment often from her father. He disliked her intensely. "Her father's treatment scarred her badly," an old friend said. "Her mother was too scared to open her mouth." When Lynette was 16 she was kicked out of the family home. Charles Manson found her crying in the street and offered to look after her. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme later attempted to assassinate President Ford. Or we may look at Joe. Joe's father was a drunken brute who beat his wife and child savagely and often. The boy took refuge in fantasy and in his teens discovered a fictional hero called Koba. Koba was the main character in a popular Georgian adventure story about a young peasant who fought alone and with incredible success to free the oppressed. Joe always wanted to be the best, the bravest, the unbeatable comrade who was always right and never wrong ... and if anyone doubted this was so, he had better beware. Koba's revenge would be swift and terrible. Who was Joe? You've guessed - Joseph Stalin, who with Adolf Hitler shares that doubtful honor of killing more people in the 20th Century than any other individual. Parenting is very important, and if we have children, a successful parent is something we ought desperately to want to be. But the stronger our desire, the greater may be our confusion. Should we be strict or lenient, demanding or accepting? Should we try harder or not so hard, punish or just talk, restrict or liberate our children? Should we listen to the experts or do what comes naturally? We often seesaw between the two positions. As one mother said recently, "I'm strict until I can't stand myself; then lenient until I can't stand my kids". Many parents have really tried hard, and still something can go wrong. We all know the story of the black sheep in the family, a boy or girl who "goes wrong" to the mortification of their parents as well as the other children in the family. We must not pass judgment on cases of that kind because each one is different. It is too easy to blame parents for everything that goes wrong in a family. However, there may be room for some improvement in our parenting. With some help from God we can "rewrite the script" of our lives. What we were in the past, even in our childhood, need not determine how we will cope in the future. We do not need to be the victims of our personal history! Christianity is all about turning to God for help and strength and victory, rather than blaming ourselves or our parents or the world or the environment we live in. None of us needs to be imprisoned within our past. In the next few days I will be writing about eight specific things we can do to become better parents. In the mean time, pray and ask God to give you wisdom and strength to be the best parent you can be.

Mirrora and Problem Solving

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:16-17 ESV). Carl Perkins wrote: “Every problem is an opportunity to prove God’s power. Every day we encounter countless golden, opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems. Anon If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” Edward deBono, the Oxford exponent of lateral thinking, suggests that when we can’t solve a problem using traditional methods, we should try “detours and reversals,” anything that will give us a different angle from which to ponder solutions. To illustrate, he tells this story about a problem faced by executives of a large company. The company had moved into a new skyscraper and discovered that the builder apparently had not put in enough elevators. Employees were disgruntled because there were over long waits for the elevators, especially at both ends of the working day. The company got a wide cross-section of the staff together and asked them to sit down and solve the problem. The task force came up with four possible solutions:  Speed up the elevators, or arrange for them to stop at certain floors during rush periods.  Stagger working hours to reduce elevator demand at either end of the day.  Install mirrors around entrances to all elevators.  Drive a new elevator shaft through the building. Which solution would you have chosen? According to Professor deBono, if you chose the first, second, or fourth solutions, then you are a “vertical” or traditional thinker. If you chose the third possibility, then you are a “lateral thinker.” The vertical thinker takes the narrow view; the lateral thinker has a broader view. After some consideration, the company chose the third solution. It worked. “People became so preoccupied with looking at themselves (or surreptitiously at others),” said deBono, “that they no longer noticed the wait for the elevator. The problem was not so much the lack of elevators as the impatience of the employees.” As you approach your problems in life, look into the mirror of Scripture! It will show you the promise of God’s future for you. What we are suffering now is nothing in comparison for the wonder of the eternal life that awaits all that believe!

A Godly Woman

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. (2 Timothy 1:5-8 ESV). Peter Marshall, told this story. Once upon a time, a certain town grew up at the foot of a mountain range. It was sheltered there in it’s shadow, so that the cruel wind that threw sleet at the windows and howled through the cracks of homes on the other side, when it came to the foot of the mountain, was a wind spent. High up in the hills, a strange and quiet fellow took it upon himself to be the Keeper of the Springs. Whenever he would see a spring, he cleaned its brown pool of silt and fallen leaves, of mud and mold, and took away all foreign matter, so that the water that bubbled up from the springs was clean and cold and pure. It leaped sparkling over rocks and dropped joyously in crystal cascades until swollen by other streams, it became a river of life to the busy town. Millwheels were turned by its rush. Gardens were refreshed by its waters. Fountains threw it like diamonds into the air. On its surface swans swam lazily, and children laughed and played on its banks in the springtime. But the city council was a group of penny conscious businessmen. They scanned the budget and found within it a salary for the Keeper of the Springs. They said, "Why are we paying this invisible man? He is never seen. We don’t need him. Why if we build a reservoir, we can do away with the position entirely. So they did. The water filled the concrete basin, but it didn’t seem the same. Where before it was sparkling and clear as it moved past the city, now it sat, brown and languid. Soon, it began to show the signs of a green slime. There were constant troubles with the pumps after that, and the swans found a cleaner place above town. Finally, an epidemic broke out, and the sickness reached its cold hand into every home in the city. The City Council met again, realizing the error of its ways, and called for the Keeper of the Springs to make it right again. It wasn’t long until it was right. The springs were cleaned and the water joyfully leaped down the mountain. The Millwheels turned as of old. The swans returned. And children played again by the banks of the stream. Let me be quick to add a “Mother’s Day Disclaimer.” I think of all women, whether mothers or not, as keepers of the springs. That does not lessen the responsibility that men have in life, but it does speak of the difference in them. The influence of a godly woman cannot be underestimated. It is only magnified in motherhood. Anyone who is entrusted with the care of children needs 189 moveable parts, 3 pairs of hands and the ever-popular eyes in the back of her head. Norman Bates of All About Families ministry says, "She’s got to be as insightful as a psychologist, tough as a Marine Corps DI, gentle as a nurse. She’s got to be a labor and management negotiator, a teacher, an electrician, a plumber and a carpenter. It requires a massive amount of patience, endless energy, and iron will, and the ever present reality that if she gets sick, she’s got to get well before the end of the day." I can just hear the “amens” from all of you who are mothers! Nevertheless it is true. Abraham Lincoln was once quoted as saying, "No man is poor, who has had a godly mother." There is no position ordained by God with more influence than that of a Mother. That cuts sharp at times though, doesn’t it? What influence are you having today on your children and those around you? Renew your commitment today to a life of faithfulness.

The Sign of Jonah - Pt 5

There is one “last word” I would want you to have in our series concerning “The Sign of Jonah.” For this we go to the Apostle Paul: But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:10-12 ESV). A friend once told me, "I am a skeptic; unless I have scientific evidence, I cannot believe in God." Then he started stating passages from the Bible that he could not scientifically comprehend. I must admit that he had many questions that could not be adequately answered with scientific accuracy or methods. I would often pale at the thought of these little debates, especially when asked about the dinosaurs! My only response was to get him to imagine another scene with little children running around their dad happily teasing him, "daddy! daddy!" They believe the man to be their father. They never ask, or even think of asking, for scientific proofs for their relationship to him. Even if their dad provides them with facts, their innocent, immature thinking would not grasp it. They may consider such facts to be nonsense. It is not until they grow up that they understand. It is in the same context that God has illuminated us with evidence of His existence. It is through His amazingly created nature, the design of the universe, and man, as well as through His care and love to every one of us demonstrated in countless ways if we care to notice them that we can recognize the proofs of God. When Jesus tried to enrich souls with spiritual facts about Heaven, miracles, and Life after death, infant physical minds could not comprehend His message. What is the easiest reaction? It is to consider such facts nonsense. One day when we "grow up" and our spiritual identity develops, we will declare such facts true - much the same as the little children do. It is wonderful to faithfully enjoy our relationship to God, delighting in His abundant love and care as children do. Science simply doesn’t tell the whole story of faith. A freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, April 26, 1997. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide”. He listed the reasons as follows: it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting; it is a major component in acid rain; it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state; accidental inhalation can kill you; it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes; and, it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients. He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that the chemical was H20 (water). The title of his prize-winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?” He feels the conclusion is obvious. If you are struggling with the balance between faith and fact, trust your faith and be patient with your facts.

The Sign of Jonah - Pt 4

Today we complete our series in the Gospel of Matthew dealing with The Sign of Jonah. Again we come to Matthew 12: Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42 ESV). John Calvin says: Does Christ address them with such harshness of language, because they wished to have a sign given them? for on other occasions God manifests that He is not so much displeased on this account. Gideon asks a sign, (cf. Judges 6:17) and God is not angry, but grants his request; and though Gideon becomes importunate and asks another sign, yet God condescends to his weakness. Hezekiah does not ask a sign, and it is offered to him, though unsolicited, (cf. Isaiah 38:7-8). Ahaz is severely blamed for refusing to ask a sign, as the prophet had enjoined him to do, (cf. Isaiah 7:11). It is not solely, therefore, because they ask a sign, that Christ makes this attack upon the scribes, but because they are ungrateful to God, wickedly despise so many of his wonderful works, and try to find a subterfuge for not obeying his word. What a display was this, I do not say of indifference, but of malice, in shutting their eyes against so many signs! There was, therefore, no proper ground for this annoyance; and they had no other object in view than to appear to have a good reason for rejecting Christ. Let me reiterate. I am not calling for the belief in the cessation of gifts from the Holy Spirit. I am calling for an understanding that signs and wonders are not the saving word of grace; they are God's secondary testimony to the word of his grace. John Piper says, “Signs and wonders do not save. They are not the power of God unto salvation. They do not transform the heart any more than the inspiring music of worship which may accompany the gospel. Signs and wonders can be imitated by Satan, but the gospel is utterly contrary to his nature. What changes the heart and saves the soul is the self-authenticating glory of Christ seen in the message of the gospel.” We must focus on the Gospel. That Gospel is simple. The Apostle Paul writes: Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV). That sets you free! That’s something that cannot be counterfeited by our enemy!

The Sign of Jonah - Pt 3

We are now in the third part of our series in the Gospel of Matthew dealing with The Sign of Jonah. It is important to fully understand the meaning of Jesus’ words of “the Sign of Jonah.” We must go to an earlier Scripture than we started the series with: Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42 ESV). The context of this passage in Matthew comes as Jesus teaches he is the Lord of the Sabbath (cf. 12:1-8); heals a man with a withered hand angering the Pharisees and Sadducees (cf. 12:9-14); and, declares that those who refuse to believe in him would be condemned both on this world and in heaven because of their blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (cf. 12:15-37). The Pharisees showed their hypocrisy when they asked Jesus for a sign proving that He was the Messiah. They were obviously not seeking to know Jesus. They had already seen so many proofs that He was the Messiah. Another miraculous work will not change their minds because they had decided already not to believe Him. There is an important word here that we have to define carefully. It is the word “sign.” When the Pharisees asked for a sign, they wanted a miraculous sign, some miracle that would prove that Jesus is the Savior sent of God. Actually, this word “sign”, semeion, is often translated by the word “miracle.” A sign can be a miracle. However, in several other verses, it refers to some less supernatural events. And sometimes it is used of things not supernatural at all. Now, in the sign of Jonah, the emphasis is not on the miraculous nature of the sign but on the fact that we are able to see it. In the Bible, a sign is something that you can see with your own eyes and which conveys a message. The point of comparison is between Jonah and the Son of man, as well as between the Ninevites and this generation. Jonah was the sign to the people of Nineveh in the same way that the Son of man is the sign to us in this present age. Jonah became a sign when he spent three days and three nights in the fish. Notice that Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites only after he was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. And he would become a sign to the Ninevites not only after that event, but because of that event. In the same way, Jesus would become a sign to this generation, to you and me, by virtue of His death and resurrection. And just as Jonah became a sign after the event, so Jesus becomes a sign to us after the resurrection. This event is the declaration of God to all of us that He can be trusted to empower us in our journey. We don’t need any other sign. And, those who seek them are misguided at best and evil and adulterous at worst. Trust the sign you have received!

The Sign of Jonah - Pt 2

Yesterday we began a series in the Gospel of Matthew dealing with The Sign of Jonah. Today we continue. Notice the Scripture again: And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4 ESV). Jesus tells them the greatest of signs will be given to them. It will be his resurrection. We’ll see that specifically taught in Matthew 12 later in this series. For now, I want us to concentrate on the scathing reprimand and judgment Jesus pronounces. He says, An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.” The Greek word for “evil” is ponērós . It is an adjective which is also used substantively, derived from pónos, "pain or laborious trouble." It can be translated pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies or misery that always go with evil. The other word, here translated as “adulterous” is moichalis. It is used in many places in the Septuagint and the New Testament. The heart of its meaning is found in the marriage covenant God has entered into with his people. To chase after these signs and wonders is the same as a spouse who seeks love and acceptance from someone other than their spouse. It is simply adultery. John Calvin said that the human heart is an “idol factory.” As we examine our lives and detect the idols that we love more than God, we will see that Calvin was correct. We ask God to bless us with certain things in our lives. If we receive those things from God many times we turn around and elevate them above Him. We begin to find our happiness and security in them. This is spiritual adultery. God must not become our spiritual vending machine. He does not arrange the provision of things and people for us to satisfy our desires. Even when those things seem to be so good, we can fall into the subtle sin of spiritual adultery. When we do, we soon find that our idols leave us empty. The satisfaction that we find in them wears off. Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, Lord. Our hearts are restless, until they rest in You.” No one and nothing will ever satisfy our hearts besides the One who created us – God. Jesus speaks clearly to us today. When we find ourselves ignoring the extraordinary daily gift of the presence and provision of God in our daily routine and seek that which has been pronounced “greater” or “higher,” we commit spiritual adultery and become evil. We become a people who are tiresome to our God who loved us enough to sacrifice His only begotten Son on our behalf and call us into an eternal covenant with Him that will deliver us from sin and death into an eternal home prepared by Him for us. Don’t miss the greatness of His grace looking for any other sign than that which has already been graciously given. He is risen!

The Sign of Jonah - Pt 1

Before I begin, let me ask that you not write me with any remarks about where I am and what I am doing as I write this devotional. I know I am not being very “healthy.” Having said that, let me say I am sitting in Dunkin Donuts and looking out the window as I eat my apple fritter and drink my white milk (that’s sort of healthy). The weather has been a typical late spring for Middle Tennessee. We had strong rain storms last night and it is still very cloudy. Looking out, I can easily imagine it might begin to rain again any moment. As I reflect on the storms last night, I remember the meteorologists predicting the amount of rain and the time it would begin to fall. They didn’t miss it by much at all. In fact, with my online capability to see the radar of the storm as it approached from the west, I could accurately track it myself. Use that image as you read Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew dealing with The Sign of Jonah: And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4 ESV). The people of His day had their own methods of forecasting the weather. Jesus references those principles and admits they work; however, he then says they can’t interpret some “signs” that are even more apparent. For nearly three years the religious leadership of Israel had seen and heard the reports of Jesus’ ministry. Yet, they come again asking for more proof that he is indeed the Messiah. Perhaps they had not actually been present to see him heal the sick, raise the dead, or teach as no one had ever taught before. Perhaps they simply didn’t want to believe that he could be the one they had anticipated for so long. Perhaps they perceived him to be a threat to their power and position. Regardless of the reasons, they come asking for another sign. Jesus refuses to give them any more than they have already received, or would soon receive. We have an advantage today as we look back to the resurrection. Of all the great religions of the world, only Jesus claimed resurrection. If we visit any of the tombs of any of these leaders we will find their remains still interred. Look as you may, neither of the two most historically accepted sights of Jesus’ burial contain any remnant of his body. Some might counter that we don’t know the actual location of Jesus’ tomb; however, they rest that hypothesis on near impossible facts. Jesus simply isn’t dead. We can know that and that knowledge propels us to an unshakeable hope of our own eternal life. We needn’t run here and there looking for more. Tragically, many Christians today don’t rest in that hope. They look far and wide for more evidence of the truth of Jesus’ promises. In the next few days we will see the foolishness of that search. For now, just as surely as you know the sun will rise in the east and set in the west, KNOW that Jesus is risen and has become the atonement for our sin, conquering death.

The Natural Pool

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27-30 ESV). Recently I was going through some of the pictures Mary and I have taken on previous vacations. On one of those vacations we participated in a horseback ride over the mountains and down to the seashore. The trail we rode wound its way up about 2,000 feet in elevation and gave us a spectacular view of “the Natural Pool.” When I saw a picture of it lwith its rock encircled formation, it reminded me of how powerful the waves were that hit it. They built up under the surface of the water, becoming larger and larger as the moments ticked away. Then they crested, roll over, crashed against the rocks, making a very loud noise, bubble and foam. Then the wave was gone. This pattern repeated over and over again. Waves at the beach are never ending. One is gone, and the next rolls in, one after another. Some are larger and louder than the others are, but they keep rolling into shore. It was very beautiful. I believe life's problems are like that. They build up, peak, and dissipate. They may be large, small, or in-between, but they keep on coming. They may crash your life with a resounding bang or make a more soft and subtle noise, but they keep on coming. They may deal with emotions, health, finances, family relationships, or a variety of other difficulties one must face in a lifetime, but they keep on coming. As long as we live in this world, we will face one dilemma after another, be it large or small. The unending load gets heavy after a while, and the waves of life can beat away at a person the same as ocean waves pound at the shoreline. Jesus has told us to come to Him with our burdens and He will give us rest. He said to cast our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. He said He would send the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and guide; to give us wisdom and the strength to survive the battering waves of life. He promised this in the Bible to all who will reach out to Him and believe in Him. If the constant waves of life are beating you down, depleting life's energy out of you, like the grains of sand that are pulled back into the ocean with each wave, call upon Jesus. He will answer the call - you can count on Him. Douglas Malloch has a nice poem that inspires: The hills ahead look steep and high, And often we behold them with a sigh; But as we near them level grows the road, We find on every slope, with every load, The climb is not so steep, the top so far. The hills ahead look harder than they are. Trusting Jesus will make the hills much easier to climb! Trust Him!

Two Certainties

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:24-28 ESV). A headline caught my eye recently. It read, Men Die Earlier, Have Worse Health Than Women. Jeanie Lerche Davis wrote it. As you can imagine, it piqued my attention! The gist of the article concerned how men had a higher risk factor and therefore statistically died sooner than women. Ms. Davis quotes Dr. David R. Williams as saying, "Men in all socioeconomic levels are doing poorly in terms of health." She cites other statistics from the American Journal of Public Health: first, men have higher death rates than women for 15 leading causes of death except Alzheimer's disease. Men's death rates are at least twice as high for accidents, murder, suicide, and liver disorders, and second, men's life expectancy remains almost five years shorter than for women, and black men die almost 12 years sooner than white women. I came to two conclusions. First, I’m going to die! No surprise there! The Scripture is clear in its declaration that everyone will die. It is an appointment we all must keep. The only possible exception will be in the rapture. Even then, life as we know it ends. Second, if it is indeed true that I am going to die sooner than my wife who is my age, then certain preparations should be made. I have done that. It is only wise to secure my family’s future in the event that I am no longer present to do so. However, there are other preparations that are even more important. The Scripture also says that I will face a judgment. It is as certain as death. The outcome of that event must be secured also. There is only one way to do that. That is through faith in Jesus Christ! Denying either of these certainties will leave us unprepared. According to Life magazine, William Randolph Hearst, when 75 years old, forbid the mention of death in his presence. However, when yielding voting control of his publications to an attorney, “the man who has arrogantly and brilliantly ruled a $200,000,000 empire acknowledged death although he did not mention it.” The statement merely read that Mr. Hearst had become “conscious of the uncertainties of life.” Our end need not be an “uncertainty.” We can be certain of eternal life as we place our faith in Christ. I am not ready to use my “ticket”, but I am ready for the “ride.” How about you? Trust Christ today!

Where Did You Come From?

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13-18 ESV). A little boy had to write a report for school, so he went to his mother and asked, "Mom, where did I come from?" Surprised at hearing such a question from her child, the mother discreetly answered, "Um, the stork brought you." "And where did YOU come from?" the boy continued. "Well, the stork brought me, just like he brought you. Now go to your room. No more questions, please." But the boy persisted. "What about grandma? Where did grandma come from?" "Look, the stork brought grandma, the stork brought me, the stork brought you! Now go to your room. I do not want to talk about this any more!" So the little boy went to his room and began writing his report. "Our family hasn't had a normal birth in three generations..." Do you ever wonder how you got here? The world sometimes gives you answers that are about as unbelievable as "the stork brought you." However, the truth is that none of us got here by accident. You're not just a highly developed monkey. This morning’s reading is abundantly clear that we came here from the heart of God. He knew us before we were ever formed in our mother’s womb and we are "fearfully and wonderfully made.” Reducing the mysteries of the universe to something that we can measure is like parents telling small children tall tales so they'll stop asking questions. Don't let tall tales invented in the name of science rob you of your faith. No one knows exactly how God did it, but we know that God created everything, including you and I, and he knows each of us by name. Not only that, he loves and desires a personal relationship with each person he has created. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. The more I meditate on the wonder of creation, the more I am brought face-to-face with the reality of God’s grace and love. Even when I have rejected Him, He still loves me. When I have turned aside to follow my own way, He still loves me. There is nothing I can do to wipe out that love that motivated Him to make me! He made me wonderful in His eyes. Now I am being called to live up to that wonder in His power and grace. You are too! Are you willing to trust Him for the completion of His creation in you? It is the only way to fully realize the wonder of life!

Resumes

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:29-30 ESV). Imagine you're on your church's search committee, investigating applicants desiring to pastor your congregation. Among the letters from candidates is the following letter: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ; Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. understanding that your pulpit is vacant, I'd like to be considered for the job. You see, I love to preach, even though my preaching tends to stir up quite a bit of controversy. In fact, one of my sermons caused a riot. Actually, I've never been able to stay in one place more than three years. My health isn't too good. I have what I call a "thorn in the flesh--and to be perfectly honest, I'm not much to look at. I can assure you, however, that this doesn't interfere with my ministry. I'm a bachelor by choice, never been married and never had any kids, but I'm surprisingly good at conducting family life seminars. If you do a background check on me--and I'm sure you will--you'll probably discover that I changed my name a while back, and I have been arrested a few times. But even in jail I was able to have a successful ministry. People tell me I'm quite a theologian, although I've never attended seminary. I hope you aren't looking for an administrator. I'm not too good at keeping records. And my memory's not too good. Sometimes I forget who I've baptized, for instance. But I'm a hard worker, although the things I want to do, I rarely do. And the things I don't want to do, I always end up doing. Go figure. But you know what? I've found that everything works out fine in the end for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Praise be to God. Well, let me know if you are interested. I can start next week. By the way, I wrote this with my own hand. Grace to you all, Paul Would you call the Apostle Paul to pastor a church? God did. If God could use Paul, chances are he can use you. Remarkable talent and physical perfection are not prerequisites to being used by God. Most of the heroes of the Bible, in fact, were imperfect, inexperienced, unqualified, certainly not the kind of people we would have chosen to do the job. Their inadequacy, however, motivated them to depend upon God and to follow him in obedience. When you think you "have it all together," you tend do things your way instead of God's way. God isn't waiting for you to get good enough to serve him. He's waiting instead for you to say yes.

Sleeping through the Storm

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV). Someone sent me a wonderful story about a farmer who owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew. When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God. It is His irrevocable promise that nothing is capable of separating us from His love and grace. I wonder how many times you have forgotten to rest in that promise? Life really is easier when we learn to “sleep” through the storms!