Sin Is Stupid

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). Sin is not smart! Here are some actual crimes committed by actual criminals:  Two Kentucky men tried to pull off the front of a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. The front panel of the machine was so secure that instead they pulled off the bumper of their truck. Scared, they fled the scene and drove home, leaving the chain attached to the machine...with their bumper still attached to the chain...with their vehicle's license plate still attached to the bumper.  A man convicted of robbery in Texas worked out a deal to pay $9,600 in damages rather than serve a prison sentence. For payment he provided the court with a check--a stolen check with a forged signature. He got 10 years.  A man went into a drugstore, pulled a gun, announced a robbery, and pulled a Hefty trash-bag facemask over his head. Too late he realized that he'd forgotten to cut eyeholes in the mask. While sprinting blindly to the door, he fell down and was captured.  A man successfully broke into a bank after hours and stole--are you ready for this? --The bank's video camera...while it was recording...remotely. In other words, he got a camera only. The videotape of him stealing the camera was still in the recorder located elsewhere in the bank.  A man successfully broke into a bank's basement through a street level window, cutting himself up pretty badly in the process. He then realized that he couldn't get to the money from where he was, and he couldn't climb back out the window through which he had entered. On top of that he was bleeding from all his cuts. So he located a phone and dialed 911 for help.  A man walked into a convenience store, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and demanded all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man grabbed the cash from the clerk and fled- leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.  In San Francisco a man walked into a downtown Bank of America and wrote, "This is a stickup. Put all your many in this bag." While standing in line waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to Wells Fargo. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, guessing from his spelling errors that he was not the brightest bank robber in the world, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking somewhat defeated, the man said okay and left the Wells Fargo Bank. The Wells Fargo teller then called the police, who arrested him a few minutes later as he was waiting in line back at the Bank of America. Sin is stupid. Seek the knowledge of God and follow Him. That’s the source of real wisdom!

The Odds

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:4-8 ESV). Not long ago the lottery was valued at over $350 million! I must confess that from time to time I daydream about winning a sum of money that great! However, I also know the odds of winning are very high. In fact, usually the odds are published at over two million to one! I have been amused at the people who have won. The surprise and shock at seeing that they have actually won the lottery is always funny to me. I especially am amused when I hear them say, “I’ve never won anything before.” The truth is that they have already won at a “game” with much higher odds than the lottery! Ryan J. Sokol of the statistics department at Texas A&M University has calculated the odds of a specific individual being born. Dr. Sokol estimated the total number of fertile men and women in the world, calculated the number of different genetic possibilities a man might contribute, adjusted for the number of hours of female fertility each month, then factored in a long list of other considerations. The bottom line of Sokol’s lengthy report said, "The chance that you, meaning exactly you, would be born are I in I.3 times ten to the twenty-ninth power." That’s a lot of zeros behind the first two numbers. In fact, the number is written as 130,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to one. You and I my friend, are two incredibly, amazingly, “lucky” people. We both won the genetic lottery! Compared with the odds against being born, the odds are very good that you will be elected president of the United States. You have already won a lottery more amazing than humankind could ever devise. You have already been awarded a prize far richer than anything the world has to give. You are alive. God chose you specifically; and, he also chose us to enjoy being alive! Stan Lec said, “The finger of God never leaves identical fingerprints.” No wonder God assured Jeremiah that he would be taken care of in our reading this morning. If God goes to so much thought and planning to create us, certainly He will take care of us. When Jesus encourage His disciples not to be afraid, He used an illustration of small birds. They were insignificant in the eyes of the people of His day. Yet, Jesus said they were so important to God that not one of them fell from the sky without God noticing and caring. How much more are we worth than that in God’s eyes? Infinitely more! Rest in the knowledge that God made you and cares for you. He won’t let you down!

The Power of Words

A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. (Proverbs 16:27-29 ESV). As I was thinking about this morning’s devotional, an article that I came across sparked my interest. Tom Logdon, a columnist for The Des Moines Register, wrote it. It is an interesting bit of “history.” Louella Parsons was an unhappy Iowa housewife before she became the most feared woman in Hollywood. Louella Rose Oettinger was born in Freeport, Illinois. She grew up in Dixon, Illinois, wrote for the local newspaper and at 24 married John Parsons, who sold real estate and also worked as a reporter. They moved to Burlington. In Iowa, Parsons was lonely. She lacked domestic skills, hated small-town life and failed to fit into society. She became pregnant with her only child, Harriet, who was born in 1906. In Burlington, Parsons saw her first moving picture, "The Great Train Robbery." The next part of Parsons' life is best documented by George Eells in his 1973 book "Hedda and Louella" (Hedda Hopper being Parsons' chief rival). Parsons was divorced, then married Capt. Jack McCaffrey, a riverboat captain whom was born in LeClaire in 1873. By 1914, McCaffrey had disappeared from the scene, and Parsons was on the fast track, writing the nation's first movie column for the Chicago Record-Herald. She later landed in Los Angeles, working for William Randolph Hearst's news organization and marrying Dr. Harry Martin, a studio physician. Her column appeared in more than 400 newspapers. Parsons wielded power for 40 years, until the late 1960s. Her approval could make an actor's career; her disapproval could end it. She knew all the secrets. Parsons spent her last years in a Santa Monica nursing home, watching old movies on television and talking to the images of the stars whose lives she once ruled. She was famous for her gossip! So much has been written and said about the power of our speech. Solomon clearly emphasizes the need for us to refrain from gossip in our reading this morning. Chances are good that if you need to begin a sentence with “they said,” it is a good indication that you shouldn’t repeat it! Ellen Wheeler offers the following poem: Have you heard of the terrible family They, And the dreadful venomous things They say? Why, half the gossip under the sun, If you trace it back, you will find begun In that wretched House of They. The next time you are tempted to pass on some rumor or innuendo, think of the proverb in today’s reading. Don’t go down that harmful path! Your words are powerful. Use them for good, not evil.

Cast Your Cares Away

His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you. (Psalm 55:21-23 ESV). The following story came to me recently from an unknown source. However, it spoke volumes about the need so many of us have to “cast our cares away.” It was simply titled “The Worry Tree.” The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before." Our heavenly Father is trustworthy. He does not desire that any of us should suffer from the needless worry and anxiety that we so often take on. Perhaps you should plant a “worry tree” outside your door too. Let God have all your cares. He knows what you need even before you do! He won’t let you down. A construction crew was building a new road through a rural area, knocking down trees as it progressed. A superintendent noticed that one tree had a nest of birds that couldn’t yet fly and he marked the tree so that it would not be cut down. Several weeks later the superintendent came back to the tree. He got into a bucket truck and was lifted up so that he could peer into the nest. The fledglings were gone. They had obviously learned to fly. The superintendent ordered the tree cut down. As the tree crashed to the ground, the nest fell clear and some of the material that the birds had gathered to make the nest was scattered about. Part of it was a scrap torn from a Sunday school pamphlet. On the scrap of paper were these words: “He careth for you.”

In the Center

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. (Psalm 118:1-8 ESV). There are always some interesting statistics about the Bible. For example, did you know that the shortest chapter is Psalm 117 and the longest chapter is Psalm 119? In fact, when you begin to count the chapters before and after Psalm 118, which falls in the middle of these two chapters, you will find there are exactly 594 before and 594 after. Totaling those two, you reach a sum of 1188. And, interestingly enough, the exact center of the Bible is Psalm 118:8, which is highlighted above. And, that one verse has more to say about being in the “center” of God’s will than any other! I am often asked how to know God’s will for our lives. If we want God to guide us, our attitude needs to be right. Here are some practical guidelines as to how we can determine that we are making good decisions: 1. First, we must be willing to think. It is false holiness that claims inward impressions with no rational base and refuses to search the Scripture for direction and wisdom. God made us thinking beings, and he guides our minds as we think things out in his presence. 2. Second, we must be willing to think ahead and weigh the long-term consequences of our courses of action. Often we can only see what is wise and right, and what is foolish and wrong, as we dwell on the long-term issues. Remember that the law of the harvest simply states that “we get what we get because we went where we went.” 3. Third, we must be willing to take advice. It is a sign of conceit and immaturity to refuse to take others’ advice in major decisions. There are always people who know the Bible, human nature, and our own gifts and limitations better than we do, and even if we cannot finally accept their advice, nothing but good will come to us from carefully weighing what they say. 4. Fourth, we must be willing to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves. We must honestly question ourselves, asking why we feel a particular course of action will be right and make ourselves give reasons. 5. Fifth, we must be willing to wait. “Wait on the Lord” is a constant refrain in the Psalms and it is a necessary word, for the Lord often keeps us waiting. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. Get in the center of God’s will for your life today! Trust in Him and Him alone!

Let It Flow

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. (John 7:37-44 ESV). I have a friend who is a revivalist. His newsletter is titled “In the River.” In it he reports some of the wonderful ways God is calling people to his love and grace. Each time I read the reports, I am reminded how vital it is to let the water of God flow in our lives. However, I wonder if many people really understand what it means to “let the water flow.” Water is essential. It is the foundation of life. Biologists concur that without water, life couldn't be sustained. Just recently it has been discovered that there is ice on Mars. Some speculate that since there is water present on the planet, there may be, or have been life present. Water is just that important in our physical loves. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Without the Holy Spirit, the "living water" Jesus was referring to in John 7, we couldn't make it either. The Holy Spirit resides in every Christian. When our personal relationship with God began through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit was one of the evidences of that new relationship. While many people have to worry about water conservation because of drought, no such shortage occurs with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said streams would flow from within us! The Holy Spirit resides within, providing a never-ending "well" of spiritual direction and insight. The Holy Spirit is not an extra blessing reserved for certain believers. He is there to help each of us live the Christian life more fully. How do we make that practical? By wanting Him to direct our lives. That is what Jesus was talking about in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled". Are you going through a spiritually dry time right now? Then let Jesus unleash those rivers of living water from within you. It's the key to ending spiritual drought! Wade on out into the river of life and let it flow over you. Begin to act on your faith. Trust in His teachings. Give yourself to Him completely.

Just Below the Surface

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O LORD, are on high forever. (Psalm 92:1-8 ESV). They're everywhere. Squiggling. Squirming. Munching. Bunching. Killing. Creating. Poisoning. Fertilizing. According to scientists at the University of Georgia, our little planet is teeming with 5 million trillion trillion (5 followed by 30 zeros) of them. These are bacteria, also known as procaryotes. They are single-celled organisms that may be seen only under a microscope. Most of the time we associate them with disease and illness. However, as William Whitman, a microbiologist, observed, "Because bacteria are essentially invisible, it's easy to forget their role is making air, purifying water, fertilizing the soil, and they are important in making food and vitamins." He also noted that 92 to 94 percent of all bacteria are in the soil subsurface. What are they doing down there below the surface? They're eating up junk and making the soil rich enough to support plants on the surface. Bacteria. They're invisible, present nearly everywhere on the planet, and for the most part work below the surface. God created them to play a key role in sustaining life on earth. It seems that the more I learn about details of nature like these, the more I appreciate the unfathomable power and wisdom of the One who created our complex world. With the psalmist I want to cry out, "How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!" Our Lord is at work not only in the big and very visible aspects of the world, but in the invisible-to-the-eye ways as well. That's true not only in the world of nature but also in God's work in human lives. Most of God's work is done below the surface, deep within us, in the unseen decisions, interests, and motives of our lives. It is through His invisible Spirit that He gives us new spiritual life when He moves us to put faith in His Son. And He continues to work in us, sustaining our lives and making us more like Jesus. Without Him, without His work in our lives, we would be dead physically and spiritually. As we grow in our understanding of all that God has done and all that He continues to do, invisibly, just below the surface in our lives, we too should respond with the words, "How great are Your works, O Lord, how profound Your thoughts!"