What I Have Escaped

Wisdom through Friendship with Jesus

The greatest miracle: to belong to Jesus’ inner circle. Because of it, believers learn the secrets of the Father from the Son.

Thirty-five years ago, I asked the Lord if only He led to heaven. He poured out His life for me and I asked such a question?

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John 15:15

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

James 1:5-6

 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

James 3:13-16

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

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I pored over the Bible, but hadn’t finished it, and I asked from the heart. The world presents an image of the Lord zapping everyone with lightening bolts who upsets Him. If so, everybody is cinders. We fail God every day. But no bolt tore through me. Not even a hint of disapproval.

I left the morning’s prayer with no simple answer, but a few days afterward, while doing something unrelated, God touched me with the awareness that only Jesus leads to heaven. I knew it to my core, and I have not wavered in that belief. Moments like that cause me to feel divinely loved. The Lord bothered to answer a foolish question.

Later, I read (John 14:6) “None come to the Father but by Me.” It only reaffirmed what I knew.

Wisdom isn’t only knowing. We must live moral lives as James 3 instructs us. But if you want wisdom for selfish ends: fame, fortune, or revenge, you move outside the realm of God. He even calls it demonic. So expect demonic results.

Wisdom comes from many sources; the Bible, books, prayer, friends, counselors, the example by those we respect. And failure. Doing it wrong the first time gives you wisdom for the second time (or third or fourth). God wastes nothing. 

Dear Lord, thank You because I am your friend. Please let me appreciate every path to wisdom.

 

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

 

A Drop in the Waters of Eternity

You experience the toughest trial you ever endured, and you can’t see the outcome. You depend on the Lord to bring you through each minute. But sometimes you wrestle with the thought “Does God Care?”

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Psalm 144:4

Man is like a mere breath. His days are like a passing shadow.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

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Life takes place in two parts—the part we experience here and the part we will live in eternity. 

Career military serve for twenty to thirty years. But their basic training takes two months. In that brief period, they must master the routine of the military.

I sat, crossed-legged, in the Latrine in the dark, lights out. A small flashlight lit the floor in front of me as I shined my shoes. The First Sergeant opened the door. She pretended she didn’t notice the glow. I don’t know why. She took advantage of most opportunities to shame me.

If I’m Methuselah, and I live nine-hundred-sixty-nine years, my life remains a drop in the ocean of eternity–a passing shadow.

We live in basic training for our authentic life in eternity. We will experience everything more fully than our best days here. God blesses us with sunlight, wonderful food, music, work, and untold blessings we take for granted. Squad leaders don’t reward those under them. They plan to wash out the unworthy. God wants to wash “in” the unworthy.

I suffered from an ovarian tumor for ten years. The doctor who found it died soon after he examined me and I stayed away from doctors. What if the next doctor told me the same thing? If I ignore it, it doesn't exist.

Though my stomach grew and pain increased, I refused to accept that I had a problem. I became the elephant in the room no one mentioned. Finally I lay thrashing on my bed, unable to get up. 

Many women with ovarian tumors see it turn to cancer.  A slip of the knife on this thing might have ended my life. It weighed in at just under twenty pounds. Thankfully, the Lord provided a careful doctor. And it wasn’t cancerous.

Why did I go through such a terrible experience? Other than my own bad decisions. But I thank God for it. That tumor played a part in my salvation. All of us know we will die—someday—but death no longer loomed in the distance. It stood at my hospital door.

Without God’s basic training, I faced being washed out, looking at heaven from the pit, separated from Him  forever. 

His ways are not my ways. I can't explain the evil that others suffer. It's not my job to explain it. But I do know that God rules. Why do we spend so much time second-guessing Him?

Dear Lord, please help me remember that my real life is still to come. Let me cling to You and glorify You in trouble.

 

Photo by Jake Charles on Unsplash

One Body Warts and All

A couple I knew, now deceased, attended the same church throughout their lives. Each Sunday, after church, they went to dinner at a local restaurant. Another group from the church visited the same restaurant. Several members spoke to the couple but never invited them to sit with the group. They were all of similar vintage, so why didn't they? 

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Romans 12:5

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.

1 Corinthians 12:22-26

On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.

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The woman (we’ll call her Hortense) wasn’t into fashion. She wore clean but not dressy clothes. She didn’t cut her hair because when she accepted the Lord; He told her to keep it long, and she didn’t know how to style it. Sometimes she (gasp) wore the same dress twice. Shy, small talk eluded her. Who knows how she might have opened up if given a chance? But the longer they neglected her, the more she couldn’t interact. Her awkwardness ran a wedge between her and the group.

Her husband helped at the church during the week and held office. No one else wanted the job.

Hortense suffered such loneliness it became a physical ache. She cried to her daughter because she longed for a friend—one friend. The friends of her youth had died.

The church performed any act of charity for the couple. Good, caring people went there. Among them, a young woman picked Hortense up each week to take her to Bible study. But others made it obvious they helped only to earn points with God. If the couple offered to give back, the benefactor refused. After all, the couple can't afford it.

It wasn’t the business of the giver to decide the reciever couldn’t afford it. Financially, they had what they needed, and more. And no one, especially the elderly, wants to be “beholden.”

And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it;

Who in your church needs your friendship: not just your charity? It doesn't take much to add a chair or two to the Sunday table.

Dear Lord, I'm guilty. Please don't let me become so self concerned I can't see the pain of others.

Photographer unknown

Rough Waters

The water crashes against the rocks. Over the years, the shapes of the rocks change. The boulders in our lives can thrash us to bits, but in the midst of it, the Lord’s hand steadies us. And as time passes, the rough edges of the stones smooth.

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Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

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A family in my church gave birth to a little girl with Down’s syndrome. She also had cancer. The family spent months in the hospital with her. At the same time, the young dad, in his thirties if that, had two strokes a month apart. His wife thought he couldn't survive. Or, if he did, she envisioned an overwhelming future of care for her daughter and her husband.

The Lord did miracles in these lives. The young man not only survived, but he went back to work months later. The only problem I know of:  he had double-vision for a while. I listened, amazed, as he spoke to a young international couple in Spanish—not his native language. It seemed impossible that he even spoke English after his ordeal.

The little girl, free of cancer--though it might return--and a happy little person, high-fives and fist-bumps everyone.

They weathered this period by clinging to the Lord--their life raft. The rough waters continued for months. Surely that time hung over them endlessly. Life happens a  minute at a time and those minutes pile up until you can't see over them. 

But they end. Life moves on. And we appreciate the good God gives us more because we spent a period without it. When Winter ends, how beautiful are the Spring flowers.

Dear Lord, please let me trust you, knowing the raging waters in my life will smooth out my personality and character to make me more in Your image.

Painting by Charles Vickery (1913-1998), Gallery

Delight in the Lord

In Morgan Weistling’s painting, a young girl holds on to Jesus as if she never wants to let go. Her face reflects peace and joy. Every child of God longs to rest in Jesus’ arms.

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Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Delight: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : Joy: also: extreme satisfaction.

Jesus Gives us the Desires of our Heart:

The Lord gives us the desires of our hearts when we give Him our lives—and that means every part of our lives. He places the desires he wants us to have in our heart. Did you believe that yearning to preach, go to the mission field, take in foster kids, become lead janitor in the church, spread the word of the Lord in your workplace: on and on—started with you? If it’s a strong Godly wish, that won't leave you, the Lord placed it in your heart,

If you have a STRONG ache for a Mercedes-AMG, I’d question it.

Jesus Gives us the Desires of our Heart:

Sometimes we trip over the desire of our hearts. I mentioned the woman in my church in a prior post. Not yet forty and single, who fostered over a dozen children. Foster children come from troubled and abusive pasts and have the scars to prove it. The Lord walked her to the organization that sponsored the children, and she responded to their need. Did she hear rumors of the place or pass the doors by accident? S-u-u-u-r-e she did. Once the children left, they often came back to visit her. 

Or maybe you ache to preach or go to the mission field,  so you pray, educate yourself, and collect money. Doors swing open—maybe you wait—and the Lord gives you the desire of your heart.

Often, people hate the thought of retirement. They dread the day of the retirement ceremony. What will they do? Is it the end of usefullness? Rocking chairs and boring TV?

I enjoy retirement. I don’t enjoy sitting in a car or plane for hours. It gets on my nerves, so travel has no allure. The Lord has granted me freedom from pain (a little arthritis in cold weather). So I work at the daydream that hovered in my thoughts on every job.

I cut and pasted, created slides for the General Staff College. I didn’t hate it. Thank the Lord I didn’t type—though typing paid my bills on several other occasions. The work wasn’t awful. I think back in nostalgia of the green park and sparkling blue pond across the street from my window. But the daydream persisted.

The Lord taught me and cleaned me off before I began. And He put the brakes on if I tried to speed up too soon.

Don’t ask for patience. You’ll accomplish nothing while you wait. But prepare for patience. Have faith that the Lord will give you your dream. The day will come.

Dear Lord, Thank You.

The Promise, Morgan Weistling, Gallery

Fallout from False Pastors

Recently, a well-known pastor fell from grace. He didn’t fall; he plummeted. I’m broken-hearted. I respected him and his work. His sin wasn’t a once-in-a lifetime stumble, but a long premeditated deception of Christians.

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2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

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When a Christian stumble, all Christians get blamed.

A member of my family told me not to tell her about Christ. She didn’t want to hear it, even if true. But there was one instance where she dropped that rule—when a pastor made the headlines for sinning. Strangely, she didn’t say a word about the hundreds of thousands of pastors who serve God with all their hearts, souls, and minds each day of their lives. 

Unbelievers expect every Christian to answer for all Christian failure. I might as well have committed the sin myself. So I sit there and don’t respond, allowing her to point out the hypocrisy of Christians, first turning one cheek and then the other. I have enough rough edges to offend non-Christians. I resent taking on the sins of all Christians. Though come to think of it, that’s what Jesus did. We are one body, warts and all.

Believers walk away from the faith.

According to an article, the pastor in question bullied the women by telling them, if they told, they must take the blame for people who leave the faith. Foolish. Believers make that decision for themselves. Many people came to the Lord through his ministry. Sadly, his story will turn away weak Christians. He let them down: therefore God let them down.  

As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 1 (above), It’s not about the pastors we follow, it’s about Jesus. We must be careful not to turn our pastors into idols. As Paul said, “it is not surprising if his (Satan’s) servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” Trust and respect your pastor unless he proves you wrong. Know the Bible to recognize wrong doctrine and no pastor will teach you error. Then grieve and pray for his return to Christ, but realize we don’t know hearts, and our God still rules.

Dear Lord, please give us strength to forgive those we honored, and only follow You. 

Snarling Grey by Bob Semk, Gallery

 

"Lord, Make Her Help Me." The Better Way

Based on what we know about her, Martha worked hard, never resting. She modeled the ideal member every church wants. She leads the committee that delivers food to the sick. Every day finds her standing beside a hospital bed, comforting the patient. She directs the Christmas dinner and makes the turkey and dressing. And, in her spare time, she leads the children’s ministry. We see her scurrying around in every church.

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Luke 10:38-42

. . . she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

John 11:20

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary ^[e]stayed at the house. Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

John 11:32

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

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Then there was Mary. Was she a daydreamer? Wandering off distracted when she noticed a butterfly or a lovely flower? She meant well.

And now Martha slaved on dinner for her beloved Jesus. And that lazy girl sat at Jesus’ feet, just listening.

Martha had enough. She went to Jesus and complained. And instead of directing Mary to help Martha, He said Mary “chose the good way.” A comedy team from the 60s and 70s (Smothers Brothers) used the punch line: “Mom always liked you best.” Did Martha think “Jesus always liked Mary best?”

I don’t know if Jesus liked Mary best. But He liked her attention to the word so much this sibling rivalry holds an honored place in the Bible.

We can’t do without Martha, but even Martha needs to make time to sit at Jesus’ feet.

A young frazzled mother I met barely has time to shower. But she plays Bible tapes while she works. A bonus: Her children hear the word all day long. The Bible nourishes us. Prayer connects us with God. Work alone merely exhausts us.

Dear Lord, I’ll never be Martha, but lead me to imitate the examples of both these women.

 

Painting Mary and Martha, David Lindsley Gallery

Demon Credit Cards: A Cautionary Tale

Do you watch mountains of interest hover over you like a large vulture while the principle on your credit card grows?

Do you sometimes wish you never heard of credit cards?

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Proverbs 22:7

The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

1 Timothy 6:10 

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

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In my 40s, though past college years, I lived in a student apartment building. Times had changed. Getting credit wasn’t easy, especially since I never used it. But this nation considers no credit as atrocious as the consequences (bankruptcy, etc.) that credit causes. The government runs on debt and look at the hole that waits to bury it. China may own us. Businesses don’t hire people without credit, for example.

The companies pursue one segment of society—college students. Credit card offers poured in to my mailbox daily. The companies target students while young, and they own them for life. I ignored those enticing plastic rectangles for years, but eventually chose one that I vowed to pay off each month.

After the company sent that card, I paid it off for four or five months. Soon a legitimate need (or so I thought) lured me to borrow beyond my ability to pay in a month. Once again, I promised myself to pay more each month until I caught up. The total grew. I realized the pit I now inhabited when the itemized bill included one hundred dollars on the debt and six hundred dollars on compound interest.

I thought, “these people are thieves.” At that moment, I vowed to use whatever means necessary to divest myself of this card. I talked to lawyers and credit counselors and settled on the only choice open to me. The bill is a memory.

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these. ‘It might have been.’” John Greenleaf Whittier.

Young man or woman, save when it’s difficult. Start in college or on your first job. Use any means to lower your costs, even if unnecessary. Learn about coupons and sales. Buy used. And religiously avoid debt.

Surely a demon whispered, “get just one card.” Sometimes I hear him laughing.

Dear Lord, thank you for your lessons, though I don't like them. I believe I'll never use debt again.

Cartoon: Clipart Library 

Using Your Gifts with Fervor, Wisdom, and Humility

 

A woman in a past church sang a painful solo at a church meeting. If she considered singing for a career, someone may have corrected her. Instead, though single, she fostered a dozen plus children.

I don’t remember the number, but it boggled my mind. She gave them a home because she saw a need. She took no bows and her kids loved her. I doubt she considered it a calling. But God’s true plans for her surpassed a lukewarm singing career.

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1 Peter 4:10-11

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. ...

Lord, help us to embrace your calling for our lives with equal parts fervor, wisdom, and humility.

James 1:5

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

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To use our gifts, we must first discover them. 1 Peter 4:11 points to fervor, wisdom, and humility as indicators. 

Fervor

I watched Priscilla Shirer do a short sermon on revival. It lifted me off the ground. Click on her name to view the video. She spoke the very words of God. She illustrates her love of God with fervor.

Merriam-Webster: fervor: intensity of feeling or expression. If you have no excitement about what you believe God called you to do, God isn’t calling. Do you want to please family? Or earn respect?

Wisdom

Or you ache to serve God—do anything—for Him. Newly saved, I remember the frantic need to get started. But baby Christians don’t have the wisdom, or knowledge. I followed Word Faith at first. I thought I won the spiritual lottery. God “promised” to heal my disease and give me wealth. If I prayed for healing and the patient died (my brother-in-law died after my fervent prayer for his healing), I didn’t have enough faith. I failed.

Later I discovered the Lord gives us our measure of faith. We can’t conjure up a magical supply. God didn’t fill my bank account either. He blessed me with enough. I saw people leave the church because they believed God didn’t keep His promises (which He never made).

Now, thirty-five years later, after reading the Bible, I see the nonsense in that theology. The Bible tells us we will suffer. I waded through other misunderstood beliefs before being corrected.

That’s the short list of stepping out too soon. You won’t last. When the going gets tough, the tough get going—and the weak-willed disappears. 

When the Lord gets ready to use us, He walks beside us. We ask, “Lord, what should I do in this case? How do I do it? Should I spend this money?” and we will receive an impression or certainty. We solve problems beyond our normal intellect. Necessary money materializes. Doors open.

He visits in dreams. In rare instances, He speaks to us. Paul heard His voice and went from persecutor to follower in a split second.

Humility

Christ gives us our worth. When we understand that, we lean on Jesus. Ministries start based on our abilities, and our pride causes us to fall. 

Humiliated, we return to God and ask Him what we did wrong. His answer?

Wait.

Dear Lord, help me wait on you, meanwhile doing my best every day..

Miracles. We're Not in Heaven Yet.

Miracles often result from tragedy—an impossible healing. A mangled car that the driver and passengers escape without a mark. Salvation and a turned around life. A man raised from the dead ...

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John 12:10-11

But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

Luke 16:19-21

Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table;

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Lazarus takes up little space in the Bible, but his life carries a big message. The Bible gives no information on Lazarus other than Jesus called him from the tomb. And his crime—living—caused the Sanhedrin (Jewish leaders) to put a price on his head. He embarrassed them. It became harder to deny the power of Christ.

He might have wished the Lord left him in the tomb.

Jesus taught the parable of a rich man and a beggar who sat at his gate. The beggar went to heaven and the rich man entered hell. Jesus’ parables give many lessons. For my purposes, let’s discuss the name the Lord gave the man. He called him Lazarus. Did He refer to the same Lazarus? No other parable names names. Do you know the name of the woman at the well? Or the Good Samaritan?

Lazarus wasn’t a common name. John, Judas, even Jesus had namesakes. Nowhere in the Bible do we see another Lazarus. So, did the Lord prophecy the end of Lazarus’ life? The Chief Priest planned to have Lazarus killed to squelch knowledge of Christ’s miracle. Was Lazarus called out of the tomb to end as a starving beggar? A fugitive?

God honored Mary by allowing her to carry His son—miracle of miracles. Several months later she bounced along behind Joseph to Jerusalem riding a donkey: a miserable trip for a pregnant woman.

God’s perfect will doesn’t assure a perfect life. And miracles by definition are rare. 

Sometimes the Lord opens the waters. Sometimes He teaches you to swim. Sometimes He doesn’t.

Dear Lord, thank you for showing us Your power and grace through miracles.

 

Painting: John Everett Millais (London, 1800s)

Only One Unforgiveable Sin

Only one action places you outside of redemption by God.

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Click to read Matthew 12: 22-32 in context.

Matthew 12:24

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

Matthew 12:32

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines blaspheme: to speak in a way that shows irreverence for God or something sacred.

Jesus healed a demon-possessed man of blindness and deafness. Not willing to acknowledge His miracles, the Pharisees committed the outrage of calling the Holy Spirit, one third of the Godhead, a demon, claiming Jesus healed by Beelzebul. If you love the Lord, you may feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up, as spiritual alarms go off.

The Pharisee spoke maliciously. You can’t blaspheme the Holy Spirit by accident. New Christians worry when they have a slip of the tongue. It’s like a child, frightened of the monster in the closet. Did they destroy their place in the kingdom? Matthew quoted these words to warn against them. He’s now in heaven with Jesus. The words aren’t the problem. Only the intent matters.

Some sincere pastors argue that the unforgiveable sin is to reject Jesus’ sacrifice. It’s true that if a person dies without accepting the Lord, that person will experience eternal damnation. But it’s not the unforgiveable sin. The Lord will forgive it up to the last moment of life. Not a good idea to wait. What if you have a massive heart attack without warning? It’s merely the choice by the rebellious to spend eternity out of God’s presence — not God’s choice but the individual’s.

If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, God abandons you. You will no longer have curiosity about God. He won’t cross your mind. He’s gone from you. No more chances.

I learned one thing in Geometry class. As a total loss at math, it may be the only thing. “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”

Point A: the Pharisee spoke blaspheme. Point B: he’s damned for eternity.

God will forgive every other sin when you confess and repent.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness of every sin but one.

 

Photo: Freebibleimages

Putting Jesus First

Will today's Christian stand tall for Jesus when America no longer respects Christians?

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Luke 9:59-62

 

And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”  But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” ...  But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 5:1-11

For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;  and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching men (mankind).” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

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Peter had spent a fruitless night fishing when Jesus walked past on the shore. Peter said they fished all night, so it was morning. Three discouraged fishermen washed their nets. They prepared to go home with nothing to show for their work.

Then an unassuming man walked past the boats. Isaiah 53:2 states: He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him. He directed the three to put out the nets again. And, tired to the bone, Peter did. Fishing for a living, demanded hard physical labor, putting out and bringing back heavy nets. The work day had ended. Why did he listen to a man he didn’t know? Peter obeyed without question.

After Jesus gave them instructions, they pulled in so many fish Peter called the other boat to help. At that moment, Peter came face to face with his own sin and recognized the greatness of Jesus. It might have been the moment of Peter’s salvation. I didn’t add the chapter here, but you can read it by clicking Luke 5:1-11 above. 

Those fish were their livelihood. Peter, James and John had a business together. They worked all night, finally made this massive catch. Did fish require cleaning? Where did they take them? Their income had spiked and they could go home knowing that the night gave them a profit.

But all three men left everything and followed Jesus.

They left their catch for the other boat. Would they see any gain from it? It didn’t matter. 

One of those great radio pastors, whose names I don’t remember, preached on Luke 9:59. When the man wanted to bury his father, he didn’t mean his father died, and he had to go bury him. He meant he wanted to wait until his father died before he left his family. He wanted to follow Jesus if it didn’t interfere with his life. 

We’re entering a new era of leadership, not friendly to Christians. What will the Lord call on us to do?

Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers refused to do a gay wedding because of her Christian beliefs. The two gay men have hounded her with lawsuits since. She applied to the Supreme Court for the second time.

Jack Phillips, cake artist, refused to do a gay wedding for the same reason. He won the case in the Supreme Court only to face a new lawsuit.

When my turn comes, will I leave everything and follow Him? Will you?

Dear Lord, please give me courage when the time comes when loving You call for extraordinary measures.

 

Painting: Lovest Thou Me (More Than Thee), David Lindsley Gallery

 

Praying for the Unlovely

I stared at the man shown in the news who committed a crime against a baby. The child died. The killer’s face twisted with hate and ugliness. I saw the devil there.

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1 Timothy 2:1

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all people,

1 Timothy 2:3-4

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Prayer for the parents of the little boy came easily: God’s comfort in grief, their salvation, their ability to continue their lives.

But the Lord wants me to pray for the killer.

I pray easily for justice. I ask that the law will put the man as deep in prison and as far from children as possible. But the Lord wants me to pray for this man's salvation—new life. But doesn't he deserve hell?

Don't we all deserve hell without Christ? God wants to be glorified in the life of that man. We witness the influence of a person whose ugliness Jesus washes away in case after case. And no one loves the Lord more than that person. A side benefit of that: a safer society. Another advantage: the man will grow a conscience and realize what he's done.

You and I see the man as his evil act. We want him punished. But the Lord sees him as the child He created. He knows everything that brought him to this place. And He loves him. We don't need to love the killer. But in praying for him, we demonstrate our love of God.

The State of Georgia executed Kelly Gissendaner on September 30, 2015 for the murder of her husband. The Lord redeemed her in prison. She studied theology and brought others to Christ, people who then left prison, taking their faith in to the world. Their criminal activity ceased. The person or people who prayed for Kelly have a stake in those renewed souls. 

Dear Lord, It will take Your supernatural help to pray for all mankind, even those who do despicable evil, so I ask for Your supernatural love.

 

Painting, The Lost Sheep, by Debby Clark, fineartamerica

 

 

When Life is Your Calling.

Hidden among the gifts are two that take me aback—helps and administration. They're so practical. The working man's gifts.

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1 Corinthians 9:21 

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then ^]miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

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Susan (false name) sees someone with problems, and she jumps in with just what they need. She gives the hug or sends the card. She visits her friend in the hospital (or did in the distant past). Her first thought: “what can I do for her (him)?”

I don’t have those gifts. If I give you a cup of water, I may spill it on you. People make so much fun of my cooking, I don’t try any more.

Most of my life I worked for money, and that included after the Lord saved me. My son thought he needed to eat, wear clothes, or maybe have a roof over his head. Kids can be so self-centered. So I don't know that I used my gifts.

I worked for the Federal Government for fifteen years.The job included a killer commute.That drive taught a new Christian. I had the radio on sermons two hours a day.

I didn’t stand on my feet all day, or try to keep up with an assembly line. If you’ve seen Lucy and Ethel trying to catch chocolates, you’ve seen me on an assembly line (when I worked temps).

That job provided more opportunity to evangelize than ever again. We sat at the break table and they asked me what happened. I understood the joy of God. It ended when Mr Clinton cut the government.

After that, I daydreamed for six months of what wonderful ministry waited as soon as the Lord called. But He didn’t call. He quietly whispered, "get a job."After six months, I found a job in Customer Service. That claimed another ten years.

I dreaded getting out of bed each morning and experienced terrible guilt that I felt that way. Did I insult the Lord because I didn’t want what He had for me?

But looking back, God used those years. I learned to keep a smile in my voice while someone screamed about something out of my control. I’m not patient, but the job forced patience. And helping someone fill out a ridiculous form that a tax man might hate gave me joy. The caller sounded so relieved. I believe it gave me a nudge toward becoming in Jesus’ image. More so than if I had the cushy job I envisioned.

A young couple I know has six children. The dad wonders aloud about his calling. He doesn’t realize he’s contributing six people to society who will follow the Lord. And they will raise people who serve the Lord. He’s more of an evangelist than many evangelists. He’s a great, tired, dad.

Several times a day someone says, “The Lord has a wonderful plan for your life.” I think John Lennon said, “life happens while you make other plans.” So that wonderful plan for your life? This is it. Saul planned to wipe out Christians. He had a drastic change of mind. He became Paul and suffered beatings and prison. Calling doesn’t mean easy. Or what you had in mind.

Dear Lord let me find joy in whatever You give me to do. There may not be a big adventure around the corner.

 

Painting: American Gothic, Grant Wood

Life Isn't Fair. Thank the Lord.

Many people get discouraged through events outside their control. They have sick parents or children or a spouse with dementia. Fires burn up their homes through no fault of their own. Although they wear masks and social distance, they contact COVID 19. Or they become victims in undeserved crime.

Not me. I can point to my actions in most of my problems. I don’t ask “Why me” when trouble happens. The why me is me.

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Romans 9:15

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

Matthew 7:14

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

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The “why me” I ask is why did the God of the Universe include me in His kingdom? Why is my name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Why should I spend my eternity in heaven when many will never know the abundance available for them if they accept the Lord Jesus Christ?

When He touched me and called me, I suffered from depression. He healed me. But he’s still scraping off the grunge that muddies my character. On my last day on earth, He will clean off the last as I soar toward eternity.

Life is not fair. Thank the Lord.

Forget shyness or wanting to escape confrontation. Can I bear to see others suffering without Jesus—people better than I? Yet destined to endure an eternity without Him? Or people who live through terrible childhoods to terrible lives to a terrible endless forever?

We must reach them. I once read a book (based on truth) of a criminal who, before Jesus, had no redeeming social value. He shot one man in the arms. The man never used them again.

After his salvation, he tried to discover his gift. He became a thug for Jesus. To carry out his calling, he dragged people to the park and tied them to trees. Then he made them swear they loved Jesus. His mentor hurried to correct his methods. He learned.

If only we could do that: gangs of us dragging our friends and family to the park—revival by tree. You’ll accept Jesus or else. I often feel that desperate.

But without that tool, how do I push stubborn friends through the narrow gate? Start with prayer. Then what? Raise them in the way they should go. But what if it’s too late to raise them? Pray more. Then what? Show them through my behavior. But I’m so imperfect. So I strive not to keep my good news to myself. And pray.

Dear Lord, WHY ME? Show me the way to show Your grace through my life. And give me opportunities to speak for You.

 

Find image at Unsplash

 

Jesus Weeps.

Jesus waited to go to Mary and Martha to call Lazarus out of the tomb. He trudged up their lane four days after Lazarus died.

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John 11:4

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 

John 11:33;35

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews with her also weeping, He was deeply moved and troubled. . . . Jesus wept.

Click John 11:4 to read the chapter in context.

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 He knew the outcome of that day, and that the miracle He planned showed the power and glory of God: and the wonderful joy prepared for all who stood by the tomb.

But when Mary grieved, He wept because He felt the pain of the sisters and the others who stood there. 

The Holy Spirit lives in His people. Our hurts are His hurts.

In this illustration by Thomas Blackshear, the man collapses, unable to go on. Jesus holds us up until we can stand on our own feet. Once again, It represented the grace of God. Jesus feels all the punishment we inflict on ourselves, and others inflict on us.

God must allow testing, for His glory; or our discipline, growth, and salvation, but He doesn’t do so thoughtlessly. Imagine your pain times the billions of people who suffer at this moment. Jesus carries it all.

In the old days, parents told their children as they spanked them, "This hurts me worse." But as the Lord allows necessary hardship in our lives, He suffers for us more than our parents. How great is our God. He knows the glorious miracles that await us in eternity through repentance. 

And the joys in our lifetimes.

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your love for us. Please let me remember that You suffer with me and that my suffering leads to joy.

 

Painting: Forgiven, Thomas Blackshear II, Also does Western Art, Gallery

Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good

Our nation stands at a crossroad.

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Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Acts 5:28-29 

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Acts 5:42

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus as the Christ.

Click Acts 5:28-29 above  to read the chapter and see the verses in context

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Peter and the apostles risked their lives to tell the story of salvation after the crucifixion of Jesus. Jail didn’t stop them. In Acts 5:17-40. they stood before the Sadducees who warned the apostles not to speak of Jesus. After release, the apostles and the group continued to preach Jesus. Infuriated Sadducees planned to execute these men of God. An influential Pharisee named Gamaliel advised against it, so they flogged them and let them go.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, flogging means to beat someone with a rod or whip. The first definition applies here. The men suffered painful wounds. But no sooner had the group received the flogging than they continued their work, knocking on doors with their good news. Did they stagger from their pain?

America suffers different testing. We get in trouble for calling out sin. In the 50s and 60s a popular singer, Anita Bryant, fought the drive to make homosexuality respectable. Hollywood blackballed her. A spokesman for orange juice, the company removed her. No one stood up for her in a meaninful way.

Sixty-plus years later, a transgender man who called himself a woman complained of being offended by being called “he.” The offender apologised.

The LORD formed a boy in a woman’s womb. He became a man who wanted to be a woman, going through dangerous surgery. And now he wants us to honor his sin by adding our own. We must call him “her.” I'm sorry sir. It ain't gonna happen.

Society changes with breakneck speed. People lose their businesses and livelihood because they won’t take part in gay weddings. Thankfully the Supreme Court protects religious freedom, but not before the businesses bankrupt.

That confused man and those people defiling weddings don’t consider the offense they cause God. You don't offend God if you have any sense. Do we believe the pandemic happened by accident? Did 383,351 deaths in America take place for no reason? (Numbers as of January 14,2021)

The year 2020 shocked the world. Homosexuality and its outgrowth don't share all the blame. Shall we talk about abortion? I have divorce and other sinful failures in my past--once at least as a Christian. The LORD forgave me but the LORD forgave David and his baby still died.

We as Christians hurt the LORD with our "Tolerance." The Baptist church in our town does gay weddings. The Catholic Bishop put out a statement that the Catholic church plans to do them. Those churchs should now be ghost towns.

Another church in our town lost most of its congregation because it refused to do gay weddings. Why isn't it now a megachurch? Love sinners. Welcome them. But don't honor the sin.

I read on Facebook that the Korean government sentences Christians to prison to starve them to death. In Nigeria, terrorist groups kidnap Christian girls, rape them, and force them to live with their captors. The government allows this.

If we don’t stand against sin, we’ll graduate to worse persecution, soon joining the ranks of Korea and Nigeria in horror. 

We must obey God rather than man.

Dear Lord, please give Christians all over the world courage in the face of persecution. Please guide us to copy the apostles.

 

Painting: Bust of St. Peter by Anton van Dyck 1599-1641

Today's Fire-Belching Dragons

Everyone who reads Revelations has a unique interpretation, so I won’t add mine. But this ugly guy shows only one of seven heads from Revelations 12:3's Satan. We all agree his tongue is a raging fire.Today’s fire-eating dragons look different, but they ruin their surroundings just as quickly.

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James 3:6

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

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Isn’t it sad the way the Lord sugar coats everything? I felt His voice leaping off the page in James 3:12. We need not wonder what He means.

And, before I continue, I confess to times my mouth engages before my brain and something comes out that spoils my day. How could I say that?

So who is today’s fire-spewing dragon?

A sweet elderly lady sidles over beside you. She appeals for prayer for Rod and Sarah, “They’re thinking about divorce, you know.”

In government offices, no one gains access to sensitive information without “The Need to Know.” You need information to perform your work. So you go to the person in charge. After filling out papers, if that individual believes the information vital, you will see it. It’s understood you won’t share it.

They wouldn’t clear me to hear about Rod and Sarah. I didn’t know. And I don’t need to know. (Rod and Sarah: Not their real names).

A group of women sit around a table drinking coffee and discussing the behavior of the woman who didn’t come. It’s never “I so admire Caroline.” It’s “did you hear what Caroline did?” My mother went to such a group once or twice. She needed friends, not critics.

Today’s dragons verbally abuse spouses. Or their children. The well-dressed child, alias Judy, makes perfect grades—though never good enough. She brings her friends to her perfect home. The mother provides cookies and milk. But the child feels broken inside, full of self-loathing.

No one understands why Judy becomes belligerent in her teens. Her parents get a call from the hospital—drug overdose. She had everything. What happened?

The best teens show eye-rolling boredom at parents. It doesn’t mean you’ll get the call from the hospital. But how often do you say “well done?” At that age you may have trouble findng "well done" but there has to be something.

The dragon becomes a politician. Adolph Hitler swayed Germany with his speech until he convinced the populace that they must annihilate an entire group of people.

They’re schoolyard bullies going after a disabled  or ethnically different child. They can drive a vulnerable child to suicide.

I saw an autistic child who can’t speak, talking in his own language. Another child came along and made fun of the speech. He jabbered back. The autistic boy didn’t take offense. But I did. I let it go. If the autistic child wasn't upset, I didn't want to upset him. 

Children need to understand differences. I read an article in which a young baseball team let a disabled boy play with them and then gave up the win so the child could make a home run. He never forgot his triumph. He died the following summer. Children can learn to respect others.

God spoke the world into existence. Let’s not speak it into destruction. 

Dear Lord, please teach me to hear what I say before I say it. Let me be gracious.

 

Image from Clipart Library: No Artist listed

Sweatshirt Wisdom. Or, Small Ministries Matter.

I've never considered sweatshirt messages profound, but one caught me off guard and changed my thinking:

"I can do all things by a verse taken out of context." 

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Philipians 4:12

I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Philipians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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I prayed Philipians 4:13 daily, believing that I could leap tall buildings in a single bound through Christ. Glad I never tested that premise.

The offending sweatshirt and the offending message (and, yes, it offended me for a minute or two) prompted me to read the chapter. Click the top verse above to read the context. Paul mentions getting along in plenty and in little. He didn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. Vipers bit him and enemies beat him. Some days, he didn’t eat. In fact, he thanked the Philippians for support. It’s obvious he wasn’t bragging about his superhuman accomplishments.

Instead, Paul says Christ carried him through every circumstance. He can’t pray away trouble outside the will of God. But he adjusted, through Christ, to life’s surprises with contentment.

Usually I consider context. And I will remember this. Read the chapter.

The second lesson from my misstep: small ministries matter. A sweatshirt? Come on.

The restaurant ministry

A group from the church met for lunch (before the pandemic). Our server carried more than her tray. She appeared near delivery: her baby weeks away. We sat talking when one member went to meet her as she walked toward us. He carried her tray to the table. The group discussed her pregnancy, asking her due date and other pleasant questions. She didn’t wear a wedding ring. We didn’t care.

The man mentioned the name of our church and invited her. Then we took an offering and gave her a nice tip. No one preached. They simply treated her as though she had value.

We need not give $100 dollar tips. We have to live. But a nice tip of 15-20% helps a single mom or hard-working student. The group can give $15 or $20 dollars for a $100 meal—possibly $3.00 each. And when you place your tip on a folded bulletin from your church, you do mission work.

Servers earn less than $5.00 an hour in my state. Laws need changing. That man or woman survives on tips. Want to give to the poor? That server with the tired eyes belongs to the working-class poor.

Too often when a server sees a group of people hold hands and say grace at their table, she or he expects, Oh no. No tip there. When we don’t tip or we scold the server, our witness for Jesus disappears. Poor service is poor service, but we can point it out with kindness. Do we want to explain to Jesus why we ignored such a simple chance to turn someone to Him? Or even turned someone away from Him?

We give to missions in foreign countries. We may slip a five to the homeless. Why not include those who strive to support their families with honest work?

A tract and a dollar.

In 2006, I wrote Escape from the Prison System. Finding the Narrow Door. It chronicled prisoner salvations. A young woman left prison to live on the streets, sharing drugs with her companion. One day, a man handed them a tract and a dollar. That evening, they read the tract from beginning to end, and Jesus saved her. One in 1000 people (if that) respond to a tract, but that one person matters to the Lord.

She found work and quit drugs, one less homeless person: one more win for society. Plus future children raised to know Christ.

So. Have you worn any good sweatshirts lately? Left a bulletin with $5.00 laying atop after a restaurant meal? Given someone a tract?

Small ministries matter.

Dear Lord, help me remember, everything I do reflects You.

 

Cartoon by John Cullen, nellucnhoj.tumblr.com

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Kicking the Shins of a Favored Child

Whenever we think we’re being mistreated because of our faith, we can remember that Jesus lost his life on earth because of envy

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Mark 15:9-10

Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

John 15:18-19 

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

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Once before my salvation, I visited the local Art in the Park art show. The artist painted planets hurtling across the canvas. I liked them. They looked professional and finished. But a visitor to the show asked the artist, “Where do you get your ideas?”

The artist answered, “The Lord gives them to me.”

Suddenly I didn’t enjoy the paintings so much. I have a degree in art and God never gave me a painting. I didn't serve God, but I felt like the rejected little girl watching the favored child. If I weren't in my thirties, I might have kicked the artist in the shins.

“Who does he think HE is that God gives him paintings?” 

“They aren’t THAT good.” 

“He’s such a big shot that God gives him paintings?”

Behold, jealousy (envy) at work. The artist did what God called us to do. He gave glory to God. Why didn’t I rush to get what he had? Instead, I took offense.

Years ago, Dr. Chuck Swindoll told a story of working in a job before he became a pastor.  His coworkers hated him. He worked too hard. The Lord wants us to honor our jobs by doing our best, but Dr. Swindoll raised the standard and outshone the other men.

We must do the right thing, but people won’t admire us for it. Whether they do is unimportant. It’s our job to give glory to God. But the world will take offense. 

Some Christians tread softly when telling others about Christ. We need not be obnoxious, but our listener may take offense, unless the harvest is ripe. Better to offend the listener than to offend our Lord who decreed that we tell them. If one person in a hundred responds to our message, the other ninety-nine don’t count (for now).

A salesman makes cold calls. He gets hung-up on and abused. But if every tenth person buys from him, the salesman becomes rich. He won’t remember the other nine.

And thirty years later, I remember the artist in the park as a man of God. 

Dear Lord: Please let me always do my best and give glory to You no matter who may hate me for it.

 

Image: "Beyond the Home Planet" by Lynette Cook. Gallery

Not the painting mentioned in the article

Happy New Year 2021

God called Jeremiah to prophesy from childhood. He risked his life to tell the unpopular truth of Jerusalem's destruction. The people deserted worship of God to worship the Idol Baal with the evil practices of that religion, such as sacrificing the children (sound familiar?). He often had to contradict the "ear-ticklers" who told the people what they wanted to hear. Then Jeremiah gave God's true word.

Jeremiah 29 tells of the surviving people carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah prophesies that in seventy years God will return them to Jerusalem. Those left in Jerusalem will suffer destruction.

God doesn't make the above prophesy to everyone. He iterates that the Jewish exiles will serve Him with all their heart, souls, minds, and strength (my translation). 

2020 brought trouble, including death in every nation. With all the passion we have, we long for the above prophecy to apply to us. Unlike many people, I don't believe 2020 ends on New Year's Eve. But if we as a nation return to the Almighty Creator, we will experience the promise above. Otherwise . . .

Dear Lord, forgive us our sins as individuals and as a nation. Let each person (me) love You with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.

See you in 2021

 

Photo: David Brooke Martin, Gallery

The Ants Challenge the Mountain

Rosey Grier played football in the 1970s. A powerfully built man, he enjoyed needle craft and crocheting. He wrote books for male needlepointers.

An old joke goes:

Two men walked by him and saw him stitching a project.

The first man: "That isn’t masculine."

The second man: "You tell him."

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Job 40

Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You?
I put my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
Or twice, and I will add nothing more.”

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Job wisely stopped speaking, and he never knew why he endured so much. The LORD continues Chapter 40 detailing His power.

The God of the Universe looms far bigger and more powerful than Mr. Grier. And yet in defiance the ants challenge the Mountain. We, ladies and gentlemen, are the ants. In the Book of Job, when Job asks Him why he must suffer so, he heard (we read) hour after hour of God’s sovereignty. If you click on the verse above, you will see what the LORD had to say.

The independent American asks “why” regarding everything. Some of us take pride in our contempt for authority. God ranks as one more authority figure to defy. Why do we believe we can wave our fists at God? Our puny little fists.

It’s foolish to question God. Cling to Him. Pray to Him. Trust in Him. And let Him reign over creation. Satan counted himself equal to the Almighty and found himself evicted from heaven, waiting for his eternal punishment.

Dear Lord: Please deliver me from anger and rebellion because things aren’t going my way. Let me accept Your will no matter how hard. And forgive me for asking why.

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed Among Women and a Sword through Her Soul

Luke 1:28 (KJV)

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Luke 2:35 (KJV)

(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

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This picture, Kissing the Face of God, by Morgan Weistling, shows my favorite painting of Mary and Jesus. A young mother—no halo of light; no light around the head of Jesus—who loves her baby: a real person.

Every time I hear someone dreaming of a white Christmas, I think of Mary. Please. No snow.

When Joseph received the notice of the long trip to pay his taxes, he must have worried. How could he make the trip more comfortable for Mary? Most of us haven’t ridden on a donkey. Maybe it’s preferable to other means of travel. Did Joseph create a chair or side-saddle to make the trip easier? But she suffered a painful bouncing trip no matter what. 

And then, on the verge of delivery, no one will rent them a room. Finally, an inn keeper offers them his stable. So she gives birth in a barn and lays her baby in a manger.

Nativity scenes picture a manger surrounded by animals. But I prefer to believe the pastor who said the innkeeper offered her an empty stable. He said they kept their stables spotless. Maybe the hay was new and covered in a soft throw. And, before long, the couple bought or rented a house where the Magi visited.

Thirty-three years later, still a young woman, she watched as they took her first-born son down from the cross, barely recognizable—a sword through Mary’s soul. We know she witnessed the crucifixion because Jesus gave her in to the care of the Apostle John from the cross.

Mary lived a good middle-class life in the care of Joseph. And knowing God used her so profoundly filled her with joy. But how could any woman endure that day at the cross?

When God promises a blessing, it likely will come with trouble. In Mary's case, God honored her after her death. Her life has shone for centuries. But she suffered pain and heartbreak during her time on earth. If God made a promise to you, and you don't see it happening, wait. It may not be in this lifetime.

Dear Lord. Thank You for sending the Christ as a little baby to live among us. And giving us Your Bible to tell. Thank you for the courageous young family You provided for Him.

 

Kissing the Face of God, by Morgan Weistling. Click artist name to visit his gallery. Old West artist

Help My Unbelief

Mark 9:23-24 

But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

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When the man asked Jesus to heal his son, he said “if you can.” Jesus corrected him. Faith must come before healing. The man recognized his doubt, so rather than pretend, he asked Jesus to strengthen his faltering faith.

Sometimes I pray prayers that others might find ridiculous. By practical standards, I ask the impossible. But all things are possible with God.

I’ve prayed for salvation for the family for so long; can it ever come to pass?  Am I the problem? So I repeat, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.” The Lord answers unnumbered prayers for me from small to large. I find the lost shoe in the strangest of places.

More dramatically, I took a job at Fort Leavenworth when I had no car and an eighty-five-mile round-trip commute. A bad year left me broke: I suffered an ovarian tumor the size of my son had he been twins. Insurance evaporated with a lost job. 

Desperate, with no job offers, and no answers, I spent an afternoon praying to a god I didn't know. That day, the LORD saved me.

Only the new faith the Lord gave me forced me to go to work the first day. Most people who commuted to work drove to Kansas City or Topeka—not Fort Leavenworth. 

As I shook hands with my new boss, he introduced me to Carol, the other new hire from my home town. She needed a paying rider. She couldn’t find a carpool.

He answers prayer in response to the troubled prayers of a human being. Because I accept my weakness and ask Him to strengthen the faith that He’s already given me, He hears.

We can pretend a perfect faith. But the LORD knows better. How much more honest to acknowledge that we need His help? 

Dear Lord, Never let me forget that You are my only hope, and when I ask for help to be who You want me to be, prayer, and all  of my life become stronger.

Did Elijah Return as John the Baptist?

I told my sister I planned to tackle this subject, and I heard her turn pale over the phone. She checked her reference book to determine what the scholars said. When she turned to Matthew 11:13-15, she said they skipped over those verses to Matthew 16.  Even the Bible scholars didn’t want to touch it. But I, intrepid farm kid that I am, forge ahead.

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2 Kings 2:11

And as they were walking along and talking, behold, a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction

Matthew 11:13-15

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Jesus speaking).

Luke 1:13-15 (read all in context)

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

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So here goes.

God took Elijah to heaven by whirlwind rather than death. Then Malachi predicted his return.

In John 1:21, John the Baptist denied that he came as Elijah, but would he know? Elijah’s sandals were big ones, and John may have felt inadequate to fill them. And Jesus doesn't tell us everything. John said he came to make straight the paths of the Lord. By ushering in Jesus did he prevent destruction?

Was Jesus our last chance? God demands justice. If, on the day of His crucifixion, Jesus had not said, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine,” why continue? 

John had the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth’s womb. Elijah had the Holy Spirit. Anywhere Elijah went, the Spirit also went. Only Jesus and John came to earth filled with God's Spirit. Ordinary believers receive the Holy Spirit through salvation.

Jesus tells us openly that Elijah returned as John the Baptist. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Some intelligent people swear that the verse is figurative. John the Baptist became the Elijah of his day. I believe in Elijah's literal return as John the Baptist.

Others more educated and intelligent believe Elijah will come back as one of the two prophets mentioned in Revelations. I hope not. Poor Elijah. Two lifetimes of hardship?

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us your mysteries to ponder.

 

Painting by Harry Anderson, Illustrator 1943

Rude to Almighty God

Philipians 2:14

Do all things without complaining or arguments;

1 Thessalonians 5:18

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

vvvv

“I’m sick of this pandemic. When will it end?”  

The pandemic causes suffering and permanent loss for many people. We might consider it disloyal to find good in it. But we can experience God's blessing.

Susan's retirement community ordered lock-down for the residents. In her seventies, she used the time to study for difficult Braille tests and earned a certificate. She will work as a Braille proofreader. She already talked to an organization who welcomes her. In addition, she looks forward to getting a transcribing certificate. 

Busy lives left little time for home owners to work on their homes Now they sparkle and shine. The new deck will offer pleasure long after the pandemic.

People required to work from home come to love it. Gas prices and long commutes end: not to mention a reduced clothing budget. They find a fresh permanent work style. And employers cut back on light bills and space.

“I can’t stand this weather.”

After a period of gloom, the sunshine fills us with joy. An old friend said, "It feels so good when it stops." He referred to hard times in general. But I wonder if people in Hawaii love the sun like a Kansan. Gratitude comes from hardship. We may appreciate a roof over our heads, but how much more if we have lived without one. Freezing days cut back on the bug population the next summer. Into each life some rain must fall. And maybe it falls for longer than we prefer. But how else do crops grow?

“I hate my hair.”

Actually, I don’t hate my hair.

I want to be Caleb, but I more often resemble the Israelites. They never saw the Promised Land because of their dissatisfaction. My blog The Power of a Just God details what they suffered. God saved them from tyrannical enforced labor, and they said they wanted to go back to it. Rude. Am I rude to my beloved God?

Are we closing the door to our own promised land with a negative spirit? The Lord wrote His statutes for our good. Besides giving offense to God, complaining discourages us. Hope is the opposite of complaint. Caleb saw possibilities, and he and Joshua alone from that generation entered the Promised Land.

Or we make jokes. I love to laugh. But does Jesus join in the laughter? How do I respond if I prepare food for a family dinner and they make fun of it? How does the Lord respond when we reject His creation or blessings?

Maybe our jokes should stay with the human condition.

 A little boy’s face shows fright.

Caption: All of us when our mom uses our whole name.

Negative spirits cause the complainer and everybody around him to feel immersed in a dark cloud.

Authors write books about making lists of our blessings.Women do this more often than men. But a man can practice looking for the positive. Then our friends won’t circle buildings to avoid us. And it motivates us. We sing while we work. We make plans and believe in them.

Dear Lord, Forgive me for complaining. Help me be Caleb.

Photo by Julias Udnitskaya

Click name to go to his gallery

Good or Evil: A Frightening Day

Monday Replay August 14, 2020

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

vvvv 

On May 29, 2019, my hometown of Lawrence had its first tornado since 1982 (above). Sixty homes suffered damage. It caused seventeen injuries. Three people went to the hospital. Members of my church lost roofs and suffered other destruction. They waited in hotels or with their families until backed-up insurance companies repaired their homes. One man and his wife stayed in a hotel for a year.

A frightening day.

But Tom works construction and asked for prayer. His team didn’t have enough work to support them. The Sunday after the tornado, the Sunday school leader asked if Tom needed continued prayer. 

He waved his hands and said, “No. If you ask for rain, you better have an umbrella. The Lord gave me a tornado.” 

His crew worked fourteen-hour days for the duration.

None of us escape illness. Pain frightens me worse than death. But our illnesses give work to nurses, doctors, and hospital personnel. Real estate, architects, parking lot maintenance also earn their livelihoods from our gall bladder operations and worse.

A young girl gives birth and places her baby for adoption. A couple invites that baby into their lives. Her heartbreak provides a lifetime of joy for three people.

No one thinks a tornado is good. Tom meant no harm with his comment. But it illustrates how the Lord uses one man’s tragedy to move in the life of another. We only see life as it applies to us. God works with the whole.

A greedy man sold a Man's life for 30 pieces of silver. The Man’s friends felt a terrible grief. But after the most horrifying afternoon in history, the Man (Jesus) ascended to heaven and saved us from our sins.

Dear Lord, I know You see the whole while I see only a small part. Let me patiently wait on You.

Kansas Tornado May 29, 2019 appeared in Financial Times--Getty image

Jesus has Dinner with Friends

Luke 10:38-42

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations;

John 15:15

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Matthew 26:29

But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”

vvvv

Jesus called us "friends." We see Him at dinner with friends throughout the Gospels. He joined Simon the Pharisee for dinner on one occasion (Mark 14:3-9).

And Martha, sister to Mary and Lazarus. served at least two meals to Jesus. He tells us in Matthew 26:29 (above) that those social occasions didn't end when He left us. 

Have you ever wondered what Martha served?

Come with me to crash one of those parties.

Jerusalem farmers, like the American Farmer, depended on the weather and prayer. Poor and rich ate plenty in the good years. People dried food for the fruitless years. They ate dried fish and fruits.

The houses had small rooms that sweltered in the summer, so she cooked in the courtyard or on the roof. Excavated houses from the period have hearths for cooking indoors in cooler weather.

I used two sources to research dinner. Women in the Bible  (link no longer active) covers everything in first century Jerusalem. I'm sorry this resource doesn't exist. It covered everything. 

Nazareth’s Village, in Nazareth, recreates meals from the first century. If you visit Nazareth, stop for dinner.

The site lists fire-baked flat bread, dips, olives and herbal tea as dinner with Martha. The creators of the site believe people didn’t drink wine often.

Other research says they drank a watered-down wine--usually eight parts water to one part wine. 

Jesus didn't overeat or drink too much, but He did eat and drink. Since they walked miles a day, He ate well to fuel His body. And he drank wine. In his first miracle, he made wine. I see a Man who enjoyed His food.

The guests dipped their bread in olives (see left).

Though Nazareth Village says they didn’t often eat meat, except for chicken, on this special occasion when Jesus sat in her home, Martha served lamb or goat. Women of the Bible describes meat cut in small pieces and marinated in garlic, herbs and wine.

Mystery solved. I wondered why meat cooked on such short notice wasn't raw. Martha used a cooking pit outside and a hearth when she cooked inside. The wine marinade also speeded cooking. The small pieces must have allowed for quick roasting.

Cows and goats provided plentiful milk so they ate goat cheese flavored with garlic and herbs.

She served dinner in the late afternoon or evening. Mid-day snacks for the group consisted of dried fruit and bread. Did he eat a few fried locusts? Tastes like chicken? No. They tasted similar to salty anchovies. Cooks removed the head and tail and fried them in butter. I understand why John the Baptist preferred honey with his.

A good hostess, Martha sent her guests out the next morning with bread and olives in their packs. Onions or fruit such as this pomegranate completed the package.

As I get older, I long to sit at Jesus' table, listening to Him tell us the mysteries of the universe. Will we be able to tear ourselves away?

Photos from Women of the Bible.

 

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for the Eternity You plan for us and Your wonderful provision on earth.

This post originally appeared on the site for my book, Beloved Prodigal

 

 

Now is the Day of Salvation

Luke 12:18-20

And I will say to ^[a]myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIV)

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Matthew 7:7-8

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

vvvv

My brother-in-law, Don, planned his life. He hated owing money, but the day came when he wanted a home and he found spending on rent wasteful. A mortgage made better sense. But he not only had no debt, he had no credit rating. So he obtained a credit card and used it, paying it every month until he built up his credit. At that point, he and my sister bought a home. And he retired the credit card.

He worked at a pipe organ factory for years, saving his money. When his bank account allowed, he took the experience gained there and opened a business repairing pipe organs. Word spread. He spent part of each year going to churches all over Kansas to install and repair pipe organs.

He also painted landscapes, the real desire of his heart, spending whatever time possible at the easel. He planned to paint and build his talent in retirement. His family had a history of longevity. It never occurred to him he wouldn’t live into his old age. He died at fifty-five.

This example is not about a man who delayed his salvation. He lived a life of faith. It demonstrates the uncertainty of our time on earth. No one awakens in the morning thinking, “This is the day I get an illness that will end my life.” or “I feel like this will be the day I die” (except for the suicidal). I’m referring to those who want to live. We accept that we will die someday—far in the future.

We all have our images of heaven. Maybe Don's artwork hangs on the Lord’s refrigerator. But postponing a decision for salvation has more wide-ranging consequences. Eternity never ends.

Procrastination doesn’t seem like a huge sin. There’s always tomorrow. And why give up the “fun” you have in sin? Never to have the pleasure of a splitting hangover headache again? Among the other consequences of sin? What can salvation offer next to that? You’ll have time to “get religion” in old age when life nears its end.

God gives each person a time to accept His salvation (see 2 Corinthians 6:2 above). You can’t decide you’ll do it later. Maybe your time will slip by. Then, because of a moment of ignoring God’s call, your chance disappears.

Death comes in a moment. You make plans. You buy supplies for a dream you will fulfill in retirement. But one morning, you feel good. you walk along, enjoying the breeze, worrying about your bills. The next moment a car hits you (for example. That’s not a prophecy).

Of all the important decisions, this is the most critical. Make your appointment with the Lord. You’re not guaranteed old age.

And here’s a secret. Christianity isn’t boring. God gives joy, peace, and gratitude even during the pandemic.

Your next assignment? Seek and you will find. Billie Graham led converts in this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

Then buy a Bible. I like the New International Version or the New American Standard. Or Bible Gateway online is a good resource. Pray. Among other things, ask the Lord to lead you to a good church for you. Do you know a Christian that you respect? Ask to go to church with him. He will dance with joy, and pick you up the next Sunday.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the miracle of salvation, and that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

 

Photo by Anissa Belkheir

Jesus Misses His Ride

Monday Replay August 17, 2020

Luke 2:46

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

vvvv

Mary and Joseph traveled one day toward home after the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. Then they discovered Jesus wasn’t with the caravan.

After searching among the relatives and acquaintances, they couldn’t turn around fast enough.  

Mary and Joseph felt the fear of losing their child. Would they find him unhurt? Or had something terrible happened to Him? They turned back toward Jerusalem. After three more days of searching, they found Him at the feet of teachers. Four days after He disappeared, they discovered Him in the temple.  

Jesus, the twelve-year-old boy, loved His parents and didn’t intend to cause them trouble. But He sat enthralled in a synagogue listening to spiritual teachers, so engrossed He forgot all else—for four days—even that His family returned home without Him.

Many Christians launch a ministry with no preparation, believing God will do the work. Sometimes He does, as when He called Moses. Moses had on-the-job training. But more often God requires hard work over years. Patience can grow thin. When can I start my ministry?

So you begin the ministry you believe came from God. You KNOW God will give you the answers, money, and everything you need as you go. And you fail. Did you misunderstand God’s call? 

Maybe the next step means to regroup and start again. No one will ever find my first book anywhere. I made every mistake. Now it’s an embarrassing memory.

Jesus didn’t begin His ministry until thirty, and it lasted for three years. His twelve-year-old adventure in the synagogue only shows His zeal in preparing for that ministry. Jesus instinctively had knowledge far beyond ours. He knew He was the Christ, and He spent hours in prayer discerning the Father’s will. But He still respected spiritual training.

As always, Jesus set the standard.  The Lord won’t do all the work, though He will walk you through every step.  

Dear Lord, Please give me patience to wait on You and learn. 

 

Jesus Speaks to the Learned Pharasees

Painting available at

Lord's Art

No artist listed

The Wrath of Satan

1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Job 1:6-12 

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

vvvv

Satan fell from heaven because he, a created being, believed himself equal to the God of the Universe. What a shock to hurtle toward the earth when the LORD cast him out. Evil incarnate, now he’s evil with a purpose. Get God’s people. Frightening. Peter refers to him as our adversary. Think of the worst thing you ever experienced. The devil manufactured that.

But when he wanted to bring Job down, he went among the sons of God into God’s chamber. The LORD pointed to Job as one of His favored children. And the devil convinced the LORD to allow him to destroy Job’s faith. “He will curse you to your face.” The LORD gave him his way for His purposes.

Then he ruined Job’s property and killed his children. But Job stayed faithful to God. So Satan went back to the Father and demanded to infect Job’s body. And Job grew sores. In addition, Job had the “comfort” of the three worst friends in history. Finally, God restored Job.

Later, Jesus warned Simon Peter that Satan demanded to ruin Jesus’ followers, but Jesus prayed for them.

There’s a pattern here. The devil can’t touch God’s followers without first asking the LORD. He can demand, but he can’t act without permission, and the Father limits the extent of the devil’s power.

I’ve seen miracles that began with terrible illness, addictions, and financial ruin. But the Lord used those situations to show His love and mercy through healing. And to bring people to salvation.

Did Satan gloat on the day the Christ died on the cross? He won. He killed the Son of God. Supposedly the devil knows the Bible, but he missed that part, prophesied through the Tanakh (Jewish Bible). I’ve noted in another post that it contained 300 or 400 prophesies of the resurrection of Christ. Satan lost his power for eternity.

So what can we do to stay out of the clutches of the personification of evil, a liar incapable of any good, and malevolence only the creator of hate might muster?

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Immerse ourselves in the word of God and pray. Make no move unless we talk it over with the Lord. When evil happens, and believe me it will, cling to God with every bit of strength we have. When we feel his presence, “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

But what of our friends and family who haven’t accepted the Lord? What is the answer for them? You can guess my answer. Us. And fervent prayer. Pray for their safety and for their salvation. We are their only protection.

Dear Lord: Everything on earth is in Your hands, including Satan. I trust You to protect me and get me through.

 

 

The Unbridled Heart

Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart is deceitful beyond all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it?

vvvv

Desperately sick—a powerful statement.

Daily, you’ll hear the voices of TV haranguing you to follow your heart. Follow your dream. Do what you feel is right. Follow your instincts.

In the 60s people chanted “If it feels good do it.” Look where that got us. Unbridled everything. Self-control lost its appeal.

Every adulterous affair, every addiction, every bank robbery, and even every murder, started because someone followed their desires. Greed and selfishness rule the uncontrolled heart. 

If a would-be adulterer sat down with a tablet and wrote how his act affected his wife, his children, his finances in the divorce, discarding denial (but I’ll get away with it. She will never know) then he couldn’t go through with it.

If the would-be other woman gave thought to the marriage and the pain of the wife, empathy will eliminate temptation. Only the selfish heart allows them to go through with it. But no one thinks of consequences. In that moment, it’s just “I want, and I’m all that matters.”

If you dream of killing the president back up and start over. Even insanity follows its dream.

Sin disparaged by the Bible becomes “It doesn’t mean me.” Why doesn’t it mean you? The spoiled child in you says “because I want to do it.”

A dream can be a beautiful future. We’re off to save the world. But unless it’s bathed in prayer and follows the Bible (no. Do not kill that abortion doctor) it will destroy your life and the lives of others. We save ourselves heartache with prayer, reading the Bible and time. After six months on your knees,, if you want to go to the mission field, then follow your dream.

But six months later, you look at your married co-worker and see nothing but a married co-worker. You wonder why you lusted. What did I ever see in that ridiculous mustache?

Dear Lord, protect me from following my heart. Lead me to follow You instead.

Joseph Ran

Monday Replay August 10, 2020

Romans 13:14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Genesis 39-42

“How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” 

She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.

vvvv

Joseph ran to escape temptation. Potiphar’s wife lured him in to her bedchamber, only to watch him bound out, leaving his cloak in her hand. "How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” he cried to the ?lady?. As a result, he went to prison for twelve years (estimate). 

The woman he scorned lied about him. But loyalty and God’s will mattered more to Joseph than the years in prison. And God rewarded him. The warden favored him by placing him over the other prisoners. And then he became Pharaoh's second-in-command after release. 

Billy Graham had a rule later referred to as the Billy Graham rule. He never allowed himself to be alone with a woman, including in elevators. Well-known pastors have landed on the front page of national newspapers because they didn’t follow his example, their witness and careers ruined. Billy Graham recognized potential trouble. Not to mention that his rule protected him from the lies of those eager to hurt a famous Christian.

Following Joseph’s example, the best way to beat sin is to avoid it. Run if you must. Throw the chocolate cake (or in my case meatloaf) or bottle of whiskey out the window. Don’t allow your best friend’s husband in your house alone with you.

An abstinent alcoholic might keep a bottle around to commemorate his victory, to show it won’t entice him. Not a good idea. We do ourselves a favor to acknowledge weaknesses. Make no provision for sin. 

AA requires you to not only avoid your habit, but to stay away from the people with whom you once practiced it.

We must take our sin seriously, Leave the cloak on the bedpost if necessary.

Dear Lord, as I struggle with a life-time problem with food, please let me keep eating triggers far from me. And let me therefore conquer my sin. 

 

Painting: Guido Reni Joseph and Potiphar's wife 1631 Baroque

Heroes of Forgiveness

Matthew 18: 21-35 (Click here to read the section in context)

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times" (70 x 7 in the King James version).

Matthew 18:32-33

Then summoning him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

vvvv

My co-worker, Harry, cut me off in traffic as we both returned from lunch. I nearly hit him. Then he slammed the door in my face as we entered the conference room. He apologized, but I know he did it on purpose. I’m so angry I don’t know why the boss called the meeting.

I slip out the door and go back to my cubicle. I remember the Bible says I have to forgive Harry so I hop over to Bible Gateway on the internet and pull up two versions—King James and New American Standard. The NASB says I have to forgive him seventy seven times. King James says forgive him seventy times seven times. So I take a sticky note, put his name at the top and make two marks. When I get to the 490th time, I plan to never speak to him again.

But wait.

How many times did the Lord forgive me yesterday? How many minutes in a day?

Head bowed, I tear up the note and take Harry a cup of coffee with the two packets of creamer he likes. We talk about the meeting. He probably saved me from getting fired since I missed the meeting, wrapped in my thoughts.

Most likely, I didn’t offend the Lord every minute of the day (I hope), but He forgave me over 490 times in my life—or this month?

Heroes of Forgiveness

A pastor forgave the boy who shot and killed his son. He befriended him and brought him to the Lord.

Persecuted Christians in other nations tell their abusers about Jesus. Jailers let one man out of prison because he brought so many people to the Lord—including some jailers.

Elisabeth Elliot went back to Ecuador and ministered to the tribe that killed her husband.

A young woman, raped, tortured, and left for dead, (the rapist—sixteen years old—shot himself at the scene) searched out the reason a man does such despicable evil. She discovered it happened because of childhood sexual abuse. 

She studied childhood counseling and works with children taken from abusive homes. The television program that told this story didn’t credit Jesus, but I believe she will stand near His throne in eternity.

A man who hates African Americans for no other reason than their skin color, went to a black church and shot and killed  members. Surviving members stood in the courtroom and forgave him.

These people are my heroes and examples.

In truth, the Lord isn't setting 490 times as the cutoff place. Jesus used that number as an example to forgive endlessly.

Note. If someone continually and deliberately hurts you, forgive him or her, but eliminate them from your life. The Lord loves you. He doesn't condone unnecessary punishment.

If someone hurt you so badly once that you can’t forget, you may have to forgive them mentally 490 times. When you hear the ugly voice of Satan feeding your anger, cut the thought off. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7. 

Dear Lord: Please let me remember these examples when anger starts to rise.

 

Disclaimer: Harry is fiction, but plausible. I hate for people to pull out in front of me.

http://loongjohn.com/html/holcountdown.html Java Script

The Day I Almost Killed My Mother

Psalm 139: 13-16

For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. . . .

vvvv

On January 23, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York passed a law allowing abortion up to birth.

On February 25, 2019, the Washington Post reported that doctors can refuse to care for a baby who survives abortion. Shortly thereafter, in New York, it became law that a doctor who treats a baby who survives abortion faces prosecution. The babies starve to death. Starvation hurts. Infanticide became legal in the blink of an eye.

I visited my parents on a pleasant Sunday afternoon many years ago. An article in our local paper a few days prior haunted me. It described third-trimester abortion and included a diagram of the procedure. Back then, even Liberals saw the evil in killing a living baby.

Mom didn’t follow the news, but she mentioned late-term abortions. She asked what happened to the baby. So I outlined the procedure as the newspaper described it.

My mother turned white. Not pale. White. She clutched the sides of her armchair and repeated, “No.   No.   No.”

Alarmed, my father and I half rose to call 911. Was she going into shock? I’m not kidding. This happened.

What could I say to my mother? “They don’t do them often.” What an unsatisfactory answer. Once in history is once too often. 

In a minute or two, Mom’s color came back, and we didn’t discuss it further.

My mother died at 92 of natural causes. I didn’t kill her. Whether she ever dared read the news again, or ask about current events, I don’t know. I didn’t volunteer items from the daily paper to her.

Halfway between then and now, the nation watched a video explaining the methods of Planned Parenthood. The nation saw doctors butchering aborted babies for their parts and calling it “fun.” Our taxes still pay Planned Parenthood.

Someone made a movie called “Dead Men Walking.” I never saw it, but surely these doctors were the “heroes” of that film.

Though I understood the evil of abortion, I still spoke calmly. Mom mirrored the depth of the atrocity.

Abortion is always the wrong decision, but when you find yourself pregnant and alone, desperation sets in and you might make a poor decision. But why wait until just before birth to abort? You felt the baby move.

God loves the women who chose this path, and His forgiveness waits.

But we as a nation, must repent.

Dear Lord, Please lead our nation back to compassion. Be God of America.

 

I don't have a source of the photo. It isn't my mother

 

When the Holy Spirit Calls Your Name

Proverbs 19:2

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries ^[a]his footsteps ^[b]errs.

Proverbs 24:14

Know that wisdom is the same for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a ^[a]future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

vvvv

The voice of God comes through desire, or an insistent belief we’re called, or both. But when we hear the voice of God, it’s time to investigate it. So we pursue the judgment of others who tell us the truth.

If I imagine I’m called to astonish the world with my voice, but I can’t sing, someone needs to tell me I sound like a cat in pain. (Although a few men and women made that work).

Then we pray and wait to hear from God. We seek supernatural intelligence.

David yearned to erect a temple to God, but the LORD told him, no, that He chose Solomon to build His house. 1 Chronicles 17:4

God doesn’t always make it simple. So, trusting in the peace you feel and the guidance you’ve received, you take a careful step forward—and fall on your face.

Franklin Graham went before a large crowd to preach. He thought God wanted him to follow Billy’s footsteps. So he held his first service. At the end, he gave the altar call. Not one person came forward. After watching his dad, Billy, call hundreds of people to salvation everywhere he appeared, Franklin felt humiliated.

But the Lord didn’t let him rest. He believed he did the will of God, and he kept trying. Imagine walking out on that stage the second time. Franklin Graham now leads Samaritan’s Purse and preaches. He wants to bring souls to Christ by whatever means possible.

If you believe you heard from God, trust that instinct.

If so, you need practical wisdom. We owe God our best, and that includes learning our business. Jesus set the example. He started His ministry at thirty. But the Bible shows Him in the temple at twelve, so passionate to learn He forgot to catch the caravan home.

Missionaries train for years. Pastors study in seminary. Doctors spend ten years learning their trade. Maybe you read everything you can find on the subject. You sit in conferences by experts in your field. You talk to counselors.

But it takes so long. Impatience wants immediate answers. We hurry. We step out before God’s time. Then we hang our heads and wonder why He didn’t bless what He called us to do. So we quit.

Moses believed God wanted him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but after he killed the Egyptian, he fled to the hills, his ministry in shambles, and tended sheep until he reached eighty. He resigned himself. They lived longer than, but at eighty you’re planning your retirement. And then one quiet day, God visited Moses in a burning bush, and called him to become head shepherd to the biggest flock imaginable.

If you hear God’s voice, you don’t want to offend Him by throwing up your hands. Convinced of your mission, you start over. And give the Lord your best—while you wait.

Dear Lord, Let us trust You to direct our paths, no matter how long we wait.

 

Image from Max Pixel

 

 

God's Love Letter--How One Woman Reads it.

2 Timothy3:16-17

 All Scripture is ^[a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[b]training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

vvvv

This post is for those new to the Bible.

I'm not the only ???expert??? on this. Please add your improvements in comments. You don't need to join Typepad. Just skip that part.

As a beginner at Christianity, I read the Bible from beginning to end, Genesis through Revelations. Mistake. I bought a One Year Bible, but it confused me. Jesus didn’t change the information in the old testament, but He clarified parts of it.

As an example, I read in the Old Testament that if you make a vow, you must keep it. Old testament people killed because of thoughtless vows. They considered breaking a vow worse than murder.

I made vows and failed  to keep them time after time. So I repented, but then I promised something else. Then when studying the New Testament, Jesus solved the problem with one sentence. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil. (Matthew 5:37) Simple. Don’t make vows. Now I don’t even sign pledge cards.

Later, I bought a packet of lined sticky notes that resemble a notebook page. The page adheres to the inside back cover of my Bible. I write the chapter and verse I finished. Then, when the last verse of Revelations goes on the list, I go back to the first verse of Matthew and re-start.

Before my devotions, I ask the Lord for wisdom. The Bible can drive you down a confusing path if God’s not standing at your shoulder.

I study the New Testament every day and arrange the rest of the Bible among three days—one day Proverbs, the next day Psalms, and the final, the Old Testament.

Coming to Christ, I had never eaten a spiritual square meal, and the Bible was my food. I spent every spare moment reading it. I went through the Old Testament and then through it again. Whether I retained it ??

Now, after thirty-five years, this approach takes a long time to get through the Old Testament. Right now I’m at the beginning of Daniel. It will finish up the year and go to mid-2021.

Proverbs go quickly, and Psalms does also, except for the long ones like Psalm 119. Those I divide into smaller readings.  But every book in the Old Testament could be a Bible in itself. I haven’t solved how to get through faster, though many Sunday School classes teach the Old Testament.

Time-travel back to 1985. Knowing what I know now, I’d tackle the book of John several times, then the New Testament two or three times before I ventured in to the rest of it.

This isn't necessarily the best method. It's just my method. One piece of advice, though. Don't start at the beginning. You’re blessed if you find someone to disciple you. Many churches will assign you someone to help if you ask. Our Associate Pastor took that job, but I didn’t meet him until many years later.

Some Christians mark up their Bibles. For me, that doesn’t work. Once I mark it up, it’s unreadable. Then it has to be replaced. Many Bible study guides let you fill the workbook with their blessings—a wonderful source if it helps you to learn by answering workbook questions.

I have my first red Bible. In church, I sometimes waved it over my head. It’s a wreck. I read it to death. I felt so honored when I had to replace it because it showed the devotion I have for the Lord. But later Bibles get tender care. Some people have embroidered, hand-made Bible covers. I admit to some jealousy. But mine travels in the cardboard box in which it came. Dropping my drink, or dropping the Bible doesn't hurt it.

I love the Bible--the LORD’s love letter.

Dear Lord, Thank you for plentiful Bibles in the United States. Please furnish them to Christians in other countries. And thank You that You gave me a thirst to read them.

 

Image from YorkNewLife.Org.

Eavesdropping on God "In The Beginning"

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis 1:26 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Zechariah 9:9

Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

vvvv

When I first read the Bible, I passed over what didn’t compute in my thinking. John 1:1 fits that category. How could ink on paper or a spoken word become human?

But one Sunday morning a wave of insight washed over me.

As a new Christian, I read John 1:1 without understanding. But one morning, the pastor of the Free Methodist Church (1986-88) remarked, “the Word simply means prophesy.” Lightbulb over my head.

In the beginning was the Word. When God formed the earth, He beheld every minute of every day thereafter to the end of Revelations.

And the Word was with God. Genesis 1:26 (verse above) eavesdrops on God referring to Himself as “us.” The Father didn’t stand there alone. The complete Godhead; Father, Son. and Holy Spirit created our universe. Jesus (the Word) was with God.

And the Word was God. Jesus affirmed His divinity by fulfilling every Old Testament prophesy. I tried to investigate how many prophesies foretold Jesus. No one knows, but Rapture Ready lists the number as over 400. Josh McDowell Ministries lists over 300.

Scholars can’t confirm the figure.

First, Jesus knew every prophecy, and then He fulfilled them. No one has ever said, “Oh yeah? He forgot this one.”

A favorite prophesy, Matthew 21, tells the story of Jesus riding on the donkey. Sunday School teachers teach this appealing story often.

First prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. (Verse quoted at top)

Not only did Jesus ride on a donkey, others arranged the way for Him. Jesus told the disciples to find the donkey that someone had arranged for him. Children gathered with palm branches. Did someone instruct them? Did they understand they fulfilled prophesy?

If you doubt the deity of Jesus, the First Chapter of John leaves no doubt. Jesus is God and the Son of God.

Dear Lord: Thank You for coming to earth to save us for all eternity. And thank You for the Bible, full of all wisdom.

 

Image: Click FreeBibleImages.org