June 5 Leave No Footprints

June 5

Leave No Footprints

Eph 6:13 …and having done all, to stand.

A brutal death awaited them all. They were trapped. The southeast was blocked by mountains. A scorching desert blocked the southwest. The ocean was to their northeast and the most powerful army on earth was closing in from the northwest.  There would be no mercy. They would take no prisoners. Everyone would be killed.

They had been led to their deaths by one man, whom they now looked to for a solution. What was his advice?  Stand still!

Did Moses have a death wish? Was he really going to just stand there while the Egyptian army slaughtered them?  Certainly not. Moses had the kind of faith that allowed him to stand still under the most difficult circumstances. That day the Israelites lived and the Egyptian army died.

Psalm 77 makes a brief reference to that event.

Ps 77:19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters,  and thy footsteps are not known. 20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Footsteps reminds me of the inspiring poem “Foot Prints in the Sand”.  The author dreamed they walked with Christ and when they looked back there were two sets of foot prints but when the bad times came there was only one set of prints. That was when Christ carried the author. 

When I checked the Internet, comments about the poem were extremely positive. But a couple caught my attention. They asked “Where is this in the Bible?”  The short answer is it’s not from the Bible. It was a poem about a dream.  It has inspired millions of people and is an uplifting and comforting poem. But it is not from the Bible.

This devotional is about what we should do in those times of trouble. The poem ends with Christ carrying the author during the bad times which expresses poetically the Biblical concept of God caring for and providing for us in the difficult times in our lives. The Bible says it by talking about not being carried, but as standing.

For our meditation today let us consider both this inspirational poem about Christ carrying us, and the Biblical admonition that we should have strong enough faith to “…stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”  

The poem is pretty self-explanatory so let’s focus on what the Bible says about increasing our faith so we have the ability to stand when we need God’s undergirding hand.

There is an old church joke about singing “standing on the Promises” while we are sitting in the premises. While designed to be humorous it also contains an undeniable truth.  Many Christians today have sufficient faith to sit in church but not stand in the world. No wonder the idea of Christ carrying us is so comforting.

1Co 16:13 ¶ Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,

quit you like men, be strong.

This verse does not imply we should be strong in ourselves, but “…in the faith…”.  It is not an exercise in positive thinking but a dependence on faithful thinking.

8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,

 as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith,…

Here we are told how to resist the devil. Verse 9 says we should steadfastly resist “…in the faith…”  Note also that a roaring lion is not to be feared. Lions don’t roar when sneaking up on their prey. The roaring lion is marking his territory and those who are silly enough to ignore the warnings and spend time in the devil’s territory may become his prey.

The Bible has a lot to say about standing and steadfastness.                                    

  Ga 5:1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty

wherewith Christ hath made us free,

and be not entangled again

with the yoke of bondage.

Here Paul warns the Galatians against falling into the error of following the law to obtain salvation. It is a warning for us to stand fast and not be entangled with the silliness that passes for religion and philosophy today. That requires knowing what the Bible teaches and then putting that knowledge to work.  

Ephesians describes how we should be prepared.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour

of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,

and having done all, to stand.

But not all our trials and discouragements come from Satan. God sends some trials to chastise us. Today people seem to have forgotten the relationship between cause and effect. Bad choices equal bad results. Disobedient children wound up in the woodshed. Our heavenly Father loves us too much to allow us to drift down wrong paths.

Other times bad decisions are the result of temptation.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

But don’t blame God when you are tempted to do something you  shouldn’t.

Jas 1:13 ¶ Let no man say when he is tempted,

I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 

14 But every man is tempted,

when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Standing and being steadfast are key to the kind of joy our salvation should provide us. That is why we are warned;

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Let us think about our own steadfastness. Do we know the scriptures well enough to defend ourselves from error? Are we able to stand in our faith in Christ?  The idea that Christ will pick us up and carry us through the discouragements of life is a charming and pleasant thought. I like to think it is a metaphor describing how our faith in Christ will carry us through the tough times.

But the Bible says when the tough times come we should stand in our faith and standing leaves no foot prints.

1Co 15:58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren,

be ye stedfast, unmoveable, …

 

 

 

June 4 Greased Lightening

June 4

Greased Lightening

Our commanding officer was not happy. He picked up the phone and dialed division headquarters. Before him stood five soldiers. On his desk were orders that the five men be sent to division headquarters to play football! There were several US army divisions scattered around Europe and each had a football team. The generals in charge of each division took great pride in their football team and the bragging rights that went with it. Usually these teams were coached by a sergeant with a background in football. 

“Hello, are you the coach of the Heidelberg Division football team?” the anger in our Lieutenants voice was obvious

“Yes I am” the coach responded. 

“You requested I send you 5 of my best men. That is not going to happen! I need those men so you will just have to find five football players somewhere else”

The coach responded by asking, “Do you know who I am?”

“I really don’t care who you are. You are not getting these men.”

The angry red look on the Lieutenant’s face quickly faded to pale white as he listened to the coaches response and then he replied.

“Yes Sir, General Adams. About 30 minutes if I send them by helicopter.

The Lieutenant was motivated to do everything possible to comply with the Generals will for these men. Our devotional for today is to consider how we respond to what God wants done.

Most of us have memorized the Lord’s prayer. We recite it at funerals and other religious gatherings but with little thought to what it says. Our meditation for today is to consider one phrase.

Mt 6:10 … Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

 First let us consider how God’s will is done in heaven. What words would you use to describe “..as it is in heaven.”

How about immediately, (faster than greased lightning) completely, joyously, etc. Spend a moment adding your own words that describe how God’s will is done in heaven.

Next consider a question about  “…Thy will be done in earth”

Who is going to do God’s will in earth?  How about your pastor, or the leaders in your church, or maybe the United Nations, or the Pope? Deep spiritual knowledge is not needed to figure out the one who should be doing God’s will on earth is you and me!

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,

Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Finally we come to the toughest question. What is the will of God for us? That should not be such a hard question to answer.

David penned the 40^th Psalm and in it gives us a good method for knowing God’s will. He memorized scripture.

Ps 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God:

yea, thy law is within my heart.

Sometimes we do not want to know God’s will because we fear He will ask for what we don’t want to give, send us where we don’t want to go, and tell us what we don’t want to hear.  But not so David. He found no greater happiness than doing God’s will.

Knowing and doing God’s will is not a natural instinct for us. We must learn how to do His will. David understood that as well.

Ps 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God:…

Our prayer should seek more than just His will for us. The knowledge of what the will of God is accomplishes little until we do it. David was not asking for God to reveal His will. He wanted instruction in doing it. How many Christians know the will of God but don’t do it?

Even Christ was subject to the will of the Father.

Joh 5:30 …I seek not mine own will,

but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Why do so many Christians think Moses gave us the “Ten Suggestions” and the will of God can be answered like a multiple choice question.

What part of the Will of God do you agree to do?

A. All of it

B. All except that one thing

C. All I can fit in my schedule

C. I can't right now...maybe later. 

Teenagers in our youth group used to ask me how they could know the will of God. My answer was that God will tell them, but he won’t come to the back alley to reveal His will. The world culture too often crowds out God’s voice. We are told that over and over in verses we know in our head but not in our heart.

Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world:

 …that ye may prove what is that…. will of God.

There are wonderfully funny cartoons that show men trying to assemble something without reading the instructions. Knowing the will of God requires study of the instruction book.

Joh 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Here Christ was telling the Jews to study the scriptures to show that he was the Messiah that God had promised. Today there are lots of religious babblers in the world. We must study the scriptures and learn doctrine or we will be blown into confusion.

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children,

tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning

craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

This applies to more than the cults that would rob us of the will of God. I have found men in pulpits and leadership in “Bible believing churches” that use craftiness to deceive or hide what is the will of God for their church. You and I have an obligation to study the scriptures for ourselves. But not as a tourist who visits only the pretty places but as a workman, who labors in the Word.

 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself …. a workman …

 rightly dividing the word of truth

For our meditation let’s think about how Gods Will is done in heaven. Then meditate on how we can know and do God’s will in our own lives. David delighted in doing God’s will. May we be blessed in doing his will as well.

Ps 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God:

yea, thy law is within my heart.

June 3 Can You Hear Me Now?

June 3

Can You Hear Me Now?

The casket was slowly rolled from the church. He was only 33. He was a farmer.  He had been harvesting. Something had gone tragically wrong.

The service ended with the Lord’s prayer. There had been several prayers during the funeral service. They all ended with a simple Amen, omitting the words “In Jesus name” like I was accustomed to hearing. Does it matter if you say “In Jesus name” at the end of a prayer? Or is it just different prayer habits? Does it really matter? Doesn’t God hear all our prayers anyway?

The answer is a definite Yes, No, Maybe, Perhaps and it depends!

If you ask a rabbi, a priest and a protestant minister how you should pray you will get very different answers. Instead of asking men the right way to pray, let’s consult God’s Word, the Bible.

“Lord, can you hear me now?” is our question. The answer is often “NO”! How can that be?  There are several places in the Scriptures where God replies He does not hear us.

Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,

the Lord will not hear me:

Pr 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. Today we just want to answer the question about praying in Jesus name. Is it required or just how some folks pray? In Luke 18:10 Christ tells of two men who went to the temple to pray. One of them said he was thankful he was such a good guy and not like the awful publican. Do you think adding “In Jesus name” to that prideful arrogant prayer would have made it any more acceptable? No, because the phrase “in Jesus name” is not a magic word, not like abra-ca-dabra.

But we are told to pray in Jesus name in several scriptures. John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23 Eph 5:20  

Joh 15:16 …that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father

in my name, he may give it you.

Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

The essence of why we add in Jesus name to our prayers is found in Acts 3. There we find Peter and John going to the temple to pray. A lame man asked them for alms and Peter responded;

Ac 3:6 …Silver and gold have I none; but such as

I have give I thee:

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

rise up and walk.

Peter did not act in his own name, power, goodness, or merit. He gave all credit to Jesus Christ. Later in Acts 4:10 when he was questioned by the high priest and others Peter amplified his answer so there was no misunderstanding.

Ac 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

That is the essence of praying in the name of Christ. The recognition that we have neither merit nor standing with God apart from His son. What we do and what we ask for should recognize that and acknowledge that we are coming in the name of Jesus.

Imagine a bank where you wanted to get a loan. The bank president had a son who managed the bank. But you just walked into the president’s office, sat down and said you needed a loan to buy this and that and the other thing. The bank president would say his son had not mentioned anything about your requests. If you responded “Oh, I skipped him. I am an important person and didn’t want to waste my time on him. Besides, I didn’t think he mattered all that much anyway!”  Do you think you would get that loan? 

That is a crude example to explain why we go in Jesus name. We are acknowledging we have no right to come to the throne of God in our own merit. Our access to God is through our relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

John 14:6 No man cometh unto the Father but by me!

 There is no Scriptural basis for the “Name it and Claim it” crowd. The audacity of going to God and demanding He give you lots of stuff is contrary to the very spirit of prayer.

What about all those times when we hear a public prayer and the name of Christ is omitted or not permitted, and they end with Amen. 

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness,

but denying the power thereof:

 from such turn away.

The world today wants to make God in their own image. They want to make their own rules. They want anything and everything that is even remotely religious to be acceptable. The Bible says it is not.

What about praying to the Holy Spirit, or in His name? The Holy Spirit is our comforter John 15:26, dwells in us Rom 8:11, helps us to pray Rom 8:26, but is not our advocate.

1Jo 2:1 ¶ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,

we have an advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous:

We pray to God the Father, in the name of Jesus the Son, with the aid of the Holy Spirit.  Recognizing this pattern will make our prayer life more productive. Praying in Jesus name also helps us realize we are simply blood bought sinners who stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Lastly the purpose of prayer is not for ourselves or others we may pray for. The ultimate purpose of prayer is to bring glory to God. When God answers prayer we need to do as Peter did. We should explain that it had nothing to do with our ability but was all done through the power of Christ and His name.  Let us continue to pray without ceasing….in the name of Christ. Then give God the glory for whatever the answer is.

Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

June 2 The Trouble I've seen

June 2     

 

    The Trouble I’ve Seen

Ps 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:

for thou hast considered my trouble;

thou hast known my soul in adversities; 

They wanted him dead. The leaders in foreign countries wanted him killed. Prominent families tried to kill him. Even the leader of his own country had sent the military to find him and kill him. People were afraid to help him or even talk with him. He avoided capture by fleeing to the wilderness. During the months he was hiding his wife remarried. No wonder there were times when David felt discouraged.

It was during one of these low points that David penned the 31^st Psalm.

Ps 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity,

and my bones are consumed.

Most of us can relate to similar times when we have felt overwhelmed with life’s circumstances. But David had slipped into a specially deep feeling of grief.  Most of us have friends we can talk to, who will help share the burdens of life and try to cheer us up. But David did not have that.

Ps 31:11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies,

but especially among my neighbours,

and a fear to mine acquaintance:

they that did see me without fled from me.

When we have been brought low by problems, circumstances, losses and grief we still do not have the problems David did. His main problem was people wanted him dead.

Ps 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many:

fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

If David was a man chosen of God to be King over Israel, and he had times of discouragement, why are we so shocked when we travel through the deep valleys of darkness between the mountain tops of joy and delight. Did someone tell you that the Christian life was all mountaintops of joy and praise? Do you really think God wants you to giggle all the way to heaven? We know better than to adopt such an immature way of thinking. Our faith and trust are not shown when life is all zippidy-do-dah but when our hearts are breaking. Mature faith does not shield us from disappointment and grief, it gives us direction and guidance through those tough days. Is being discouraged wrong? No! Even Jesus wept (John 11:35)

Warren Wiersbe wrote a fun devotional book entitled “The Bumps are What You Climb On”. The premise of the book is that what we see as problems are actually opportunities that God provides for us to learn spiritual lessons. Herbert Lockyer’s wife died after a long illness. Herbert had to give up his preaching ministry to care of her for years before she died. He used that time to write several books on Bible study. He also wrote a very useful book “Dark threads the Weaver Needs” on bereavement and was intended for those who had lost a loved one. His wife died when he had written about half the book. His book is not a “put on a happy face” kind of book. Because his wife died while he was writing it, there are real concerns, real solutions and real hope that could not have been learned any other way than to have suffered the loss he had.

The bumps are what we climb on. That was what David did. He was in the valley of despair but knew how to climb out of it. He even gives the answer before he describes his torments.

Ps 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress;

therefore for thy name's sake lead me,

and guide me.

4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily

for me:  for thou art my strength. 

In verse 6 he adds “…but I trusted in the LORD” Then from verse 9-13 he pours out his problems before the Lord.

Verses 14 through 24 focus on how God provides and cares for us. There David was reminding himself of why we can be more than conquerors because of our faith.

Ps 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD:

I said, Thou art my God.

Ps 31:15 My times are in thy hand:…

Ps 31:19 ¶ Oh how great is thy goodness,…

Our meditation for today is multi-faceted. First we should not count it a strange thing when we suffer with problems, situations or loss. Spiritual maturity is not found on mountain top living, but in deep valleys of difficulty. Secondly, if we believe God is in control then those bumps in life are there for our learning. Every adversity should be used for our learning, not our discouragement. Pouting, bitterness, anger and depression are all signs we have not learned what God has for us.

Thirdly we need to make use of every bump for our learning. I employed ladies who would become sad and discouraged when they had made a mistake and ruined a part. I would explain that mistakes were good because we could learn from them. But if we did not learn than we had wasted a valuable mistake. Let us look at the bumps we encounter as valuable learning opportunities. God should get our attention the first time. We should not need Him to keep increasing the bumps until He gets our attention.

It was not meant as a deeply spiritual comment, but what John Wayne said can be applied to learning God’s lessons quickly. John Wayne said “Life is hard …….it’s even harder if you’re stupid!”

David ended the 31^st psalm encouraged and advises us that the more we trust in God the greater our strength becomes.

Ps 31:24 Be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen your heart,

all ye that hope in the LORD.

May 31 The Crooked House

May 31

The Crooked House

Ps 127:1  Except the LORD build the house,

they labour in vain that build it:

Wrong again! It was the third time I had redone the work.  Checking everything as I built had not helped.  My frustration and anger boiled just below the surface. A pesky fly landed on my nose. Sweat burned my eyes. How could it be so far out of level? I knew I was not a master carpenter but this was ridiculous. Defeated, I checked the framework one last time as I quit. The level now indicated the job was perfect. What was going on? So I turned the level end for end and checked again. The bubble now indicated I was way off. My old 4 foot level was the problem. A quick trip to town, a new level and the problems were quickly fixed.

The bible has similar accounts of people building on crooked foundations. Aaron should have been a level headed kind of guy, but there were times when he had ungodly ideas and led the people astray. Exodus 32 gives the account of crooked building. Moses was up in the mountain where God gave him the ten commandments.  The Israelites were tired of waiting so, “…the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods”

Before we blame them too much we should take into account they and their ancestors had lived in Egypt for 400 years. Egypt was a land of many gods. The ten plagues were designed to show the gods were powerless. Each plague invaded the domain of an Egyptian god. And yes they even had a frog god; Heqet, a female goddess of fertility.

These same Israelites had seen the hand of Jehovah working against the gods of Egypt and delivering them from the most powerful military machine at the time, the Egyptian army. God parted the Red Sea for his chosen people to escape and used the same sea to destroy the Egyptian army. But old habits die hard, so the Israelites reverted to what they had seen in Egypt, idol worship.

Still we marvel that they could have returned to idol worship after experiencing the marvelous miracles of Jehovah. They went back into idol worship because they had learned it from the world they had known. Besides, it was a lot more fun to gather for a big idol worship party, eat, drink, get naked and party, party, party. How could they have been so blinded?

The answer is simple. They were using defective tools to govern their conduct, in the same way Christians do today. In the 1960’s the expression was “If it feels good, do it!” It does not take a genius to know that building a life with that defective philosophy will result in a ruined life, or in the words of our analogy, a crooked house.

The book of Romans addresses that defective standard with warnings to avoid it.

Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world:…

  Even more, it provides several things that we should do.

Ro 12:1 … that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,

holy, acceptable unto God,

That standard for living requires too much for many Christians today. How are people able to continue living like the world and not be condemned by such verses? The solution has been to redefine the terms, a living sacrifice, the word Holy, and what is acceptable to God. Instead of using the Word of God to define these terms, we have slipped into defining them by what we think is reasonable, what won’t alter our life style, and what is acceptable in our society. The result is we wind up with “a crooked house” and cannot understand how it happened.  

Romans explains how to escape the worlds standards of building our lives, families and society.

Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,  

Your mind is the essential measuring tool that must be accurate. Those who use levels, and other tools refer to an “odd” person by saying “He is about a half a bubble off”! That means the person doesn’t make good decisions, can’t think straight or is otherwise foolish. To be sure our minds are not a half a bubble off, we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Turn in your old way of thinking. Pick up a new way by renewing your mind.

Romans 1:28 mentions the reprobate mind. The verse is talking about what happened in times past, but I believe we still have people with reprobate minds today.

Ro 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,…

The next three or four verses describe the results of using such defective tools; Fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, debate, despiteful, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, etc. We hear of these sinful results daily in the news.

Ephesians warns against such defective thinking.

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,

that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,

in the vanity of their mind,

Verses 17-23 list the results of vain thinking and and some good advice.

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

In this information age there is a battle being waged for your mind. Every possible allurement is attached to selling you a product, gaining your support for a cause or appealing for your vote. The world and our culture want you to adopt their standards for decision making. That is why Scripture focuses so much on our minds and how we think. Colossians warns that we should not be beguiled by those who are “…vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind”  (Col 2:18), “… but even their mind and conscience is defiled.(Titus 1:15)

Our meditation for today is to consider how much of our mind is controlled by the world and how much by the Word of God. It takes keen spiritual discernment to see through the way our culture redefines what God opposes so it can not only be continued but incorporated into our Christian worship.

The list of changes is endless. They all stem from the same problem; A mind that has been conformed to the world and a world that claims to be godly while they do ungodly things. Let us ask God to show us where we have fallen into the same error as the children of Israel in the wilderness. Perhaps then our nation, our society and ourselves will stop building crooked houses.

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness,

but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus:

June 1 - Walking at 2 AM

June 1

Walking at 2 A.M.

Re 3:4 ….and they shall walk with me in white:

for they are worthy. 

It was early Saturday. The phone call we had dreaded, but anticipated, finally came. We were expecting to hear of his passing. He was back in the hospital again. But this time it was worse. Cancer had taken its toll over the last several years. It was just a matter of time.   

A week earlier we were planning a 4 day get-away. We knew he was back in the hospital, but the hospital was a three hour drive away from where we live. As most people today, we are busy. We had planned a short vacation with some friends. How could we squeeze in a visit to our old friend in the hospital? We had been friends with him and his wife for over 50 years. Maybe there would be time after returning from our four day get-away.

My wife and I finally decided to go to the hospital on our way to catch our train. It meant a couple hours of extra driving but you don’t have lots of friendships that last 50 plus years.

We were able to spend about half an hour with him in between radiation, ultra sounds and a battery of procedures. The time was spent chatting, laughing and praying with him and his wife. He smiled, waved and thanked us for coming as we left. It was a warm and wonderful visit.

The call came four days later, just before checking out of our motel and heading home. But it wasn’t what we expected to hear. His wife said that at 2 AM that morning he had gotten up and started walking. What a miracle!

The Bible records lots of miracles, but none greater than this one. The Doctors had no explanation of how a terminally ill cancer patient could get up and walk. But the Bible explains what had happened.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Our friendship started when all of us were attending the same church. It was a Christ centered Bible believing kind of church. We all knew Christ as our personal savior and that mutual strong faith was what had maintained our friendship over so many years, even after we were separated by moving hours away.

   Ro 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not even cancer could separate our friend from the love of Christ. That was the main reason he was able to get up and walk.

Ps 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD:

he is their strength in the time of trouble.

The Bible is filled with wonderful verses of assurance that are such a great comfort during a time of life and death emergencies.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Notice the verse above does not say we are passed from life to death, but from death to life!  That was the reason our friends wife could say with confidence that her husband had started walking at two AM. She knew and trusted the promise in 2 Corinthians 5:8

2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say,

and willing rather to be absent from the body,

and to be present with the Lord.

Her husband had departed from his earthly tabernacle at 2 AM.  She had told us on the phone that he had started walking at 2 AM. Her focus was not on his lifeless body, but on his spirit which was no longer constrained by his cancer filled body. The unique way she phrased the news was a little confusing until we realized what she said was much more accurate than telling us her husband had died.

It truly is a miracle when a person can accept Christ and as a result leave the burdens of life behind as they begin their new walk in glory.

Our devotional thought is twofold today. First, if you do not know Christ as your personal savior, you need to consider how great your need is. You are but a heartbeat from being lost. Our lives hang by the thread of our last breath, or our next heartbeat. Life insurance does not insure your life. If you have accepted Christ then consider those who you know and love who have not. Offer a prayer for them now. Do all that is in your power to warn them of their need.

Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Secondly, do not err in planning to do something at a more convenient time. Waiting until our vacation was over before visiting our friend in the hospital would have robbed us of seeing him alive, and his recognizing us. I cannot imagine the remorse that would have haunted me if I had decided to wait to see him and then learned it was too late. Thank God that we did not make the mistake of thinking there would always be another opportunity to see him.

It is so easy to put things off. Who should you go visit?  What important thing have you been putting off? How long have you made excuses for not doing what you know you should do?  Losing a friend of 50 plus years helps put things in perspective.  Please pause a moment and meditate on these thoughts. Then go do what you know you should.

2Co 6:2 …behold, now is the accepted time;

behold, now is the day of salvation.

May 30 - I Am A Liar

May 30

I am a Liar

Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying…

      Pastor Smith was a liar! He stood quiet for a moment behind the pulpit Sunday morning and then made the following confession to his congregation; “I am a liar!” The gasps and concerned looks quickly changed when he continued; “And you are all liars too!”

 He explained that nearly everyone who ever loaded software on a computer has checked the box that says “I have read and agree to the terms for using this software” – even though they had not read all that fine print, they lied and said they had.

OK but perhaps we should clarify what a lie is?  When a woman asks her husband if a dress makes her look fat and he avoids telling her the truth, is that a lie or just being polite? There is a nearly endless list of “pleasantries and affirmations” we say which do not match up with the facts.

Time to go ask Mr. Webster what is the definition of a lie. “A false statement made with the intention to deceive.”  For our purposes the reason for telling a lie is probably more important to understanding what Scripture requires of us. There are several reasons people lie.

1.    Fear – to avoid the consequence of telling the truth

2.    Fraud- to gain an advantage over another by deceiving

3.    Foolishness- Habitual lying without regard to morals or values

4.    Failure –belief that something is true without checking facts

Here are some examples of each.

1. Fear.

Ge 26:7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife;

     Isaac lied so men would not kill him and take his attractive wife. He wanted to avoid the consequence of telling the truth. That form of lying is common today. Lies are told to avoid even the mildest of consequences. For instance, “The dog ate my homework!”.  
2. Fraud
Ge 27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn;

Here we find Jacob deceiving his father to gain the birthright that should have gone to his brother Esau. Abraham, Isaac and now Jacob all lied on occasions of fear or fraudulent intent. All of them lied to deceive others.  

 

3. Foolishness

Pr 18:7 A fool's mouth is his destruction,

and his lips are the snare of his soul.

We have all met foolish people who blabber on and on about their great exploits. When you tell them anything their response is often; “Oh that’s nothing. One time I …” Then they tell you some tale which is difficult to believe. If you have one, they have three. If yours is big theirs is bigger, etc. etc. They always have faster, bigger, smaller, or whatever is greater than anyone they meet. They mingle truth and lies together beyond anyone’s ability to separate fact from fiction.

 

4. failure - repeating something without checking the facts.

     The resurrection of Christ was a huge problem for the chief priests. Their solution was to have the soldiers lie about what happened.

Mt 28:13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night,

and stole him away while we slept.

Mt 28:15 So they took the money,

and did as they were taught: and this saying is

commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Here we find people who repeat things that are not true, but they believe them to be true. The worst lies are the ones that everyone believes are true.

      In the United States today it seems that truth is becoming a rare commodity. The Internet is awash with lies and misinformation. “Click this box for your absolutely free…” Only to discover you are going to be billed $39.95 a month. Even your phone is used by con artists trying to run a scam. Television is no better. Political campaigns are so filled with lies and misinformation most people have given up trying to sort it out. Even the president of the United States looked into the cameras and said “I did not have sex with that woman!”

     But as Christians we are expected, nay, required to do better. The Bible is very clear that we are not to lie to one another. Since I am neither a theologian nor a philosopher, I do not know exactly where the line is between being polite and telling outright, deceptive lies. So for this morning let us meditate on what we recognize as flat out, bald faced lies and consider what scripture says about them.

Pr 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished,

and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

     Perhaps we smile as we read these dire warnings and think that no one will ever know we were a false witness or one that speaketh lies (habitually). Who will ever know, so how shall we be punished?

Pr 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,

beholding the evil and the good.

When I did a Bible search I found 22 places that refer to the eyes of the Lord. Who will ever know? God will! Proverbs 19:5 is repeated with a different ending in Proverbs 19:9.

Pr 19:9  A false witness shall not be unpunished,

and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

     The requirement that Christians speak the truth in love is continued in the New Testament.

Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying,

speak every man truth with his neighbour:

for we are members one of another.

Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have

put off the old man with his deeds;

For our meditation today let us consider our own speech. The scripture does not require us to be rude, or obnoxious with the truth. But it does require that we do not let greed, fear, covetousness, anger, or any other negative quality, rob our speech of the truth. We live in a culture where lies are common. Let us not be conformed to this world, but consider how we can be more careful to ensure we speak the truth in love. None of us is perfect. The Christian life is one of growth. Let us go on to maturity.

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…       Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: