"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done.  The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
----Psalm 40:4-5


It's happening again --- famous people who are "the people to watch" are the stuff of gossips and media wonks.  We've endured another week of the escapades of basketballer Kobe Bryant, the socially retarded wunderkind who is charged with the sexual assault of a Colorado female employee of a hotel where he stayed.  Once thought to be a youthful straight-arrow, recent revelations of Bryant's upbringing and past reveal that he is woefully lacking in the ability to deal with people socially.  Having been programmed and relatively isolated most of his life seems to have left him prey to his own lusts and mistaken interpretations of others' intentions.

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh, the premier talk show host and sometimes sports announcer, revealed under pressure this week that he is addicted to painkillers.  His detractors are having a field day while his loyal listeners are somewhere between shock and grief.  Limbaugh has checked himself into a substance abuse clinic for 30 days, and his future doubtless will include a mega-dose dose of humility.

Perhaps it is appropriate to ask the question again, "Whom do you trust?"  Now, I don't mean simply, "In whom do you have confidence?" or "In whom do you rely?"  The question is much more far-reaching than that.  The genuine focus of the question concerns the one we follow or the person in whom we place our ultimate faith.

Some people seem to bounce from one "hero" to another always trying to find a person who is perfect.  Nothing could be more self-defeating!  People are consistently human --- that is, they are sinful and broken.  People fail!  Each of us has his or her own personalized package of weaknesses and foibles.  Each of us is susceptible to our own type temptations.  James 1:14 says, "But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed."   Respecting people is one thing; placing one's faith in people is quite another!

If you cannot have faith in people, then what are we to do?  The answer, according to Scripture, is to place our ultimate trust in God!  It means to look to Him for our salvation and guidance.  It means to obey His commands, and inquire as to His will for daily decisions.  It means to recognize His gracious actions on our behalf and the wonders done amidst mundane life.

The writer of Hebrews put it this way, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

I don't know where your race will carry you this week, but I do know where you should be looking as you run.  Look up!  Look down and you quickly become tired and discouraged.  Look down and you become preoccupied with what is at your feet.  Our command is to look up --- look to Christ --- and trust God!

Be vigilant this week and don't allow yourself to become too focused on following others, no matter pious or spiritual they seem.  Keep your eyes on Christ and do what He says.  He'll never disappoint you, and He will never have embarrassing "revelations" to make!

---
2003

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings...."  --- Philippians 2:14


I've thought for a long time that one of the things we Christians need to get over is the belief that the New Testament Christians were somehow more holy or inherently closer to God than we are.  However, in the verse above, the Apostle Paul, writer of the pastoral letter to the Philippian Church, exhorted the group to "knock off the griping and complaining" and do what needed to be done.  Apparently, many of the Christian folks 2,000 years ago were essentially the same as many of us --- too quick to gripe and too slow to get to work!  Far from being icons of perfection, they were ordinary people who struggled in their Christian faith with the temptations and human frailties common to all of us.  The human saga continues --- even for us Christians.

As the summer effectively ends this Labor Day weekend, our schools have begun, our wallets are strained, and much work remains to be done.  We are all tempted to gripe, gripe, gripe.  While some people dismiss this as harmlessly "letting off steam," it does have a way of compounding the misery of mistakes, misunderstandings, and sheer hard work.  In the long haul, though, griping  proves to be counter-productive.  It's like shooting "bird shot" from a shotgun at a high flying aircraft --- it makes a big bang, it appears to be using energy, but it cannot really address the problem at hand.  THAT takes thought, persuasion, and concrete actions!

There's more than an even chance that into your life this week will come things  that infuriate you or frustrate you.  Don't waste time griping on and on about them.  Do what you can to change or improve things.  If that isn't possible, put  your energy into a new direction toward something you CAN affect!  And while you are doing all that, don't forget to PRAY!  God has the most amazing way of being involved in our lives in ways that are --- for the moment --- undetected. Hang in there, though, and let God do His work.  You'll be surprised at the results!

---
Sept.2002

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
                                                        Hebrews 12:1

Some time ago, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem.  No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 foot Bayliner to perform in the water.  It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied.

After about an hour of trying to make it go, they steered it to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong.  A thorough topside check revealed everything was in perfect working condition.  The engine ran fine, the outdrive went up and down, the prop was the correct size and pitch.

So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath.  He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.  NOW REMEMBER THIS IS SUPPOSEDLY TRUE....under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!

Can you imagine the scene under the boat when the marina guy first saw the trailer?  How in the world, I'm sure he thought, could ANYONE think you can maneuver a boat with the trailer still attached?  Are people crazy or what??

Truth is, though, that millions of people do exactly this every day in their personal lives!  In particular, many people of faith try to live a renewed life while tenaciously clinging on to old sins and and bad habits.  Maneuvering our lives is hard enough, but maneuvering our lives as God wants is impossible when we don't get rid of those things that hinder our obedience to His commands!

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."  (1 Peter 2:11)  That's what all of us experience:  a daily struggle!  Life is no friend to faith, and it tests our inner selves to see what we're really made of.  That's why we cannot allow anything to make things more difficult for us.  As the trailer in the story prevented the boat from handling like it was created to handle, so our sins and bad habits prevent us from being all God wants us to be!

This week, pay close attention to the "boat of your life."  Are there attachments and sins that make living your faith more difficult?  Repent of the sins God shows you and get rid of the unhelpful attachments.  Look to God for wisdom and help living your faith in public and private moments.  As you pray daily, ask God to unstrap every "trailer" that would slow you down, keep you from maneuvering wherever God wants, or keep you from being what God wants.  This COULD be the week when you really start to spiritually "glide!"
------
2001

[Written in connection with Labor Weekend, 2010]

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.  When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens --- and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground --- the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being…..The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”     ---- Genesis 4:4-7, 15
 
 
"It is the business of the Church to recognize that the secular vocation, as such, is sacred.  Christian people, and particularly perhaps the Christian clergy, must get it firmly into their heads that when a man or woman is called to a particular job of secular work, that is as true a vocation as though he or she were called to specifically religious work."
----Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos?
 
 
In the calendar of national holidays, we’ve worked our way to Labor Day, perhaps one of the most misunderstood celebrations in our country.  As the national economy shifts one way then another in industrial forms of output, our American workers and educational systems struggle to keep up with the trends.  Honestly, many of our leaders in business and schools seem more to be “polishing the brass on the Titanic” than anything else!
 
Many business, government, and labor leaders genuinely are trying to help our society cope with the vast changes that have occurred and even greater changes that are to come.  Giant shifts in the ways we prepare for and enter the work force are on the horizon.  The working world of our children and grandchildren will be significantly different than our own!
 
BUT --- one thing that will not change in the future is that the foundational dignity for our common human life is found in work.  The necessity of work was built into the covenant of creation by Almighty God, and it is an essential part of daily life.  From Adam to the present, it is through the context of daily life and work that we bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31).  As the rest of American society celebrates in one way or another Labor Day and all those who work, it is especially true that people of faith clearly understand the absolute necessity of work in their lives!
 
Now, some people quickly interject that there are people who will not work.  That’s true, of course, and we have the clear injunction of the Apostle Paul that people are to earn the bread they eat, and if they will not do so, others are not to feed them or assist them (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)!  Hunger is a powerful motivator to work!
 
But, what about the people who cannot work?  There are exceptions to the rule of work for such as these.  A few of these are:  canceling the debts for the poor every 7 years (Deuteronomy 15:1-11); consolidating 3 years’ tithes to feed the Levites, aliens, widows, and orphans; and making provisions for the hungry (Deuteronomy 24:19-22 – note, even here the hungry must work by gathering the food for themselves).
 
As people of faith, we must not forget that the work-a-day world is the real arena of life!  Our worship on the Lord’s Day and all the other auxiliary activities of our faith bring due honor and glory to God and prepare us for the rest of life.  God is the Lord of all constituent elements of life, and our work should be done “as unto the Lord!”
 
The early Christians were drawn from a wide variety of vocations and jobs.  Just a cursory listing of these would include carpenters (Jesus), fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John), tax collectors (Matthew, Zaccheaus), tent makers (Paul, Aquila, Priscilla), a merchant of purple (Lydia), soldiers (Cornelius, the Centurion, and others), and many slaves (Onesimus, etc).  Included in the Church were beggars and the afflicted, as well as widows and orphans.
 
So, this week rather than complain that we have to work, give thanks to God that we can work!  Remember --- the greatest spiritual impact on the world each day is made by people who work for a living and “practice what they preach” in front of others!  How can we serve God while pursuing a “secular” vocation?
 
·  By living our faith “in the world” – John 17:13-21
 
·  By being “light” to our friends and coworkers – Matthew 5:13-16, Acts 13:46-48
 
·  By using “secular” relationships to introduce Jesus – Luke 5:29
 
·  By “living the Gospel” in front of others – Philippians 1:27
 
May God give you his presence and strength as you work – for a living and for Him!

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”    ---Matthew 5:14-16 


In a recent edition of Reader’s Digest magazine, a section called “A Very Hard Sell” highlighted the difficulties businesses have advertising their products across cultural and language barriers.  Often, their honest, energetic efforts fall short of their goals.  The results can turn off potential customers --- and give us a tragic chuckle in the bargain!

--- When KFC began to market its famous chicken in China, it predictably tried to translate its “finger lickin’ good” motto into Chinese.  The result?  “Eat your fingers off!”

--- In 1987, one enterprising man in Miami tried to profit from the visit by Pope John Paul II to the area.  He hawked T-shirts that said “I saw the Pope” in Spanish.  However, his energy exceeded his Spanish skills, so instead of el Papa (“the Pope”) he used la Papa (“the potato”).

The American business community isn’t the only group that has problems with communicating across hurdles.  The religious community in general, and Christian churches in particular, find it increasingly difficult to get their message out accurately and clearly to the world at large.  As American society grows, its religious pluralism and multiculturalism, along with a burgeoning anti-religious bias, complicate exponentially the task of “letting our light shine.”

Many churches attempt to overcome these hurdles with short, pithy slogans and witticisms.  You see them all the time on the changeable sign boards in front of church buildings on major streets in most American communities.  This has even spawned a growing cottage industry producing little books of these slogans.  Haven’t we all seen signs like, “Seven days without church makes one weak” and “Ch- -rch --- what’s missing?  U are!”?!  How effective are these church signs?  If the recent announcement that the proportion of Americans who self-consciously list themselves as “Protestant” is any clue, declining numbers of Protestant Christians must, I think, mean that they are not really very effective!  Sadly, the pulpits of many modern-day Evangelical churches have followed this trend, and the preaching amounts to little more than moralistic sloganeering and cheap alliteration.

So, if the church signs are not very effective and the preaching of so many ministers leaves the public absolutely cold, how ARE we to get out the message of our churches and the Gospel?  Is there a truly Biblical public relations program?  Yes, there is!  The most effective church signs and public banners are YOU and ME!  That right, WE are the signs that our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow students voraciously read every day!  AND --- these “signs” are always effective.  People see us --- they observe our lives --- they speak with us --- and they have indelible impressions about us and the qualities we embody.  We simply CANNOT live life without affecting at least SOME people around us!

Now, we must remember that while we DO affect people, all the effects may not be positive.  Just as so many church signs habitually reflect the trite and trivial and some turn off scores of people, so our lives may at least partially be a witness of what’s NOT really important. 

This week’s passage tells us that “we’re lights.”  ALL of us are “lights!”  How will we “shine” this week?  How will our actions and words reflect what is eternally important and what reflects our Heavenly Father?  Remember --- people are “reading” us every day.  Many of those will never tell us they are doing so, but they ARE!  They’re making up their minds about our faith and our churches from those who espouse a commitment to Christ and His Church.  This week be a “sign” that points to  Christ!
May God grant that “all your bulbs burn brightly and your message is broadcast without interruption!”

----

2004

“If you love me, keep my commandments.”   ---  John 14:15
 
 
"We also are under the necessity of vindicating our liberty if it be endangered in weak consciences by the iniquitous requisitions of false prophets.  We must at all times study charity, and keep in view the edification of our neighbor.  'All things (says Paul) are lawful for me, but all things edify not.  Let no man seek his own, but every man another's.'  Nothing can be plainer than this rule that our liberty should be used if it conduces to our neighbor's edification; but that if it be not beneficial to our neighbor, it should be abridged.  But a pious man considers this liberty in external things as granted him in order that he may be the better prepared for all the duties of charity."    ----John Calvin
 
 
According to pollster, George Barna, about 85% of all Americans say they believe in God and are Christians.  That's an extraordinary figure, considering our crime statistics and the way we treat each other in our communities!
 
Of course, Jesus knew the human heart as no other has known it, and he knew that many people would express their faith in words alone.  The world is filled with "sunshine patriots" who believe in a cause and even act on it --- when it is convenient, the conditions are right, and the weather permits.  AND the number grows when the cause is popular and the work is relatively easy!
 
But God is looking for a different kind of loyalty and commitment.  He is looking for people who will obey!  We learned long ago in the Army that being a soldier is more than marching in parades, dressing up in attractive dress uniforms, and playing the part.  Being a genuine soldier involves sacrifice, hard work, and obedience to leaders.  Being a person of faith is the same!
 
This week we'll all have the opportunity to show what kind of faith we have.  Make sure your faith is the "obedience kind" that performs under all conditions.  God is willing to give us the strength to live for him.  He's just looking for people who will obey.  As a popular phrase puts it, "Just do it!"  God bless you as you do!
 
----
2010

“When He had led them out the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.  Then they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”
    ----- Luke 24:50-53


"At His Ascension, our Lord entered heaven --- and He keeps the door open for humanity to enter."   ---Oswald Chambers

"Jesus departed from our sight that He might return to our heart.  He departed, and behold, He is here!"   ----Saint Augustine


This week begins with what many in the Christian Church call Ascension Sunday, the celebration of the remarkable departure that culminated Jesus’ post-Resurrection period on earth.  As the passage above from Dr. Luke’s gospel indicates, Jesus’ limited time with His disciples after He rose from the grave came to its appointed end.  It was time for “what comes next” for them as well as for Him.  Sadly, for much of Evangelical Christianity, the event of Christ’s Ascension is relegated to relative obscurity in the theology and calendar of most churches.  A surprising number of Christians know very little about this day --- the exception being that most have some knowledge of the “Great Commission” given just prior to His reentry into heaven.

Our ignorance of this moment in the life of our Lord can leave us without some wonderful encouragement and blessing.  Considering the tone and negative environment of the places where so many of us live, work, go to school, or have other interaction with people, one of our greatest needs is encouragement!  Many Christians feel as though they are under attack so much of the time, and most of us grow weary dealing with the sinful aspects of daily life.  A “good word” would be like a rejuvenating tonic to us --- and that’s exactly what this marvelous passage can be to us this week!

In my years of Christian ministry, I have been continuously amazed at the similarities of the stories I’ve heard about the churches that were formative in many Christians’ lives.  Sometimes Christians attended “home churches” many years ago; however, these churches still wield a large influence in their lives.  If the home church’s teaching and nurture was healthy, this is a very good thing.  BUT --- in so many cases, the influence was predominantly negative, guilt-ridden, and manipulative.  Their God was disappointed in them and angry at them.  They came to believe they were, as we used to say in the South, “a day late and a dollar short” with their heavenly Father.  This is quite a burden to carry every day!

However, what a contrast this is with Jesus’ approach to His disciples.  Having arrived in the vicinity of the little community of Bethany, the Scriptures tell us that He raised His hands in the typical Middle Eastern fashion and “blessed them.”  Imagine that!  He gave His divine blessing to the same disciples who had abandoned Him during His trials and ultimate crucifixion.  He pronounced God’s benediction upon the same men who initially refused to believe the testimonies of the women that He had risen from the dead!  To frail, woefully human disciples, He gave His approval and blessing!  AND --- those who are His disciples now also receive His blessing every daily!

What a difference it should make in our lives that we are living under the scope of His approval.  Rather than being tentative in our spiritual lives, our prayers, and our worship, we should revel gloriously in the knowledge that God loves us, that He accepts us, and that He embraces us as His own!  One of the greatest lessons from the Ascension is that this divine pronouncement of blessing and approval was the final, culminating activity of Jesus just prior to leaving the earth.  It was the last thing He did and it was one of the most important.  Your life and mine are lived out under the scope of this blessing.  With that in mind, what manner of life should we live, then?

As He was blessing the disciples, Luke records that “He left them and was taken up into heaven.” The great fact of the Ascension is echoed by the Apostles Creed each Sunday in its ancient words, “He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”  The One who blesses us and gives His approval of those who are His now has taken His appropriate place at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  What is He doing there?  Making intercession for His own --- advocating for His covenant people --- interceding for those whose who belong to Him!  Imagine that --- we have a “friend at court” Who knows us intimately and stands up for us before the God of the Universe.

Therefore, in our most lonely moments, you and I are never really alone!  In our weakest times, the strength and power of Jesus Christ are employed on our behalf.  When we’re guilty of sins and responsible for breaking God’s law, Jesus Himself appears before the Father pleading our case.  We stand vindicated before God --- not because we are personally innocent, but because our Advocate at court has paid for our sins Himself once for all and pleads our case before the Judge of the universe!  You are I can live without looking over our shoulders because we know Someone --- Someone who loves us and freely advocates for us with God the Father Almighty.

Is there any wonder, then, why the closing verses of Luke’s gospel records that they had great joy and continuing worship?!  With such a grand blessing and the knowledge of our heavenly “friend at court,” our lives, too, may be filled with personal and corporate joyful worship!  I pray that you and I will be gripped and changed by these wonderful facts, and that our lives and the worship of our churches will reflect such a joy!  May Almighty God give you a week filled with unrestrained joy --- even in the midst of a sinful, crazy world!  Live without fear and worry this week --- after all, you know Someone important at court!
-------
2004

The idea for Mother's Day was born in a small Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia.  It was 1876 and the nation still mourned the Civil War dead. While teaching a Memorial Day lesson, Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis thought of mothers who had lost their sons.  She prayed that one day there could be a "Memorial Day" for mothers.  The prayer made a deep impression on one of Mrs. Jarvis's eleven children.  Young Anna Jarvis had seen her mother's efforts to hold the war-split community and church together.  As she grew into adulthood, the younger woman harbored Mrs. Jarvis's dream in her heart.  On the day of her mother's death, Anna was determined to establish Mother's Day in her honor.  Finally, on May 12, 1907, a local observance was held which later spread to Philadelphia.  By 1910, Mother's Day was celebrated in 45 states, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico.  Elated, Miss Jarvis told a friend, "Where it will end must be left for the future to tell. That it will circle the globe now seems certain."  The day became official for the nation on May 8, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day "for displaying the American flag and for the public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of the country."

Hopefully, if you've ever wondered where the celebration of Mother's Day originated, this explanation will satisfy your curiosity.  Tomorrow is indeed Mother's Day and florists are working furiously to get flowers ordered and delivered for mothers everywhere.  Telephone lines will be jammed with calls from far-flung sons and daughters who wish to remind their Moms once more that they are loved intensely.  Through the incredible and mind-boggling spread of the internet, even soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines deployed to the most remote locations on land and sea will be communicating their undying love and appreciation to their Moms.  From the most senior Generals and Admirals to the newest Privates and Ensigns, one great unifying factor is that everyone has a Mother or Grandmother who is proudly loving them on this special day!

Notice how the most ferocious looking football lineman or sweat-soaked baseball player (or basketball player, wrestler, etc...), when they are featured by some television sports announcer, will suddenly look straight into the camera and flash a big toothy grin with a bellowed, "Hi, Mom!"  Somewhere deep inside most of us is a hallowed place where we store all the good memories and images of our Mothers.  Of course, for some, the place is taken by a Grandmother or some other significant woman, but the principle is the same.

During the years I spent on active duty in Army Chaplaincy, I consistently heard soldiers say of their Mothers, "She always believed in me!"  There seems to be something in so many of our Mothers that allows them to see far beyond our present with all its limitations and unfulfilled dreams to the great possibilities of our future.  More than one of us in the Christian ministry today are there because a Mother never gave up and continued praying long after it appeared to be for naught!

Mothers and Grandmothers pass along a great legacy to their children and grandchildren.  A love of learning, a curiosity about life, a respect for others, and a tenacious loyalty to liberty are all qualities that were obtained from significant women at one time or another.  The old saying, "She who rocks the cradle rules the world," is truer than ever!  No wonder God demands in the Ten Commandments that we are to "honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."  (Exodus 20:12)

There is undeniably a legacy of faith that good women leave behind for those in succeeding generations.  This certainly was the case with young Timothy in the New Testament.  In 2 Timothy 1:3-7, the Apostle Paul expresses his regard and love for Timothy, and he exhorts Timothy to bolder and more earnest Christian service.  And.....what does Paul use as his "hook" to motivate young Timothy?  He reminds him of the FAITH he received as a legacy from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice!  The Scripture reads like this:

"I thank God, Whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.  Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.  I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."  (2 Timothy 1:3-7)

So, what's your response to be at the beginning of this week?  First, THANK GOD for your wonderful legacy received from godly women!  If you have been blessed with a grandmother and/or mother of strong faith, thank God for her!  Thank her, too!  Of all the blessings that get passed down from one generation to another, the eternal gift of faith is the most valuable!  Thank God for women who are the unsung heroes of faith for us!

Second, mark it well that now YOU are constructing a legacy that will be passed down to others, too!  Whether you are a woman or not --- whether you have children or not --- whether you are married or not --- REGARDLESS, you are building in the lives of others, particularly children, a legacy.  Make sure what you pass down includes a strong faith!  Make it a faith that is loyal to the house and worship of God, a faith that is lived as well as spoken, and a faith that is Biblical and eternal.

This Mother's Day, renew your commitment to believe and live the Good News of God and those things that do not "perish or fade away."  Live so that others will thank God for YOU!  That would be the greatest testimony to your own fore-mothers and their legacies to YOU!  May Almighty God give you His presence and power to do this in the days ahead.
-----
2002

  

 "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  ---Isaiah 40:31


  It's been my consistent observation throughout my ministry in the Church that there are two kinds of people in life: those who are part of the problem and those who are part of the solution.  It honestly doesn't matter which denomination you consider or which Church---the great dividing line seems consistently to be the same.  It's more than merely being predominantly positive or negative.  It is primarily a matter of where one puts his/her energy and efforts.

    The verse above from Isaiah extols the internal and moral power of those whose focus is the Lord God.  It speaks of soaring, running, and walking.......all vigorous activities.  To put one's hope in the Lord is to extend and invigorate one's energies and ability to serve Him.

    But does the Lord simply grant this seeming limitless power and great energies to people only to have them sit and enjoy the identity as people of faith?  Certainly not!  God gives His servants great ability and great strength in order that they be active parts of His answer to life's problems.  And....this is what distinguishes one sort of people from another.  Some people only create problems or do nothing to alleviate them BUT others become part of the solution to problems!

    The little piece below illustrates this phenomenon.......

10 LITTLE CHRISTIANS

10 Little Christians standing in line,
   One disliked the preacher, then there were 9.
9 little Christians stayed up very late,
   One overslept Sunday, then there were 8.
8 little Christians on their way to Heaven,
   One took the low road and then there were 7.
7 little Christians chirping like chicks,
   One disliked music, then there were 6.
6 little Christians seemed very much alive,
   But one lost his interest, then there were 5.
5 little Christians pulling for Heaven's Shore,
   But one stopped to rest, then there were 4.
4 little Christians each busy as a bee,
   One got his feelings hurt, then there were 3.
3 little Christians knew not what to do,
   One joined the sports crowd, then there were 2.
2 little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,
   Differed with each other, then there was 1.

1 little Christian can't do much 'tis true,
   Brought his friend to Bible study- - then there were 2.
2 earnest Christians, each won one more;
   That doubled the number, then there were 4.
4 sincere Christians worked early and late,
   Each won another, then there were 8.
8 splendid Christians if they doubled as before.
   In just so many Sundays, we'd have 1,024.
In this little jingle, there is a lesson true,
   You belong either to the Body or to the wrecking crew!
                                                                   ~Author Unknown~



    This coming week, each of us will be confronted with problems of one sort or another.  Some of these will be the problems of others and others will be our own problems.  We can ignore them, refuse to get involved, or deny their existence.  However, we truly CAN seek God's assistance and boldly address life's challenges!  By becoming involved in the solutions, we will make a difference in life.  We'll do God's work with God's people.  We'll use the resources God gives us in true stewardship.  We'll make a genuine difference!

    Each of us will have numerous opportunities come our way this week to determine what we'll be----problem or solution.  Be the solution. You'll be glad you did and so will others!
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2000

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.  And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
      ----2 Corinthians 1:20


“I believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them.”
   ----G. Campbell Morgan



Quite a few years ago, a man in New Jersey made an unusual discovery as he looked through an old family Bible.  It had been left to him by an elderly aunt in her will.  It read:  “To my beloved Steven I bequeath my family Bible and all it contains, along with the residue of my estate after my funeral expenses and just and lawful debts are paid.”  When everything had been paid, the nephew received a few hundred dollars and the old Bible.  The money was quickly used up, and the nephew was left to live on a small pension.  For over 30 years, he lived in virtual poverty.
One day as he was cleaning out his attic, he found an old trunk, and in it was the family Bible he had inherited but forgotten.  As he leafed through the old book, he was utterly amazed to find bank notes scattered throughout its pages --- thousands of them!  In an instant, his poverty was transformed into plenty!  What a tragedy, though, that he had lived in poverty for many years when within his reach were riches he could have been enjoying all along!
      ----- Quoted by Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations



During my college days in Arkansas years ago, it was my privilege to go to school with quite a few children of missionaries.  I always envied them for their travels around the world, their exposure to other cultures and people, and their wide variety of memories.  My own background as the son of a low-middle-class factory worker seemed dull and exceedingly unimportant by comparison.  These children of two or three countries surely had the world as their oyster, I thought.  Of course, lost in my imaginations of their lives was the fact that often mission settings do not have adequate educational resources or appropriate exposure to other young people.  Many of my acquaintances had attended boarding schools hundreds of miles away from their parents and other family members, and only were with their families during infrequent visitations or during school breaks.

In the early half of the 20th century, another missionary child named Ruth was undergoing similar challenges.  When she was 13, her missionary surgeon father in China found it necessary to send her to a boarding school in what is today Pyong-yang, North Korea.  Parting with her family and China was excruciating for her --- so much so she prayed she would die before leaving.  Her prayer, thankfully, was not answered!  She boarded the Nagasaki Maru, traveled down the Whangpoo River into the Yangtze River, and finally into the East China Sea.  She arrived at the missionary school and settled into her new life.

A week after arriving, cold waves of homesickness began hitting her over and over.  She desperately tried to keep herself busy during the day, but nights were terrible.  She would bury her head in her pillow and cry herself to sleep night after night.  Her depression led into physical illness, so she was put into the infirmary.  She read through the Psalms for comfort, and found that Psalm 27:10 was particularly helpful:  “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”  However, Ruth’s hurt and fear and doubt would not go away.

One night, she went to her sister, Rosa, who was also a student in the missionary school, and desperately poured out her heart.  “I don’t know what to tell you to do,” Rosa said in her matter-of-fact way, “unless you take some Bible verse and put your own name into it.  See if THAT helps.”  With no other prospects of help appearing, Ruth picked up her Bible and turned to her favorite chapter, Isaiah 53, and began putting her own name into it:  “He was wounded and crushed because of Ruth’s sins; by taking Ruth’s punishment, He made Ruth completely well.”  Deep inside, Ruth’s heart leaped --- and her healing began.

And so it is with so many of us so many years later as WE try to live Christian lives with challenges, discouragement, and circumstances beyond our control.  Immediate conditions often seem to be greater than we can handle.  Why does it seem so?  Because it’s TRUE!  Life is far bigger than we can control by ourselves and far more powerful than we can manipulate with our own skill and strength.  How are we to make it through each day, then?  By trusting in God’s promises to His covenant children and his faithfulness to His covenant!

The language of Scripture is, of necessity, most often corporate.  God’s Word is for all His people in all places over all times.  It makes sense, then, that the focus is upon the “we” and “us.”  BUT --- don’t forget that the same Jesus Who said that “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,” also said, “…[the shepherd of the sheep] calls His own sheep by name…”  (John 10)  We’re not merely a nameless, faceless indiscernible sheep in the crowd --- He knows us by name!

SO --- this week as life takes its toll on you and your faith, do what Ruth did --- read the promises of Almighty God and put your own name into them.  As His covenant child, God loves you, knows you by name, and has made great and powerful promises to you that He WILL fulfill!  Make God’s Word your hope and the castle against the onslaught of Satan’s discouragement. 

Don’t be like the elderly man in the story above --- God’s Word and His promises are your personal spiritual treasure.  Don’t live in inner poverty when riches beyond measure are at your fingertips.  Trust your life to Him daily and proceed on your journey of life relying on His promises.  You’ll discover that He never fails and that He’s always “on time --- HIS time!”

As to the “rest of the story” on Ruth, she did survive her years in school in Pyong-yang, and she lives a vibrant Christian life today with her husband and her children.  She’s a remarkable Presbyterian woman.  She’s Ruth Graham --- the faithful wife of Evangelist Billy Graham and the mother of their five children, Franklin, Anne, Gigi, Ned, and Ruth.  Each has a significant life in his/her own right.  Her faith in God’s promises has left an indelible mark on the extended Graham family.
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2005