"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!
----------
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.
----
2005

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
     ---- Matthew 5:3 


“The Church consists of the spiritually poor.  The only condition of eligibility is destitution.  The rich are sent away empty.  We have to acknowledge our spiritual bankruptcy: that we have no merit to plead, no  strings to pull, no power to save ourselves.  To such, Jesus says, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of God is theirs'.”   --- John R.W. Stott



I do not remember a time in my life when I was not in church.  From the time I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, my parents enrolled me in what was called then the “Cradle Roll.”  I’ve heard stories of my “pre-memory” days when the ladies in the nursery of my parents’ church would take me from them and I would not cry a tear.  The first 19 years of my life were filled with memories of people who were remarkable across the spectrum.  I’d be less than honest if I did not admit that some of them still influence my life today!

You don’t grow up in the church, though, without noticing the wide variety of personalities --- proud, odd, humble, haughty, twisted, and otherwise --- who made up both clergy and laity.  Perhaps it was because from a relatively early age I had the impression that God wanted me in the vocational Christian ministry, I always noticed the personalities of church leaders.  Growing up as a Baptist, ministers, deacons, teachers, committee chairmen, and other leaders always impressed me.  I noticed their demeanor, the way they dressed and carried themselves, the way they spoke before groups, and the way they communicated with others.  Their language and vocabulary did not go unnoticed, either!

From my earliest years, one thing that stands out to me still was that ministers had a special “language of the kingdom.”  Our particular brand of Protestantism seemed to liberally sprinkle its verbiage with words like “Dear Brother” and “I’ll have to pray about it” and a whole host of phrases involving the name “Jesus” --- “Dear Jesus” or “Trust Jesus” or “Give it to Jesus” or “Let’s just talk to Jesus.”  The way things looked to me, we just seemed to have cornered the market on spirituality and Christian living! 
From my perspective, our church’s leaders were generally well-dressed people who really had few problems in life (because they “trusted Jesus” and “counted it all joy” when challenges occurred).  I don’t remember specifically being told that our beliefs were the best or most Biblical, but I certainly got that impression over the years.  Have any of you present and former Baptists ever heard the question, “If you weren’t a Baptist, what would you be?”  Answer:  “Ashamed!”  Frankly, I don’t remember a wholesale market for being “poor in spirit.”  Seemed to me we were pretty proud of who we were and what we were.

Before you think I’m taking cheap shots at people who aren’t around to defend themselves, I must say that I don’t think many of us then or now aspire to be “poor in spirit.”  We live in a Hollywood world where performers are stars and a persona means more than character.  The world surrounding us genuinely believes that we should “toot our own horn” and “be our own best friend.”  We are trained from childhood to “be somebody” --- if not in actuality, then in appearance.  Even little children learn to “strut their stuff” in front of others in daily life.  Our already fragile egos could hardly stand the additional blow of being “poor” in anything!

YET --- that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount!  The Church is to be an “institution of destitution.”  The “poor in spirit” are the ones who know their weaknesses, their fatal sins and shortcomings, their propensities towards evil, their love for certain sins, and their innate powerlessness to make themselves truly Godly.  The “poor in spirit” are the ones who come to God echoing the words of the Prodigal Son, “I have sinned against God and against others, and am not worthy…”  One of the strangest ironies in the Scriptures is that only when people know their own helplessness and unworthiness is there any moral and spiritual help and advancement for them!

The “poor in spirit” are kingdom people --- that is, they live in light of the kingdom’s values and ethics.  They live in the shadow of the King of the Ages whose reign extends to their lives and actions.  They never get beyond the fact that they are not worthy to be citizens of this kingdom, yet they are.  Their citizenship in this kingdom is due to the adoptive action of the King.  Like Moses in the Old Testament, they inherently are common people of the bulrushes, yet they’ve been plucked from their doomed existence by the authority and grace of the King and made members of the royal household.  They live humbly and faithfully in order to please the King, to bring honor to His name, and to insure that their lives are commensurate with what is expected of those in the royal family.

So, what’s the expectation of God for us this week?  It’s that we’ll lose our habits of strutting around like religious peacocks and focus, instead, on living humbly and faithfully.  It’s to refocus our attention from ourselves, our accomplishments, our titles, and our external accoutrements of success to wholeheartedly serving God and His people.  Now that I’ve been in the ministry for over 30 years, I can say honestly that many of the people whose manner used to impress me have proven to be great disappointments.  The cheesy smiles, the greasy religious manners, the flamboyant personalities, and the acquired demeanors leave a distinct ring of egotism and unreality.  What the world is looking for is a real person of faith!

BE that person this week!  Be who you are and do what God Providentially allows you to do.  Do it for Him rather than for career progression, public acclaim, or ego building.  Serve God and His kingdom, and you’ll be amazed what He will accomplish in the lives of others through you! 
-----
2004

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road --- the desert road --- that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.  So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. … The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ …  The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’  Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.’”
    ---- Acts 8:26-27, 29, 34-35


“The same power that brought Christ back from the dead is operative within those who are Christ's.  The Resurrection is an ongoing thing.” ---Leon Morris

“Whether we are prepared or not to accept the occurrence of the Resurrection as a fact of history, we cannot deny the influence that a belief in it has exercised in the world.  We cannot deny that it has brought life and immortality to light as no other belief could conceivably have done; that it has substituted for the fear of death, for a large portion of the human race, that sure and certain knowledge of God which is eternal life; that it has permeated our customs, our literature, and our language with a glory and a hope that could have been derived from no other source.”   --- C.H. Robinson


Easter is a funny thing --- it comes as one of the great religious and national holidays on our calendar, and we celebrate it with great enthusiasm and flourish.  Churches are decorated with Easter colors and so are the people who attend Easter services.  It still is not too unusual to see women and girls in colorful Easter hats and new Easter clothes.  Men and boys look handsome in coats and ties --- which they avoid wearing so much of the time.  Many families attend church together and go to local restaurants afterwards for a great feast.  It’s genuinely a day to remember for many of us!

However, just as soon as Easter has come, it goes.  The gala church musicals have been presented, the dramas are over, and although the Easter decorations are still up in our churches, we’ve settled back into the old routine of life.  Monday came all too quickly with its demands, its work, and its projects!  There are miles between family members once again, so it will be some time before we repeat our get-togethers.  Somehow, the wonderful message and music of Easter seems to get drowned out in the loudness and hectic nature of life!

So, what IS the lingering message of Easter, after all?  What is there in Easter that is life-changing and empowering to God’s people?  Is there ANYTHING we carry away that adds a quality to life that others can see as remarkable?

Of all the things said in Easter and about Easter, one of the most wonderful qualities is how the Gospel --- the good news of Jesus Christ --- has been changed.  The story of Jesus is far more than the story of an inspired religious teacher or gifted public figure.  The story of Jesus for the past 2,000 years of human history has been the story of God’s Messiah, His Promised One, Who would deliver His people from their sins.  The Easter story is a great affirmation that God raised Jesus from the grave in public testimony that His sacrifice was accepted in payment for our sins.  The “good news about Jesus” that was told to the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip included the testimony that God raised Him from the dead.  Jesus is alive and lives for ever more!  Can news like that be any other than “good news?!”

The message of the Resurrection told to the Ethiopian eunuch was repeated 2,000 years later by another Christian messenger to Ethiopians.  In 1927, the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) sent missionaries to the Wallamo people, a wild Satan-worshipping people, in Ethiopia.  Their work was slow, and when Italian soldiers of Mussolini invaded the country in 1935, there was a small Wallamo church.  The missionaries were ordered to leave, and as they did so, 48 Wallamo believers said their “goodbyes” to their SIM friends.  The missionaries wondered if they would ever be able to return, and if so, what would they find?

They prayed for the Wallamo Christians until they did return in 1943.  What they found was truly amazing!  From a small, seemingly helpless church of 48, God had grown a church of 18,000!  The Wallamo people had suffered terribly under the occupation of Italian forces.  Church leaders regularly received 100 lashes, and one received 400.  Some had died, and others could not lie on their backs for months.  Their Bibles were confiscated by Italian officials.  One Ethiopian leader, Wandaro, was beaten in public and he preached to the gathered crowds between beatings.  Another leader, Toro, was beaten with a hippo-hide whip, and he cried out the Gospel in the marketplace where he was punished.  As conversions grew, tribal villages began sending their own missionaries to other villages.  The isolated Wallamo church literally grew with no outside encouragement or support!

How can you explain this true story?  The remarkable growth and vitality of this isolated and persecuted tribal people is found in their belief in the Risen Christ!  They were devoted to no mere religious teacher or vaunted religious icon.  Their commitment and loyalty was to a living, reigning Lord Who was with them through anything thrown against them.  His “I will never leave you or forsake you” was a daily affirmation necessary to life.  Pain and suffering were their routine.  Thriving in an environment of threat and death is explainable only by an overwhelming hope --- the hope that comes from a living Christ Jesus!  Their very life was their testimony.

SO --- what about US?  Is Easter over for us?  Absolutely not!  BUT --- does your life and mine give a living testimony of the continuing life of Christ?  Leon Morris is absolutely right --- “The Resurrection is an ongoing thing.”  Is it ongoing with you and me?  Do those around us see something that is only explainable by our faith in the Resurrected Christ?  Easter is continuing this week --- I trust it will continue in our lives, in our witness, and in our churches!

On the Easter just before he died, Rev. D. William Sangster painfully printed a short note to his daughter.  A deeply spiritual Methodist minister, he had been spearheading a renewal movement in the British Isles after World War II.  Then his ministry, except for prayer, was ended by a disease that progressively paralyzed his body, even his vocal chords.  On the last Resurrection Sunday he spent on earth, still able to move his fingers, he wrote: "How terrible to wake up on Easter and have no voice to shout, 'He is risen!'  ‘Far worse to have a voice and not want to shout!’"
-----
2004