CIRCUMSTANCES #I: The sum of its parts!

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

Romans 8:28

TEENAGE GRANDSON: “Grandma nothing is working in my life!”
GRANDMA: “How do you mean?”
GRANDSON: “You know! At school, at home, my friends, my girlfriend … you know!”.
GRANDMA: “Would you like some of the cake I’m making?”
GRANDSON: “Sure!”
GRANDMA: “Here, have a ¼ cup of cooking oil.”
GRANDSON: “Yuck! I can’t drink that!”
GRANDMA: “How about a couple raw eggs?”
GRANDSON: “Gross, Grandma!”
GRANDMA: “Would you like a cube of margarine! Or some flour? Or maybe baking soda?”
GRANDSON: “Come on Grams, those are sick! I want some cake!”
GRANDMA: “That’s right, they seem bad by themselves. But when you put them together in the right way and slowly bake them in an oven, they make a great cake!”

This is how God works in our lives. We often wonder why he lets us experience hard times; taken by themselves they seem difficult. But God knows what He is doing. When all the ingredients are together and allowed to bake in His time, they always work for our good!

Someone said,

“God is crazy about you. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and [yet] He chose your heart. [Consider] the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; not to mention that Friday at Calvary. Face it, He's crazy about you.”

Christianity, Circumstances,
Illustrations, Religion

EVANGELISM: It's too easy!

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

Romans 10:17

When “Betty Crocker” first introduced her cake mix, women simply didn’t believe a dry mix, in a small box, at a reasonable price would make a cake. The company modified its claims and told women they must add an egg. They believed it … sales skyrocketed.

When Parker Pen Company introduced the first ball-point pen, they asked just 29 cents (editor’s note: I believe this was the price, at least it was a very small amount). Sales were horrible. On the advice of a consultant they made the price over a dollar … sales soared.

How many times will we discuss the Good News of Jesus Christ and see people cling to their unbelief because it sounds too easy. Human nature seems to insist on the appearance of great value where there is none and great poverty where there is vast fortune.

Christianity, Evangelism,
Illustrations, Religion

SCRIPTURE: God's corrective lenses!

"But what does it say? 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Romans 10:8-10

With rare exception all of us suffer from deteriorating eyesight. As time passes we’re less able to see what we saw before. What can the older person do when he can no longer read? Get eyeglasses. And when even these fail? If his pride will let him, he can get a magnifying glass.

Sin has caused man’s spiritual eyesight to deteriorate. What was once clearly seen in God’s creation is now dim and fuzzy.

When our own limited God-given senses fail us, what do we do? We go to the testimonies of others concerning the faith. And if these seems unclear or fuzzy? We can go to the magnifying glass of God, His written word.

Remember, in the same way we don’t focus on the glass of the magnifier but on the object needing magnification, we must not focus on the words and letters (logos), but on that which they magnify (rhema) … the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Scripture

JUDGMENT: The problem with throwing darts!

"But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God."

Romans 14:10

Sally, a grad student, had one teacher who was known for elaborate object lessons. She relates an experience from one of his classes.

One day the students knew they were in for fun day. On the wall was a large target; on a nearby table was a supply of darts.

The instructor told the students to draw a picture of someone they disliked or made them angry. They would be allowed to throw darts at the picture.

Sally's friend drew a picture of a girl who stole her boyfriend. Another friend, drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into the drawing.

The class lined up and took turns throwing darts. There was a lot of laughter. Some threw their darts with great force and emotion.

Sadly, because of time limits, Sally did not get her turn. She returned to her seat disappointed. She was now angry with her teacher and wished she could throw darts at him.

The instructor waited until everyone was seated before taking down the bull’s-eye. A hush fell over the room as a mangled picture of Jesus was revealed – holes and jagged marks covered His face, His eyes were almost eradicated.

The teacher said quietly, “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” No other words were necessary.

I don’t have anything to add to this illustration … I’m not certain it’s true or from the Chicken Soup series, but that makes no difference, its message is profound.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Judgment, Religion

MISSIONS: They don't know they've been set free!

"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"

Romans 10:14

Unfortunately, modern man is much like the people of India following British rule for 300 years. Subsequent to independence, a group of sociologists entered India to determine the effect foreign domination had had on the people.

Village after village was studied, month upon month went by, and the results were startling. The "people" of India were not only unaware the British had departed … they were unaware the British had been there in the first place.

Indians were born, lived, and died without ever knowing their sovereign lived in London, thousands of miles away.

People today are born, live out their lives, and die … not ever knowing their Sovereign lives in heaven across an infinite divide. How will they know their sovereign has provided a Deliverer unless someone is sent to tell them?

Christianity, Illustrations,
Missions, Religion

EVANGELISM: What do you expect from a male driver?

"But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; 'THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.'"

Romans 10:18

Many people get lost today, especially as the world gets smaller and increasingly congested. A few years ago I was told the San Mateo County (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau ordered 50,000 maps of the greater San Mateo area for visiting tourists. The driver of the delivery truck evidently got lost on the way to the bureau; he had to phone in for directions.

The world has had people like this for at least two millennia … the map is right on their coffee table, but they’re still lost and need someone to give them directions.

Christianity, Evangelism,
Illustrations, Religion

SIN: The Most Deadly Virus Known to Man!

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... "

Romans 3:23

Strains of what is believed to be the most deadly virus on earth have been discovered, British scientists announced recently. Dubbed the "Spanish flu," the virus struck the world in 1918, killing over 40 million people.

Initial examinations of the virus have already provided clues as to what made it so lethal, The London Times reports. The strain of influenza was believed to have become extinct in the 1920s, however a team of researchers has isolated it in the frozen bodies of six young coal miners buried on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen.
Researchers had long suspected the virus might be preserved in bodies buried above the Arctic Circle. Fragments of the virus have been found before, but never in an organ other than the lungs.

Scientists may now trace how the virus spread throughout the body. They are currently working to map the bug's RNA, which should identify what made it so deadly. [By Discovery.com News Brief; November 16, 1999]

Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we could look for and find the bug we call sin? This bug has probably killed billions. Perhaps we could find it in the bodies of those we call sinners – the lost who’ve died? Then we could find out what makes it so lethal and why it spreads so rapidly throughout the body of man. Then we could find a vaccine for it! Right?

Wrong! The Bible already tells us what causes sin and why it spreads so rapidly throughout the body of man. God says it’s a heart condition; He says it’s because of foolish pride and rebellion that we’ve seen countless thousands perish daily in their sins.

Oh, the virus itself and its affects are preserved in the bodies of those who’ve died in their sins. God will reveal them on judgment day. No scientist will be needed to find them, they will be self-apparent.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Sin

GOSPEL: Freedom Awards!

"Just as it is written, 'HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!'"

Romans 10:15b

The news report read: “The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) presented its 1999 International Press Freedom Awards last night to four journalists — from Columbia, Kosovo and Pakistan — at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.”

The report told of the heroic exploits of four journalists who kept on reporting the news in spite of beatings, imprisonments, and death threats. A fifth reporter would have been recognized expect he’s in a Cuban jail for proclaiming the truth.

Founded in 1981, CPJ focuses attention on free press abuses all over the world. The awards are to honor newsmen and women who’ve put themselves in harm’s way to deliver the news and to preserve freedom of the press worldwide.

[“CPJ Holds Its Ninth Annual Awards in NYC,” by Tracey Middlekauff; November 24, 1999; © 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc., d/b/a Fox News Online.]

Two thousand years ago, and again and again since, men and women have put themselves on the line to bring the Good News of a great joy to mankind. They too have been beaten, imprisoned, and threatened; in fact for many it has cost them their lives.

I think of Paul in his report to the Corinthians [2 Corinthians 6:4-5]. I recall the accounts preserved for believers in the “Hall of Faith” [Hebrews 11:32-38]. My mind reflects on the lives of the Apostles; men who where reportedly skinned alive, torn asunder, crucified upside down, and decapitated … all after torture and great hardship. Fox’s Book of Martyrs annoys my mind for those who’ve served and suffered and been slain.

But most of all I think on the Son of God who, for the love of God, came bearing Good News … only to be trodden upon, beaten, and crucified for telling the truth: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23]; you must be born again [John 3:3]; and no one comes to the Father but through Me [John 14:6b]. It is a gift of God [Ephesians 2:8].

Christianity, Gospel,
Illustrations, Religion

POWER (God's): Never, no ever intermittent!

GREEN LIGHT POWER: [Romans 1:16]

From my good friend Cornelius Claassen in Wellcomen, South Africa ...

Spending fever has reached all walks of South African life. Here's a fellow who lives in a squatter camp beyond Somerset West in Western Cape who now wants a television set — a new one, mind, not that secondhand thing in the pawn-shop window - so he buys one from the High Street furniture retailer.

But he's back next day, saying the thing keeps switching off just at the crucial moment. The shop checks it out and can find nothing wrong, but soon enough he's back with the same complaint.

This time the shop sends out a technician to pop round to see what the problem is. When the technician gets there, he discovers our guy's shack draws its electricity from a nearby traffic light, and that the TV only works when the light is green.

There's no argument some people think God's power is intermittent but they fail to notice they've plugged into the AC (alternating current) outlet rather than the DC (direct current) outlet. God provides the DC, I wonder who provides the AC?

The above was copied directly from a South African newspaper (which is unknown to The CRIB).

LIFE - The newness of true life!

WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH! [Romans 3:23; Cleanliness, Consecration, Holiness, Righteousness, Sin]

Any one who has traveled to Switzerland immediately notices how spotlessly clean the country seems to be – from their snow capped mountains, to their crystal-pure lakes, from their alpine glades to their doll-like villages.

Even their money seems spotless and to crackle with crispness; every bill looking and feeling new. Old bills are plucked from circulation before they rip or even the hint of a stain can disgrace them. Each year around one-third of all Swiss bank notes are removed from the public’s grasp at a cost of over 20 million Swiss francs (roughly $15 million). The old bills are burned in a furnace.

Why do they bother, why can’t they be more like the British or the Americans? Because, says the chief cashier of the Swiss National Bank, “The first thing you see when you arrive … is the money. It’s like a national identity.” [Adapted from an article by Bhushan Bahree in The Wall Street Journal]

In other words, the Swiss take their image very seriously. This causes me to ask, “What if God wanted a spotlessly clean world like the Swiss want a spotlessly clean country?”

What if God decided to pluck up people before they became too stained or blemished by life? What if one-third of the human race was shuffled off to heaven and hell each year because of the blotch of sin on their lives? After all, the first thing you see when you arrive is people in the delivery room.

The reasons He doesn’t are simple: first, “God so loved the world”; second, “God sent His Son” while we were sin blotched; third, the Good News would not be good news at all; and, fourth, God expects us to keep our-selves unstained from the world [James 1:27; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Peter 1:13-19]. This doesn’t even address the implied promises in Isaiah 42:1-4.

How sad the Body of Christ has more problems with its image than Switzerland has with its.

SANCTIFICATION - Our hand in His hand!

AIMING FOR THE CENTER OF HIS WILL! [Matthew 7:13,14; other topics - Walk, Way (The), Will (of God)]

In order to keep my car in the middle of the lane, I was taught (by a farmer) to “aim” the vehicle down the road.

The Christian walk is like that: God doesn’t want us veering to the right or the left; He wants us on the straight and narrow. Paul says we should focus on things above and in so doing we’ll keep right in the middle of His Way. For me the narrow gate figuratively represents “things above.”

Praise His holy name. (added 2/15/2006)


AIR SPEED! [James 4:4-10]

All winged aircraft have one thing in common, they must maintain air speed or they will go into a stall and nose-over. From time to time, our walk seems to nose-over, our forward progress being insufficient to sustain the "lift" needed. We must

1. be prepared for His presence
2. respond to his presence, and
3. experience His presence!

HEAVEN ON EARTH! [Various; Life (True), Heaven]

Heaven may be compared to the dining hall of a great king. Where, for now, we’re all outside his castle waiting to be let into the Great Hall. Everyone has received an invitation to come to the royal table and join in consuming his royal feast, only not all will accept his invitation. [Mark D. Roberts, After I Believe (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 19]

The interesting aspect is the Christian life this side of eternity future; its like the “Heavenly Cook [letting] us stick our fingers into the batter of heaven while it’s being prepared. The Christian Life happens not just in the future but right now.” (added 2/15/2006)


HUMAN BOOKCASES! [James 1:22-25; other topics - Knowledge; Word; Works]

When I was in elementary school I recall the big deal my mom and dad made over money, how tight it was. But then they bought a set of Collier’s Encyclopedias on an installment plan because they thought my sisters and I could use the knowledge.

The buyer received a complete set of books at the time of purchase, with updates coming every year. You also received a small doubled-shelved, wooden bookcase. It was designed specifically for the books.

I was about 22-years old when those books went for $10.00 at a yard sale. I don’t ever remember opening any of them; I don’t ever remember my sisters opening any of those books.

In fact, I don’t ever remember my mom or dad opening any of those books ... except the first couple of nights, to show us how they were full of facts and knowledge and other useless stuff.

Sadly, many Christians are like that little bookcase. They’re crammed full of information, facts and knowledge ... but it never gets applied.

Christianity is intended to be applied. Like those books filled with all that powerful knowledge, Christians whose heads are full of knowledge are useless, unless some of that learning seeps down into the heart, where knowledge gets applied.

MASTER BUILDER! [Romans 6:19]

A master shipbuilder steps out into his yard and looks around him. There are vast skeletons of ships in the process of completion; there are others nearing completion. But there is nothing in the scene to satisfy, nothing is as he envisions. The big hulls are at present good for nothing. A thousand hammers pounding a thousand rivets into place like a thousand woodpeckers from hell. The yard is strewn with scrap and jigs.

And a short distance is the public harbor, with its fancy and not so fancy boats, of every size and shape; and near it is the grave yard ... decaying, rotting, half-sunk craft ... abandoned and doomed to one day be taken away to a fiery pit.

Yet the owner stands content amid the imperfection. He never thinks of doubting the process he commands. In his mind he knows the ideal, the perfect ship, and he justifies these imperfect vessels by imputing to them that ideal.

God is like that master shipbuilder. The ideal servant exists in His mind. He has the Blueprint; man is jut the image of what is to be. When God looks at him He does not despair, because He knows what the Perfect Man is like and smiles at the thought of His Son.

Attribution: e-Sword Ministries' (2000+ Illustrations)

PARADOX OF CHRISTIAN GROWTH! [John 3:30; Discipleship, growth, humility]

Someone once said they knew when a believer was growing because:

1. he more and more elevated his Lord
2. he less and less spoke of himself and more and more spoke of his God, and
3. he became smaller and smaller in his own eyes … “until, like the morning star, he fades away before the rising sun.” [Bonar]

John the Baptizer understood this timeless truth when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

SPIRITUAL NAVIGATION SYSTEMS! [Romans 1:18-20; other topics - Attributes (of God), creation, discipleship, nature, revelation, witnessing]

“Get ready! You’re going to have fewer excuses for getting lost on the road.” This sure sounds like it might be from a tract on the Roman Road, doesn’t it?

No, it isn’t! Actually it’s ad copy from an Internet advertisement for “on-board navigation systems” from the automobile industry. These “NAVS,” as they are called, use GPS (Global Positioning Satellite technology) to locate a position precisely; the same technology used recently by scientists to determine the exact height of the Washington Monument.

As model years pass, more new cars are being offered with onboard navigation systems, which help you map your route to important meetings, or to that favorite vacation spot near grandma’s, or to a restaurant whose address you’ve forgotten. NAVS can even help direct you to a local automated teller machine (ATM) or nearest hospital or your next job interview.

Now there’s no real excuse for getting lost, even if you’re one of those guys who refuses to ask for directions.

God has been far ahead of modern technology. In Romans 1:19 Paul says,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

God’s plan has always been to provide man with a spiritual navigation system. In fact, Paul clearly says just that. God has given mankind all they need to know to know where they are in relationship to Him: general and special revelation - not to mention the conscience, which the Holy Spirit uses to convict us and guide us.


THE LORD’S LEASH! [Luke 15:17a; Discipleship, discipline, obedience, submission (surrender)]

Recently, I took my dog for a walk just as I do every morning. When I leave the entrance of our housing development, I always look both ways to see who else is out walking their dog. A few are pests: both owners and dogs.

Up the block, I saw the man with the golf cart and his little grey poodle; both are regulars. I noticed his dog was off the leash again, so I crossed the street and walked the other way. When I reached Foothill Boulevard, two blocks away, I crossed to the other side and headed home.

That’s when I heard an anxious voice calling a dog. I looked up and saw this vicious, bloodthirsty, 9½ lb. grey speck burning rubber in my direction, a block away, his owner in hot pursuit. I tried to scare the little speck away but he made an end-run, stood up, danced over, put his paws on my dog’s face, and bit him on the forehead. Well, my dog, Buck, doesn’t like to be bit, but he likes boy dogs even less.

I was able to pull the little dog from Buck’s mouth before he swallowed but not before the little fur ball twisted and tore the back of my hand up. As bad as my hand was, what the poodle got for his efforts was much worse.

The moral: don’t covet being off the Lord’s leash or even at the end of his leash (Parents, pay special attention: don’t let your kids off their leash until you’re certain they have the spirit God wants for them.).

Moving farther away from your Master than your Master gives you leash is not wise at all: not only might you get hurt, or killed, but you’ll certainly bring pain and suffering to others. This latter point is worthy of emphasis.

Too often, we are lulled into seeing the Leash of the Lord as “for our benefit alone,” we rarely give thought to the benefits others reap from our being tethered. Consider that my dog was on a leash and we were both minding our own business, yet we were both bitten and I’m out over $100.

Also, consider the consequences to the owner of that little beast; he’s out over $600. And my dog? He’s real upset that I interrupted his meal. And Shadow (that’s the perpetrator’s name)? Well, he is just now able to face the great outdoors.

Look back, beloved, at all the time off the Lord’s Leash and witness the devastation of that time.


THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY! [Romans 6:19-22]

George, let’s call him George, was a very busy and very successful younger man. In fact, he had done so well that he decided to surprise his wife with a trip to Tahiti over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. On his lunch hour, he hurried to his agent’s office and picked up the tickets.

In early December George stopped at the dry cleaners on his way home to pick up his suits and was surprised when the manager handed him an envelop with two unused tickets to Tahiti. After he had purchased the tickets he had put them in his jacket pocket and immediately went back to his normal routine … he forgot the entire event.

Many people are just like George. They pray to God for forgiveness and promise to do better but immediately, they forget what they’ve done and return to their normal routine. Even some genuine believers accept a ticket to eternity, put it away, and never seem to experience the marvelous journey laid out before them.

The salvation event ought to be like the ideal marriage event, where two distinct and independent individuals agree to unite and journey through life together. Instead, far too many salvation experiences are like far too many marriages: the uniting occurs but the couple never experiences the journey’s joy, and often end in separation.

It is true that all we must do is “call upon the name of the Lord” [Romans 10:13], but God never intended the journey to end there, just as a marriage is not supposed to stop on the trip home from the honeymoon.


VOLCANO STEW!

On the isle of São Miguel, in the Azores, a powerful and popular dish, cozido, is prepared in an interesting way: mix beef, chicken, pork, sausages, and vegetables together in an aluminum-cooking utensil, place this in a cloth bag, bury it all in the ground near Lake Furnas, and let it steam naturally for approximately six hours.

The volcano Furnas created Lake Furnas when it erupted thousands of years ago; soil surrounding the lake can reach a temperature of 208 degrees Fahrenheit, providing villagers with an unique natural oven. [Adapted from National Geographic; cited in Reader’s Digest, “Notes From All Over, p.204, nd.]

God could have chosen another way to deal with rebirth, perhaps taking us up to glory immediately. For reasons He and He alone knows He decided to leave us where we were to prepare us according to His receipe and His time. Perfect in the end!

TAGS: Bible, Christianity, Illustrations, Sanctification, Sermons, Religion

DEVOTION - What our sinful carnal nature abhors!

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE! Romans 12:1; other topics - Behavior (as in carnal), Commitment, Knowledge (of God)]

We’ve all seen those late night commercials which say: “BUY NOW … ONLY $19.95 … LIFETIME GUARANTEE, NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!”

According to survey results from the Barna Group, and others, many in the church think the gospel is like that … “NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!” They fail to grasp these two eternal truths: (1) the Father created us so, as the potter owns the pot, He owns us; (2) the Son gave His life as ransom for our redemption while we were yet sinners, He deserves our devotion and surrender.

Commitment or devotion to another comes through in-depth knowledge of that other. Many who go by the name of Christ know little if anything of the Lord they claim to serve. How then, one must ask, can they behave in any other way than as they do?

TAGS: Apostasy, Barna, Christ, Christian, Commitment, Devotion,
Discipleship, Gospel, Lordship, Sanctification

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM! [Deuteronomy 6:4-7; other topics - Love, Spiritual gifts]

A few years ago a man gave his wife a new Cadillac Catera for her birthday. For weeks she babied and pampered that car; washing and waxing it every couple of days … cleaning it inside and out, everyday … the windows looked like crystal … she sprayed it with “new car” fragrance to keep it smelling new.

So, what’s the problem?

Well, the one who gave it to her is feeling neglected; after all, it was out of love that she received the gift.

Are we so intent on the gifts of God that we’re neglecting the Giver of Gifts?

TAGS: Christ, Christian, Committment, Devotion, Discipleship, Holy Spirit

GRACE (GOD'S): Divine Surrogate for What We Deserve!

AT THE TIME APPOINTED [1 Peter 3:15; other topics - Timing]

During the June 4th 1944, WWII Normandy invasion 25-year-old Pvt. Ray Aebischer’s parachute opened with such a jolt his heavy jump-pack was torn from his shoulders, plummeting to earth. Everything he needed to survive (machine gun, carbine, ammo, canteen, rations, personal items, etc.) was lost. Ray was so sure he’d never see his gear again he dismissed it from his mind. Pvt. Aebischer didn’t count on Emmanuel Allain.

One dar in October 1997, a letter arrived from Mr. Allain, a WWII aficionado and collector. He wrote, “I found in a farm in Normandy all the stuff (belt pistol, carbine ... suspenders belt, canteen, pocket first aid, etc.) of a soldier.” The name on several of these items was Ray R. Aebischer. Now 81, Aebischer said he was “dumbfounded.”

Last month he and his wife flew to England, where Allain met them with the wayward jump-pack in hand. “I could think of so many instances where I could have been killed,” he said. “I thought to myself, except for the grace of God, I could be there. The real heroes are still over there.”

[“Soldier’s D-Day invasion gear found 53 years later,” The Washington Times, June 14, 1999, National Weekly Edition, p.18; from a Newport News, Va. (AP) report]

LOVE CHANGES THINGS [Galatians 3:1-3; other topics - Law, Love]

Consider the widow woman who remarried: her first husband was a totalitarian man, very controlling, dictatorial, and unforgiving; her second husband was loving, gentle, patient, and forgiving.

While cleaning a trunk, she came across her first husband’s list of rules: first, arise at five AM, every morning; second, breakfast at six AM, sharp, three basted eggs, toast lightly buttered; third, all washing to be ironed, including sheets, cases, and sox, with starch in collars; and fourth, fresh coffee, three times each day. Other rules concerned exact amounts of salt to use in his meals, how she was to appear in public, and what things she was could say in the company of others.

The list confronted her with a horrible truth: she was still keeping her first husband’s rules. But she smiled when she realized she had been forced to keep the rules under her first husband, yet now she was glad to keep them because of her second husband’s love for her.

Love changes things. What seems to be burdensome under the authority of a loveless tyrant becomes a labor of love under the authority of gracious master.

There is no longer a need to keep the Law for we are "saved by grace through faith" [Ephesians 2:8]. Yet Jesus said, “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 7:12] And Jesus’ half-brother said, “One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. … So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.” [James 1:25; 2:12]

Anytime we need to be reminded of the difference between Law and Grace, all we must do is revisit the first five books of the Old Testament; there we’ll see the old taskmaster at work. We may then smile and know that we are keeping His law gladly due to His great love for us, and that while we are yet sinners [Romans 5:8].

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The Tile Layer [Romans 8:29-30; other topics - Perfection; Sanctification; Likeness; Reflection]

People are often impatient to see their new ceramic tile laid; they’re reluctant to endure the required prep work.

It is true you may lay ceramic tile over the top of almost anything (plywood, old tile, hardboard, drywall, etc.), but it’s just as true that professionals lay tile over a concrete type board ... sort of a “super” board.

The reason is simple: many materials are unstable when it comes to such things as moisture, heat, and age; whereas concrete-impregnated fibre-board is stable under even the harshest of conditions. Those grout lines in your tile are just like fault lines in the earth’s crust; under the right conditions, stress will cause those lines to fracture ... some stresses will even cause the tiles themselves to crack.

A good tile job will be laid on a solid foundation; a inferior tile job will reveal itself soon enough.

God is never finished with His disciples (at least this side of eternity future); we often require a great deal of prep work before any final material is laid on.

Many times old materials must be removed, other times the old material just needs repair or resecuring. This not only protects the finished product, but ensures a good testimony for the Tile Layer.

Since we’re the very reflection of Christ in us, this is an important part of the job. Good discipling gives evidence of a solid foundation; impatient discipling reveals itself soon enough.

Atonement

Accounts Payable [Romans 5:6, 8 (4:3); other topics - Debt; Judgment]

Floyd has come and gone! And the total destruction has yet to be realized ... the cost has yet to be tallied!

Every night the evening news presents another vignette of another farmer or business woman or senior couple who’ve lost everything. They each have the same lament, “I’ve lost everything, I don’t know how I’ll ever pay the debt.” These people are like the rest of us, we’re all up to our ears in debt. The combined effort of the government, their families, their friends, and their churches will fall short of what is needed.

Such is the condition of all mankind. So many stand on the threshold of God’s judgment it’s hard to comprehend. Coming are the waters of wasted lives, tornadoes of eternal torment, and the horrors of hell’s fire!

Our sins are like lava spewing from the mouth of an evil mountain, flowing slowly down hill, swallowing anything and everything in its path. But still the unbeliever, the doubter, and the mocker don’t see it coming! When they do, it’ll be too late; and when the bill is tallied ... it will be more than they can afford.

And yet while we were still in our sins, Christ died for us. And for those who will but believe, like Abram, God will reckon it as righteousness to our account.


Temporal Bouquet from an Eternal Florist! [Leviticus 26:39; other topics – Sanctification, Sin nature]

I ‘m told most people in 16th Century England got married in June because they took their annual bath in May. It seems they still smelled pretty good in June. Still, many were starting to ripen, so brides began carrying a bouquet of flowers to hide the aromas. [Adapted from Life in the 1500's, author unknown]

Christ is God’s supernatural bouquet for believers; He covers our sins and hides our natural odor.

BIBLE/SCRIPTURE/WORD - He said it; He meant it!

DID SOMEONE SAY, “DINNER”? [Romans 10:8, 17]

Newborn babies come with hands and mouths; they also come with voracious appetites. Turn a crawler loose and those little hands will put whatever they find into that little mouth in a New York minute. It seems they instinctively know their hands are for grasping and their mouth is where they put what they hope will satisfy the gnawing in their stomach.

Reborns … true ones … have eyes, ears, and minds; they also have ravenous spiritual appetites. It seems they too know instinctively that their eyes are to see, their ears are to hear, and the mind is to absorb God’s word. They seem to know, without being told, that His word is the only thing that will gratify the yearning of their soul.

So, why do we have this hunger for His word? Because, as the Bible tells us, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word (Greek: rhematos) of Christ.”

Man is born with an innate hunger for God [Romans 1]. That’s why the Bible tells us it is “impossible to please God” without faith [Hebrews 11:6], because we’re saved for all eternity “by grace through faith” [Ephesians 2:8]. So faith and the rhema of God are inseparably woven together.

Paul says, “But what does it say? ‘THE WORD (Greek: rhema) IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART’ – that is, the word (Greek: rhema) of faith which we are proclaiming.”

DUSTY: THEREFORE RUSTY [2 Kings 22:1-23:3; other topics - Devotion; Discipleship; Sanctification]

There’s an old gospel song, made famous by Kitty Wells, which has a stanza that says, “Dust on the Bible, Dust on the Holy Word, The words of all the prophets, And the sayings of our Lord.” [1]

How is it possible we allow dust to collect on God’s Word? Its amazing how little Bible reading goes on among God’s people; it’s equally amazing at how often pastors are asked questions which are fundamental in nature. And yet in 2 Kings 22, 23, is an example of when the same thing had taken place in a prior time.

Bibles per capita in the world are estimated at less than half of a Bible per person. Yet in the USA, where an average household is about 2.2 people, we average more than five bibles per household; that’s over two Bibles per person in this great nation. Still and all, more Bibles are used as coffee table decorations or bookshelf fillers than are used in Bible study.

God didn’t just ordain the written word so we could have a record of what He has said … and it is certainly not just a book of do’s and don’ts, nor is it just a reference work. The Bible is God’s way of revealing who He is, who we are, and that His word is sure and true!

The old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind!” applies to the Word of God. Not having the Word didn’t cause Israel’s rebellion, nor the cause their unrighteousness [Romans 1:17-19]; their hardened hearts and stiff necks were the cause of their apostasy.

When the word of God was rediscovered by His people, they were reminded of Him; when they were reminded of Him, they were reminded of their great apostasy; when they were reminded of their condition, they were brought under conviction. Now just because someone is brought under conviction doesn’t mean they’ll change, change comes about after a person has broken and pleaded for forgiveness [Psalm 51:1-7].

A dusty Bible reveals it has not been read. A dusty Bible says, “I don’t care what God says.” A dusty Bible says, “I know everything it says, it can offer me nothing new.” A dusty Bible says, “This book is old fashioned, it doesn’t apply to today, it’s not relevant.”

We need to heed: “When all else fails, follow instructions.” When we survey the panorama of contemporary American life we must conclude we’ve failed; we need to read God’s instructions and determine where we’ve gone wrong.

[1] “Dust On The Bible,” Kitty Wells, © MCA 1992

PURE MILK! [1 Peter 2:2; Other topics - Mission, Purpose, Renewal, Traditionalism]

During the ‘60s and ‘70s, the term “featherbedding” was commonly heard. Featherbedding, I am told, is the practice of unions requiring that an employer hire more workers than needed or of limiting production to meet the letter of union rules, regardless of the ability to produce more.

Featherbedding is an excellent example of what happens when an organization loses sight of its mission. A twisted sense of fair play, mixed with extreme selfishness, messes up the works.

The railroad unions of that day were an insightful example of the practice. Originally, firemen were used on wood or coal burning trains to stoke their engine’s boiler. With the advent of diesel locomotion, a fireman was no longer needed; yet, by contract, one was assigned to each train. Similarly, conductors were required to escort non-passenger trains at all times.

Churches and churchgoers are susceptible to this trap. Following years of WHADIT (We Have Always Done It That way!), justifications become blurred, alternatives are forgotten, habits harden, voices are silenced, and creative thinking is shunned. Fear sets in (the wrong kind of fear) while mission and purpose fade from view.

How can a church or churchgoer avoid this pitfall? One certain method is provided by God … the “pure milk” [1 Peter 2:2] of the faith! Constant reading of and meditation upon the Living Word of God renews and inspires the mind, reminding the believer of God’s purpose and our mission.

STILL LIFE [Acts 10:43; other topics - Prophecy]

In my 1962 college speech class, I recall a hippie art student giving his final speech. Nice guy, but as a surfer/beach bum, I didn’t get to close. His speech was centered on a series of roughs, sketches, and watercolors, each one built up the idea he had in his head. He showed us one part at a time until, at the end, he revealed his final oil.

I didn’t care much for his art but I got the idea. His final painting was only completed after all the concept had been worked out, piece by piece; then the real art work began.

The Old Testament writers (historians, narrators, poets, psalmists, and prophets), like an artist’s masterpiece, put together a picture of the Messiah, our Savior, piece by piece, over time, each contributing his part ... extending in ever-increasing fullness and clearness all the way to the close of the canon.

Moses paints his piece ... the first great promise (Gen 3:15). Isaiah paints his pieces ... the Lord is to be born of a virgin (7:14); a child is to be born out of David and the whole world is to rest on His shoulders (9:6-7); a rod provided (11:1, 2); and God’s Suffering Servant (53:1ff).

Even the psalmist, in Psalm 68:18, roughs out that He will ascend on high, leading the captives captive. Micah paints his pieces ... the Lord’s birthplace is to be Bethlehem (5:2) and He will come and raise up His fallen ones (7:8).

And others sketch out that a forerunner will come, a voice crying in the wilderness, to announce the Lamb of God.


STUCK IN OUR GULLET! [Various]

The “Red Headed Stranger” was one of my favorite goldfish. He had a fabulous fantail, big bug eyes, and cool calico coloring. Red was about five years old, he and his tank-mates were a lot of pleasure for me on my long, lonely bachelor nights.

Goldfish will habitually pick up a rock from the floor of the tank, and then spit it out. I never learned why. One night I notice a big rock was stuck in Red’s craw, unless it was removed, he’d starve to death. I phoned a friend for advice and learned such an obstruction is extracted by inserting a toothpick through the gills. It wasn’t until I hung-up that I realized this implied more than one might think: to both Red and me.

Man’s sin nature is like that rock in Red’s throat and the Bible is like that toothpick. The patient may not like it when God gets a firm grip on him, lifts him from his environment, and begins prodding with the Living Word; yet a man will surely die a horrible death if this obstruction to eternal life is not removed.


THE SON OF SONS [John 1:1-3; 14; other topics - Creation; Inspiration; Sanctification; Son (of God)]

John F. Kennedy Jr., the highly respected son of the late American President John F. Kennedy, was posthumously praised by the editorial staff of George Magazine, a monthly political magazine the young Kennedy co-founded four years ago.

The magazine’s editors wrote, “John had a hand in every aspect of creating and producing George - the big picture and the daily details.”

Reading the eulogies and accolades given to this American icon a Christian would have to reflect on another Son who had a direct “hand in every aspect of creating and producing ... the big picture and the daily details.”

Upon close examination, the believer will notice God’s Son not only aided in the creation of a book but was involved the creation of the whole world. [John 1:3] Now that is a very big picture.

In fact, the book is called the Word, and the Son is the Word. And this Word is sharper than a two-edged sword ... and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart [Hebrews 4:12]. We are also told it is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy 3:15-16]. Now those are special daily details.


YOU KNOW AUTHOR; NOT HIS BOOK [Psalm 119; other topics - Disciple]

Two really worthwhile organizations exist to help adults learn to read: Literacy Volunteers of America and National Center for Family Literacy. The power of reading is something only a reader can relate to; reading can make you laugh, cry, feel pain, anger, compassion and joy. Reading opens vistas you never thought of; takes you to places you’ll not otherwise see; and expands your view of the world, your imagination, and your vocabulary.

Reading is often taken for granted by those of us who can, but there are millions who cannot but would, in a New York minute, if they could.

The Bible is the Book of all books; many people in the world don’t own one; they couldn’t read it if they did. If reading is so critical to human development, then reading the Bible is doubly critical to the discipling of a new Christian. What good is it to make them a disciple of the author of the Book if they cannot read about Him in his biography?