Holy, Holy, Holy

God is Holy! Ever heard the song that goes  “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty? The Lord God Almighty is Holy, but what does that mean? Should this fact have any impact on the lives of the average Joes on the street? Most people have no idea why it is so important to understand as much as they can about God’s holiness.

What we know about God is from what we read in the Bible. If a person believes the Bible to be God’s word one of the first things they will learn is that God made everything. What he made was good and perfect, without fault, not affected by sin. He created our parents, Adam and Eve, and they were perfect. God enjoyed being with them in a perfect relationship. After some time these two decided to obey Satan, thus disobeying God. Their act of disobedience, which God called sin, ruined everything. Unfortunately it ruined their relationship with God. Because God is Holy, without sin, perfect in every way he could not be in the presence of sin. So God banished them from his presence. Because sin entered the world everything was defiled, from man, to the animals, all the way down to the dirt.

God being God means that he will to anything not to jeopardize his holiness. He protects his holiness at any cost. Nothing or no one is as important as his holiness. God has and will destroy anything or anyone that might threaten his holiness. That’s why the Bible tells us that we must be holy. If we want to be accepted in God's heaven we will have to be holy. Heaven would cease to be heaven if anything unholy were allowed to enter. Our holiness hinges on Jesus. Our progress toward holy living depends on the Holy Spirit who lives in us after we receive Jesus as our Savior. Without God living in us we will never achieve the holiness that we must have to get into heaven.

The lost need to know about the Holy Almighty God, and what he requires for them to be saved and to achieve holiness. Christians need to seek holiness in their lives. Not a day should go by without praying to God asking him to make us holy. We must desire to be holy. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to give us strength to fight temptations to sin. A Christian will need to spend time with God in prayer, preferably on our knees, praising him, and reminding ourselves each day that he is Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.

My Way or the Highway

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

Who can straighten what God has made crooked? Ecclesiastes 7:23

What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. Revelation 3:7

When God sets a plan in motion there is no one on earth or heaven or hell that will be able to stop it. God will succeed every time. God has every detail worked out. No one can go against God and win. Yet, there are those who try to thwart God’s plans and his works everyday. Many today hate the idea that there is a God who is supreme, who is in control of everything, and in control of their lives.

I’ve had students tell me, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do!” This seems to be the attitude of a lot of people in our society. They are determined that they are going to live as they please, and not even God is going to stop them. Solomon said, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:2, and in Proverbs 6:9 he said, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

I think that there are even some Christians who never consider God in anything they do because they are afraid that his plan for them will be different from what their plans are. Doing things God’s way may often interfere with what we want to do. Doing things God’s way requires us to believe and accept what his Word says. People who are determined to do life their way scoff at the truths of the Bible. Doing only that which we want to do will not end well for us.

I preached a funeral years ago for a man who had completely left God out of his life. I had never met him. I was asked by a member of his family who was a member of my church to do the funeral. This fellow didn’t have a church nor had he known a preacher. He was an alcoholic. He had been married several times and had many children. He had not been a good dad, and had not treated his wives very well. I was told that he had also been in trouble with the law during his life. And he had never, as far as anyone knew, accepted Jesus into his life. Unfortunately, I found it most appropriate that the song that this man wanted played at his funeral was Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “My Way”. I Did “IT” My Way! He did exactly that and so do many people in our world today. My way never works, but God’s way will always, ultimately, bring us success, joy and peace.

Oprah and Me

In the early 1970’s a young black woman was given a chance to begin her career in broadcasting. While in college in Nashville Tennessee, Oprah Winfrey, at age 19 co-anchored the evening news on a local television station. I can remember her because in those days it was very rare for a young black woman to have such a prominent position. She was very good, and it wasn’t long until Oprah began making her rise to stardom. As a talk show host in Chicago her fame skyrocketed. Eventually, she became something of a goddess as her fans elevated her to that lofty position. This poor little girl from humble beginnings in Mississippi has become very wealthy with an estimated worth of almost 3 billion dollars.

In the early 1990’s my wife, one of our daughters and her husband, and I had an opportunity to go to one of Oprah’s shows. I won’t go into how it happened, but I was chosen to be interviewed by Oprah. We were given seats on the front row, a mike was placed on me, and I got my two minutes of fame on National TV with Oprah. She asked me some questions and I answered them. That was about it. I was not one of the people who worshipped this lady. My daughter’s husband and I were not too excited about going in the first place. The point I am trying to make is that I met Oprah, talked to her very briefly, and went on about my life, never seeing her in person again. To this day I occasionally see her on TV, I hear things about her because she is famous. She is known worldwide. But I don’t know her personally.

How many famous people do any of us really know? I doubt if very many of us know someone who is famous, or who is worth billions of dollars. Yet, there are many people in our nation today who, perhaps, have met someone famous who they adore. The sad truth is that they treat those people like they are gods. They worship them. People in our society are star struck. Professional athletes, movie stars, musicians, political figures and others are placed on pedestals. They are given a status they don’t deserve. Most of these fame hungry people don’t care anything about their fans except the money they can get from them. They are not our friends, not will they ever be.

There is only one person that we should worship. His name is Jesus. He is our friend, and we can know him personally. We can talk to him anytime. He will always be with us. He cared about us and loved us enough to die fo us. Oh if we would, as a nation, give Jesus the honor and adoration that we give someone like Oprah, Lebron James, or some movie star who seeks the praise of their fans! Just think how God must feel as he watches us devoting our time, our money and our lives in the pursuit of following and worshipping those who are just people like us. All praise, and adoration, and glory, and honor to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Worship the Lord your God and only to him bow the knee.

Hesitate and You’ll Be Too Late

Last summer I bought a set of tires for my wife’s car. The four tires came with a $50 rebate offer. In order to get the $50 I had to send my receipt and a request to the manufacturer. I think I had four or five weeks before the offer expired. There was plenty of time so I didn’t immediately make the request. I did not forget about doing this, but I did put off doing it until I let the expiration date slip up on me. Time flies, as it is said, and this thing I intended to do, and assumed I had plenty of time to do was upon me before I knew it.

One morning I thought I had better send in that rebate request because I knew the deadline  was getting very close. I got my receipt and made a picture of it for an online request. I found the company’s rebate offer, filled in my information and was ready to send in the request for my $50. I clicked on that little send box, and was pleased that in a couple of weeks I would receive a check for $50. Almost immediately I heard a ding indicating that I had received an email. I checked to see what it was, and was so disappointed when I read the message telling me that the offer had expired. In fact the offer had expired the day before. I was one stinking day late. Fifty dollars down the drain because I hesitated and was too late sending in that rebate request. The tire company was saying, “Here is your money. All you need to do is ask for it.” I hesitated and came up late.

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17

This is the offer that Jesus makes to every person. It is better than a tire rebate. We don’t have to buy anything to get it, and it is a matter of eternal life or eternal damnation. But like that rebate there is a deadline that we must meet to get it. However, unlike the rebate we don’t know when Jesus’ offer for eternal life expires. Death comes like a thief in the night. We don’t know the time of Jesus’ return. Jesus offers the free gift of the water of eternal life, and all we have to do is repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness, and commit our lives to the only One who can save us from hell.

I only lost $50 for hesitating and coming up a day late. No big deal! But it is a big deal if we hesitate and are late coming to Jesus. Today may be your last chance to ask Jesus to save you. Today may be your last opportunity to receive the free gift of living water. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. Tell Jesus you want to live for him, and that on this very day while the offer of free living water is still in effect, receive Jesus as your Savior. Hesitate no more. Don’t be too late!

Never Pass Up an Opportunity to Suffer

Suffering is something everyone wants to avoid. It doesn’t matter if it is physical suffering, mental suffering or emotional suffering we don’t want it in our lives or the lives of those we love. But suffering will come our way. It is inevitable even though we try to avoid it. However, there is suffering that we must welcome if we belong to Jesus. If we are sold out to him, serving him and standing up for him especially in this day we will suffer in some way.

Last Friday night I was at my wife’s 50th year class reunion. Many of her classmates who had gathered had not seen one another since maybe the night they graduated. Some of the spouses of the honored graduates were complete strangers. The reunion was wonderful, and everyone seemed to have fun.  As the night was coming to a close a final opportunity was given to anyone who wanted to speak. One of my wife’s dearest friends stood up. I could tell that there were tears in her eyes, and what she was about to say was not going to be easy for her. Immediately, her voice revealed great emotion and concern as she spoke. She said something like this. ‘When I was in school I was not a believer. So I did not know to ask any of you if you knew Jesus as your Savior. I am now a Christian. I am very sorry that I did not say anything to you about him back then. If you haven’t asked him to forgive you and to come into your heart I want to ask you tonight to consider making him your Savior.’ After she sat down another classmate stood and gave testimony of her faith in Jesus.

I’m sure I did not capture the incredible sincerity and longing within the heart of this sweet lady. I apologize if I lessened the intent of her beautiful words. I’ve known her almost all my life, and she has always been kind and compassionate despite having suffered in a different way from the time she was a little girl. I know what she did was hard for her to do. I don’t think she endured any attack or negative remarks for what she said on that night, but she could have, and she did it anyway. Christians all over the world today are accepting all kinds of hardships and suffering for for the cause of Christ by doing just what she did Friday night. Jesus told his disciples that the world hated him, and that it would hate them too if they obeyed him.

Today our nation is in a mess. People hate Jesus and they hate anyone who follows his teachings and obeys him. We do a lot of praying for revival, and we stop there. We are afraid to do what our lovely friend did and proclaim the truths of the Gospel. God will not honor our prayers if we do not obey him and tell this sinful world about Jesus. We must ask people if they know Jesus even if it means we will be scorned, laughed at or even persecuted. “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,” Philippians 1:29

How can we not tell those who are perishing that there is hope in Jesus Christ? How can we be so selfish to keep the Gospel message to ourselves? Our suffering is a small price to pay if it will bring even one lost person to Jesus.

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect...” 1 Peter 3:14-15

This Is My Delight

My favorite shirt, favorite pants and shoes; I thought I looked so good when I wore them. They wore out, became outdated, all of a sudden were a bit too snug. I no longer cared for them, and they were discarded, thrown out; I hated to see them go.

I bought a new car, bright, shiny, leather, gadgets galore, and I loved that smell; nothing like a new car smell. I was very proud when I drove it. As the years went by the wonderful aroma became stale, nicks and dents, the bright shiny paint dimmed by the sun, a few cracks in the glorious leather, and some gadgets stopped working. Not quite as proud, no longer my heart’s desire, thinking about trading; it just didn’t last.

Young legs, strong arms, good eyes with keen perception, and a mind that knew the game, both basketball and baseball. My world, my happiness, something for which I lived. I played hard, every time I gave my best, couldn’t wait for the next game, and the next, and always the next. Then the arms and legs got older, tired, too tired, too slow, the eyes not as perceptive, the game became hard, too hard, too dangerous for an older man to continue. Such a sad time when I could no longer play the game.

A tough lesson to learn, a harsh reality, difficult to say goodbye, no more, it’s over...that truth— Nothing lasts forever. So we find our delight, our hope, our everything in clothes and shoes, and cars, and houses, and sports, and teams, and activities, and maybe in our work, but none of these last forever. Can something that ceases to exist have real value? Is there anything which lasts forever? Is there anything in which we can find delight that lasts forever? I believe there is!

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight,,,Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Psalm 119:35, 37

The richness of God’s word is eternal. In his word we find our only hope. When we read it, study it, meditate on it, trust in  it and live our lives according to it we find real delight. It never wears out, never changes, will never let us down, builds us up, encourages us, fills us with joy and gives us peace. I thank God for his word.

Listen, Really Listen

Young Samuel heard someone calling him in the middle of the night. Thinking it was Eli he got up and asked him what he wanted. Eli said, “I didn’t call you, go back to bed.” Not too much time had passed when Samuel heard the voice again. He goes back and Eli says the same thing, “I did not call you.” Samuel was about to doze off again when he heard that voice for the third time. He must have thought Eli had lost it. Eli was the only other person in the house besides him. This had to be Eli. The scripture says, “So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Samuel was not about to be fooled again. But now wise old Eli had figured out what was going on.

“Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

This is a wonderful story about God coming to a child and telling him how he wants to use him to lead Israel. Samuel listened, was available and accepted the task that God had for him. Samuel was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament.

There was another young prophet who had a different encounter with God concerning his calling. Isaiah saw into heaven and there was God seated on his throne. What Isaiah witnessed was magnificent, and it changed his life. Isaiah saw the pure holiness of God, and he was convicted of his unworthiness, and his sinful nature to the point that he cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Isaiah’s confession prompted God to take away Isaiah’s sin. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah was told that his sin had been forgiven, taken away, and his life was changed forever. Oh how wonderful it is when we know that we are right with the Holy Father. When God forgives us and saves us he does so because he wants to have a personal relationship with us. He wants us to talk to him and listen to him when he speaks to us like Samuel did. He wants us to spend quality time with him and always be available to serve him.

Look at what happened to Isaiah immediately after his amazing experience with God. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” God was putting out a call concerning a great need. Was there anyone who would be willing to go? Immediately Isaiah acted, and accepted the call he knew was meant for him. He said, “Here am I. Send me!”

He said, “Here am I, not here I am.” There is a difference. Here I am is referring to a location like. “ I’m standing right here by this tree.” Here am I means, “I am available. I am ready. I am willing. So send me Lord to go anywhere and do anything.”

I believe God still calls people today. I think that his voice echoes his call to Isaiah perhaps as never before. “Whom shall I send? Who will go? Are we listening? Are we willing and available? I think we, the baby boomer generation, who are retiring by the thousands, are more available to go than any generation ever. I believe God is calling us not to complain, not to take it easy, not to do as we please. I believe that if we, like Isaiah, say, “Here  am I” we can change the world. We are available, we just have to be willing.

The Royal Wedding

Have you heard? There is going to be a royal wedding! The announcement of the wedding was made some time ago. Since it was mentioned plans have feverishly been in the works.  The groom, the Prince, chose his beautiful bride promising to love her and care for her and to provide for her the most glorious home ever. His proposal was clear and made with the most sincere presentation of love possible.

The bride accepted her love’s humble offer and, in turn, has continued to prepare herself  for the magnificent wedding. Her desire is to remain as beautiful for her loving groom as she can. She wants to present herself pure and spotless on that wonderful day when she and the Prince stand together as never before. Her dress will be breathtaking, as white as the freshly fallen snow. When the Prince sees his beautiful bride coming to present herself to him he will no doubt rejoice in his heart that he has taken her as his own. This will truly be the a the most wonderful wedding ever.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going to become husband and wife tomorrow. I noticed there is a clock counting down to the second when the wedding will begin. There is no such clock that indicates when the wedding I described will take place. However, every person on earth must be dressed and ready when it does occur. If they have not prepared for the groom’s coming they will be left out. Of course, this wedding is when Jesus comes for his bride, the Church. What a day that will be! What a wedding that is going to be! What a home the groom has prepared for his bride! Will you be there? I hope so. I hope you have said yes to the Prince’s proposal.

Being the Best

Taking inventory of your life is a good idea. This can also be an activity which might reveal something to you about yourself that depresses you. Yesterday I was thinking back, all the way back, to when I was in high school and college. My grandson completed his high school days yesterday. He will graduate on June 1. There have been many I know who have recently graduated from college and seminary. So my inventory revealed to me the same regretful conclusion that I have gotten many times before—I could have done much better, especially in high school and college.

My lack of success was because I failed to do the best I could do.

I had the ability to do much better than I did.

Here is the secret for success for everyone:

Always, in everything, do the best you can do. Always strive to be the best you can be.

Here is what I have learned from my experiences over the years:

I cannot do the best I can do, or be the best I can be if my actions are based entirely on always doing what I want to do.

If a person doesn’t do something that is too hard, or takes a lot of effort, because it will interfere with something he had rather do then he will never, ever be the best he can be. Achieving anything that will make you the best you can be will take hard work, dedication, and perseverance. We cannot selfishly disregard our responsibility whether it has to do with school, work, church, marriage or parenting. If we don’t do what we should do we will not be successful.

The past cannot be redone. All I can do now is to do a frequent inventory of my life’s walk, and determine where I need to make adjustments. I must remind myself that I am God’s anointed. His Spirit lives within me, and as his anointed I am bound to be the best that he has empowered me to be. So it is with all of us who know Jesus. All of us are anointed by his Holy Spirit. 

 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” Colossians 3:17

Facing Insurmountable Odds

One day Jonathan, King Saul’s son, decided to go check out a detachment of Philistine soldiers that had just arrived near his encampment. He took his young armor-bearer and sneaked off without anyone knowing he had gone. These two young men found themselves at a pass in between two cliffs. Jonathan’s plan was to go over to the outpost where the Philistine army was. He said to his young friend, “Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.” Don’t you just love it when two young women or two young men consider what God might do in their lives? Then Jonathan spoke some incredible words of faith. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

Jonathan’s statement of faith spurred an act which resulted in a great victory for himself and his friend, and for the Israelite forces. The two young men killed over twenty Philistines and set the whole Philistine army into a panic. God caused such confusion within the Philistine ranks that they turn on each other, striking one another with their swords. The belief of two young men in what God could do in their lives gave them the victory over the insurmountable task before them and showed the power and glory of their God.

God is known for his ability to give people who trust in him victory in situations that seem impossible. It is very sad that we fail to trust God enough to see what he can do in our lives. What could a nation like ours that once considered itself to be a God fearing nation do if those who say they are believers approached every obstacle with the faith of Jonathan? Jonathan’s father, the king of Israel, had been acting out of fear and indecision. He was afraid to act because he was trusting in himself and his army which was greatly outnumbered. Let us be like Jonathan, and trust in God to give us the victory over the impossible obstacles that we face.

Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6

Why Terrible Things Happen

There are bad situations which happen leaving pictures in our minds that we will never be able to erase. One such unfortunate experience became a reality to Sherri and me on Saturday. We had just left our daughter’s house and were headed home. I had driven about a block and a half, and I noticed a young boy, probably about fifteen years old, standing on the corner talking on his cell phone. As we passed him I heard a sound underneath my car, “Bump, bump.” Sherri yelled, “John Paul, you just ran over something.” I stopped the car, looked in my mirror, and saw a little dog lying in the street. When I opened my door I could hear the boy screaming hysterically. I could tell immediately that the little yorkie was dying.

I felt sick. What could I do? Sherri and I went over to the young man, but there was no way we could console him. It was as though he was not even aware that we were there. A neighbor and her husband came out, and the lady began talking to him and hugging him. Finally, after a few minutes his mother came, and she too was very shaken. By then the dog had died. Several people had gathered, and everybody was caught up in the emotion of this terrible situation. Some began telling me not to feel bad. There was nothing I could have done to avoid hitting the dog. The mother of the boy told me she knew it was not my fault. But still I did feel bad.

Why do these things have to happen? Why were these adults and this boy so shaken and so emotionally touched over the death of a cute little dog? The boy’s mother said that she had known that something like this would happen someday. They never put the dog on a leash. They just let him run. The young man had taken the dog out without a leash and was not paying any attention to him. He made a big mistake and his dog was killed. It was nine years old and was like a child to the family. They now are grieving because of the boy’s mistake, and because his parents had not properly taught him or set any rules about the safe care of that little dog.

Many people now have the picture of a boy’s dog lying in the street  in a pool of blood and the sound of his cries of anguish. Sherri and I will remember this, and we will have thoughts that we will wish we could erase from our minds. I will feel bad about this every time I think of it. I love dogs, and I would never want to be a part in the death of any creature. Some may think I’m making too much of this, but I can’t help feeling that way. I can’t help feeling bad about the whole thing even though no one seemed to blame me.

This is the way life is in our fallen world. We make mistakes, we sin and we suffer. We make mistakes, and our actions hurt other people. And events beyond anyone’s control occur and suffering and grief touch many lives.

This was not what God wanted for any of us. On Saturday no one planned for a sweet, small dog to die, but he did. All of the players in this unfortunate accident were hurt, some more than others. Maybe a few will understand what really happened, and why it happened. If only everyone could know that Jesus died so that everyone could escape this world where little dogs die and children die and adults die and bad things happen to people. Maybe some understand that we can go to a new world, a new heaven, where suffering, pain and grief will be no more. I’m looking forward to this place where all the terrible pictures in my mind will be erased forever. But until we do go to that wonderful place please put your pet on a leash if it is going to be near a street. I don’t wish that anyone would go through what Sherri and I experienced.

Who Do You Think You Are

Someone who takes liberties far above their responsibility may be harshly reprimanded. As a child when I got into something I had no business doing I remember hearing these words, “Who do you think you are.” That’s a good question. Who do we think we are? Is there a level of authority in which we should never desire to reach? When we think about who we have become is there a place of self gratification and self glorification that we need to avoid reaching? There are a lot of important people in our world. Just in our nation political, business, entertainment and sports celebrities may boast of their importance. But who are they, really?

I can’t answer for them, but I know who I am, and I have to keep reminding myself so that I am not tempted to desire glory for myself.

I am the dust of the earth.

I am mortal, I am going to die.

Life will continue to move ahead after I die.

I am one who can be replaced.

Like my ancestors I will become just another branch, a hidden leaf on the family tree.

I will be a picture, a smile, a memory to a few.

All that I have accumulated will belong to someone else after I’m gone.

I am the beggar at the intersection.

I am the homeless person under the bridge.

I am the drug addict looking for a fix.

I am the refuge, the one in prison, the abused child or wife, the lonely person in a nursing home.

I am a teacher, a preacher, a protester, a drug dealer, a prostitute.

I am one who will be forgotten, just as I have already been forgotten by friends and acquaintances from many years past.

I will become a character in stories told by my family as they gather at Christmas or some other occasion. They will laugh as they remember who I was and what I did. When they are gone the stories will be told no more.

I am one who cannot boast of awards, or trophies, or elegant accolades. I cannot claim any acts of greatness or any extraordinary feats.

I can be proud of some of the things I’ve done, yet I will leave this world knowing I could have done better, should have done better.

I am one who has been loved.

I am one loved by God.

I am his child.

And I know that he is the one who should receive all the glory.

Without him I could do nothing.

I have been just dust, just clay in the hands of Almighty God who molded me into the vessel he wanted me to be— to be useful to him so that he would be glorified.

I know this was the reason I was created, the reason he made us all.

That’s all I am, but isn’t that enough?

Do No Touch

Do Not Touch

There were two waiting rooms in my eye doctor’s office. In each of those rooms there was a TV with a sign that read "Do Not Touch!". I understand that they did not want people changing the channels, but why didn’t  they have signs that read "Please Don't Change the Channel"? That Do Not Touch sign just made me want to touch those TVs. I heard other patients say the same thing. It is our nature to want to touch what we are told not to touch. The problem was that when I went to the eye doctor I was usually there three or four hours; that was too long to sit and look at a sign that tempted me. Therefore, I will confess, I did touch both of those TVs.

That has always been man's problem. God put a Do Not Touch, Do Not Taste sign, in a sense, on a tree in the Garden of Eden. God blessed Adam with trees. " And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Genesis 2:9 There were many trees in the garden that were beautiful, and pleasing to the eye. The fruit was good to eat, very delicious. It wasn't like Adam and Eve were desperate to eat from that one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. No, the problem was that it had that sign on it, Do Not Touch, Do Not Taste.

We know what happened. Adam and Eve ignored the sign and ate the fruit. Because they disobeyed, man's relationship with God was destroyed. Man was condemned to a life of pain and suffering, therefore, we experience sorrow. God cursed man's habitation. Thorns and weeds covered the land. Instead of a life of comfort man experiences great discomfort and much inconvenience. His labor became hard and he worked by the sweat of his brow. The worst punishment—man was condemned to die, all because he did not obey the sign.

The Bible is comprised of books that tell how man got himself in a mess, and then how God got man out of his mess. Adam and Eve really blew it, but because of God's grace we have hope. God put another Sign in our lives. This sign says, “Do touch. Do eat. Do  drink. Do believe.” If we are obedient to that Sign we will enjoy life as God intended us to live. That Sign is Jesus. Jesus came to take away our sin and to give us the kind of life God meant for us in the first place, eternal life. Jesus came because we could not keep our hands off of the Do Not Touch sign. It is by the “touch” of our loving Savior that we are free from the penalty for touching that Do Not Touch sign, even the one in the doctor’s waiting room.

An Important Lesson to Learn

My mom and dad used to make me do the most unreasonable things when I was a child and a teenager. They made me do different jobs. They made me mow the yard, work in tobacco and hay. They made me work in our store stocking shelves, sacking groceries, pumping gas and other non essential tasks. Even on some weekends after I had my driver's license my dad would make me work until closing some times. Very often I would let them know how I felt by saying, “That’s not fair!”

“That’s not fair!” A term kids learn to say very early in life. I used that a lot. But it didn’t do any good. Many times it just made things worse for me, especially with my dad. I was badly mistaken back in those days. What my parents made me do was very fair and very good for me although I didn’t like doing all they made me do. I did learn that there were experiences and situations in my young life that definitely were unfair. I learned that life is not always fair. That’s the way it is for everybody. Life is not fair. What happens to us in life is often extremely unfair. The quicker we learn that unfortunate truth the better off we will be. Some things that are unfair can be righted, but others will never be made right.

I was hardheaded. I made things worse for myself because I would not accept what I thought was unfair for me. “You doth protest too much” is a line which comes to mind as I remember how I acted as a kid. That would be my dad’s opinion. And he would proceed to punish me because of my protesting. Fair or not I was so wrong to buck the authority of my dad.

There is much suffering in the world because people are being treated unfairly. These poor people can do nothing about the way they are treated. Thousands of Christians are being persecuted because of their faith. It’s not fair. Yet, these saints do not waver. They are strong in their faith holding high the banner of Christ. What is the answer? Romans 8:28 is the answer. “All things work together for good to them who love the God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” All things, even those which are grossly unfair, work out for the good because ultimately God will be glorified, and his power will be demonstrated. It is a privilege to suffer for Jesus. After all did not he suffer for us? Now that was something that was certainly not fair.

Who Do You Listen To

Not Listening

“Today if you would only hear His voice.” Psalm 95:7

Do you ever feel like someone is not listening to you when you are speaking to them? They may be looking at you, but you can tell their mind is somewhere else. Kind of frustrating, isn't it? I think every spouse experiences this from time to time. I know I do. There are many reasons we don't listen to what others are saying. Sometimes we get captured by someone who doesn't know when to shut up, and they go on and on and on! We really don't have time to sit and listen to them, so we don't. Their constant discourse of useless verbiage is a gross waste of your time, and they soon sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

All of us have learned how to mute the noise of our captor without seeming rude. But there are some people in our lives who we could sit and listen to all day. I love visiting my high school coach, Bob Birdwhistell and his wife Donna, and I know all of his former players do as well. We sit and reminisce of years long ago, and the time flies by.

We learn from people like that, and our lives are blessed from being in their presence. All of us have an opportunity is listen to a speaker who can bless us more than anyone on this earth. If we would only hear his voice we would be blessed more than we could ever imagine. That person is God our Father. He speaks to us every day. He speaks when we rise, and when we lay down to sleep. His voice can be heard in the good times and the bad. When no one else seems to be listening to us he will always be there to hear us and carry on a conversation with us. He will listen to you, and tell you what you need to hear. Oh if we would only seek to be captured by the One who gives us wisdom. Today if we would only hear his voice!

Let Your Light Shine

Right now the sun is bursting through my window, and I am watching tiny specks of something float around the room. I don't know for sure what they are called. They may be dust particles. You would think a man as old as I am would have figured out by now what these specks are. I've seen them all my life. I only see them when rays of sun stream brightly through the window. The specks probably are floating around the room all the time. But I only see them when they are illumined by the radiant sunshine.

Isn't it interesting how we fail to see something that is all around us all of the time because it is hidden due to a lack of illumination? I thought how in my life many things have remained hidden in darkness. Some I have chosen to hide because I am ashamed to reveal them. There has been on occasion times when I was afraid to allow light to be cast on the good things in my life that should have been seen by everyone. I was embarrassed to speak out or to act because I was afraid I would be laughed at, or that I would not be accepted. Unfortunately, there have been many times that I did not let Jesus be known in my life. That happens in a number of ways for everyone. Anytime we do, say or write something that does not reflect Jesus' love we hide the image of Jesus. The Bible calls that putting our light under a bowl or a basket. The light of Jesus is always in the lives of his people. The world needs to see that light. People need Jesus. Read what Jesus said about this.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The world must see exactly who Jesus is. This happens when  we allow the illumination of the Son of God to shine brightly in our lives. In letting your light shine you glorify and worship your Heavenly Father.

A Holy Perspective

Who would have believed seventy years ago, when I was born, how much the world would change? Televisions were just beginning to become common in the households of America. There were no color TV sets, just black and white, and to change the three stations you received one would have to get out of their chair and turn a knob. Many homes had no indoor bathrooms. There were no garage door openers. Most houses didn’t even have garages. Nothing was automated. If your home had a phone you would have to talk to a person called an operator to get the person you wanted to talk to. Of course, you might have to wait hours before your six party tine was clear in order to make your call. I won’t go into what that means. And I could give many more examples to compare technology, or lack thereof, to the incredible technological advances of to day. It is mind boggling.

We have come a long way. Our society gloats over these amazing phenomenal gadgets that have made life easier. We can’t wait to get our hands on the next whatever it is that comes out in the stores. Those of us who are old enough might wonder how our parents would react if they could somehow suddenly appear in this age. Wouldn’t they be dumbfounded if they could see how we live today?

Last night my wife and I were getting ready to leave the restaurant where we had been eating. I paid our bill by swiping my credit card on a little machine on our table. I said to my wife, “Wouldn’t our dads (who were merchants when they were living) be amazed if they could see how I just paid for our meal? She said, “I think they are saying to each other, “Won’t JohnPaul and Sherri be amazed when they get to heaven and see this place?”

God, may we always have a Holy perspective to keep us focused on our heavenly home. For we are not of this world, we are children of the world to come.

When We Do As We Please

In the book of Judges there is a statement which describes Israel during one of the low periods of their history. It says, “In these days Israel had no King; everyone did as they pleased.” Judges 17:6

Think for a moment what a society would be like if people did what they wanted to do without any regard to the well being of others. They would take what they wanted to take, and say what they wanted to say no matter who it hurt, simply do what they wanted to do. They would show no respect for those who try to lead. They would not respect or honor those who had labored and toiled to make the world a better place. These people would scoff at the spiritual beliefs and traditions and laws that had provided civility and respect for the good of others. Lawlessness would run rampid and any attempt to use the restraints which had kept people safe for years would be removed. Ignorance would prevail, and common sense would be thrown out the window.

In those days Israel had no king, no spiritual leader, no moral compass; society ran amok. The land which recognizes a higher power, a Savior, a King above all kings will prosper. The land that operates under a godly moral code will find it citizens treating others with respect, with care and with love. God help the society, the nation, which rejects the King or Kings and chooses to live as they please.

An Amazing Message

Here is something very powerful; so powerful that it is life changing. The Apostle John was introducing John the Baptist in the first chapter of his account of the gospel. He said that God sent a man named John (John the Baptist) to be a witness of the light, the true light that will give light to everyone. The light he was talking about was a person, and John said that it was through this person, the light, that the world was made, but that the world did not recognize him. Even his own people did not receive him. Now here is what I find absolutely amazing and powerful. John goes on to say that those who do receive him, those who believe in his name, to them he gives the right to become children of God. Today people protest about having their rights taken away, or that their rights were violated. Many talk about their God given right. More of us need to talk about the greatest, most important right ever given to man—the right to become children of God.

From the time that Jesus entered this earth until he died the world as a whole didn’t even recognize him, didn’t receive him, and did not believe in him. Nothing has changed. The world today does not believe in the name of Jesus. But there are still a few who do believe in him, and because they do they have become God’s very own children. That is what is amazing! If you believe you go from being a lost sinner in darkness to being a person who God brings into his family as his child. How special is it that God says, “I have given you the right to be my Child?”

A number of things occur when you become God’s child. A child of God has a place in his heaven. A child of God will live in God’s house forever. A child of God becomes an heir to all that God has. A child of God will become perfect: a perfect mind, a perfect body, perfect knowledge, and perfectly holy. When God’s child leaves this world and goes to heaven he or she will have absolutely no flaws. But even before his child leaves this earth God looks at him and sees the righteousness of Jesus in him. God is proud of his children. I think God says of his child, “That’s my boy. That’s my girl. I am well pleased in them.” Those of us who have believed in the name of Jesus and have trusted in him alone to save us are blessed far beyond what we can possibly understand in this world.

God has rewarded us for choosing to believe in the Light that was sent to deliver everyone from the curse of darkness. Of course God knew that most would prefer to live in darkness although they were given the opportunity to come to the light. You know, that is very sad. All they need to do is believe in the name of Jesus to become children of God. The gospel message is amazing. I am amazed that God would want me as his child. What about you?

What’s Clogging Our Pipes

The water begins to drain just a little slower and a little slower, but it’s not so bad that you do anything about it. In a few weeks you notice that it is taking  a bit longer for the water to leave the sink, but it does eventually drain away. Then finally one day the water will not drain at all. You can no longer run that nice pure water into your sink. Sometimes the process of pipes clogging happens so slowly that it is barely noticeable. You realize that something has to be done because you have created a mess. So you call in a plumber to unstop your drain. Or maybe you get a plumber’s snake and try to unclog it yourself. 

Finally, you or a plumber begin running the auger through the clogged pipe, and whatever has accumulated in the pipe begins coming out. What you see is not pretty, nor dose it smell good. The odor is repulsive. It makes you gag. The clog is a mass of hair, dead skin, toothpaste, soap and no telling what else which has evolved into a black stinking mess of goop. You can't believe you let your sink get in such shape. You may be embarrassed that the plumber is seeing what you have allowed to build up in your pipe. But at least you have gotten rid of that which had completely rendered your sink useless.

The same thing happens to our spiritual pipes. Very often sin slowly enters our lives. It can be those little sins, the kind of sin that “everybody” sins. Before long those little sins become bigger sins and we stop communicating with God. We neglect our Bible reading, our prayer time, and the time of worship and praise. We get caught up in the things of the world. The Bible teaches that we are not of the world, but when we allow the world to enter our lives that is when we create a clog so great that Christ's likeness and love ceases to flow freely through our spiritual pipeline. We are unable to hear from God. 

Like the pure water that can no longer flow in the clogged pipe in our bathroom sink God’s blessings and his power in our lives cannot flow if we live in sin. Most of the time the clogging of our spiritual pipes happens so slowly that we may not notice what’s happening until we are in a mess. God detests the sin in our lives. Sin creates a nasty stinking mess within us. What we offer is a terrible odor to God. God desires a sweet smelling aroma sent to him by an offering of obedience. God’s forgiveness when we repent of our sins is the only thing that will unclog our clogged spiritual pipes. All we have to do is ask him to forgive us and stop clogging our pipes with sin.

“Our lives are a pleasing aroma of Christ rising up to God...” 2 Corinthians 2:15