PREPARE THE WAY

Matthew 3:10 “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

An old farmer had plowed around a large rock in one of his fields for years. He had broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it and had grown rather morbid about the rock. After breaking another plowshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it. When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to get rid of it sooner.

Creating something new often requires that we first remove any obstacles to that new creation. For instance, putting up a new building first requires that we prepare the land. Many rocks, bushes and trees, at times, have to be removed. At times, wet lands have to be filled in with soil so that a new building will be able to have a stronger foundation. If you don’t get rid of the obstacles, you simply cannot build. Try putting a foundation on a piece of land filled with stumps, bush, water and rocks and see what will happen. It just can’t be done.

When we enter into a new relationship with a person, one of the tasks we have to engage in is removing obstacles to that relationship. Some people know each other at work or at church for years, but they never get close because there are obstacles to furthering such a relationship. Perhaps, some surface things like appearance or language, or an apparent difference of opinion or lifestyle, keep people apart. Only when those obstacles get swept aside do two people have any chance of really becoming friends.

If we have purchased a piece of land and want to build our home there, we carefully look at the land and ask ourselves: What do I need to do in order to prepare this land for my home? As we reflect on our lives we could ask: What are the major obstacles that hinder us from really developing a strong with relationship with Christ?

Are we allowing a certain sin to constantly drag us down, robbing us of our peace and injecting sadness into everything we do? Perhaps it is something that happened in the past, something that we consider to be such a heavy burden that we don’t know how we have carried it so long and so far. We can still relive the past in our imaginations, still blaming ourselves, still wishing it had never happened. If such is the case, we need to focus on Christ and not on ourselves. Jesus wants to free us from these past burdens. He died to bring us freedom. God is a God of mercy, forgiveness and freedom. Allow the Lord to carry those things which are too heavy for you. Take them to him in prayer.

The first, middle and last step to clearing the ground for a right relationship to Jesus is prayer. Through sincere and persevering prayer Jesus will most certainly lead us back to himself. Any obstacle standing in the way of a healthy relationship with Jesus is an obstacle to our true peace and happiness. Allow the Lord to remove all obstacles in your life.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

One of my earliest movie memories was the 1978 version of Superman. The storyline and special effects aren’t as impressive now as they were then, but I was just a child. I remember one scene in particular. Lois Lane was driving through the desert when her car is swallowed by an earthquake and Superman can’t get there in time to save her. Superman gets super angry and he starts flying around the earth at supersonic speed and he reverses time by reversing the rotation of the earth thus saving Lois.

Don’t you wish you could do that? I know that isn’t based on very good science. For one thing, the earth rotates around its axis at about 1,000 mph so if Superman had done what he did he would have saved Lois but the entire planet would have died from whiplash. But it’s a cool concept.

Wouldn’t it be great if you were having a conversation with someone and you said something you wish you hadn’t said and you could simply excuse yourself from the conversation, fly around the earth a few times, and pick up before you left off? Of course, the real danger then would be mid-air collisions because we’d all be flying around the earth all the time. I wish I could reverse time but the arrow of time points in one direction. You can’t undo what you’ve done. In other words, some things in life are irreversible.

When I was a freshman in high school, I blew out my elbow in the last game of our baseball season. I went to the doctor for a diagnosis and he said I tore my radial collateral ligament. I asked him how long it’d take to heal. He said, “Never.” I’ll never forget the feeling of finality—the damage was done and there was nothing I could do to change it. I learned a lesson the hard way that day: some things in life are irreversible. You can’t untear a ligament. For what it’s worth, I’ve also learned from personal experience that you can’t undelete documents, unbake cookies, uncut hair or unrun red lights with surveillance cameras. Some things in life are irreversible. But here’s some good news: God is in the business of reversing the irreversible.

If you read the gospels you’ll discover that Jesus reversed weather patterns. He reversed blindness. He reversed paralysis. And 2,000 years ago, He reversed death. I love the way Acts 2:24 says it. “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” I love that language. We tend to think of dying and coming back to life as being impossible. Peter says the exact opposite. It was impossible for death to keep its grip on Christ.

Our scripture paints a picture of how I believe God wanted things to be from the beginning. God, living in holy communion with creation, free from hurt, pain, disappointment, sickness, loss, etc. Life may be difficult at times. We all have felt the effects of a problematic world. But one day, God will reverse the ill impacts of our fleshly existence. In the end, he will bring his people to a glorious place, safe with him. Now that’s a happy ending.

LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING

Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

I remember a Peanuts cartoon in which Charlie Brown was talking to Lucy. He remarked about the tragedy of so much apathy in the world today. And Lucy responded, "Yeah, it’s terrible. But who cares?"

To love the Lord with all your heart means to love him with pure devotion. It’s not enough to give Christ a place in our hearts. We are called to love him with all of our heart. When you love someone with all of your heart, you think about them almost all of the time. You long to be with them. They’re the priority in your life. And to love God with all your heart is the same. It means that your heart is devoted to him. It means that you are faithful to him. He becomes the most important thing in your life. But the love we are to have for God has another characteristic. You are not only to love God with all your heart; you are to love him with all your soul. To love God with all our soul means that our love for God ought to be full of passion. And we are all people of passion. Some people are passionate about sports, some people are passionate about their work, some people are passionate about hobbies, like art, or music. People are passionate about all sorts of things, but how many of us have the same passion for God that we have for these other things?

We cannot afford to be apathetic about our love for God. We must be excited about our relationship with Jesus. We must be passionate. In the Song of Solomon, we hear about the passionate kind of love we ought to have for God. Song of Solomon is a pretty racy book, if you think about it. But it’s describing a passionate, all consuming love. And about giving everything you’ve got to the one you love. And it’s a perfect example of how our love for the Lord should be. Real love is passionate love. To love God with all our soul means that we must be involved with all our emotions in our relationship to him. When you’ve really given Jesus all of your heart, then it’s easy to become excited about following him.

Our love for Christ begins with a pure devotion and expresses itself by being full of passion, but there is another element. Jesus says that you are to love the Lord your God with your entire mind. This is a love that is thoroughly considered. Today it seems that some Christians are so open minded that their brains are falling out. Emotionalism is a big problem in the body of Christ today. In Romans chapter one the apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. Loving God is not an emotional expression that bypasses the mind. It is true that when people rely on their own intellectual capacity to figure out God, they always come up short. Because God is too big to be totally figured out by human minds. But we can learn and know what God has revealed to us. It is clear from the Scripture that God fully intends for our minds to be involved in our love for him.

Do you have a passion for God? Is that fire burning within you today? Make the conscious choice to ignite and maintain your passion.

WHERE IS GOD WHEN I'M HURTING?

Job 23:10 “But He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold.”

One of the biggest speed bumps to understanding God can be our encounters with pain and suffering. The hurts we experience may stem from abandonment or abuse, sorrow and loss, fears and failures, setbacks and confrontations, chronic illness and pain - the list is long. We all hurt for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes God’s hand of comfort and his compassion toward us in our pain and sorrow is so wonderful we can’t describe it. He appears on the scene of our calamity with assistance and provision and we stand in awe of his presence. At other times, however, he seems distant and disinterested, like he’s moved and hasn’t left a forwarding address. He has all the power and provision necessary to alleviate our misery but he doesn’t seem to be lifting a finger to come to our rescue. It’s at times like that when our faith is tested. Our cries for help seem to go unanswered; our thirst for answers unquenched. If we’re not careful we can become fearful and disillusioned with God when we’re hurting.

The classic biblical example of searching for God when you’re hurting is the story of Job. Job quickly lost his possessions, his health and his children in a succession of natural disasters. And even though he knew God, he made an honest admission in his pain. Have you ever had an experience like Job’s? Have you had those times when you searched for God and you couldn’t find him? You knew he was at work but you had no immediate indication that he was doing anything to come to your rescue in the midst of your pain? Where is God when I’m hurting?

HE’S PROMPTING POSITIVE CHANGES IN ME

What tests have you been experiencing lately? Do you think nothing good can come of them? If so, think again. Testing has the potential to burn out our impurities. Difficulties are part of God’s refining process. Our pain is often the fire that makes us better. And as we become a better person, we experience more of the joy and fulfillment in life that God created us to experience. We become more like God. Difficulties in our life have tremendous power to change us – for better or for worse. We get stronger or weaker – more positive or more negative. We become more hopeful or more cynical – depending on our response to our pain.

Sometimes our biggest problem is waiting. We don’t want to wait. We want to wrestle. We’re like Jacob in the Old Testament. We want to wrestle with God and we want to wrestle with our problems. But that’s not always what God wants. God wants us to approach our problems with faith in him. He wants us to exercise confidence in his timing. God doesn’t always take away our problems because, quite frankly, his goal isn’t for us to live a problem-free life. His design is for us to become more like his son Jesus.

GOD IS SHOWING ME THAT HE LOVES ME

The initial reaction to that statement is, “If God wants to show me how much he loves me why doesn’t he just stop the pain?” Sometimes, our hurts are not always because we have done wrong, but sometimes God doesn’t stop the hurting in our life because the pain is meant to keep us from straying off into even more hurtful and harmful territory. He loves us enough to protect us by confronting us with pain to make us think about how we’re living, how we’re thinking or acting. He loves us enough to use our pain as a boundary that keeps us from hurting ourselves even more.

If God were as weak-willed as we are he wouldn’t be as consistent in his discipline. But he’s not a doting father who gives his children everything they want when they want it because he knows that’s not always best for us. We want the pain to stop and God wants the pain to stop. He doesn’t enjoy disciplining us any more than we enjoy being disciplined. But he wants to burn the impurities out of our life.

Sometimes you’re going to have pain. Sometimes you’re going to hurt. Where is God when this happens? He’s right there with us because he loves us.

RESTORATION

Joel 2:25 “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.”

Joel was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah between 835-796 B.C. about the same time Elisha was prophesying to the Northern Kingdom, Israel in 848 BC. Joel speaks to people who had become very complacent and self centered. They took God for granted and worshiped idols. They had become insensitive to the condition of their spiritual lives. Joel warned them that sooner or later their sinful lifestyle would bring down the judgment of God, yet their physical and moral senses were dulled to the point that they seemed oblivious to their need. Why did they need God? Up to this time they had been experiencing a great abundance agriculturally--they had plenty of grain, corn and wine and oil. They didn’t want for a thing. Occasionally they would go to the temple to offer the sacrifices that were required and go through the outward religious motions. But it didn’t really mean much to them. As they continued on this downward spiral, a crisis occurred that stopped them right in their tracks. A terrible plague of locust swarmed into the land and nothing was left in the fields--once overflowing, they are now empty of crops. It affected the animals as well as the agriculture of the area. The magnitude of the destruction was so devastating that it would take a long time to recover from it.

Joel comes on the scene at this time to speak not only a message of judgment to these wayward people, but also a message of hope. I wonder how these people felt as they looked around at the devastation in their lives. Maybe they felt hopeless that they could do nothing to change the way things were. Maybe they felt depressed. Maybe they felt like giving up completely. Some may have felt like working very hard to do something to change things.

How do you feel when things hit your life like a destructive swarm of locust? Scripture points out here that what the swarming locusts didn’t ruin the other types did. In the King James Version the four types mentioned are: the locust, the cankerworm, the palmerworm, and the caterpillar. These represent destruction of different types--stripping, cutting, swarming, and hopping. It is like when things hit us we might say, “well when one problem gets taken care of I was hit from a different direction.” What each of the locust groups had left behind, the others had eaten. Problems came in from all directions and just devoured everything.

There are seasons in our life that involve famine and devastation and then there are times of restoration. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives and they accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. Sometimes God can’t get our attention when everything is going along fine. Sometimes we wonder where the bad things come from. What is their source? Is it God’s judgment? Is it just natural circumstances? Does it come from our own bad choices? Or does it happen just because we are in the wrong place at the wrong time? We can probably answer, “All of the above.”

Hope is found in the fact that no matter how devastating things seem, God desires to restore us. Restoration can come to us even when it looks impossible--even after devastation of long standing. God says, “I will restore to you the years...” Sometimes when devastation comes it seems to eat away years of blessing. There are times when it is the result of personal sin or of fortuitous circumstances.

Restoration has some prerequisites that can’t be overlooked. There has to be a genuine turning to God and repentance. Not just an outward ritual. He will give you a new spiritual perception to recognize what God is really doing for you. God wants each of us to know that there is a time when he will restore in order to demonstrate his hand in our lives. If God has taken you through some lean times, know that he is the restorer of what the locusts have eaten and acknowledge him and praise him for doing it for you too.

SAME SOLUTION TO AN AGE OLD PROBLEM

Leviticus 1:3 “…that he may be accepted before the Lord.”

The word sin is used 90 times in the book of Leviticus, more than any other book in the Bible, and it is used over 4 times as much in Leviticus than in Genesis and Exodus combined. In Exodus, we find God being concerned with getting his people out of Egypt. God was concerned with releasing them from the bonds of Egyptian slavery. In the book of Leviticus, which covers a one month period of time after the building of the tabernacle, we find God now concerned with getting Egypt out of his people. God was concerned with dealing with the people’s problem of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve started the process in the garden, mankind has continually throughout the years, sought to do things their own way, and they have openly rebelled against and rejected God’s way. Sin is disobedience to God’s laws and commands. And as Paul says in Romans, we sin when we fall short and when we don’t measure up to what God expects us to be and what God expects us to do.

Sin is disobeying God and breaking his laws. Sin separates us from God. God is Holy. Four times in the book of Leviticus God tells his people to be holy because he is holy. As God speaks to Moses from the tabernacle, he not only pointed out to Moses mans problem of sin. God also, told Moses of the provision that he was instituting to deal with the sins of God’s people.

You see man’s problem of sin must be dealt with, before man can be restored to fellowship with a holy God. And God seeing man’s need and knowing that man was in no position to do anything about his sin, called from the tabernacle to Moses. He spoke to Moses informing him of his provision for man’s need. That provision was through offerings and sacrifice. The words offering and sacrifice are used over 90 times in this book and the first 7 chapters deal with the 7 sacrifices that God established. As you reflect on the Mosaic Sacrificial system you will see many common threads and applications to our own worship of God today.

Does mankind and God’s people still struggle with the problem of sin? They most certainly do. The majority of the world is still lost in sin. And Christians struggle with sin as well. The apostle John in his first letter to the church writes that if any Christian says he is without sin he is a liar. God still makes provision for our sin by sacrifice. When were sinners God demonstrated his love for us in this way - he gave his one and only son to die on a cross for us, while we were still his enemies. Jesus bore the burden of our sin upon his beaten back. Jesus carried the penalty of our sin away from us. Our sin has been removed as far as the east is from the west. God provided the ultimate sacrifice for sin himself in Christ.

SLOW TO ANGER

Nahum 1:3 “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.”

In today’s world it seems like good guys finish last…or at least that’s what people want us to think. Winning from God’s point-of-view is different. In the end you may not wind up with a million dollars, but you have God’s approval. True happiness in life comes from living right, with a clear conscience. When we trust in the Lord, we experience victory and we survive not only this world, but we have a guarantee for the world to come.

The prophet Nahum delivered a sober message of judgment to Nineveh, but in the middle of his harsh prophecy he offers hope. God knows us and wants to protect us. Nahum’s name means “comfort” or “consolation”. But for those who reject God, the prophet cries, “Where can I find anyone to comfort you?” (3:7). Nahum presents God as our refuge, a shelter in the time of storm.

Protection doesn’t mean a carefree life. When trials come we trust in God and seek his refuge. Faith requires trust without full knowledge; it means living with uncertainty. God chooses our circumstances and trials; we choose our attitudes and reactions to them. I’m reminded of an affirmation found written on a cellar wall in Germany where Jews hid from the Nazis: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I am feeling it not. I believe in God even when He is silent.”

Nahum wrote 150 years after the time of Jonah. Under Jonah’s reluctant preaching the Ninevites repented and God withheld his wrath. But their repentance wore off and they sank deeply into all kinds of sin. Nineveh was again a place of unparalleled wickedness. It was also the wealthiest city in the world, furnished with priceless objects taken as plunder from conquered nations.

God makes it plain that he is angry with Nineveh. We don’t like to think of God as being angry, yet the Bible is clear that he hates sin. You’ve likely heard about billboards along the highway with messages from God. One says, “Don’t make me come down there.” There’s an old children’s hymn that begins, “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” This is perfectly true about our Lord, but it is not all the truth. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem and prophesied that this city which rejected him would be destroyed. The Hebrew word used by Nahum for anger literally means “heavy or hot breathing”. When considering the wrath of God, there are two words we tend to confuse. One is retaliation; the other retribution. To retaliate is to seek revenge and get even. God does not retaliate. Martin Luther (in his typical manner) said, “If I was God and the world had treated me as it did Christ, I would kick the wretched thing to pieces.” In His justice, God brings retribution. Paul makes this clear in Romans when he says “The payment for sin is death” (6:23). He has the power to deliver or destroy. He offers us the option to decide which one it will be.

Yet even when God is angry at sin, he is patient with us. He holds back his vengeance. He waits for us to repent. He doesn’t slam dunk us the moment we step out of line. He is “slow to anger.” He has control over his wrath. He gives us many chances to repent. When we place our trust in Christ, God in his grace gives us what we don’t deserve—eternal life. God in his mercy does not give us what we do deserve.

A FUTURE HOPE

Lamentations 1:7 “In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old.”

Have you ever had one of those days where you wanted so badly for it to just be over? Because you knew that tomorrow had to be better. Because there’s just no way that any two days could ever be this bad.

It’s been said that mankind tends to live on one of three levels. The first level is survival. For some, this survival is literal. They are poor and destitute, and they must spend every waking moment trying to make it through another day. For others, survival means making it to another weekend. Their struggle is simply to exist. But it’s really not much of an existence. The second level is success. Some people live to make it big. To get a big salary, a big car, and a big house. But nothing they get ever brings the satisfaction that they thought it would and there’s always something bigger and better just out of reach. The third level of living goes beyond survival and beyond success. And that is the level of significance. Living a life of significance depends on finding and following God’s purpose for your life - your divine destiny.

The people who have the highest impact are not the most educated, or the wealthiest, or even the most powerful. The people that make the biggest difference and find the most fulfillment in life are those with the clearest sense of God’s purpose for their lives. God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. We must grasp the fact that we’re all called to fit into the kingdom of God in different capacities and facilitate the working of the will of God in the earth.

But it’s easy to lose sight of this in the daily grind. The devil tries to divert us, the world tries to distract us, and our own flesh just wants immediate gratification. None of which are conducive to being who God wants you to be. If we are to live at that desired level of significance we must:

LET GO OF THE PAST

Have you ever met someone that’s stuck in their past? Whether it’s good or bad, they just can’t seem to get over it? Maybe it was some tragedy - “I just can’t forgive myself.” “I know my parents divorce was my fault.” Maybe it is some past glory - “I was the Homecoming Queen.” But how many know that if you’re going to live a happy, quasi-normal life, you’re going to have to let go of your past. Especially as a Christian. And I’m not talking about forgetting where you came from but about putting your past in proper perspective. You can’t dwell there and you can’t go back. Relish the fond memories, learn from past mistakes, and allow God to heal past hurts. Let it go. Because until you’re willing to let go of your past you’ll never be able to move on into what God has for your life.

DON’T JUST LIVE FOR THE MOMENT

We can get so stuck in the here and now, living for the moment, with no thought of the future. No thought that there are consequences to their actions. No thought of how their decisions are going to pan out down the road and how those decisions will affect their life and the lives of those around them. This is a self-centered age.

It’s a whole different ballgame when your hearts into it and you see things from a proper perspective, isn’t it. That’s what God is looking for from us. To live for him today while living for the future hope that he has promised.

LIVE WITH HOPE FOR TOMORROW

Hebrews 11:13-14 says “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.”

In this case, the end really does justify the means. You can’t let anything stand in your way. You must do anything necessary to get to where you need to be. You must cut off any relation that hinders your destiny. Break any ungodly habit. Deny any unwholesome affection. Relinquish anything that captivates your dedication.

Does this mean that we have to pine away our days as spiritual robots? Not at all. It’s all about priorities. God must be first and foremost in your life. And his destiny for you must take priority. The sobering truth is that every area you refuse to surrender to the will of God, you allow to dictate your destiny.

What is it that captivates your heart? Be it God or earthly treasure… fame or fortune… material or spiritual… temporal or eternal… know this… it dictates your destiny.

THE WAY UP IS DOWN

Revelation 5:6 “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”

Here are some of my favorite oxymorons: artificial grass, boneless ribs, big town, harmless lie, communist party, green oranges, easy labor, fresh frozen, jumbo shrimp, cafeteria food, military intelligence, one choice, random order, slumber party, freezer burn, small fortune, government organization, living dead, same difference, plastic glasses, peace force, pretty ugly, head butt, working vacation, Dodge Ram, work party, healthy tan, good grief, and devout atheist.

Chapter 5 of the book of Revelation gives us another oxymoron. Something that sounds impossible, but yet it is still true. We see a lion that is a lamb. Two very opposite things, but yet in Christ they are the same. The first part of Revelation 5 is a picture of heaven. God is sitting on a throne, and in his hand is a scroll. Not just any scroll. It was double-sided, and super-sealed. This scroll was full, with room for nothing else to be added. And, it was closed tightly, so that no-one could open it. Most Bible scholars think that this scroll represents God’s plans and purposes for the world. This scroll contains what God wants to see happen, and will see happen. And no one knows what these plans are. They are sealed. And since the scroll is double-sided, scholars take it to mean that the plans are made in full. Nothing surprises God. So then, these perfect plans and purposes of God, they are complete, and no-one knows what they are.

You know, we wish we knew what God had in store for us. We wish we could see his plans. But as frustrating as that is, be confident in one thing: God knows his plans. He knows what’s in store for us. He can see the beginning from the end. He knows exactly what’s coming up. He knows what he’s doing. Does it sometimes look like he doesn’t? Yes. But take heart. He will reveal himself to you in due time.

But the problem is, we want to be in control of things. We want to know. We want to be in charge of our own lives. We want to be able to make our own decisions. We want to sit on the throne. None of us are worthy to be in control of our own destiny. No one is good enough to be in control. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t be a very good God.

That’s maddening at times. We wish we could just take control of our own lives but we can’t. We mess things up. Whenever we try to take control, we make messes. That’s why peace treaties fail. That’s why marriages fail. That’s why churches split. That’s why there is prejudice and pride, adultery and abortions. Because mankind thinks he can control his own life and future. But it just leads to pain and suffering and messes.

One day Jesus will return to earth as the conquering king. Someday he will bring all of the earth into submission to his plans. But until then, Jesus invades our planet by invading our hearts. I mean, we would love to have him conquer all the sin “out there” now. To storm in like a lion and kick all the evil out. But, as the lamb, he would rather deal with the sin within our hearts. His plans for your life include getting you straightened up, getting you submissive to his plans, getting you to say “yes”, and then using you to go out and help defeat the evil, one person at a time. That’s why he died for you and me.

Submission to God is tough. It isn’t easy to put his plans ahead of ours, his priorities ahead of ours, and his desires ahead of ours. It isn’t always easy to say “yes”. And so we try to reign ourselves, to rule ourselves, to be in charge of our own lives. But if we would only wait and let God’s plans unfold, we would find a much longer lasting reward. An untainted reward with no lingering guilt or emptiness. A reward that lasts longer than however many years we live on this earth. A reward that will not fade away.

Just as John may have been surprised to see a lamb when he expected a lion, we must understand that the best way to go up is to humble down. Allow him to control your life and you will find elevation beyond your greatest hopes.

HAVING A BAD DAY?

Job 1:20 “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship."

So, you are having a bad day?

Let’s put your bad day experiences in the right perspective. Imagine with me if you will, Job living in the 21st century, in our day and time. Job, a modern day business person, - his business is doing better than most, he has a lovely family. They all get along with one another. Though they sometimes have differences of opinions and sometimes disappoint one another, they know how to forgive and forget. As an independent business man , Job is respected in his field of work and is seen as a pillar in the community. Job attends church regularly and is an active participant. As a matter of fact, his ten children were active missionaries to Honduras. Get the Picture?

So let’s listen in on Job’s conversation as he relaxes on the patio after a delightful afternoon with Mrs. Job. His blackberry buzzes relentlessly, his pager goes off violently, his Nextel begins to ring non-stop and the house phone is chiming extremely loud throughout the house. I can hear Job saying to himself “Lord, don’t these people know that it’s the weekend.” Lazily Job grabs the blackberry, because it’s near by. And from that point on, Job’s life will never be the same……“Hello” ……

Blackberry Message from V.P. of Operations: John
“Our largest customer has just merged with our major competitor…. And all competing contracts have been canceled as of Monday.”

Nextel Message from V.P. of Finance: Veronica
“The bank just called and has put a freeze on all our assets…… And they’re calling in all outstanding accounts immediately.”

House Phone Message V.P. of Sales: Mark
“Our second largest customer just phoned in and canceled all future orders…… And Job, they looking to return all excess inventory.

Door Bell Rings, its Sam, the Chief of Police, Job's long time friend:
“Job, you did allow the local Missions Team to use your corporate jet to fly to Honduras….Job, I’m sorry to report but the jet crashed about an hour ago….. There are no survivors.

Job is in shock. He’s devastated and in total disbelief. But he goes to his study, falls on his knees, and begins to pray to God, the source of his strength. Repeating the Lord’s Prayer over and over, knowing that God will see him through this day. Job is having a really bad day.

You will find in studying the Book of Job that God asked the question of Satan. “Have you considered my servant Job?”

The Bible did not record Satan’s direct answer, but the answer to the question is: Yes, Satan had considered Job. His response revealed not only what he had been up to, where he had been, but also who he had been trying to deceive. In modern day vernacular it would have sounded something like this: “Look God, let’s be real… if it weren’t for your all those things you keep blessing him with, I would have had him a long time ago…”

Satan unleashed an all-out onslaught upon Job. He did so with the hope that Job’s real passion was for the things that God had given him instead of God himself. And although things got worse before they got better, Job demonstrated that, in the end, his heart was turned towards God. At the darkest moment Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Remember that God is your source of strength and when life has you backed in a corner. Remember Job and hold on.

REDEMPTIVE LOVE

Genesis 45:7 “But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

God was with Joseph. He was with him in his father Jacob’s house. He was with Joseph in the house of Potiphar. He was with Joseph in the dungeon and he was with Joseph when he ruled all Egypt. Joseph never forgot that God was with him—in good times and bad. Joseph never forgot that he was part of a divine plan. This is made clear in Genesis 50:20, a verse that perfectly sums up Joseph’s faith and his view of life: “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Joseph had lived as a slave and prisoner on the bottom rung of society, friendless and powerless, yet he never wore the chains of a slave mentality. He maintained faith in God, never doubting God’s power, love, or plan. We see how God used Joseph to save Egypt and preserve a remnant of his chosen people. Joseph has been called the most Christ-like individual of the Bible; in his life of suffering, victory, and redemptive love he bears the image of Jesus.

We might think that Joseph was giving his brothers a hard time to get revenge for how they had mistreated him. But as we examine the events surrounding our scripture, we can see that he was not harassing them for his own pleasure. Joseph felt compassion on them, wept for them, and was leading them, step-by-step, to repent of their sins. Joseph shows us that real love is redemptive; it is helping those we love come to God and live in a right relationship with God.

God wanted to use Joseph not only to save the lives of his family from starvation, but to redeem them spiritually. God wanted to change them from evil murderers, full of jealousy and hatred, into men of God, patriarchs of God’s chosen people.

Joseph chose to cancel his brothers’ treachery through forgiveness. His goal was reconciliation. To forgive, we have to give up some power—namely the advantage of being the injured party, and the right to get even. The Hebrew word “forgiveness” (salach) means “to have anger in one’s fist and to release it.” Joseph knew his relationship with his brothers was more important than his hurt.

Joseph declares that ultimately it was not his brothers who sent him to Egypt—it was God. God had a great purpose in sending him to Egypt ahead of them. Because Joseph believed in the sovereignty of God he is able to love and forgive his brothers

Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Is someone you know in need of redemptive love? Is there someone—a friend, neighbor, relative, who is far from God? You can be their Joseph, leading them back to God through your life and love. Don’t let the hurt of the past keep you from this. Let go of the pain of the past and look instead at their need. When people hurt us, it reveals that they have a need which only God can heal. We can be used by God to help bring about healing and reconciliation.

NEVER TIRE OF DOING WHAT'S RIGHT

2 Thessalonians 3:13 “And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.”

Doing right is a personal matter. Doing what is right lies squarely on the shoulder of the individual. No matter what others do, you know what you have to do. If you know the difference between right and wrong, then you know what you need to do to please the Lord. God makes this personal. The Bible says, “Never tire of doing what is right.” He puts it in our lap.

This is similar to what we hear in Joshua, “...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) We may not be able to speak for others, but we can speak for ourselves. We may not answer for others, but we will answer for ourselves. Therefore our chief concern is that we are doing right. Every Christian is judged on his individual service. We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, by ourselves. No one will be there to run interference; none will offer defense. It will just be us and the record of all our deeds.

When we were little we tried to blame other kids for what we did wrong. My parents used to ask, "If they jumped off the bridge, would you jump off too?" or "If they stuck their head in the fire would you stick yours in too?" The lesson they were trying to get across was that we should act based on our own knowledge of right and wrong. That’s what God is saying here. Doing right is not an option in the Christian life. James says, “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17) It’s not like doing right is a luxury enjoyed only by the super-righteous. It is all our responsibility.

When Paul says we are to never tire of doing right, he hints of the effort required to please God. It isn’t always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes it means disagreeing with a friend. They might get angry with you if you refuse to cover for their sin. It may require that you stand on principle. You could lose your employer’s approval. You may have to choose between money and integrity. Doing right could mean you have to stand up against a bully for someone else. Whatever the price of doing right may be, it will be repaid in the judgment. In the end, the cost of doing right will never be as high as the cost of doing wrong.

The Thessalonians lived in troubled times. They faced the threat of persecution. They feared the danger of corrupt teaching. They knew the challenges of the Christian life. They struggled with one another, and they struggled with personal issues. It wasn’t any easier for them to be Christians than it is for us. Isn’t that encouraging? If it wasn’t any easier for those who fleshed out Christianity in the first century, it isn’t any harder for us in the 21st century. You and I can enjoy the same peace they enjoyed. We, too, can have peace at all times.

That’s not pie-in-the-sky-theology; it’s a spiritual reality. Is it always easy? Never was. Is it possible? Always has been. How can we have peace in troubled times? We just need Jesus. We need the peace Jesus gives. Christianity is lived out one Christian at a time. But it is also lived out simultaneously within a community of other believers. Those who seek to live a life pleasing to God are encouraged by the hope of his peace. Serve God individually. Keep a watchful eye on one another and enjoy the presence and peace of Jesus.

THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS

Exodus 3:14 “I am the one who always is.”

To the Hebrew people the statement “I AM” became a very holy phrase. They would refuse to say this word as they believed the name of God was too holy to repeat. What does it mean? It is the expression of what God is, the sum of his being and the greatest of all his names. A commentator paraphrased the verse: "If Israel shall ask: What are the nature and attributes of Him who hath sent thee to bring us out of Egypt? Tell them it is the eternal, self-existent, immutable being who only can say that He always will be what He always has been.” The Lord was saying, “Let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you. I am, and there is none else besides me. All else have their being from Me and are wholly dependent upon Me”

This is his name: Jehovah (YHVH).

His name shows us a number of things:

(1) He is self-existent: he has his being of himself. In one sense God is continually and eternally recreating himself. And yet in another he is always the same. He is ever youthful and yet he is the “Ancient of Days.”

(2) That he is eternal and unchangeable, (immutable) and his character is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

(3) That he is incomprehensible. We cannot by searching find him out.

(4) That he is faithful and true to all his promises, unchangeable in his word as well as in his nature.

Whenever Jesus used this name some of his hearers would be scandalized and others would be confused. It was a name which was simply not used by them, because it was so holy. Only God would use it. But Jesus did so many other things which confused or offended his hearers.

We, however, must not be in any way limited in the use of this name. After all, the name of Jesus means “Jehovah saves”. Every time we say the name of Jesus we are using the name Jehovah and all that it means. And then the name is supported by all that the Kingdom of Heaven is: it is irresistible.

In the Old Testament we see that God calls himself by seven covenant names. Jehovah Jireh meaning the Lord my provider, Jehovah Rohi meaning the Lord is my shepherd, Jehovah Shalom meaning the Lord is my peace, Jehovah Nissi meaning the Lord is my banner or my conqueror, Jehovah Tsidkenu is the Lord our righteousness, Jehovah Shammah meaning the Lord is there (or the Lord is here), and Jehovah Rapha meaning the Lord who heals.

When you add up these redemptive names of Jehovah all you get is the name of Jesus. And the name of Jesus is powerful. It never matters what the name of the problem is. It is always inferior to the name of Jesus. When we have difficulties we should find out what to call it, and then remind both it, and ourselves that it has to bow its knee to his authority.

Moses was to remind the Israelites that God was sufficient to accomplish everything they needed. He is still that same God today, the one who always is.

WORSHIP - NOW AND FOREVER

Psalms 145:1 “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.”

This is really David’s crown jewel of praise. This is the last psalm that has David’s name associated with it and the title, “A psalm of praise” is used only for this one. This hymn is characterized by praise, ¬ not thanksgiving or even prayer. It’s set apart for a specific purpose. It is magnificent in its beauty and almost breathtaking in its grandeur. This psalm has a special blessing associated with it. According to the ancient Israelites, who recited this psalm twice in the morning and once in the evening, a person who sang this psalm out loud three different times during the day would be “happy.”

David as God’s king adores Almighty God as his king above all kings. To “exalt” is to set on high above all others, it’s the expression of the greatest possible admiration. The phrase “for ever” means that David’s praise has no end, but when he adds another “ever” to it he forbids all idea of a close to his praise. Our praise of God shall be as eternal as the God we praise. Praise is the only activity that we’re called to do now that we’ll continue doing in eternity. We pray now, but there will be a time when our prayers will no longer be needed. We believe, but there shall be a time when our faith will be lost in sight when we see him face to face. We hope but a time is coming when what we hope for will come to glorious fruition. But, praise is with us now and will continue in heaven. We are to praise him “every day” regardless of how our day looks. When we’re up and everything looks good, we’re to praise him. And, when we’re down and things look dark, we’re still to praise him. Every day is a new opportunity to praise him.

C.S. Lewis says, “We praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”

And so, because of God’s position, we are to praise him daily.

Our worship should be in some ways like the object of our worship ¬- great praise for a great God. There is no part of God’s greatness which is not worthy of great praise. Spurgeon has said, “Praise may said to be great when the song contains great matter, when the hearts producing it are intensely fervent, and when large numbers unite in the grand acclaim.” No chorus or hymn is too loud, no band or orchestra too large, no psalm too lofty for the lauding of the Lord of Hosts.

While God is great, David recognizes that “no one can fathom” his great power completely. When we contemplate the immensity of God, we find ourselves surrounded by unknowable wonders. Paul put it this way in Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out.”

I read recently about a Christian conference that was held at a church in Omaha, Nebraska. People were given helium-filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. All during the service balloons ascended, but when the service was over, 1/3 of the people were still holding on to their balloons. Don’t hold back ¬ let’s let our praise rise up to God.

A MODEL FOR COPING WITH GRIEF

2 Samuel 12:21 “His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat"

Every Christian deals with loss and grief at some time during their life. It might come in the form of the death of a loved one, the loss of a financial position, the loss of good health or the shattering of dreams. When this happens, we naturally ask, "Why?" and along with the original loss, we are sometimes tempted to lose our faith in God’s goodness. We enter a period of grief. How should we deal with this grief? Is it wrong to grieve? Has God forsaken us?

The first thing the Christian faced with a loss should understand is, that it is "okay" to grieve. Jesus said, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." The word "mourn" comes from a Greek word that means "to lament or bemoan oneself". Jesus said that we who bemoan ourselves are to be envied - blessed. Why is that? Because those who mourn will be comforted. We are not helpless in our grief. He is here to give us the strength to go on and to live successful lives. In fact, he wants to change our losses into gains.

Our scripture offers a Biblical pattern for the grief process in a story from the life of David. You may recall that David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she became pregnant with his child and he had her husband killed. They then married but their child died soon after birth.

How did David respond? First, we see that David got down on the ground, fasted and prayed. That’s what we should do as well, when we are faced with new pain, disability or loss. We should humble ourselves, fast and pray. We should seek the Lord and ask him to restore us. When it became evident that God had not answered David’s prayer in the way he had hoped, the scripture says that he "arose". That is what we need to do as well. At some point, we must "rise above" our grief and sorrow, pick up the pieces and go on. Next, it says he "washed". Each one of us is God’s vessel to be used for his purposes. Then, he "anointed himself". Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We know that one of the very names used for the Holy Spirit is "The Comforter". At this point in the grief process, we must let the Holy Spirit minister to us in two ways: First, we need for him to comfort us in our grief. Then we need to let him empower us for the road ahead. Next, he "changed his garments". We need to do that as well. Put away the mourning clothes - God is about to do something new. Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Then, he "worshipped" God. We, too, need to worship him. In his extreme situation, Job was able to say, "The Lord gives, the Lord takes away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord." Does that sound too difficult? If God is God, he deserves our worship whether things are going well in our lives or not. Once you really know him, you will find it possible to worship him - even in the worst of circumstances. Finally, he "went in to Bathsheba and lay with her" and she gave birth to Solomon. I’m sure that David and Bathsheba, like all parents, had dreams for that first child - dreams and hopes that were dashed and left unfulfilled when he died.

Do you have dreams that now seem destined to remain unfulfilled? Had you hoped that your life would turn out differently? Give up those hopes and dreams to God and let him give you new ones, just as he gave David and Bathsheba a new son. God has created us for good works that we should walk in them.

CUSTOM-BUILT RELIGION

Judges 17:5 “Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest.”

A certain credit card company had a commercial set in the board room of some international corporation. A merger is in progress. The CEO says everything is set to be finalized on the 28th. One office flunky at the copier turns and says, "Sorry, I’m only available on the 12th. There is a moment of silence while the board members look at each other in wonderment. Then the CEO says, "OK, the 12th it is." A narrator then asks, "Wouldn’t you like to world to revolve around you?" The commercial goes on to inform you that if you will subscribe to their credit card you can choose your own billing date.

In fact, most of us would like the world to revolve around us. This is particularly true in the religious realm. Multitudes seek a Church or religious group that fits their preference. They go from one to another because they don’t like the preacher, the singing, the seating, etc. Failing to find the church that suits them, they may even resort to starting a new group or just quitting altogether and finding a service they like on TV. We think everyone should agree with us and everything should go our way. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) it seldom happens.

Our scripture tells a story of a man who thought everything should revolve around him. His name was Micah. Micah lived in the hill country of Ephraim, probably not too far from "The House of the Lord at Shiloh" where God’s people were supposed to worship at that time. No doubt there was something he didn’t like about Shiloh. Maybe it was just inconvenient for him to travel the short distance. In any case, he had built a little chapel of shrine at his home. Soon, Micah had built silver shrines to worship and he even hired a wandering Levite to be the priest of his self-made temple. It was no longer necessary for him to go to Shiloh and put up with the dull preaching, hard seats, and tasteless unleavened bread. In the end, his "homemade religion" turned out to be a real disappointment.

What was wrong with Micah’s little family cult? It was superficial: A surface thing only. He saw God as someone he could manipulate and move from place to place. As a guest in his spare bedroom. He thought he could buy God’s blessing by hiring a priest. There is no evidence any of his efforts to achieve God’s blessing changed his life in the least or made him a more spiritual man. It was self righteous. Everything he did was thought up in his own mind. No indication he prayed and asked for guidance, let alone consulted God’s Law. Even the priest he hired had no influence in his life. Micah said, "live with me and be my father." but the record states, "the man was to him like one of his sons."

Micah wanted a faith and religion that revolved around his every whim. He wanted something that would operate just the way he wanted it. No one else could please him, so he created his own. Micah proved he didn’t need God. He made his own gods. He had a personal, private, customized religion. We can do the same. No one will stop us as long as we do nothing illegal. But, like Micah, we will experience a terrible disappointment in the end because no religion is adequate to the needs of the spirit of man and no religion can grant forgiveness and eternal life except that which God has given us. The only way to enjoy these blessings is through Jesus Christ.

SOLD OUT

1 Kings 19:21 “So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.”

On April 21, 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the conqueror of all Mexico. How was this incredible feat accomplished, when two prior expeditions had failed even to establish a colony on Mexican soil? Here’s the secret. Cortez knew from the very beginning that he and his men faced incredible odds. He knew that the road before them would be dangerous and difficult. He knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain. And so, as soon as Cortez and his men had come ashore and unloaded their provisions, he ordered their entire fleet of eleven ships destroyed. His men stood on the shore and watched as their only possibility of retreat burned and sank. And from that point on, they knew beyond any doubt there was no return, no turning back. Nothing lay behind them but an empty ocean. Their only option was to go forward, to conquer or die.

In our scripture we see Elisha, a simple farmer, who is suddenly and unexpectedly approached by the famous prophet Elijah and invited to accompany him and serve him as his personal attendant. When Elisha requests time to first go home and say good-bye to his parents, Elijah makes it clear that the decision to come is entirely Elisha’s to make. In other words, Elisha is free to stay or go. In response, Elisha not only chooses to accept the call, but he slaughters his oxen and feeds them to his neighbors, burning his plowing equipment to cook the meat. By doing this, he publicly and irrevocably declares his intention to leave his former way of life and follow Elijah.

What does it mean to be committed? It means making a firm choice. It means not worrying about keeping your options open, or leaving yourself a way out. It means pursuing something wholeheartedly, with no contingency plans to fall back on. It means being 100% sold out to a person, or a cause, or a goal; not holding anything back, not keeping anything in reserve.

The idea of being this committed – to anyone, or anything – makes some people uncomfortable. It feels risky. It feels like they’re going out on a limb. What if the person you’ve committed yourself to lets you down? What if the cause turns out to be not as worthy as you thought? There’s a lot to be said for caution. God isn’t calling us to be reckless or foolhardy. He doesn’t want us to just rush into things without counting the cost. But once we’ve determined the path we’re going to take; once we’ve discerned to the best of our ability what God is calling us to do; then what he wants are sold-out followers who won’t look back when the going gets tough. What he wants are disciples who are so committed to him that they will burn their bridges, or their boats, or their oxen, disciples who will jettison whatever is holding them back, and who will follow him wherever he leads. Are you that kind of disciple? Do you want to be?

When we undertake to follow Christ, he invites us to first count the cost. Because once we set out on that road, there will be many temptations to turn back, to turn aside from the path. Jesus wants us to consider carefully what we’re getting into, so that we don’t fail at a critical moment and dishonor ourselves and him as well. He wants us to determine in our hearts, once and for all, that when we follow him, there will be no turning back. Be committed today. Don’t look back. Press forward for God.

HONOR GOD BECAUSE HE HONORS US

Psalms 91:15 “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

We all want a place to go when we’re stressed or sad, tired or lonely, fearful or tempted, disappointed or discouraged. We want a place where we can unload our burdens and get some relief. When we feel insecure and inadequate we need a refuge - a shelter. We need a retreat. Prayer can transport us to such a place.

One young boy was telling the pastor that his mother said his prayers for him each night. "What do you mean, your mother says your prayers for you?" the puzzled minister inquired. The youngster replied, "When mom tucks me in she always says, "Thank God he’s in bed." Well that’s one way of utilizing prayer as a way to get away from it all, but there’s much more.

Talking to God is much more effective when we’ve been walking with God. We need to seek his face, not just his hand. Let’s say we need a favor. Who are we going to ask, a friend or a stranger? Naturally we’re going to ask a friend because we have a relationship with him. The closer the friend the more we may feel inclined to make bigger requests. That’s why we need to constantly nurture our friendship with God. Friendship is a two-way street. God is the initiator but we’re given an opportunity to reciprocate.

If we come to God only when we’re in trouble and not on a daily basis - what kind of friendship is that? That’s a one-way street kind of friendship. We’re just using God. On the other hand, when we have a lifestyle of continually walking and talking with God, like we do our other friends, we can call on him and he will answer. But be forewarned - he may call on us too. Psalm 50:15 puts it this way, "and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

God wants us to honor him when he answers our prayers. When he delivers us he expects some sort of appreciation. Isn’t that just good manners? Don’t we at least say thanks to our other friends when they help us? Our Father in heaven isn’t asking us to do something he doesn’t do. God certainly honors those who participate in a friendship relationship with him. Our scripture reinforces this principle.

Can you imagine that? God honoring us? That’s precisely what he says he will do for those who make him their dwelling. The Hebrew word for "honor" literally means "to make heavy."

Here’s what happens. We go to God with a heavy load of burdens and we leave with a heavy load of blessings. That’s how God honors us. He doesn’t stop at delivering us from our difficulties. He goes on to make us heavy with blessings.

Why wouldn’t we want to honor him in return? Psalm 91 is not just a song of confidence that God will provide a place for us to get away from it all. It is also a song of thanksgiving and adoration.

RESIST NEGATIVITY

Proverbs 10:11 “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

Negativity is human nature – actually it is human fallen nature. Do you know where the first negative complaint is found in the Bible? It is found in found in Genesis chapter 3 verse 12. “And the man said,’ the woman whom Thou gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’” I can almost hear it – “Lord it’s your fault. If you hadn’t given me this woman – I wouldn’t be in this fix.”

Because of our fallen nature - negativity comes naturally. How many of you had to teach your children to be negative? We tend to believe in the worst. It is easy to talk ourselves out of something by using negativity. For example if you want to try something new, what do you start thinking? Well, I don’t know if it’s going to work – there’s not enough time – no one is going to like it. We tend to emphasize the negative.

Negativity reflects what is going on inside a person. If you want to know the condition of your heart, listen to what is coming out of your mouth. Negativity justifies itself. Just because something looks right to you that does not mean it is right. If you put on rose colored glasses everything will look rosy. If you put on dark glasses everything will look dark. What you see is a product of your eyes. All of us can have a distorted view of the world. It all depends on what you are looking through.

I have heard these statements so many times: “I have a right to be this way – look at what has happened to me.” “Nobody likes me. I have no friends.” “You always act this way. You’re never going to change.” Let me ask you a simple question: Is the glass half empty or half full? Are you looking at the problems or the possibilities? Which ever way you look at the glass you have not changed the level of it one bit. But your perspective of it has a tremendous impact on your thought processes and eventually your words.

Negativity chooses your friends for you. Negativity will draw negativity. You know the saying “Birds of a feather flock together. If you want to know the type of person you are just look at who is hanging around you. When negative people come together it creates a momentum of negativity. They feed off of one another. With each negative word that is spoken, the negative thoughts in our minds become justified to us and then turn into our words. It is a vicious cycle that tears down and destroys.

Positive thinking does not advocate a lack of reality. It is true that some situations are tough and sometimes bad things happen. However, negative thoughts and words will never improve your situation.

What is going on in your life? Are you living a life of negativity? Remember Jesus said, “I have come to give life – and not just life – but abundant life.” Don’t waist you time in negativity. Look toward the positive.

FROM FAITH TO FAITH

Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."

Listen to some of the titles that have appeared in the tabloids: Cow Mattresses Help Cows Produce More Milk - Mom On Diet Of Only Chicken, Lays Huge Egg - World War II Bomber Found On The Moon - Women Gives Birth To Two-Year-Old Baby: Child Walks And Talks In Three Days - Adam And Eve’s Bones Found In Asia: Eve Was A Space Alien.

The sad thing is that many people believe this nonsense. Being gullible is certainly a word that can be used to describe many people. But gullible has also been used to describe Christians. Some people, who consider themselves to be logical or rational, believe that Christians are gullible for their faith in God. We believe in miracles and in an unseen God and (to them) that is evidence of our gullibility. However, there is nothing gullible about believing in the Lord.

The Bible teaches that faith is the key to everything for the Christian. By faith we come to Christ. By faith we live our Christian lives with joy and gladness. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the core of our Christian living.

A famous Baptist evangelist once told the story of an elderly lady who was very upset by all of her real and imaginary troubles. Out of frustration her family told her, "Grandma, we’ve done all we can do for you. You’ll just have to trust God for the rest." A look of despair spread over her face as she replied, "Oh, dear, has it come to that?" To tell the truth, it always comes to that. So we might as well begin with that. Let’s begin with faith and see just what happens.

Paul makes it clear in our scripture that God works in a powerful way with his word. In it we have righteousness revealed to us. In a lot of passages Paul points out the truth that everyone who believes in the message of the Gospel is saved from their sins. This shows us that Jesus Christ is the center point of our faith. When Paul writes that in the Gospel righteousness from God is revealed, he is really speaking of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the message of the Gospel. The Gospel centers in the person of Christ. It is all about his sinless life, the atonement of our sins, and the supernatural resurrection. He is the center of the Gospel, so he is the center of our faith.

The way that the righteousness of God is given to us is only through faith. That is why it is called Good News. If all we understand is that Christ is righteous and we are not, that is not Good News. The Bad News is when we don’t have faith in this truth. The righteousness of God is offered to us only if we exercise our faith to receive it. In fact, we are told that this righteousness comes to us by faith from first to last.

True faith is never a work we perform because we are somehow good and worthy. True faith means rejecting all of our works and trusting completely in Christ for everything. Faith is the only way we can live. Faith is not just something by which we enter into a right relationship with God. Faith is also what we live with every single day. It is not that we come to Christ by faith and then we live by good works. Remember, it is "from faith to faith."

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

2 Samuel 15:13 “A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."

Horatio G. Spafford, a successful Chicago lawyer, lost most of his wealth in the financial crisis of 1873. He sent his wife and four daughters on a trip to France, but on their way, their ship was struck by another, and sank. Of 225 passengers, only 87 of them survived. Mrs. Spafford was among the survivors, but the four daughters perished. As soon as she reached land, she telegraphed to her husband: "Saved alone. Children lost. What shall I do?"

Spafford left for France to join his wife and return her to Chicago. In the depth of this bereavement, he wrote his only hymn: It is Well with My Soul. Perhaps the words of the first stanza will take on new meaning for you, as you ponder them:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrow like sea billow roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

In the midst of the greatest crisis of his life, Horatio Spafford was able to rise above the power of his pain. How do people live through a crisis? Most of us will not go through situations like that of Spafford, but when we go through personal turmoil, how do we get through the problems of life?

The most painful crises are those of a personal nature. Picture the scene for a moment that is found in our scripture, a messenger enters the palace throne room and brings urgent news of dire proportions. As the messenger speaks the words stab at David’s heart like a knife. David hears that the nation of Israel has turned against him but the worst part is the cause. Absalom, David’s own son, was leading a rebellion to overthrow him and seize the throne. It has become clear that Absalom has the goal of killing David to take over the kingdom.

What a heartbreaking moment for David. This situation is soaked in personal turmoil and literally tears at the fabric of David’s own family. This national crisis flows with personal heartbreak. You may even know, to a degree, the pain that David was feeling. A crisis can come at you through your workplace, your home or even as you just mind your own business. Crisis is not a respecter of persons nor is it fair when it comes.

Crises are a fact of life and we all have to deal with them. Your problems may not be to the extent that David had to deal with but the reality is that when you go through them, you don’t go through them alone. Too often we try to hold our emotions in when we experience the difficulties of a crisis. We rely on our own strength to get us through and we put up a brave face. The reality is that there are times when the emotions simply must come out. Like David, there will be times when the tears have to flow.

When trials face you; that is the time to seek God’s presence and provision even more earnestly than ever before. If you are facing a time of crisis take some time to seek God and find his strength and support for your life in a fresh way.

CONCEAL OR CONFESS

Proverbs 28:13 “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

The Apostle John proclaims an undeniable truth, in 1 John 1:8, 10, when he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us…If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

It is true that we Christians will sin. No matter how diligently we devote ourselves to practicing righteousness and striving to perfect holiness in our lives, we are - from time to time - going to miss the mark and sin. From time to time, we are going to disobey God’s commandments and sin. Anyone who should deny this, says John, is just deceiving themselves and they make God a liar.

The Word of God basically tells us that we have two options in responding to sin in our lives. We find those two options in our scripture. Wise old Solomon says that our two options are ‘concealing’ and ‘confessing’. The concealing option is when we choose not to acknowledge our transgression or sin to God and we go about our life as if nothing happened. The confessing option is when we choose to acknowledge our transgression or sin to God, ask for forgiveness and seek the grace needed to change. Solomon says that those who choose the concealment option “will not prosper.” Those who choose the confession option “will find compassion.”

We need to understand that the concealment option is pure folly. The truth is that we can never conceal or hide our sin from God. In Jeremiah 2:22, we read "Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before me, declares the Lord God.” There simply isn’t any manner in which we can truly conceal our sin. The great consequence of concealing our transgressions or sin is that it creates a barrier between us and God. The separation that is created is not based upon God being angry as much as it is based upon the fact that a Holy God cannot casually fellowship with sin. If we sin and casually go about our lives, with an attitude of indifference, our relationship with God is damaged or broken. The sin that we have attempted to conceal produces a wall between us and God. We are not showing a true desire for closeness. Whereas, we may not show much of a desire for closeness, God does desire that bond. He built us in such a fashion that concealed sin would vex us. He gave us a conscience that can be burdened by guilt.

Whereas concealment brings a barrier between God and us, confessing and forsaking our transgressions maintains our fellowship with God. Whereas concealment brings guilt, confession brings the blessing of forgiveness or pardon.

Christians will sin or transgress God’s law from time to time. When we do, we are faced with two very different options. God wants us to maintain a healthy fellowship with him. He wants us to experience his peace and joy. Let us confess and forsake our transgressions. This is the path of growth and maturity which brings blessings now and an assurance for tomorrow.

LOOK AND LIVE

Numbers 21:9 “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”

British author Peter Mayle wrote about rich people in his book Acquired Tastes. He says they complain a lot and are rarely happy. The reason they complain so much is that, with their money, they figure they should get the best of everything…and so they become hyper-critical when the least little thing isn’t perfect. Those of us who aren’t "rolling in dough" don’t sweat the small inconveniences of life. But rich or poor, we all struggle with being satisfied and content with our lives.

If we’re truly committed to the Lord, we will accept his will and go where he leads us. If that means hardship in the wilderness, we face tomorrow with confidence that he will help us through every obstacle. Our lives may be challenging, but they have purpose and direction when we walk with the Lord. We find in our scripture that by rejecting God’s leadership and provision, the Israelites were opposing the very one who was sustaining them.

God’s chastening came swiftly, in the form of venomous snakes. God’s people had rejected the way of life and health, so they encountered suffering and death, the "wages of sin." Does this mean we should never complain to God? The book of Psalms is filled with complaints, and God is throughout Scripture described as full of patience and mercy. He wants us to be honest in our prayers.

So what happened here? This was not merely grumbling-it was open rebellion against God and Moses, their appointed leader. God wanted to give them, and us, an example of what can happen if we refuse to be people of praise. The people quickly turned from their grumbling. The snakes helped them see the logic of submitting to God and admitting their sin. Moses was pretty fed up with their attitude and tired of their complaining, yet he prayed in their behalf. He was willing to stand in the gap for his people. Moses prayed and God answered in an unexpected manner. Instead of simply removing the snakes and healing the people who’d been bitten, God instructed Moses to make a serpent of brass and place it on a pole where the people could see it. If those who had been bitten looked at this brass serpent, they would be instantly healed.

But why would Moses be told to make a model of a snake, the very creature that was causing the people to die? Because on the cross, Jesus became sin for us-our sins were put on him, and he suffered our punishment, taking our place. Moses didn’t place the bronze serpent in the Tabernacle, but displayed it publicly, and in the same way Jesus was publicly executed for our sins, in a way everyone could see. No one can look to Christ for us. We must individually respond to God’s provision. Just as the uplifted serpent was the only cure in the wilderness, so Jesus is our only remedy for sin. The sole salvation offered is what God graciously provides. It is a gift. If we reject it, we die.

A look brings life. Jesus declared in John’s Gospel, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself" (12:32). It was Moses’ business to set the bronze serpent on a pole; it is your business and mine to lift up the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that all may see it and live.

PROMISES TO KEEP

1 Kings 1:48 “'Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.”

Here are the poignant words of Poet Robert Frost:

“The shouts of today are so loud that I do not hear the echoes of yesterday, nor do I listen to the faint whispers of tomorrow. All I really know is what is clamoring in my ear right here, right now. That makes me lose perspective. The shouts of today are so insistently loud that I do not hear the dwindling echoes of yesterday, nor do I listen to the faint and distant whispers of tomorrow. I forget what I have promised, just because I am trying to handle right now.

Sometimes it takes a crisis to focus me on the commitments I have made; for the truth is that I have miles to go before I sleep, and promises to keep. And promises to keep.”

Beneath the apparent tranquility of the poet’s lines there lingers restiveness, because he knows he is nearing the end of his life, and there are things he has promised to do, but has not done. There are commitments he has made, but has not kept.

Haven’t we all made promises? Which promises do we keep and which ones do we set aside? Which promises are sacred, never to be broken, and which ones are ho-hum, if it’s convenient? I don’t know about you, but I find in my own life that the promises I make to other people I do my best to keep. I can only hope that I take the same approach to those promises I make to God.

In our scripture we find that King David was a weary warrior, just about at the end of his life. He did not have long to live, and he knew it. But David was about to find out that even at that stage of life, he still had work to do.

One of David’s sons, Adonijah, was ambitious, and wanted to become king. Never mind that his father David had not yet died. Never mind that it was by no means clear in this kingdom that the crown is passed from father to son; after all, David himself did not get it that way. And never mind, most of all, that David had not promised the throne to Adonijah, but to another son, Solomon. None of that mattered to this crafty and ambitious young man. He wanted to be king and he went about gathering support. The Kingdom of Israel was about to go into full-fledged crisis.

David had thought, early on, it would be easy to promise Solomon the throne and make it happen. But his life got complicated and he forgot about his promises. The shouts of today are so insistently loud that we do not hear the dwindling echoes of yesterday, nor do we listen to the faint and distant whispers of tomorrow. David forgot what he had promised, just because he was trying to handle right now. In the end, David was held accountable and kept his promise to Solomon.

God wants to grant us the desires of our hearts, if we keep the promises we have made to him. We may get sidetracked. The demands and distractions of the real world are a lot to handle and we may lose our way. We must maintain our spiritual focus and remember our commitments to live a life for God. If we are faithful over what we have been called to do, our life will be complete and we will see God’s blessings.

YOU ARE IMPORTANT

Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

It seems that there is one thing all humans need more than anything else; to know we are loved. Without love, we feel worthless and unimportant and useless. And humans need to feel useful and worthwhile. That is one reason we always tend to compare ourselves with other people. Sometimes we consider ourselves better than them, and sometimes we wish we were as good as they are. We base our level of importance on:

• Our appearance
• Our achievements
• Our being approved by others
• Our wealth or power

Do I look good enough? Have I done enough? What will others think of me? Am I important enough or powerful enough? And every one of these areas is based primarily upon one thing; where we rate ourselves in comparison to other people. We need to be loved; we need to be accepted; and we need to feel self-worth.

The problem with these four standards is that none of them are stable. They will all change depending on moment-to-moment circumstances. Appearances change with time. There will always be somebody who can do more than us and do it better than we can; how well others like you can change in the blink of an eye; and your affluence can change with one bad choice. The trouble with letting things like these dictate your self-worth is that your self-worth will always be changing and you will never know from one moment to the next where you stand.

Our real value is found in God’s perspective of us. Jesus cares for us so much that he said “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)

Just imagine; God thinks we are so valuable that he knows the number of hairs on our head. The deepest expression of love is attention. When you give somebody your attention you’re giving them your love. When you don’t pay attention to your husband or wife or kids you are actually being unloving. God is always paying attention to us. It may not seem like it to us because we really are not all that focused on him, but again, He is always focused on us.

When little children do something they want to be noticed for, such as riding a bike with no hands, they will always yell out, “Watch me, Daddy!” “Watch me, Mommy!”

Adults want to be noticed, too. And, just like children, we yell out, but we don’t necessarily do it with words. We act in such a way as to get other people’s attention, or we dress with the goal of capturing other people’s attention. But, what we are really doing is yelling, “Please watch me, somebody!” For our own well being, it is vital that we remember to stop depending on other people to feel worthy, and start depending on God.

God notices everything in your life, his eyes of love are constantly watching you, and he knows your value no matter what anyone else around you is saying about you. He knows the truth, they don’t. God has a plan and purpose for your life. He made you and he wants you no matter what.