“Persistence Pays”

“Reaching for the Unreachable”

“A New Perspective”

“Harmony”

The “Off Season”

“From Stable Cloth
to Table Cloth”

“No PT Christians”

“The Riddle”

“Lifting Those Who Are Down”

“One String”

“Your Opinion Matters”

“Heaven”

“To THE Work”

“The Ox and the Mule”

“It’s A Battle, Be Ready!”

“Life Is A Funny Road”

“Full Joy”

“Everything Beautiful
In Its Time”

          Again, as Lent begins, we walk with Jesus.  He would never have made it through his journey without his sharing with God in prayer, nor can we.  Lent is a “prayer walk,” not just prayer talk.

          Some years ago discussing the subject of significant prayer, I was sharing my concern that with so many of us talking to God at the same time, we should be more careful in our praying.  Rather intellectually, I asked my friend whom I considered to be good at praying, “What should we pray about and when?”  My friend said, “Anything, anywhere, anytime.”

          As followers of Christ we are on a journey that needs the support of God through our praying.  I think it significant that the beginning of Lent, a season of sacrifice, corresponds with our observance of the Week of Compassion.  I also sense that it is a season to search our inner lives for inner resources and to offer ourselves to God for the fulfillment of His purposes through our lives.  Prayer is an essential part of this spiritual exercise.  Leroy Brownlow says, “Praying is the sacred experience that we, stripped of deceit and vanity (for there is no point in trying to fool ourselves or God), may in our unfeigned stature honestly discuss and earnestly petition help for our frailties and faults, our trials and troubles, and our aims and ambitions.  Prayer is a pouring out of the deepest and truest feelings, a communication of spirit with the Spirit.”

          In my recent reading and study of Luke’s gospel, I found a parable of Jesus that answers my questions about prayer.  Read Luke 18: 1-8.  “Men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”  Luke seems to say that the most significant part of praying is not what you pray for or where and how you pray, but the persistence.  The parable of Jesus is about a woman who ‘kept coming.’  Jesus says, “If an unrighteous judge heard the pleas of a woman because of her persistence, how much more will God respond to the continual prayers of his people?  Will God delay long if we persist?”

          So come on, brothers and sisters, bother God with me.  Ask anything, anywhere, any time.

          As we begin this journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem we must remember that he would never have been able to do what he did to follow the will of God for his life if he hadn’t prayed.  He would never have been raised without the obedience to death, even death on a cross.  We will never get through to our Easter without experiencing our crosses.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, ... he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2: 5-8)  Let us not just face the cross but “humble” ourselves in obedience to God, even if it means struggle and sacrifice.  For the next few Sundays I encourage you to be looking at the Lord with me and seeing his determination to face the cross for our sake.  Persistence pays, but it pays best in persistent praying.  Read Mark 10:32-34.

“Reaching for the Unreachable”

          In the late 90’s, a sheep dog named Duke traveled 4 miles to find his previous owner.  Before being moved to a new home, the collie had belonged to an elderly man named Denis, and the bond between the two was very tight.

          Duke had been placed with another family 5 months before his journey back to Denis.  But just before Christmas, he ran off and made his way across busy roads to find the old man.

          Now, there are many stories of animals traveling much farther than 4 miles through foul weather and across rough terrain to return home.  I have heard and read stories where animals have trekked hundreds and even thousands of miles in quest of going home.

          On Christmas Eve, the police found Duke curled up and whimpering atop Denis’ grave at a church cemetery even though he had not been shown where his master was buried the previous summer.  “I don’t think there is any doubt Duke was on a mission,” said Sheila, the dog’s new owner.  “It was just something he had to do.”

          It wasn’t that Duke had been ignored or mistreated; Denis’ widow had been diligent in finding him a good home.  Yet, Duke felt compelled to leave.  You’d expect Duke to return to the place he’d shared with Denis so many years.  But he wasn’t looking for a place, or even for security.  He wanted something more and it couldn’t be found in his new home.  Nor could it be found where he once lived.  For Duke, his yearning may never have been realized.  But there was something down deep inside that compelled him to try reaching for the unreachable.  He had to try.  That was his quest.

          I think I know what that “Special Something” was that Duke was looking for.  Although the bond of love was strong and true, life would never be the same again.  I can also expound the Truth that every human being on this earth, both Christian and non-Christian have a down-deep-age-old hunger which the bread of this world cannot satisfy, and a thirst which the water of this life cannot quench. (Matthew 4:4)  In Matthew 5:6, we have the words of Jesus: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

“A New Perspective”

          This week’s gospel text in Luke follows immediately the record of Jesus’ selection of the twelve disciples.  It records that a “multitude” of various people was present to experience his power to heal and cleanse, but it states that he took this moment to do his first leadership statement directly to his disciples.  It was their first opportunity to observe and listen to Jesus with the new eyes and ears of those totally committed to his ministry.  As they watched and listened it must have been an eye opener.  No, “mind-boggling.”  These words called the “beatitudes” are different in each of the gospels.  They illustrate what Philip Yancey calls Jesus’ mastery of “contrarian thinking.”  “They are extreme,” says Yancey, also noting that the Sermon on the Mount expresses quite plainly that God views this world with different lenses.  One could almost subtitle the sermon, “Survival of the Least Fit.”  Strength, good looks, connections and the competitive instinct may bring a person success in a society like ours, but those very qualities may block entrance to the kingdom of heaven.  We may not be viewing things very well at least from God’s point of view.

          In his wonderfully titled “Little Foxes That Spoil the Vines,” W. B. J. Martin tells of reading an article in a religious periodical that caused quite a ruckus: “To Hell With the Church.”  He confessed to not being able to see why the fuss: “Is not that exactly where the church should go – to hell?”  William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, evidently thought so, for did he not say in explanation of his movement, ‘I hungered for hell’?  He passionately desired to be where evil was most rampant, where there was wrong to be righted, evil to be fought.  Booth chose as his opponents the ugliest and most challenging of foes.  But many of us simply do not have the spiritual energy or fortitude (the guts) to go to hell, although Christ promised his disciples that the “gates of hell should not prevail against them.”

          It should be mind altering, if not mind boggling, to see things from the perspective of our Lord.  We think we have the right view, and that we are doing just what the Lord would want and expect, but that may not be true.  We all need to take a closer look at where he wants us as faithful followers to go and what he wants us to do.

          “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are the meek.  Blessed are they that mourn.  Blessed are the merciful.  Blessed are they who thirst for justice.  Blessed are you when persecuted.  Blessed are you when you suffer.  Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven.”  And Peter said, “Are we supposed to write this down?”  Andrew asked, “Are we supposed to know this?”  James asked, “Will we have a test on this?”  And Phillip said, “I don’t have any paper.”  Bartholomew asked, “Are we to memorize this?”  And John said, “The other disciples didn’t have to learn this.”  And Judas asked, “What does this have to do with real life?”  Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus’ lesson plan and inquired of Jesus, “Where is your anticipatory set and your objectives in the cognitive domain?”  And JESUS WEPT.  Could he still be weeping because we don’t see clearly?  Take another look at Luke 6: 17-31.

“Harmony”

          A young country preacher, fresh out of seminary, was invited to a concert given by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.  To him, an evening of symphony would be boring, but he accepted graciously to be polite.  He’d never been to anything like that, but was impressed with what he saw.  Once inside, they took their seats.  In a few moments musicians began to drift out from the sides of the theater.  Most of them were in their short sleeves, and each person went to his or her instrument and began tuning it.  Before long, those who were to play bass violins were sawing back and forth ... those with regular violins began squeaking up and down ... then comes the tooting of bass horns, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, trombones, and trumpets, along with pianists and bouncing fingers fumbling over the keyboards.  Put all this together and add the beating of drums and cymbals, and what do you get?  Nothing but a discordant medley noise, confusion and disturbance.  Finally, they all disappeared again behind the curtains.

          Within 5 minutes all the lights in the auditorium went off; the lights on the platform came on, and the musicians reappeared.  This time they had their coats on, stood by their instruments, and did they look sharp!  Suddenly, a spotlight focused on the wings, and the conductor stepped out, and he was given a thunderous applause.  Approaching the podium, he picked up a little stick (baton) and total silence hovered over the auditorium.  You could have heard a pin drop.  Then he brought that little stick down!  And the young preacher said: “... my friend, there were goose pimples all over me!  I never heard such music in all my life!  Oh, what harmony there was!”

          Today, we’re living in a world where every man is tooting his own little horn!  Every little group demands to be heard!  Everyone wants to tell you what he thinks!  Everyone is playing his own little fiddle!  But what we hear is a medley of discord!  Not only are we out of tune and out of harmony with each other, but most of all, millions are out of tune with the Lord God Almighty, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  Listen now, for one of these days God’s spotlight will focus on his beloved son!  For when he comes again, anything and everything that is out of tune with him will be removed!  We live in a world where Christ is rejected, and the majority does not know him!  He and He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me!” (John 14:6).  Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

The “Off Season”

          As some are doing, I cast no aspersions on the Chiefs, their management, coach or quarterback.  I heard Trent Green after the playoff defeat say, “We were blessed to get to the playoffs as a ‘wildcard’ and we have to assess our loss, and move on to the hard work of the Off-season.  Each sport has its Off-season.

          I mused about the Off-season of my favorite sport, baseball.  What do those fellows do during the winter?  If they just lay back, don’t exercise and think forward, surely Spring Training will be more difficult.  However, most pro sports figures know that there is no time to completely relax from some kind of conditioning in the “off-season” if they really want to do their best in the active season in their respective sport.

          I don’t mind winter cold, snow and those kinds of days that must be spent fireside, but I’m always ready for the return of spring and the more active days, and baseball.  What if nobody came to Spring Training?  I want to share a parable written by Hugh Smith.  Interpret it as you wish, but be honest.

          “Behold a ball team went out to play a game.  Just as the umpire called “batter up” the catcher for the home team arrived and took his place.  The center fielder didn’t come until the second inning.  The first baseman didn’t show up at all but later sent his regrets and said he had to go to a chicken dinner at Aunt Mary’s.  The third baseman didn’t show up because he had been up late the night before and decided to sleep in.  The left fielder felt a need to visit another game across town and see how they played the game.  A shortstop was present but left his glove at home.  Two players were away on a weekend trip and could not make it but were “there in spirit,” so they said.

          Verily, when the pitcher went to the mound, he looked around for his team-mates and lo, his heart was heavy for they weren’t there.  But the game was announced and visiting fans were in the stands so the game had to go on.

          So the pitcher tightened his belt, stepped to the mound and did his best to serve as pitcher, first baseman and in the field.  There were boos from home fans when the home team was badly defeated.

          Verily, verily, when the absent members of the defeated team had lost, decision was made to get a new pitcher, but who really lost the game?”

          Sometimes when Christmas is past in the church and the excitement dwindles we think it must be the “Off-Season.”  I’m sure none of us can be at our peak productivity in the game of Christian living all the time; however, there is NO Off-Season in this game of life in Christ where we can fail to exercise our faith and stay fit for the game.  Each person is given a gift through the Spirit for the common good of the mission and the individual talents needed for involvement to success and winning.  I trust you will help with our present call for an active team.  We need leaders of committees, we need you here for Sunday School and Worship and we need everyone in there pitching and catching, fishing or cutting bait.  It is a big task to accomplish the Kingdom work and everyone with every Spirit given gift is needed.  You may wish you could change a few of the ground rules or lighten the schedule from time to time but following Jesus is a daily responsibility and the victory can’t and won’t be won if you don’t play your part.

          You are gifted for this game and God’s plan by His Spirit.  You’re Needed.  Come and See.

“From Stable Cloth to Table Cloth”

          I am always looking for a new Christmas story.  This one is new to me.  It came in an email from Gene Amos.  I often wonder if we miss the purpose of Christmas.  We do when we get wrapped up in the wrappings and trappings and miss the fact that God came to earth and that Mary wrapped her child in swaddling cloth and laid him in a manger.  This is the story of another cloth, a table cloth.

          A brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.  When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work.  They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.  They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.  On December 19 a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.  On the 21st, the pastor’s heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20' x 8' to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit.

          The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.  On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in.  One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center.  It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front of wall.  He bought it and headed back to the church.

          By this time it had started to snow.  An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.  She missed it.  The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus.  She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the Pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.  The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire area.  Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle.  Her face white as a sheet.  “Pastor, she asked, “where did you get that tablecloth?”  The pastor explained.  The woman asked him to check the lower right hand corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted there.  They were.  These were her initials and she had made this tablecloth 35 year before, in Austria.

          The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth.  The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria.  When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.  Her husband was going to follow the next week.  He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.

          The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.  The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.  She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

          What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve.  The church was nearly full.  The music and the spirit were great.  At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.  One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving.

          The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

          He told how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in prison.  He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years since.  The pastor asked to take him for a little ride.  They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.  He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs, knocked on the door to the woman’s apartment and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.  It’s a true story!  And that’s Christmas.

          Mary covered her little lamb to protect his life and that Lamb has covered our sins to give us new life.

“No PT Christians”

          When you’re looking for a job, there are jobs available, but they are either full-time or part-time.  These are the alternatives.  But when we become followers of Christ and accept the mission he sets before us, there is no alternative to be part-timers.  When Jesus summed up the commandments, he said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  We often think of alternatives in terms of opposites.  But the opposite of being the ‘salt of the earth’ is not to pepper it, it is to be un­salted, tasteless, bland and without flavor; ineffective and unproductive.  Jesus wants us to give our all in love and in labor.  Those who are called into Christ’s service are called to give their all.  We are either all in or all out.  We are either with or without.  We are either rich toward God or poor in our response to God.  We are either fruitful or un­fruitful.  We are either faithful or un-faithful.

          In Matthew 12:30 Jesus puts it very pointedly when he says, “He who is not with me is against me, and who does not gather with me scatters.”  We need to begin to believe what we believe and live what we say we are.  Christian?  Not part-time!  There isn’t such a thing as a part time Christian.  We can’t be weekday believers, working the works of Him who sent us, without taking the day of rest and renewal with a sincere respect for our full-time Boss.

          The writer of Hebrews focuses on an issue which, in comparison to other weighty matters, may appear to be somewhat marginal and oddly old-fashioned.  Indeed, given today’s 24/7 economy and “workaholism,” the author’s admonition about Sabbath rest can seem no longer truly applicable to our current situation.  In the rank of words and ideas that the modern era has been unkind to, “Sevening” ranks very high.  Yet this writing makes it clear that reverencing “the day of rest” is a significant expression of our faithfulness and obedience to God.  The author believes his message to be critically current – for it is only while the promise of “rest” is still “open” that we are able to act.  What happens when we fail to take time to receive God’s blessing of peace, we miss or avoid God’s purpose for our lives and in so doing fall into apostasy – either by things done or left undone.  We then become mentally stagnant and emotionally sterile when we fail to manifest a faithful and obedient spirit.

          It is either all or nothing; loyal or disloyal, committed or not, “with him or against him.”

          Concerning “Sevening,” read the fourth chapter of Hebrews and be open to receive God’s offered rest and peace.

“The Riddle”

          ONCE a wealthy manufacturer offered a very strange old lady a prize if she would write a riddle he could not guess.  Her subject was to be from the Bible, and she won the prize.

          The Riddle:

          THE ABOVE is an old riddle.  I first came by it from a minister, Roy D. Plott, Mount Hope Methodist Church, Mt. Hope, Kansas, November 26, 1950. . . .  If you know the answer tell me about it.

“Lifting Those Who Are Down”

          Look around.  There are lots of people who are down.  We need not look far, perhaps not beyond self or our own doorstep.  Our world is full of hurt, bleeding, crushed, despairing, dying, broken persons.  There are crushed hopes, broken promises, broken trusts, broken covenants, broken relationships, wounded pride, broken hearts and spirits.  Proverbs 17:22 says, “a broken spirit creates a lot of dry bones (death).”  A big measure of this fragmentation and dryness is caused by man’s inhumanity to man, by injustice – social, physical and spiritual.  The world’s longing and hope is for someone to pick up the pieces, lift the fallen and restore order, God’s order, and to bring God’s wholeness.

          As Paul reminded the Corinthians, so we are reminded that our wholeness is found in Christ.  “If anyone is ‘in Christ’ they are a new creation.”  All of this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling (restoring, renewing, repairing the brokenness) the world to himself in Christ.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  This is our ministry: lifting the fallen, restoring the broken.

          If we are to be about this task in our daily ministries, then we have to love and encourage, lift and restore with compassion the lives of those who are down.  We must feel their burden, the crush of inequity, the weight of injustice, the hurt of prejudice and the violence of hatred.  We must act out of our faith in God’s ability to renew and restore and be those who are not judgmental, but encouraging and hopeful.  The story is told of an American who went to the Oberammergau Passion Play.  While visiting with the actor who was playing the part of Jesus, the tourist asked, “Could I get a picture of you with the cross?”  Having given permission, the man bent to lift the cross to his back but it was too heavy.  “Why did you make it so heavy?” asked the tourist.  “Made of plastic or Styrofoam it would have looked as good.”  The actor replied, “Sir, I could not play the part of Christ if I did not feel the weight of his cross.”

          It isn’t light duty to which we are called.  Reconciliation is not an easy task.  We cannot be Christ’s ambassadors as the reconciling agents of God, until we have felt the weight of his cross and committed ourselves to bearing the burdens of those who are down and lifting them with a helping hand and a word of encouragement.

If only we could take the time when first we others meet,
      to cherish God’s bold image that is in them and complete,
How different would our living be, how much improved our world;
There’d be no time for disrespect, for fighting, war or greed.
      We’d meet each other’s need.
We’d not accuse, suspect, or fear or do another in
      because of disappointments, faults, or even sin.
We’d live next door or far away – without the slightest doubt
      that honoring God’s image in each of us – is what life’s all about.

“One String”

          IT HAPPENED a long time ago.  I included it in a sermon I preached back in the mid- sixties.  And it is written in the form of picturesque style to help us never to forget. . . .

          A CROWDED THEATER!  Banked tier on tier faces are seen dimly in the subdued light.  The curtain rises slowly.  The murmur of voices dies away and a hushed expectancy fills the house.  Into the circle of light upon the stage shambles awkwardly, a somewhat gainly figure.  He carries a violin.  All eyes are fixed as he tucks it under his chin.  His bow is raised.  He draws it across the waiting strings, so awkwardly that one of the strings snaps.  It snaps with a sound that in the hushed theater seems almost like the firing of a pistol.  There is movement of irritation in the audience.  Here and there a titter can be heard.  Again, he starts only to have another string fly!  Laughter rocks the galleries now.  And then, a third string breaks and the laughter is mingled with hoots and hisses!  Surely he will leave the stage in confusion!  Has he not made a spectacle enough? . . .

          BUT NO!  Quietly he stands until the laughter and the jeers alike die away and the audience waits for the pitiful scene to end, until . . . ACROSS THAT “ONE” REMAINING “STRING” he draws his bow.  And there wells from the “VIOLIN” such “MUSIC” as none there had ever heard before!  The silence becomes almost painful.  Women are sobbing.  Men are catching their breath.  Many eyes are closed, heads are bowed, and lips are moving as in “PRAYER.”  The music from that “ONE STRING” reaches the very heart cords of the crowd.  Women are dreaming dreams!  Men are seeing visions, visions of their better selves, so that when the music dies sobbingly away, applause rocks the theater!  And yet, there are many whose hands lie limp in their laps, and on whose cheeks are the trace of tears! . . .

          UPON “ONE STRING,” and Paganini, left!  May we not weave a parable of life from this incident from the Great Paganini, the Master of the Violin, and Father of the modern school of violinists? . . .

          Have we not faced great moments, critical issues of life when we were seemingly ill-equipped for the task as our violinist?  Have we not felt the burden of our task so great and our preparation so scanty that nothing but failure awaited us, and to go on were but to invite disaster?  Do you understand this parable?  Can you explain it?  If you can’t, why not take a cue from the Voice of a little child?  “Why don’t you ask DOD?” . . .

“Your Opinion Matters”

          If the boss asks your opinion, it must matter.  You’re in the middle of a meeting at your office.  It’s decision time.  Your colleagues are weighing in with their opinions.  Suddenly, the boss turns to you and says, “Ms. Jones, what do you think?”

          “Hmm ... well,” you begin, scanning your mind for the most suitable answer.  “Statistics indicate that Plan B would be profitable ... though of course Plan A does offer some attractive benefits ... and then again, many believe that Plan C...”  Your boss interrupts, “Actually, Ms. Jones, I’d like to know what YOU think.”

          Inevitably, we find ourselves in those crucial moments when it’s time to step up to the plate and say with our own lips what we think or believe is true.

          The disciples of Jesus found themselves in just such a moment one day when, out of the blue, Jesus cut to the chase and asked them, “Who do you say that I am?”

          There are lots of things that mattered to Jesus.  Still do.  It matters to him about you.  You matter.  He still wants to know what people other than you think about him, but it matters most who you think he is.  Is he your Christ?  Your Savior?  Your Lord?  He wants to know if you have in mind the things of God.  When the boss of the Cross says, “If any would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  He really wants an answer from us and it means a cross for you and for me.

          Oswald Chambers said, “The cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God.  When we get to the cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the cross is the gateway.”  The cross is a dividing line, a time for decision.  We have to make up our minds about what it means.  Our success as Christians depends upon it.  Perhaps what is most needed in the church today is some “career regression.”  Christians need to go down the ladder of success that they might lift up the cross of Christ.  Your opinion on this matter will determine your success.

“Heaven”

          Read John 14: 1-7. . . .  It is important that you read this passage of Scripture.  Not only does it give those who believe in Jesus the Promise of Heaven, it also tells us something about what Heaven is like, and how to get there.  More importantly, it is Jesus Himself making the Promise that He will Come Again to receive us into His Abode.

          Do you remember the last time you had someone you know and love as a houseguest?  Did you do anything special to prepare?  Did you dust the furniture, clean the rugs, mop the floors, etc.?  Perhaps you Planned a scrumptious menu, and purchased a few unusual ingredients at Hyvee’s!  Some folks are even known to do some “touch-up” painting, or doing minor household repairs.  Then, there are those who make their house in tip-top shape when company comes!  We want our visitors to feel at home from the moment they walk in the door. . . .

          As you read the above passage, consider Jesus as He reveals to you and me that He, at this very moment, is making preparations for us in His Fathers House. (Heaven).  Mind-boggling, that Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe, is going out of His Way to prepare a “Special Place” in Heaven JUST FOR YOU?  I can’t imagine the Furniture He has waiting for us, or the Pictures He’s straightened or the Table set.  All I know is everything will be Ready and waiting for you!  Why?  Because He’s excited about your Coming, not only for a visit, but to enjoy His Kingdom with Him! . . . .

          What will Heaven be like?  Truth is we will never know until we get there.  Read 2 Cor. 12, where Paul talks about this wonderful Secret of God.  In I Cor. 13: 12, Paul wrote: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.”  But this, I can tell you for sure.  The “HEAVEN,” scripture talks about is an Actual Place.  Jesus likened it to a “house.”  He said He was going to make Preparations.  Does this sound like some cloudy, ethereal, formless existence?  Not according to Jesus.  He tells us that Heaven is an actual destination . . . . a Place where you’ll experience the Absolute Best of everything.  And because Jesus Christ is preparing it “For You,” you can trust that it will be Perfect, for Christ is Perfect and He can do nothing less!  “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,” will “you” be there? . . . . I surely do hope so!

“To THE Work”

          It’s Labor Day Weekend.  It does seem strange, doesn’t it, that we call it Labor Day and take a holiday?  Does that mean we celebrate our labor or our leisure?  Maybe both.  Work isn’t bad—it’s the labor of it.  We’ve heard or said, “The work’s never done.”  Or there is that old adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”  Jesus said, “Let us draw apart and rest awhile.”  He knew the value of time taken to regenerate, but he also said, “I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day, for the night comes when no man can work.”  In our 24/7, 365 world there isn’t much time for anything but work.  And isn’t it strange that when we have all this new technology to make our lives easier, life seems to press us into working night and day just to make a living, or to make ends meet?

          The scriptures are wonderful but they are also pressing when they say, “The fields are white, (the grain is ripe) but the laborers are few.”  There’s work to be done.  And then Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened down, I will give you rest.”

          With our work there is always something to be done, but there is a wisdom in learning how to rest.  Even in our work time or in our leisure time there is ministry, to ourselves and others, that can be productive.  One man put it this way:

          Old Joshua made himself available to God.  He suggests that ministry and meaning are all about choices.  “Whom will you serve?” asked Joshua.  That’s the question, always, even about our vocations or our avocations.  Joshua didn’t make it complicated; he just set forth a principle.  Seven words of advice for those who would be highly effective in mission, ministry and life: “Choose this day whom you will serve.”  An old gospel song says it ...  “To the work!  To the work! ... Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.”

          Read Joshua, chapter 24

          Let’s do God’s work with our hands, hearts and minds.

“The Ox and the Mule”

          I HAVE A LITTLE STORY for you about the ox and the mule.  It tells of a farmer who hitched an ox and a mule together to do some plowing.  One night, after several days of plowing, the ox said to the mule: “We’ve been working pretty hard, let’s play sick tomorrow and lie in the stalls all day.”  The mule replied, “You can if you want to, but I believe I’ll go to work.” . . .

          THE NEXT MORNING the farmer came out to the stall and the ox played off sick.  The farmer bedded him down with clean straw; gave him fresh hay, a bucket of oats and bran mixed, left for the day and went forth with the mule to plow.  The ox lay in his stall all day, chewed his cud and nodded, slowly blinked his eyes and gently swished his tail. . . .

          THAT NIGHT, when the mule came in, the ox asked how they got along with just one pulling the plow.  “Well, we didn’t get as much done,” said the mule.  “Did the old man have anything to say about me?” the ox asked.  “No,” the mule replied.  “Well then, I think I’ll play off sick again tomorrow.  It certainly was fine lying here all day and resting.” . . .

          SAID THE MULE, “THAT’S up to you, but I’ll go out and plow.”  The next day the ox played off again.  The old farmer gave him the same treatment, and my what a day he had!  But when the mule came in at night the ox asked how they got along without him. . . .

          “ABOUT THE SAME as yesterday,” replied the mule coldly.  “Did the old man have anything to say about me?” inquired the ox.  “No, said the mule, “not to me, but he did have a long talk with the butcher on the way home!”

          IT IS SAID THAT THE OX NEVER MISSED ANOTHER DAY OF WORK IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE! . . .

          NOW I FEEL SURE that there is a lesson in this story somewhere!  Could it be faithfulness, obedience, or lack of responsibilities?  It may refer to a number of things.  But my own thought comes from John 9: 4-5, where Jesus said: ‘We must work the works of Him Who sent Me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work.  As long as I Am in the world, I Am the Light of the world.”  May all of you be a “REFLECTOR” of God’s Great Light. . . . I hope to see you next Sunday.  Until then,

“It’s A Battle, Be Ready!”

          Paul turns his attention from words about how loving and gracious life within the church can be, to the warfare it will be subjected to from without.  There is a battle going on out there.  Arm yourself.  You are not immune.  Herbert Schiller, talks about the “mysterious and sophisticated manipulation” of our minds today.  He speaks of the powerful forces of evil that “we don’t see so much, so they’re harder to deal with.  What is going on is literally a silent massacre of people’s hopes, people’s lives, and people’s futures.”  He starts just where Paul does, with the piece of armor called “truth.”  “I would not have you ignorant,” says Paul, with Jesus.  We have to be careful to study the Word, to think and pray, and study and think, and to pray some more.  There are many things we need to arm ourselves with, “to be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (v. 13)  This is not a battle in which we attack.  We win just by standing firm and holding our ground.

          “Put on the whole armor of God,” Paul counsels.  A lot of people know life is not a rose garden, so they can’t be taken unaware.  But hardship can wear down the spirit, and many lives have been used up or totally distorted by too heavy a dose of adversity.  Protect yourself, Paul says, the life of your Spirit, with these invisible armors – first truth, then righteousness.  Put on readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace.

          Faith, Paul says, is like a big, deep shield, with which we can quench the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Faith protects the vision of God’s goodness from doubts, fears, and distractions that can really kill it.

          Salvation is the ultimate lifesaver and keeper.  But don’t just pray for yourselves, Paul concludes, pray for all the saints – everyone in the church – and for him as well, as he continues to teach that even prison chains need not prevent boldness in unlocking the “mystery of the gospel.”

          Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

“Life Is A Funny Road”

          JAMES 4:13-17 tells us something about the “brevity of life.”  Please read it and I’ll share a little piece of truth and wisdom I found taken from an old album of “Don McNeal’s Breakfast Club of Memories” with you.  It was from a Radio Show dating back to the 30’s or earlier.  It is entitled, “LIFE,” and written by my favorite Angel, Anonymous.

          LIFE IS A FUNNY ROAD.  Man comes into this world without his consent and leaves against his will.  During his stay on earth, his time is spent in one continuous round of contraries and misunderstandings. . . .

          IN HIS INFANCY he’s an angel; in his boyhood he’s a devil, and in his manhood he’s everything from a lizard up.  In his duties he’s a fool.  If he raises a family, he’s a chump; if he raises a check, the law turns around and raises the dickens with him. . . .

          IF HE’S A POOR MAN, he’s a poor manager and has no sense; if he’s a rich man, he’s dishonest, but considered smart.  If he’s in politics, he’s a grafter and a crook; if he’s out of politics, you can’t place him because he’s an undesirable citizen. . . .

          IF HE GOES TO CHURCH, he’s a hypocrite, if he stays from church, he’s a sinner.  If he donated to foreign missions, he does it for show; if he doesn’t he’s stingy and tight-fisted. . . .

          WHEN HE FIRST COMES INTO THE WORLD, everybody wants to kiss him; before he goes out, everybody wants to kick him.  But if he dies young, there was a great future before him.  But if he lives to a ripe old age, he’s in the way, only living to save funeral expenses. . . .

          LIFE IS A FUNNY ROAD, BUT WE ALL LIKE TO TRAVEL IT JUST THE SAME! . . . .

          IT IS TRUE that life is no bed of roses with its twists and turns, joys and sorrows, and its ups and downs.  James 4:14 says: “What is your life.  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”  Much could be written, but let me just say that our major goal in life is to “Glorify God.”  God is our Creator!  He gave us LIFE!  It is ours to Praise Him and Glorify Him by sharing with others the GOOD NEWS WHICH IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION TO ALL WHO BELIEVE!  BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR US, LET US LIVE FOR HIM!  THEN YOU and I CAN SAY: “LIFE IS GOOD!” . . .

“Full Joy”

          Full joy!  It’s an offer from our Lord.  He said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

          Joy is not simple happiness or pleasure.  Joy is an essentially deeper spiritual quality.  Happiness and pleasure are dependent on outward circumstances, but joy comes from within.  Happiness and pleasure come and go, but the joy of the Lord, is constant and abides in the changing scenes and seasons of life.  Pleasure is real, but fleeting.  Happiness remains superficial.  Joy is deep.  It springs up from the depth of the soul, the place where God lives within us.  Happiness must be pursued and pleasures sought, but joy cannot be fashioned by human ingenuity.  Joy can only be received, for it is the blessing of Christ through the gift of the Spirit.

          To me, there is a significant difference between being joyful and having full joy.  I can be joyful about my happiness or pleasures in my life.  I can be full of joy, only with Christ in me.  To have him is to have his joy and find my joy complete.

          How can one be sure they have full joy?  If it shines through the shadows, if it wells up even through the trials and sadness, it is joy.  Again, as so often happens to me, I have a song which just comes to mind.  It’s a song which comes from my childhood days.  It goes like this, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.  Down in my heart to stay.”  I guess I know I have this joy, full and complete, because in glad times or sad times, in sunshine or in rain, in good times and bad times, in sickness or in pain, there is always a song that comes from deep within my heart to comfort, encourage, to help and heal, to bring hope, to lift and to guide me.  I’m sure it comes from the well-spring of joy, the joy of Jesus.  How can I keep from singing?

          It’s the thought of Robert Lowry’s poem:

          Read chapters 15 and 16 of John’s gospel.

“Everything Beautiful In Its Time”

          “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time; also.  He has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecc. 3:11) . . . .

          Author and scientist Carl Sagan once said that the  material world is the only reality.  If we accept this premise, then nature has been cruel to us, giving us, as someone has cynically phrased it, “the endowments of a god and the career of an insect.” . . . .

          Ecclesiastes is essentially a dramatic autobiography of King Solomon’s life when he was away from God.  It is a Book of Proverbs and Psalms that reveals his wisdom, the Book of Ecclesiastes that reveals his foolishness, and the Song of Solomon that reveals his love.  King Solomon was an expert in all 3 fields. . . .

          One of the king’s wisest statements is in 3:11, “God has made everything beautiful in its time; . . . .”  The King also declared that from a purely human standpoint everything is meaningless (1:2), but he also considered God’s view.  He pondered the creative and destructive cycle of our existence (3:1-8), and concluded that everything is beautiful in its time. (v. 11)  He knew that when we see life from the perspective of eternity WE WILL SEE THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S WAYS. . . .

          SOLOMON ALSO LEARNED that God did not give us answers to every question. (v. 11)  He advised, therefore, that we accept life’s good things with gratitude and grace.  Then, we are to face life’s difficulties with faith, and not despair. . . .

          I heard of a woman, who at 58 knew she had terminal cancer.  She followed the king’s advice.  She was grateful for all the good things life held for her, and she came to realize that only God knows the answer to the next important question that all mankind is asking.  So, with her husband, she enjoyed doing what her strength permitted.  She looked back over her life and spoke of the beauty of each stage.  She saw her illness as the means by which God would soon take her to heaven.  That’s what REAL FAITH DOES.  It enables us to see that even a terminal illness can be “BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME.”  One final thought.  Write this down and hold on to it all your days.  THE SECULAR WORLD SAYS: “As long as there is life, there’s hope.  But the Bible teaches, AS LONG AS THERE IS ‘HOPE’ THERE IS LIFE!” (Read John 17:3)