January 2
“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13, NKJV)
“In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite's primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target.
But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.
And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth."
The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.” (Craig Brian Larson, Pastoral Grit: The Strength to Stand and Stay)
The scripture for today urges faithful ones to not “grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Don’t quit doing what is good in your life. Don’t give up on being an example for what is holy in our world. In trying moments, you might tire in doing good. When your good works go unseen or even are ridiculed, you might think to just chuck it all. You might try to convince yourself that the effort or the scrutiny just isn’t worth it. However, God is watching to see if you only do good when it feels good. God cares if you give up when doing good costs you in return. So many people only do good when it suits them. True people of faith do good when it suits God. So many people quit doing good when it is challenging to do the right thing. True people of faith don’t quit doing God’s work.
Like that tiny 8-watt space probe, you need to keep plugging away when others might quit doing their work. Keep acting upon your faith even if others fall by the wayside. Keep helping others even when nobody notices. Keep doing what is right even if others prosper when doing wrong. Your ultimate reward for faithful perseverance comes in Heaven not on earth.
Statistics say that most people who make New Year’s Resolutions give up on them within one to six weeks. Because of this, most resolutions don’t bring needed change to the life of most people. Is there something God wants of you in this New Year? Are you going to give up on making a needed change in a few weeks even if God asks for it? Will you remain committed even when the going gets tough? Being true to God sometimes involves a “stick-to-it-ness” that is very rare in this world. You may need to stick to something God needs from you far longer than feels comfortable. You may need to stay at some goal far longer than most who make resolutions that never last.
What does God need from you this year? Is there some area of your life where you tend to quit trying when God needs you to remain strong? Why not let God be your strength this year? Let God take you farther than you ever thought you would go. With God’s help, you never know how far God might take you on this special mission for a new year... and don't give up!
But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.
And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth."
The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.” (Craig Brian Larson, Pastoral Grit: The Strength to Stand and Stay)
The scripture for today urges faithful ones to not “grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Don’t quit doing what is good in your life. Don’t give up on being an example for what is holy in our world. In trying moments, you might tire in doing good. When your good works go unseen or even are ridiculed, you might think to just chuck it all. You might try to convince yourself that the effort or the scrutiny just isn’t worth it. However, God is watching to see if you only do good when it feels good. God cares if you give up when doing good costs you in return. So many people only do good when it suits them. True people of faith do good when it suits God. So many people quit doing good when it is challenging to do the right thing. True people of faith don’t quit doing God’s work.
Like that tiny 8-watt space probe, you need to keep plugging away when others might quit doing their work. Keep acting upon your faith even if others fall by the wayside. Keep helping others even when nobody notices. Keep doing what is right even if others prosper when doing wrong. Your ultimate reward for faithful perseverance comes in Heaven not on earth.
Statistics say that most people who make New Year’s Resolutions give up on them within one to six weeks. Because of this, most resolutions don’t bring needed change to the life of most people. Is there something God wants of you in this New Year? Are you going to give up on making a needed change in a few weeks even if God asks for it? Will you remain committed even when the going gets tough? Being true to God sometimes involves a “stick-to-it-ness” that is very rare in this world. You may need to stick to something God needs from you far longer than feels comfortable. You may need to stay at some goal far longer than most who make resolutions that never last.
What does God need from you this year? Is there some area of your life where you tend to quit trying when God needs you to remain strong? Why not let God be your strength this year? Let God take you farther than you ever thought you would go. With God’s help, you never know how far God might take you on this special mission for a new year... and don't give up!
January 4
“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:4–5, ESV)
“In his book of sermons “The Living Faith,” Lloyd C. Douglas tells the story of Thomas Hearne, who, in his journey to the mouth of the Coppermine River, wrote that a few days after they had started on their expedition, a party of Indians stole most of their supplies. His comment on the apparent misfortune was: ‘The weight of our baggage being so much lightened, our next day’s journey was more swift and pleasant.’”(Eugene L. Feagin as reported in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations).
It is revealing how people deal with losses, mistakes, failures, and setbacks. Some, like Thomas Hearne in the story above, learn to adapt when setbacks occur. They adjust their priorities and point of view depending on what they have to work with. I have seen many others who give up or become despondent or get depressed upon learning of a setback or problem. Even pastors are not immune. Stuart Briscoe once wrote, “We pastors get discouraged by setback after setback, so that even victories seem bittersweet.” (Measuring Up: The Need to Succeed and the Fear of Failure). How do you handle challenges? What do you do upon learning of a setback?
In the days of the prophet Ezra, the people of God were constantly thwarted in their attempts to rebuild Jerusalem. The armies of the Babylonians had destroyed the city, the Temple, and the defensive structures. The remnant of God’s people living in and around the city were left defenseless and had very little to help in their rebuilding. Added to these challenges, the some of those who had moved into Jewish lands wanted to keep the people in bondage. At every turn, they caused the Jewish leaders to have problems. The scripture for today tells of this frustration. It reads: “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build” (Ezra 4:4). Added to this, those who discouraged the rebuilding of Jerusalem “bribed” and “frustrated” the people at every opportunity (Ezra 4:5). Have you ever been exposed to people or situations that caused setback after setback, intentional or not?
How you deal with setbacks in life tells so very much about the character of your faith. If you give up on God’s plans or on your church when there’s a couple of setbacks, it might show that your faith is only based on success or good feelings. If setbacks cause you to question God or doubt your faith, it can expose your shallow commitment to the plans of Almighty God. If God has you on a mission, why would a setback cause you to question your mission? If God has set you to lead, should setbacks make you question your faith? Don’t let setbacks wreck good things. Don’t let challenges upset what you know to be God’s purpose. Look for God’s hand in all the setbacks. Seek God’s strength when challenges weaken your will.
When I was a pastor to a church in Milwaukee, we had problems with the foundation of the building. Due to mistakes and a weakening of the foundation, we began to have leaks in the building after a heavy rain or when the snow melted in spring. After cleaning up the mess one too many times, a member came to me and said that the situation was just overwhelming. There were too many leaks and not enough money to fix them all. As several leaders fought among themselves as to what to do, one man came forward and told them that all he needed was one weekend and a dozen volunteers to take care of the problem. The costs would be minimal. Some of the leaders looked shocked at the man’s suggestion, others saw him as a dreamer. I knew he was right. I knew he could be trusted. With the help of more than a dozen people, we started the project. In a few weeks, the problem was dealt with very well. It took a few people willing to look past the obstacles and setbacks in order to form a plan blessed by God. A few of us even saw some of the workers become much closer following their time working together. It worked out beautifully.
Not long after the scripture for today was written, God’s leaders finished the rebuilding of the Temple. It was a difficult time, but one that brought the people together. Ezra described how the people of God came together in the rebuilding of the Temple. The Jewish people were knit together despite the obstacles.
Don’t let setbacks and challenges destroy your spirit. Don’t let the naysayers crush your dreams. If God is behind a plan, there will be a way to get something done. You just need find that way through, with God’s help.
It is revealing how people deal with losses, mistakes, failures, and setbacks. Some, like Thomas Hearne in the story above, learn to adapt when setbacks occur. They adjust their priorities and point of view depending on what they have to work with. I have seen many others who give up or become despondent or get depressed upon learning of a setback or problem. Even pastors are not immune. Stuart Briscoe once wrote, “We pastors get discouraged by setback after setback, so that even victories seem bittersweet.” (Measuring Up: The Need to Succeed and the Fear of Failure). How do you handle challenges? What do you do upon learning of a setback?
In the days of the prophet Ezra, the people of God were constantly thwarted in their attempts to rebuild Jerusalem. The armies of the Babylonians had destroyed the city, the Temple, and the defensive structures. The remnant of God’s people living in and around the city were left defenseless and had very little to help in their rebuilding. Added to these challenges, the some of those who had moved into Jewish lands wanted to keep the people in bondage. At every turn, they caused the Jewish leaders to have problems. The scripture for today tells of this frustration. It reads: “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build” (Ezra 4:4). Added to this, those who discouraged the rebuilding of Jerusalem “bribed” and “frustrated” the people at every opportunity (Ezra 4:5). Have you ever been exposed to people or situations that caused setback after setback, intentional or not?
How you deal with setbacks in life tells so very much about the character of your faith. If you give up on God’s plans or on your church when there’s a couple of setbacks, it might show that your faith is only based on success or good feelings. If setbacks cause you to question God or doubt your faith, it can expose your shallow commitment to the plans of Almighty God. If God has you on a mission, why would a setback cause you to question your mission? If God has set you to lead, should setbacks make you question your faith? Don’t let setbacks wreck good things. Don’t let challenges upset what you know to be God’s purpose. Look for God’s hand in all the setbacks. Seek God’s strength when challenges weaken your will.
When I was a pastor to a church in Milwaukee, we had problems with the foundation of the building. Due to mistakes and a weakening of the foundation, we began to have leaks in the building after a heavy rain or when the snow melted in spring. After cleaning up the mess one too many times, a member came to me and said that the situation was just overwhelming. There were too many leaks and not enough money to fix them all. As several leaders fought among themselves as to what to do, one man came forward and told them that all he needed was one weekend and a dozen volunteers to take care of the problem. The costs would be minimal. Some of the leaders looked shocked at the man’s suggestion, others saw him as a dreamer. I knew he was right. I knew he could be trusted. With the help of more than a dozen people, we started the project. In a few weeks, the problem was dealt with very well. It took a few people willing to look past the obstacles and setbacks in order to form a plan blessed by God. A few of us even saw some of the workers become much closer following their time working together. It worked out beautifully.
Not long after the scripture for today was written, God’s leaders finished the rebuilding of the Temple. It was a difficult time, but one that brought the people together. Ezra described how the people of God came together in the rebuilding of the Temple. The Jewish people were knit together despite the obstacles.
Don’t let setbacks and challenges destroy your spirit. Don’t let the naysayers crush your dreams. If God is behind a plan, there will be a way to get something done. You just need find that way through, with God’s help.
January 6
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV)
In 2010, a woman was being attacked on a New York City street. Nobody seemed to care except one 31-year-old homeless man. He jumped in to stop the attack and was stabbed. As he lay dying, nobody else came forward to help. He laid there for an hour while he bled to death. Surveillance cameras showed that a good number of pedestrians walked by and did nothing, didn’t stop to help, didn’t seem to care.
Our world is filled with people who are apathetic, who don’t care to help, who are immune to the suffering of others, or who don’t want to stand up for what they believe. It actually surprises people when firefighters rush into a burning building, when a neighbor pulls a bleeding woman from a damaged home following a tornado, or a man covers his wife at the last moment before an earthquake knocks down a wall. In a report from an internet site, a man said that he heard a domestic argument going on in a car next door. The argument started with words, but then came screaming and hitting. Later, an ambulance was called, and a woman was carried off unconscious. The man who told about the incident was asked if anyone else saw the attack. He responded that his son saw it all. During the fight, the son asked his father, “Are you going to do something?” The father yelled at his son, “Keep quiet! Keep your mouth shut! Don’t step on toes. Just let it go.”
In the church, the same thing can occur. People can be very apathetic and uncaring. Despite the face that Jesus stood up for the faith, there are Christians who do nothing in the presence of evil or abuse or wrong or sin. I have even heard people say that keeping quiet when a wrong is done in the church is showing respect to God. That is a complete load of crap. The following incidences occurred in churches for a long period and little or nothing was done. In Indiana, two people had sex multiple times in the church building. Only after being caught by the pastor did it stop. Several members had witnessed it or known about it and said nothing. In a church in North Carolina, an angry member of the church had the pastor’s email hacked. He used private information gathered therein to get rid of the pastor. The member who did the act is still there. The pastor is gone. The entire congregation knew what had happened and did nothing. They were told: “Don’t cause waves.”. Denominational leaders did not want to cause a public outcry, so they hushed it up. At a church in St. Louis, the pastor had multiple affairs. Since he was a beloved founder of the church, the people kept it quiet in order to “protect the church”. I could name hundreds of such incidents. Why do they occur? People are afraid to “stand firm in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), “be courageous” in the face of sinfulness, and “be strong” enough to face evil. Our scripture today, written by the Apostle Paul, clearly espouses these virtues. Why is it that some Christians do not care to live them out?
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 16:13, he began with the words, “Be on your guard”. Paul knew that evil and sin could enter the church. It had already entered the church in Corinth when Paul penned these words. There too, people did not stand up against sin. There were divisions in the church. People were quarreling and fighting (1 Corinthians 1:11). Jealousy had seeped in, causing friction among the members (1 Corinthians 3:3). There was open immorality among members (1 Corinthians 5). There were even problems during communion of all things! I could name at least twenty different fights going on in that church. Our scripture for today contains some of Paul’s prescription to help fix that congregation. Along with being faithful to God in Christ, they needed to be on their guard against sin and evil, stand firm in their beliefs, be courageous in the face of persecution and peer pressures, and be strong in the fight for what is right.
I believe every church person needs to follow this prescription in life and among the congregation. However, I have one further bit of spiritual advice. The first few words of today's verse are “be on your guard”. It is easier than you think for Satan to play with the truth, hide the truth, or manipulate the truth you know. You can easily be fooled into thinking the pastor is the problem in the church when deceitful members are pulling your strings. You might think that man in the back pew, who is a stickler for a local mission, is a pest. He might be the only one who sees God’s plan! That friend who you thought betrayed you might be the only one in the church who is telling you the truth! In order to stand firm in the faith, be courageous and be strong, you need to follow God’s leading and be on your guard against the manipulations of evil. Don’t be fooled into being silent when you should speak out or speak out when you should hold your tongue.
I wish all arguments and problems in your life or in the church were easily observed or remedied. They are not. God’s wisdom is not easy to attain. All of us are capable of being deceived. Love involves risks. Faith involves facing your doubts. Truthfulness needs an honest self-evaluation. This meditation for today contains very many nuances. You may want to read it again multiple times on multiple days. You might be surprised how it will speak to different areas of your life depending on changing circumstances. In everything, though, keep God first in your mind. Stay true to Jesus. Follow God’s Spirit. Even when others do wrong, you do what is right.
Our world is filled with people who are apathetic, who don’t care to help, who are immune to the suffering of others, or who don’t want to stand up for what they believe. It actually surprises people when firefighters rush into a burning building, when a neighbor pulls a bleeding woman from a damaged home following a tornado, or a man covers his wife at the last moment before an earthquake knocks down a wall. In a report from an internet site, a man said that he heard a domestic argument going on in a car next door. The argument started with words, but then came screaming and hitting. Later, an ambulance was called, and a woman was carried off unconscious. The man who told about the incident was asked if anyone else saw the attack. He responded that his son saw it all. During the fight, the son asked his father, “Are you going to do something?” The father yelled at his son, “Keep quiet! Keep your mouth shut! Don’t step on toes. Just let it go.”
In the church, the same thing can occur. People can be very apathetic and uncaring. Despite the face that Jesus stood up for the faith, there are Christians who do nothing in the presence of evil or abuse or wrong or sin. I have even heard people say that keeping quiet when a wrong is done in the church is showing respect to God. That is a complete load of crap. The following incidences occurred in churches for a long period and little or nothing was done. In Indiana, two people had sex multiple times in the church building. Only after being caught by the pastor did it stop. Several members had witnessed it or known about it and said nothing. In a church in North Carolina, an angry member of the church had the pastor’s email hacked. He used private information gathered therein to get rid of the pastor. The member who did the act is still there. The pastor is gone. The entire congregation knew what had happened and did nothing. They were told: “Don’t cause waves.”. Denominational leaders did not want to cause a public outcry, so they hushed it up. At a church in St. Louis, the pastor had multiple affairs. Since he was a beloved founder of the church, the people kept it quiet in order to “protect the church”. I could name hundreds of such incidents. Why do they occur? People are afraid to “stand firm in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), “be courageous” in the face of sinfulness, and “be strong” enough to face evil. Our scripture today, written by the Apostle Paul, clearly espouses these virtues. Why is it that some Christians do not care to live them out?
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 16:13, he began with the words, “Be on your guard”. Paul knew that evil and sin could enter the church. It had already entered the church in Corinth when Paul penned these words. There too, people did not stand up against sin. There were divisions in the church. People were quarreling and fighting (1 Corinthians 1:11). Jealousy had seeped in, causing friction among the members (1 Corinthians 3:3). There was open immorality among members (1 Corinthians 5). There were even problems during communion of all things! I could name at least twenty different fights going on in that church. Our scripture for today contains some of Paul’s prescription to help fix that congregation. Along with being faithful to God in Christ, they needed to be on their guard against sin and evil, stand firm in their beliefs, be courageous in the face of persecution and peer pressures, and be strong in the fight for what is right.
I believe every church person needs to follow this prescription in life and among the congregation. However, I have one further bit of spiritual advice. The first few words of today's verse are “be on your guard”. It is easier than you think for Satan to play with the truth, hide the truth, or manipulate the truth you know. You can easily be fooled into thinking the pastor is the problem in the church when deceitful members are pulling your strings. You might think that man in the back pew, who is a stickler for a local mission, is a pest. He might be the only one who sees God’s plan! That friend who you thought betrayed you might be the only one in the church who is telling you the truth! In order to stand firm in the faith, be courageous and be strong, you need to follow God’s leading and be on your guard against the manipulations of evil. Don’t be fooled into being silent when you should speak out or speak out when you should hold your tongue.
I wish all arguments and problems in your life or in the church were easily observed or remedied. They are not. God’s wisdom is not easy to attain. All of us are capable of being deceived. Love involves risks. Faith involves facing your doubts. Truthfulness needs an honest self-evaluation. This meditation for today contains very many nuances. You may want to read it again multiple times on multiple days. You might be surprised how it will speak to different areas of your life depending on changing circumstances. In everything, though, keep God first in your mind. Stay true to Jesus. Follow God’s Spirit. Even when others do wrong, you do what is right.
January 8
“For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” (1 Corinthians 11:18–19, RSV)
If you are a Christian in 2020, this meditation is a warning call about the most divisive issue of our century. It has caused splits in every denomination where it has occurred. My own denomination has lost hundreds of churches and hundreds of thousands of members because of it. Christians in America have split from Christians in Africa over it. Seminaries are weeding out pastoral candidates depending on which side of the division you are on. If your church or denomination hasn’t been split over this issue, it will soon. I guarantee it. Every time this issue has come up in a church or denomination, the divisions were irreconcilable. Many churches and members have left their denominations over this issue. What is that issue? Same Sex Marriage/LBGTQ Clergy. It may seem like these two are very different issues. However, where people stand on one, they often will stand on the other. What side Christians take on one, they usually take on the other. I want you to know a little bit about the Biblical arguments on this issue. No doubt, I will get hate mail over this one because of the divisiveness of the issue. That won’t stop me from informing you of the Biblical understandings of the topic.
Steve Jordahl, on “One News Now”, wrote an article about a denominational split that is beginning to take shape in the United Methodist Church (“One News Now”, January 6, 2020) . It seems that the United Methodist Church is no longer “united” because of the divisive issue of Same Sex Marriage/LBGTQ Clergy. In that article, he wrote that “the denominational split that everyone knew was coming is upon the United Methodist Church”. For a good many years, the denomination has studied the Biblical and theological reasons for SSM/LBGTQ Clergy. Though Same Sex Marriage and LBGTQ Clergy are forbidden under present United Methodist theological rules, some clergy have openly violated these rules. Also, some Same-Sex marriages have been performed. When the denomination decided to enforce the rules, liberals became very angry, defied leadership, went rogue, or taught their congregations not to follow the Methodist theological stance. As reported by Steve Jordahl, “Last month, a group of United Methodist leaders came up with a plan to split the denomination… It was announced on Friday. The issue that could not be reconciled was whether the 13-million-member church was going to allow homosexual clergy and bless same-sex unions.” Jordahl mentioned that "a 'Traditional Plan'- holding true to biblical sexuality- passed and was set to become the official doctrine of the UMC.” Dr. Ray Rooney commented on the new plan by saying that after liberal leaders lost that vote, they “refused to accept the result”. They now want a split.
Splits are not new in the history of Christianity. The Corinthian church was split over several issues. When faced with the division in the church, the Apostle Paul wrote the words of our scripture for today… “I hear that there are divisions among you..” (1 Corinthians 11:18). Paul did not see these divisive issues and factions as all bad. Instead, he commented that “there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (1 Corinthians 11:19). With these words, Paul explained that faithful and unfaithful factions and divisions will occur in the church from time to time. What is important is you take God’s side in the issue.
So, what is God’s side? I am not God; however, the Bible is clear about same sex marriage. Even Jesus said that marriage is between one man and woman (Mark 10:6-9). Paul condemns homosexual relationships in Romans 1:26-27. Even Genesis 2 claims that Eve was created for Adam, a woman for a man. There is NO evidence for same-sex marriage or clergy. For thousands of years, Christians and Jews all agreed on the understanding that biblical marriage was between a man and a woman. However, liberals who support homosexual and even bisexual marriage or open marriage contend this view of marriage and sexuality is wrong and/or outdated. In these days of gender fluidity, many liberal Christians have taken the side that to be “loving”, a Christian must accept that the understanding of sexuality changes with time. For these liberals, 1 Corinthians 13:13 places love above faith. For them, love means you must accept the sexual stances of LBGTQ people and even support them. It is the loving thing to do.
Where do I stand? Let me be clear. First, Christians must love others. Even Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The lost will be the ones not on God’s side of the issue. What is God’s side? I can only say the following. The Bible is against same sex marriage and same sex clergy. The Bible is also against splitting the church to get your own way. The Bible is also against those who choose to follow laws instead of God or God’s love. I love my friends who are LBGTQ. However, the Bible does not support same-sex marriage or homosexual clergy, bisexual clergy, or transgender clergy and their theological stances. I have also found among the people of my own denomination that those who support these causes often choose the cause OVER the Bible. They even mis-quote and mis-interpret the Bible to support their cause. This has further strengthened the case against these modern-day causes.
Have no doubt, the SSM/LBGTQ Clergy issue is a church and denomination killer. We need to pray about this issue and those who have hardened their hearts on both sides. In the end, I stand with the apostle Paul on this issue. I agree with his view that factions will occur in a church in order to display who among the believers have a genuine, real, godly faith (1 Corinthians 11:19).
Steve Jordahl, on “One News Now”, wrote an article about a denominational split that is beginning to take shape in the United Methodist Church (“One News Now”, January 6, 2020) . It seems that the United Methodist Church is no longer “united” because of the divisive issue of Same Sex Marriage/LBGTQ Clergy. In that article, he wrote that “the denominational split that everyone knew was coming is upon the United Methodist Church”. For a good many years, the denomination has studied the Biblical and theological reasons for SSM/LBGTQ Clergy. Though Same Sex Marriage and LBGTQ Clergy are forbidden under present United Methodist theological rules, some clergy have openly violated these rules. Also, some Same-Sex marriages have been performed. When the denomination decided to enforce the rules, liberals became very angry, defied leadership, went rogue, or taught their congregations not to follow the Methodist theological stance. As reported by Steve Jordahl, “Last month, a group of United Methodist leaders came up with a plan to split the denomination… It was announced on Friday. The issue that could not be reconciled was whether the 13-million-member church was going to allow homosexual clergy and bless same-sex unions.” Jordahl mentioned that "a 'Traditional Plan'- holding true to biblical sexuality- passed and was set to become the official doctrine of the UMC.” Dr. Ray Rooney commented on the new plan by saying that after liberal leaders lost that vote, they “refused to accept the result”. They now want a split.
Splits are not new in the history of Christianity. The Corinthian church was split over several issues. When faced with the division in the church, the Apostle Paul wrote the words of our scripture for today… “I hear that there are divisions among you..” (1 Corinthians 11:18). Paul did not see these divisive issues and factions as all bad. Instead, he commented that “there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (1 Corinthians 11:19). With these words, Paul explained that faithful and unfaithful factions and divisions will occur in the church from time to time. What is important is you take God’s side in the issue.
So, what is God’s side? I am not God; however, the Bible is clear about same sex marriage. Even Jesus said that marriage is between one man and woman (Mark 10:6-9). Paul condemns homosexual relationships in Romans 1:26-27. Even Genesis 2 claims that Eve was created for Adam, a woman for a man. There is NO evidence for same-sex marriage or clergy. For thousands of years, Christians and Jews all agreed on the understanding that biblical marriage was between a man and a woman. However, liberals who support homosexual and even bisexual marriage or open marriage contend this view of marriage and sexuality is wrong and/or outdated. In these days of gender fluidity, many liberal Christians have taken the side that to be “loving”, a Christian must accept that the understanding of sexuality changes with time. For these liberals, 1 Corinthians 13:13 places love above faith. For them, love means you must accept the sexual stances of LBGTQ people and even support them. It is the loving thing to do.
Where do I stand? Let me be clear. First, Christians must love others. Even Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The lost will be the ones not on God’s side of the issue. What is God’s side? I can only say the following. The Bible is against same sex marriage and same sex clergy. The Bible is also against splitting the church to get your own way. The Bible is also against those who choose to follow laws instead of God or God’s love. I love my friends who are LBGTQ. However, the Bible does not support same-sex marriage or homosexual clergy, bisexual clergy, or transgender clergy and their theological stances. I have also found among the people of my own denomination that those who support these causes often choose the cause OVER the Bible. They even mis-quote and mis-interpret the Bible to support their cause. This has further strengthened the case against these modern-day causes.
Have no doubt, the SSM/LBGTQ Clergy issue is a church and denomination killer. We need to pray about this issue and those who have hardened their hearts on both sides. In the end, I stand with the apostle Paul on this issue. I agree with his view that factions will occur in a church in order to display who among the believers have a genuine, real, godly faith (1 Corinthians 11:19).
January 12
“Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”” (John 11:40, RSV)
The words above were spoken by Jesus to Martha, the sister of Lazarus. Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus asked Martha if she believed. Only then did Jesus perform the miracle of a resurrection of the dead. I find Jesus’ words very intriguing.
Today, my eyes fell upon one word that Jesus spoke to Martha. That word was “if”. “If” is a conditional word. It implies a situation in which something can go one way or another. “IF this happens, that may happen” is an example of how “if” implies a conditional situation. Jesus used the word “if” in the verse above to question whether Martha truly believed (John 11:40). “IF” she did, something would happen. She did believe. Thereafter, Jesus raised Lazarus. I believe that at times God will put an “IF” before you. God will put a condition ahead of you that will depend on your faith…. “if you believe, this will work”. Thus, for God there is a connection between faith and what can happen. IF you have faith, something can happen. IF you do not have faith, nothing or something wrong will occur. It all depends on IF you have true faith.
In other words….. NOT HAVING FAITH CAN BLOCK YOU FROM SEEING GOD’S ACTION. HAVING FAITH MAY ENABLE YOU TO SEE GOD WORK, WHERE OTHERS CANNOT. It is all conditioned on whether you have true faith. Two people can look at the same circumstances and see very different things. A person who is negative may see the cup half empty, while the person who is optimistic may view the cup half full. It’s a difference of perspective. When you have faith, you can see what those without faith CANNOT!
I was in the emergency room with a strong Christian friend who had an irregular heartbeat. The doctors tried everything to slow the heart rate which had soared to close to two hundred beats per minute. To help the heart, the doctor had attempted several different therapies, including a shot to help steady his beat. Nothing seemed to help. The wife called me into the emergency room to pray with her husband. The doctors and nurse backed off. I tried to calm my Christian friend. I watched the monitor next to him reading 180+ beats per minute. I knew he could have a stroke at any moment. As he lay there in distress, I told him to give me his hand. I then grabbed his hand and his wife’s hand and prayed. Not fifteen seconds later, while we prayed, the man’s heart returned to normal. To normal! The doctor rushed into the room just as I finished praying and said, “Thank God the medicine worked!” The man turned to the doctor and said, “It wasn’t the medicine. It was the prayer!” The doctor smiled as if to say, “You believe what you want, but we are out of danger now!”
That family knew deep in their hearts that God’s action in that prayer changed the man’s heartbeat. Nothing else had been working for hours before I arrived. This family’s perspective was different. They were faithful people and had faith that God could heal. The doctor had faith in the power of his medicine. Because of the condition of his faith, the doctor couldn’t believe God did a healing that day. Because of the “conditions”, the “ifs”, that family saw the power of that prayer while the doctor could not. Your faith will enable you to see God’s actions where another person can only see coincidences, surprising actions, or lucky occurrences.
Martha’s faith in Jesus provided her with an ability to see Jesus perform a miracle. She got to “see the glory of God” (John 11:40). When you have true eyes of faith, you too will see imprints of God’s hand on situations and happenings. You can sometimes see God’s handiwork. Others may not be able to see what is so obvious to you. Others may not be able to perceive God’s action in a situation or in a person’s life. You will be able to see so much more because of true faith.
I hope you realize how important and precious is your faith. It gives you a superpower! It gives you the ability to pick up on spiritual powers, miracles, gifts of the Spirit, and so much more. God’s actions in this world can be perceived. God’s work in a person’s life can become so clear. God’s wish or command for a moment can be so obvious. It depends on the conditions, your faith, your connection with God.
Recently, I spoke with an atheist about an amazing coincidence. A traveler sensed something was amiss and cancelled a flight. That flight later crashed, killing all aboard. The atheist knew I believed that the person could easily have been influenced by God. The atheist, I knew, was skeptical of God’s involvement. I asked the man.. “What are the chances of a man feeling called by God not to go on that plane, not going on it, and the plane crashing?”
Being a student of mathematics, the man did some calculation in his head and said, “Millions to one”.
“Sounds like a God thing to me!”, I replied.
“Sounds like the person is lucky to me. People win the lottery at million to one odds every day.”
“True”, I replied, “however the person responded to a push from God, not to a lottery ticket. The person changed itinerary due to a spiritual feeling. I’m sorry, that sounds like a God thing to me!”
He shook his head and replied, “You believe what you want. I’ll stick with mathematics every time. It’s proven.”
My only response was, “God has proven Himself over and over to me.”
I’m sure as the man walked away, he probably thought I was one more crazy nut living in this world completely oblivious to “the facts”. Sadly, he does not believe that a living God is truly one of those facts he needs to get accustomed to in our world!
Your belief enables you to see things of a spiritual sort. It can open you up to the possibilities of the actions of God. People may make fun of your faith. Don’t let it get to you. That faith you have is powerful indeed….. more powerful than you’ll ever know.
Today, my eyes fell upon one word that Jesus spoke to Martha. That word was “if”. “If” is a conditional word. It implies a situation in which something can go one way or another. “IF this happens, that may happen” is an example of how “if” implies a conditional situation. Jesus used the word “if” in the verse above to question whether Martha truly believed (John 11:40). “IF” she did, something would happen. She did believe. Thereafter, Jesus raised Lazarus. I believe that at times God will put an “IF” before you. God will put a condition ahead of you that will depend on your faith…. “if you believe, this will work”. Thus, for God there is a connection between faith and what can happen. IF you have faith, something can happen. IF you do not have faith, nothing or something wrong will occur. It all depends on IF you have true faith.
In other words….. NOT HAVING FAITH CAN BLOCK YOU FROM SEEING GOD’S ACTION. HAVING FAITH MAY ENABLE YOU TO SEE GOD WORK, WHERE OTHERS CANNOT. It is all conditioned on whether you have true faith. Two people can look at the same circumstances and see very different things. A person who is negative may see the cup half empty, while the person who is optimistic may view the cup half full. It’s a difference of perspective. When you have faith, you can see what those without faith CANNOT!
I was in the emergency room with a strong Christian friend who had an irregular heartbeat. The doctors tried everything to slow the heart rate which had soared to close to two hundred beats per minute. To help the heart, the doctor had attempted several different therapies, including a shot to help steady his beat. Nothing seemed to help. The wife called me into the emergency room to pray with her husband. The doctors and nurse backed off. I tried to calm my Christian friend. I watched the monitor next to him reading 180+ beats per minute. I knew he could have a stroke at any moment. As he lay there in distress, I told him to give me his hand. I then grabbed his hand and his wife’s hand and prayed. Not fifteen seconds later, while we prayed, the man’s heart returned to normal. To normal! The doctor rushed into the room just as I finished praying and said, “Thank God the medicine worked!” The man turned to the doctor and said, “It wasn’t the medicine. It was the prayer!” The doctor smiled as if to say, “You believe what you want, but we are out of danger now!”
That family knew deep in their hearts that God’s action in that prayer changed the man’s heartbeat. Nothing else had been working for hours before I arrived. This family’s perspective was different. They were faithful people and had faith that God could heal. The doctor had faith in the power of his medicine. Because of the condition of his faith, the doctor couldn’t believe God did a healing that day. Because of the “conditions”, the “ifs”, that family saw the power of that prayer while the doctor could not. Your faith will enable you to see God’s actions where another person can only see coincidences, surprising actions, or lucky occurrences.
Martha’s faith in Jesus provided her with an ability to see Jesus perform a miracle. She got to “see the glory of God” (John 11:40). When you have true eyes of faith, you too will see imprints of God’s hand on situations and happenings. You can sometimes see God’s handiwork. Others may not be able to see what is so obvious to you. Others may not be able to perceive God’s action in a situation or in a person’s life. You will be able to see so much more because of true faith.
I hope you realize how important and precious is your faith. It gives you a superpower! It gives you the ability to pick up on spiritual powers, miracles, gifts of the Spirit, and so much more. God’s actions in this world can be perceived. God’s work in a person’s life can become so clear. God’s wish or command for a moment can be so obvious. It depends on the conditions, your faith, your connection with God.
Recently, I spoke with an atheist about an amazing coincidence. A traveler sensed something was amiss and cancelled a flight. That flight later crashed, killing all aboard. The atheist knew I believed that the person could easily have been influenced by God. The atheist, I knew, was skeptical of God’s involvement. I asked the man.. “What are the chances of a man feeling called by God not to go on that plane, not going on it, and the plane crashing?”
Being a student of mathematics, the man did some calculation in his head and said, “Millions to one”.
“Sounds like a God thing to me!”, I replied.
“Sounds like the person is lucky to me. People win the lottery at million to one odds every day.”
“True”, I replied, “however the person responded to a push from God, not to a lottery ticket. The person changed itinerary due to a spiritual feeling. I’m sorry, that sounds like a God thing to me!”
He shook his head and replied, “You believe what you want. I’ll stick with mathematics every time. It’s proven.”
My only response was, “God has proven Himself over and over to me.”
I’m sure as the man walked away, he probably thought I was one more crazy nut living in this world completely oblivious to “the facts”. Sadly, he does not believe that a living God is truly one of those facts he needs to get accustomed to in our world!
Your belief enables you to see things of a spiritual sort. It can open you up to the possibilities of the actions of God. People may make fun of your faith. Don’t let it get to you. That faith you have is powerful indeed….. more powerful than you’ll ever know.
January 14
“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”” (Luke 10:20, ESV)
“One New Year's Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.
Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49) find themselves out of gas.” (Steve Blankenship, as quoted in God Came Near by Max Lucado, p. 95).
It just didn’t make sense. You’d figure that the Standard Oil Company float would never be caught running out of gas! Well, the same thing can happen with Christians. You’d figure that Christians would never mess up their relationship with God. In the case of both situations, you’d figure that the relationships would be fundamental, rock solid, and absolutely reliable. However, that is not always the case.
A lifelong Christian friend had a beautiful family. His wife of thirty years was one of the most caring and loving persons I ever knew. His children were wildly successful, as was this Christian friend. He had lots of money, lived in a large home in a very wealthy neighborhood. He was greatly respected in the community and had many friends. Despite so many successes in his life, this man made the greatest mistake in his life when in his late forties. Being so wealthy and respected, he also attracted some people who were less than faithful. One was a young woman in her thirties who began work as his secretary. She worked long hours at his office and developed romantic feelings for her boss over time. After months of her flattery, good looks, and flirtatious actions, he had an affair with her that lasted months. When his family found out, it tore them apart. When his friends found out, they wanted nothing to do with him. He was a pariah in his community. During this period of his life, he commented to me that he was absolutely ashamed that he got so caught up in his status and wealth. He enjoyed the young woman’s admiration. He basked in her flirtation, feeling young again. Despite years as a strong Christian man and loving father with many successes, he found his relationship with God was based more on success than in a real relationship. He so enjoyed God’s blessings that he took for granted his relationship with God and others. Even while in worship, he ignored his sin. He saw his affair as a great boost for his ego and ignored its spiritual and familial ramifications. It caused the greatest downfall of his life.
You might ask yourself how a life-long strong Christian man could make such a huge mistake. It can happen very easily. It can happen to you. There are times when Christians may fall into the sin of enjoying God’s blessing or power without being true to their relationship with God. Pastors can be so full of themselves when people revere their position, it can cause them to be more prideful in their position than their relationship with God. This can happen in many professions as well. Christian doctors can be treated so well on the job that they grow heady and self-absorbed. When a nurse questions an action or decision, the doctor may see it as a threat to status instead of a time of learning. A matriarch of the church might be so full of herself that when a young woman questions why a group does something in the church that she chastises and berates the young woman who dare question her authority!
The scripture for today contains a warning Jesus gave His disciples. Seventy of Jesus’ closest followers had left on a mission. While working, they cast out demons and healed people (Luke 10:17ff). No doubt this earned them great attention and respect. Upon returning from this missionary work, Jesus responded with the scripture above. He told the missionaries not to rejoice in the power over the evil spirits, but instead to “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20). Jesus wanted the disciples to steer clear from pride and self-admiration at the reverence and respect paid them. Jesus did not want them to think themselves powerful because of their command over the evil spirits. Jesus wanted them to rejoice in their relationship with God. Jesus wanted them to keep their focus not on their accomplishments while on the missionary journey, but instead to focus on their relationship with God in Christ that made everything possible.
It is all too easy to get fired up about your looks or when people revere you. Having success or status or displaying power over evil spirits might make you haughty or self-congratulatory. These are traps for even the strongest of Christians. Don’t get caught up in the success. Always remember to keep your focus on your relationship with God in Christ. Don’t count your accomplishments to determine your worth. Your relationship with God in Christ will determine your value to Heaven. It’s not always about what you do. Mostly, its about who you are.
Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49) find themselves out of gas.” (Steve Blankenship, as quoted in God Came Near by Max Lucado, p. 95).
It just didn’t make sense. You’d figure that the Standard Oil Company float would never be caught running out of gas! Well, the same thing can happen with Christians. You’d figure that Christians would never mess up their relationship with God. In the case of both situations, you’d figure that the relationships would be fundamental, rock solid, and absolutely reliable. However, that is not always the case.
A lifelong Christian friend had a beautiful family. His wife of thirty years was one of the most caring and loving persons I ever knew. His children were wildly successful, as was this Christian friend. He had lots of money, lived in a large home in a very wealthy neighborhood. He was greatly respected in the community and had many friends. Despite so many successes in his life, this man made the greatest mistake in his life when in his late forties. Being so wealthy and respected, he also attracted some people who were less than faithful. One was a young woman in her thirties who began work as his secretary. She worked long hours at his office and developed romantic feelings for her boss over time. After months of her flattery, good looks, and flirtatious actions, he had an affair with her that lasted months. When his family found out, it tore them apart. When his friends found out, they wanted nothing to do with him. He was a pariah in his community. During this period of his life, he commented to me that he was absolutely ashamed that he got so caught up in his status and wealth. He enjoyed the young woman’s admiration. He basked in her flirtation, feeling young again. Despite years as a strong Christian man and loving father with many successes, he found his relationship with God was based more on success than in a real relationship. He so enjoyed God’s blessings that he took for granted his relationship with God and others. Even while in worship, he ignored his sin. He saw his affair as a great boost for his ego and ignored its spiritual and familial ramifications. It caused the greatest downfall of his life.
You might ask yourself how a life-long strong Christian man could make such a huge mistake. It can happen very easily. It can happen to you. There are times when Christians may fall into the sin of enjoying God’s blessing or power without being true to their relationship with God. Pastors can be so full of themselves when people revere their position, it can cause them to be more prideful in their position than their relationship with God. This can happen in many professions as well. Christian doctors can be treated so well on the job that they grow heady and self-absorbed. When a nurse questions an action or decision, the doctor may see it as a threat to status instead of a time of learning. A matriarch of the church might be so full of herself that when a young woman questions why a group does something in the church that she chastises and berates the young woman who dare question her authority!
The scripture for today contains a warning Jesus gave His disciples. Seventy of Jesus’ closest followers had left on a mission. While working, they cast out demons and healed people (Luke 10:17ff). No doubt this earned them great attention and respect. Upon returning from this missionary work, Jesus responded with the scripture above. He told the missionaries not to rejoice in the power over the evil spirits, but instead to “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20). Jesus wanted the disciples to steer clear from pride and self-admiration at the reverence and respect paid them. Jesus did not want them to think themselves powerful because of their command over the evil spirits. Jesus wanted them to rejoice in their relationship with God. Jesus wanted them to keep their focus not on their accomplishments while on the missionary journey, but instead to focus on their relationship with God in Christ that made everything possible.
It is all too easy to get fired up about your looks or when people revere you. Having success or status or displaying power over evil spirits might make you haughty or self-congratulatory. These are traps for even the strongest of Christians. Don’t get caught up in the success. Always remember to keep your focus on your relationship with God in Christ. Don’t count your accomplishments to determine your worth. Your relationship with God in Christ will determine your value to Heaven. It’s not always about what you do. Mostly, its about who you are.
January 16
“And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless some one guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:29–31, RSV)
Any story you read on this website that comes from me is factual (though I may have changed the names or circumstances to keep the people anonymous). These stories happened to me or to a friend. I usually note when I borrow a story from another source. However, when I talk about things that have happened in my life, I still have people who doubt what I write. They can’t believe all the things read about on this web site actually occurred. I have found that when you listen closely to God’s voice, you can be used in some pretty amazing ways. God will lead you to places you wouldn’t normally go. God will use you for extraordinary purposes. Unusual coincidences will occur now and then that make you wonder.
This past month, I was speaking to a lifelong Christian friend. She asked me how I was doing, and I told her about a new and very unusual diagnosis that a specialist gave me. Usually, I don’t talk about my health matters very much, because I don’t want to be one of “those” people who have talk about their medical issues every living moment! However, on this day, I did what I normally do not. I talked about a genetic disorder that one doctor recently diagnosed in me that causes my spine to be unstable. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I just felt compelled to do it. I didn’t know why at first.
As I spoke to my friend, her eyes became large. The more I talked, the more surprised she became. When she repeated the name of my genetic disorder, I could tell she knew something. All she said was, “Oh, my God! Let me introduce you to someone!” She immediately took me to another room and introduced me to her daughter. After some amount of animated discussion, I found out that a member of that family was just diagnosed with the same genetic disorder. This disorder often causes pain in the joints and the feeling of flu-like symptoms when in advanced states (Yeah, I feel like I have the flu with accompanying body aches every day!). The family had never met anyone else with the disorder. After our conversation, I could tell that the family was very excited to meet someone else who had been dealing with this challenging disorder. They were super-excited to hear how to cope from someone who has been facing this illness for a much longer time. What were the odds of this happening?
I have met many people of God who have experienced the same unusual circumstances. It’s as if God had planned everything to come to pass. What makes you think God didn’t plan that special occurrence?
In the book of Acts, these same types of fortuitous special circumstances happened to Philip. Philip was one of the twelve disciples. He had listened to Jesus for a long time and was a strong believer. Along with the other disciples, Philip was filled with the Holy Spirit. In this scripture for today, Philip was led by the Spirit of God to approach a chariot (Acts 8:29). Without hesitation, Philip came near the chariot and overheard a person reading from the Bible, from Isaiah (Acts 8:30). Philip asked the person a perfect question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” It just so happened that the person did not quite understand that passage from Isaiah. He invited Philip to go on the chariot and explain the scripture. Later, after a short ride and discussion of the scriptures, the man was baptized by Philip along the way (Acts 8:38).
What were the odds of all this falling into place? Philip just happened to feel led by the Spirit to a certain place. A person was reading from the Bible at exactly that same moment. Philip knew enough about scripture and the faith to be able to baptize the man. The odds were astronomical against this happening all at the same time, all according to God’s plan. However, the events did occur. The perfect blending of people being at the right place at the perfect moment did occur. A man’s life was changed forever. His story was deemed important to be recorded in the Bible.
Don’t be surprised if God’s Spirit moves you to be in the perfect place at the perfect time for something extraordinary to occur. Don’t be surprised if God uses you for a special purpose. Things might look like coincidence to others, be true Christians know better. We’ve seen extraordinary circumstances come together before because of the initiation of God Almighty.
God is very active in our world. What makes you think God won’t do something special with you today? What makes you think that words you say off-handed in the next few hours won’t change a person’s life forever? It happens more than you know, dear Christian friend! God is amazing that way!
This past month, I was speaking to a lifelong Christian friend. She asked me how I was doing, and I told her about a new and very unusual diagnosis that a specialist gave me. Usually, I don’t talk about my health matters very much, because I don’t want to be one of “those” people who have talk about their medical issues every living moment! However, on this day, I did what I normally do not. I talked about a genetic disorder that one doctor recently diagnosed in me that causes my spine to be unstable. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I just felt compelled to do it. I didn’t know why at first.
As I spoke to my friend, her eyes became large. The more I talked, the more surprised she became. When she repeated the name of my genetic disorder, I could tell she knew something. All she said was, “Oh, my God! Let me introduce you to someone!” She immediately took me to another room and introduced me to her daughter. After some amount of animated discussion, I found out that a member of that family was just diagnosed with the same genetic disorder. This disorder often causes pain in the joints and the feeling of flu-like symptoms when in advanced states (Yeah, I feel like I have the flu with accompanying body aches every day!). The family had never met anyone else with the disorder. After our conversation, I could tell that the family was very excited to meet someone else who had been dealing with this challenging disorder. They were super-excited to hear how to cope from someone who has been facing this illness for a much longer time. What were the odds of this happening?
I have met many people of God who have experienced the same unusual circumstances. It’s as if God had planned everything to come to pass. What makes you think God didn’t plan that special occurrence?
In the book of Acts, these same types of fortuitous special circumstances happened to Philip. Philip was one of the twelve disciples. He had listened to Jesus for a long time and was a strong believer. Along with the other disciples, Philip was filled with the Holy Spirit. In this scripture for today, Philip was led by the Spirit of God to approach a chariot (Acts 8:29). Without hesitation, Philip came near the chariot and overheard a person reading from the Bible, from Isaiah (Acts 8:30). Philip asked the person a perfect question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” It just so happened that the person did not quite understand that passage from Isaiah. He invited Philip to go on the chariot and explain the scripture. Later, after a short ride and discussion of the scriptures, the man was baptized by Philip along the way (Acts 8:38).
What were the odds of all this falling into place? Philip just happened to feel led by the Spirit to a certain place. A person was reading from the Bible at exactly that same moment. Philip knew enough about scripture and the faith to be able to baptize the man. The odds were astronomical against this happening all at the same time, all according to God’s plan. However, the events did occur. The perfect blending of people being at the right place at the perfect moment did occur. A man’s life was changed forever. His story was deemed important to be recorded in the Bible.
Don’t be surprised if God’s Spirit moves you to be in the perfect place at the perfect time for something extraordinary to occur. Don’t be surprised if God uses you for a special purpose. Things might look like coincidence to others, be true Christians know better. We’ve seen extraordinary circumstances come together before because of the initiation of God Almighty.
God is very active in our world. What makes you think God won’t do something special with you today? What makes you think that words you say off-handed in the next few hours won’t change a person’s life forever? It happens more than you know, dear Christian friend! God is amazing that way!
January 20
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place.”
(Jeremiah 7:3, NRSV)
(Jeremiah 7:3, NRSV)
A loving father walked up slowly to the casket. In that casket was his worst nightmare. Two years before, that father was approached by a friend. The friend informed the father that his son was going out drinking with his friends on weekends. The son was only sixteen years old. The father and son had a long talk. The son was belligerent. He was angry. Someone had ratted him out. Instead of owning up to the reality of his actions, he blamed others for telling on him. The father looked him up and down and said, “Son, you better amend your ways. I’m telling you. Not only am I not going to put up with it. Its gonna get you killed.” In that casket that awful day was his dead son’s body, his only child had died in a car accident after drinking with his friends. Several other boys were hurt severely as well. Lives were damaged forever.
What would have happened if the son had listened to his father? He probably would be living today. What could have saved the boy’s life? Amending his ways.
The phrase, “amend your ways”, is an old one. It goes back centuries. The phrase means to make a change in order to do what is right. It involves a change of attitude and actions. It involves a change in one’s perspective and plans. Usually, this phrase is told to someone who is going the wrong way in life. In order to stave off a damaging series of events or a dangerous future, anyone going the wrong way in life needs to amend his or her ways. It can seriously impact the future.
There was a time in the history of Judah when sinfulness became commonplace. Instead of owning up to the sin, people would tell one another that despite their sin, God would not punish Israel. Would God punish and destroy the very people who lived near “the Temple of the Lord” (Jeremiah 7:4)? Yes, God would. In fact, the Babylonian army utterly destroyed the Temple in 586 BC. We know that from the pages of history. However, the scripture for today was spoken a few years BEFORE that date. Despite their grievous sins, God was giving the people of Judah a chance to “amend their ways” and come back to righteousness. The prophet Jeremiah relayed the word of God contained in the verse above. Jeremiah threatened Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings…” (Jeremiah 7:3). They didn’t listen. Destruction came soon after.
In the last phrase of this verse for today, there exists an interesting statement about God’s presence. Because the people of Judah and Jerusalem were living in sin, God was not with them. God remained absent and aloof from their presence. Only if the people “amended their ways” would God “dwell with” the people in the Temple and Jerusalem. I want you to consider the meaning of these words. Because of the sin of the Judeans, God was NOT dwelling with them. Only if they amended their ways would God be present in the region and among the people. Don’t you see it? When you are mired in sin and God becomes absent in your life, only by amending your ways can God ever come back to dwell with you.
Like the Judeans in the days of Jeremiah, there are Christians today who believe that God is with them despite their sinful lifestyle choices. Some have the mistaken understanding that since they “believe in Jesus” or have been baptized, God will always be there. They delude themselves into believing that despite whatever they do, God will always be present; God will always hear their prayers; God will always be close. This is not the case. There are many scriptures where God would NOT listen the prayers of those who lived in sin (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 65:12, and Jeremiah 7:13 for example). There are also examples when God left the presence of a person or people who rejected Him (1 Samuel 28:6, Acts 28:27). If you ever find yourself caught up in a sinful lifestyle and God seems to have drifted away from your life, heed Jeremiah’s warning. “Amend your ways and your doings”, or else God may never dwell fully with you again.
There is a religious group called Unitarian Universalists who believe that God will never leave a person’s life. Their own website states that they support those who have “many faiths and no faith”. They believe that no matter how much you have sinned; God will never let you go. Most believe that there will be no eternal damnation or judgment. The scripture for today tells a different story. It confirms that God will depart from a people who will not attempt to amend their ways. God is ready to forgive your sin, but only if you repent. God will only be close if you make things right. Don’t be deceived by those who believe that your “ways and doings” don’t affect your relationship with God. According to today’s verse and true faith, God will only be with you if you amend your ways when sin has wreaked havoc on your relationship with God.
What would have happened if the son had listened to his father? He probably would be living today. What could have saved the boy’s life? Amending his ways.
The phrase, “amend your ways”, is an old one. It goes back centuries. The phrase means to make a change in order to do what is right. It involves a change of attitude and actions. It involves a change in one’s perspective and plans. Usually, this phrase is told to someone who is going the wrong way in life. In order to stave off a damaging series of events or a dangerous future, anyone going the wrong way in life needs to amend his or her ways. It can seriously impact the future.
There was a time in the history of Judah when sinfulness became commonplace. Instead of owning up to the sin, people would tell one another that despite their sin, God would not punish Israel. Would God punish and destroy the very people who lived near “the Temple of the Lord” (Jeremiah 7:4)? Yes, God would. In fact, the Babylonian army utterly destroyed the Temple in 586 BC. We know that from the pages of history. However, the scripture for today was spoken a few years BEFORE that date. Despite their grievous sins, God was giving the people of Judah a chance to “amend their ways” and come back to righteousness. The prophet Jeremiah relayed the word of God contained in the verse above. Jeremiah threatened Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings…” (Jeremiah 7:3). They didn’t listen. Destruction came soon after.
In the last phrase of this verse for today, there exists an interesting statement about God’s presence. Because the people of Judah and Jerusalem were living in sin, God was not with them. God remained absent and aloof from their presence. Only if the people “amended their ways” would God “dwell with” the people in the Temple and Jerusalem. I want you to consider the meaning of these words. Because of the sin of the Judeans, God was NOT dwelling with them. Only if they amended their ways would God be present in the region and among the people. Don’t you see it? When you are mired in sin and God becomes absent in your life, only by amending your ways can God ever come back to dwell with you.
Like the Judeans in the days of Jeremiah, there are Christians today who believe that God is with them despite their sinful lifestyle choices. Some have the mistaken understanding that since they “believe in Jesus” or have been baptized, God will always be there. They delude themselves into believing that despite whatever they do, God will always be present; God will always hear their prayers; God will always be close. This is not the case. There are many scriptures where God would NOT listen the prayers of those who lived in sin (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 65:12, and Jeremiah 7:13 for example). There are also examples when God left the presence of a person or people who rejected Him (1 Samuel 28:6, Acts 28:27). If you ever find yourself caught up in a sinful lifestyle and God seems to have drifted away from your life, heed Jeremiah’s warning. “Amend your ways and your doings”, or else God may never dwell fully with you again.
There is a religious group called Unitarian Universalists who believe that God will never leave a person’s life. Their own website states that they support those who have “many faiths and no faith”. They believe that no matter how much you have sinned; God will never let you go. Most believe that there will be no eternal damnation or judgment. The scripture for today tells a different story. It confirms that God will depart from a people who will not attempt to amend their ways. God is ready to forgive your sin, but only if you repent. God will only be close if you make things right. Don’t be deceived by those who believe that your “ways and doings” don’t affect your relationship with God. According to today’s verse and true faith, God will only be with you if you amend your ways when sin has wreaked havoc on your relationship with God.
January 23
“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””
(John 8:10–11, ESV)
(John 8:10–11, ESV)
“For more than 20 years Professor Edwin R. Keedy of the University of Pennsylvania Law School used to start his first class by putting two figures on the blackboard 4 2.
Then he would ask, "What's the solution?"
One student would call out, "Six." Another would say, “Two." Then several would shout out "Eight!" But the teacher would shake his head in the negative. Then Keedy would point out their collective error. "All of you failed to ask the key question: What is the problem? Gentlemen, unless you know what the problem is, you cannot possibly find the answer."
This teacher knew that in law as in everyday life, too much time is spent trying to solve the wrong problem -- like polishing brass on a sinking ship.
The problem is SIN-- The solution is JESUS!” (“The Visitor”, April 1994)
In the gospel of John, chapter 8, Jesus saw a woman about to be stoned to death. She had sinned. She was guilty of adultery. The woman did not deny it. She did not plead her innocence. She was caught in the act. According to the interpretation of God’s law in that day, she should die. Seeking to trip up Jesus in some way, the Pharisees asked Jesus what to do. No matter how Jesus interpreted her case, it would be used against Him. If Jesus said she was innocent, Pharisees would point out that she was caught in the act. If Jesus got her off the hook, they would proclaim that God meant less to Him than one sinful person. If Jesus said she should die, the Pharisees would tell others about His hard heart and lust for murder. Instead of doing any of these things, Jesus simply said that “he who is without sin should cast the first stone.” (John 8:7). With these words, Jesus condemned her accusers. They were sinners just as was this woman. It’s hard to condemn someone else to death when you have also committed sin!
In our scripture for today, Jesus spoke to the woman who had committed adultery. I want to focus on Jesus’ final words. He told her that she should “sin no more” (John 8:11). Sin had gotten this woman into the position she was in. Sin had set up her adultery. Sin had corrupted her thinking. Because of sin, she almost lost her life. Sin was the backdrop that was used against Jesus by the Pharisees. Sin always causes consequences in your life and in those around you. It is like a plague that has affected all of humanity. It makes everything more complicated and dangerous. It makes suffering possible. Jesus cared enough for this adultery-tainted woman to inform her to “sin no more”. Sin had gotten her in her mess and needed to be rejected.
Unless you realize that sin is a problem in your life, it will continue to influence and wreck your life. As you go through your day and speak to God in your prayers, root out sin from your thoughts and actions. When you find it, reject it. “Sin no more”. If you let sin take hold in your life, it will wreck whatever area it inhabits.
A young woman from our youth group talked to me after a meeting one evening. She had been dating a boy for months and was frustrated with the relationship. He liked to party a little too much. He was distant at times. He was moody and could be spiteful. After a few minutes of this, I asked her why she even dated him. She responded, “He is so popular. And, he’s so cute. I’ve wanted to date him for a long time.”
After a few moments of thought, I said, “Do you love him as he is, or do you love who he could be?” This startled her. She had not thought of her relationship in this way. Finally, after a few more minutes, she admitted that she was dating him for the wrong reasons. She wanted him to change. She did not really like who he was in real life. He wasn’t even a good fit. She wanted to change him to fit her ideal of a perfect boyfriend.
You may not realize what your mistake is now, but when you speak with Jesus, things will often become clearer. Your thinking will change. Your mistakes will become more obvious. Your sin will appear for what it is. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, realize that it was not just the woman whose sin was revealed. The men who were ready to stone her also had their sin revealed. In the presence of Jesus, sin and faith are clarified and understood in context. That is why you need to spend time with God each and every day. That’s why those who deny God may never understand that what is truly behind all the evil in this world …. Sin. You can’t fix this problem if you don’t know it.
Then he would ask, "What's the solution?"
One student would call out, "Six." Another would say, “Two." Then several would shout out "Eight!" But the teacher would shake his head in the negative. Then Keedy would point out their collective error. "All of you failed to ask the key question: What is the problem? Gentlemen, unless you know what the problem is, you cannot possibly find the answer."
This teacher knew that in law as in everyday life, too much time is spent trying to solve the wrong problem -- like polishing brass on a sinking ship.
The problem is SIN-- The solution is JESUS!” (“The Visitor”, April 1994)
In the gospel of John, chapter 8, Jesus saw a woman about to be stoned to death. She had sinned. She was guilty of adultery. The woman did not deny it. She did not plead her innocence. She was caught in the act. According to the interpretation of God’s law in that day, she should die. Seeking to trip up Jesus in some way, the Pharisees asked Jesus what to do. No matter how Jesus interpreted her case, it would be used against Him. If Jesus said she was innocent, Pharisees would point out that she was caught in the act. If Jesus got her off the hook, they would proclaim that God meant less to Him than one sinful person. If Jesus said she should die, the Pharisees would tell others about His hard heart and lust for murder. Instead of doing any of these things, Jesus simply said that “he who is without sin should cast the first stone.” (John 8:7). With these words, Jesus condemned her accusers. They were sinners just as was this woman. It’s hard to condemn someone else to death when you have also committed sin!
In our scripture for today, Jesus spoke to the woman who had committed adultery. I want to focus on Jesus’ final words. He told her that she should “sin no more” (John 8:11). Sin had gotten this woman into the position she was in. Sin had set up her adultery. Sin had corrupted her thinking. Because of sin, she almost lost her life. Sin was the backdrop that was used against Jesus by the Pharisees. Sin always causes consequences in your life and in those around you. It is like a plague that has affected all of humanity. It makes everything more complicated and dangerous. It makes suffering possible. Jesus cared enough for this adultery-tainted woman to inform her to “sin no more”. Sin had gotten her in her mess and needed to be rejected.
Unless you realize that sin is a problem in your life, it will continue to influence and wreck your life. As you go through your day and speak to God in your prayers, root out sin from your thoughts and actions. When you find it, reject it. “Sin no more”. If you let sin take hold in your life, it will wreck whatever area it inhabits.
A young woman from our youth group talked to me after a meeting one evening. She had been dating a boy for months and was frustrated with the relationship. He liked to party a little too much. He was distant at times. He was moody and could be spiteful. After a few minutes of this, I asked her why she even dated him. She responded, “He is so popular. And, he’s so cute. I’ve wanted to date him for a long time.”
After a few moments of thought, I said, “Do you love him as he is, or do you love who he could be?” This startled her. She had not thought of her relationship in this way. Finally, after a few more minutes, she admitted that she was dating him for the wrong reasons. She wanted him to change. She did not really like who he was in real life. He wasn’t even a good fit. She wanted to change him to fit her ideal of a perfect boyfriend.
You may not realize what your mistake is now, but when you speak with Jesus, things will often become clearer. Your thinking will change. Your mistakes will become more obvious. Your sin will appear for what it is. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, realize that it was not just the woman whose sin was revealed. The men who were ready to stone her also had their sin revealed. In the presence of Jesus, sin and faith are clarified and understood in context. That is why you need to spend time with God each and every day. That’s why those who deny God may never understand that what is truly behind all the evil in this world …. Sin. You can’t fix this problem if you don’t know it.
January 26
“One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”” (John 5:5–6, RSV)
While walking through a grocery store, I overheard a couple arguing. They were yelling at each other in the next aisle over, and I could hear their words from twenty feet away. The argument began about which cereal to buy but ended up with the wife yelling about her husband being lazy and leaving dishes in the living room. He yelled back that she was a poor wife who cared more about how the house looked than about their relationship. They must have been in the aisle alone because their voices grew quieter as they neared the end of the aisle. I passed them going the opposite way. Then I heard them start up again about something else.
A few aisles down, a teenager approached them and said, “Are you two still at it?”
The mother replied, “I love your dad and we argue a lot. Get over it!”
This exchange reminded me of a couple I saw in marriage counseling. They argued constantly. When I asked them why they argued all the time, both tried to convince me that their arguing was a good thing. In fact, they called it a key to their marriage. Both grew up in households where people nitpicked as a form of playful banter. I asked them if they were always going to nitpick and push each other’s buttons to the point of arguments breaking out. They both replied that it was healthy for their marriage. However, their children hated it. It also made their friends feel very uncomfortable.
Some people feel more at home with problems than without. Some people feel the need to argue all the time. Some people like talking about their illnesses ad nauseum. Some people enjoy having something to complain about. All of these types of people share something in common. They do not feel the need to change these bad habits or negative attitudes. They have grown comfortable with physical or emotional or psychological pain and can’t imagine life without it.
I was told that when the Allies liberated the concentration camps in Germany in 1945, some of the prisoners would not leave the camps. They had grown so used to the torture and the threats about escape that they were fearful of leaving the camp. At first, they did not want freedom. They were too afraid of the unknowns. They had grown used to survival in the camps. They felt fearful of their own survival outside the camps. Some stayed for weeks behind the barbed wire and in the dank and dirty buildings rather than venture outside the camp.
There are people who have locked themselves inside self-made walls in life. They feel more comfortable with pain than without. They would rather live with abuse than live alone. Spiritually, there are people who feel most comfortable when living in sin. There are Christians who refuse to forgive themselves, because they do not believe they can live with the consequences of forgiveness. Believe it or not, there are those who use their sin as a crutch and their spiritual failure as a comfort. They feel more at home with spiritual pain and negativity than with the freedom of grace and a new life. It doesn’t make sense, but it is not uncommon.
Take for example, the scripture for today. Jesus approached a man who was ill for thirty-eight years (John 5:5). What were Jesus’ first words to him? Jesus said, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6). This sounds like a silly question. Who wouldn’t want to be healed? Sadly, I have found that some people who have grown comfortable with their pain and failures don’t know what to do with themselves should they be healed. They may not want healing. That’s why Jesus asked the question.
Do not be surprised by those who do not want Jesus to heal them. Those who have lived in sin sometimes don’t want to live differently. They do not want to be freed from their sin. They are comfortable in their sin. They like their sinful lifestyle. Despite the fact that all sin has negative repercussions on earth and in heaven, these people enjoy living in their sin. They do not want to be healed.
When I was a chaplain, I remember seeing a soldier who had lost his lower leg in battle. Knowing him well, I asked him in our third or fourth conversation, “What would you do if your leg was healed today?” His response was telling. He said, “I can’t imagine life without this disability. Sometimes, I like having this disability. In a way, it’s a reminder of the bad things I’ve done in my life. I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life.”
Do you really want Jesus to heal you? Is there a sin that has become so much a part of your life that you don’t want to experience the freedom from its grasp? Has a certain sin captured your soul so deeply that you can’t imagine life without it? Healing does change you. God’s healing is always cathartic. Sadly, some do not want God’s healing touch. How about you? When was the last time you were healed? How did it feel?
A few aisles down, a teenager approached them and said, “Are you two still at it?”
The mother replied, “I love your dad and we argue a lot. Get over it!”
This exchange reminded me of a couple I saw in marriage counseling. They argued constantly. When I asked them why they argued all the time, both tried to convince me that their arguing was a good thing. In fact, they called it a key to their marriage. Both grew up in households where people nitpicked as a form of playful banter. I asked them if they were always going to nitpick and push each other’s buttons to the point of arguments breaking out. They both replied that it was healthy for their marriage. However, their children hated it. It also made their friends feel very uncomfortable.
Some people feel more at home with problems than without. Some people feel the need to argue all the time. Some people like talking about their illnesses ad nauseum. Some people enjoy having something to complain about. All of these types of people share something in common. They do not feel the need to change these bad habits or negative attitudes. They have grown comfortable with physical or emotional or psychological pain and can’t imagine life without it.
I was told that when the Allies liberated the concentration camps in Germany in 1945, some of the prisoners would not leave the camps. They had grown so used to the torture and the threats about escape that they were fearful of leaving the camp. At first, they did not want freedom. They were too afraid of the unknowns. They had grown used to survival in the camps. They felt fearful of their own survival outside the camps. Some stayed for weeks behind the barbed wire and in the dank and dirty buildings rather than venture outside the camp.
There are people who have locked themselves inside self-made walls in life. They feel more comfortable with pain than without. They would rather live with abuse than live alone. Spiritually, there are people who feel most comfortable when living in sin. There are Christians who refuse to forgive themselves, because they do not believe they can live with the consequences of forgiveness. Believe it or not, there are those who use their sin as a crutch and their spiritual failure as a comfort. They feel more at home with spiritual pain and negativity than with the freedom of grace and a new life. It doesn’t make sense, but it is not uncommon.
Take for example, the scripture for today. Jesus approached a man who was ill for thirty-eight years (John 5:5). What were Jesus’ first words to him? Jesus said, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6). This sounds like a silly question. Who wouldn’t want to be healed? Sadly, I have found that some people who have grown comfortable with their pain and failures don’t know what to do with themselves should they be healed. They may not want healing. That’s why Jesus asked the question.
Do not be surprised by those who do not want Jesus to heal them. Those who have lived in sin sometimes don’t want to live differently. They do not want to be freed from their sin. They are comfortable in their sin. They like their sinful lifestyle. Despite the fact that all sin has negative repercussions on earth and in heaven, these people enjoy living in their sin. They do not want to be healed.
When I was a chaplain, I remember seeing a soldier who had lost his lower leg in battle. Knowing him well, I asked him in our third or fourth conversation, “What would you do if your leg was healed today?” His response was telling. He said, “I can’t imagine life without this disability. Sometimes, I like having this disability. In a way, it’s a reminder of the bad things I’ve done in my life. I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life.”
Do you really want Jesus to heal you? Is there a sin that has become so much a part of your life that you don’t want to experience the freedom from its grasp? Has a certain sin captured your soul so deeply that you can’t imagine life without it? Healing does change you. God’s healing is always cathartic. Sadly, some do not want God’s healing touch. How about you? When was the last time you were healed? How did it feel?
January 29
“John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16, ESV)
Blaise Pascal was a very famous 17th century French scientist, philosopher, and well-respected mathematician. In his day, he designed one of the greatest of mathematical calculators to date. He studied and taught on fluid dynamics and how pressure exerts force upon surrounding objects. He had an amazing mind. What many people don't know was how he met God!
Pascal’s father, who taught him so much about science, had a terrible accident when Pascal was in his twenties. His father broke his hip in an accident. During this period, Pascal thought about religion and God, but found the experience in church as rote and meaningless. During the next ten years of his life, he threw himself into the worldly sciences. He ignored God and religion. He became more a humanist than a man of God.
As Pascal moved into his late thirties in age, he found that his life had lost its meaning. He was lonely and depressed. Science and humanism had left him spiritually dead inside. Then, with such an emptiness, Pascal was preparing for bed on November 23, 1654. It was a typical lonely day. At around 10:30pm, his room filled with brightness. He had a two-hour long experience of God’s presence. Immediately after God retreated to heaven, Pascal wrote what he saw. In Pascal’s own hand it read:
From about half-past ten at night, to about half after midnight—fire!
O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob—not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
I left him; I fled him, renounced, crucified.
Let me never be separated from him. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy—Amen!
“Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word—“Fire!” (A.W. Tozer)
Pascal witnessed in person the powerful, transforming, saving power of God. His life was forever changed. Pascal took the paper on which he wrote what he saw and sewed it in his jacket, where he carried it close for the rest of his life. After Pascal died, his friends found the paper and the account written down as Pascal had seen it. The true story of holy fire that had burned so brightly and changed Pascal’s soul has been shared ever since.
Long before Pascal lived, John the Baptist spoke about the refining fire of God. In the scripture written above, John told his followers that he was not the Messiah. Where John baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize the faithful “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). True Christians can tell you what its like to have the Holy Spirit come into your life and heart. When that happens, you are forever changed. Like with Pascal, it is an awesome feeling to stand in the presence of God’s Spirit. You want to remember that moment forever. Still, some Christians have not felt the refining fire of God, which too should be celebrated. When God comes with fire, He will burn away your past sin to ash, and your worth will be refined. Like gold and silver are refined to great purity with very hot fire, God’s fire refines the soul to make you purer in faith and more precious in His sight.
There may come moments in your life when things may be hard or challenging. Your world may be turned upside down. You might be drowning in loneliness or petrified with fear. Don’t be surprised if God doesn’t use those defining moments to clarify your mind, purify your values, change your heart, and cleanse your soul. Sometimes, the best way for God to fill you with His Holy Spirit is for you to pass through the refining fire of a significant event. Only then can God be fully and completely and intimately tied to your heart and soul.
Have you ever walked through a time of fire and found God? Have you ever been burned by a time of suffering only to find God closer? When the fire of God comes into your life, it will change everything about you. Your way ahead will become clearer. Sin will retreat. God’s Spirit will come powerfully. You will be forever changed.
Pascal’s father, who taught him so much about science, had a terrible accident when Pascal was in his twenties. His father broke his hip in an accident. During this period, Pascal thought about religion and God, but found the experience in church as rote and meaningless. During the next ten years of his life, he threw himself into the worldly sciences. He ignored God and religion. He became more a humanist than a man of God.
As Pascal moved into his late thirties in age, he found that his life had lost its meaning. He was lonely and depressed. Science and humanism had left him spiritually dead inside. Then, with such an emptiness, Pascal was preparing for bed on November 23, 1654. It was a typical lonely day. At around 10:30pm, his room filled with brightness. He had a two-hour long experience of God’s presence. Immediately after God retreated to heaven, Pascal wrote what he saw. In Pascal’s own hand it read:
From about half-past ten at night, to about half after midnight—fire!
O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob—not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
I left him; I fled him, renounced, crucified.
Let me never be separated from him. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy—Amen!
“Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word—“Fire!” (A.W. Tozer)
Pascal witnessed in person the powerful, transforming, saving power of God. His life was forever changed. Pascal took the paper on which he wrote what he saw and sewed it in his jacket, where he carried it close for the rest of his life. After Pascal died, his friends found the paper and the account written down as Pascal had seen it. The true story of holy fire that had burned so brightly and changed Pascal’s soul has been shared ever since.
Long before Pascal lived, John the Baptist spoke about the refining fire of God. In the scripture written above, John told his followers that he was not the Messiah. Where John baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize the faithful “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). True Christians can tell you what its like to have the Holy Spirit come into your life and heart. When that happens, you are forever changed. Like with Pascal, it is an awesome feeling to stand in the presence of God’s Spirit. You want to remember that moment forever. Still, some Christians have not felt the refining fire of God, which too should be celebrated. When God comes with fire, He will burn away your past sin to ash, and your worth will be refined. Like gold and silver are refined to great purity with very hot fire, God’s fire refines the soul to make you purer in faith and more precious in His sight.
There may come moments in your life when things may be hard or challenging. Your world may be turned upside down. You might be drowning in loneliness or petrified with fear. Don’t be surprised if God doesn’t use those defining moments to clarify your mind, purify your values, change your heart, and cleanse your soul. Sometimes, the best way for God to fill you with His Holy Spirit is for you to pass through the refining fire of a significant event. Only then can God be fully and completely and intimately tied to your heart and soul.
Have you ever walked through a time of fire and found God? Have you ever been burned by a time of suffering only to find God closer? When the fire of God comes into your life, it will change everything about you. Your way ahead will become clearer. Sin will retreat. God’s Spirit will come powerfully. You will be forever changed.
January 31
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)
A decade ago, a questionnaire was circulated among a group of random business people. The authors of the questionnaire were doing a study of what was causing the most stress each day. Their hope was to find ways to help the average person to deal more effectively with these stresses. The following list was generated of their answers:
1. Plans day unrealistically
2. First to arrive, last to leave
3. Always in a hurry
4. Makes no plan for relaxation
5. Feels guilty about doing anything other than work
6. Sees unforeseen problem as a setback or disaster
7. Is always thinking about several other things when working
8. Feels need to be recognized or appreciated and overextends one’s self or one’s time
If you look closely at this list, you may notice some things that reverberate in your own life. Also, the list reveals a few interesting tidbits about stress. Do you see in the list how many times extremes are used? Words like first, last, always, and disaster were chosen. This implies that stress comes from feeling extremes in one’s life. Do you feel like you must “outperform” others? Do you “never” feel settled or at peace? Do you see obstacles as “insurmountable” or “overwhelming”? When stress and anxiety and worry grab hold of your life, often problems will become exaggerated, you will envision the worst, solutions may feel daunting, and things may look bleak. You might feel impending doom or worthless in the face of big challenges. If you think long or hard enough, anxiety and worry and fear will take hold. Even little things will overwhelm you. Small problems will turn into big headaches or feed paralyzing fears.
In New Testament times, Christians had many small and large worries. Churches were often financially destitute. Trained pastors were extremely rare. Social and religious norms in the Roman and Greek Empires put constant pressure on Christians to fit in. Persecution of Christians was not uncommon. Bibles were unaffordable or unavailable. These issues in the church did not even include the normal difficulties of first century life. Disease was common. Antibiotics were unheard of. Medical practices could be barbaric. Infant mortality was appalling. Food supplies were tenuous. Education was unavailable to most. Living in this age put you under constant threat. Average life expectancy was a mere thirty years or so. Despite all the difficulties, Peter wrote that Christians should “give all their worries and cares to God” (1 Peter 5:7). Was this pie-in-the-sky thinking? No. For the faithful, God was their strength in this life and their hope for the next life. God was their rock. Though everything might fail you, people might take advantage of you, and disease might rob you of years, God is the great equalizer. God means hope. Faith is strength. With Jesus, your heart can feel absolute peace.
The scripture for today urges the faithful to bring their worries and cares to God. Why? “God cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7b). God cares about your situation. God watches over your life. Everything could go wrong in your life, but it won’t change God’s relationship with you. Because of your faith, you are in good hands. God always makes things right in this life or in the next.
A young woman came into my office one morning. As she walked through the door, I could see she was very pale. After a short prayer, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that in the past two weeks, she had lost her job, been in a car accident, and her brother was diagnosed with cancer. Hit hard by all these extreme losses, she began to focus on all the wrong things. She began to question her job choices. She wondered if cancer was in the family. She worried about her future employment. She wondered if she would ever find love or die alone. Thinking about all these unknowns, she began to have one panic attack after another. In her mind, she was working out how to fix all these unknowns. But, lets be honest, you can’t fix life. You can’t get rid of every unknown. You are not God. Through a lot of counseling, this woman began to see that she was blowing every challenge in her life to unbelievable proportions. She was trying to fix everything. She was buried in fears and insecurities. She no longer trusted God enough to care for her. She felt compelled to plan for every possible eventuality. Her mind knew this to be an impossible task. That’s why she suffered one panic attack after another.
You have to make a choice in life. You can try to figure a solution for every unknown (and fail!), or you can give up your fears and worries and anxiety to God. Only God can take care of your future. You can’t control some things in life. You can’t go back and fix all past mistakes. What you can do is let God be God. You can stop worrying and fixing everything and give your insecurities and fears and unknowns to God. Haven’t you realized that God is big enough to tackle all your problems? And why would God do that? The scripture is clear… GOD CARES ABOUT YOU!
Don’t let your fears control your every thought. Today, put your life fully and completely in God’s hands. It’s the only way you will ever find any true peace or security in life. What can’t God fix? What does God want you to do today in order to feel at peace? What fears must you let go in order to show absolute trust in God?
1. Plans day unrealistically
2. First to arrive, last to leave
3. Always in a hurry
4. Makes no plan for relaxation
5. Feels guilty about doing anything other than work
6. Sees unforeseen problem as a setback or disaster
7. Is always thinking about several other things when working
8. Feels need to be recognized or appreciated and overextends one’s self or one’s time
If you look closely at this list, you may notice some things that reverberate in your own life. Also, the list reveals a few interesting tidbits about stress. Do you see in the list how many times extremes are used? Words like first, last, always, and disaster were chosen. This implies that stress comes from feeling extremes in one’s life. Do you feel like you must “outperform” others? Do you “never” feel settled or at peace? Do you see obstacles as “insurmountable” or “overwhelming”? When stress and anxiety and worry grab hold of your life, often problems will become exaggerated, you will envision the worst, solutions may feel daunting, and things may look bleak. You might feel impending doom or worthless in the face of big challenges. If you think long or hard enough, anxiety and worry and fear will take hold. Even little things will overwhelm you. Small problems will turn into big headaches or feed paralyzing fears.
In New Testament times, Christians had many small and large worries. Churches were often financially destitute. Trained pastors were extremely rare. Social and religious norms in the Roman and Greek Empires put constant pressure on Christians to fit in. Persecution of Christians was not uncommon. Bibles were unaffordable or unavailable. These issues in the church did not even include the normal difficulties of first century life. Disease was common. Antibiotics were unheard of. Medical practices could be barbaric. Infant mortality was appalling. Food supplies were tenuous. Education was unavailable to most. Living in this age put you under constant threat. Average life expectancy was a mere thirty years or so. Despite all the difficulties, Peter wrote that Christians should “give all their worries and cares to God” (1 Peter 5:7). Was this pie-in-the-sky thinking? No. For the faithful, God was their strength in this life and their hope for the next life. God was their rock. Though everything might fail you, people might take advantage of you, and disease might rob you of years, God is the great equalizer. God means hope. Faith is strength. With Jesus, your heart can feel absolute peace.
The scripture for today urges the faithful to bring their worries and cares to God. Why? “God cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7b). God cares about your situation. God watches over your life. Everything could go wrong in your life, but it won’t change God’s relationship with you. Because of your faith, you are in good hands. God always makes things right in this life or in the next.
A young woman came into my office one morning. As she walked through the door, I could see she was very pale. After a short prayer, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that in the past two weeks, she had lost her job, been in a car accident, and her brother was diagnosed with cancer. Hit hard by all these extreme losses, she began to focus on all the wrong things. She began to question her job choices. She wondered if cancer was in the family. She worried about her future employment. She wondered if she would ever find love or die alone. Thinking about all these unknowns, she began to have one panic attack after another. In her mind, she was working out how to fix all these unknowns. But, lets be honest, you can’t fix life. You can’t get rid of every unknown. You are not God. Through a lot of counseling, this woman began to see that she was blowing every challenge in her life to unbelievable proportions. She was trying to fix everything. She was buried in fears and insecurities. She no longer trusted God enough to care for her. She felt compelled to plan for every possible eventuality. Her mind knew this to be an impossible task. That’s why she suffered one panic attack after another.
You have to make a choice in life. You can try to figure a solution for every unknown (and fail!), or you can give up your fears and worries and anxiety to God. Only God can take care of your future. You can’t control some things in life. You can’t go back and fix all past mistakes. What you can do is let God be God. You can stop worrying and fixing everything and give your insecurities and fears and unknowns to God. Haven’t you realized that God is big enough to tackle all your problems? And why would God do that? The scripture is clear… GOD CARES ABOUT YOU!
Don’t let your fears control your every thought. Today, put your life fully and completely in God’s hands. It’s the only way you will ever find any true peace or security in life. What can’t God fix? What does God want you to do today in order to feel at peace? What fears must you let go in order to show absolute trust in God?