Wednesday, June 17, 2009

He Knows

Before I can get a word out Debbie, my wonderful wife for thirty-one years, knows what I am going to say. It seems she knows what I am thinking. That makes it hard to get away with things!

Perhaps the most frightening attribute of God is that He knows everything about us. Everything! "O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me." (Psalm 139:1)
And since God is both omnipresent and omniscient, it obviously follows that nothing escapes His conscious knowledge about us. We cannot hide even the most mundane daily activity or keep a secret thought from Him. We are as clear to His knowledge as well water that has come from deep in the earth. But yet we often try to deceive Him anyway. We think maybe He isn’t looking right now, or that we really do not matter in the large scheme of life. .

Considering this it is strange that God loves us in spite of what we try to do. I think it is because He knows what we could be. The Bible is clear that “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV) He knows who we are and still loves us. But, He know what we can be and chooses to help guide us if we will let Him. Realize that HE KNOWS and we can’t hide our lives from Him. He gives us eternal life through His Son so that we will realize, one day, what He knows we shall be.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Of Teachers and Things

I have had several great teachers in life. I can remember several “school” teachers who tried to do something with me. I am sure that each of those finally just threw their hands up and said I give up! Later in years their lessons are effective. I had parents and grand-parents who tried to teach me and some of the things they taught stuck and more each day seem to have importance. While in the Army I did not have the same privilege of “ignoring” my teachers. Maybe that is what I needed. Since those days and maybe a little more maturity I have paid close attention to those who are still my teachers. I appreciate each and every one of them.

Jesus reminded us of a very important fact when in Matthew 10:24 He said: “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” (NIV) These are wise instruction for our earthly teachers but even more important when we consider whose student and servant we really are.

The word "master" is the same as "teacher." The Lord Jesus is our ultimate teacher, and He teaches us through His Word--the Holy Scriptures and through others He puts in our path. It is our function to learn His teachings and, of course, to believe them.

But the world often laughs at and ridicules the teachings of Christ, and will try to persecute those who seek to follow them. The unbelieving world--even the religious world--responded to His teachings by ridiculing Him, then torturing Him, and finally hanging Him on a tree to die.

Yet we are to go to the same world with the same teachings. "Just as the Father sent me, I send you." (John 20:21 MSG). "In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world." (John 17:18 MSG).

Are you listening to the greatest teacher, the one who will teach the things eternal? If not you could start today. If you are then you understand that with the teaching comes the mission. Jesus has sent you into your world with a wonderful message of compassion and acceptance and always redemption. Go accomplish your mission!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

RUSH, RUSH, RUSH

Recently an Air France airliner experienced a tragic ending going down in the Atlantic Ocean and killing all the passengers and crew on board. Some weeks later the search and rescue teams are still looking for any remains and sifting all the wreckage possible from the ocean. Submarines and surface ships are combing the “grid” trying to get a signal from the airliners “Black Box” which will help them determine what caused the fatal accident.

First it should be said that our prayers and sympathies are extended to all the families of the passengers and crew of this flight. This incident so pointedly reminds us that not only are we not assured of life tomorrow, we are also not assured of having those we love with us. Make the most of every mundane moment you can spend with those you love and make sure they know you love them.

However, that is not the point of this message today. The past failed action and now frantic action of the airline industry is astonishing. While they do not know for sure what the problem with the Air France flight was it is suspected that a particular sensor that calculated air speed failed and caused confusion in the control of the plane in what was probably a major storm. If this was a normal incident then we could accept mechanical failure, as hard as it might be to accept, as one of the risk of transportation. However, it is reported that the maker of the sensor for more than two years has warned the industry that the original sensors needed to be replaced.

We can point an accusing finger at Air France for not heeding this warning and replacing the sensors in some planes but not all of them. The excuse of “we just had not got around to that plane yet” will not suffice. But it is not just Air France. Reports this morning is that all airlines are “hustling to replace the old sensors” in their planes now. Air France happened to be the unfortunate carrier that got caught.

This reminds me of a parable that Jesus told in Matthew 25 about ten virgins who were to be the wedding party for a very special wedding. They were warned that the bride groom would be arriving sometime in the very near future. Some of those virgins took the warning seriously and were prepared. Others thought they could get away with not taking the warning seriously. They got caught.

The parable and this incident reminds us that we have been warned about various things that we must take seriously. Number one is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow to accept the gift of God’s love and salvation. We must be prepared by doing that today. If you have not accepted the fact that God takes you as you are then please do so right now. Number two is that while we may have accepted the salvation of Christ we may not have accepted His call to us and are still just doing our own thing. I do not believe that anyone can find the peace in life they truly want until they are in the Will of God. What is that for you? I don’t know, but you do!

I believe there will be a time when like the unprepared virgins and the airline industry many are going to be caught trying to do in this moment what they should have done yesterday. Will you be one of those?

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

You Can Count on It!

When my Granddad said something you can bet he would say the same thing tomorrow. Oh, he could change his mind but it just didn’t seem to happen very often. Generally when he said it, you could go down the road knowing he still believed it. I have know other people who might say something and in an hour they are saying something else and before you know it they have changed their mind again. I didn’t always like what my granddad might say, but I felt much more secure and safe in his word that with other people who might be “tossed around by waves”.

How much more then can we feel secure in what God has said. The psalmist wrote “What you say goes, GOD, and stays, as permanent as the heavens.” Psalm 119:89 MSG)

This is the central verse in the longest chapter in the longest book in the Bible, and it is surely one of the greatest verses in the Bible. It conveys the amazing news that the Word of God (which is the theme of the entire 119th Psalm) has existed from eternity past and will continue to exist forever in the future. It was eternally settled in the mind of God before the world was created, then gradually written for mankind to use as a guide for living this life.

Isaiah voices a magnificent claim: "The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them. Aren't these people just so much grass? True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God's Word stands firm and forever." (Is. 40:8) Peter agreed and expanded on Isaiah when he said the spoke of the Word as being “living and enduring” (1 Peter 1:23).

To guarantee this great truth beyond any further question, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself made the following tremendous claim: This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. (Matthew 224:35 MSG) In Matthew 5:18 Jesus affirms that God’s laws or Word will last long after everything else has eroded or been destroyed. The entire physical universe is (literally) "passing away," heading inexorably downhill toward ultimate death--with one exception! The Word and its glorious promises are eternal and immutable; they will not change!

Do you have anything in your life that is that stable and secure? You may not know all the “Words” the Bible talks about but there is one that you need to know. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God love you in the days of John when that was written and He still loves you today. That word will not change but you will need to change your heart and simply accept that Word and His Love. Will you do that today?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Present and Future Peace

I am one of the lucky ones in this life in that I had wonderful grandparents and a super mother who did their best to teach me the things I needed to know in life. They were not always successful but it was not because of their lack of trying; they were dedicated to that and their love could never be mistaken. Any failure was on my part in that as a young “bull-headed” kid I thought I knew what was best. Through it all though there is one thing I was always sure of; they loved me and I always had a safe place with them.

The blessings we have in Christ are far too many to number. First of all, in Christ "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). As a result, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

Thus, through such promises, we are assured of His love for us and a safe place to find rest. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Further assurance is given by the presence of the Holy Spirit who comes to us when we believe on Christ. "You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15).

There are many other blessings that are ours in Christ. In Him, for example, "we have obtained an inheritance" (Ephesians 1:11), for we are joint-heirs with Him. We can be assured that when we need, which is always, that advocate who will speak on our behalf we are assured that "we have a great high priest" (Hebrews 4:14) ever living to intercede for us at the throne of God.

It was always a comfort to know that after the end of a long hard day, or a weekend off at some rodeo or even coming home on leave while in the Army there was a place for me. A place made safe and tidy by those who loved me. We also have that comfort for after this life when God calls us home, "we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," and then we are "to be present with the Lord" throughout the ages to come (2 Corinthians 5:8). These are a few of the blessings we have in Christ.

Do you know this love? Do you experience His presence everyday in your life? If you do not know or have experienced the peace in knowing that future; Let’s talk!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Unexpected Damage

This Morning I had the opportunity to visit a Baptist Church in a local near us. They had recently completed a beautiful renovation of both the outside and inside of the church. They had spent thousands of dollars in painting, pews, new roof and other items that made the church building a beautiful thing to look at. But when I got inside the pastor took me on a tour of the recent devastation to all their work.

Three nights ago a thunderstorm blew in and dropped almost three inches of rain in a very short period. Along with the much needed rain came very strong winds blowing the water sideways.

As beautiful as the building was and with all the money spent on the construction it became obvious that some of the flashing was not installed correctly and the wind lifted it up and allowed a large amount of rain to blow in. This water then ran down the rafters of the roof and poured onto the sanctuary ceiling. The water pooled until it soaked the sheetrock and became heavy enough to break through.

Now the beautiful sanctuary has large holes cut in the ceiling with fans tied all over the attic to blow the moisture out and dry the area so repairs can be made.

I thought how true this is of our own lives. We can often build very impressive bodies through exercise, make-up, surgery and sometimes just a false attitude. But in many cases unless we take care we will allow spots to be exposed that when the storms of life hit us those troubles will be blown in and cause great damage.

David King of the Israelites knew this danger. Often he relied on his own strength and was beaten by his own sin. However there were times when his faith in his God was extraordinary and his realization on his need for God’s strength was clear. In Psalms 91:4 David acknowledges his reliance on God when he says: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Like that local Baptist Church we can trust in our own ability to keep the storms out, but through prayer and study of God’s Word we are much more likely to properly provide the protection need to head off many of the damage life’s storms can bring.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Give Thanks in Everything

It is easy to be happy and cheerful in times of prosperity, when one has all or some the comforts of an easy lifestyle. Everything seems to be going well. However the testing times come when these material comforts are somehow taken away, and one feels defeated and all alone. We have experienced this in South Texas with a major drought. With the lack of rain it seemed as if everyone’s spirits were drying up along with the grass.

It is a comfort to realize that whatever else may fail, God will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Since we still have the Lord (assuming we have trusted Him for forgiveness and salvation, through Christ), we can always "rejoice in the Lord, . . .“

Job, for example, lost all his possessions, then his children, finally his health, and even his wife turned against him. Yet he could say: "the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).

Paul has encouraged each of us to give thanks in everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for everything, but in everything! This has always been one of the greatest testimonies a Christian can give to an unbeliever--the testimony of a life rejoicing in God's salvation even in the midst of tough times. This was the example of Christ Himself to us as He endured the pain of execution at the hands of those who did not understand and because of our sins. And He endured this pain “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2).

Our joy in tough times will largely be determined by our stake that we place in this life with its possessions. If our attention is focused on today then we will fear the current tough times; the drought, the economy, the current conditions of morality. However, if our focus is on our God given call and the belief that all of this like grass will someday just burn away and our hope is in a God given future then we will find the strength to go beyond today and give thanks.

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)