HE SAYS: I am a Skunk in Heaven.

HE SAYS

I am a Skunk in Heaven.

In the 7th chapter of The Gospel of Mathew, Jesus says:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The wonder of wonders is that God knows me.  I know this because he answers my prayers, even little insignificant prayers, but I do not know nor will never know, in this life, why the infinite, self-sufficient, holy creator of the universe pays any attention to me. 

• God does not need me. 
• He does not owe me anything. 
• He cannot stand the stench of my sin.

Yet, He has chosen to love me.  He has given me the ability to do His will.  He has even made me an heir of heaven.  By giving me His Holy Spirit, He has invited me into the eternal relationship of the trinity.

To put this in perspective, I think it is like me inviting a skunk into my home.  No sane person would do this unless they had a way to eliminate the skunk's odor.

Jesus has done this.  His blood has covered my sins and made it possible for me to live in heaven with our Lord.  Alleluia!  He has done it!

Are you willing for your “sin't glands” to be removed?  Will you submit to Christ and allow Him to cover the stench of your sin and bring you into the presence of God?

SHE SAYS:  You Cannot Save Yourself

Do you find yourself striving to do things that will make God love you more? 

Newsflash!!  Stop now.  Isaiah 64:6 is very clear...

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.  Isaiah 64:6

Most of us want to maintain the idea that we are a "good" person.  However, as Isaiah is very clear to point out, there is nothing good about us that appeals to God.  We are unclean...meaning we are unfit to be in God’s presence (Lev. 13:45, 46; Hag. 2:13, 14)

While we often feel good about our "best" deeds, God equates them to filthy rags.  Ouch!  And to make it even worse, the contextual meaning of filthy rags is garments stained by menstruation. (Lev. 15:19; Ezek. 36:17). No one is sinless in God’s sight (6:5; Job 15:14–16).

If we can't put ourselves in right standing with God by doing good, then how can we ever be made right and holy in God's eyes? 

I'm glad you asked!  Check out Titus 3:4-7 for starters:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Jesus also tells us how to be brought into right standing with God the Father:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6

Only by repenting of our sinfulness and complete inability to do good and then trusting in the perfect life, death and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ, can we have complete forgiveness and have His perfect righteousness imputed (assigned) to us.

One last word from Isaiah that prophesied exactly what Christ has done:

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness...     Isaiah 61:10

SHE SAYS: Tax Day Reflections (pun intended...seriously)

Most Americans are relieved that April 15 is in our rearview mirror. However please stay with me as I reflect on a passage of scripture from the Bible that discusses the subject of paying taxes. I promise it won’t be boring and could have a dramatic impact on your life!

In an effort to trap Jesus and have him arrested, the teachers of the law and chief priest sent spies to watch him & try to trip him up with their duplicitous questions. They asked him “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus asked them, “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?"

They replied, “Caesar’s.”

He told them to “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

This ended their recorded conversation because they understood his remark and knew they’d been foiled. But we might not fully get it. If so, then this most likely would have been their next question – What then belongs to God?  

In past readings of this text, I have always thought of these verses from Psalm 50: “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God. I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” 

I believe God is saying, “I own all of creation.”

HOWEVER, this gets much more personal! I believe Jesus was telling them – “Go look at yourself. Whose image do you see?” We can find that answer in Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  We are "Imago Dei" - made in His image.

Friends – have you looked in the mirror lately? Have you given back to God the life He has so graciously given you? If not, today is the day to repent and put your trust in the One who at this very moment is giving you breath and sustaining your life. If you do this, He will grant you eternal life, so even if you die, you will live with Him forever. Don’t just take my word for it, read on – take it on authority of God Himself.

ACTS 17:24-31 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

ACTS 20:21 “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks (and all nationalities) that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

JOHN 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."

SHE SAYS:  Making Headlines

“ISIS Does Its Best to Eliminate All Traces of Christianity in Parts of Iraq and Syria under Its Control” 

 

“ISIS' dark mission: Destroying all signs of Christianity”

 

“SIS tweets destruction of more Christian sites”

 

The above, are headlines seen in the news this week. As a Christian, these actions of ISIS do not alarm me. A cross is simply a symbolic reminder of our Lord’s rescuing act for us. We do not worship icons, statues and even if someone destroys our places of fellowship, the Church still exists – no one can destroy true faith.

However, God has a stern warning for those who choose to destroy His temple (i.e. believers).

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 

 

The persecution of my Christian brothers and sisters in these places must spur me to action. 

1. I must pray for them as never before.
2. I must give generously to support those who have been displaced and those who are fulfilling the great commission on the frontlines. 
3. I must be known for my love for others, whether friend or foe.
4. I must care too much to be silent or idle.
5. I must seek out and learn as much as I can about those in harm’s way. 

God Did Not Remove the Snakes!

SHE SAYS:

God did not remove the snakes!  This reality stood out to me this morning as I reread Numbers 21.  Let me set the stage:  Israel was grumbling about God and Moses (for like the 14,600th time!) because “There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”  So God responded by sending snakes among them and many people were bitten and died. 

The people were afraid; confessed their sin against God to Moses and asked him to pray that God would remove the snakes.  Faithful Moses prayed, and God provided a way of escape, but He didn’t remove the snakes.  He had Moses make a bronze snake & set it up on a pole in the midst of the people.  Only by looking at the snake, would the people be healed and live. 

This event is symbolic of both the sacrifice of Christ and the faith of His people.  Just like the bronze serpent, Christ in the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom 8:3) was lifted up.  All of us have been "bitten" with sin – we’re sinners and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).  Therefore we have no hope for eternal life except to believe and put our faith Christ. 

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."  John 3:14-18

Just as God did not take away the snakes, once we see Christ as our salvation, God puts His Holy Spirit in us, so even though we must continue to live in our bodies of flesh, tempted by sin, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63).

HE SAYS: WWJD?

The “What Would Jesus Do?” fad is not as popular now as it was a couple of years ago, but I still see some of the bracelets and bumper stickers.  While reading Luke’s gospel today, I noticed some of the things Jesus did and would do still, since he is unchanging.

1.        Stir up an angry mob to the point where they wish to commit murder.

 “All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.  They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.”   Luke 4:28-29  

2.       Hang out with the “wrong crowd”.

”Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”   Luke 5:29-30

3.       Disown his family.

”Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.  Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”  He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”   Luke 8:19-22

4.       Tell people if they are not fit for the kingdom of heaven.

”Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   Luke 9: 61-62

5.       Not wash his hands before eating.

“But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.  Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.  You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?”   Luke 11: 38-39

6.       Intentionally insult people with the truth.

“One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”  Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”   Luke 11: 45-46

7.       Call successful people fools.

 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’   Luke 12: 18-20

What do you think Jesus would do?

I think he would speak truth into people’s lives even when it was insulting, hurtful, or degrading.  He did this because He is truth:

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6 1984 (NIV1984)

Jesus did this because he came to testify to the truth:

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

"Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  John 18:37 1984 (NIV1984)

Are you on the side of truth?

HE SAYS: “This Too Shall Pass”

I used to sing a song which was encouraging and uplifting to me, but since I have been born again, I do not enjoy the song anymore, and I cannot even sing the lyrics.

Initially, I just felt a sense of dislike for the song, even though I could not identify the reason for my change in heart.

This weekend, the song was sung at the funeral of a long-time family friend, and I could not sing along with the congregation.  I decided to do some analysis of the song to understand better why my spirit rebelled against it.

The first lyric which is problematic is the second stanza:

“Tis not by sight we walk this way of God; But leaning on His love, We follow, with a faith that questions not, on t’ward the things above.”

Jesus never asks us to follow blindly.  He is the light of the world, and he healed many blind people during his ministry.  He healed one man who had been born blind, and everyone saw the miracle.  The Pharisees were so angered by His display of power, they expelled the man from the synagogue.   When Jesus heard what had happened, He revealed His true identity to the man, and the man worshipped Him. 

“Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”   John 9:39 (NIV1984)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.“   John 1:1-5 (NIV1984)

The assertion of the song that Christians blindly follow their “god” while questioning nothing is NOT biblical, but the real heart of the song is revealed in the last stanza:

“When o’er our head the sky may clouded be, Just hear the Father say, “This, too, shall pass- it bears the promise of a brighter clearer day.””

I was intrigued by the words spoken by the “father”, so I looked for the phrase(s) in the bible.  I did not find them!  I next looked on Google, and the phrase “This too shall pass” came up quickly.  It is from a proverb.  The proverb however is from the Sufi prophets of Persia.  They are a sect of Islam, and their faith is known as Sufism.

I now understand this song is not Christian, because Jesus made us a very different promise.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."  Matthew 24:9 (NIV1984)

HE SAYS: Chicken or Egg?

Sandy found the egg under her favorite hen.  She loved the egg from the moment she saw it.  The color was light brown with dark brown speckles, and the shape was perfect.

Sandy carried the egg to her father, and excitedly showed it to him.

     “I’m going to keep this one father.” she said “It is the prettiest egg ever.”

     “If you are going to keep it” he said, “You will need to poke a hole in each end and remove the yolk and the egg white.”

     “No!” exclaimed Sandy.  “I don’t want to ruin the egg.”

     “You only have four choices of things you can do with an egg.” said her father.

“One, you can keep the egg like it is.  In a couple of days, it will be rotten and break open.  Then, you will want to throw it in the trash.”

“Two, you can preserve the egg by removing the contents so it will not rot.”

“Three, you can eat it.”

“Four, you can give it back to the hen who created it, and she will make it live by hatching it.”

      “But I found it!” cried Sandy

     “Yes, but the hen created it.” said her father.  “You must give it back to its creator if you want it to live.”

Sandy understood her father’s wisdom, and placed the egg back under the hen.

In a few short weeks, she had an even more beautiful baby chick to cherish.

 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 (ESV)

SHE SAYS: Refreshing!

As these hot days drag on, may the truth of these verses refresh our souls:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them righteous."

Psalm 19:7-9

 

HE SAYS: So, You Think You Want to be Like Jesus?

Most nights when we go to the YMCA to exercise, a certain television show is on one of the screens.  It is called “So, You think you can Dance?”  I will reserve my opinion of the show.  Also, we have been studying the book Radical, by David  Platt.  My brain somehow put these two together.

If you want to be like Jesus, please consider the following scripture:

a)      They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.

b)      When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

c)       At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

d)      Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

e)      When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

f)       and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.

g)      Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

h)      Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.

i)        And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

j)        When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

All References are New International Version.

a)      Luke 4:29 (NIV)

b)      Mark 3:21

c)       John 8:59

d)      John 10:31

e)      Matthew 2:13

f)       Matthew 26:4

g)      Luke 19:47

h)      Mark 15:19a

i)        Mark 3:22

j)        Luke 23:33

HE SAYS: The Lesson of the Mockingbird

I arrived at work yesterday in a bad mood.  As I walked into the building, the only thoughts on my mind were negative, defeating, and critical.  Then, I heard the mockingbird.  He was perched on the top rung of a roof access ladder on the side of the building, and he was singing non-stop.  Occasionally, his joy would overflow, and he couldn’t sit still.  He would fly up into the breeze and float back to his perch, never pausing a moment in his song.

I stood and watched for a minute.  His joy was contagious.  I walked away saying to the Lord, “Point taken!”

We are called to proclaim the love of Christ to the world.  We are called to be a light in darkness.  We cannot however, expect our witness to be welcomed with open arms.  I met a woman who hated mockingbirds.  I was surprised to hear her statement, so I asked her why.  Her simple response was, “They never shut-up!”

This animosity toward joy is not only directed at mockingbirds.  I was surfing YouTube the other day, and came across a Jim Carrey standup comedy video.  In his routine, he makes the statement, “I want to be one of those gospel singers on the PTL club.  Those guys are just happy no matter what.”  He crudely parodies a couple of gospel singers and complains about happy people.  He postulates that happy people are so annoying that people will “tunnel under the street” to avoid them.  He then explains his frustration with the statement, “Of course, if I wanted to be that happy, I would have to forget all my problems…and the only time I forget all my problems is when I'm right smack-dab in the middle of a…” moment of peak physical pleasure with another partner.  (I paraphrased the last part at Sharon’s request.)

I’m sure Mr. Carrey’s statement is mostly intended for the shock effect of comedy.  Regardless, he helped me understand why some people despise joyful people.  When something you desire with your soul is impossibly out of your reach, people who have obtained it are a painful reminder of your unfulfilled yearning.

So, why are Christians so joyful?  How can we truthfully be that happy?

John 15:11 (NIV)”I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. “

John 16:22 (NIV)”So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Acts 8:7-8 (NIV)”For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  So there was great joy in that city.”

1 Peter 1:8 (NIV)”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,“

Our joy is inexpressible and unexplainable, because it is a miraculous gift from God.  Alleluia!

She Says: Take the Ultimate Taste Test

Most of us take our ability to taste for granted, yet what a wonderful gift the Lord has given us to experience flavors that range from sweet to salty, sour to bitter. 

Around 350 BC, Aristotle postulated that the two most basic tastes were sweet and bitter. Much study has been given to how the tastebuds work and how other senses like smell and touch (texture) impact the perception of taste.  All basic tastes are classified as appetitive or aversive.

People are most sensitive to bitter tastes.  Bitterness is often perceived as unpleasant, disagreeable, or sharp.  The intense reaction of most people to bitterness makes it a great deterrant.  In 1958, researchers discovered that denatonium, a synthetic chemical was the most bitter substance known.  Because of its aversive characteristics, it is commonly added to toxic substances to prevent accidental ingestion.

On the other hand, many people derive a pleasurable sensation when they eat sugars and other substances that are classified as sweet tasting.  Think about some of the best food memories you have, I bet there were some sweet ones! 

In Psalm 34, we are invited to participate in a taste test like no other.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

If you've never experienced the Lord, I challenge you to take this "Ultimate Taste Test".  To get started, I suggest you ask God to remove the blindfold (only He can). Next, open your heart to Him and ask Him to pour Himself into you and show you who He is.  If you have a Bible, begin reading it.  Psalm 119 describes what God's Word is like:

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"   Psalm 119:103

There is a very interesting parable in Isaiah 5:1-7 about God and His Vineyard (House of Israel).  God took every effort to provide His people with all the care, protection and provision that they would ever need (A sweet deal, don't you think?).  However, in verse 4 He ponders: 

“What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?

Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?

Has God given you care, protection and provision?  I know that He has for me, but what has it produced in us? 

The passage goes on to proclaim how God turns the House of Israel over to their own destruction (a bitter ordeal to say the least) and announces woes on those who reject His goodness, truth, sweetness and wisdom.  Here are some of His reasons for doing so:

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21

And yet, in verse 25, His hand is still held out to them.  God does not want any to perish.  He exhibits this again when He pleads with the people through the prophet Ezekiel:

Say to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ Ezekiel 33:11

These people created their own relative truth, their own understanding, their own standard of goodness, and their own wisdom and the Sovereign Lord deemed them wicked.  There is little difference in 2012, and it is my prayer that God teaches me (and you) His truth, His holiness, and His wisdom.  This same God is still the Master of the Vineyard and in His infinite love and mercy He pleads with us to "Wake Up, Turn Back, Taste and See that I am Good."  Take refuge in the Lord and He promises you Eternal Life.

HE SAYS: How NOT to entertain yourself.

We threw out our television about 5 years ago because of the lack of anything worth watching.  We occasionally watch a video in the evening in the hopes of a story which enlightens, uplifts, or instructs.  We are often disappointed.

Last night, we watched two videos.  The first was a G rated Disney movie titled:  “The Princess of Thieves”.  The second video was for after Chelsea went to bed.  It was an R rated survival adventure titled: “The Grey”.

The princess of thieves was the supposed illegitimate daughter of Robin Hood and Maid Marion.  It was a marginally entertaining and somewhat predictable Disney story.  As usual, the story sought to teach our daughters that they can never be truly happy unless they are a man.  Ugh!  Of course, the flip-side of that message is that our sons can never be a real man unless they are feminized.  The story contained some good examples of forgiveness and sacrifice for greater good, but the overt message of female masculinity ruined the story for me.

The second video was the more disappointing of the two.  We are seeing more and more movies where the language is blatantly crude and offensive, and “The Grey” was an excellent case study.  The foul language was so pervasive, I threatened to watch the movie again just to count the instances of blasphemy, and the number of times the words f**k and s**t were used.

The title of the movie should be “Wolves’ Revenge”.  The body of the story is dedicated to a pack of wolves dominating a group of men, the leader of whom is a professional wolf hunter hired by the petroleum company which employs all the characters.  The script is realistic and believable. (don’t read this next part if you want to watch the video, because I’m giving away the ending!) However, this movie is presented as a survival adventure, but there are no survivors.  This part really disappointed me.

(Ok you can start reading again)

In my humble opinion, the only redeeming quality of this story is its accurate portrayal of the hopeless condition of lost humans .  God and faith are discussed several times in the movie, and some of the characters proclaim to have faith in God.  Others, especially Liam Neeson’s character, Ottway, are irreligious.  The movie openly embraces the idea of a supernatural connection with the souls of other people, but rejects the idea of a supernatural creator who controls our universe.  In one of the final scenes of the movie, the lead character, John Ottway, played by Liam Neeson is near death.  In his frustration and fear, he cries out in anger to God.  He curses at God and demands a sign, but his plea is met with an ominous silence.  He finally says, and I am paraphrasing, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

The words of Jesus in response to a demand for a sign came to my mind:

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here. Luke 11:29-32  (NIV)

HE SAYS: Who’s your Boss?

I was frustrated and complaining today about some events at work, and my colleague threw my words, from a couple of months ago, back in my face.  He said, with an inscrutable smile, “A wise man once told me that he doesn’t worry about that stuff because he knows who his boss is.”  The wise man part was obviously tongue-in-cheek, but I needed to hear those words.

The reason for my frustration was because I had spent the week trying to make my boss successful.  Then, events conspired to negate everything I had been working on.  Any smart employee works to make his/her boss successful, but who really is the boss?

I think Jesus’ intent was clear in these verses:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

This passage is known as the Great Commission, and I can think of no one for whom I would rather work.

HE SAYS: Who is Jesus?

This is the question which has troubled humankind for 21 centuries.

I won’t go to the trouble to list all the guesses which have been made in an attempt to answer this question.  I call them guesses for an important reason.  When one reads what the bible says about Jesus, one can only arrive at one answer:

Jesus was God in human flesh.

Sharon spent the better part of last week writing a letter which answered the question “Who is Jesus?”.  She did not spend so much time because she struggled to find evidence.  Her struggle was with what evidence to not mention in order to keep the letter a reasonable length.  She commented in frustration one evening, “I don’t know how I read the bible for so many years and did not understand the deity of Christ.  The bible is full of verses which proclaim Jesus to be God.”

My experience was the same, and only spiritual blindness can explain our inability to see and understand.

This problem is not new, and it is not limited.

I had never heard Billy Graham speak, so I played one of his sermons on YouTube.  The title of the sermon was: Who is Jesus, hence the title of my post.  In his sermon, Billy mentioned some of the common mistaken beliefs about Jesus which were prevalent at that time (1971).  I was struck by the similarities of the confusions about Jesus then and now.

He mentioned the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar.  In one of the final songs, the choir sings these lyrics:

Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ

Who are you? What have you sacrificed?

Jesus Christ Superstar

Do you think you're what they say you are?

The real question is not for God.  The question is for humans: “Jesus Christ, do you think he is who he says he is?”

 Jesus was very clear about who he is.  His Jewish opponents had no trouble understanding his claims.  They just could not believe.

John 8:58-59 (NIV) “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

John 10:29-33  (NIV) "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”  Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

HE SAYS: Who is my neighbor?

We volunteered to help do some yard work for people in desperate need this week end.  We were not told where we were going until we arrived at church.  I was surprised to learn that we were going to a middle-class neighborhood in the middle of town.

When we arrived at the house and I saw the cluttered and trashy condition of the property, my first, self-righteous reaction was: “What a slob!”

Then we knocked on the front door, and the people of the house were not even dressed yet.

“Lazy!”  I thought to myself.

The back yard needed about an hour of intense work from our group.  About 10 minutes after we started, the “man of the house” came outside.  He was wearing a pair of exercise shorts and nothing else.  His belly looked like he was in his 5^th trimester, and he had a huge open-heart-surgery scar running down his chest.

Once again, my thoughts were judgmental.

The lady of the house came outside a few minutes before we finished, and we were all gathered around them.  One of our pastors asked if we could pray for them, and if there was anything specific for which they needed prayer.

They reluctantly shared their story.  It was not a feel-good story.  It was filled with loss and need and pain.

Then was when I learned why their property was in such bad shape.

Then was when I was convicted of my judgmental attitude.

Then was when I started noticing all the other houses in the neighborhood.  Those families had more than they needed.  They had health, wealth, and opportunity, but they had not taken a couple of hours to help their neighbor.

Neither have I.

 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:36-37 (NIV) 

HE SAYS: My Failure with Ernie

We stopped at a filling station while on vacation last week, and I was approached by an old man who had the softest hands.  He said his name was Ernie, and he was hungry.  He wanted some money to buy food.  I told Ernie that I was not comfortable giving him money, because I felt that he would go buy more booze with it.  He had already had more to drink than he needed.

This is a shortened version of our conversation:

Ernie confessed, with tears in his eyes, that he had been a US Marine and had been young and strong, but he had drunk everything away.

I told him that he needed Living Water instead of Fire Water, and being a Native American, he thought that was pretty funny.  I asked him if he knew Jesus, and he exclaimed, “Oh!  I love God!  I love God!”

I reemphasized, “Not just God, do you love Jesus?”  I was concerned about a confusion with Native American gods and the one true God.  Then Ernie asked me if I had a Bible.  We all had our bibles in the car, and we even had a new bible with us for the purpose of giving away to someone who needed it.  I thought about this, but my response was wrong.  I did not know where the bible was packed, and I did not want to unpack our car in the parking lot of a filling station looking for it.  So, I said, “I have one, but not one I can get to easily.”

We talked while I was filling the vehicle, and I offered to buy him a sandwich and chips in the convenience store.  Ernie agreed with that idea, but when I walked into the store with him, the store manager told me that Ernie could not be in his store because of a past history of panhandling.  I asked Ernie to wait outside while I bought some food, but the man wouldn’t even allow me to buy food for Ernie.  Instead, he called the police to report Ernie.  Ernie was angry and started to threaten the manager, so I shepherded him out the door.

Ernie asked me, “Do you know what we were taught to do in the Marines?”

I said, “To do good things?”

Ernie laughed and said, “Good try.  No, we were taught to kill.” Then his eyes flooded with tears, and he said, “I killed a lot of people over there in Vietnam.”

The only thought I had, I shared with Ernie.  I said, “Jesus died so you can be forgiven for that.”

Ernie took my hand and kissed it and thanked me profusely for saying that.

I ended up giving Ernie five dollars to take across the street to a fast food taco restaurant.  The last time I saw Ernie was as he walked up the drive way of the restaurant with the 5 dollar bill held in his hand.

When I got back into the car, the new bible was sitting in my seat.  Chelsea had found it for me so I could give it to Ernie.  It was then that I remembered that we had just purchased our own supper at Wendy’s ,  and my sandwich, fries, and drink were sitting in the car untouched.  I could have easily given Ernie food for his body AND food for his soul.

My efforts to show God’s love to Ernie were terribly inadequate, and I pray that God will send someone who can help Ernie better than I did.

For myself, I pray that God will give me the ability to be a better helper the next time he sends me a needy soul.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

Matthew 25:41 - 46 (NIV)

HE SAYS: Home is where the heart is…

The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway in our town has generated some interesting discussion.  The home they are giving away is estimated to be worth $450,000, and it is in an exclusive neighborhood.  Sharon and I were talking about what it would mean if we were to enter the raffle and God would choose to give us such a home.

The general progression of the discussion went like this:

·         If God gave us a house like that, he would definitely expect the house to be fully yielded to him.

·         How could we use such a house to glorify God?

·         Would God even want us to live in such a house?

·         He didn’t even provide a house for his only Son while he was here on earth.

"And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20 (ESV)

·         Isn’t the leased home where we currently live a gift from God?

·         Our home is not our personal individual space.  It is a gift which we should use for the glory of our Heavenly Father.

This was a convicting idea for me.  My home is a special place for me.  It is my place to get away.  It is my sanctuary.  It is my safe place.  The problem with that thinking is that those are the attributes God wants me to assign to Him, not a building.

My heart needs to rest in God, not a house.

Lord, please give me the courage and the wisdom to trust you to be my sanctuary, my safe place.