Poise and Power

A noted business man discovered that when things got very busy, his solution was not in frantic work, but in quiet meditation. He set aside two periods during the day, and faithfully spent two minutes of quiet meditation in each.

The writer of Proverbs in the Old Testament said, ”Drink from your own cistern, drink fresh water out of your own well.” (5:15) He had discovered that deep down within everyone of us, there is a reservoir of helpfulness which comes directly from God. We do not have to go anywhere, or do anything, but to send our roots down deeply into this reservoir of poise and power.

Frantic distraction is not the answer to the turmoil inside. Rather, we need to learn to take the time for quietness and contemplation. From these, we shall find help unknown and untested before.

The Psalmist said: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Indeed, he continued, ”He hath put a new song in my mouth.” (Ps. 40:1,3)

If we are to survive the forces that direct themselves upon us from all sides, we must find the poise that comes from power, and the power that comes from poise. They will not be found in humankind, but in God. They will not be found by dashing madly after them, but in waiting patiently for them.

It was Edward Markham who one time said, “At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky is a place of central calm. The cyclone derives its power from a calm center. So does a person. Power is generated in and derived from quietness.”

Strength is a strange quality. Sometimes the strongest person does not have it, while the crippled and weak, possess it in abundance. Power is a spiritual quality. It does not depend upon muscles, but upon obedience…obedience to spiritual laws!

The prophet of old was right when he said, “The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” (Is. 32:17) Or again: “This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.” (I John 5:4)

Someone once spelled out for us, the way to poise and power:

“Every morning lean thine arm awhile

Upon the windowsill of heaven

And gaze upon Thy Lord.

Then, with the vision in thy heart,

Turn strong to meet the day.”

Is There A "Saving" Way?

Jesus said, “I am the Way”…what did he mean? Is there a way that works and a way that does not work? And if so, what are those ways? What are we looking for in life? Isn’t it for a way of life that works?

It has been said that some people are like blind men searching in a dark room for a black cat, that isn’t there! Is this the kind of futile search we are in? Is the “Way”, some kind of mysterious chemistry equation that people will someday find in the laboratories? No, but we do believe that the “Way” of God is written into the very nature of the universe. And if we search in the right places, we shall find it.

In Chemistry, H2O means water. 2 parts of hydrogen and 1 part of oxygen will produce water. You can fight with that formula, you can rebel against it, you can try to twist it into something else, but eventually you have to surrender to it. H2O is the “way” of water.

There is also a “way” to fly an airplane, and there is a “not-the-way”. Pilots must be obedient to this “way” or they will crash. The pilots and the scientists did not invent these laws…they discovered them. There apparently is a “way-to-fly” that is built into the universe.

So, what about the way we live? Can we do what we please, and live? Is it merely by chance that we are happy or sad, or good or bad? Can you do anything and get away with it? The answer is a resounding “No!!

Jesus came into the world to “read” the great mysteries of God…to interpret the hieroglyphics of life for us. There was a “Way” that was written into the very foundation of the world. And Jesus could “read” it! We could not do so. We were lost! But, we are not lost anymore. We have been saved! Jesus has saved us, because He has shown us the “Way”: the way to love, the way to forgive, the way to die, the way to hope for the future, and the way of peace among people.

One of the great philosophers once said, “two things strike me with awe: the starry heavens above and the moral law within.” You see there is a moral law within us, just as there are physical laws about us. We cannot live by chance. To do so is to be lost! But praise God, Jesus has found us. When we learn to walk in His way, then we have been found. There is no other way. His is the only “way” that works!

Note: All of these devotionals are coming
from my first published book called, "The
Quintus Principle, Spiritual Biscuits for
Coffee break Moments" in 1992. This book
is now out of print.--Francis Geo. Guither

Is Anyone Up There?

Is life tough? Yes, it is! Am I alone? No, you aren’t! Is the world going to pieces? At times, it would seem that way. Is there anyone who can help me? Yes! “God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

The Psalmist said it, but at times the questions plague my mind: Is anyone up there? Must I wait for fate, for chance? Is there a design? Is there anyone who cares? Could God hear me if I called? Would He answer? Would He deliver me from my distresses? Is God dead? These are the questions that plague my soul!

An officer out of uniform, rode by a group of soldiers, struggling under the load of a very heavy burden. “Why don’t you help?” he asked, of a soldier standing by. “Sir, I am the Corporal,” came the reply. “Forgive me, said the officer, and he got out of his car and helped. Afterwards, he said to the surprised Corporal, “Corporal, whenever you have a job to do, and need some help, send for your Commander-in-chief!”

Jesus, our Commander-in-chief, has come! He took upon himself the form of a servant. He humbled himself, and came down. And you and I are the richer, because this is so. For He who stripped himself to become poor, has clothed us now with the garments of His peace. Why should I fear, when God is near? Who should fret, when we have this confidence?

Paul said, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and with supplication, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, will fill your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Phil. 4:6,7)

Do Not Trespass

A good many years ago, I visited Lion Safari Country near W. Palm Beach, Florida. It is an area where the visitors are caged, not the animals! You are caged within your car! You drive through miles and miles of jungle-like countryside, with wild beasts of all sizes and descriptions. These wild beasts come within a few feet of your closed windows as you drive by.

There are a few basic rules here: No convertibles. Windows and doors must be kept tightly closed at all times while you are there. Any violation of these rules suggests a tragic ending. A sign at the main entrance suggests grimly, “Trespassers will be eaten!”

So it is that in all of life around us, we discover: “Trespassers will be eaten!” We are eaten up by violation of certain basic rules. Life has real built-in requirements, and he who disregards them is as foolish as a careless camper in Lion Safari Country.

Certain laws have been built into the grain of the universe by a very wise Creator. Laws such as: “I am my brother’s keeper.” (Gen. 4:9) Or laws such as “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 22:37-39). Or laws such as, “He who knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

Why is it that so many people are coming to the dead-ends of life? Why are so many being eaten up by their own selfish greed? The goals of their life are leading them to a blank wall. Why is it that so many are going in the wrong direction? Their energies seem to be pitted against God’s rules of life rather than for them.

To hit the bull’s eye of God’s purposes for each one of us is no easy task. But it is never accomplished by neglecting the basic rules of courtesy, and good will, and love, and forgiveness. These are the high goals of the high road to heaven, and require our best obedience to them today and always.

Serendipity!

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Which words sound nice? Which words do I like the best?” Let me try out a few: Lollipop, tickle, lickety-split. Or here is a beautiful Jewish word, “Shalom”. It means almost anything you want it to mean: “Hello”, “Good-bye”, “I love you”, “Farewell”. It depends upon how you say it! Or how about this word...Serendipity?

Is this a new word to you? Horace Walpole coined it. It came from an old Persian fairy tale, “The Three princes of Serendip”. Every time the three princes took a trip, by coincidence, along the way, they found the most profitable, and enjoyable “extra” benefits!

For example, here are a few samples out of history: Columbus set out to find a new route to Asia. Serendipity! He found America instead! Edison set out to discover the electric light. Serendipity! He discovered the phonograph in the process. Pasteur was trying to find a process for keeping wine sweet. Serendipity! He came upon the process of pasteurization. Serendipity! What a delightful word!

Jesus suggested the very same idea, when he said, ”He who finds his life loses it. But he who sets out to lose his life...Serendipity!...lo, and behold, he finds it!” Or again, Jesus suggested that if we seek one important thing, we would also find a whole world of other delightful things too. He said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things (the ones we’re looking for), will be added unto you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

Ask most people what they are looking for, and their answer is happiness, security, peace of mind. But one does not find these things by making them a direct campaign. I do not find happiness, by setting out to find happiness! No...Serendipity! Happiness is the joyous by-product of doing something else like doing the will of God, for example.

It is in the sweet act of giving perfume to another, that some is bound to get on you. It is in the act of giving happiness to someone else, that we find it for ourselves.

Try it! Try seeking first the will of God. Try seeking out the happiness of someone else. Lo and behold, there is a “serendipity!”

As Long As You're Not Dead

In a recent T. V. movie, a woman coming out of surgery was told by her friend, “Honey, it’s O.K. now...you’re out of danger!” To which the patient replied, “How can I be out of danger if I’m not dead?”

It’s a point well taken, that as long as we’re still alive, we are still in danger. But that’s a negative way of putting a very positive truth, namely that life would not be life if it did not have some hazards, some problems, some tough times. These are the things that make life worth living: the struggle and the agony...because after the agony comes the ecstasy!

A wise old college professor once pointed out that the happiest moments of his life came after he had gone through and completed a difficult assignment. The Olympic participants endure the agony of months and years of grueling practice and disciplined agony to produce the beauty of a champion.

There is no promise of roses in this life, but there is a promise of a Heavenly Father who will make it all worth while someday. As long as we’re not dead, we’re in danger, but at least we’re alive, with all of it’s possibilities for good and for God.

Look to this day, for though it has its questions, it also has glorious answers. Jesus has given them to us in the New Testament, and all we need to do is take his answers with us throughout the day.

Please Don't Let Me Get Old

Julia Ward Howe once wrote: “Do not fear age, the sugar of life is at the bottom of the cup.” But always we seem to believe that it must be in someone else’s cup! “What can I do?” I complain. “I’m getting too old!”

But we forget, that Verdi wrote an opera at the age of 80 and Goethe finished writing “Faust” at that same age. Oliver Wendell Holmes was still writing brilliant opinions at 90. Louis Pasteur was past 60 when he began his studies that led to a cure for rabies. A lovely woman doctor near our Chicago church was still going strong at the age of 89. She flew up to Canada every summer to fish and hunt elk.

But by that same token, some people are old at the age of 30. They look old, they act old, and they give you the impression that life has passed them by, and they never took a shot at it. Of course, there are also those Methuselahs, who live for 969 years, and might just as well never have tried. They leave no record of ever singing the praises of a morning sunrise, or ever set much of an example to their children or grandchildren. They just take the record in birthdays, and nothing else. Why do such people have to live at all?

Which really brings us to the conclusion, that life is not so much years, as it is values. What really counts is not how long you live, but how you live…not whether you achieve a thousand inventions, but whether you achieve a beautiful spirit. Some people do more living in 30 years than others do in a hundred.

I’d like to be 20 again, but I’m really way up there in age. I could wish for the moon, but this is who I really am. Let’s face it, God doesn’t desert us at the age of 80. It’s a marvelous blooming world out there, and this just might be my time to “bloom”. There is still “sugar in the cup”.

This Blog Will be on Vacation until April 24

“Over Easter? Francis… how
could you do that, and not share some
Easter stuff?”

“O.K. here are a few thoughts
to work on!”………

“Light when you need it…and Nourishment
for the dark times.”

The Frog Who Wouldn’t Quit!

Some time ago, while the snow was still on the ground, I saw a robin on a fence post! “Isn’t that something?” I thought. “Those robins just keep believing that spring will come!” Yes, every year, they keep believing. And lo, and behold, it comes!

Easter does come, and every year, we go through Good Friday with all of its sad overtones, its tragic moments and memories. But every year Easter comes to proclaim the victory! Death is not the end. Sadness is not the last word. Joy is! Life is! The resurrection is!

This last winter, many people used their wood fireplaces. To get the logs burning, they used kindling. The flame would begin, and then smolder out. I can see the people down on their knees, blowing and blowing and blowing. Or, they use a piece of newspaper and fan and fan and fan! And just when they are about ready to give up, the flame bursts out, and soon they have a roaring fire with all its light and heat.

Did you hear about the two frogs who fell into a cream bucket? The one frog kicked and paddled and kicked and paddled until he said, “I just can’t go on any longer.” And he didn’t, and he died! The other frog kicked and paddled and kicked and paddled, and he thought he could hardly go on. But he said to himself, “I’ll kick just a little longer” and he did, and suddenly he felt something solid beneath him. He had stirred the cream into butter!

Have you ever felt you just couldn’t go on any longer? Remember the frog. Remember the robin in the spring-time. Remember the fire in the fireplace, and remember the resurrection! Evil wears us down, with all its hurt and agony, and its desperation. But, Easter comes each year to remind us that beyond the agony is the ecstasy, and beyond the darkness is light and victory. Keep hoping, keep praying, keep on paddling, and you’ll find the victory!

God Is A Hugger

A bumper sticker says: “Have you hugged your child lately?” Family advisors tell us it is most important for parents to show a “hugging love” for their children…not from a distance…not by words only…but love with a hug!

In the Cotton Patch Version of the New Testament, the translator takes the verses from II Cor. 5:19 that read, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” and he writes it: “God was in Christ, hugging the world to himself.” I like that!

God doesn’t love from a distance! He doesn’t do it only with words, or with heat waves, or beds of roses…God loves the world through a Person…a very special Person…Jesus.

Someone has said of Jesus…

“He lived…singing love

He died…singing love

He arose…in silence.”

And if the song is to continue, we must sing it for Him. I don’t know exactly how I am supposed to do that, but I believe I am to continue the resurrection power, by continuing the resurrection love. God hugs the world through you and me.

See you again on April 24, 2006

You can order any of my books

from a free number 1-888-280-7715.

One Bang Christians

An interesting item came out of the 19^th Century regarding dramatic productions. An edict in Europe banned the giving of plays, except in certain theaters. What it amounted to was a theatrical monopoly.

But the bright boys of the theater got past this little problem. The edict applied to plays, but not to musicals. So, in many places, at the beginning of the play, one of the theater staff would give a few loud bangs on the piano…which made it into a musical, and then the play continued.

There is a certain parallel we can observe today. In our communities, we observe many “one-bang” people. For example, there are the “one-bang” patriots, who stand reverently when the national anthem is played, or face the flag at the Service Club luncheon, or manage to sing one stanza of America. But after sounding that “one-bang”, they are not so hot about the tougher aspects of citizenship.

And then, there are the “one-bang’ marriages, where sometimes the only real musical note was the first “I will”, or a box of candy once a year. So many marriages dwindle down to a “tired friendship”.

And so also, there are the “Mother’s Day bangers”…the one carnation a year variety. But one carnation a year does not make a symphony of love for Mother.

And then at Christmas and Easter, there are the “two-banger” Church-goers. But a “thank you” to Almighty God once or twice a year, does not turn the play of life into an aria of praise!

One pastor in his church newsletter, expressed his joy and pride “that members had braved the rain” to attend services the week before.

What a picture enters our mind: earnest Christians on one of the holy days of the Church, dared the raindrops, some even lifted umbrellas, and resolutely walked to the garage, climbed into their cars, and came to church. Surely such valor deserves a medal. Who says the race is running down, with lads and lasses like that!

Truly such sacrifice reminds us of those who…

“conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received

promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched

raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword,

won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war,

and put foreign armies to flight.” (Heb. 22:33,34)

Perhaps we need a roll call of modern Christian heroes: here is Saint Joan, who came to church once every three months, on good Sundays, and stayed through to the benediction…what devotion! And here is Saint Franklin Smith, who may not have quenched any raging fires, but who increased his pledge to the church from $10 to $12 per Sunday, and was fittingly rewarded by another deduction from income tax…of such is the Kingdom of Heaven!

As the Psalmist has said, “Lord, help us to sing a new song unto Thee.” It’s better than banging around with a pretense of religion, rather than the real thing.

You've Got The Wrong God, Buddy

Bad theology is at the heart of much of the trouble within today’s Church. We literally do not worship the same God!

When I was in Seminary, I did not enjoy the study of theology, because it seemed so difficult and complex. And frankly, much of it is, and our thousands of different doctrines within our hundreds of different churches, are proof of that.

But basic, down-to-earth theology, is something we must get right. Theology really means, “the logic of God”, and many of us are reading from the very same Bible and using the wrong “logic of God”.

If I persist in believing that 2 + 2 = 5, and if I am convinced that a crooked line is the shortest distance between two points, then I am bound to come up with a different answer to a problem than you will. And frankly, many of our churches are using that 2 + 2 = 5 formula for God, and they are coming up with the wrong answers, because they are using the wrong measurements.

Jesus Christ must be the yardstick used for our understanding of God. For Jesus said, ”If you have seen me, you have seen the Father…I and my Father are one.” And John in his gospel says that “the WORD (of God) became flesh and dwelt among us.” And he is talking about Jesus Christ.

Therefore, if your god is too small, or if your god is vicious and inconsistent, you are really not looking at the God of the Bible at all, but at some foreign deity.

Therefore, let us come to our Bible with a new understanding of basic theology. Jesus Christ gave us the best picture of God that we have. And since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then let us recognize that if there are portions of the Bible that suggest a God who is not like what Jesus told us, then we need to check it out against God’s spiritual yardstick.

God has not changed through the centuries, but our human understanding of God has changed. The Bible is that marvelous record of holy men and women of old, struggling to know and to understand what God is like. Little by little, they learned, and in “the fullness of time, Jesus came”, and gave us the complete picture.

The Bible is sometimes a wilderness of confusion. But thank God, through Jesus Christ, I can find my way through, and find the truth.

"A true friend is someone who knows you're
a good egg even if you're a little cracked."
(Author unknown)

With Anticipation

Have you seen the T.V. commercial with the boy waiting for the catsup to come out of the bottle…and then a choral group sings, “anti-ci-pa-tion…an-ti-ci-pa-tion”?

I really can’t get very excited about catsup. But I do share the excitement of waiting for that something “special” to happen. And that is the way I feel about worship services at our church.

Since the Holy Spirit is always there, wouldn’t it be great if all congregations everywhere could be literally “turned-around”, or “flipped over”, or “on fire”? What if we all felt the power of God so marvelously in our lives, that every church task and every service of worship would begin to feel like a spiritual pilgrimage for the “Holy Grail”?

Hebrews 11:1 indicates that “faith” is a special kind of “anti-ci-pation”. It is “an assurance of things hoped for, and a conviction of things not seen”. In other words, we have every reason to believe that something marvelous is going to happen…is bound to happen, because we are trusting in God to help make it happen! That is faith!

Why Go Limping?

Church members have had a way of claiming to be a part of something big, and then acting as though it were nothing! As though the love of God were nothing! As though Christ’s death upon the cross were nothing! As though his blessings were nothing! As though the milky way and the universe with all its wonderful starry hosts were nothing! As though the gift of life from a Creator God who is also our Heavenly Father were nothing!

Why do we go on calling ourselves Christians and acting like atheists? Where do we stand? Why do we join the church and then stay home? Why do we throw out our chests and say with pride, “Oh, but I’m a Christian!” and then act like a heathen?

The writer of I Kings had something to say about this. He quoted Elijah talking to his people gathered at Mt. Carmel: “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (I Kings 18:21)

Is it time to begin to say where we stand? Are we weak-kneed? Do we equivocate? Does it say something to us about church attendance? Does it say something about basic honesty, about integrity in our daily lives? The Christian is always called upon to “give witness” to his faith. What is your witness? Does it say the word loud and clear, or does it come through with a limp?

Are You Guilty?

If we were brought into court, and accused of being Christians, would there be enough evidence to convict us? What in your life or activity, would link you with the crime of loving God?

We have watched enough T.V. police stories to know how it all proceeds…If there was a stake-out on us: would we be observed eating and drinking a ceremonial meal called the Lord’s Supper? Would wire-taps have picked up our voices saying a meal-time grace? Would anyone have seen us reading subversive literature known as the New Testament? Would the D.A. be able to prove that we had tracked into the homes of the poor, or that we had identified with people who were oppressed, or tried to lift the burden of being black?

But what about other factual evidence? Does our checkbook state a clear case of involvement with the ministry of Jesus? Are there any books of the faith in our home library? Have we been seen going regularly to that Christian gathering known as Church? Would the attorneys draw to the attention of the jurors that we had been guilty of certain forms of behavior…such as forgiving a person who had offended us…or, loving someone who had treated us unfairly? The case is building up…the prosecutor gets to his feet and offers his final summation…”This person”, he says, “even walks like a Christian…whether he is driving his car, or riding up an elevator…he has an infectious sparkle to his life.”

The facts are in…the verdict comes through: “This person is guilty of Christianity in the first degree!” Guilty!...Hallelujah!

Isn’t it great to see many who are guilty as charged: filling their pockets with unexpected love, guilty of modesty, guilty of caring about others, guilty of loving people rather than hating. Some people just can’t keep their connection with Jesus Christ a secret. They’re guilty!...Praise God!

Oh, to be with that Divine Warden, who has the Keys of Life. May He lock us up in His eternal love, forever!

Prayer: “O God, when we stop and think about it,
we are bowled over by your amazing grace.
Thank you, in Jesus’ name. Amen (James W.
Moore in The Sanctuary for Lent 2006)