Where Are You Going?

You may remember in the story of Alice in Wonderland that Alice came to a fork in the road. She asked the Chesire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, "What road do I take?"

The cat asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know", Alice answered.

"Then," said the cat, "it really doesn't matter, does it?"

Some people are content to live in that kind of nether‑ world, but once you have caught the vision of the truth that God has given to His people through Jesus Christ, anything less than that is unacceptable.

As someone once said, "Once you've seen a sunrise, you can get 'hooked' on it." So, living with Jesus in your life, and the power of truth in your heart, can become a delicious habit!

"Without a vision, the people perish" is the old proverb. So also, we can say that if you don't know where you are going, you are going to end up in the ditch. Without a worthy purpose to begin each day, you will soon find yourself like the proverbial dog chasing it's tail, and getting absolutely nowhere!

Like the plants of the field, we cease to live when we are no longer illumined by the SUN. As Christians, we cease to have life with meaning, when we are no longer illumined by the power of the SON, the Son of God.

Thanks God, I Needed That!

In a Reader's Digest article, the question was asked, "Have Astronomers Found God?" The writer, a scientist, said that although he was an agnostic himself, he felt that the astronomers were being forced to consider the possibility of a divine Creator. Because of the "Big Bang" theory, there seems no alternative but to believe that there had to be a beginning moment...and beyond that moment, there had to be One who did the beginning. "In the beginning...God". We've been saying that for a long time!

Personally, I don't really care whether the scientists are the ones who discover that, or the theologians...for I have discovered that not only is there a God who started everything, but One who continues to stay with His creation, to sustain it, and work with us in our problems, and love us in our sinful condition.

No matter where I go, this great God has gone first. It was the Psalmist who said: "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Thy hand shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Ps. 139:9,10) That's a beautiful re‑assurance!

So, today I say: "Thanks God, I needed that!"

Did You Get The Word?

In the beginning, God! Not what, nor how, nor why, but WHO? That's what the Bible is all about. It is a book about God. Unfortunately we try to make it a book of science; a book of magic, a book of history. We try to force it to do all kinds of things it was never intended to do! It is a book of religion. It is the devout, word of faith of sincere, God‑inspired men and women who were confident that God is, and that God moves in marvelous ways to make it possible for His children...all people on earth, to live an abundant, happy life."

Several years ago, in a hospital bed, I wrote the above as the beginning of a book I proposed to write. Three chapters later, I was released from the hospital, and the book went no further for a long time.

How typical of the way we treat the Bible...picking it up for awhile, and then forgetting for long periods to study its sacred pages.

Someone has said: It is a word of comfort in a world of fear. It is a word of love in a world of hate. It is a word of mercy in a world of injustice. It is a word of judgment in a world of unrighteousness. It is a word of authority in a world needing a divine mandate.

Most of all, I need to ask: "Has the Word gotten into me in such a way as to make any difference?

Love And Demons

A fascinating story is told in three of the Gospels about Jesus meeting a disturbed man ("a man from the city who had demons") Lk. 8:26‑39, Matt.8:28‑34, Mk. 5:1‑20

Today, we would say this man had mental illness. Jesus came into this man's life, and the demons went out! What a wonder‑ cure this is to our pressure‑filled world. When Jesus comes in...demons go out! When love comes in, demons must flee!

And here is a miracle‑cure just as real as penicillin, just as valid as insulin; just as real as any of the modern wonder‑ working medical drugs. If only we realized the power of the love of Jesus! If only we believed the cure of His Presence in human life.

You and I have a power that we can give to those around us! It is the power of love...it is the saving presence of Jesus that is better than aspirin, more powerful than cobalt treatment or a laser beam. Demons go down by the bushel when love comes in! Thank God, we don't have to wait years and years for any other wonder‑cure! It began in the heart of God; it became crystal clear on a hill‑side cross; it takes place any day, any time, in the human heart, when we accept the healing love of God through Jesus Christ.

How's Your Peace-Maker Doing?

The story is told of a woman who in a conversation asked how a friend's "peacemaker"...no "pacemaker" was doing. After the slip of the tongue, she began to think about what she had said.

Truly, into the heart of every Christian, our Lord has implanted a "peacemaker", and the question is, "How is it doing?" Is it helping us overcome our bad tempers? Is it giving us a sweeter disposition? Or does it have long periods when it never functions? Are people within the church learning to be forgiving and accepting of one another? Could anyone tell, if he saw you at work, that you had a "peacemaker" implanted within you?

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, maybe we shorted out the wires so that the "peacemaker" would never work. If so, then life is running out for us fast. Anyone who puts on an exterior of piety, and does not seek to prove it through actions that back up his words, is no more than a hollow shell, and the life of the Savior is not in him.

Or, maybe we let the power go out of our "peacemaker" by failure to nurture the soul and cultivate the heart through worship and prayer. A phone call came to a certain church one day. The caller asked, "Is Rev. So and So preaching tomorrow?" The church secretary answered, "No, but we believe that God will be there, and that's good enough for us."

Get the power from the Source, and keep your "peacemaker" alive and strong. The slogan that says, "7 days without worship and prayer, makes one weak!" is absolutely true.

Because Christians have failed to respond to the implanting of God's Holy Spirit within them, the world grows increasingly evil; the Church grows increasingly weak; and the heart of the Savior bleeds again. Our society needs Christ in the heart, or peace in the world will never start.

Hope

There's more to life than complaining!...there's always HOPE! When it's hot outside, I'll think cool! When it's cold, I'll think warm. When there's nothing but trouble, I'll try to whistle. When people say it can't be done. I'll remember those who have worked miracles before. When evil seems to be in charge, I'll remember God!

The author of Lamentations gives us a good thought for each day: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; Great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I will hope in him." (Lamentations 3:22‑24) Without hope, life would be an impossible nightmare! With hope, life is a challenge and an act of praise! "Great is thy faithfulness" the author said of the Lord, "this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope." (vs. 21)

This Sunday, I've been asked to talk
about "miracle" in S.S. Our usual definition
is this: "A miracle is something that can't
happen, but does happen, because God
makes it happen." Would it be better to
say "A miracle is something that can
happen, and it does happen, but we don't
understand it. Maybe someday we will!"
I don't understand the mysteries of the
universe and the amazing miracles happening
all around us, but maybe sometime I will. I
guess that's my HOPE for today, and thanks
God for giving me many, many marvelous
things to look forward to.

Accepting Failure

Are you a perfectionist? Many people are! And how could we get along, without those sincere, hard‑working, conscientious people who are forever "doing their best" and striving for "perfection".

And yet, sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that "succeeding", and doing a "perfect" job is expected of us! Who do we think we are...God? Only God is perfect, and some of us are dangerously on the ragged edge of "playing God" in our perfectionism.

Better for us, if we accept from the beginning that we are imperfect, and that we cannot be a success in everything, and that we are going to fail sometimes; but that God loves us any- way, and (hopefully) others will too, even when we fail! We do not have value because we succeed or fail, but we have value in God's eyes, because we are human, and imperfect, and sinful creatures.

Someone once said, "Nothing fails like success!". In a sense, it is true. We learn only a very little from our successes; but it is from many failures, that we learn and grow.

I find this a great comfort, that I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to "succeed"! I just have to rejoice in my son-ship, with a heavenly Father who loves me just as I am in my human condition.

Romans 5:8 says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

I don't think anyone should be satisfied with a poor job, or sloppy workmanship, but I am grateful that the mess that I sometimes am, is still O.K. with God. Could I ask you to judge me kindly, and say that it's O.K. with you too?

Just Suppose

I was just thinking..."suppose God had waited until Moses was perfect before He called him to deliver his people?"

I recall in the Scriptures how Moses hemmed and hawed, finding every excuse in the books to let God know he couldn't do the job. But God didn't let something like stammering and a faltering speech get in the way. He used Moses anyway!

Suppose God had waited until Peter had been perfect before Jesus called him for a disciple. Peter had a lot of weaknesses. He was over‑confident, he had racial prejudice (which Paul pointed out later); he let Jesus down when he needed him most. What a poor selection! But God made good use of a poor prospect, anyway!

And just suppose God waited until you or I were perfect, before he allowed us to do the work of ministering in His Church. The church would fold up right now!

But, fortunately for all of us, God doesn't wait for perfect people. He can use weak, sinful, imperfect specimens to do the job. And that's what the Church of Jesus Christ is...a motley bunch of inadequate, imperfect folk (who realize what they are), but men and women who just do their best, knowing that God is working with them to join His perfect power with their stumbling weaknesses.

If you thought you needed to wait until you were better, to join the church, or to work in the Lord's Kingdom, put your mind at ease. The Lord has "in‑service" training for anyone who trusts Him enough to just take a chance with God, and jump in.

The King Is With Us

There is a story coming out of ancient England, that says that workers in a factory one day were amazed to discover that their king was working alongside them at a lathe, and had been doing so for a long time without being recognized.

When the news got out, it sent a thrill through the people. "The King is working with us," they said. "The King is working with us!"

Let us never forget that Jesus our King came to earth and walked the lowly problems of life with us. He did then, and our resurrected Lord is with us now.

Doesn't it change your daily routine to believe that "the King is working with you"? He is!

Are You The Same Old You?

I talked with a woman once who said, "I go to church faithfully. I listen, I understand, I believe. But when I get home, I'm the same old me!"

How true! We are caught up with hopes and beliefs and faith during special moments of worship and inspiration. But when we go back to the grind of life, we feel like the same old person again.

And yet this is not quite true. I am not quite the same "me". Because every experience in life does change us! We cannot be exposed again and again to the Savior, and not be changed by Him. Here is the value of regular worship, and the attitude that seeks a blessing when we go.

Somebody asked a church member one day what the minister had said. She thought for a moment, and then said she didn't remember. "See" said her friend. "It doesn't do you any good. Why not stay at home?" The church member pointed at her wicker basket and asked, "What if I asked you to fill up that basket with water, and bring it to me?" Said the other, "why the water would all run out!" "That's right," said the other, "but it would be a cleaner basket, wouldn't it?"

Do you despair of growing in grace, of being better? Don't give up, just because you fail now and then. Do you sometimes wish you had never been made? Just remember: You're not made yet. You're just in the process of being made, and this is all part of the Maker's process.

Go to church. Keep growing in the faith. Eagerly seek Him, and that same old "you" will become a transformed “new you".

Try Writing Your Own Obituary

One morning in 1888, Nobel, inventor of dynamite, the man who had spent his life amassing a fortune from the manufacture and sale of weapons of destruction, awoke to read his own obituary. The obituary was printed as a result of a simple journalistic error...Alfred's brother had died, and a French reporter carelessly reported the death of the wrong brother.

Naturally any person would be disturbed to see his own obituary in the paper, but it was especially so to Alfred Nobel, because he saw himself as the world had seen him, "the dynamite king". As far as the public was concerned, the entire purpose of his life was to make money from destruction. He was a merchant of death.

As he read his obituary with horror, Nobel resolved to change his image before the world, and the result was that the most valued of all prizes is now given for one who works hardest for peace. It is called the "Nobel Prize".

What do you suppose the public would include in your obituary? It's a strange question, but makes us think whether we have made it clear to all what our central concern in life really is.

"Here is a man who loved the Lord" would be a good epitaph. Or "Here is one who loved all people" would be another. Or what about the phrase, "In kindness she moved, in mercy she walked, in humility she lived."? Why not write your own obituary? Make it the way you want it to sound, and then ask God to help you live so it can come true.

Nobody has to be a stinker! There is absolutely no reason anyone has to have a reputation for being evil, or a bully, or cruel. It is only as we will to do His will, that we achieve the great change in life that transforms our lives and makes it possible for our loved ones and even our enemies to say noble things about is in our passing.

I wouldn't want to be caught dead with some of the things folks might say about me. How about you? Maybe it's time, we started to make some changes right now while we still have the opportunity.

Try Kissing A Frog

Note: We've been away for a
Carthage college reunion week-end
in Springfield, IL.and the computer
was in for an "oil change" repair.
Sorry to break the circle of friendship,
but glad to be back.

Did you ever try to kiss a frog? Not easy, is it? Maybe not even much fun! But all around our neighborhoods are froggy people, feeling slow, and low, and ugly, and droopy, and down in the dumps! Maybe you feel that way too now and then. What is a person to do?

In the Church, when we talk about "the Priesthood of Believers", we mean quite literally that we are to be "priests" to one another...or to minister to one another...to be really caring folks!

So...down the great river of life, come froggy people, on drifting lily pads, feeling frightened and disgusted, and too froggy to budge.

Once upon a time, there was a frog. But he really wasn't a frog. He was a prince, who looked and felt like a frog. A wicked witch had cast a spell upon him, and only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him. But cute chicks don't really enjoy kissing frogs, and there he sat, un-kissed and unhappy. Miracles do happen now and then, however. One day, a beautiful young lady grabbed him up and gave him a big smack. And there he was, a handsome prince. Now, you know the rest...they lived happily ever after!

Bruce Larson, the author of this interesting illustration, asks the question, "What is the task of the church?" and he gives as his answer, "to kiss frogs, of course."

The apostle Paul said: "bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) Is it possible, that if we just looked around, we might find a prince or a princess in a froggy mood, who needed to be kissed? Sounds romantic, doesn't it? But it also sounds like one of the hardest things, and yet one of the most Christian things we could be doing!

What If God Sued Us?

I've been thinking about suing God! Everybody else is suing somebody...why not me? It seems to me that God really didn't make me as bright as some of the folks I know. I think He might have neglected me somewhat!

I heard once about a lady who sued God for letting lightning strike her home. As far as I know, God never showed up for the trial...As far as I know, the lady never collected either.

But on the other hand, I wonder if God shouldn't have a few law‑suits pending on His own? After all, we took His beautiful world, and turned it into a waste‑land. We burned up His fuel oils. We muddied up His beautiful rivers and streams. We allowed His children in many parts of the world, to go hungry, because we never cared enough to teach them to farm their barren lands.

Looks to me like God has a pretty strong case against us. We've taken the good bodies He gave us, and filled them with black coffee, and deadening alcoholic drinks. We've turned the noses He gave us into smoke‑stacks. We've eaten all the fat-producing desserts, and left the spinach behind.

How can God put up with us? We are law‑breakers, spoilers, destroyers, contaminators, offenders.

But there is good news. In spite of it all, He cares. He doesn't sue us...He saves us through His great love. He saves us for all eternity, if we come to Him. We are not worthy, but still He pours out His love. What a wonderful, marvelous God we have!

The Supreme Judgment

There is a strange story in the New Testament (John 8) about a woman brought to Jesus, accused of adultery. Her accusers wait for Jesus to do what the law says he must do...namely condemn her to stoning. Instead, he tells them, "He who is without sin, go ahead and throw the 1st stone." And then he stoops to write in the sand.

Did Jesus actually write something that day? We have no record of any writings by Jesus. Some say that he wrote each man's besetting sin in the sand, and as they saw it, they were stricken by guilt and left.

Perhaps he wrote in the sand simply to cool his anger against the Pharisees. How they irked him! But the sand was more than likely his way of letting them ponder a bit. But the woman too, saw the scribblings in the sand. Here she stood, condemned to die. At any moment, a stone could come hurtling through the air. The law was on their side. Who was this person before whom they had brought her?...a judge...and yet he wasn't judging her.

If Jesus had condemned her...had he said, "You sinful, unregenerate woman!", then she might have justified herself. "It wasn't my fault...he forced me into it. Why don't they bring him? A person has to live...you have to eat!."

But Jesus wasn't condemning her. Could she run away? And yet her sins would run with her. Sin does that! You can run away from the person you have sinned against, but you cannot run away from the sin itself.

What an amazing thing...the wages of sin for this woman, were death. The law said so. But Jesus insists that grace is always greater than the law, and that forgiveness of sins, brings a person from death into salvation.

Whereas others condemn, we who are Christian must learn to forgive. Forgiveness in our world is so limited, so partial, so arbitrary. But God does not dole out forgiveness by degrees, or piece‑meal, but through Christ, He blots out our whole debt.

Each of us stands before Christ, condemned. Our accusers are on every hand. Our own memories arise up to speak of our shortcomings. We are worthy of death. There is a spiritual law that says so. But what a marvelous release from the guilt which fills us as we look into the wonderful eyes of Jesus, and hear him say, "Neither do I condemn you...go and sin no more."

Getting Your Magnitudes Mixed

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus told the story about those who were invited to the marriage feast, and he said: "but they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business," etc. (22:5)

We are prone to exaggerate the importance of our own problems. It is like holding a penny in front of your eye, and blotting out all that is beyond it. And yet, get that penny but a few feet away, and it is almost invisible.

Sometimes we make mountains out of mole‑hills...that spot on the rug, that broken plaster above the door, the blemish on the side of your face. Tiny things that upset us, and keep us from centering in on the really important things.

But there are also times when we minimize greatness...when we take mountains and turn them into mole‑hills. Such people never see the Lord, high and holy and lifted up. When they go to church, all they seem to notice are the mistakes of the organist. They are critical of the way the choir is dressed, and are disturbed by the cry of a small child.

Some do not ever find power in worship, because they surround themselves with little things that are of no consequence. They do not want to confront the enormity of the knowledge of God, because it will tax their imagination, it will stretch their spiritual grasp, it will tug at their heart‑strings, and they are much more content to grovel in their present condition of half‑hearted righteousness.

To know God and the greatness of fellowship with Him, is this not the Mt. Everest of human experience. And yet it is possible to make a mole‑hill out of it. So intent are we to consider the intricacies of our business, and the demands of our day by day activities, that God is lucky if He gets a passing "howdy" from some of His constituents.

And if we do this with God, we are likely to do it with other things as well...to hate instead of love...to speak lies instead of the truth...to see evil instead of good...to bend to iniquity, instead of walking in righteousness. Here are mountain peaks which some folks carve down to mole‑hills.

Some things we ought to minimize: our complaints, the slights that are cast our way, minimize our fears, and our worries. But don't cut your horizons down to your level...leave some big mountains in the landscape.

Jesus said that in the invitation from the King, some "made light of it, and went their way." What a commentary on crudeness...to make light of the invitation of the king. And yet is this not what some of us are doing as we lightly pass by the invitation of God to feast at His banquet table?

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Bull Session Supreme At Nazareth

John the Baptist, before his death, pointed to Jesus and said to his disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God. Follow him."

Two of them...John, and Andrew, did. Together with Jesus, they walked and talked along the pathways and when they reached the home of Jesus in Nazareth, Jesus said, "Why don't you stay?" And they did.

I don't know what they talked about that night, but I can imagine...lying on mats, or seated in a circle about a fire. The Bible doesn't tell us, but it must have been vital talk, for as the result of this wonderful bull session, John said, "Surely this is the Messiah". And Andrew, filled with excitement, went and told his brother, "We have found the Christ."

What did they talk about?...surely they talked about God, for although every Jewish boy knew the law, and the prophets, questions of the sincere heart were still unanswered. God was still a mystery. Why doesn't God do something about his world? And Jesus answered, "God has done something...Into His world, He has spoken His Word. You know it. You have been familiar with it from your childhood. It is eternal. It was in the beginning. It is true. It was with God. It is authoritative. It is God. God's Word gave the light, and that light has shined into the world. It shines in the darkness and the darkness has never been able to put it out.

It would almost seem that the 1st chapter of John's Gospel may have come directly from that night‑time conversation.

What has God done in His world? What better way to save a world in darkness, than to send the Light of His truth? How better to relieve the icy atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust, than with the warm Gospel of love?

Perhaps we need to do more bull‑sessions about our belief in God. Too sacred you say? Too much chance of getting off on the wrong track? Too much likelihood of making God seem earthy and bringing Him down to our level?

The answer is that God is not on precarious footing. He will not be put down by our little thoughts. The anvil will not be spoiled by our insignificant hammers. Better to get a hazy glimpse than no glimpse at all. And God loves to be brought down to earth where He can walk with us and talk with us and tell us we are His own.

Christianity is real and is practical. It makes sense. It ought to be part of our every day language. It can be talked about over the coffee cups as well as over the theologian's table. Our faith is reasonable. Jesus Christ came to make the things of God real. But does the Word take on flesh through you and me? That's the real question for today's conversations.

Hitherto And Henceforth

If my mother were still living today, she would have a black‑board in her kitchen. And on it would be a favorite Bible verse, or a special thought for her day.

I remember two words she put there: "Hitherto" and "Henceforth". When I asked her the meaning, she said, "Hitherto the Lord has helped us" (I Sam. 7:12)...and "Henceforth he shall." That was the kind of God she believed in. And that became my faith as well.

I stand between the "Hitherto" and the "Henceforth". And my praise becomes the great "nevertheless"! No matter what happens, no matter how bad things may become...I will trust him, and I will praise His name. And give thanks to God that He is God.

We have a coffee cup we received from the Dr. Schuler T.V. program that on one side reads: "Life's not fair." And on the other side it reads, "but God is good." And sometimes life isn't fair...but that does not stop me from trusting, from praising, or giving thanks. "Hitherto" the Lord has helped me..."Henceforth" He shall. This I believe.

Our Church Has Filters

For years, smoking has been suspiciously alien to human needs and physical health. "There are dangers here," all reports have said. But the tobacco companies replied, "No danger. All the harmful things have been filtered out!"

Every preacher will sooner or later, preach a sermon on "Love". It is the theme behind every theme in every sermon. All the Gospel is summed up in it. "God so loved the world."

But in reality, the Church has often lived a life totally un‑related to the kind of love Jesus talked about. So much of the time, we have gone around sputtering at, and spitting at, and clawing at each other, much like cats in the back alley.

Why is the Church at times devoid of love, when it is the proclaimer of love? Why is there more of a welcome sometimes, at the corner tavern, than in the Church pew? Why is there more sympathy from the man on the street, than from some committed church‑goers?

Perhaps we are dealing with people in a make‑believe world. We have heard the dynamite of the Gospel, but like the cigarette ads, we too have a built in filter. We filter out the really significant parts of the Gospel until what gets through is really kind of a sentimental, mushy, harmless emotional feeling. It is something that doesn't hurt us, but neither does it help us.

And so, Christianity becomes a kind of harmless thing that everybody believes in, but nobody does much about.

In Romans, Paul said that we are to be indebted to no one except the debt to love them. (Ro. 13:8) And we are to owe everyone more than we can possibly pay. Love is not only one duty to add to our other duties, it is the framework into which all other duties will fit.

Love is the most comprehensive of all principles. We need to bring everything we do and say before the bar of love!

There is a story about an old violinist. He was a poor man, but he possessed an instrument with the sweetest, mellow tones. As he played it, it always awakened responsive chords. When he was asked to explain it, he would hold his violin, tenderly caressing its graceful curves, and say: "Ah, a great deal of sunshine must have gone into this wood, and what goes in, must come out!"

Let us never forget that a great deal of love: the love of God, and the love of parents and friends, has been poured into these careless lives of ours. And we must let it come out!

The Power Of A Child

Today's news headlines again and again describe the plight of tiny children. The adult world takes such unfair advantage of them. They are often disregarded as insignificant in the world around them.

"Any news?" asked a villager one February morning. "Oh, nothing", another replied, "Only a boy baby was born at the Lincoln's last night".

In 1809 most people would have thought that the greatest thing happening that year, was that
Napoleon was the master of all Europe. And yet, only God and a few mothers here and there realized the possible power of the new born in the births that year of Darwin, Lincoln, Gladstone, Tennyson, Edgar Allen Poe, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Cyrus W. McCormick.

When the Boy Scout movement began in America, a big camp had been arranged which was to include the youngest boys‑‑boys of eight years.

At seven o'clock on the first evening one of the little boys came to the officer who was chief of the camp and said, saluting,

"Please, sir, my mother said if I came to camp, I was to go to bed at seven o'clock."
"Very well," replied the chief, "go to bed!"
"And please, sir, my mother said that if I came to camp, I was to say my prayers."
"Very well, my boy, say your prayers!"
"Please sir," said the scout, with his hand still raised in salute,"I always say my prayers at my mother's knee; can I say them at yours?"

"The chief was so touched that he took the boy aside in the woods, and there they prayed together. From that time the Boy Scout movement became a religious movement, although it had not started along those lines."‑‑Taylor Smith

Who can measure the potential of one single life? Even a child might outweigh the strength of one modern Atlas.

How To Die Well

What is it like to die? Does it hurt? Can we do it? Do we need any help? Will we be scared? Many years ago, I asked those questions before going into surgery, not knowing what the end results might be. My life continues, and I am grateful.

A fellow pastor by the name of John Bouldin had the funeral service of a 38 year old man by the name of Jim McGlaughlin who had written his own funeral service.

In it, he said if he had life to live over again, he would want

"To love the unlovely...
To touch the untouchables...
To pray for those who had persecuted him...
To do good, especially to those who had done evil against him...
To be more concerned about mercy, and have less concern about money...
To pray more and play less...
To give himself to worship rather than to worry...
To be kind to all...
To be more generous with what God had given him...
To help lift the fallen...comfort the sorrowing...
heal the broken hearted...
To see that to live on a God‑standard is more important
than to live on a gold‑standard, and to
Put first things first."

"He then said:

You say you want peace of mind? You can have the Master's peace.
You say you want joy? You can have the Master's joy!
You say you want power? You can have the Master's power.
It's an exchange‑‑your little all for His great all. Try it."

And then, in conclusion, Jim added:

I hope to clasp your hand and smile into your face,
when you too have come up higher
where one has only one true delight—
to share life with Jesus.
Do not think of your loss; think of my gain.
Do not be sad because I have died; truly, I've just begun to live.
Do not mourn because I died so young; I had five more years
than Jesus did on earth.
Do not just sit and weep for me; save your tears for those
who don't know Jesus.
Do not go into mourning for me; rise up and use your strength
and devotion so that the hearts of others may sing.
Do not think you have lost me; I have just moved a little higher
and I'll be here to smile and say "welcome" when you pass
through the curtain.
And say...be sure to come or I'll be disappointed."
Thank God for Jim. Thank God for all who can look into God's
marvelous future and simply trust. That's the way I hope to die.

The Kingdom Is An Uphill Road

There is a statement in the Bible that reminds me that I must work out my own salvation " with fear and trembling."(Phil. 2:12) Why does it say that? I have confidence in my God. I have an assurance that all is well. Why should I have "fear and trembling"? Why this uncertainty?

Perhaps it is because finding the Lord, making Him part of our lives is always a progressive thing. When we are absolutely sure that we have Him all, then we are most certain to lose Him. If we experience the Lord today, and then lie down in our spiritual endeavors, we discover upon arising that we may have lost Him.

This is the one thing that most of us lack...that insatiable, hungering and thirsting after righteousness. To want the Lord, with all of our mind and heart, and soul and strength. And not only to want it once, but to desire it forever...this is the acid test of the Christian.

The story is told that a man one time came to Gautama Buddha seeking the true way. Buddha led him down to the river. It was at bathing time, and the seeker assumed that he was to undergo a ritual of purification. When they were some distance out in the stream, Buddha suddenly grabbed the man and held his head under water. Finally, in a last gasp the fellow wrenched himself loose, and his head came above water. Quietly Buddha asked him, "When you thought you were drowning, what did you desire most?" The man gasped, "Air." Back came Buddha's reply, "When you want salvation as much as you wanted air, then you will get it." (Sockman‑‑The Higher Happiness)

When we are content with our faith. When we believe that all is well...when we are sure that we are a Christian and the gates of heaven are simply waiting to open up before us...then perhaps all is not well. Beware, lest the Lord come as a "thief in the night" and find us unprepared to deliver our souls for scrutiny before the Almighty.

And so, this comes as an unending task. Each morning, we must approach the Great Supervisor for new instructions; each evening, we must end our day by committing the solemn trust of life to Him who never sleepeth. Each Sunday, we must enter the Holy of Holies to feed therein upon the Bread of Life, and to learn new lessons at the Master's feet. The Kingdom of God is reached on an uphill road, and he who falls asleep at the wheel is not wise. "My little children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God."

Getting A New Perspective

Every so often, we need to get a new point of view. We have pushed back the frontiers of first one science and then another, until we stand awed and inspired by the immensities and complexities of the world around us.

Science, instead of removing us from God, has sometimes drawn us closer to Him. It has forced us to our knees to behold...the still unexplored...the still unknown parts of this mighty universe.

A minister said that once each year, he preached on astronomy. He didn't know much about it...but it made him think big! And it does!

Who can comprehend the vastness of outer space? For example, if you could ride a light beam (186,000 miles per sec.), you would pass the sun in 8.6 min. Continuing at this same rate of speed, you would reach the nearest star (little Proxima Centauri) in about 4 years. And then, still moving at the speed of light, it would take you 99,996 years to reach the edge of the Milky Way (which is our own galaxy). Beyond this, there are at least 500,000 other galaxies already chartered, and more being discovered all the time. That's a "wow" in my book!

And then, look in the opposite direction and there are equally amazing discoveries in the micro‑world. The atom, eg.,...so tiny, that 2,000,000 of them in a row, would cover a space no larger than the tiny dot over the letter "i" on my printer.

In the midst of this, we are tempted to ask with the Psalmist, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:4)

Does this put us in our place, and yet it gives us a place. God, who has made the galaxies of outer space has also arranged the minuteness of inner space. Can we then believe that He has ignored or overlooked the all‑important activities of those He has chosen to call His children?

He created us. He gave us a place. He has exalted us to a high degree, but He has also humbled us, lest we lose our sense of values and balance.

In a world already existing for over 2 billion years, can incidents that happen to you and me for one day or for one year, or even for one lifetime, actually affect God? Where upon the records of the universe, will be recorded the disappointments of John Smith, or of Joe Blow, who became discouraged one day in May and almost gave up the battle?

And yet the assurance keeps coming, that although what happens to me, doesn't seem to matter much, and the world goes on pretty much as usual without my small contribution...that it is recorded! And it does make a difference, and that God does care, and that He cares for you and for me.

I rejoice that the God who made us, is big enough to know the disappointments of each person, and if we put our trust in Him, He will set us high upon a Rock, and put a new song in our hearts, and will help us not to stumble or fall.

When My World Falls Apart

Does the Lord lead us?...every step of the way? Do we really believe that? Perhaps we cannot accept this...cannot be truly sure, until we can learn to thank God even when our world starts to fall apart!

The Bible writers seemed to fully believe this. And it is hard for us to understand their way of speaking, unless we see their point of view.

Maybe this illustration will help. Back in the year 1965, I learned a great deal about pain and suffering. I was in the hospital for three major surgeries in 6 months. Until that time, I could visit people in the hospital, and not fully appreciate what they were feeling. I thought I could, but not really!

But now, I began to feel that I had shared somewhat in the suffering of mankind. Paul once said, "We must learn to give thanks to God in all things." And I wondered, could I thank God for this? I would not have asked Him for it. I would not ask for it again. But having had it, it became a blessing in my life.

And so, I can look back upon it and say, "Thank you, God, for giving me pain, and suffering...for exposing me to this difficult experience."

At this point, I could even say, "The Lord led me into suffering. He led me into pain...that I might know how to praise Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

I don't believe that it was the Lord's intentional will that I should go to the hospital and have suffering...but under the circumstances of need, it became not only within His will, but directly a part of it, that I should go to be made well.

And so I say, "The Lord gave me a burden, so that I might better understand the burdens of others."

Has your world fallen apart recently? Have things gone from bad to worse? Then just hang in there...God hasn't deserted you. The day will come when you will be able to look back with perspective, and say, "Thanks be to God...for now I see life differently than ever before. I may even be wiser and richer now because of this burden I've been forced to bear."

Is Everything Vanity?

Is it wrong to enjoy the good things of life? There was a "Playboy" of the Old Testament who wrote:"There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in his toil." (Ecclesiastes 2:24)

He was honest. He could not see much for the future. Heaven and hell were not ideas with which he was familiar. Death for the writer was mostly a nothingness. And so he believed that life was meant to be enjoyed while you had it.

Perhaps he has a good lesson for us to learn. Why do we get so tense with one another...so upset...so irritable? Is it not because we have our noses to the grindstone and do not take time to just enjoy the moments that we have, and the friends that we can enjoy. Sometimes we do not even have fun with our children while we have them. At times we ignore good health while we have it. We are always pushing for that time in the future when we can enjoy ourselves and that time never comes.

What does life mean? Are there things of significance, of value? One of the conclusions that Ecclesiastes comes to is that we ought to learn to love life...not indulge life, or glorify indulgence, but to glorify Him who gave us life. You see, life was meant to be enjoyed. Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

Ours is not to be tearful preaching, but cheerful teaching. Ours is not to be doleful proclamations, but soulful exclamations. We are to love life!

We make the tragic mistake of believing that our task is to make a living, whereas our task is to make a life that is worth living. We might even say: "What shall it profit a man to make a darn good life in the future, and not be able to have good living now?"

Is it wrong to enjoy the good things in life? No. The question is: do we know what the good things in life really are?

Enjoy your children while you have them. This is good. To be obsessed with only your security for the future is vanity.

Enjoy your neighbors. This is good. To be so busy with day by day pursuits that you do not learn to know them is vanity.

Enjoy your faith. This is good. To put it aside as a luxury to be had when you are older, or as a chore to perform, is to miss the glory of life. It is vanity and emptiness.

Enjoy the privilege of giving, of sacrifice. This is good. To hoard and to keep everything to yourself is like cancer. It eats out the heart and meaning of life and is vanity.

Enjoy your God. This is good. There is an old creed that says: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." All else is vanity.

Do we have the time for good reading?
No, we make the time for good reading!
Otherwise, life becomes vanity.
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How To Live All Day Long

How do you live all day long? It isn't easy is it? There are times when a person despairs...when he cries out, "My God, My God...why?"

A despondent man went to an old sage. He said to the wise man that he wanted to be released from life, because it was too hard. The sage picked up some herbs of healing that he had...gave them to the man and said: "Go find 7 persons to whom you can give this herb. After you have helped them, return to me, and I will give you release from life."

The story goes that the man did so, but by the time he had returned, he no longer wanted release. He wanted to live. In the healing of others, he himself had been healed!

A doctor announced that he was a "Cure‑for‑the‑Blues‑Specialist". When a person came to his office, he gave him a card with the formula: "When you feel yourself getting blue, something for somebody else go do." It wasn't great poetry, but it was a good philosophy.

There is seldom a day goes by, without some pain or hardship for you to bear. But, if it is true of you, just remember, that it is happening to everyone else too.

When you see your own problems, and cry your own tears, and feel your own pain, the day is hard indeed. But if you help to carry the load of others, somehow your own becomes a bit easier to bear.

Someone has defined "sympathy" as: "your pain in my heart!" The Psalmist reminds us that there is One who is forever sharing our burdens. "Blessed be God, who daily bears us up." (Ps. 68:19) God takes our pain in his heart. He bears us up. The apostle Paul says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (II Cor. 1:3)

Awhile ago, an Alka‑seltzer commercial had a man saying, "I can't believe I ate the who‑o‑o‑le thing!" If we live each day with the comfort and under‑girding of the Almighty, we will be able to live the who‑o‑o‑o‑le day, and do it well.