It Takes A Miracle!

The Christian Church was born out of miracles: the miracle of the miracle‑baby born in a manger, and the miracle of the death and resurrection of our Lord. From a peasant woman, and in a lowly manger, came a King; and out of death and crucifixion, came new life. From defeat to victory is the movement of the Christian Church...truly a miracle!

We do not understand how miracles work. If we did, then they would no longer be miracles! But within the faith of the Christian, there is an assurance that in this problem world of ours, we do not work alone! We move our tiny chess player as wisely as we know how, and somewhere, God moves another one. We neither control completely our successes, nor guarantee absolutely our failures. Somehow, there is still another unknown factor in life's amazing world. Success must never make us vain because God has given us the very breath we breathe. Sin and failure are not the end of the world...because God provides forgiveness and new beginnings, if we ask Him.

There is a beautiful solo, that says: "It took a miracle of grace" to change my life. That is correct! In my natural self, I am vain and proud, and self‑centered. But God can correct that, and make me mellow and usable for His purposes.

When a Church believes more than anything else that the Lord's work must go forward, and organizes itself to do His will, then get out of the way! God is coming through! Our gifts and our tithes and our efforts are suddenly caught up in the whirl winds of God's Spirit. It is like holding a tiger by the tail! God's miracles begin to show!

God will bless us. God will multiply our efforts and our sacrifices through the miracle of His grace. But we must be within His will. We must believe and pray for His help.

Will you pray for a miracle of grace, for an out‑pouring of sacrificial offerings, and a treasury of souls throughout the Church?

Get Out The Camphor Bottle!

Donald A. Laird, the psychologist, said that whenever his grandmother was over‑wrought she would get the camphor bottle and put a little camphor on her fore‑head, behind each ear, and on her throat. Then she would sit in her rocking chair, close her eyes, and relax.

Dr. Laird said that the camphor bit was simply a gimmick. Grandma used it as an aid to relax her tensions. Most of us don't have a rocking chair or camphor bottle handy, but we use sedatives, aspirins, etc. as one of the contemporary remedies to life's anxieties.

All of this, it would seem is quite unnecessary, if we could just learn some of life's basic rules.

So perfect have become the computerized lift‑off procedures of our modern‑day space vehicles, that we sometimes wonder why our own lives cannot run so smoothly. And yet, people are not like rockets and should accept the fact that there are very few times in a person's life when all conditions are "go".

No, we must live by an acceptance of our humanness, our limitations, our imperfections. We are tiny specks in an amazingly big universe. We are imperfect, and more than that, we are inclined to self‑centeredness, making us sinful and rebellious to the basic rules of life. We cannot make that trip to our space rendezvous, because we are too much "a‑go‑go" and not enough "go‑ ye". Our lives are lived by our feet and our anxieties, rather than by our commitments and our fidelity to our Maker.

The ancient prophet once said, "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength." (Isa. 30:15) God is saying to us through the prophet Isaiah, that we should learn to trust in Him more than in our own schemes and defenses.

It is good advice, for so much of our anxiety and tension comes not from actual situations as from nameless dread of situations beyond our control. The unsettled condition of our world is contagious. But we cheat ourselves when we worry, for it does us no good, and certainly no one else. To be concerned...yes! To do what we can...yes! All of this we must do. But beyond that point, let us learn to use either Grandma's camphor and rocking chair...or, better yet...shift the burdens that are too big for us to God. Then we will find to our amazement that God is able to take that which we have committed unto Him against that day, and care for both us and His world.

No Gloves On His Hands!

If we are honest with the New Testament, we discover that Jesus was a lot less critical of some things and some people, than we are. We have established a kind of legalistic morality. We are extremely hard on certain sinners, but terribly lenient of others. And the fact is, of course, that we are all sinners.

Are the drunkards the sinners? Are the sex perverts, the thieves, the murderers the sinners? What does it mean to say that "my sin is less than theirs?" My sin is perhaps more serious, because I ought to know better! Some of us actually "look down upon some people." We find ourselves sub‑consciously saying, "Lord, I thank Thee that I am not like that man over there."

If there is someone without sin, then let him affirm it! It is not a case of whether we are greater sinners, or lesser sinners. It is just a matter of what kind of sinners we are. And so I guess this means that I am: a conscientious church‑going, Protestant, middle‑aged male parent, trying‑to‑be‑a‑good‑ Christian‑type of a sinner! And next to the holiness of God, my own goodness is like filthy rags, by contrast.

Have you ever gone into a home, so filthy, so dirty, that you thought you would be contaminated to sit down? I did once. I was invited to eat dinner there. I did so, but with a queasy feeling inside. I confess I ate with self‑righteousness, thinking to myself, "I am clean...they are not!"

I wondered how God feels. Our hands are stained, our lives are not clean, and still He invites us to come: "All who do truly and earnestly repent of their sins and are in love and fellowship with their neighbors, and intend to live a new life, come!" He really is inviting us!

There is a delightful story told about the former President Lyndon Johnson, when he was on a tour in Africa. He was riding through the streets of an African town with the local ambassador. In typical style, he reached over the edge of the car to shake hands with the people running alongside. The ambassador grabbed his arm back and insisted that Johnson wear gloves, so his hands, his flesh not be contaminated by the grime and dirt. It is no surprise that our President refused to wear the gloves!

Jesus set the pace! He ate and had fellowship with the outcast, the scorned, the prostitute. He wore no gloves! But how am I any better than the outcast, the prostitute? Are my sins any less, or just of another kind? The wonder of it all, is, we were not clean when our Savior invited us. Our sin‑ stained lives were obvious when He accepted us. He took us, with no glove upon His Hand. And He led us to the center of His love.

Shall we, who profess His name, do any less...be less accepting, less forgiving? For only as we forgive, shall we be forgiven. Only as we accept, shall we be accepted.

Listen To The Signal From Space!

A farmer was working in his barn and amidst the hay, dropped his watch. He stomped all over the floor, and raked the hay, and poked into the dark corners with a flashlight to find the lost time‑piece, but to no avail. Finally, he gave up his fruit‑less search and went in for lunch. His small boy ran out to the barn, and a few minutes later came in with the watch. "How did you find it" his father asked? "I just lay down on the floor and kept very still, and soon I heard the watch ticking."

There is a lesson to be learned from this simple story. Far too many of us waste our energies with a great deal of stewing and fretting and stomping through life. As we do so, we lose one of our most valuable possessions, namely fellowship and contact with our Creator.

There is a Divine resonance, a holy signal, a faint moving of the Spirit of God, that sets the pace and directs the inner heart to a life of significance, and an inner peace. This beat of the universe is ever present. This "Music of the Spheres" is always there. This still small voice is available. But we have so completely tuned it out by our loud and frantic striving.

If we would make this day, or tomorrow, one that responds to the beat of the universe, instead of having it shake and tremble in discord, then we must learn to wait upon the Lord, to be still and know that God is God. There is a signal there. There is a still small voice waiting to give direction, give hope, and give peace, if we but listen for it. God has not left us desolate.

A German astronomer, Sebastian von Hoerner, says that there are at least ten civilized communities on planets within one thousand light years of the earth. He thinks that some of these people may be far more advanced than ourselves. He believes our best hope of avoiding disaster is to listen for some message from outer space which might save us and our civilization.

It is an interesting idea. Our amazingly sensitive listening devices have never picked up any such signal or voice. And even if we heard, would we obey?

Man does need a wisdom and a signal higher and wiser than his own. But we have such a message already. It comes to us from the eternal, sovereign God, the Creator of all the universes that may exist. The simple, universal code of love, forgiveness, mercy, and justice has been tapping out its message through the centuries. It has come down to us through the prophets and most perfectly through Jesus Christ.

When we become quiet enough to listen for this Voice, to discover the inner serenity and power of His Spirit, then life may be lived victoriously and meaningfully. The Voice out of Space has come. Will we be obedient to it, now that we know what it is?

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Are You Pusillanimous?

Someone once asked the question whether Cross‑word Puzzle fans usually had a great vocabulary? The answer was that most puzzle fans increase their word power, but not their vocabulary. After all, how often every day do you use such words as "erudite", "Gaelic", or "matriculate"?

None‑the‑less, I'm all for it, and especially after my wife came home the other night pondering the word, "pusillanimous". We weren't even certain there was such a word, but sure enough, Webster said there was, and it meant "destitute of manly strength and firmness of mind; cowardly...evincing a want of courage", etc.

I got to thinking about the many times I had been "pusillanimous" and hadn't spoken out against things that were wrong, and the number of cowardly instances in my own life. I guess I'm not alone, because the world is filled with "pusillanimous" people like me.

And yet, I live with a Christian faith that should help me make right decisions, even if I have to stand alone to do so. Jesus didn't worry about being popular. He was concerned about being right! He left us with the power of his Holy Spirit, and this has enabled millions of Christians to suffer persecution, and go their lonely ways walking the "straight and narrow", rather than following the broad path that leads to destruction!

Psalm 27 gives me lots to think about in this matter. I'm not sure I've got a new word I plan to use very much, but I'm going to try not to be "pusillanimous". And I plan to take the Psalmist's advice to "wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." (Ps. 27:14)

Is The Lord Watching?

There is a beautiful old phrase that comes out of the story of Jacob and his father‑in‑law in the Old Testament. We call it the "Mizpah" benediction. It goes like this: "May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another." (Genesis 31:49)

Originally, the meaning was somewhat sinister: "remember, the Lord is watching...keep your distance!" But through the years, we have come to think of it in more endearing terms.

One person remembered that her father always concluded his letters to her by using the word, "Mizpah". This is a greeting that we could say to one another as we leave church, or as we go on a long journey, or as we separate after a family reunion.

"Mizpah"..."May the Lord watch between me and thee". How beautiful to know that He is watching, that He is there to care for us in our separateness.

It is good to learn to trust our loved ones to God's care as we leave them, whether it be for a day, or an hour, or many years. As we send our children off to camp, or when they simply cross the street. "Mizpah"...may the Lord watch over them as we are apart. As we lose loved ones in death..."Mizpah"...they are in His care and keeping. We can be sure He is watching over them!

Every day, I ask the Lord to watch over family and neighbors, and the many loved ones we have come to know through the years. Yes, thank God, He never sleeps, never leaves on vaca tion, never deserts His post! Our Lord watches over us, each and every one. Aren't you glad?

Fire When Ready!

Paul reminds us that there are spiritual gifts and that love is one of them. "Make love your aim" he said in I Cor. 14:1, "and earnestly desire the Spiritual gifts..."

How can we strive for love, when it is a gift? Can we set out on a day's journey to find it? Can we plan a program of activity whereby we can earn love? Is it a reward for good living?

If love is given, then perhaps some people are blessed with it, and others never receive it! If love is a gift...then will some divine Santa Claus bestow it upon me some day? How uninteresting!

Is not love a part of creation? We were made with it in side! Everyone has it...but many deny it! Some reject it...act as though it weren't so!

But for the person who aims his life at Christ, seeks to know the fullness of Christian grace and forgiveness, then love blossoms forth like the plum tree in Spring, like the ears of corn in Summer, and like the pears in the Fall.

"Make love your aim", Paul said. I say: "Good hunting! Take careful aim. Fire, when ready!"

Do You "Know" Jesus?

On a trip to the Holy Land, I visited the country of the lowly carpenter. I sailed the Sea of Galilee. I walked "the Way of the Cross". I saw where Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. I looked into the tomb. I climbed to the Chapel of the Ascension.

But to "know" Jesus according to Philippians 3:10 is more than walking the pathways of Israel.

In Bethlehem, I purchased an olive wood carving. It was the head of Christ, circled by thorns. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, and it showed the agony of his pain. I cringed as I thought of the cruelty of those who hung Jesus upon the cross.

Now, I come closer to "knowing" him, for Paul said that "knowing" him was to begin to share his sufferings, and even become like him in his death.

Most of the time, I have run away from sharing his sufferings. I don't want to see movies of the hunger of the world. I resist programs telling about the agonies of people. I change channels all too easily from stories of people in anguish. My Jesus feels the thorns again and again, in the suffering of his children, but I don't!

"Lord, how can I know the 'power of your resurrection or obtain the resurrection from the dead,' if I don't even now begin to care about your pain?"

Bringing In A Minority Report

It was said of the early Christians, "these are they who have turned the world upside down." And when people have placed the wrong things on top and put spiritual values at an all-time low, then this is exactly what needs to be done...turn things upside down, so they can actually be right side up.

But we come as those who bring in a minority report. Not a lot of people are interested in doing that. There are fewer people who pray than don't. There are fewer people who go to church today, than don't. There are fewer people with real thanksgiving in their hearts, than those without it.

The message of the Bible is a message of joy. But it is a minority repo9rt, for this is a joyless nation and generation. The message of the Bible is that of praise and adoration, but this is a minority opinion. For the only praise society seems to have is of material things. Our stomachs and our glands take precedence.

Thanksgiving comes as a minority report. Most people are already thinking about Christmas and the gifts they will buy or receive. The Pilgrims came to this country because they were a group of people who had rejected the "status quo" of the English way of life. They had been ostracized. They were folks who had been forced to the "outside" of society's circles...just a small group of different people.

And so, believing that we ought to "turn the other cheek" and "walk that extra mile", and "love one another", makes us a kind of weird and strange animal in the world of warring neighborhoods.

Today, we are that "minority" who speak out of the conviction that there is a quality of life, without which there is no quality. And that there is an uprightness of life, without which all of life is dreadfully upside down. And that "something", that quality, that right-side-upness is a thankful heart.

If you have been living life inverted, with everything else on top and God on the bottom, then turn a somersault and, move things upside down, which really makes them right side up! If life for you has been pretty much of a whimper of complaint, then start now to fill out the full orchestration of praise, and come before Him with true thanksgiving, and a heart that rejoices in the Lord.

We Have A "Lift"

A world traveler once told of a sign that he saw in front of a hotel in Hamburg, Germany that said simply, "Wir haben ein lift". It meant that the hotel had an elevator!

This is the kind of sign that Christian churches should place alongside the road. We ought to be telling the world that passes by:

"We have a lift for those of you who are in the depth of despair."
"We have a lift for you who have lost hope."
"We have a lift for those who think the world is doomed to frustration."

On Saturday evening, March 27, 1976, the population clock ticked off the fact that we had 4 billion people on the surface of this planet. Whereas, it took until the 1800's to get the 1st billion people, from 3 to 4 billion took only 15 years and we are now running well over 5 billion. It takes a lot to "lift" that many people. But the power of the Gospel, and the resurrection glory of Jesus Christ is that elevator that gives the lift to all who will enter through its doors.

An old church hymn carries these beautiful words: "Love lifted me...Love lifted me. When nothing else could help, Love lifted me." (Howard Smith) Get yourself a "lift" You may be only one person in the midst of 5 1/2 billion. But you are that one person for whom God sent His son for the salvation of the world.

God has lifted us. Through His great love, He has lifted us! Through Jesus' death upon the cross, He has lifted us! By His mighty resurrection from the dead, He has lifted us! Lift your eyes to Him. He is forever reaching down to give a lift to all who call upon Him.

A Trust

The secret of great living" says Charles Clayton Morrison, "is the consciousness that I am being trusted...therefore I must be trustworthy."

These words suggest that each of us has been given a trust by our friends and our associates, and we must live up to it. But, it also suggests that God has given to every one of us treasures of heart, and health, and wealth, and talent. When we wise up to the fact that everything we have and own, and are, has been given to us, that we own nothing and that we owe everything, then we have found the secret of great living.

I am a steward of the Eternal God. I hold all that I have on God's behalf. I am simply a care‑taker of it, dispensing it on the Lord's behalf.

This is what the Christian means when he or she sings, "All to Jesus, I surrender. I surrender all." We are God's body, God's mouth‑piece, God's hands and feet, God's accountant. We owe God everything. We give God a portion of what has been given to us, to continue the work while we are alive. We sing for the Lord, we work for the Lord, we witness for God, we give through the Lord's Church. Someday, we are to return all that we have in that final Trust Account.

This is great living! To waste our substance in riotous living, and selfish pursuit, is to throw it down a rat hole. To invest our time, our talent, and our tithes in Kingdom enterprises, is the only answer to inflation. It is ours forever, with "interest" from the Master‑Holder.

I am being trusted, therefore, I must be trustworthy. My future is at stake!

Does Your Religion Bug You Or Bless You?

For many people in today's world, their religion "bugs" them! Whenever they want a Sunday family picnic, the need to teach that Sunday School class of boys really "bugs" them. When they are tempted to take an over‑payment of change at the store, their religious scruples "bug" them until they are miserable. And then, how about those times when they are asked to give generously to the missionary fund, and all those other things they've been wanting so much seem to be saying, "Why give it to missions anyway? You could really use it here!"

But then again, there are those who find that their faith doesn't make them into a "sad‑sack" Christian. They're not fanatic tithers, but they have found the joy of tithing. They're not complaining...because they could never be happier. They've found the excitement of the faith, not the drudgery of it.

A missionary was once asked if he enjoyed his work, and his answer was, "Not really. I don't enjoy leaving home for years at a time, or casting my lot with people who will never challenge my intellectual abilities, but God help us, if we only do those things we 'want' to do. And yet", he continued, "I am very happy in my task."

My faith blesses me with sweet peace when I find myself trying to be on God's side. I don't have to cover up my actions. I don't have to apologize for seeking to do good. I never have to bite my tongue when I act in kindness rather than in revenge. I can hold my head high and not in shame for seeking first the things of the Kingdom.

If you have only allowed your faith to "bug" you, it is a severe liability. But if that faith gives you peaceful sleep, a clean conscience, friends who trust you at your word, and happiness in assuming your share of the world's responsibilities, then indeed it is worth all the treasures in the world.

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Gold-Medal Christians

There is an Olympic affair of the heart going on in our world, that matches any of the Olympic meets.

Day after day of testing on the farm front, at school, and in the business and labor worlds, is producing an astonishing array of records.

Here are Christians of every race and nation who have decid ed not to hate...who take abuse and do not retaliate...who are exposed to the same temptations as others to lift a little here, take a little there, but who are faithful to the commandments. Here are young people who have decided not to give in to the taunting suggestions: "everybody else is doing it"..."it will make you more popular!" Here are people just as tired from their week of labor as others, who still rise early on the Sabbath to get to Sunday School and church, because they feel a need for that extra dimension. They do not say, "Sorry, I can't make it, but I'll be with you in spirit". They know that "spirits" don't fill pews, and "spirits" don't pay bills, and "spirits" don't get the work of the Lord done either...especially when they are "vacant spirits".

Yes, you'd be surprised at the host of "gold‑medal" winners in God's Olympics. They don't get front‑page attention, but they get HIS attention. "Well done, good and faithful servants" are HIS words...and the flags fly, and the trumpets of heaven blow, and every angel above rejoices. There's nothing wrong with getting world‑wide attention and acclaim. But, personally I'd just as soon be a winner in an Olympic affair of the heart, with God as the Judge.

Fire When Ready!

Paul reminds us that there are spiritual gifts and that love is one of them. "Make love your aim" he said in I Cor. 14:1, "and earnestly desire the Spiritual gifts..."

How can we strive for love, when it is a gift? Can we set out on a day's journey to find it? Can we plan a program of activity whereby we can earn love? Is it a reward for good living?

If love is given, then perhaps some people are blessed with it, and others never receive it! If love is a gift...then will some divine Santa Claus bestow it upon me some day? How uninteresting!

Is not love a part of creation? We were made with it inside! Everyone has it...but many deny it! Some reject it...act as though it weren't so!

But for the person who aims his life at Christ, seeks to know the fullness of Christian grace and forgiveness, then love blossoms forth like the plum tree in Spring, like the ears of corn in Summer, and like the pears in the Fall.

"Make love your aim", Paul said. I say: "Good hunting! Take careful aim. Fire, when ready!"

Can You "Break Out"?

Where is the real person? Are we what we appear to be, or is there a hidden person hiding inside? Michaelangelo, the great artist of past centuries, has created many marvelous sculptures. In several of them, he has carved a portion of the human body seeming to be struggling to break out of the marble in which it is trapped: a hand, arm, or leg, or whole portion of the body, or a face. And the rest seems to be straining to come forth.

Sometimes I see people looking like that. They are struggling to break out of that which traps them: their jobs, their backgrounds, their cultures. Some do it beautifully. Others just look like they are trapped forever! They are unable to relax, to smile, to love life.

Like the statue, I cannot liberate myself. I need the hand of another. Love is the key that opens the door to the hidden you...the love of another, and especially the love of a Heavenly Father. Our Savior Jesus Christ has unbound us, released us. What was an arm, a face, a torso, striving to be released, now becomes a whole person gloriously free.

A beautiful verse from First Peter reads:
"Let not yours be the outward adorning with
braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing
of robes, but let it be the hidden person of the
heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
(I Peter 3:3,4)

Some persons have their hidden selves tied up in knots of fear, bottled‑up anger, resentment. Those who have been released by love have an inward freedom that is 1st‑cousin to inward beauty. Don't be surprised. You just might win a beauty con test! Because, when Christ sets you free...you're a real beauty!

Get Rid Of The Thistles

When I was a kid, my father said he would pay me a penny for every two thistles I dug out of the pasture. I thought those purple flowers were sort of pretty, but he reminded me that they ruined the pasture, and were bad for the horses we had grazing there.

Pretty things are not always good! I discovered quickly how unpleasant those purple flowers were when I tried to pick them up and put them in my basket for counting. And the roots!...those roots went deep!

So also, we need to be reminded that some of the most attractive commercials are designed to sell us things that are destructive to our health. I recently saw a slick, full‑color magazine, designed for the sole purpose of exploiting the "merits" of cocaine, and every drug that the drug‑pushers can pander. It's hard to believe that such a magazine could be on the market.

The same thing could be said about the porno‑magazines, exploiting sex as a cheap, degrading thing, rather than the beautiful thing God made it to be.

God made the thistles and they are not bad. My Dad just didn't want them in his pasture. God made his world, and nothing of itself is bad. It's just the way we use things that makes them destructive. I am reminded of what George Washington Carver, a famous black scientist said about tobacco. "There's nothing wrong with it", he said, "but I believe if God had intended for me to make a smoke‑stack of my nose, he would have turned it up the other way."

There are many things that are pretty, and "delightful to the eyes", but unlike Eve in the Garden of Eden, we must be more perceptive, more discerning.

"Walk circumspectly"...live carefully with others, because life is holy...don't be fooled by lying words or pretty faces. Things are not always what they seem to be. In I Peter 3:10‑12 we read:
"Whoever would love life and see good days,
must keep his tongue from evil and keep his
lips from deceitful speech. He must turn
from evil and do good; he must seek peace
and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are
on the righteous and his ears are attentive
to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is
against those who do evil."

Don't Be A Fool!

What fools we mortals be!" The newspapers report our foolishness day after day. We are fools to think we can lie and steal and not take the consequences. We are fools to think we can prepare for war and not get involved. We are fools to believe that we can hate our neighbors, and ever expect to live with them...and of course, we cannot live without them!

Jesus Christ talked about love and forgiveness, and turning the other cheek. It seemed like foolishness to many. But when we see the results of living without Jesus Christ, there is not much question as to who the real fools are!

Many years ago, a certain king kept a jester in his house, as great men did in those days, for their amusement. This king gave a staff to his jester and charged him to keep it until he met a greater fool than himself...and if he met one to deliver it to him.

Not many years after, the king fell sick. His jester came to see him. He found his king seriously ill, and asked him, "And whither wilt thou go?" "On a long journey", said the king. "And when will you return...within a month?" "No". "What then...never?" "Never", said the king. "And what provision hast thou made for the journey?" "None at all", answered the king. "Art thou going forever", said the jester, "and hast made no provision before thy departure? Here then take my staff. You seem to be a greater fool than I, because I am not guilty of any such folly as that. For earthly journeys you make elaborate preparations, but none for the eternal journey?"

"What fools we mortals be"...to think that we have done all that is necessary: when we have earned a living, but have not prepared for LIFE.

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There Is 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!

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?

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 dis tresses? 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 every thing 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: "Tres passers 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 forgive- ness. These are the high goals of the high road to heaven, and require our best obedience to them today and always.

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 ecstacy!

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 its 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.

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!"

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 ob served 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!