Losing All To Gain One

Years ago, I descended deep into a private zinc and lead mine, and had the privilege of collecting golden calcite crystals…beautiful keepsake specimens. I filled my bag with them, always looking for that one crystal, more perfect than the others.

Berry pickers rejoice in the rich fruit, but they keep reaching past the thorns for the bigger, juicier ones just beyond their reach.

Can you visualize a collector of gems? Before him is a pile of glittering stones. He rejoices in them, but suddenly he is confronted with a stone, so precious, so desirable, so valuable, that he would gladly give up his entire collection, to obtain that one perfect gem.

The apostle Paul had everything that the good Jew might have wanted: he came from a noble family, educated by the best of scholars, he was a Pharisee, and by all standards of “legal righteousness”, he possessed everything!

But there came a time when he said, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things…in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him.” (Phil. 3:7-9) And he continues, “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own…I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12.14)

Sometimes we say, “this one thing I do”, but in reality we are saying: “these many things I dabble in”. Aiming for greatness, financial success, earthly power, or any of these goals, can only be considered “baubles and trinkets”, when held next to the goal of “living for Christ and his Kingdom”.

Have we really focused in on “the Pearl of great price”? Sometimes, there is value in losing all things, in order to gain that one thing that is beyond earthly values. Paul discovered that in Jesus Christ, there was a power that not only “rolled away stones” (a resurrection power), but a power to live life at its fullest.

Don’t be a collector of baubles. Find the ultimate treasure!

Good News And The Bad

Here is one of the old “good news-bad news” stories. Have you heard it?

One beautiful day, a pilot was flying his plane. That’s good! Suddenly, he ran out of gas. That’s bad! But he had a second tank, so he switched over. That’s good! But that tank was empty too. That’s bad! So he had to bail out. It was O.K. He had his parachute. That’s good! But the parachute didn’t open. That’s bad! He looked down, and saw that he was falling towards a hay stack. That’s good! But there was a pitch fork in the middle of it. That’s bad! He missed the pitch fork. That’s good! But, he missed the hay stack too!

Does this remind you a bit of the Christian Gospel? God loves us. That’s good. But mankind doesn’t really love God. That’s bad. God sent his son to live and to die for us. That’s good. But we just can’t seem to understand it. That’s bad.

In Matt. 5:48, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. Suddenly the good news becomes the bad news, because we know we cannot do it. If our job is to imitate Jesus, then how discouraging. If the gospel requires that we be like this perfect Son of God, then this is bad news.

However, with further study, we find that the scripture tense is future. The word “be” is actually “become”. It is a partial demand for the present, but it is also a promise for the future. We recognize the impossibility of perfection now, but it is a call of our Lord towards something better.

The apostle Paul said, “I press on towards the goal.” Christian perfection is that state of attainment, which is just beyond our present attainment. In this life, the Christian does not “arrive”. But he or she should always be “arriving”. If we can be kind, we could always be a bit kinder. If we are friendly, we can always be friendlier. We can be good, but we could also be better.

Christian perfection suggests that our virtue must never be fractional. Our forgiveness must never be half-hearted. Our mercy must always go “the second mile”.

It is not easy to be a good Christian. That’s the bad side. But the Christian seems to be the only kind of being who is vibrating with the good vibrations of the universe. That's the eternal “good side” of it.

How To Turn Yourself Inside Out

In the process of creation, God developed many different kinds of life. Some were formed with hard shells and armor on the outside, like the oyster, the crayfish, and the turtle. Some of the great pre-historic monsters had massive armor plates.

These had great protection, but they were also slow, stupid creatures, doing little that was more brilliant than eating and fighting. Some of them lost out entirely in the drama of life.

In developing the higher forms, however, God did a very daring thing! Human beings were literally turned inside out. The bony structure, with its protection and armor, was situated deep in the middle, leaving the raw, exposed nerve endings and flesh exposed.

As a result, people cannot pull themselves into their shells (although some try). We have no protection from the elements around us. Thorns will tear the flesh, fire will burn us, we are bruised by a bump, and stunned by a blow. Humans are much more exposed to danger this way; but on the other hand, they are also more sensitive to the world around them. They are better able to adjust to it.

In the Chinese language, words are made up of several characters. The Chinese word for “crisis,” for example, is made up of two characters, one which means “danger,” and the other which means “opportunity”. Put them together, and you have the word “crisis”.

As humans appeared on the face of the earth, they literally moved into a crisis. Exposed on every hand to danger, they also were able to appreciate great music, enjoy fine art, and feel the tender touch of love and caring.

When we are not sensitive to human needs, we are much like the turtle. People who build walls around themselves, who have “chips on their shoulders” are doomed to oyster and turtle development. Unlike the oyster, we can be hurt very easily.

There is a difference between the hand of the human and the hoof of the ox. The hand can be mangled, but it can also handle a scalpel. If we had the choice, who would trade a human hand, however, for an ox’s hoof? Hands can hold you, help and protect you. The hand and the body are vulnerable, but having feelings, whether they be good or bad, make it all worthwhile.

Jesus said our job as Christians was to turn tenderness out upon the world…to look, even if the view is bad; to feel, even though it hurts; to have compassion, even though it disturbs our composure. While the world is dying, let us not complain about sore toes. With our fat tummies, we must never argue that we are too poor to give or care. These are the privileges given us when God turned us inside out.

Scared To Die?

Although some people are afraid to die, there are perhaps even more persons who are literally afraid to live.

Life is scary at times. It has problems and nobody promised that it would be easy. But sometimes we discover that struggle and personal tragedy do add a whole new dimension to life. Without the struggle, there would be no victory. An unknown author has given this illustration:

Imagine, if you can, two unborn babies in the mother’s womb. Each of them is talking about the uncertain prospects of what is just ahead.

The one twin says: “Leaving this womb can mean nothing but death. We are absolutely dependent upon this womb, which sustains and feeds us.”

The other baby replies: “But nature has been developing us for nine months. Nature is not utterly irrational. She is preparing us for something.”

“But,” the unbelieving twin answers: “Describe if you can, the kind of a world into which we are going to be born. What is it like?”

And that, of course, completely stumps the believing child. “I can’t describe it,” he replies. “I have no idea what it is like, but I am sure that nature would never do what she has been doing all these months, with no meaning or purpose in the process.”

To which the unbelieving baby replies, “But that is just blind faith!”

Of course, the believing child is right. Unknown to us, there is a reason and purpose behind this life of toil and sorrow. Life is going someplace, and it is not just blind faith.

When these two children are born, they will discover that life is both good and bad. There is evil and there is good. There is struggle and there can be victory. There is sadness, but there is also joy.

And the same thing may be said when we approach the end of our lives here. To die may seem scary, but to be born is equally so. Some may say that it is just “blind faith” that causes us as Christians to believe that God has planned something more just ahead. But we say we believe we have spent these three score years and ten as part of God’s great training program for what has been prepared, but is as yet unseen.

To be born, and to die are both fearful experiences, until we recognize the ongoing Presence of One who hasn’t stopped loving us yet, and has promised that He will love and care for us, even to eternity.

Still Evolving?

What does it mean to be human? Does it mean that we are thinking beings? Does it mean that we make decisions? Does it mean that we have a conscience, a soul, a spirit that continues after the physical body dies?

We are more than animals, though we are listed as being of the animal kingdom. The Bible says that we were made “in the image of God”. Surely this makes us “human” in the best sense of the word.

But some reject the “image”. Daily news reports indicate that we are breeding crueler versions of “beasts”. We are selfish and that’s not the “image of God”. Many are filled with hatred, and that’s not the image. We have learned how to destroy and kill and maim our fellows. And surely this is not the “image of God.”

Are we fooling ourselves? The potential for humanness is there. The possibilities of “soul” are there. But it happens only when the Lord “breathes into us of His Spirit.” Only then, do we become truly human!

Look at the record of our inhumanity: Destruction of the Jews in the Christian crusades: death to the American Indians as we settled and over-ran this land; destruction of thousands of Russians inside the U.S.S.R. during the last 50 years; decimation of the Vietnamese by Pol Pot just a generation ago; gassing and extermination of thousands and thousands of Jews by the Germans; massacre of his own people in Sadaam Hussein’s civil strife, and destruction of the Kurds; plus the enslavement of blacks in our country, and in South Africa, and the bloodshed of world and local wars all throughout history.

Where is the “humanity” in all of this? Are we not still animals? Maybe animal intelligence would rate higher than our own!

Although Adam was given the “image of God,” did he not reject it along with so many of the rest who followed in his footsteps? But a second Adam (Jesus Christ) came, and people became new creatures in Him. Perhaps for the very first time, we began to experience real “humanity” as God meant it to be. We were designed to be like Jesus. His image is to be within us…His love, His forgiveness, and His mercy.

Our world is still evolving out of the swampy mists of bestiality, but thank God, there is a new life-style coming through. The evolution of the flesh is going at a slow pace. We can build better, taller, and smarter beings than before. But the evolution of the spirit is creating an exciting new kind of person. Thank God, the news isn’t all bad. There is still hope for humanity.

Rainbow Over Calvary

“The Niagara River is only a few miles long, but what makes it of significance is that at Niagara Falls, there is a tragedy in the channel, a break in the even flow of the stream, so that the waters make a stupendous leap into the gorge below. As they are shattered and bruised on the rocks beneath the falls, however, there is cast up into the sunlight the exquisite rainbow of the Niagara, which even kings and queens come from the ends of the earth to see”. (Wm. Ellis)

Here is a parable of life. There are tragic moments, when the earth shudders and the rocks split, and this little stream called life is convulsed.

The Old Testament is filled with the tragic record of Hebrew history…a convulsing of hopes and dreams, and a seeming frustration of everything for which they had looked. But it is not difficult to carry some of these illustrations over into our own lives. How often, we have said, “Lord, why?” Again and again, we have felt the pins being knocked out from under us. Our health, our business, our family situations seem to sicken and bring heartache.

Even our faith looks a bit bleak at times when we behold Christ upon the cross, the obvious victim of evil persons intent upon subverting goodness. Isaiah said of just such a person yet to come, “He was despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” His own people spurned such a Messiah, but Jesus said, “That’s it! Only when life is poured out in love, can the dream be fulfilled. Here, let me demonstrate it for you, and he took bread, and broke it, and took the cup and said, ‘this is my blood, poured out for many.’” And then he died.

Many saw it only as tragedy. But others saw it as fulfillment. Life is filled with many costly interruptions. Some people see them as cataclysmic. Others are able to see the rainbow over Calvary, and learn to walk on, and find peace.

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Gabriel's Horn And Hell's Bells

In the delightful Negro production, “Green Pastures”, Gabriel just can’t wait to blow his horn. He keeps saying, “Is it time now, Lord? Can I blow my horn now, Lord?” And one of these times, I suppose the Lord is going to say: “Blow, Gabriel, blow.”

Of course, none of us knows under just what circumstances this might take place. There is a day of judgment, and we are accountable.

Someone once said that we have a choice of ending the world in three different ways: “If the bomb doesn’t get us, pollution will. And if pollution doesn’t do it fast enough, the population explosion will.” Suddenly the global squeeze is upon us.

In the days of Jesus, there were only 250 million people on the entire globe. It took 1850 years to get the 1^st billion people. It took 100 years more to get to 2 ½ billion. In 40 years more (1990), we reached 5 billion. All of this in spite of wars and plagues and famine. Scientists now predict that in another 40 years, we will double it again to 10 billion.

One authority says that 8 billion people is the absolute maximum the world can possibly support with food, water, air, and the means of life. Are we then talking about the “end of the world” for mankind in about 20-25 years?

The Biblical idea of the “end of the world” is probably one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the church. Someone once asked me if I was post-millenialist or pre-millenialist or a-millenialist, and I said, “None of the above. I was just a humble Christian, trying to do my job. And if the Lord came for me in death tomorrow, I planned to be ‘ready’.”

Years ago, I cut my spiritual eye-teeth on the book of Revelation and Daniel, and learned the vocabulary of the “mark of the Beast” and the “Rapture”, and all those other strange and seemingly indecipherable calculations found in apocalyptic literature. As a child, I was fearful of the strange predictions of those who seemed so sure of the future.

I would lay awake at night, wondering if the Lord had already come, and left poor sinful me behind. And then a wonderful Christian said to me, “Francis, the Second Coming of the Lord has already taken place in your life, if you have accepted him into your heart.” He is always coming, coming, coming, if we open our lives and hearts to Him.

The scientists’ “end of the world” and the Biblical “end of the world” have one great thing in common: someone is going to be held responsible for our sins and grievous failures with this old world, and this short life. Since it could be me, I’m going to try hard to be part of the answer, rather than part of the problem.

And Lazarus Laughed

Life is always bigger than we thought. We look at the starry heavens, and field glasses reveal what the naked eye cannot see. A powerful telescope shows us more than the field glasses. And then the scientists come up with more wonders…there are stars in the gaps. And then wonder of wonders, there are myriads of additional stars in the gaps beyond the gaps!

In the play, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, a girl and a boy are talking about a letter addressed to “Grover’s Corners. Sutton County, New Hampshire, the United States of America, Continent of North America, Western Hemisphere, the Earth, the Solar System, the Universe, the Mind of God…” And the boy whispers in awe, “Well what do you know…what do you know?”

Again and again in our world, we fail to realize how big life is and the greatness of the God who made it. Death comes to a friend, or a neighbor, or to thousands of tragic victims of war or plague, and we say to ourselves, “Why can’t God stop the sorrow, the hurting, the tragedies?” “Isn’t God big enough to stop it?”

Bad people seem to go around as they please, killing and hurting, and doing evil. They look for thorny crowns and purple robes. And they hurl a ghastly contradiction such as a cross in the face of God, and go around acting as though they had won. But they have not won, because God says a thunderous “No! at every gleeful crucifixion. People reject God, they poke fun at His people, and His work in the world, and think they have the last word.

There is an interesting story by Eugene O”Neill called “Lazarus Laughed”, and it says that the brother of Mary and Martha came forth bound hand and foot with the grave-cloths. And as they unbound him, they heard him laughing softly, as out of a vision, a man in love with God, who knew that there was no death. And then the story goes on to say that when he heard about the death of Jesus upon the cross that he began to laugh a low musical laugh. Martha and Mary cursed him. They thought he was possessed.

You see, the world with all its pygmy people could not understand this Jesus. Indeed, they could not tolerate Him, and so they put him to death. And Lazarus laughed, because he had caught a glimpse of how God’s ways are different than man’s ways. And he saw how death was not victorious, and that the grave had no sting. Lazarus laughed at the absurdity of trying to box God and real “life” into an earthen grave.

People scoffed and mocked. They said, “If you are the Christ, come down from the cross.” And today, people say: “If you are God, then stop the wars, stop the anguish. Lord, can’t you see we are hurting? Can’t you see that the end of the world is coming?”

Bur our end, seems to be His beginning. We see through a glass darkly. There is so much more, and Lazarus just laughs.

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 Cheshire 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 illuminated by the SUN. As Christians, we cease to have life with meaning, when we are no longer illuminated 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!”

Spent a few days in MN. with a family
wedding...Missed a few BLOG options,
but glad to be back again.

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 tongues, 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, “Seven 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)

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 anyway, 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? That would really make my day!

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), 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 unto 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.

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 on Sunday. 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 woman, “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 fall 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 us 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 time.

Try Kissing A Frog

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 was, unkissed 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!

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Strike an "A"

Have you ever heard someone say, “That gives me good vibrations?” Have you ever considered that life, all of life is designed to move and vibrate according to a certain frequency? After all, music is like that. So also is electricity, sound waves, and radio and T.V. The very chairs we sit on, the tables we work at, the pencils we hold, the telephones we speak through, all of them are seething movements of molecules, energy in motion!

Everything is moving, vibrating, according to the created principle of the Creator! What if my life is out of sequence? What if my sins have changed the harmonies? What if I am making a discord in God’s amazing symphony?

Once upon a time, there was a sheep-herder who wrote to a New York Radio station. He explained that he lived a simple life in the country, with only his dog and sheep for companions. “I get my greatest pleasure from my radio and my violin,” he wrote. “But recently my violin has become badly out of tune. Would it be possible for someone there to strike the note ‘A’ on the piano so that I could hear it on my radio, and tune my violin by it?”

The disc jockey read the letter to his audience and announced that the program would be delayed for a few moments so that he could strike the note “A” on the piano for the man to tune his violin.

What happens when I get out of tune with my Creator? Then I need to “be still” and wait for that Some One to pluck the strings of my heart, and put me back in tune again.

My Church provides worship for me this week. I need that! I need the good vibrations of the Savior to start me moving right again. My life tends to get discordant, angry, out-of-shape, moving in the wrong direction! Study of the Scriptures, faithful attendance in worship, more time in prayer, and a new tuning of the strings of my heart puts me in sync with Eternal love, and the frequencies of the Savior.

The Psalmist was right…”the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” “The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.” (Psalm 1:6) It’s just a matter of logic: goodness works…evil does not! Vibrate in tune, or rattle away into oblivion!

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 sodas and alcoholic beverages. 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 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!

Take Life

Several books have been written lately about Life After Death. Doctors and others have collected information about those declared dead, who returned to life, and shared their recollections of what had happened to them in the process. Interestingly enough, nearly all of them had similar experiences: a feeling of leaving their bodies, of seeing themselves and others from a distance, and then of seeing a great light, and experiencing a strong Presence, who gave them a feeling of joy and happiness.

This is nothing new to us! For centuries, Christians have believed this truth about life after death! We may not have analyzed it in quite this same way, but we do believe in life after death! The really big question we think may be just as important is: "Is there life before death? Is there life during life?"

All of us know, for example, of people who are alive, but not really living!...who have all the characteristics of living bodies, but who are really dead in their relationship to God and others.

We hope to live again after death. We believe God has provided this assurance for those who trust in Him. But to truly live for Him now...while we are yet alive, is even more critical!

In the sacrament of Holy Communion, Christians dramatize the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. The cross is a pointer that directs us to the future...but if it does not make us joyous and triumphant in the present...then it was all for nothing!

"Take life!" Jesus said, "Take it now!" Come to him as a beggar....leave as a King! Come with your poverty. Leave with His great treasury of Life!

What Is Your Life?

The writer of James has some simple, practical wisdom. He writes: "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.' As it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:14‑16)

This morning, the air was heavy with fog...it was hard to see the highway and other cars. Suddenly a car would loom out of the fog, and then just as suddenly it would move on. Life is like that in many ways. Each of us must live a kind of solitary existence. We move through the fog...briefly encountering other lives. Our two lives cross and we influence each other briefly...but then on we go into the fog again.

Several of my neighbors have moved recently to distant communities. I realize how briefly our pathways have crossed. For others, there is the agony of sickness and death. For some, there is the joy of birth and new life. But how brief and ephemeral is our existence. Our life is like a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

But out of the fog, and through the mists, comes the light of the Savior. The warmth of His Presence dissolves the confusion and the fear and then we are able to see clearly. We are so tiny in this great universe! We have little reason for boasting. Much of the blessings and mercies of God, we have turned into confusion...but thank God for Jesus, the light of the world. He takes away our fear of tomorrow, and of dying, and he gives us courage for living. He helps us to make sense of a seemingly meaningless existence. Following Him, we can know what is right to do, and through Him, we have the strength to do it. May He give you strength to live this day at your very best.

Surely Lord, You Don't Mean Me!

Every time I take Holy Communion, I recall that heart‑rending statement of our Lord, "Someone here is going to betray me." And although Jesus was talking about Judas, I keep feeling I have to respond too. Do I? "Surely Lord, you don't mean me!"

I've got a hunch that fellow over there may be playing loosely with his marriage vows, and that's a real sin, Lord. And I sometimes wonder about the guy who plays the horses, or spends so much trying to win the Lotto millions, and fails to give his own kids some assurance of college, or the love and time he owes them. Isn't that a real sin, Lord, to be so casual about the hard‑won money we get?

But the words keep coming down to me, "Someone here is betraying me!" and I reply, "Surely, Lord, you don't mean me!" Oh, I missed a couple of Sundays in church, but you can't hold that against me. I'm a good man, and I don't do much that is wrong, and I'm not like some of those folks who sin a lot. "Surely, Lord, you don't mean me!"

But then, a kind of shiver of truth runs through my soul. Could it be that He does mean me? I don't always stand up for some things I know are very good. I do let my kids get away with murder some times, and don't always set them a good example. I haven't had much prayer in my life lately, and I do chuckle at some of the crude jokes I hear at Club meetings. Oh Lord, maybe it is me!

I remember when I became a Christian and joined the church, I promised to be faithful, and to make you Lord and Master of my life. And I know very well that making money has sometimes been more important than making you Master. And keeping a nice home and watching the Cubs has been more important than always getting to church. Maybe I am the "Judas". "Dear Lord, forgive!"

And the good news is that the Savior is forgiving when we confess. He does forgive. He does cleanse. He does welcome us to His table.

But the sad part is that there are thousands, yes millions of people (so‑called Christians), who just go "truckin' off" into Eternity saying, "Surely, Lord, you don't mean me!"

Can you hear in all of this the agonized soul of a pastor who throughout the years has wondered why people could be so careless about eternal things?

The message of course, is that we have all failed. Not a one of us can claim otherwise. My sins are different than yours, but nonetheless, they are sins. And the good news of God for us today is that these sins may be forgiven, and that the Lord is merciful to all who love Him and seek to serve Him. At the table of the Lord, "I'll drink to that!"

I Saw God At Work Today!

I saw God at work today! And He's looking for workers! No unemployment in His Kingdom!

I saw Him in the sky, upon the earth, under the waters, cardinals flashing by, geese honking on the wing, geodes rolling down the creeks, onions sneaking their fragrances into gardens, while dandelions are having their come‑uppance in yards all over America!

Over in the school yard, wall‑to‑wall kids, playing, growing, learning...fully employed in the process of becoming like their elders, but hopefully a little wiser. Back home, moms and dads, struggling with the task of bringing up Johnny, and wondering where they're bringing him up to! And over at old First Church, church members are gathering to bring the sacrifice of their hearts, to place upon the altars of God's will.

Yes, in these days of unemployment, I'm glad I'm fully employed for Him. No other task demands so much! No other work pays such beautiful dividends!

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Spring Is Exciting!

The old story that April showers bring May flowers, is evident in all of creation around us at this time of year. What should be just as equally evident, is that Easter resurrection should bring post‑Easter excitement! Whenever something happens in this world, there is always a cause‑and‑effect relationship. There is action, and re‑action.

The action of God in bringing life after death for Jesus Christ, was but the promise of life after death for all of us who will take the news in faith. The re‑action to Easter, however, was varied. Some thought it was a hoax. Others reacted with fear. Some said that of course it was impossible, and therefore continued to live on in the drab, dreary world of the expected. But, fortunately, the disciples reacted with excitement. They had seen the Lord! They believed, and they went everywhere telling the good news that Jesus was alive again!

How do you react to Easter? Are you glad it's over so that you can get back to normal? Do you think of the miracle of life after death as something that is impossible, and therefore, pass it off as religious frenzy? But, stop and think! Wouldn't it be great, just for once, to stop acting and reacting as though everything were cut and dried?

In God's world of nature, excitement is bursting out all over. The robins announce it every morning. The trees and the bushes are literally scurrying with frenzy to get their leaves and buds out in the open again. The long winter of death is gone, and the resurrection of life in the earth has come once more. Why do we live as skeptics in such an exciting world? Why do we limit the power of the Creator, by the dimensions of our own tiny brains?

Jesus Christ arose from the grave, just as surely as new life comes to the trees. And because Jesus Christ arose, thank God, I can believe that new life is possible for me too, not only after death, but in the real present!