Removing Stumps

Jeremiah 16:17
My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.
While driving to Union UMC church I saw that a homeowner was taking on the huge task of removing a sizable stump from their front yard. They had a huge hole dug around the stump as piles of earth that once fed the tree, and kept it secure against many storms, now ringed it as if paying it homage. It had been awhile since I had seen anyone remove a stump in this manner. Most take the labor-saving method of hiring a stump grinder to grind the stump below the surface, and cover the remnant, and leave it to rot.
I realized that we do this with sin in our lives. We take the easier route covering our sin thinking we can hide it from the world controlling it on our own. The problem is we cover it with the same bad behavior that had nursed the sin in the first place, allowing it to sit just below the surface becoming a cancer in our lives until it controls us.
We can never hide our sin from God. He wants us to take the hard route digging the sin out and removing habits nursing sin. It is only then we can walk in the freedom we have received from the blood of Christ. We are never alone in this hard process as we wear out our knees in prayer overcoming backsliding. There is always a friend that will come along, grab a shovel, lend a hand, keeping us accountable. God, who sees all sin, is there to help dig at the root, removing it from our lives. So grab a shovel, pickaxe, and meet me on my knees to remove that stump. Pastor Brian Davis

Journey With Christ Part Two

The Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-9)
Gaza Road (Acts 8:26-39)
Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35)
It is time to continue on our journey with Christ. Our last trip was on the Emmaus Road, this time we are going to travel towards Gaza where we will witness an encounter between Phillip the disciple of Christ, and an Ethiopian eunuch. We will be joined by an angel of the Lord, witness the working of the Holy Spirit, and see God’s perfect timing of this encounter on the Gaza road. I pray you haven’t worn out that walking stick, lace up the boots again, enjoy the sounds along the trial and keep the dog quiet as we see what we can take away from the conversation.

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."[b] 34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[c] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

The apostles had been in Samaria settling churches and appointing leaders and ministers to them. Upon completion of their work there they returned to Jerusalem except for Philip who decided to stay to break new ground in the country. Having made himself available for service, and we can assume had been in prayer, was ready for guidance.
We read in verse 26 that an angel, sent from God, came to Philip and offered the guidance he had been seeking. The angel probably spoke to him in a dream or vision, and said, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The angel was very specific on the road to use but not the purpose of the journey. When we make ourselves available for service to God we should expect to hear from Him. Also Dr. Luke included the statement at the end of this verse, this is desert, or a deserted place. Too many times we say here I am Lord, send me, and when we receive direction from the Lord it doesn’t make any sense to us. This road Philip was asked to take led to nowhere. If we had been with Philip we might have tried to stop him from making this journey. “Phil, come on man! I know you have a heart for God, but are you sure you heard Him right? That road leads to the desert, what possible work can you do there?” I know myself that there are a lot of times I haven’t understood God’s direction, and it took a lot of faith to follow His leading not knowing the outcome. We want everything spelled out for us before we make the commitment to serve God. God doesn’t work that way. He wants to use us, and He wants to test our faithfulness at the same time. As someone who sometimes rushes in where even angels fear to tread, I can understand this better than someone who wants everything spelled out for them. They want to know the weather report, okay I do that. Are there any obstacles along the path, guilty again. Gee I guess my faith isn’t as strong as I confess. It really isn’t blind faith that we move forward in, as the world would say, but it is with faith knowing that we are in direction of the Lord, and He is with us. So Philip got up, not knowing the destination, nor whom he would meet, and started into the wilderness.
In verse 27 we meet another man, a man from Ethiopia returning home after spending some time in Jerusalem worshiping. He was a proselyte to the Jewish religion having renounced idolatry, and worshipped the God of Israel. The bible also says that he was a eunuch. When we think of a eunuch we think of a man who was castrated and put in charge of a harem. Those castrated were also put in service to perform other social functions such as domestic servants, treble singers, religious specialists, military commanders, or government officials as we see here. He had proven himself in service and Queen Candice of Ethiopia had promoted him over and again till he now was in charge of her whole treasury. He carried great respect in his own country, and had heard of the God of Israel and had come to worship him in his own country and make trips to Jerusalem to worship at the temple there.
So we find this man seated in his chariot reading from the scroll of Isaiah, which he purchased at a great price I am sure. You couldn’t walk into Borders book store and pick up a copy of the scrolls each was hand copied and came at a great price. It was not the fact that he was reading from the scroll that should amaze us but the text that he was pondering over that should spark our curiosity. As we read along with the eunuch from the book of Isaiah chapter 53, and verses 7, 8, we will be in awe of God’s timing. Let me explain. It is here that we meet another character in our story in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is here that Philip comes near the chariot and sees the reason that he was called to travel this road, the Spirit says to Philip overtake this chariot. The chariot was moving , but couldn’t have been at a very fast pace considering that the eunuch was reading on a road that was not paved, so Philip broke into a trot and caught up with the chariot and seeing the man reading asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” It was at this moment that God was about to introduce the eunuch to Jesus. He had his servant in the area, impressed upon him to go out and witness, and now brought him to the man at the exact time he was pondering over the scroll. God could have brought Philip south from Samaria to Jerusalem and brought the two together there, but the timing would not have been right. There are many times we are looking over movements of God in our lives and we are in awe at just how perfectly God brought things together. It is the same here. God had Philip leave Samaria at the precise time to meet a man on a desert road reading about Jesus who he was about to meet. Let’s listen in and see we can overhear their conversation.
Philip urged on by the Holy Spirit breaks into a run and comes near the chariot. Once he is within hearing distance he can hear the man reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip says to the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?” This is where pride would keep most of us from going any father with this conversation. First the Ethiopian could have turned to see this commonly dressed man sweating running up to his chariot. Our first thoughts would have been, here comes another beggar, or this man is going to rob me. We tend to think the worst of people without giving them a chance we turn our heads from them, ignore them, or turn and walk away. Or when we hear someone ask us, ‘Do you know what you are doing?’ we tend to get defensive and not care to hear what others have to say. The Holy Spirit was not only working in Philip but also in the Ethiopian, for the man did none of the things we might do, but invited this sweating, commonly dressed disciple, into his chariot to teach him. He said, “How can I unless someone guides me?”
The man was ready to meet the savior. God had softened his heart, opened his mind, and brought someone into his life willing to be led, that had the knowledge of life and death. The man pointed to the scripture he was reading and asked Philip, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Read along and see if we know? "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." Having witness the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, Philip knew exactly who the prophet was speaking of, but the scripture didn’t say that Philip spoke from his experience. It says that Philip opened his mouth and preached Jesus to him. We must be careful that while our experiences enhance our relationship with Christ, nothing replaces the knowledge of the word of God.
We must be in the word reading and studying in order that we, as scripture teaches, can hide the word in our hearts. By hiding the word in our hearts we are not keeping it just for ourselves thinking that our relationship with the Father and the Word are just for us, but treating the word with respect and increasing in knowledge so that when God chooses to work through us we will have the truth within us. As a preacher I have been taught that the Holy Spirit brings the word to our minds that we might speak truth to others. Have you every witnessed and have been amazed by the words that have come out of your Mouth? That is what was happening here.
As we have followed these men down the road we have heard the scripture read, we have seen the Holy Spirit at work, we have witnessed the perfect timing of God. We have witnessed a man come to Christ, and be baptized as an expression of his new found faith. What do we take away from this experience? I leave that up to you. As you lace up your shoes for the trip home think over what you have seen, ponder it in your heart. Pray that God would lead you where He wants you to go. Hide the word in your heart, so that you will be ready for service. Finally don’t be afraid to venture down a road that doesn’t make any sense now and then. You may be amazed by the encounter along the way. So put your walking stick back in the corner, feed and tell the dog how good they were, put your hiking boots back in the closet where you can find them as we next journey with Christ.

Do we Value Life?

I would like to share with you four stories. Three are found in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15. 4“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? 5When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8Or what woman, if she had ten coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ 10Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
11He said, “A certain man had two sons. 12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. 15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 24for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
25“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. 27He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ 28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’’
Jesus told these three parables because of what He had heard the Pharisees say in verse two of chapter 15. They said, “This Man receives sinners and eats with.” Can you imagine these religious leaders sitting around observing Jesus and He accepts an invitation to eat with sinners? I can imagine their conversation was a little livelier than what Luke recorded. Here is this guy, supposed to be this great teacher and he sits down to eat with the likes of these! As they spread the news to others I can hear them saying, “You aren’t going to believe what He did next! He actually sat down and ate with these derelicts! Not only that He, oh you are really going to flip over this one, He served them! No really! The Man served them! Aren’t you glad we aren’t like that?”
These religious leaders, these church folks had a big problem that caused them to have this attitude, they devalued life. I decided to look around me and see if the world valued life. I remember the headlines a few weeks back that told of 1000 dead in Iraq in one week, mostly civilians. Who can forget September 11th when a group of men flew planes into the world trade center, the pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania? Did these men have any concern for the lives behind them, or in the buildings they were about to hit? In all these instances they devalued life so much they are willing to destroy it just to promote their agenda, their religion.
Okay that is the world, but here in the good old USA we value life. I looked around here as well. How many walk by a homeless person without even meeting their gaze, because we are afraid they may ask us for a dollar or two? How many babies, not fetuses, babies are aborted because they are an inconvenience to the parents? How many of our elderly are tucked away in assisted living wondering why their friends and family don’t visit them? How many children go hungry while we are full? Having taking a cruise recently, I found out that they feed you. We ate in a restaurant on ship, three times a day. Not just simple meals mind you each meal was a five course meal. If that wasn’t enough to fill you up than you could hit the 24 hour buffet on the top deck and have pizza, hamburgers, fruit, salads, or French fries. I was sick of eating. Yet that is something that a hungry child can not imagine. Do we really value life in this country?
Then I looked at the church, surely this institution of hope would not let me down. I knew if I looked at the church I would see a place that valued life above all else! How many families have left the church without someone trying to bring reconciliation? How many members missed two Sundays without someone calling them or at least dropping them an email, saying hey, missed you Sunday. Is everything all right? How many disagreements have been left to fester, rather then taking a biblical approach to repairing relationships? Do we value life in the church?
Let’s break down the stories Jesus told. In the lost sheep parable Jesus says, “who wouldn’t?’ As if it was common knowledge if you lost a part of your livelihood, which one of you wouldn’t leave the others behind and go search for the missing sheep. I learned that sheep when lost will lay down not making it easy for the Shepard to find them. So he really had to turn over some bushes to find this sheep. It was valuable to him, it was part of his income, and he wasn’t about to lose it. When he found it he rejoiced, he did a happy dance, high fived his companion, and called all his friends over to celebrate that something valuable to him was found.
I think in this world we sometimes value animals more than people. Oh I am just as guilty. As I got out of the car to preach at Kline church I was greeted by a beautiful brindle boxer female with no collar. She came to me and I bent down to fuss over her, telling her how beautiful she was and that I would love to take her home with me. Would I be so quick to kneel next to a homeless person and tell them how beautiful they were and I would love to take them home with me? Knowing that a brindle boxer is the dog that I love above all dogs, I feel God sent me that boxer to remind me that I would be preaching to myself as well. Sometimes I feel as though God doesn’t play fair.
This shepherd valued the life of the lost sheep so much that he was willing to leave the other 99 and search until he found it. I wonder what the 99 were doing while their shepherd was out looking for their wayward companion. Were they grumbling amongst themselves? “He never pays this much attention to me!” Or were they praying that the shepherd would be successful? I know sheep can’t pray, but Jesus was addressing the religious people of the day. Just a side note, as our leaders go out and bring the lost back to the fold, the leaders that are in place in the church should be stepping up to make sure the 99 left behind are cared for. I am sure that the shepherd had under shepherds who tended the flock as he was gone.
Just so you ladies don’t feel left out let’s look at the next story. We find a woman who was saving ten coins. We are not told why she is saving ten coins, just that she is. These ten coins could represent her retirement and she went to count it every day and thanked God that she would be secure in the future. She could have been saving for a trip to the mall, a vacation we just don’t know. One day she went to count it and realized that one of the coins was gone. She went into a panic because something valuable was lost to her. She began looking all over her house for the lost coin. When I want to find a coin that is lost the first place I consider is the couch. So she is feeling down in the cushions bringing up everything but her coin, sweeping the floor in hopes that she can hear the coin rattling in the vacuum cleaner. Her friends are calling her and she tells them she can’t talk right now, in other words she turns her life upside down to find what is lost.
She had placed great value on that coin and was willing to go to great lengths and put her life on hold so that it would be restored to her.
When she found it she called all her friends and told them to come over and celebrate with them that her future was once again secure. While she had them on the phone she looked around and realized what a mess she had made of the house and told her friends. While you are her can you help me straighten up a little bit.
Next we have a son who for whatever reason decides that living in dad’s house just wasn’t what he wanted out of life. When I was on my own for the first time I began to realize how good I had it at home, usually as soon as I had to pay for the things that I had long taken for granted. According to Jewish tradition the eldest son received 2/3 of his father’s estate and the younger son received 1/3. So being the younger son he may have been a bit jealous of his brother thinking that he work just as hard as his brother, loved his father just as much as the brother and deserved an equal share. He may have been tired of living under dad’s rules and thought that life would be better without dad telling him what to do. I can still remember my step dad telling me. “Boy.” He always called be that, I think to remind me who was boss. “Boy, as long as you’re in my house you live by my rules.” So this son might have been thinking well then maybe I won’t live in your house anymore. Oh but there is the matter of the inheritance. So he tells the Father give me what is mine and I will make a life for myself. He could have thought that dad was a great guy and all but I have some great ideas for how to make more money, and make him proud of me. For whatever reason he wanted his share then and there and was not willing to wait till his father passed to receive it. So the father relented and gave him his share and the son set off to make a life of his own.
The son began to live a prodigal life, or as we call it he became a backslider. He ran off to Vegas began throwing money around the casino’s, throwing lavish parties, spending his time in the bars and buying drugs. Now what happens when you come into a lot of money and begin to throw it around like there is no tomorrow? You gain a lot of friends. So here is the son, gaining friends, gaining popularity, until one day the money is gone and with it goes the friends. All those friends who loved the son as long as he was supporting their habits, now left him and forgot they ever knew him as they were concerned about how they were going to survive in hard times of their own. The son went from door to door looking for a hand out. Saying; “Hey remember me? We used to party together.” Only to have the door slammed in his face or hear how bad the other person had it, till he knocked on the door of a pig farmer looking for a handout. Now remember that Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders at the time and every good follower knew that pigs were off limits, they weren’t to eat them, or even touch them.
Isn’t the wisdom of Jesus wonderful? Only He could tell this story and bring it right back to address the original audience. Can you imagine the anger that began to build as they listen to Jesus? Jesus never intended to anger them on bring them to a realization that they were valuing the law more than the people. Back to the son, how had obtained employment feeding the pigs. He became so hungry that he now lusted after pig feed. He had spent all his money on his lust and now he actually lusted after what nobody else wanted.
At this point he began to realize that maybe dad wasn’t so old fashioned after all. He begins to think that many dads’ rules weren’t so bad, that maybe being the younger son really wasn’t a burden. He began to realize that even dad’s servants were cared for better than he was. He had reached rock bottom and began to look at home. He did say, “Well I will just go back home and resume my life as though nothing had ever happened.” He didn’t say, “I will go back home and let dad take care of me.” He said, 18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ The son swallowed his pride along with the corn husks and went to his father, he had become truly humble.
Let’s turn our attention to home as well, as we see what dad has been doing while his son was off finding himself. The father didn’t send his son off not caring what happened to him but I am sure he prayed for him, asked any travelers if they had any news of him and went out looking, and longing for his son’s return. In other words he valued his son’s life enough to let him make his own mistakes and long for the day he would return. I remember putting my daughter Ashley on a bus by herself headed for New Orleans and I new life for herself and can’t help but feel this father’s pain. I am sure you to can relate to the father as you have shared similar situations. Seeing her ride off was a beginning for her but an ending for me. I had to let go and allow her to make a life for herself.
On one of his journey’s he recognized a man walking towards him in the distance. His walk might have seemed familiar to him and I can imagine that as he first saw this figure his heart leaped at the thought that this could be his son. He also had time to think of what he would say to him. He might have heard stories of his exploits, and had to check himself that he would not be critical of his son. I remember the first time that my step-father let me drive his El Camino by myself. I was in a parking lot smoking the tires thinking that I was safe from detection till a few days later he came to me telling me someone had seen me, so it is not a stretch of the story to think that the father might have got wind of his son’s exploits.
When the two met the father didn’t criticize his son but lifted him up. He didn’t tell him that he knew he would come back with his tail between his legs; he didn’t ask what became of his fortune. He attempted to build him up by letting him know that he still belonged to the family, he still had a place at his table. He placed a ring on his finger so that everyone who saw that ring knew that he belonged to the family. If you look at my finger and see a wedding band attached to it you know that I am married. Teresa makes sure that whenever my picture is taken that the ring shows. She tells me she wants everyone to know that I am attached.
In each of these stories someone placed great value on the person or thing lost. What if the shepherd said, “I have 99 other sheep, I don’t need that other one, if it wants to go off on its own let it!” What if the woman said, “I have nine other coins and I can live just fine on it, besides that coin will turn up one day.” What if the father said,” I have another son, if my younger son wants to make a life for himself, let him go make a mess of his life.” Would they have valued life? What if a church member began to let sin rule their life? Would we go after them? Would we put our lives on hold as we searched for them till we brought them back to the fold? Would we value their lives enough to do that?
How would we react to once they returned? Would we behave as the other son and refuse to enter the Father’s house and worship with them? Would we remember their past and hold it over their heads for the rest of their lives? Or would we value you their lives to welcome them back into the fold? Would we lift them up, encouraging them in their renewed walk, asking them how we can help?
I promised you a fourth story. The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled. To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone." Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked. "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?" The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?" "See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile." "Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything." "This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it." Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?" "This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business." Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place." The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?" ‘Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms." "And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?" "What business is that of yours?" "I sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company." "Oh." The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?" "No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty." "Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?" "Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice." The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer." The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said. "That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?" Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so......I mean you do look familiar." "I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry." "Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. "I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat." Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy." "I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right." "So you started your own business?" Old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a
visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet And if you ever need anything, my door is always open for
you." There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he said "Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. thank Jesus. He led me to you." Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said."On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered.
"Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for the coffee." She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That's black." The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I do take cream and sugar......
perhaps more sugar than is good for me " He patted his ample stomach. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."
You never know the impact you may have on one life. God may not be asking you to open a homeless shelter. He may not be asking you to feed every child in America. He may not be asking you to make it your responsibility to restore every one that has left the church. In all these stories one life was changed, one coin was found, one sheep was returned to the fold because someone placed great vaule upon what was lost. Could we not help one person out, just one? Surely we know one person that we can reach out to today. It’s a start.

Journey with Christ Part One

The Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-9),
Gaza Road (Acts 8:26-39),
Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35)
Usually when I travel my wife says we never go back the same way we came. She is right, I like taking different routes. If I see a road I wonder where it leads, as a driver I always want to know if there is a shorter route, or some different scenery. I picked three different road experiences from the Bible and studied the traveler, the purpose of the trip and the encounter along the road. I would like to share them with you, so lace up your shoes, grab your walking stick you can even bring the dog along, and let’s take a walk along the Emmaus road, the Gaza road and the Damascus road.
Our first trip is on the Emmaus road found in Luke 24:13-35. Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
We meet two men along the way who are talking about the loss of their spiritual leader the one they thought to be the Messiah. Tradition identifies one of these men, Cleopas, as the brother of Joseph. So not only was he talking about the loss of their leader, but also the loss of a nephew. When they meet this stranger on the road they are blinded by their confusion and despair. Jesus was the last person they were looking for on the road. In our despair, when we don’t always understand what is going on around us, we tend to seek earthly consul, or talk amongst ourselves trying to find answers. What we should be looking for is Jesus, for He is traveling along with us.
As Jesus began to question as to the source of their despair, they wondered what cave he had been hiding in. As they began to spill their guts as to the cause of their despair, Jesus listened and let them finish before rebuking them for their lack of faith. They were on their way home full of despair, hoping for the Messiah and they now found themselves with a dead and missing prophet, leaving them with more questions than when they had begun their journey with Christ. Jesus took them right to the word of God, reminding them that Christ had to suffer these things and then enter glory. As they continued along the road Jesus walked with them and continued to encourage them with all that the prophets and Moses had to say about the Messiah. Often when we are in despair all we need is to be reminded of what we already know. Having studied the word we often forget it when times are hard and we are in a state of panic. There are other times that the only thing that can bring us out of our despair is an encounter with the risen Lord, as these men were about to experience. Let us journey on with them.
As they neared the town to which they were traveling Jesus acted as though He was going to go on ahead. But Cleopas and his friend wanted to hear more so invited Jesus to go with them and spend the night. There are a lot of times in our lives that Jesus tests us to see if we will invite Him to go a little further with us. When we go to visit a sick friend Jesus wants to see if we will invite Him to go with us. As we struggle with our finances, Jesus waits to see if we will ask Him to figure it out with us. As we go to work and witness for Christ, Jesus wants to see if we invite Him on the ride to work, throughout our day, in our meetings, and in our lives.
As they sat at the table Jesus went from the role of guest to the role of host as He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and served it to them. At this point they were able to see past their despair to see who was with them all along. As we go through times of despair we tend to focus upon the problem instead of the problem solver. But as we invite Jesus into our despair, are encouraged by the words He speaks to us, and are served by Him our hope is renewed, our faith is replenished, and we travel a different road.
Prayer: Lord, help to see Jesus has we journey through life, that we might invite Him into our despair, and be renewed, and served by Him. Also help us to take the good news of Jesus to a world that is hurting and in need of a healer. Amen

Next time we will journey with Philip on the road to Gaza.

Our Turn on the Wheel

Jeremiah 18:1-11 18The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 9And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. 11Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
There are many times that God asks us walk out of our comfort zone and become what He desires us to be. We become Christians and we feel that we have arrived we have become what God wants us to be. Our feet are set in heaven and our names are written in the Lamb’s book, we are waiting for either death or the Lord’s return. My friends when we accept Christ our journey has just begun! Now that He has changed our eternal destination, He wants to mold us into what He wants us to be so that we can be used in His service. Many times that means stepping out in faith, leaving our comfort zones where we feel safe and secure. He wants to take us out of a place where life goes on just the way we like it and we feel we are in complete control.
While reading this scripture I realized how little I knew about what it takes to make a clay pot. I thought you dug the clay out of the ground, put it on the wheel, worked it with a little water, and threw it in an oven. As I learned the process for making one clay pot I began to see why God used this analogy to reach Israel. As we examine this process together perhaps you can hear God reaching out to you and wanting to change you and make you into a useful vessel for His service.
I first looked at mining clay and learned that you just didn’t dig a hole and use what you found. First you had to work out the impurities in the clay. You took one container of clay and one equal container filled half way with water and put the clay into the water mixing it till you had watery slurry. You then placed the screen over the empty container that contained the clay and poured the slurry over the screen removing the impurities you had found. After removing the screen you allow the container to set overnight while the slurry separated from the water and you could remove any other debris with the water.
God saves us just as we are with all the impurities still in our lives. We don’t wait till everything is right in our lives to come to God asking for forgiveness. We sing the hymn “Just as I am” and in the second verse we sing; just as I am, and waiting notto rid my soul of one dark blot, to Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, o Lamb of God, I come, I come. If we waited to come to God after we get our lives in order would we ever come? At what point do you say; “Okay, God I am ready now.” What is our measuring stick? When will we feel that we have everything ready for salvation? So we come to God with all our imperfection, all our baggage, asking for forgiveness and accepting Jesus as our savior. It is then that God begins to take these imperfections out of our lives. He begins to strain out the sin in our lives by pouring our lives through His screen, which is the bible. God places in us a hunger for His word and as we begin to read it, and it speaks to the imperfections in our lives, His word begins to strain these imperfections out of us.
At this point the clay is not ready to be thrown on the wheel, and God is still working out our imperfections. The potter has to work the clay till all the water is out and all the air bubbles have been removed. He has to fold it over and over till it reaches a consistency he can work with and all air bubbles have been worked out. If the potter leaves one air bubble in the clay it will crack, or explode when he fires the final piece ruining all his effort. There are times that we go back to our old lives because it is familiar to us, we feel comfortable in it, and what God is trying to do in us is making us face some things that are uncomfortable to us. There are things that we have hidden deep inside but have shaped our lives. We tell God what good does it do to bring these things out? God is not willing to leave us in our old lives these things are keeping us from becoming what God wants us to be. So he continues to work on us removing the desire for the old life and replacing it with a desire for a life centered on Him.
At this point the potter forms the clay into balls that is able to throw on the wheel. He has to throw it on the wheel with enough force that it sticks on the wheel, and as he throws it on the wheel it has to be centered. If the clay is not centered on the wheel it will begin to wobble as the potter works it, and he has to start all over again. God wants us to be centered upon His word so that no matter what comes in our lives we are able to withstand it. He wants us to in a bible believing church where the word of God is preached so that we have a community that supports us as we go on to become what He wants us to be. If we are not in the word we will fall for every false doctrine that comes along till we are far from the center of God’s will. At this point God moves us back to the center of his will and gets us back into His word, or we can stay forever wobbling not really sure of what we believe.
This process takes patience from the potter and from God. As the potter begins to shape the clay he has to keep a steady hand upon his work, for any movement will ruin his work and he again has to start all over. He begins to apply pressure to the clay and lift it up as he works it with his hands. He has a picture in his mind of what he wants the clay to become and he patiently yet forcefully moulds the clay and the pot begins to take shape. He keeps the clay and his hands wet ever mindful to keep the piece centered on the wheel. As God continues to shape us, His hands are never from us. We may feel at times that He is far from us, and even think that He has forgotten us but He is never far from us. He is watching our lives and shaping us into what He wants us to become.
This is where the similarities between the pot and the Christian cease for awhile. The pot can not be used by the potter until it is finished, but the Christian begins to explore how to be used of God. We begin to exercise the gifts that He has placed in us even while God continues to work on us. As we do we begin to serve Him other forces begin to shape as well. As we meet with success in our service we tend to look at ourselves doing the work and not God working through us. We begin to look at the creation as more important than the creator. The old life we led begins to pull at us, reminding us of the familiar life we led before all this church stuff began, calling us back to the sin we enjoyed like an old lost friend. We begin to think this is just too hard and we begin to give in to the familiar, the comfortable, and what is easier. We begin to wobble and get far from the center of God’s will, and God looks at what His creation has become and as the potter will do, smashes the creation and begins again. This is what happened to the nation of Israel as they got far from the center of God’s will He had devised a plan to bring them back to Him, back to the center of His will. In verse eleven we read; “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord; Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.’ ” they had begun to wobble and God was going to bring them back to the center of His will.
At long last the potter is finished with His vessel and he begins to adorn it and seal it with glaze, preparing it for the firing. He looks on his creation with pride as he inspects the work for any flaws that would ruin it as it goes into the fire. Somewhere at the beginning of this whole process God has sealed us, separated us from the world and set us about His service. In 1 Corinthians 1:21, 22 we read. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. We are sealed by the blood of Christ set aside for His service, and we have the pledge of the Holy Spirit that God will complete the work that He has begun in us. God has written our names in the Lambs book of life and they can never be removed. God does not have a big eraser that he takes up every morning opening the books and saying to Himself, “Let’s see who we can remove today.” Does this give us a license to sin? Certainly not, but there will be times that we will fall from the will of God and we have the Spirit to convict us and encourage us to get back to the center of God’s will.
The glazing makes us unique as well. The potter has to consider the content of the clay the temperature of the fire and the glaze he is using before he places the piece in the fire. He can take two identical pieces, glaze them the same way but once they are fired they come out looking completely different. We all react to God’s leading in different ways, yet God is able to work in the those differences to still create a product that is beautiful and unique, created to do what only we can do, as well as only we can do it. God saves us and uses us, changing our nature, but wants to leave our personalities intact, or even bring them out to the fullest of our potential. So is it any wonder that we respond differently to this whole process?
Finally the potter is ready to place the piece in the kiln. The potter knows how hot the fire can be, he knows that he has worked out all the imperfection in the clay , he knows that he has sealed the piece to preserve the beauty of the piece, and that the fire will bring out that beauty to its fullest. He knows his piece and he knows his work. God has prepared us for the tests and the trials that will come our way. He has readied us for the persecution that we can stand strong against it. He knows that we are centered in His word that we will be able to withstand false doctrine, and not settle for someone just tickling our ears and telling us what we want to hear. He has sealed us with the blood of His Son and has placed his Spirit in us that we will not settle for second best. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and knows we can withstand the fire. The potter never leaves the piece alone in the fire. The kiln the potter has placed his prized piece in has a sight glass in it that is able to check on the product and make sure that it is surviving the process and when he can remove it from the fire.
When God places us in the fire He goes in with us in order to keep a better eye on His precious creation. When Nebuchadnezzar fired up the furnace so hot that the guards that brought Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- Nego, to it died, he intended to kill them. God had prepared the three to withstand the fire. When the king looked into the fire he saw the men not only surviving the fire but walking around in the fire with one who looked like the Son of God. When he brought them out of the fire their clothes weren’t singed and didn’t even smell of smoke. They had survived the fire.
Still sometimes the fire causes the piece to crack. The potter knows that despite his best efforts the piece is destroyed. Again this is where we are separated from the pot. Though we are weakened by the fire, though our weakness seem to keep us from becoming all that God wants us to be, God can work in that weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 we read: And least I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak then I am strong.
No matter if it is a weakness we took in the fire with, something that we cling too refusing to turn over to God. Or if it something caused by the persecution from others because of our witness for God, His grace is there to work in our weakness, that He might become our strength. Though we pray that this one thing will keep us from becoming all that God intends us to become, God is telling us I want to work through that weakness to glorify my name. If you were abused, then God may want to work though you to reach others who are abused. If you have been divorced, God may want to reach others who are going through divorce. If you lost a loved one, God maybe sending you to comfort another who is grieving that you can comfort. The list can go on and on.
In our service to God we are encouraged to step out of our comfort zone to become what God wants us to be, forgetting our weaknesses, forgetting the past life and walking in faith knowing that is working on us to make us what He desires us to be. He never leaves us, and He will never lead us astray.
Prayer: Father help me to turn over to you today my weaknesses, so that you can make them strengths in my life that will bring you glory. In Jesus’ name amen.

Living With the New Gift

Psalm 36:5-10
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart!

We all have one gift that we get for Christmas that we cherish above all other gifts. It is usually something we have been hinting at for months. We leave clues everywhere or when the thing we want is advertised we comment that we sure would like to have that. At last Christmas comes and we open the gift and we say, “How did you know?” or “This is just what I always wanted?” What we meant to say was if I didn’t get it someone was going to be in trouble.
We keep the present near to us caring for it and trying to keep it new. We go to great lengths to keep the present looking just as it did the day we opened it. Two Christmas’ ago I received just such a gift in a XM radio. I would keep it in its’ case, wipe it off when I used it, took it in and out of my truck. When I saw the first scratches on it I was upset. Despite my best efforts it looked used and the newness had worn off. All things, no matter how hard we try to keep them new, wear out and end up in the trash.
There are attributes of God’s nature that when in a relationship with Him we can consider gifts in our lives. What do I mean? If you were born into an affluent family you might by association of your birth to the family be entitled to an easier life, than someone who has to struggle for everything they get. Being born into the family of God and having a relationship with him does not entitle us to a more affluent life but because of His nature we benefit from his nature. The Psalmist writes in verse five, “Your mercy,” and “Your faithfulness,” these are attributes of God’s nature that are given to us. For what good is mercy without someone to extend it to, and what benefit is to be faithful if you have no one to benefit from that faithfulness. The gifts of God mentioned in the 36 Psalm are gifts that are eternal, they are new to us every day, and they never wear out.
Let’s look at the five attributes of God that are extended to us. The first mentioned in verse five is Mercy. God’s mercy is not something that is owed to us as some in the world think that everything is owed to them. Exodus 33:19 says; And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son. If we received what we are owed we would receive death, but because of God’s mercy He extends life to us. Not because of anything we do but in spite of what we do.
The second attribute that is mentioned in verse five is faithfulness. David writes your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. If we look up no matter where the cloud cover is that is as far as we can see. This is what David was trying to get across when he wrote this. As we look at each day that is ahead of us, each problem that will come our way, or every fear that confronts us, we can know that God is faithful to see us through it. We can walk forward knowing the God of heaven has gone before us, goes along side us, and comes behind us, as far as we can see God is there. These are comforting words to hear but how can we walk in the faith that no matter where we are God is there with us.
The only thing that that I can think of that would make us doubt God’s faithfulness is if we were not faithful to Him. If we had not walked in the way of the Lord and we sinned against Him this would cause us to doubt His faithfulness or make us feel that we didn’t deserve it. Reenter God’s mercy!! Psalm 37 says; “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Even when we fail God he will not fail us. He is faithful to us even in our sin, by convicting us and leading us to repentance. So even when we fail to trust in Him and no not do good, we are to live each day feeding on his faithfulness that he will not leave us in our sin.
Still God’s faithfulness is sometimes hard for us to understand because it extends beyond what we can understand. When things are going our way it is easy to be faithful, when people treat us right it is easy to be faithful. But when things begin to get hard, and people tend to abandon us it becomes harder to focus on our faithfulness. We can only see our difficulties and we are blinded to see beyond them. Feeding on God’s faithfulness will enable us to see beyond the clouds of doubt. This takes prayer and practice, learning from our failures and trusting God for what we don’t understand.
The third attribute mentioned is in verse six. David writes; Your righteousness is like the great mountains. When we think of a mountain, we get the image of something that is steadfast and unmovable, not easily assailed, something that is difficult to get around, awe inspiring, it becomes an obstacle that we have to deal with, a beautiful landmark that inspires us to creativity. As we think of the attributes of God we come face to face with God’s righteousness and we are forced to take a look at it. As we marvel at a righteous God we are also forced to look at our own righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 says; But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. When we try and compare our righteousness to God’s we see that no matter how good we think we are, no matter how we try and excuse our behavior, compared to God’s righteousness, our righteousness is nothing. We can’t get under it, around it, over it, we are forced to look upon our righteousness and measure it against the righteousness of God.
God’s righteousness is more than an avenue for self exploration it is a refuge to us. Because God’s righteousness is steadfast, we can trust in it and that He will always make the best choice for our lives if we surrender to Him and learn not to trust in our own righteousness. Our choices are sometimes motivated by emotions and worldly influence, but God’s choices are always motivated by His righteous nature.
God’s righteousness become a blessing to us as we search for it and find it in Him. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6 “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Hunger is a desire that drives us, and as we hunger and search out righteousness we find faith. We have examined our own righteousness and compared it to God’s are left wanting. We are left hungry searching for a righteousness we can only have filled by faith. That faith is fueled by God’s righteousness and a promise that He will provide redemption for us and has in the person of Jesus.
As we continue to study the attributes of God’s nature found in Psalm 36 we come across Judgments. David says that God’s judgments are a great deep, and finishes his observation of God’s judgments by saying that you preserve man and beast. As David looked at the wickedness around him he had to wonder where the judgment of God is. I know that in my own life I have witnessed others, who seemed to get away with so much,
I wonder as much myself. In verses one thru four David goes on about the wickedness of man then turns his attention to the attributes of God, David had examined man and found him to be wicked and without fear of God. He had examined the judgments of God and wondered how He could allow such injustice to go on.
The illustration that David uses as he examined the judgment of God was that of a great deep. Those going to sea would take a rope knotted at certain intervals with a weight on the end. The distance between these knots was called fathom. As it was dropped in the sea they would call out the dept by how many knots or fathoms went under the water. David had found the judgments of God could not be measured and could not be understood. He found God to be sovereign and that He owed no account of how he administered His sovereignty to him. He found that God acts wisely in all matters, even though he could not always see the way God acted. Many times as we observe the wickedness of man we wonder where the judgment of God is, because we can not see how God is acting in each situation. It is enough for us to know that he is acting, and it is enough for us to know that in time all things will be revealed to us. It may not be in this lifetime, but in time we will have understanding.
Having measured the judgments of God and found them to be immeasurable, David turns his attention to the providence of God. David writes that God preserves man and beast. David found that God provided for the beast of the field, the righteous, and the wicked alike. We are not to wonder why God would provide blessings for the wicked any more than we are to fear that God will provide for good men. God’s provisions are just that God’s provisions and it is by His sovereign will that He would administer them.
We look at the lives of the wicked and wonder why they seem to have more than us. We wonder why their driveways are graced with new cars and they seem to have little worries. What David is saying is that God’s blessings fall on who He wills. We are to take courage in that the God who provides for the wicked will not let His children starve.
In this way God’s judgments become a gift to us that we can trust in and live our lives serving him not fearing for our own needs.
The last attribute in this psalm is loving-kindness. David says that God’s loving-kindness is precious to him. In Psalm 63:3 David continues this thought when he says that God’s loving-kindness is better than life itself. His loving-kindness is alluring in that it draws us to Himself. When we begin to date we are attracted by someone’s eyes, the perfume they wear, their looks, the car they drive, the way they carry themselves, and the list can go on. As we get to know this person and they begin to display love and kindness to us and we are drawn to that and begin to take the relationship further. We begin to trust this person, and begin to explore the feelings of love that we are starting to feel for them. As this feeling gets deeper we find ourselves not only trusting the other person but finding out we can’t get along without them.
In Jeremiah 31:3 we read: The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying; “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
What good is to say that God appeared to us in the past and told us He loved us?
When we are in trouble, have lost a loved one, or feel so far from God, how can this comfort us? God says I love you with an everlasting love. The loving-kindness we felt that God drew us near to him is still present in times of trouble. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not trouble, not debt, not fear, and as David found out not the loss of a child. As David was on his face praying for God to heal his child, it was the memory that God stilled loved him that carried him through the pain of losing a child, and the pain of the sin against God. It was that same love that allowed him to dust himself off and go on with his life after the child had passed. It is the memory that God’s love is still extended to us even when we can’t feel it.
To many times we can’t get past the lost of a child, the loss of a spouse, the pain of broken relationships. We feel that God has abandoned us and we blame Him for the pain we are experiencing. As I have confessed to you before that I was stuck in such in just such a place after my divorce. I felt that God had forgotten His promise to love me, but it was His persistent love that brought me back to the memory that His love was eternal. In this way God’s gift of loving-kindness was extended to me, and I was able to rest in it.
As these attributes of God become gifts in our lives, we become satisfied with them, but yet want more. How is this possible? How can you be satisfied with something but yet want more? In our attempt to keep up with the Jones, we want bigger and better. We get a 52 inch big screen and see that someone else has a 61 inch screen. We become dissatisfied with our big screen and we want a bigger one. We may want more of God’s mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, judgments, and loving-kindness but not to keep up with the Jones of the world, but because we crave the closeness to God that we experience from a relationship with Him. Because we have learned that it is all we will ever need. In God’s gifts we find a fountain of life not only to carry us into eternity, but our daily lives. As we drink in the gifts of God we are refreshed, renewed, and able to face what ever comes our way.
In verse nine David also talks about seeing light in God’s light. As we gaze at God’s light and live in it, it becomes reflective. In it we can see eternity and take hope that whatever happens to us that light and the love that glows from it will never fade. As we allow God’s light to live in us it becomes reflective in our lives as well, and as it shines out of us it catches on another, and yet another, and still another. We have received some precious gifts. What will you do with them? Will you place them on a self and marvel at them dust them off now and then? Or will you keep them new by sharing them with someone else?

The Coming Promise

Luke
3:7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

The Coming Promise
What motivates us more, a threat or a promise? People are motivated in different ways. In the work place what motivates one might not get the same results out of another. A promise of a promotion will cause one to work harder, but for someone who is happy in their job and doesn’t desire a promotion these promises hold little effect. The promise of a raise might motivate many but a company can’t always afford to offer raises as incentives. To threaten with a lay off or termination ought to propel most to action, but there may me some who want the time off.
What motivates children? Teresa and I found out early in our marriage that we shared different ideas on child rearing. Where she would offer reward to achieve good behavior, I tended to take away privileges for bad behavior. In the store we tend to offer rewards to get our kids to behave, or we threaten them with no TV if they misbehave. We find out early on what motivates each child.
What about the church? What motivated the church to action? What causes us to take what we hear each week in a sermon, read in the bible, are led by the Spirit of God, and put it into action? Let’s see if we can tell how John motivated the people.
Here was this wild looking man, hair and beard all tangled, dressed in smelly camel skins, living in the wilderness, munching on bugs, and preaching a message of repentance. Might we listen to John more if he came to us clean shaven, with a fresh haircut, wearing a clean pressed suit and matching tie, or dressed in his priestly robes? When we do this we are in danger of paying more attention to the messenger than the message. Still John’s appearance had to draw curiosity. What do I mean? John reflected the image of Elijah in the way he dressed and his message of repentance. Where we would look at his appearance as odd, the people were reminded by his appearance of the stories they had heard of Elijah and were drawn to John. In Malachi 4: 5 it says; “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” So the nation of Israel was looking for a prophet to come and when John showed up in the spirit of Elijah, their curiosity was raised to go and see this man preaching repentance.
But how did John motivate the people? Did he use a threat or a promise? By going back and reading verses seven thru nine we can see that this was indeed a threat. 3:7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” I have talked to a few people who have told me that they need to have their toes stepped on now and then. So as the crowds began to gather and the religious leaders posed their questions to John of who he was, his verbal attack did not fall on deaf ears. There was already mistrust for those sent to question John, so when he posed his own questions to them the crowds took notice. When one attacks a trusted leader we respond in their defense, but because of the mistrust built by these leaders the crowds took notice and might have even cheered John on.
Still when their trust in Abraham’s lineage for their salvation was questioned, when the religious leaders were put in their place, when told if their lives did not bear fruits of repentance they would be cut off from God, John had their attention! John’s call to repentance was not a matter of ceremony as we see a lot of people who come to the altar just because everyone else does. It is a call to a changed life from one centered on themselves, full of greed, dishonesty, and discontent to one of a moral and ethical relationship with others.
The people’s response to John is found in verse ten: And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” When we find out that our world and everything we believe is turned upside down a lot of times we are left in despair. I know that in my own life when I was at rock bottom that I had no place to look but up, and there was the Father waiting on me to ask this same question. Too many times though we can’t see past the threat, past the despair, past the confusion in our lives to see the Father. We become lost in our own little world falling deeper and deeper into despair till it consumes us and becomes our life. That is not where God wants to leave us and He reaches out to us through His word, through His people, but when we are lost in despair we fail to see Him working. We tend to cry out Lord! Where are you?
When we finally look around us and see the Lord working in the situation we are filled with expectation. As the people came to be baptized they all asked the same question, “What do we do?” At this time we are open and ready to receive but we must be careful what we receive. In this state of suggestion a lot of scrupulous leaders come along and fill us with a doctrine that is not of God. They see a chance to push their own agenda and prey upon those who are open to whatever, not knowing the truth. To some that had not heard this teaching before and asked John if he was the Christ. John could have said; “Why yes. As a matter of fact I am.” I remember the comedian Jon Lovitz played a character on Saturday Night Live that seemed to be open to the power of suggestion, mainly his own, and always finished his conversation with; “Yeah that’s the ticket!” as if to convince himself. Jon’s character was subject to whatever wind was blowing his thoughts around and though he tried to convince himself, the audience was never convinced. If we are grounded in the word and test what others say with the word we will be less likely to blown by the wind of the day that is sent to tickle our ears.
Still not everyone had a positive reaction to John’s message of repentance. When Herod was told to repent he had John thrown in Jail. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit the kingdom of God, he walked away when told to sell everything he had and follow Him. He trusted more in his riches than in Christ. When Jesus told those He was teaching to drink His blood and eat His flesh, they walked away rather than stay with Jesus and find the true meaning of Jesus’ teaching. Not everyone is going to respond to the gospel with the statement; “What do we do?” They may become defensive and ask who we are to accuse them, or tell them how to live. We as Christians must develop thick skin when others attack us for the gospel, for they are not attacking us but the gospel. It is not us that they are denying, but the truth. They are choosing to look at the threat as a personal attack and refuse to look ahead to the promise.
John gives us examples of how to treat others. He told us to give to those in need, don’t over burden others in our treatment of them, don’t intimidate, falsely accuse, and be satisfied with what we receive. In this we live the gospel and look forward to the promise, every life that is lived for Christ points to the promise that John alluded to. John told the people that he might minister to them but one was coming whose sandals he was unworthy to loose. Jesus is the promised one and the promise as well. He is the answer to our fears when we ask; “What shall we do?” He is the promise that lifts us out of despair and sets our life on a path that serves Him. He is the promise in our lives and He is the promise in the world today. Some may take it as a threat while others may look at it as a promise.


Brian Davis