Humility

In 1 Kings 21:25, we read, "There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord..." And, yet, when he heard the pronouncement of God's judgment, "he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted" (v. 27).  He humbled himself before the Lord.

And the Lord, noticing his humbling, declared, "Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day" (v. 29).

Imagine, someone as despicable as Ahab was shown grace by the Lord because he acknowledge his sin and humbled himself before the Lord.  Isn't it amazing how gracious and forgiving God is?  What have you done to ever put yourself in league with Ahab?

So, what do you think stands between you and his grace?  Nothing but your pride.  If you will humble yourself before him, God will look down in favor.  For, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (Js 4:6).  Jus' Say'n.

Trouble

I heard a preacher on the radio yesterday say, "In our culture, we do not expect to have trouble.  And when we do, we want a pain-free and inexpensive answer to our problem."  He also pointed out that this cultural thinking was alive in the church as well as Christians look to pastors for quick, cheap, pain-free fixes to their problems.

Years of no attention to our marriage may have left a shambles of what it used to be but we want the pastor to have an answer that can fix things in a few marital session that he will, of course, provide for free.  Our kids may have been let run wild while in their formative years but we expect the youth minister to straighten them out in the hour a week he has them in class.

We want to drink a smoothly to take care of the extra pounds we've put on over the years.  We want to take a pill to fix the medical condition our lifestyle had produced over decades.  We want a consolidation loan to fix all our bad credit choices.  We want trouble-free answers to insure a trouble-free life.

The problem is however, even if we weren't making messes, which require great effort, time and often expense to correct, life is not going to be trouble-free - not even for the child of God.  As Jesus warns, "In this world you will have trouble" (Jn 16:33).  We are not promised a trouble-free life.  Quite the opposite.

However, Jesus goes on to say, "But take heart!  I have overcome the world."   He shared this truth so that "in me [Jesus] you might have peace."  It isn't through a cheap and easy fix to our problems that brings peace, it is by accepting the grace of God in Christ and trusting in him to "never leave you as orphan" (Jn 14:18), to trust in Christ to see you through.  Jus' Say'n.

The Way Up is Down

Solomon once wrote, "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor" (Prov 29:23).  At first glance, this doesn't seem quite right as pride is usually seen as that which puffs us up and causes us to feel superior. True, but puffing up and feeling superior are illusions from the bottom. 

Tandie once purchased me a series of golf lessons for my birthday.  One of the first things the pro said was, "Golf is a game of opposites.  You have to power down in order to cause the ball to rise up."  

Often, biblical truth seems that way.   In particular, puffing up with pride can keep you from mending a fence that might contain a gate to success later. It can keep you from listening to constructive criticism that might have helped to propel you further. It can keep you from admitting a fault you could have then changed and saved your marriage or career. 

Pride can keep you from serving and deny you from becoming more Christ-like. Humility, on the other hand, can cause you to defer to the person who can lift you up.  It can allow you to follow closely behind Christ as He brings help and healing to others and to you as well. Humility places you in the position to be blessed by God (cf. James 4:10). 

Opposite from the natural man's thinking as it may be, the way up spiritually is down.  Jus' Sayn.

Little Birds

Sometime in the wee hours of this morning, before the darkness of the night was pierced with any light of day, little birds began to sing their little hearts out.  And, although I would have preferred they found another window in front of which to sing, I find it comforting that God's little feathered creations have such robust songs in the night.

I am reminded of God Word in Job 35:10,  where we are told that it is God "who give songs in the night."  And then, in verse 11, we are reminded rhetorically, "who [God]...makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?"

If the little birds, who no understanding of the promises of God and his power to save, can remember to sing songs in the night, how can we not be reminded that, even in the darkest times, God gives us reason to sing, that we ought always "Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything" (Eph 5:19-20).

When Satan tries to steal the songs of our heart, it is good to remember that God, who brings the songs in the nights, takes care of them though they do not sow or reap or store away in barns.  And we, are we "not much more valuable than they?" (Matt 6:26).

Jus' Ask'n.

The Server

Jesus asked,"Who is greater, the one at the table or the one who serves at the table?" (Luke 22:27).  Jesus answered his own question saying, "is not the one sitting at the table greater?"

Nothing has changed in our day, we still consider the one who is served by many as important. Consider our politicians, who are called, laughingly, public servants - they have people open their doors, drive their cars and fetch their coffee, while they bark orders. They are not given to serving, they are given to demanding because they believe they are great among us. 

Movie stars feel the same way, the rich share that attitude and even in the church were we talk about the value of servanthood, we are too often reluctant to actually serve others. But Jesus, after acknowledging the world's view of the great being served, said, "But I am among you as one who serves."  

While we think the one with many servants is great, God says that the one who serves many is great.  Even Jesus' disciples got it wrong. When they gathered for the Last Supper, they looked for places of honor to sit, while Jesus looked for a place to serve. He took the servant's place, donning the towel ad taking up the basin to wash their feet (cf. John 13).  Which place do you tend to seek out?  Jus' Askn.

Sanctuary

When you come home at the end of a terrible day, where do you go?  To the fridge for a little comfort food?  To your XBox where you are more in control?  To pull the cork out of a wine bottle so you can "wine" down? To the Internet where you can find endless forms of escape?  

What is your sanctuary?  Concerned for his disciples, Jesus said, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth" (Jn 17:17).  I go to my sanctuary early each morning when I open the pages of the Bible and turn to God in prayer. I believe that the study of God's word has a purifying and peace-producing effect on my heart, mind and soul.  

May I suggest that you create a sanctuary time in God's word daily?  Jus' Say'n.

God's Got This

It has been said, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans."  There are at least two good reasons for making that statement: 1) Our plans tend to be very small compared to his and 2) we are not in control of people and circumstances.

When God makes a plan, he has the power to alter circumstances and to move people to do precisely what he has in mind - we do not.  We are dependent but God is sovereign.  While God has "know the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come" (Isa 46:10), we "do not even know what will happen tomorrow" (Js 4:14).

We really can't know what the future will hold.  So, to entrust the future into our own care seems obviously to be terribly shortsighted.  While we can make plans, we need to entrust those plans to God and to the outcomes he determines for he is right in all his judgments and he has the power to bring them into being.

No knowing what the future holds is only unsettling to those who do not know the One who holds the future.  For the child of God, there ought not be any fear of the future or concerns about how things will be worked out for, as in the words of the old spiritual, "He's got the whole world in his hands, he's got you and me brother in his hands..."

God's got this.  Do you look to him or to self for what is to come?  The practical answer is a simple one, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you as well" (Mt 6:33).  All those things that we cannot ensure, God can.  We need only ensure that we are seeking after him, placing our trust in him and leaving our future in his hands.  Jus' Say'n

The Burden

An old man died last night.  He was an old preacher, an old printer, and old scientist and an old friend.  He was a hospice patient but not assigned to me, not even in my area or out of my office but he is, nonetheless, my responsibility.

While no one would expect me to attend to his funeral and his family as they reside totally out of my service area, I feel a burden to be there for the family and to show honor to this old friend because he is a friend and his family means something to me.

The burden is not something difficult to bear, it is something laid upon my heart that is heavy with a desire to take on an additional responsibility when I'm already feeling the pinch of covering all the bases I have before me this week.  Whatever else I find time to address this week, I must see to his family and officiate at his funeral as asked.

While my burden in no way compares to Jesus' crucifixion, I am reminded of his words as he shared his burden with his disciples, when he said that he "must go to Jerusalem" (Matt 16:21).  What the Father had laid upon his heart became his heart's desire.  There was no question as to what he was going to do - whatever else happened, he was going to Jerusalem.

Burdens like this are not burdensome in the classic sense but rather a heaviness to the heart that compels one to take action, to be available to be a part.  The heaviness is not something that weighs one down but rather something one desires to take up.  As the old song goes about the man who carried the cripple,  "He ain't heavy, he's my brother."

The old man, preacher, scientist, and screen printer was my friend whom I visited every week for nearly two years as he attended to wife of failing mind and body taken by Alzheimer's Disease.  She was his burden and the love of his life, a burden he would not have passed on for anything in the world.  How could I pass on the burden I feel for this man?  I cannot.  Jus Say'n and feel'n.

The Way

At first blush, Proverbs 16 may look like a mix-mash of wise sayings, but there is a theme threaded throughout: 

"To man belong the plans of the heart, but from The Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (v. 1); 

"Commit to The Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" (v. 3); 

"The Lord works out everything for his own ends" (v. 4); 

"In his heart a man plans his course, but The Lord determines his steps" (v. 9).

Do you get the sense that man is in charge of his input but God is in control of the outcomes?  That is why "Pride goes before destruction" (v. 18) but "blessed is he who trusts in The Lord" (v. 20). 

Here's the thing: we get to choose our steps, but if we do not go with God, we will be left behind.  God will not change the course of redemptive history for you or me. We may be convinced that our way is better than His revealed will in Scripture, however the truth is, "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (25).  

Jesus put it like this, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). 

So, there is only one way home, the path laid by the Father, lived by the Son and led by the Spirit.  We need to expend our energy uncovering it in the Bible rather than mining our own thoughts for a way we want to go.  Jus' Sayn.

Sixty-two

As I write this blog on the morning of my 41st anniversary of my 21st birthday, I think back over the 62 years I've been on planet earth.  As I reflect on my life, what strikes me most is that I am not where I thought I'd be doing what I thought I'd be doing.  While I feel blessed beyond words, I did not plan the life I live.

What I have come to understand is that my life has absolutely not been in my control.  Oh, I've made choices alright - some good, some bad.  But the circumstances of my life, the "Sitz Im Leben" (German) or setting in life I studied in graduate school, were never a product of my choosing.  I have learned the truth revealed in Proverbs 16:9, "In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps."

I planned to retire from the Air Force and go into a secondary career of Medical Administration.  Instead, after I served six years I left the military behind and entered a life of ministry.  I thought I would preach until I reached the age of retirement and then spend the rest of my life helping smaller churches and training men to preach but wound up serving as a hospice chaplain.

While I am still serving as a chaplain, I am moving more and more into the world of veteran services within the hospice community.  Currently my title is Chaplain/Veteran Services Coordinator.  I can see clearly God's hand in my life opening and shutting doors according to the "establishment of my steps."

I have a blended family including a wife I adore, three daughters, one son, two sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law and eight grand-children.  All of this light and life came after a period of death and darkness when I lost my first wife to cancer.  And as my wife today is about to mark her 6th anniversary of being diagnosed with stage four cancer, we have no idea what the future holds.

However, one thing we do know is Who holds our future.  And our future, whatever path God chooses to take us down is secure in His hands, for whatever ever this life unfolds, heaven is still the final destination at the end of the journey.  I am excited to see what God has in store as I press onward into my senior years and retirement????  But I am certain of God's presence and provision until the end of this life and into eternity.  Jus' Say'n.

Feeding Habits

As a Christian, "your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3).  Because that is so, we are called to "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry" (v. 5).

In contrast with those things of the earthly nature, we are to "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (v. 12).  In short, we are to cause our old sinful self to die while allowing our new sanctified self to live.

But how are we to go about doing that?  How do we deal a mortal blow to our old godless habits and give root to the new Christlike ones?  The answer is really quite simple - not necessarily easy but simple: Stop feeding the old and start feeding the new.

Old habits are hard to break because we naturally feed into them.  We often excuse bad behavior by saying, "That's just the way I am," when, in fact, it is just the what I am keeping alive by it the care and attention it needs to live.

How long would your plants live if you didn't water them or your pets if you didn't feed them?  Your addictions have the same need.  I have always had a sweet tooth.  But I find by simply not eating sweets, the desire begins to wain.  I haven't been eating sweets for a few months and I'm not craving them at this point.  It was a bit difficult in the beginning but the addiction is dying.

Again, I'm not saying it is easy, just simple.  What you feed in you will live and grow, what you don't, won't.  Stop keeping all your money for yourself and begin sharing it with those in need, and you will find, in time, that the spirit of greed begins to die while the spirit of generosity takes root.  This principle applies to every bad or good habit in your life.

You may be thinking that you simply don't have the will power to pull it off - to terminate bad habits while tunning up good ones.  I don't doubt that, but you do have the power available: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (v. 17).

Jesus will provide you the power, provided you allow him to nourish you as you spend time in prayer, in the Word, allowing "the peace of Christ to rule in your hearts" (v. 15).  Stop feeding your bad habits and begin allowing Christ to feed righteous ones.  By the power of His Spirit, the old will begin to die and the new take to life.  Jus' Say'n.

Listening

She is 87 years old with breast cancer that has metastasized to her liver.  She is dying and probably has between 3 to 6 months left on this planet.  She lives alone but is not lonely and not left alone.  She told me of all the people who have been coming by and while I was there, her phone rang several times - she was getting a lot of attention - in fact, too much.

There were family members, church members and now hospice team members coming and going.  The last in a long list of visitors was me - her assigned chaplain.  She was explaining how tired she was, setting the stage for asking me not to visit.

She seemed surprised when I agreed with her and said she must be simply worn out with all the attention.  I affirmed her feelings and suggested that she needed more rest and less intrusion into her little apartment.  I began asking her about this challenge and how she felt about all the attention.

I sat back and listened to her pour out her story, nodding my head as I sat forward in my chair careful to make eye contact as I heard her talk of her experience with her doctor, the treatments, her closing world and her opening faith.

As she wound down, I suggested that she perhaps didn't need an assigned chaplain stopping by all the time that she had more than enough spiritual and familial support - that perhaps I could just call and stop by once a month to check in with her and see how things were going.

She looked me in the eyes and said, "You can come by anytime you want."  Why was that?  What had happened that caused this 180?  I listened more than talked.  Rather than becoming weary from my pressing a visit agenda on her, she became energized as I listened to her story, affirming what she was feeling and encouraging her to tell her story.

I don't plan to come very often because I do think she has plenty of support but when I sparingly come to visit, I plan to listen to her talk about her faith, her family, her future without trying to guide her but rather give her an opportunity to release what is weighing on her spirit.

When I did say something about her season in life, reflecting on her expressed faith, I didn't tell her what she should do, instead I said, "It sounds like to me that you are a prayer warrior."  She replied, "I am a prayer warrior!"  At that moment, we tapped into her purpose for the life she had remaining.

Without quoting a Scripture or even pointing to one, we both understood that her strength would come from embracing the biblical imperative, "Whatever you do,whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col 3:17).

Listening to her allowed me to understand her story and her to express her desire.  In the process, her energy level increased as she embraced her reason in this last season of life.  Jus' Shar'n.

Choices

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my family, we will serve The Lord" (Josh 24:15).  

The choice of the ancient Israelites is still the choice today: God or the alternatives. Not the gods of the Amorites, but the gods of the Americans. Think of the gods worshipped in this country: money, power, prestige, education, individuality, sexuality, sports, celebrities, etc.  

Where do you devote most of you time, energy, thoughts, money, etc.?   Is the will of God most important to you or your own?  Is advancing His Kingdom paramount or advancing your agenda?  Is serving God or making money your biggest concern?  Which is a bigger draw to you, going to worship or going to the movies or a game or the lake?  

At the core of your life, what is it that makes you tick?  What is your choice?  Jus' Askn.

Letting Go

I once recorded, in a prayer journal my desire for God to "Show me what He saw in me, what He saw for me and reveal the path between the two."  

Later, it was clearly revealed, as I read from Paul's letter to the Galatians, that what God sees for me are the attributes of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal 5:22, 23).  

The path to perfect these traits is allowing the Spirit to stamp the template of the character of Christ in my heart. I must allow the Spirit full control of my life in order to be fully molded by His character.  

God has shown me that I had not arrived but was on the path. I have yet to fully give myself over to the Spirit's control but I am letting go of the reins. 

I want, and am trying, to not only let go and let God take care of me and mine. But to let go and let God fully control my life. This is the path of true discipleship: "Anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:33).  Jus' Sayn.

Sent from my iPhone

The Gift

He was born lame and was resigned to a life of lying at the gate of the temple begging the people entering for whatever coins they might spare.  This day, he saw a couple of Galileans about to enter the temple and so, like all the rest, he asked them hopeful they would have some money they were willing to share.

They were indeed willing to share but they had no money.  What they were about to offer him, however, could not have been purchased with any amount of money.  Peter explains as he looked into the lame man's eyes saying, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6).

Lame was no longer a fit description for this man as evidenced by the fact that "he went with [Peter and John] into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God" (v. 8).  He did not receive at all what he was looking for but he got all that he was longing for: instead of money, he was given mobility.  Money he would now be able to earn, mobility could only have come by grace.

You and I will not always have what someone asks of us at any given moment, but what grace could we offer?  If someone asks you for money that you don't have, could you take a little time and offer them some respect as you listen to their story?  If asked to help with something beyond your skill set, could you refer them to a friend with those skills?

What do you have to offer, regardless of what is being openly asked?  Could you offer to pray, sit with, talk to, cry with, share your lunch, make a call, give a ride, invite to church, share your faith, show some compassion, offer some hope...?

As you go about your day and you notice someone in need, instead of walking past, ask God, "What can I offer?"  Then do that, give that, say that, whatever it is you do have, give it to him/her.  Jus' Say'n.

Accepting Grace

Since we are "saved by grace through faith, not by works..." (Eph 2:8,9), what difference does it make how we live our lives?  One does not earn a gift.  

True, you do not earn a gift, you accept it - or you do not. If someone offered you a bike and you truly accepted their gift, what would you do with it?  Probably ride it. If it were a cake?  Eat it. If it were a pardon from prison?  Leave prison behind.  

Accepting a gift leads to a responsive action. If we accept God's gift of freedom from sin, what will we do?  If we accept His offer to lead us on the path to life? Jesus put it this way, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).  

If we have a trusting relationship with the Lord, will we not follow in His steps?  Does not our obedience to His direction display our love of and trust in our Savior?  Does it not indicate whether or not we actually accept His gift?  Jus' Ask'n.

True Measure

In Proverbs 16:2 we read, "All a man"s ways seem innocent to him, but the motives are weighed by the Lord."   What strikes me is the thought that all of us find it easy to rationalize whatever we do when our standard is our own "think so." 

The apostle Paul warns that all who "measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves by themselves, they are not wise" (2 Cor 10:12b).  We need to realize that it is God who "weighs the motives" or sees through the smoke of our prideful self-interests we blow covering up our true motives, even from ourselves at times. 

What occurs to me is that we desperately need God to show us what He sees in us, what He sees for us and the path that lies between the two.  

Our prayer should be that the Lord will indeed open our eyes to what He sees and open our hearts to accept the true measure of our ways.  Jus' Sayn.

The Voice

When I was young, there was one voice I could distinguish over a thousand voices - the voice of my mother.  I knew her voice intimately and was never left wondering, "Was that my Mom?"  When she called for me, I would recognize her voice and I would go to it.

How could I be so sure?  What made it possible for me to know without doubt it was her voice and not someone who just sounded like her?  I knew her voice because from the moment I was born, I listened to it.  I heard it every day, many times a day.  It was imprinted into my soul.

Likewise, when I would call out, "Mom," she would hear and recognize my voice even though their might be many kids calling for a number of moms.  She knew my voice for the same reason I knew hers, she listened for it and to it numerous times daily.

Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me" (Jn 10:27).  Can you guess how it is that his sheep (followers) know his voice?  Correct!  His followers listen daily and often for his voice, and it is imprinted into their souls.

Daily times of prayer and reading of the Bible are opportunities each of us have to become familiar with his voice, with the Voice we need to hear and follow.  We need to take time daily to allow our souls to be imprinted with His Voice so that we can distinguish it from the many voices we hear constantly trying to lead us astray or entice us to do evil.  As Jesus warns, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many" (Matt 24:5).

In this day of political correctness based on upside down values and Godless desires, we need to be able to clearly distinguish the Voice of our Lord.  Take time often to listen and call out to Him so that you will not be deceived.  Jus' Say'n.

A Cup of Cold Water

I received a request from a social worker to visit with a veteran's widow regarding benefits.  At my first opportunity, I set up an appointment to visit with her and drove the 30 minutes to her home, where I met with her.

I looked over the correspondence she had received from the VA, discussed her husband's service and his veteran status at the time of death.  My conclusion was that everything was in order and that she should meet with the county veteran service officer who was already aware of her claim.

In truth, I didn't do much of anything for her in the way of helping to secure benefits or improve her circumstance as a widow except to encourage her and affirm that she was on the right track.  What I had to offer was very little on the one hand, but just what she needed on the other.

As I got ready to leave, she expressed her deep gratitude for my time and my help.  I then asked her if she would like me to pray with her,  to which she immediately agreed.  When the prayer was over and she walked me to the door, she took my hand and eyes welling with tears said, "I am so thankful you came today."

What did I do?  What did I have to offer her really?  I offered her kindness, becoming a conduit of Christ's grace and love.  My presence wasn't very important but His was.  The encouragement she received was beyond what I could offer, allowing the love of God to touch her grieving heart.

Do you recall Jesus saying, "if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones..." (Matt 10:42)?  That was equivalent to what I did.  But sometimes a cup of cold water is just enough.  Sometimes, just a little bit of encouragement is all a hurting soul needs.  As we provide for that need, the presence of Christ magnifies with a covering of grace.  Jus' Say'n.

In God's Hands

When Jesus remained quiet as he was being grilled, Governor Pilate inquired, "Do you refuse to speak to me?   Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" (Jn 19:10).  To which "Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not give to you from above'" (v. 11).

His response made it clear that Jesus knew that his life was not in Pilate's hands but instead in the Father's.  He knew his purpose, he knew the path laid out before him and he put his trust in the Father's will, accepting the crucifixion at the hand of men as a divine decree from above.

What we learn from Jesus' stance before Pilate is that entrusting your life into God's hands does not mean that he will preserve it on this earth but rather that you willingly accept God's decision as to the disposition of your life, which may mean a transfer from this world to the next.

Listen to the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:19-20, "for I know that through your prayers and God's provision...that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."  And Paul went on to say, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain" (vv. 23-25).

The point of our lives isn't whether we get what we want but rather that God's will is accomplished in and through our lives.  The goings and doings of this world are not to be our primary concern but rather, as Jesus points out in his model for prayer, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:9-10).

When we accept Gods will in our lives, we have meaning, direction and purpose that leads us back to the Source of our lives, which is God himself and his manifest will.  And that is what truly matters for "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mk 8:36).  Jus' Say'n.