Now What? (Philippians 4:6-7)

The argument has finished but emotions are still running high. Apologies have been made to each other. And yet the sting of the episode is still raw. Now what?

This is the most difficult part-the aftermath of an argument. This has nothing to do with the other person. This is not about being right or wrong, or getting the last point. It is not about getting even or making the other person feel your pain. It is about surrendering the entire situation to God. If you have truly apologized to the person and have humbled yourself before God and confessed your sins, you wait and trust God to take care of the situation.

We don’t like to wait. We want action. We especially want it when our adrenaline is flowing, our hearts are racing and pounding, and our bodies are trembling. We need to find a way to release this tension. God knows that. This is why God promises us His peace.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

The Holy Spirit uses the word peace over 350 times in the Bible and over 90 times in the New Testament. God is peace and He wants us to enjoy it, claim it, and live it.

But a wound, particularly a fresh wound, is vulnerable and subject to further damage. In the body, when a wound occurs, the time of greatest danger, when a wound is weakest and can reopen, is by days 3 to 4. It is during this period, that the tissue repair is at its weakest and even a minimal amount of stress can cause great damage, sometimes even greater than the original injury.

Although our spirits are not made of the same flesh and blood, they are still vulnerable to further damage, particularly within a few days of the initial argument. A whisper of the triggering issues, unresolved issues on behalf of both parties, even an unrelated issue can reopen the wound in our spirits, at the critical time that God is working His healing and we need a time of separation. We must guard against this recurrence. For some of us, this may be difficult as we must work or live with the person with whom we had the initial argument. But God is calling us to peace. And if we do not claim this peace in His name, we will doubt the very power and omnipotence of God in our lives.

God created us as passionate and emotional beings. But we are all sinners and sometimes this passion leads to conflicts, particularly with those who are closest to us. Thank God for creating you and ask Him to transform your passions to serve Him and enjoy His peace.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Not Hearing What Was Spoken (Jeremiah 5:21)

Ever play the game called “Telephone”? A person starts and whispers a phrase to the person next to them. This person, in turn, whispers the same phrase to the person next to them. This continues with all the people are participating, the more the better. Finally, the last person who hears this phrase has to recite it out loud to everyone who can hear. The results are usually hilarious as the original phrase is often distorted and completely unlike the original phrase both in sound, meaning or intent.

When we listen to others, it is sometimes like that. We hear what we want to hear. Sometimes it leads to frustration on both speaker and listener. This is why it is always a good practice for the listener to repeat what they think the speaker is saying. In a group discussion or one on one counseling, the listener is rightly taught to say, “Let me repeat what I think I am hearing from you.” This simple action can avoid endless hours of frustration due to misunderstanding and makes listening an interactive process.

Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding,
Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not.
Jeremiah 5:21

When we listen to God’s Word being preached or read to us, we must also guard against hearing what we only want to hear. In the passage cited above, the prophet Jeremiah is reminding the children of Israel that God is explicit in warning them to not follow after false gods. He is patient with them and the punishment and judgment that is now befalling them is because they heard God’s warning but just saw and heard what they wanted to believe. If we take this attitude, we may be able to get by with minimal consequences with our friends and family. But there is no second guessing God. God means what He says and we need to carefully listen and be attentive whenever God speaks to us. Actively listen and be willing to seek advice from your pastor or others who may be more knowledgeable in the Bible. But always test what they are saying against the Truth of God's Word.

Are you carefully listening to God speaking to you today?

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

No Shades of Gray (Romans 3:23)

There are no shades of gray when it comes to sin. All of us are sinners. We may justify different sins in our heart, contending that my sins are not of the magnitude of some others. While there are different consequences depending upon the sin, all sins are rebellion and disobedience to God.

God hates sin and He hates it when it destroys lives. Our feeble and misguided attempts to conquer sin in our lives have led to countless pop psychology books instructing us how to rid ourselves of the guilt of sin. Sin is not our fault, we are told, we are simply products of our environment.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:26

There are no shades of gray in following Christ. The unspoken answer to Christ’s question is...nothing.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23

Sin cannot be reasoned away like an experiment in logic or solved like a math equation. We are born sinners and because of this, we chose to rebel against an all loving and powerful God, who wants to bless us with His complete and consuming love. But we think we know better than the Creator of the universe and choose to do things our way, apart from God. God loves us but He will not force us to do anything that we do not freely chose. And this includes loving and accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. To our last moment on this earth, God stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. All we have to do is let Him in. And if we do, our salvation is forever secured and we will be in the presence of Jesus Christ when we die.

There are no shades of gray. We either accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and are eternally saved or reject Him and face an eternity forever removed and estranged from God’s love and presence.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life. 

No Rain for this Final Battle (Acts 1:9-11)

Why do some many epic climactic final battles occur during a rainstorm? Think about it. The Seven Samurai, the Matrix Revolutions, Unforgiven, The Shawshank Redemption...this is hardly a comprehensive list, I am sure there are many others. Why rain? Is it to blur the gore of the battle? Is it to add to complicate an already difficult struggle? Is it symbolic of the final washing away and catharsis of all the pain and suffering of the hero? I have no idea. Whatever the reason, it does seem to heighten the drama.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.
Acts 1:9-11

The only battle I care about is the final battle when Jesus returns. No mention of rain here….just a triumphant King returning to earth in the clouds, just like He left. And perhaps this is how it should be. There is no greater battle than God’s triumph over Satan’s rule on this earth! We don’t need any other special effects to heighten the drama when God acts!

Amen!

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Guilty As Charged! (Philippians 1:6)

J. Vernon McGee wrote of an encounter that he had with a woman who shared with him, “Most Christians ought to have written on their backs, ‘This is not the best that the grace of God can do.’ “ This statement also made me think of another aphorism, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Both quotations are sobering statements and a reminder to myself, that I am definitely a work in progress and I always will be. Although I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I still fall far short in many areas of my life, too often and too frequent than I want to think about or even acknowledge. I am embarrassed and disappointed to say that my life has not been a good witness for Jesus Christ. And if it were only up to my own efforts, my life would be futile and miserable.

But thanks be to God that He is faithful to keep His promises to me!

...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…
Philippians 1:6

The moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell within us. And He begins to change us, sanctifying us, so that our character becomes more like Jesus Christ. Although I will never be perfect, I will look forward to the day when my old nature will not be in constant war with my new nature, as a child of God.

What the world sees of my life now is definitely not the best that the grace of God can do with me. He is changing me, transforming me, and sanctifying me. I would like to be convicted of being a Christian….guilty as charged. And by God’s grace and mercy and my obedience, that will happen.

Amen!

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Express or Ground Delivery? (Acts 16:6-7)

A well known package and freight delivery company gives the sender the option to send their  deliveries by air express or ground delivery. Express options comes with a guarantee that a delivery can be made by 8AM the next morning or by noon. Ground delivery can guarantee delivery by the next day but not by a specific time. There are also additional options that can allow an air express delivery to arrive by 2nd or 3rd day.

If one were to send a package via air express, it must, by definition, be sent by air and routed to the local collecting airport, then loaded onto to express delivery vans to be delivered. If one were to send a package via ground delivery, the package would be delivered and transferred through a series of trucks until arriving at its final destination. All of this seems intuitive.

But there is an interesting quirk to this very efficient system. I am located in a suburb of Los Angeles. If I was delivering a package to a location that was located across the street, and I chose the next day air express option, this package would first be taken to LAX, loaded on to the company’s airplane, and taken to San Francisco. Then, in San Francisco, the package would be placed on a plane and routed back to LAX, where it then would be loaded on an express delivery van and delivered to the destination. Thus, even though I could send the package by ground delivery and have it arrive at approximately the same time, because I chose the air express option, it must take a long, circuitous route via an airline to arrive at the same location at approximately the same time. Seems inefficient but it was because I chose this delivery method.

There are many times when God leads me along a longer circuitous route, a route that perhaps I think is not very efficient or even a waste of time. But although I think I know better, I am continually proven wrong when I can look back and see God’s hand guiding the situation and events.

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
Acts 16:6-7

I wonder if the Apostle Paul felt frustrated when he attempted to preach the Gospel to those in the region of Galatia and Bithynia but was prevented by God? After all, wasn’t this his purpose, to preach the Gospel to all seekers? And yet, while we may intuitively think that this should have happened, it was not God’s plans and he redirected Paul in another direction. Later, we do learn that the Gospel did reach these peoples. But for this moment in time, what seemed intuitive, was not.

Like the delivery company, we may think we can design a methodology to accomplish our purposes in a much more efficient manner by following our common sense or intuition. God does, indeed, sometimes speak to us to reveal a greater insight. But in other times, we must obey God’s calling and accept His direction as sovereign.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

An Act of God (Isaiah 13:13)

Ever read an insurance policy and find the line, “This policy does not cover acts of God”?

This statement has been used by insurers to excuse their company from insuring disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, meteors, even animals unexpectedly crossing the path of your car. The implication is that a disaster, that is not the result of man’s negligence, must be caused by God. And not just a loving God, but a vengeful God. That is a very bold and arrogant assumption and statement!

God can and has used natural disasters as part of His judgment against man’s sins. And in the final judgment against a rebellious mankind and Satan, He will use the the immense power of the earth to carry out portions of His judgment.

But not all natural disasters are from God. We must be aware that some disasters are the direct result of man’s sins. Still others may be due to Satan’s intervention but only if God permits him to do this. Nothing is outside the reign or control of God.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
Isaiah 13:13

God has absolute control over all the forces of nature. One day, our Lord Jesus Christ will return as the King of Kings and judge this earth. But before that happens, the earth will be wracked with natural disasters like nothing that has ever occurred before.

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He will return to take you to Heaven before these end times occur. Pray for your friends, family, and loved ones who still have not accepted Jesus Christ, that they will come to know the one and true God, Jesus Christ.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Where Are You? (Matthew 18:12-14)

One of the most useful features of using Apple products is a clever app known as "Find Your iPhone". By setting a control on your iPhone or any other Apple device, one can immediately track the location of the device. This is extremely helpful when one thinks they have lost or misplaced the device. From a remote location, a map appears that gives the precise location of the device. One can even place a message on the device alerting anyone who finds it to call your designated phone number or cause the device to emit an audible signal to alert the searcher if they are within earshot. In the worst case scenario, one can completely wipe the memory of the device clean, protecting any personally sensitive information. One may never recover their device, but at least one can have peace of mind that their information and identity are secure.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety- nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety- nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:12-14

How comforting to know that God always knows where we are and what is our status. Even if we stray and associate with others who would turn our hearts away from Him, He does not erase us from His memory or thoughts. Not only will He not forsake us, He takes the initiative to search and find us and bring us back to fellowship with Him. What an amazing God we serve who is not beholden to our selfish desires but seeks to use our carnal nature to bring us into a closer and more intimate view of who He is and the kind of relationship He truly desires for us.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

That First Scratch (Proverbs 10:12)

You are the proud owner of a new car! The paint has a crisp sheen! The tire rims sparkle! The interior of the car exudes the intoxicating scent of new car!

And then one day, perhaps a few weeks or months after you first purchased it, you notice it.

The dreaded first scratch!

It is almost as if everything else no longer matters. The car has a scratch! Now, any additional scratches will not seem as traumatic since the car has already been marred! In fact, even if you covered up that scratch, it will never be quite the same because you KNOW there is a scratch there and if you look hard enough, you can still find it!

We are born with a sinful nature. And although all babies seem to initially be the incarnation of purity, it does not take long before their true nature reveals itself. We continue this sinful behavior for the rest of our lives and no amount of psychological counseling, changing of jobs or environment, or new relationships will ever cover or take away the sins. Like the first scratch on our car, we will always have it with us, lurking just below the veneer.

What can we do?

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
Proverbs 10:12

Thanks be to God who has provided the answer. By our own efforts, we will never be able to deal with the sin in our life. And God knows this. This is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for our sins. Then in the most stupendous event the universe has or will ever witness, Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, showing everyone that He alone could forgive you of your sins. It was His love alone that covers all of our sins. And if you confess and repents of your sins and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, He will forgive you of your sins.

Our sins will be wiped clean and unlike the first scratch, we will know that God has forgiven us and that sin will no longer be in our life.

Praise God for His faithfulness to us!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Why Wouldn't God Do It? (Acts 26:8)

I am amazed how often I hear things like, “God wouldn’t do that!” or “How can a loving God allow this to happen?” At the heart of these statements is the idea that God is somehow incapable or unable to keep control of everything, in other words, God is not omnipotent or all-powerful.

Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
Acts 26:8

In this passage from Acts, the Apostle Paul is making a defense of his faith before the visiting King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. Paul knows the Word of God and he is building a logical argument as to how Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and by His name, salvation is granted. Paul asks this question to all those around him. We should also ask ourselves, “Why should it be thought incredible that God raises the dead?”

God is able to do anything and He can certainly force us to behave in a certain manner. But God loves us and gives us the freedom of choice; to chose whether to obey or disobey Him. Many years ago, our ancestors, Adam and Eve, made the fateful decision to disobey God, allowing sin to enter into our lives and this world. Because of sin, our world is the way it is and evil abounds and things that we view as despicable or totally depraved exist alongside the good. But since God is able to do anything, He is also able to provide us the pathway to be reconciled with Him once again. Indeed, we should further ask, would it not be incredible that an all-powerful God would take the initiative to reconcile our broken relationship with Him?

God, in the single greatest act of mercy and love the universe has or ever will witness, gave us His only begotten Son to die on the Cross in substitution for our sins. And God raised Him from the dead so that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.

We can observe this world and our relationships and be discouraged by what we see. Or we can look around and be encouraged that God loved us so much He gave His Son to die a humiliating death, taking the punishment for our sins, and then raised Him from the dead. Why wouldn’t God do it? He loves us with a perfect and all consuming love.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Fellow Tentmakers (1 Corinthians 10:31)

And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
Acts 18:2-3

Paul was blessed to meet Priscilla and Aquila, fellow tentmakers, in Corinth. Clearly, this was an occupation that Paul used to not only support himself, but also to fellowship and preach the Word to others. Paul was an evangelist, a preacher, a missionary, and a tentmaker.

I wonder if Paul had to deal with the usual travails that everyone who works in a job must face? Was his workday interrupted with, “Paul, where is that tent we ordered?” or “Paul, the tent you made for us has a leak in it and needs to be repaired now! I don’t care if you need to go to Jerusalem, I need it fixed now!”

Seems a bit absurd to think the great Apostle Paul may have faced these type of mundane situations, situations that we face everyday in the workplace. Of course, the Bible does not tell us of these scenarios, but it would not be unreasonable to think it may have happened.  But one thing is clear, Paul had his sight clearly focused upon the end game. His motivation, desire, and goal was to glorify God in his life and in his work.

….or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

Paul’s attitude should be our attitude whether we are in school or the workplace. Our very lives should be focused upon glorifying God. It is only then that we truly begin to realize our full potential on this earth.

There will always be interruptions and plans that go awry doing our day. But keep your eyes squarely focused upon God and don’t be mired by your circumstances. Look up to the Lord Jesus Christ and look down upon the circumstances that hold you back.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Thirty Under Thirty! (Luke 2:46-49)

Sports Illustrated devotes a section to young outstanding athletes who have distinguished themselves in their respective sports. These athletes are in high school or sometimes younger and have accomplished a feat that may have escaped the eye of the public and popular media. Examples have included a teen bowler who lead his high school team to the league championship by bowling a perfect 300 game or a badminton state champion. The article may have read, “Thirty Under Thirty-Future Superstars to Watch!”

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “ Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

And He said to them, “ Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business
Luke 2:46-49

Whenever I read this passage from the Bible, I cannot help but wonder if these same rabbis and teachers who heard the answers and questions from this young Jesus, remembered Him many years later when He began to preach in the same city and temple? What would it have been like? Would some of them have looked at Jesus and said, “I remember this teacher when He was just a young lad! I could not believe the questions He was asking and the wisdom He exhibited at such a young age!”

From a young age, Jesus was already distinguishing Himself. How exciting it would have been to see God incarnate as a young man! The Bible does not tell us much about these years of Jesus’ life, only that...Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).

If Jesus was born on this earth today, perhaps another popular magazine would recognize the great potential that Jesus exhibited...something like “Thirty Under Thirty...Future Leaders to Watch!” We will never know but it should come as no surprise that even as child and young man, He distinguished Himself.

What a glorious Savior we serve!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

He's One of Ours! (Mark 6:4)

Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant scientists who ever lived. His theory of relativity revolutionized our thinking about time and space and opened the door to the atomic age. But when he first presented his theory, there were many doubters, for up to that point in time, there was no tangible way to test and prove his theory. Einstein was confident of the veracity of his findings and he wrote the following passage.

If relativity is proved right the Germans will call me a German, the Swiss will call me a Swiss citizen, and the French will call me a great scientist. If relativity is proved wrong the French will call me a Swiss, the Swiss will call me a German and the Germans will call me a Jew.

Albert Einstein (Translated from German in 1919)

Einstein was, of course, eventually proven correct. And as he predicted, many countries wanted to claim and honor him as one of their own.

Many centuries earlier, Jesus Christ proclaimed a similar sentiment. He had performed numerous miracles in many towns and cities; He had taught with authority. People everywhere acknowledged Him as a mighty prophet. Some even called Him the Messiah. But when He returned to His home town of Nazareth, the townspeople, the ones who knew His earthly family and had witnessed Him growing up, all rejected Him. They did not seek to claim Him as one of their own.

And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
Mark 6:4 (ESV)

Sometimes, the people who know us the best will be the last people to accept us when we are successful or have gained fame. Surprisingly, it even happened to Jesus Christ. His own brothers and sisters rejected Him at first. But after His death and resurrection, the Bible records that two of His brothers, James and Jude, became believers, and later, leaders of the early Church. This happened because the Holy Spirit drew them to Him and convicted them of their sin and disbelief about their half-brother.

Einstein had to wait for many years before his own countrymen claimed him as their own. Jesus’ brothers waited until after His death and resurrection before they claimed Him as their own. Can Jesus Christ claim you as His own? Have you placed your trust in Him as your Lord and Savior? You do not have to wait for additional scientific proof or another family member or friend to first go forward. If you have heard the call of the Holy Spirit in your heart, answer it. Confess your sins and repent to Jesus Christ and accept His offer of salvation.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Missing the Big Picture (Matthew 18:1-5)

The Super Bowl is one of television's great viewing events. As exciting the game may be, the ads have taken on a life of their own. In fact, many people pay more attention to the ads than the game itself. Even if the game is unexciting, the ads would not exist if the game did not exist first. And just like the ads overshadowing the the game, we sometimes miss the point about following Jesus.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “ Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Matthew 18:1-5

In this passage, Jesus was reminding His disciples that they are missing the entire point about following Him. It is not about the healings, authority or even positions of leadership amongst Jesus' followers. It is not about your position in life with others, it is about your position in life with God. It is all about your attitude toward God. A young child has no ulterior motive except to seek approval, love, and comfort from their father. Jesus was instructing His disciples that we must have a similar heart. We must come before God with no selfish motives about trying to get ahead in this world, or make more friends, or do well in school or our jobs. We must first come with a humble attitude that Jesus will take care of everything so long as we trust Him first.

How easy and difficult this is to do! But how wonderful and profound it is when we truly stop and ponder the words of Jesus.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Does This Offend You? (John 6:61)

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “ Does this offend you?”
John 6:61

Hard choices to make. Jesus never spoke in shades of gray-it was all or nothing with Him. And this offends the modern sensibilities.  Our culture inculcates the message that we all must co-exist. We see it on bumper stickers, are exposed to it in the classroom, and are asked to participate in multi-faith worship services. To claim that Jesus Christ is the only true God and it is only by His name that salvation can be obtained, is viewed as closed and narrow-minded. Christians are labeled as extremists, bigots, and branded with the same label as other religious terrorists and outliers. But who is really the closed and narrow-minded?

The liberal and progressive pundit who excludes the Christian is guilty of the same bigotry, but cloaks it under the noble cloth of open-mindedness. There are some organizations that will advocate a ban on Christian organization operating on college and high school campuses, but be ardent supporters of organizations for Wicken and Satanic worship. All this is done in the name of open-mindedness.

Yes, Jesus’ words do offend us, but not because they are wrong or bigoted, but because it is the Truth. The problem is not with Jesus’ Words, the problem is with man’s heart. Man is always rebelling against the Truth, against God, and against anything that seemingly robs him of his freedom of choice. But Jesus is clear…

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:32

It is not the Words of Jesus that offend, it is our sinful nature. Take the yoke of Jesus and allow Him to lead you.

Love and respect the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Waiting for the Signal Change (1 Samuel 14:29-32)

Ever wait at an intersection with traffic lights and the lights do not change on the anticipated schedule?

You sit in your car and wonder if there a glitch in the program? Is it the time of day when traffic in the opposite direction must be given priority? Are we being filmed as part of a prank to see what we would do?

Whatever the reason, after a seemingly agonizing period of time, one or more cars slowly inch their way into and through the intersection, wary of any oncoming traffic, and violating the red light. Finally, the majority of waiting cars follow, until either the light finally changes or oncoming traffic makes it too dangerous to cross.

Admittedly, this is not the most egregious of offenses. But it does illustrate an interesting point that many of us will take the law into our own hands when we perceive something is not right or the system has failed.

But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?” Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
1 Samuel 14:29-32 (NKJV)

The people feared the command of King Saul. But Jonathan, his son, was unaware of his father’s command and unknowingly disobeyed it. When warned of his wrong by the people, he dismissed the threat saying that it was okay, given the circumstances. That did it! A floodgate was unleashed and not only did the rest of the people also disobey the King’s command, they violated their own Levitical laws be eating the animals with their blood.

I know I have been guilty of going along with the crowd, especially when the situation appeared to justify the transgression. But sin is sin and although we may attempt to justify our actions, reasoning that our transgression represents shades of gray and not black and white, it is still sin.

It is painful to hold all of our actions to the light of God’s Truth. But allowing ourselves a minor transgression can sometimes lead to a slippery slope of larger and more serious sins. Ask God to help you be honest with all of your actions.

Trust and love the Lord; seek His will in your life.

One Plus One Equals Three (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

For much of my life, I reduced my spiritual life to a series of rules and algorithms. Perhaps it was my scientific background, always looking for an equation that could tie up disparate facts into a cohesive and logical package. If one plus one equals two, surely I could find a similar equation for life?

Some of these rules were simple minded.

The best revenge is success.

What goes around comes around.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Others attempted to interject God into the equation.

Outside of acts of God, nearly all conflict is the result of lack or mis-communication.

Sadly, I carried these rules with me through much of my Christian life. It was as if I needed to add to the truth of the Bible by arriving at my own “practical rules” of living. While these rules may have partially helped me to accept situations in life, it did nothing to bring me closer to God and understand the kind of relationship He so eagerly wanted to share and indulge with me. During these times, I ignored the absolute truth of God’s Word and substituted a worldly practicality. I painfully learned that my rules of life were always wrong. In my twisted logic, one plus one equals three; I never came close to the correct answer.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

God gave us His Bible so that we may be complete, equipped to deal with every situation that life throws at us.  We do not have to add to the God’s Truth. It is complete and you will be complete if you read it and believe it.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Special Needs (1 Corinthians 1:25-31)

The following was presented at the PVBC Men's Fellowship Breakfast on 09.26.2015.

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When my son, Ian, was born with Down syndrome, our family was introduced to a new vocabulary and acronyms. Our son was now labeled as requiring “special needs”. He would be enrolled in the local regional center and assigned a caseworker. He would receive IEPs or individualized educational programs at least twice during the school year. All of this was mandated by the IDEA or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that outlined and addressed his special needs. Definitely a mouthful and earful!

I am very appreciative and am thankful for the many programs that have helped my son, allowing our entire family to come together to assist Ian with activities that do not come as easily as his peers. Special needs translates into greater attention to details, looking for ways to present information that can be more readily assimilated by the recipient. And if this is the definition, then the term special needs applies more to myself than to my son. As believers in Jesus Christ and the head our households, we men have many shared special needs. God has answered my needs in loving and sometimes unexpected ways. He has given me His greater attention and opened my heart to understand how to lead my family. I don’t have all the answers and I fail far too many times than I succeed. But by God’s grace and mercy, He continues to transform me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. I would like to share some of the lessons that I have learned from the other man in my home, my son Ian.

Patience-Don’t Just Stand There, Do Nothing!

Some activities take Ian a bit longer to learn and assimilate and we have learned to modify our daily activities to accommodate him. We may have to repeat something several times and alert him to any changes in activities at least 15 minutes before the event. Simple requests may have to be reinforced several times before it is assimilated. It is difficult and at times, definitely tries my patience. But am I any different? I have failed so many times to obey the seemingly simple action of trusting and obeying God. And yet, God is still patient with me. Patience is not my virtue. I multi-task my multitasking. While this may be a valuable asset at work, it does not facilitate a healthy marriage. As the head of the household, and especially as a husband, I have learned to be faster and slower at all tasks. There are situations which require immediate attention-an injury or accident. But there are many more situations which require taking a step back. We have a phrase in medicine when someone is undergoing a seizure, “Don’t just stand there, do nothing!” In other words, after you make sure the patient has a good airway and is not in a location where they may hurt themself, let the seizure run its course. I have a horrible tendency to always want to intervene and attempt to fix every situation and problem. While this may be done with noble intentions, sometimes, it is best to go slow and let God handle the situation, letting Him teach and help me, rather than me doing it for Him.  If you do a word search in the Bible, the words patience and wait appear over 100 times. I think God is trying to teach me something.

Communicating God’s Word-There’s a Blog for That!

I wanted to share the life lessons I have learned in a meaningful manner with each family member. Every weekday I share a devotional email blog, which I have written, with my family. This same blog is posted on the PVBC website blog page. These blogs reflect upon events in my life and everyday events and the life lessons learned. One constant theme recounts how God has shown me that what happened to me many years ago has changed to mean different things to me at different stages in my life. They serve as a springboard for discussion in private moments, specifically tailored for each family member. With my son, I explain to him what God wants us to do now. With my daughter, I show her the direction God wants us to take in life. With my wife, we reflect upon on how God has brought us to this position in life through His grace and providence. You may not write a daily devotional blog but all of us have a rich resource and trove of life experiences that we can use to share God’s lessons to our family.

Seize the teachable moments-IV Sedation for Your Patients

There are many teachable moments that arise and I turn these teachable moments into devotional blogs, one of which I will now share with you.

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Several months ago, as our family was driving past a dental office, my daughter saw a sign that was advertising:

IV Sedation for Your Patients

My wife, a pediatric dentist, utilizes IV or intravenous sedation for some dental procedures. However, my daughter was unfamiliar with the terminology. So she asked us, “What does IV sedation mean?”

Seizing upon a teachable moment, my wife replied, “What do you think it means?”

With a thoughtful pause, she answered, “Four sedation?”

It took a moment for my daughter’s answer to sink in but at the same instance, both my wife and I burst into laughter, much to my daughter’s confusion! I shot her a big smile and reassured her, “Sweetheart, you’re too clever for us!”

When we see letters or symbols, they may represent different things depending upon one’s background and the situation. The letter “A” may represent academic success or may be worn as a shameful symbol of adultery. An outline of a fish may represent your occupation or hobby or it may signify your faith in Jesus Christ.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”
Galatians 3:13

The greatest crime in history is symbolized by a tree, pounded into the ground in the form of a cross, executing the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ. But the greatest act of love is also symbolized by this same tree. For by it, God accepted the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, as payment for our sins, and raised Him from the dead. He now reigns in Heaven and someday, He will return to rule this world.

The Cross-a symbol of shame, a symbol of faith, hope, and love.
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We need to seize the teachable moments.

Trusting God-Memorizing the Krebs Cycle Again

Ian was born 1 month prematurely and he spent his first 2 months of life in the neonatal ICU. It was a long and difficult lesson in trusting God with hours of anguish and questioning. Sometimes we attempt to force God to adopt to our needs. But we need to learn to trust God with His time schedule, not ours. Whatever decisions I make, I want to make sure my family knows that I sought God’s direction first.

This past summer, my daughter Malia had a difficult introduction to high school. She took biology honors. Even before the class started, she was discouraged.  The teacher that was widely acknowledged as the easier and less challenging teacher had completely filled her class. Malia had no choice but to take the class from a teacher that had a reputation of being a tough grader.  As if to fulfill her already negative expectations, she did not get a good grade on her first test. I told her I would work with her everyday and would not give up on her. But I also challenged her to dedicate her efforts to God.  Regardless of the grade and outcome, God would bless her efforts. If she were honest in her efforts, she would be honoring God as a student. God would not give up on her. It was a difficult 6 weeks but in the end, she did well. Our entire family learned an important lesson in seeing how God will provide when we trust Him.
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In 1 Corinthians 1:25-31, the Apostle Paul wrote…

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:25-31 (ESV)

The world tells me that my son has special needs. God has used my son to teach me that I, too, have many special needs. God knows how weak I am and by His grace and mercy, revealed to me how He can take any situation for His glory. God sees my special needs and responds, not with IEPs or caseworkers, but with His Son, Jesus Christ.

The male leader of the home has solemn responsibilities. His life needs to be a reflection of trust and obedience to God. We, men, have special needs. Our entire family is watching us, observing us, seeing how we will react when we have to make choices that are not always black and white. Brothers, we are men, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers; let’s continue to support one another in prayer and fellowship.

Brothers, love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Shattered Expectations (Job 2:10)

Shattered expectations.

We have all experienced this from those who are closest to us. It may happen anywhere-at school, the workplace, or within your family. It hurts because we think we know these people, relying upon them with certain high expectations. So when these expectations are shattered, it leads to a great deal of pain and feelings of betrayal. These feelings can quickly lead to anger.

Recently, an episode occurred when my expectations were deeply shattered.  It was a difficult period as I wrestled with resentment and fighting my tendency to lapse into an attitude of seeking revenge. My bad feelings spilled over to my family life and I snapped at them over trivial matters. Things were spiraling out of control. I sought God in prayer and meditated upon His Word. But as soon as the Bible reading was finished and my prayers ended, the bad attitude and ungodly thoughts returned. I was unwilling to rest upon God’s promises.  I was unwilling to let go.

I continued to pray to God for understanding, trying to make sense of all the situation. And in a moment, in His perfect timing on the third day, He showed me the truth. It was not about what the others did or how I could understand it and find meaning. It was not about what I had done for them and why they were seemingly ungrateful. It was all about God. The entire episode may have been motivated by selfish reasons or neglect, but God reminded me that we are all sinners. Even if I or the others had accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we still wrestle with our old sinful nature. It is a nature that continues to rear its ugly head. We do not become sinners when we sin, we sin because we are sinners. And for me to not accept this was placing myself ahead of the others. I had a “holier than thou” attitude.

Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?
Job 2:10 (NKJV)

God laid this truth upon my heart.  Amidst Job’s suffering, he understood this painful truth. I was unwilling to accept this. Regardless of the reasons the entire episode transpired, God allowed it to happen. I could have spent days, even months, wrestling with this episode trying to find answers, but God did not ask me to do this. God was asking me to accept it and leave the situation in His control. 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

As incomprehensible as this verse from the Bible seemed, God asked me to accept the situation so that He would bring forth His glory. And in so doing, He would continue to transform me into the image of His Son, learning to be obedient and trusting in His guidance.

Shattered expectations are always painful lessons in life. But my expectation that God needed to provide an explanation for my travails was the only one that needed to be shattered.

Amen!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

The Pyramid (Luke 15:3-7)

Medical residency programs are a grueling but necessary part of the training for a physician. Most programs will accept a set number of residents for each training year. For example, a general surgery program is usually 5 years long, following graduation from medical school. Five residents are accepted in the first year and in most programs, five residents are expected to graduate. Sometimes a resident may need to transfer to another program or elect to drop out. In these instances, a program may accept a transfer or application from another program to fill the spot.

One particularly brutal variant of medical residencies was the pyramid program. In a pyramid program, five residents may start but only one or two will finish. With each successive year, at least one resident is asked to leave. Thankfully, these types of programs no longer exist. But for those residents who participated in such programs, an ugly, hypercompetitive attitude and bad behavior often resulted. It was difficult enough to be a resident in training but superimpose the fear of failure and imminent dismissal, and an already brutal experience was now made worse. There was never any assurance that your position was secure. One day, you were in the country’s most prestigious surgery residency program and the next day, you may be gone. No assurance. No security.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety- nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Luke 15:4 (ESV)

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our salvation is eternally secure. Nothing will be able to separate from the love of God! We have complete assurance and security that He will never forsake us. Jesus Christ keeps those who are His own. He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep. We are His sheep, His children.

There is no pyramid of salvation with Jesus Christ. Accept His gift and work to establish God’s Kingdom on this earth. Share the Good News of Jesus Christ by your speech and actions. We live to glorify God not to compete with those around us.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.