Don’t You Wish?

I WISH … I could lose a few pounds … I made more money … I could change this or that …. We all have made, “I wish” statements. It is common to all of us. We wish for what we don’t have and may no want to put in the effort to achieve.
It is not enough to just wish. We must do something to achieve. Whether it is a possession, or goal, or even achieve our dreams, we cannot just desire it. Actions are necessary. We have to take the first step. 

A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at. –Bruce Lee

While many just wish upon a star, many others ask, seek, & knock. (Matthew 7:7) This passage is like a proverb, it promises us something based on action and truth. It is good to have goals but every goal has a trade-off. We have to give up something to take on new objectives. 

If you want to accomplish anything in life, you can't just sit back and hope it will happen. You've got to make it happen.Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris jokes are my favorite ones. Like the one, “On the 7th Day of Creation, God rested....Chuck took over.” It is okay to just simply laugh. 

Good goals are not just human actions. We also must know the mission and purpose God has designed for us. After all, God made us on purpose and with a mission bigger than just human (earthy) goals. God put eternity into our heart. It is bigger than life itself! 

What is your first step of action after wishing? When will you begin?

Finding Meaning Through Divine Interruptions

People often as me the question, “What you doing today?” Too often I look at my calendar to answer the question without really comprehending the opportunities. I often have missed the significance of such a question. I am too often skipping through my day without even a thought of God’s plan for my day-to-day activities.

I’ve come to learn that God actually has another plan for my daily activities. That is usually very different from what I would assume to be his plan. But in actuality, God works in mysterious ways. If I would allow him, they would be far more surprises and reasons for personal testimonies. I would perhaps see more God sightings if I thought more clearly of His plan that I often overlook.

We’re all filled with distractions. We put our minds to work on the natural and often miss the supernatural. You see, if my day is planned by myself, any good that may come of it is quickly stolen away by my bragging which leaves little room for God’s Glory!

Often we pack our schedules leaving little room for God to do what he would choose to do if only we let him. Nevertheless, God does interrupt our day. He does this usually to remind us of the importance things of life; God’s plan. We can miss tremendous opportunities that only God could orchestrate.

Colossians 4:3 — And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

I am taking back by this passage of Colossians because it challenges me to think about God‘s perspective and to realize the supernatural; divine appointments that he could set up if I only we let him. Divine interruptions are God’s way of nudging us to action; His way! 

What if we thought in terms of Colossians 4:3 every day? Making if we made this our daily prayer? What if we spent time asking God for opportunities so that we would proclaim his truth in the life of another? What if that interruption, though annoying as it may be is just really God’s way of nudging us to a deeper and more meaningful experience both with him and in the lives of others?

There are many in our world today that are longing for God‘s meaningful touch in their lives. And yet there are many who fill their schedules so that they can find meaning of their own lives. I wonder, could God make a plan that would both satisfy the needs of those looking for God‘s touch while also satisfying the needs of others looking for mean in their lives? 

For more related articles go here! 

Meeting The Most Powerful....

Who is the most powerful person you have ever met? For Christians, the most powerful meets us where we are. In prayer, we speak with God through Jesus, who intercedes for us. Prayer, simply put, is talking to God through our intercessor, Jesus Christ. 

I enjoy having conversations with strangers. I make every effort to move the conversation from the day-to-day into the extraordinary. One way I do this is asking people, How can I pray for you? I phrase the question this way because I’m not asking them IF but how. It is a question that usually elicits a response that is affirming rather than them giving a flat-out answer, “No, you cannot!”  I often hand them a cross to let them know that God loves them! 

Prayer connects us to God because of what Jesus did on our behalf. It is through Jesus that we have an advocate, bringing our needs before God in heaven. Without going into depth theologically, prayer is simply the lining of our will with God‘s Will.

When we pray we seek wisdom, direction, help, and hope. Through God’s Grace we have access to the most powerful, who is God. Prayer not only changes things, it changes us. “Cast all your concern on Him.” (1 Peter 5:7)

What do you need to talk to God about? 

For Even One!

Matthew 18:12-14

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

God demonstrates His love by coming to the least and lonely. He left His heavenly home to become our sin offering! 

God’s message, woven through scripture is that He reaches down to you and me. We are the lost sheep Jesus is talking about!

After the disciples had grumbled with one another about who was the greatest, Jesus instructs them using the example of a child. He reminds them to care about what matters to God!

Matthew 18:2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

I want to share with you how the scripture applies to each one of us as we think about our responsibility in God’s Kingdom, for His sake and for His glory.

I want a key in on the following passage in Matthew 18:12 - 14. It is about the good shepherd.

Our Good Shepherd has extended his grace for even just one of us!  

— The least!

— The last!

— The lost!

We love children and youth (& their families) because Jesus cares about them. **We ARE THAT ONE JESUS LEFT THE NINETY NINE TO RESCUE!!** 

Understanding of the good shepherd, who would die to protect his sheep. And even for just one, leaving the 99 for JUST ONE!! 

Children are the example Jesus gives to define the importance of the Shepherd. He notes that children are near to his heart, they are the vulnerable!

We read further that the intent for understanding the parable is to know that Jesus is divine!

John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

And further, verses 14-16. Vs. 14: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

Here we read that Jesus is the Greatest Shepherd, God with us! He is our protector and defender. He is willing to lay down his own life!

He does lay down his life as our sin offering to atone for our wrongdoing (sin). He also rises from the dead to declare his Lordship over sin, death, and the grave! 

There are three questions we are encouraged to answer as we reflect on the Word of God. 

The least! Who is beneath you?

The last! Who is behind you?

The lost! Who is outside of your vision?

Do Good!

Do good! These simple words are hard to live by – all the time by everybody. Yet, doing good is protected by many “Good Samaritan Laws”. These are laws making it possible to do good for others in need.When it within your reach and capacity to help others, it would be an ethical violation to not do good for others in need. The 9 qualities of love are eternal values. (See Galatians 5:22-23)

Galatians 6:9 :: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

God responded to our need by giving grace to everyone and He makes it possible to “do good” (against such there is no law).

In the New Testament we find encouragement to discern what is BEST in all our doings. Philippians 1:9-10 — “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ....”

Discerning what is best requires careful planning and yielding to God’s plan. It involves prayer to seek God’s best. Excellence is found in what God does and as we follow Him, we seek to not just be better but to do what is best. 

What can you do today to help others? When do you plan to do good for others.

The Lies We Tell.

Read the background story on Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus in Luke 22:54-64.

Luke 22:60-62

But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Today we can relate to Peter. Today we can understand how Peter is not all that different than you and me. 

Peter is caught lying! 

It was in Peter’s denial of Jesus that we find ourselves in the story as well. In this brief picture we hear the groans and see the tears of a man who is broken. Peter’s denial of Jesus brought Peter guilt and shame. 

Peter’s denial of Jesus reveals his most vulnerable weaknesses! 

Peter’s denial of Jesus becomes the central theme of the entirety of the cross, his death, and resurrection of Jesus. A lie precedes the Truth! 

Lies have their origin in a fallen world - in a world of sin!  Human nature is on full display, and none of us are excluded. Lies make us prisoners, in chains we are captive.

Can you hear them? Have you spoken lies to yourself? Have you lied to others?

The lies we hear.... 

In our children, we know them well enough that we could even hear the lies they tell us. Catching our kids with their hand in the cookie jar. We ask, what are you doing? They respond, “NOTHING!” 

In our closest friend, we know them well enough that we can even hear the lies they tell us. We ask, “How are you doing?” Catching them in a lie, we ask about that one thing that brings them burdens as they respond, “NOTHING IS WRONG!” 

In our spouse, we know them well enough that we can even hear the lies they tell us. We ask after a long day at work, “What did you do today?” Catching them in a lie, we know that look anytime as they respond, “NOTHING IMPORTANT!” 

You and I hear lies every day! Typically there are subtleties that we pick up on. Other times they are obvious. At yet other times, we know the truth already! 

Jesus knew a lie when he heard it! Half truths that are disguised as the right answers....

Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness when he told Jesus three lies during a time when Jesus was most vulnerable. The lies Jesus was told began with, “IF 

IF you are the Son of God.... (Matthew 4)

Jesus knew the truth! No matter what he heard — though the lies were convincing — Jesus answered the accuser by the Word of God! 

In the reading of Peter’s denial....we can hear the lies that were told. 

In this short exchange of the last supper and around the smoke of a campfire, there is both a confrontation of a lie as well as a message of the Truth of redemption.

The lies we tell.... 

1. The lies we tell ourselves... 

They are all too common. We say we are strong enough, likely, we attempt to convince ourselves. We pride ourselves in our abilities and overlook our vulnerabilities. We say that we are strong enough! 

The lies we tell ourselves are not all that different than what Peter told himself. “I am strong enough!”

The lies we tell ourselves are many...each one of us are capable of telling ourselves lies! We do this daily! We hear a lie and potentially convince ourselves of it’s substance and tell ourselves those lies.

Have you heard and believed those lies?

• I am worthless.
• I am not capable.
• I can’t!
• I doubt it!
• I can’t believe that!
• I ...precedes ...the lies we hear and tell ourselves.

Most of our untruths are things we were told to believe and we repeated these lies by telling them to ourselves! 

Too often we have deceived ourselves. We believed ally that we heard and we have repeated that lie to ourselves. Peter found himself at that moment repeating what he has heard and believed from the master deceiver himself, Satan

But there is more! 

1. The lies we tell others....

When confronted by Jesus during their last supper together, Jesus predicted the betrayal. Perhaps deep down inside Peter knew to defend himself against what has become the inevitable. “Lord, I will be with you! I will not leave you!”

But Jesus knew better. He could peer into the very heart of Peter - as too in all of us. 

He knows Peter best. Jesus spent three years with his disciples but he knew them even before we met them. Jesus, as God in creation knew the vulnerabilities and the trespasses & deceptions of a man’s heart!

The lies we tell...

Stemming from the lies we tell ourselves are the lies that we tell others. You can see, as we attempt to convince ourselves, in own strength, apart from the power of God in our lives, we convince ourselves! 

We may believe that we can do far more than what we can in reality. We even verbalize those beliefs by telling others. 

We believe a lie, convinced of its merit, and repeat that to others! 

Perhaps, it’s the lies that we were told, those half truths that we were convinced of that make this passage real for us today! 

We identify with Peter who was caught in a lie; in his tragic exchange during his denial, the rooster crowed! He looks up to see Jesus looking back at him! 

• his hand is in the cookie jar.
• his dishonesty to his best friend is brought to light.
• his report to his spouse of his day was worse than he first admitted!

On this Good Friday, with the overshadowed darkness that was to consume the earth through the death of Jesus, we are confronted with the lies we hear, and the lies we tell ourselves, and the lies we tell others. 

We are reminded that it is Jesus, who is acquainted with our temptations, (though he never sinned), in-which he would understand the humanness of mankind! As Jesus went to the cross He knew His purpose; that of redemption!

We are filled with guilt but God’s grace is filled with an abundance of hope!

Through the cross, we are confronted with sin but in this we discover the Truth of God’s amazing Grace! 

It is NO LIE...

... we are redeemed through the unselfish love of a mercy we don’t deserve,

...a hope we cannot manufacture, 

...a grace we cannot buy, 

...a redemption we receive,

...which is unmerited favor of God through Jesus Christ! 

Lies make us prisoners but, through Jesus Christ, the truth shall set us free!

Bread of Life

My wife loves to bake fresh bread. Growing up I love the smell of freshly baked bread and even going into a bakery, is a favorite of mine. The aroma is so enticing. I’m sure that you could say the same thing. There’s just something about the aroma fresh baked bread‘s. In a previous article you may have read about the elevation of the automatic bread slicing machine. If not take a look here.

Better than sliced bread. It is a slogan we use for innovative ideas. The invention of a bread slicing machine in 1927 brought in a new era of pre-sliced bread. Convenience was never better. This was such an innovative item at the time. When Jesus was on earth he smoke a very different ideas. People were drawn to him because he was not just a miracle worker but a man of great wisdom. There’s also a man of great love. 

People are drawn to him because of his unfailing love.
Jesus says about himself, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) Jesus taught that He is more satisfying than nourishment from daily bread. We need daily nourishment to sustain this physical life. We also need spiritual nourishment in order to keep the spirit and soul connected to God. Mini draw their inspiration from what I read it scripture and certainly the example of what Jesus represented and who He is can make a profound difference in all of our lives.

Furthermore, we find that God intended for us to live a blessed life. Not necessarily a life free from struggle but nevertheless a life that is happy, and spiritual terms we might see fulfilled. We read in scripture that God’s blessings our new each morning. In the book of Lamentations, and of all places where the writer is lamenting, that is been Sorrowful we find a spark of hope!

What do you normally put on your slice of bread? How can the Bread of Life nourish your soul?

A “Let Us” Salad Is Healthy!

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about gardening. As spring means greater warmth and sunshine, it is also a time for planting. April showers produces me flowers, as the saying goes. Preparing the soil music as important as planting seeds.

It’s a great time to be outdoors as well. Breaking out all of the patio furniture and cleaning up the grill is a favorite for most people; Spring cleaning can be motivating. I especially love the sunrises and sunsets that we can see. God’s blessings are new each morning! 

Newness can be found afresh in 2021 when we have gone through they terribly difficult year with a pandemic and civil unrest, we have not seen such incredible news events in our lifetime! Yet, there is good news on the horizon! 

I’m reminded of the story of The Good Shepherd from Matthew 18. In this account we find the disciples arguing as to who his greatest. Yet, we see the response from Jesus in the form of a story!

Sheep tending was a common practice in ancient biblical days. In those days it was a highly honored position among the most lowly of status positions. you were in trusted with the welfare of some of the most honorable of creatures, the sheep. 

There are three things that come to mind as I think about this but first let me tell you a joke. **What do sheep like to eat? Think about that for a minute as I break down further what my three thoughts are. I’ll tell you the punchline soon. 

Similar we find in Hebrews chapter 10 the importance of understanding sheep in the meaning of the parable.

 - Flock Together. Sheep we’re safest when they were with the great Shepherd but even been together as a Flock meant a certain level of safety versus being left alone.

 - Encourage One Another. The metaphor that we find is that Jesus encouraged his disciples to stay together for the purpose of encouraging one another. Did you know that there are over 70 “one another“ sayings in the Bible? Certainly it is something that we need to do. 

You may ask, how do we know if someone needs encouragement? I love what S. Truitt Cathy said, founder of Chick-fil-A. He said we can tell if someone needs encouragement if they are still breathing! 

**What do sheep like to eat? Baaaaanaaaanaaas! 😂

 - Have compassion for the lost. We also find that Jesus left the 99 other sheep for that one that had been separated from the flock. Why did it matter? After all, he had 99 which was a pretty reasonable profit for a businessman. But those that tend to the sheep do not see this as mere prophets. Neither did Jesus when he said that one who has left the flock is important! He risked going after the one, who may, metaphorically speaking be you or me! 

What is this have to do with a vegetable salad? In Hebrews chapter 10 we find four types of “Let us”. This is likened to a food, it is vita nurisent to our spiritual nourishment; a food staple.

Let us: Draw Near- vs 23 (to God)
Let us: Hold Fast- vs 24 (to truth/from the world)
Let us: Consider one another- vs 24 (to others)
Let us: Not neglect meeting together. vs 24

Do Good = The word “good” appears 749 times throughout the books of the Bible.

Here are the 40 most encouraging Bible scriptures on doing good. :: 40 Encouraging Bible Scriptures on Doing Good – ConnectUS

2020 was a rough year and there is hope in the spring of 2021.

Given all the new language that we have come to understand during the COVID year, allow me tell you some of the good things that God is doing!

In this new day in which we live, we are learning new terms. Let me reflect on this and offer new hope from the lesson on The Good Shepherd and the “Let us” salad. Please hold the tomatoes! 

2020 has taught us new terms that we are now using every day and I vocabulary. Terms like social distancing and mandatory masks, and, like never before we have heard from the CDC.

We may have been issued executive orders to require us to quarantine because of COVID-19; instructing us to wear a mask to prevent the spread have a deadly virus; and to distance ourselves from one another! But I tell you this, that’s social isolation might prevent the spread of a deadly germ but we cannot escape death, Eternity has always been knocking at our door!

The face-mask may prevent the spread of the germ but there is good news, we should be spreading the seed of life to everyone. It is good news because of Jesus Christ! What if we could get the gospel to spread like a wild virus?!

We need to remember that only in Christ do we have the right PPE — Personal Protection Equipment - which is prayer and worship as well as through the reading of His Word; We can have our sins forgiven, God eternal PPP - Payment Protection Plan (because He paid it all!) and by his blood we are healed!

In the age of the cancel culture, God has cancelled our sin and redeemed us through Jesus! The World may want to cancel you but God reconciles everyone unto Himself! We are redeemed through His Blood! They may try to cancel your message but God‘s truth cannot be ignored!

We know that every life matters to God, #BlackLivesMatter do indeed matter, as does the life of the unborn! God our Creator, who has knit us together while in our mothers womb and has gifted us through the power of the Holy Spirit for every good work!

While tensions and worries seem to be on the decline there is talk of “herd”immunity through vaccine! Yet, I am here to encourage you that there is only one remedy to the deadly results of sin - which is through Jesus Christ alone. His grace and shed blood is sufficient. You don’t need a second dose because he has done all that is necessary, once and for always!
We can come together as a church to benefit from “flock” immunity!

In spite of all the “fake news” there is GOOD NEWS! 
I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away! **Jesus has paid the debt the He did not  own!**

Life is fleeting! I am reminded that we need to make the best of the times as we have them, moments matter! 

Religion and ritual alone will not save us. Communion with Jesus and his church is necessary. It’s about a relationship. It’s about hearing his voice and staying together that we can be found in the safety of The Great Shepherd, Jesus.

Time Is Fleeting.

Time is always constant. There are 86,400 seconds each day that are given to everyone, no matter who they are!  No matter what you do to save time, it passes on. Companies push for more efficient ways of delivering services and solutions in efforts to save time. The last time you were in a fast food lane or sitting at a stop light, how did you use your time? 

Investing in people is what really matters. A friend of mine once used to say, You impress people from a dis trance, you impact them up close.” This has become my motto. I usually follow that saying by the words: impact people!

How we use those precious fleeting moments is up you. When they pass, they cannot be made up. I am grateful that God gives us the choose to invest in these moments. Each moment passed may be a missed opportunity. There are many times that we feel like we need to take some time to watch a movie series or even the NAIA Basketball games. Time marches on no matter what. 

Many reason that certain kind of activities are better than other ones but in reality, time is no respect to people, it is equally distributed on a daily basis. It is what we invest in that may determine the lasting impact of our use of time. Like money, once we cash it in, it is gone. We may be able to make more money but it is how we invest it that matters.

 

I love the saying, “What we do here echoes for eternity!” It is how we steward the use of time, and money, that matters. If we are intent on investing time into someone, in God’s scale, it is never really wasted. It is an investment in someone that really makes the difference. 

What we do here today echoes for eternity!  (Psalm 90:12)

What keeps you busy? How do you choose to use your 86,400 seconds each day?

Weather Changes But Not God!

I love experiencing all four seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall are all favorites for me. Yet, I enjoy winter most of all. I love the fresh-fallen snow and the purity it reflects that often reminds me of what Isaiah wrote about my sin, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) It is my reminder of the joy I feel knowing of God’s Grace for you and me! 

For Hoosiers, we may experience each season in any given week. If you don’t like today’s weather, just wait, it will change could be our state motto. We are all like the typical people of the mid-west, we are too often settled in our spirit about the weather. We complain that is it too cold or too hot. We are not content with what we have because in every season, there is blessings we receive whether we receive fresh fallen snow or rain, sun or shade. 

When we reflect on the incredible grace God gives us, we can rejoice evermore. Take a look at the blog entry from a while ago. 

Seasons change, they come and go but there are some things that never change! One is the loving, grace-filled, faithfulness of God’s Word and His Love. (Hebrews 13:8) thankfully God does not change! His love for us is constant and sure. We can trust Him for what He gives is always right. 

Do you like change? How does it help knowing that His Word (the Bible) does not change?

Recipe For Life!

Family recipes are best kept secrets. They are passed down over generations to family. These recipes are very personal and must be followed exactly as written. If followed correctly, the taste is exact! It is unmistakable and unique in taste and quality. 

Similarly, family legacies are passed down from generation ti generation! 

Family secrets are not always negative. They are best kept secrets that reflect quality in character and quality of love. Both for one another and others, family is central. I have met many families and enjoy the stories of where their family originates. 

Sometimes we get hung up on negative past experiences. These are not supposed to be what defines out identity but they do define our future. We can determine how we handle those experiences. With God, we can find redemptive outcomes. If we remain bitter, we become prisoners to those circumstances. Yet, it may very well be that there is a hopeful outcome just around the corner.

Doing genealogy tracing has yielded family secrets of revolutionary and civil war heroes. I have discovered legacies and stories that have changed how I even view my current narrative. I feel blessed by what has been a part of my family tree. 

When I ask about our family tree from my elders, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and parents, I am often impressed by the many times they have maintained faith through hardships and terrible tragedies. Even negative stories offer redemptive hope. The stories are a part of who we are today. 

There is a recipe for life eternal that is not asecret yet few find it. This is also passed down to generations but it shows the way to eternal life. It begins with God’s plan thatsays, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” (Read more at John 3:16-17)

What family recipes do you have hidden away?How do you feel knowing that God loves you?