Choose Life

 October 31, 2021

They were dangerous times. Assyria was the superpower of the age, and were poised to sweep down like a vulture upon a weak and divided Israel. The Assyrians were known for their exceptional cruelty in an age when cruelty was the norm. They were dangerous times indeed; in such times people search for answers, and there were then as now, no shortage of those ready to supply them, true or not. Enter Isaiah.

“When they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” —Isaiah 8:19-20 

I used to think Isaiah was speaking only of occult practices, but lately my understanding has expanded. In our own dangerous times, it’s not primarily mediums and wizards who whisper and mutter into our ears. It’s politicians, experts, media talking heads, even friends and family members. Everyone has a take on what’s wrong and how to fix it, and most of us are more than ready to listen to their whisperings. God tells us not to do it.

“To the law and testimony,” Isaiah thunders. “Why are you seeking the dead on behalf of the living?” Life isn’t to be found on Fox or CNN. It’s only found in Jesus, the One who fulfilled the Law, and the One about whom the Scriptures testify (John 5:39). 

There are only two choices—Death and Life. The world is filled with those who would drag us towards death and it’s companions despair, fear, confusion, and manipulation. There are those who call evil good and good evil; others who constantly peddle fear instead of faith; still others who sow confusion in order to manipulate and control. Only Jesus Christ offers life, full and abundant. In Deuteronomy 30:19, we are offered a choice: “I set before you this day life and death; choose life.” How do we do that? By choosing Jesus. St. Paul assures us that when we do, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). 

Don’t listen to the talking heads. They speak death. Listen to the One who is Head of his body, the Church, who offers life to anyone who is willing to repent and believe.

Saturday Night

October 30, 2021

For many people, Saturday night is prime time to go out to eat, to the movies, a concert, a play, or a sports event. It never worked that way in the Bailey household. Sunday morning was immanent, and I was always too keyed up to enjoy Saturday evenings. I can’t say how much my wife and kids suffered because of all this, but I do know there were plenty of missed gatherings. If it were something I couldn’t wiggle out of, my body might be present, but my mind was always elsewhere, refining and rehearsing the next day’s sermon.

These days, my preaching schedule has quite a bit more breathing room; once every six weeks or so, I am asked to fill in at one of the congregations under our pastor’s care. Having more than a week to prepare is a godsend, relieving my wife of a distracted husband, and me of the continual tenseness of always having to be thinking ahead about next Sunday.

I’m not complaining; sermonizing affects each pastor differently. I know pastors who eagerly look forward to the next opportunity to preach. They are fired up and ready to go, starting with Monday. Like a dog straining at the leash, they can’t wait to preach! Me—not so much. I was always like, “Do I have to do this again so soon?”

And yet…digging into the Scriptures, wrestling with the texts till I was able to squeeze every last drop of blessing from them, was always a challenge and an ultimate joy, even when those texts resisted my best efforts to unlock their treasures. I’ve been wrestling this entire week, and tomorrow will reveal whether or not I managed to get the job done. I’m praying, but until tomorrow afternoon, I won’t know. 

Preachers all around the world tonight are in the same boat; they’ve read, prayed, studied, prayed, written, prayed, and, oh yes…prayed some more, begging the Father to enliven their own souls so they can be avenues of grace to their hearers.  It’s Saturday night. Sunday is coming. May the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ go forth with grace and power! Amen.

 

“Z”

 October 29, 2021

The creek that circles around behind our home is raging tonight. Though it sits on gravel, our lawn has standing puddles and is soggy and spongy to the step. This has been the rainiest summer and autumn I can remember, and the forecast shows little sign of letting up in the near future. It’s been so wet that things that have sat in the drawers of our bedroom dressers have mildewed. If this persists through winter, we’ll be shoveling tunnels in the snow. 

This afternoon, I met a gentleman in a McDonald’s parking lot east of Rochester, about 150 miles from home. He had some Prius wheels for sale at a bargain price, and I needed a set to mount the winter snow tires I bought a couple weeks ago. If the precipitation persists, I’m definitely going to need them! 

We talked about living where we do, and despite rain and snow, neither of us have any complaints. We don’t (often) get tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, mud slides, drought, floods, forest fires, or any of countless other natural disasters that plague so many parts of our country. We get…snow. That’s about it. The occasional high wind may topple a few trees, but those events are usually pretty localized. Once in awhile, conditions are just right for an ice storm that brings down electric lines, but most of the time, it’s just the snow.

When men get together, we usually talk about our jobs, sports, politics (depending on how much we’re itching for a fight), or the weather. Most of the time, we’re complaining about whichever topic is hot for discussion, so a casual weather conversation that sees the positive side of things was a welcome gift today. So, although he may not have realized it, “Z” was a messenger from God to me today, with a positive attitude and a zest for life that was inspirational. A handshake and a smile, and we parted ways, most likely never to meet again. That’s OK; his enthusiasm was infectious. Tomorrow, I’ll have the opportunity to pass it along as I help watch over our church’s craft show. Maybe there’ll be someone there who needs encouragement; if so, I have some to spare, thanks to my new friend today, for whom I give thanks tonight.

Real Prayer

 October 28, 2021

The structure of Psalm 55 is interesting. Verses 1-15 is David’s prayer to God. In verse 16 however, the language changes from the second to the third person, in other words, he is no longer speaking to God, but of God. Who is he addressing? Then, in verse 23, he returns to speaking in the second person, ie, he is praying to God.

I wonder if in his prayer, he is pausing to remind himself of the One to Whom he is praying, reassuring himself of God’s faithfulness and reminding himself of his need to cast his burden on the LORD instead of just complaining about his situation (v.22). I know this is a correction I need to implement in more of my prayers. Too often, they begin and end in a laundry list of all the things I think aren’t right, and what I want God to do about it—not a very good way to address the Sovereign of heaven and earth! 

Sometimes even in prayer, we cease praying and are merely reciting our woes. Prayer that fails to recognize the Object of our petitions is no prayer at all. I suspect many of my prayers have gone unanswered because I wasn’t really praying; I was only complaining, and to no one in particular, even though I mentioned the Name of the Lord in my speech.

After reminding himself who he was talking to, David returns to prayer, declaring his trust and confidence in God who would vindicate him in righteous judgment. If my prayers don’t conclude in confidence, I haven’t really prayed at all, so I must search my heart, adjust my petitions until I can rise from my knees fully confident that that for which I have prayed, I will receive.

Disaster?

 October 27, 2021

Psalm 91 has long been a staple at funerals, giving comfort and hope to the grieving, but it is even more, a Messianic psalm pointing to Jesus, as Satan himself pointed out during Jesus’ 40 days and nights of temptation in the wilderness. It speaks of God’s protection and provision in times of challenge and difficulty, but presents no small difficulty itself. Hear what it says:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

He shall cover you with His feathers, 

And under His wings you shall take refuge; 

His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, 

Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 

Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, 

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”

—Psalm 91:1, 4-6 

So far, so good. Read the last two lines: We need not fear pestilence, ie disease that threatens life itself. Good words for these COVID times!

But the psalm goes on to say in verses 9 and 10, 

“Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, 

Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 

No evil shall befall you, 

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;”

 

We know this last line isn’t true. I know more than one God-follower and Christ-lover who has had this plague invade his house and even kill. What do we do with such statements? Skeptics who watch us would say we are exercising cognitive dissonance—holding together two conflicting concepts and not seeing the irony of it.

I’m no Hebrew scholar, but I suspect the problem is in translation rather than intent. The NIV renders this last line as follows:

“no harm will overtake you, 

no disaster will come near your tent.”

The question then turns on how we define “disaster.” As a Christian, a lot of bad things can happen to me that I cannot call disasters. St. Paul put it as starkly as possible when while in a Roman prison he said of the possibility of his execution by the Roman authorities, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Christ has redeemed all things for the believer; nothing can come our way except through the permission of our Heavenly Father who loves us so much he gave his Son to die for our sins. Harm cannot overtake us, disaster no longer exists for us; only the will of God.

I don’t have to like everything that comes my way, but whatever it may be, it cannot be disastrous; the worse that can happen to me will usher me into the presence of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Disaster, indeed! 

Wild Animals

October 26, 2021

All three Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness at the start of his public ministry, but Mark (1:3) merely gives us the headline without any detailed copy below except for one small detail: “He was with the wild beasts.”

Sometimes the nature of the struggle isn’t as significant as the fact that we wrestled with wild beasts, and survived. Deserts are harsh places; they aren’t the refreshing streams of Psalm 23, but are the flaming furnace of testing. If the place weren’t bad enough, wild animals are there, unpredictable and hungry for prey. Watchfulness is necessary—always being on guard. Fortunately, where there are animals, there are also angels. Our problem often is that it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. What seems like the attack of the devil may be the admonishing of the Holy Spirit. These angels are no Raphaellen cherubs, but fierce warriors who strike fear into the hearts of those they meet.

Were it not for the insistence of the Holy Spirit driving us into desert places, we wouldn’t go, and finding ourselves there, we would think it the work of the devil. But it wasn’t Satan who drove Jesus into desert places. God did, that he might meet…and defeat the Enemy of our souls. And if Jesus had to enter the desert and face wild beasts, so must we. 

It’s often said that God doesn’t give us more than we can bear, but if that were so, why the need for angels here? God often gives us more than we can bear, but it never more than he can bear. For that, I am thankful tonight.

 

In the Quiet Place

 October 25, 2021

She was not just poor; she was destitute. Her husband had died, leaving her with two sons who were about to become slaves to pay off some indebtedness. This practice, abhorrent to us, was commonplace around the world for most of history. When she appealed to the prophet for help, he asked a simple, but profound question: “What do you have in the house?” All she had was a little cooking oil. 

“Borrow containers from everywhere, from all your neighbors…don’t gather just a few,” he instructed. She did as told, and followed his further instructions to shut herself and her sons in and begin pouring oil from her little jug into the containers. She did so, and filled every container to the brim. Only then did the oil cease. She was able to pay off her husband’s debt and had enough left over to live on.

It’s such a fanciful story that skeptics are, well…skeptical. But there are important truths here we should not dismiss lightly.

1. She had a debt she couldn’t pay. We are in the same boat, indebted by our sin and unable to pay the price of our redemption. 

2. God used what she had before providing what she didn’t have. Too often, we see only our lack, and miss the miracle God wants to perform with the little we do have. When we focus our attention on our lack, we become blind to God’s ability to make something great of something insignificant.

3. This widow involved others—her sons and her neighbors. Already in debt, she indebted herself even more by asking to borrow vessels. Sometimes progress looks like regress. God started with what she had, but required her to borrow what she didn’t have. It is a stretch of faith to go deeper in what looks like the wrong direction simply on the basis of a word.

4. She shut herself in. This is where miracles happen. God often does his best work in secret; not all Jesus’ miracles were public. It was behind closed doors where only she and her sons could see what was happening. Everyone else was left wondering where all this oil came from. Inner provision and strength come from time spent behind closed doors, pouring out our souls to God.

So where is my desperate need? Who will I enlist to help? Am I ready to shut myself away so God can do his work in me?

Joel

 October 24, 2021

“I have a few things I’d like to bring out to you.” It was Jo-Anne, asking if I would be home in the afternoon.

“Give me a call or text when you get near, and I’ll be sure to be there to meet you,” I responded. About 4:15, the doorbell rang. She came in, and she, Linda and I sat at the kitchen table for about half an hour, talking about her and Joel’s life together and of the illness that took him from us more than two years ago. Distance kept us from getting together as much as either of us wanted, but almost from the first time we met more than twenty years ago, Joel and I shared an affinity I can’t explain. 

Joel grew up in Vietnam, son of missionaries who were evacuated in scenes replayed recently in the withdrawal debacle in Afghanistan. Sitting in Willie’s courtyard in Cuba, or talking late into the night before drifting off to sleep, he spoke of feeling more at home there than in his native USA, a feeling I understood in a way. Growing up, I struggled to fit in, and never really found that place where I felt I truly belonged. I wasn’t popular in school, didn’t excel at athletics, and was only so-so in the music I loved. Even there, I was somewhat of an outlier, loving the smooth harmonies of jazz and even (gasp!) the lush sound of Mantovani’s strings.

Joel was a scholar at heart, and was on track for his PhD, planning to be an administrator for a missionary school when the model for American missions took an abrupt turn and his plans evaporated almost overnight. On one of our trips together, he shared how it was pretty devastating for him; so when he discovered Cuba, he found his niche and his purpose, and grabbed at it like a drowning man for a life preserver. Above all, his desire was to establish seminarios where young Cuban Christians could study and prepare to be leaders in the church.

His enthusiasm was contagious; his passion for the people of Cuba was responsible for opening my eyes to the possibilities awaiting there as he introduced me to people, and encouraged me to press deeper into the ministry. We were so different in personality, but so alike in heart that it was really no surprise that we became such good friends. When the cancer took him, I knew I had lost a friend and brother never to be replaced. 

I had the honor of speaking at his memorial service, and told my favorite Joel story:

We were preparing for what turned out to be the last of our Cuban adventures together. The church foyer was overflowing with suitcases and supplies which we would be taking with us. Joel was being Joel, striding from suitcase to suitcase, tossing supplies into whichever one was open, trying to even up the weight distribution so we wouldn’t have to pay extra for heavier baggage. 

The next morning, we are at the airport, checking our bags; no problem…until we go through security and carry-on X-rays. The man operating the machine looked from the screen to me, and back to the screen before taking me aside. “Do you want to take these back to your vehicle?” he asked kindly. 

“Take what back?” He asked me to open my carry-on, and when I did, I knew immediately there was a problem. Joel had tossed a full set of kitchen cutlery into my carry-on, thinking it was to be a checked bag. “Our transportation has left,” I responded sheepishly. The agent was patient. 

“Are you sure you can’t take this back to your car?” I repeated my answer and told him he’d have to throw them out. He reluctantly did so, and I went through the rest of security thanking God he didn’t call the authorities and have me hauled away.

Jo-Anne’s visit today brought those memories flooding back, giving me pause to once more thank God for this saint whose contagious enthusiasm for missions and love for Christ opened to me a whole new life, changing mine forever.

George

 October 23, 2021

Someone asked me today what I was doing in retirement. I mentioned a few things, one of which was these nightly musings. When she asked what I wrote about, I said, “anything from mundane experiences to reflections on Scripture.” Tonight, it’s the former rather than the latter. 

George was sitting on a bench in the hallway when I walked in. I greeted him and walked on by, making a mental note that he didn’t seem to fit in with the crowd that had gathered. It was this afternoon’s Walk for Life, an annual march to raise awareness for the pro-life movement, and our local pro-life women’s health center in particular. In addition to today’s walk, Options Care Center hosted a craft show, with dozens of vendors. George didn’t walk, and didn’t look to be a likely customer for any of the vendors there. 

You see, George was a rather unkempt man, grizzled beard, ragged clothes, “unwashed.” As the vendor show was winding down, George showed up in the kitchen of the church where a few individuals were cleaning up from the hotdog and chip lunch that had been provided for the walkers and workers. The roaster still held half a dozen dogs, so Jessie, the director of Options, offered him one. I snagged one from the roaster and placed it on the bun he had ready and waiting. He grabbed another bun. Four hotdogs later, he was ready to tackle the cookies laid out in a box. About a dozen of them made their way into a plastic bag beside the dogs. 

I must admit, my initial reaction was, “Hey, take it easy on the dogs,” until I looked him over again. Those dogs might have been the only real meal he’s had in awhile, and who am I to begrudge him a few cookies? 

We talked a bit; I learned where he lives—in a rather poor and ragged part of town. I had some work to do cleaning up, so I left him in the kitchen with some others; before I knew it, he was gone, and I hadn’t prayed with him. I hope I can run across him again. To me, he was an angel sent by God to test my faith and kindness to “the least of these.” If I passed the test, it was a squeaker. Fortunately, it wasn’t a final, and the grace he needs is also the grace I need. To be honest, spending a little time with him was immeasurably more pleasurable to me than if I had spent that same time with some of the more refined people I know. 

This morning’s Scripture comes to mind:

“God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me— 

Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. 

Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. 

If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’ 

If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.”

—Proverbs 30:7-9 MSG

Accomplishment

 October 22, 2021

When I was still in elementary school, my mother came home one day and announced to me that she had seen my IQ test, that I had scored well above average, and she expected me to live up to it. She never did disclose what my score actually was, which makes me wonder in retrospect whether that announcement was merely a ploy to get me to work harder. Back then, it wasn’t considered poor parenting to push your child to excel academically, but I’ve lived in the shadow of that afternoon my entire life.

I think I’ve worked hard, but I’ve watched others accomplish far more than I, and have often wondered whether I’ve lived up to my potential. That’s an OK thought when you’re twenty, but it’s a bit late when you’re seventy-two. 

I don’t suppose I’m the only one who has looked back on life and wished I had made better choices in one or another matter. I’ve invested most of my life in this little village I call home, while other pastors I know have moved to what they considered bigger and better places. I’ve often phrased it thusly: “We can choose breadth or depth of experience, but not both.” I don’t have the breadth of experience that comes with living in different places, but I do have the depth of friendships that go back nearly forty years.

Nevertheless, I have often wondered about that announcement my mother made so many years ago, but just when my reminiscences begin to turn into regrets, I come across a Scripture much like this morning’s reading from Psalm 22. This psalm is  what Jesus quoted while hanging on the cross for our sins, speaking of the suffering he endured for us. But the psalm doesn’t wallow in self-pity or despair; Jesus didn’t wonder as he hung there dying, whether his life had been worth it. He didn’t see the crowds that followed, then fainted; he didn’t bemoan having lived 33 years in a backwater part of the Roman Empire, never traveling more than 90 miles from home except when his parents were exiles in Egypt when he was a toddler.

This is what was on his mind: 

“Future generations will serve him; 

they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation. 

People not yet born will be told: 

“The Lord saved his people.””

—Psalm 22:30-31 

I certainly wouldn’t put myself anywhere near on par with our Lord Jesus Christ, but the words of this psalm give me the same encouragement they gave him at the most difficult time of his life. If I have accomplished no more than to pass along to my children the faith I follow, it will have been enough. Knowing they follow Christ and are teaching their children to do the same tells me that if everything else I ever accomplished went up in smoke, my life still would not have been wasted.

Quiet

 October 21, 2021

Noise and sound…a conversation with our granddaughter yesterday focused at one point upon these two words. She expects by the first of the month to be in NYC for her work. She’s been there before, and has learned some things about herself from the experience. “I’m a country girl. I don’t think I could live in the city permanently (like one of her high school friends is doing). It’s never dark and never quiet.” 

I understand. I’ve been tempted more than once to shoot out the street light in front of our house. Since I’m a village trustee, that probably wouldn’t be too good an idea, but I’ve been tempted. One of the things I particularly enjoyed on our Canadian canoe trips years ago was being beyond the haze of city lights at night. The stars popped out like never before in the darkness of Algonquin. Most of the park was off-limits to motorboats, so the nighttime quiet was loud with peepers and the call of the loons.

Even today, as one who loves music, I rarely turn on the radio. I can drive for hours in a silence that envelops me with its peace. I would love it more were it not for the continual ringing in my ears that has plagued me since childhood. I don’t know what real silence sounds like. 

I do know this…it often takes quiet stillness to be able to hear God speak. We have filled our lives with so much noise and sound that his voice is barely heard, for he doesn’t shout often. He calls to us in the stillness, as he indicates in psalm 46:10–“Be still, and know that I am God.” Often, like Elijah, we expect God to speak through the storm, earthquake, and fire, but he waits till we are silent.

We are blessed with myriad forms of communication, enabling us to livestream worship, listen to world-class preachers, attend seminars on all sorts of Christian topics. I wonder however, if sometimes all that is available to us ends up being so much noise, deadening our ability to listen in silence for the God who whispers. I wonder how much we would profit by turning off the tv, laying down the newspaper, setting aside our phones, laptops, and tablets, and picking up the Bible. I guess the only way to find out is to try doing it.

Praise

 October 20, 2021

The day was about as full as it could get—with food and people. Breakfast and prayer with my pastor friends, lunch and conversation with our granddaughter Alex, and dinner with dear friends of more than forty years, catching up before they head south for the winter. We are blessed with so many good people in our lives that it’s hard sometimes to keep track of them all. 

Sitting down to write this evening, my attention was again drawn as it was first thing this morning to Psalm 50:23—“Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.” So often in casual conversation, the talk settles on all that’s wrong in this world. There’s no shortage of problems, and we get fixated on them, but rehashing all of life’s ills does nothing to make things better; if anything, it makes us worse, ladening us down with the heavy burden of helplessness and complaint. And my complaints do little to glorify God. Instead, they are a backhanded way of telling him we think he’s doing a poor job of being God.

Praise and thanksgiving on the heels of repentance are the only way out of the pit we dig through ingratitude and complaint. And once we start climbing out, if we look over our shoulder, we’ll see all sorts of foul inhabitants of that pit—jealousy, greed, lust, depression, anger, hatred, and pride—all that is well to leave behind us.

I had no sooner sat down to write when Linda called from the kitchen: “Jim—look up Proverbs 19:14!” I did, and this is what I found: “Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.” After asking how long she had to search for that one, I pointed out verse 13—“A quarrelsome wife is like the continuous dripping of a leaky roof.” We had a good laugh, and with the help of a little makeup, my eye doesn’t look too bad.

Seriously, when we look at the life God has set before us, we are continually amazed and grateful for the blessings of each other, our families and friends. We enjoy good health, and all the creature comforts we could ever need. Most of all, we have our Lord Jesus Christ, and each other. We rubbed shoulders with extreme wealth today, but none of it is as enticing as the life we have right now, and the hope we have for tomorrow.

God’s Mirror

 October 19, 2021

Sometimes when I meet with other pastors, I get irritated. Linda says I’m just an old grouch, and I suppose she’s right, but back to my story. Pastors can on occasion, pontificate in a way that to me, seems somewhat arrogant. I don’t believe they intend to do so, but it’s the way I sometimes see things. In other words, it’s my problem, not theirs. When that last happened, I texted Linda in the middle of the prayer time, telling her, “so far, it’s meeting my (low) expectations.” Not very spiritual, I’m afraid.

Linda texted back, “Jim Bailey, you pray for them!!! And for yourself.” She was right, so I did. Almost immediately, God gave me an answer for the issue the leader had presented. I had been judging this pastor instead of praying for him, and in so doing, was in the wrong far more than he might have been, and was unable to be the avenue for God’s Word that I needed to be.

We tend to use Scripture to illumine other peoples’ sins, but God intends us to use it as a mirror, reflecting back to us how we look to him. I can be completely correct in my evaluation of someone else while being completely wrong in my heart attitude. I’m not sure my evaluation of my brother was correct, but I know my heart was not. Fortunately, I have a godly wife who isn’t afraid to confront me with my own issues. I shouldn’t be surprised; when God speaks to me, it often sounds like it’s coming from Linda’s mouth.

October18,2021

Today’s post isn’t my own, but conveys my sentiment regarding God’s purposes for my grandchildren. Linda and I are privileged to have them living within walking distance and having them overnight twice each month, allowing us to add our support and perspective to the guidance they receive from their parents. We do all we can to let them know God has created them for this hour, and will be with them no matter what. Here are the words of Alex Cravens:

 Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be.

God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.

Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God.

Train them up in the authority of His Word.

Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control.

Empower them to know they can change the world.

Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it.

Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.

He knew Daniel could handle the lions den. 

He knew David could handle Goliath.

He knew Esther could handle Haman.

He knew Peter could handle persecution.

He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it!

Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose YOU to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime.

Rise up to the challenge.

Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters!

God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world.

He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth.

Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.

#CarryTheLight

Falling Hard

 October 17, 2021

Todd led devotion with the worship team this morning with these words: “Lean hard into Jesus, and when you fall, fall hard into Jesus.” Those words were like arrows to my heart. I’ve often used the phrase, “lean hard into Jesus,” but I’ve never before thought of falling into Jesus. 

I wish I could count the number of times I’ve fallen on one hand, but it would take all the fingers and toes of those Jesus fed on the mountainside…plus…to do it. It always felt like I was falling away from Jesus, but every time, he caught me. In spite of myself, I was falling into Jesus. 

In the upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter boasted that even if all the others denied Jesus, he would be faithful. Jesus’ response was, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32).

Jesus prayed for him, and he prays for us. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Peter often leaned on Jesus, but that night he fell hard and Jesus caught him. I’ve leaned on Jesus, but I’ve fallen hard, too. I thought I was falling away into a pit, but Jesus has never failed to catch me before I hit the bottom. He has never failed to catch me, and for that, I am grateful tonight.

Obadiah

 October 16, 2021

It’s no news to anyone that we live in an age of political polarization. Our ability to meet in the middle has all but disappeared as we fear giving an inch lest the other side take a mile. It’s just a fact of modern political life. What is really sad however, is how this winner take all attitude has infiltrated the Church. I’ve watched as people have left the church, offended because the pastor inadvertently said something they interpreted as politically charged from the other side than their own. Loyalty to Christ has been replaced by loyalty to a political platform.

I wonder what Obadiah and Elijah thought of each other. Obadiah loved the LORD, even to the point of sheltering 100 prophets queen Jezebel was intent on murdering. Having already massacred a bunch of them, she had proven she was no slouch when it came to carrying out threats. Obadiah had taken his life in his own hands to provide for them, especially since he was overseer of king Ahab’s palace. He rubbed elbows with corruption in high places daily.

Elijah on the other hand, was openly defiant of the king, and as such, had a price on his head. I can imagine Elijah thinking Obadiah couldn’t possibly be loyal to God when serving such despicable God-haters as Ahab and Jezebel. And when Elijah decided to present himself to Ahab, he found Obadiah and told him to tell Ahab to get ready to meet him. Obadiah was suspicious, and worried that Elijah would skip town, igniting Ahab’s ire and bringing down destruction on his own head.

It’s hard to see someone on the other side of the political aisle as having any semblence of faithfulness. I’ve read enough and listened enough to people on both sides to recognize the suspicion in their voices. “How can a genuine Christian possibly support that lying womanizer Trump?” “How could a genuine Christian support lying Biden who supports the killing of preborn babies?”

I have my own questions, but I also know people whose integrity I trust even if I don’t trust their judgment. I have questions about their positions on various political matters, but the real question ought to be directed to myself: “Am I willing to trust that the person with whom I disagree may just happen to be serving God in a difficult and precarious place?” Am I willing to believe that Obadiah, serving the wicked Ahab, is God’s man for the hour? 

Where We Stand

October 15, 2021

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”” —I Kings 17:1 NKJV

Before Elijah could stand before the king, it was necessary for him to stand before God. He couldn’t do the former without first doing the latter. Elijah bursts upon the scene in this dramatic confrontation with the wicked king; we know nothing about him prior to this encounter except what he himself said: “I stand before God.” This was the source of his power and authority, as it is for anyone today who desires to speak with power to authority. Many there are who claim to do this, but their claims are fraudulent because attempting to stand before power always fails if one hasn’t first stood before God. 

Whether one stands before the powers of this world or merely ordinary men and women, standing first before God is the secret to power. Even after more than fifty years  of preaching, it makes me nervous to stand in the pulpit. Holding in my hands the Word of Life is a serious responsibility, impossible to do apart from time first spent in the presence of God. 

May God give us more men and women who will stand before him in holy surrender! Then, and then only will we have servants who are able to stand before the world with genuine Holy Spirit-fueled fire and power.

 

Peeping and Muttering

 October 14, 2021

“And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who peep and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” —Isaiah 8:19-20 

This text, along with many others in the Mosaic Law, are clear instruction from the Lord regarding the occult: we are to have nothing to do with it; instead, we are to seek guidance from the Lord himself rather than the stars, crystals, palm reading, and seances. The Lord alone knows the future; all others are imposters, and according to the Scriptures, demonic. Christians who participate in such matters are in clear disobedience, and in danger of opening themselves up to demonic oppression.

If these words seem harsh and unforgiving, they are meant to. The Bible is not vague or vacillating on the matter. As Isaiah said, “Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” It’s hard to find more clear and precise condemnation of anything than this.

Lately though, I’ve been seeing these words in a somewhat different light. God has been convicting me of the amount of time I put into reading the news. I don’t like video feeds; they take too much time. Many of the presenters seem to be preening for the camera. I guess I’m old school with my preference for the written word. 

Nevertheless, even with the written word, I’ve fallen into the habit of clearing my phone of emails first thing in the morning. Many of these are news feeds that can catch my attention and get my mind to ruminating. Notice the order of things: “first thing in the morning.” Here’s what I’ve learned: a correct perspective on life will never come from an incorrect ordering of life. Hear that again: a correct perspective on life will never come from an incorrect ordering of life. If I begin the day with the news (which is inevitably bad), it will color the entire day. The enemy will only be put in his proper place if I position myself in my proper place at the feet of Jesus.

The news, whether written or recorded, is like those mediums who peep and mutter, offering their distorted and corrupted perspective on what is happening in the world, and much like the occult masters of Isaiah’s day, they have their own agenda, seeking to influence and manipulate to their own advantage. Only the Word of God seeks transformation for my own good as well as for the good of the world. God has no need nor desire to manipulate us, because he has nothing to gain except our love. So…Scripture first!

Original Sin

 October 13, 2021

“How long, Lord? 

Will You hide Yourself forever? 

Will Your wrath burn like fire? 

Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses?”

—Psalm 89:46, 49

I hear sentiments like this more frequently than I used to. Division and vitriol have become a way of life as more and more people hide behind the anonymity of Facebook and Twitter while they shoot their accusations and insults at one another. Things most of us wouldn’t say to someone face to face are commonplace, widening the chasm between left and right, men and women, black and white, coastal elites and flyover middle America, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Despair prowls everywhere from the halls of academia to the haunts of blue collar folks. Even Christians are caught up in the angst.

We have forgotten our theology. The doctrine of Original Sin in particular, has flown the coop. We have abandoned the Biblical understanding of the pervasiveness of sin and our need for a redemption we ourselves cannot supply. We have bought into the prevailing world view that humanity is basically good, needing only better social, educational, and political systems to perfect that goodness. The Biblical view is that we are inherently evil, needing laws to keep us in line and grace to save us from ourselves.

If we as Christians truly believed this, we wouldn’t be surprised when people behave like the sinners they are, particularly Christian sinners. We expect Christians to act like saints, and when they act like sinners, we get angry, or discouraged. If we expected people to act like the sinners they are, we wouldn’t be disappointed, and when occasionally they acted like saints, we would be pleasantly surprised.

Ethan, the author of the 89th psalm, wondered how long things would remain bleak. Things weren’t going well in his world, so he cried out to God. But if we only read these verses, we would miss the most important part of the psalm. He spends most of his time praising God, remembering his goodness, being awestruck at his majesty. So when he turns his eyes from looking up to looking around, he sees life as it is, but asks his question in faith and hope instead of despair. 

Next time I’m tempted to look at the mess around me (or the mess within me), I’ll look first at the majesty of God. When I do that, the rest falls into its proper perspective, and my prayer can be made in hope instead of fear.

Jesus and Pilate

 October 12, 2021

More than 40 years ago when I entered the United Methodist Church, I was quite unprepared for the level of political activity I encountered. My independent Baptist upbringing eschewed mixing faith and politics in any significant way. We didn’t lobby, march, or do much of anything political except voting.

The United Methodist Church by contrast, was fully engaged with all things political, hobnobbing with representatives and senators, strutting quite proudly when a prominent political figure identified as one of us. Every year at Annual Conference, we voted on social action statements to be forwarded to the appropriate politicos. It was all vain posturing, imagining that the world cared for what we thought, except as we might be useful to them in furthering an agenda. 

There was a time when the political world listened to the Church, but those days are long gone. Lip service is rendered, but Christians are little more than pawns to be played off against “the other side,” whatever that side may be. We Methodists continue to pass resolutions which get forwarded to the relevant political people, but in my opinion, it is all smoke and mirrors.

This is not to say that our faith has nothing to say about what is happening in society, but that we must be careful what we say and how we say it, if we are to remain genuinely Christian. Jesus’ temptation was in part, political. Satan offered the kingdoms of this world if Jesus would bow down and worship him. Jesus refused the bait, knowing that the kingdoms of this world will pass away. Neither Jesus nor Paul lobbied, marched, or protested the Roman government, which was at least as corrupt as ours. It wouldn’t have done any good, any more than when we do the same today. When asked point blank by Pilate if he were indeed a king, as his accusers said, Jesus’ reply was simply that his kingdom was not of this world. End of discussion.

I am saddened, but not surprised when Christians link a political position with the Gospel in a way Jesus never intended. The various positions taken by well-meaning people on vaccinations and masks, for instance, all claim the high moral ground of the Gospel—both sides! Invoking Jesus to support a political platform is not only antithesis to the Gospel which is apolitical and transcends all things political, it is manipulative and demeaning of those both those who preach such a gospel and those who are hearers of it.

I’m grateful for my Baptist upbringing. We believed back then, and I believe now, that transforming the human heart precedes transforming society. It is the life transformed by the saving power of the Cross that provides the impetus, motivation, and power to transform society. Constant political rumination robs the soul of the peace God means us to have. In Christ alone is our salvation, not in a social or political position. For this I am grateful, for it puts all lesser matters into perspective and allows me to fellowship with not only those who see life through my lens, but also with those whose faith moves them differently than mine does me.

A Quiet Soul

 October 11, 2021

Sometimes it’s hard to put my evening reflections out in public. In the past two weeks, I’ve officiated or been present at the funerals of three friends, sat with their grieving survivors, watched from a distance as my brother in law wages a see-saw battle for life itself, read once more about local families hoping against hope for information about their daughters’ disappearance years ago, and listened as parents are denigrated by school boards and political bullies who believe they know how to better raise their children than the parents themselves. 

Reflecting on my day’s activities always seems so small, even petty, by comparison. Yesterday after worship and family dinner, I retrieved some bees from a tree in the back yard of a parishoner. At first, it looked pretty straightforward. They had built comb out in the open in the branch of a maple. When it shed its leaves, the colony was exposed. My plan was to cut the branch and lower them intact into a hive body. Unfortunately, the branch bent at an angle when I cut it, the comb broke off, and landed in the back of my pickup. Bees were everywhere, and the comb was as you might imagine, not what I had envisioned. Rookie mistake. I got them home, and tomorrow will try to get everything squared away into their new home.

Today, Linda and I took the morning to visit the Marilla Country Store, a delightful excursion that yielded a few Christmas presents. In the afternoon, we four-wheeled it to the hilltop cornfield of Johnny Swanson, where we could see the hills and valleys undulating for miles in the distance.

See what I mean? We have been blessed beyond measure, and often ask ourselves, “Why us?” Writing about such things often feels like I’m not taking seriously the significance of others’ sorrow and pain. But then I remember that life is mostly made up of the little things that bind us together. Big events happen, but most of the time, we live on a much smaller scale, much closer to home. Which is why my favorite psalm is 131.

“Lord, my heart is not haughty, 

Nor my eyes lofty. 

Neither do I concern myself with great matters, 

Nor with things too profound for me. 

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, 

Like a weaned child with his mother; 

Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 

O Israel, hope in the Lord 

From this time forth and forever.”

—Psalm 131:1-3 

I’m not smart enough to figure out the great matters of this world, so like a child leaning upon its mother’s breast, my world isn’t very large. It took God a good many years to whittle me down to size, chipping away at my pride and arrogant imagination. I have no desire to go back there, so loving my wife, praying for my friends, and caring for my bees are enough. 

Open Ears

 October 10, 2021

Psalm 40 is one of those psalms that has nuggets strewn throughout its 17 verses. “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined to me and heard my cry” is how it begins, continuing with, “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” 

Sometimes I’ve had to wait for his answer longer than I wanted, but he has never failed to deliver, strengthen, and guide me when I’ve waited. He has as verse 3 says, “put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God.” This has been literally true over the years, as he has given me songs that yet need to be recorded, but are in my head and heart. 

Tonight, it’s verse 6 that claims my attention: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears you have opened.” The first part of this verse is pretty straightforward; there is no sacrifice I could offer worthy or valuable enough to pay for my sins. I could as Paul said, “give all my goods to feed the poor, and give my body to be burned,” and it wouldn’t be enough. So, because I have nothing worth offering to God, he himself  provided the sacrifice in the death of Jesus Christ, his Son. 

It’s the second half of this verse that intrigues me. At first glance, it says that God took the initiative and opened my ears, enabling me to hear and believe his Word of salvation. This much is true, but I think it goes deeper. In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments and in chapter 21, expands upon them. In an age where slavery was common and accepted, God puts boundaries around how masters are to treat those who serve them. 

“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” —Exodus 21:2-6 

This legislation was intended to limit what could be done to a slave. Today, we consider all forms of slavery evil, but lest we imagine ourselves to be better than those who bought and sold people as property, most of us would complain bitterly if we had to do the work we blithely pawn off on our mechanical slaves—appliances, automobiles, heavy equipment. We pride ourselves on our superior ethics and values, all the while we live easily off the devices that serve as our slaves. Take them away, and many who preach loudly would soon change their tunes. But I digress.

Relationships of respect and genuine caring could and did develop between masters and slaves, and even though servitude was limited to seven years, when the time of manumission came, if treated well, the slave might choose to stay with the master. If this happened, the slave would have his ear pierced as a sign that he chose to continue serving the benevolent master, even though it wasn’t required of him. That is what this verse of psalm 40 is referring to: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,” ie. “I am not being forced to serve,” but “I choose to serve as long as I live, and I place my head against the doorpost so you can open my ear with the awl as sign of my loyalty to you.” 

God has opened my ears. I listen to him, but even more, I choose to serve him as long as I live.