"They're bored, We're broke"

The presents are all opened, the wide-eyed anticipation of our children has been rewarded with many if not all of those things they said they wanted and just couldn't live without. Now just a few days later those toys they couldn't live without, they can't even find, that special doll is now just another doll, that "one-of-a-kind , Awesome , guaranteed to bring fun back into my life" toy is now old hat and unexciting. A week after Christmas our children are bored, we are broke and left wondering if it's to late to get our money back. One of the hardest lessons for our children to learn is that things do not satisfy for very long, if at all. But as parents we are convinced year after year that this will be the year that "things" will satisfy only to be met once again with those word's "I'm Bored". As a parent I enjoy giving gifts to my children and hope and usually "know" that this gift will really satisfy them, because I believe the same thing about my own life. Deep down most of us really believe that all we need to satisfy us and make us happy are more things. You see one of the hardest lessons for children AND THEIR PARENTS to learn is that things do not satisfy for very long ,if at all. Things have their place; they are not to be our masters, there purpose is not to satisfy us but to serve us. Isaiah reminds us that satisfaction cannot be bought. Joy and satisfaction are only found one place - a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. "Only Jesus can Satisfy your soul." Parents let your kids see that principle at work in your life this Christmas.
Isa 55:2-3 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live;"

"His Name is Jesus"

There is a very important yet troubling biblical principle about our lives , “we do not know what a day will bring forth.” And if that is true of a day then certainly weeks, months and years fall into the category of the great unknown. Fear, uncertainty and discouragement seem to have taken up permanent residence in the hearts of just about everyone you meet. A lack of wisdom about how to fix the problems we face in our world, a shortage of good leaders, families and marriages struggling to stay together, the wars and violence that never seem to end, is there an answer? How can we face 2010 triumphantly, joyfully and with certainty.
We need to remember the Hope that is set before us. That hope is not a philosophy, it is not a politician, it is not economic renewal, it is not some new medicine. That hope is a person and His name is Jesus Christ. True, we do not know what a day will bring forth, but as believers we do know one thing- in every today and every tomorrow we have hope, a hope that does not disappoint, a hope that is sure and steadfast. Isaiah 9:6 tells us...
There is a Mighty God who rules and reigns, who will one day establish his throne on this earth for all the world to see and he will lead us in perfect righteousness - His name is Jesus.
There is a Wonderful Counselor who can mend our broken hearts and heal families and marriages, who sets us free from the bondage of sin - His name is Jesus.
There is a Prince of Peace who has established peace with God through his cross and brings peace into our relationships and will one day bring peace to this world - His name is Jesus.
There is an Everlasting Father who deals with us as his children, who holds our todays and our tomorrows firmly in his sovereign hand, who one day will call us home to be with himself - His name is Jesus.
Do you know this Jesus? He is the one whom the angels proclaimed to those shepherds that glorious night 2000 years ago.
Luke 2:10 - 11 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
May you rejoice this Christmas in that name which is above every name - May He fill your hearts with hope and give you peace. His name is Jesus.

"So This is Christmas"

Christmas is a time of peace, hope, giving and love, at least it should be. During the Christmas season there is a kind of peace but it is more of a cease fire, there is a kind of hope but it is a “hope so” kind of hope, there is giving but often it is done begrudgingly based on what was given to us, if anything ,last year. It is a time of love and good feelings toward all at least at the Christmas party or when people are watching. Christmas has had an impact on our society outwardly more so than inwardly. We sing the songs, talk of peace and joy, give the gifts but few really deep down experience true lasting peace or the joy of selfless giving. That’s because our society, as much as they like the economics of Christmas, despise the Christ of Christmas. The message of Christ is one of peace, hope, joy, love, forgiveness but it is not wrapped up in what we do but in what Jesus Christ did on the cross 2000 years ago. “The good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” , means He came to this earth to die on the cross in our place, not to condemn us. He came to bring Joy, peace, hope through the forgiveness of our sins. He says to us “all those who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. He came to bring us back to God. Jesus is truly the reason for the season. The peace and joy of Christmas is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to keep him in the pre-eminent place. We may have lost the battle for doing this in the malls, schools and street corners but he can be and needs to be pre-eminent in the most important place in this world, our hearts. If He is the world will take notice that we have been with Jesus. That’s what lost people really need to see.; people who have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Stop it, or Else..."

How many times have we said or overheard someone say, it started out so small, but now….! They are usually referring to a disagreement or an altercation with someone that has escalated from a simple disagreement to an all out war. Pride, anger, resentment, unforgiveness, are all things that escalate a minor incident into a major problem.
We all saw the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as the waters flowed over the levees  protecting the city. New Orleans is built below sea level so these levees are needed to keep the waters of the Gulf of Mexico from reaching places they would normally go if not held back. These levees are made of dirt. But all it takes is a little hole to open and then just a trickle of water flowing through that hole and you have the potential for disaster. There is tremendous pressure exerted by the water as it seeks to push against the dirt trying to get to its rightful place. One little prick and it begins to flow, as it flows it begins to eat away more dirt, making the hole bigger. As the whole gets bigger the water flow is increased, and it begins to build up momentum and before long what could have been stopped very easily has become a raging torrent that is unstoppable and devastating.
Proverbs 17:14 tells us “the beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”
The beginning of strife - that first disagreement or unkind word or deed etc. How many huge quarrels today started with a silly disagreement years ago - or a little thing that got blown way out of proportion and was never dealt with. Strife, like a dam bursting, almost always starts over a small thing. Families, churches, marriages, friendships divided by quarreling over issues that if you were to ask the parties involved could not even be remembered. Or if they could remember would be embarrassed at how insignificant a thing it really was at the time. How sad to see churches divide by great chasms between people because of quarrels that go back years and years. Strife has momentum. One thing leads to another, one person fires and the other fires back and before long you have a full blown war.
Solution - “quit before the quarrel breaks out.” Stop strife in it’s tracks. How? 15: 1 says “a soft answer turns away wrath,..” 17:9 says “whoever covers an offense seeks love…” When you are hurt, before you speak, pray. If something needs to be said, say it quietly, softly. When we choose to fight, get even, or shoot back we begin a process that begins to eat away at everything around us. And it will build momentum and become very difficult to stop the spreading devastation. In the beginning we have an opportunity to stop a quarrel from breaking out. The natural tendency of our sinful flesh is to strike back, get even, hold the grudge. We feel the pressure to do this. But we do not need to be controlled by our flesh. We need to ask God to help us respond to people and not just react to people. It only takes one person to stop strife. One person empowered by the Spirit of God, willing to love, willing to yield, willing to turn the other cheek, and what might have escalated into something huge has been stopped with the sandbags of forgiveness, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, patience, and self-control.
Proverbs 17:14 “the beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”

"Storm Warning"

Back in 1964 seven people set off in a small boat. Shortly after their trip began a storm came up and they found themselves deserted on a remote island. They ended up stuck there for three years. You May remember the story it was all over the television. There names were Gilligan, Skipper, professor, Mary-Ann, Ginger, and Mr.& Mrs, Howell the third. What began as a three hour tour becomes a three year struggle for survival all because of a storm. Or in this case a three year struggle to be funny. Gilligan’s island was a comedy (to some). But when real storms come up in real life few people go through them laughing.
There May be someone reading this who is in the midst of one of these storms. Things started great but shortly after you made a certain decision to obey Jesus Christ everything began to fall apart. Tribulation, persecution, disappointment, discouragement, a wayward or sick child, spouse, job, marriage problems, physical problems, the causes of the storms in life are endless. You say I did not ask for this and begin to wonder what is going on.
IN the Gospel of Mark chapter 4 there is a story about Jesus and his Disciples. It picks up after a hard day of ministry where we see Jesus saying to his disciples, “lets go to the other side”. Sounds like a great idea. So these men, with Jesus in the boat, set sail on a nice calm peaceful day. It was a great day for a boat ride but suddenly out of nowhere a fierce storm comes up and they begin to be fearful and panic. That is our natural reaction to storms. All of a sudden the storm becomes the center of the story, the storm becomes the center of our life - the storm becomes our focus - everything in our lives begins to revolve around the storm.
When this happens everything gets out of focus. If you had asked the disciples as they were getting into the boat to begin their trip if Jesus cared for them, they would have said absolutely. If you had asked them do you think you are going to die on this trip to the other side of the lake they would have said, no way we are safe, Jesus is here with us. But here they are in the middle of the storm waking Jesus up and and accusing him of not caring for them and afraid they are going to drown. What happened? The disciples did what so many do today, they allowed the storm to shape their theology. They allowed the storm to shape their understanding of God.
May I suggest to you today these storms are inevitable. We will all go through them. If you are not in one of these storms then one is coming but here is what we need to remember as we go through it. Instead of allowing the storm to shape our understanding of God, we need to allow our theology to shape our understanding of the storm.
God’s purposes have not changed. God’s care for you has not ended. God has a purpose in this storm.
Put your trust in God’s word. We all marvel in this story at Jesus power to calm the storm just by his words “peace be still”. But his words “lets go to the other side” were just as powerful, and just as true, but we forget them because the storm seems to be contrary to that purpose. But that was not the case. If you read the next verse after this story you see a great phrase, “when they reached the other side”.
God’s purpose was not for them to drown in the middle of the lake. God’s purpose for them was to go to the other side and they got there. God’s purpose for us is that we be conformed into the image of his Son, and that is going to happen. The storms do not mean he has changed his purpose. They are all part of the process. The storms are meant to deepen our faith and to drive us to deeper intimacy and knowledge of God and make us more like Christ. Unfortunately there are far more books being written today about storms than there are about theology. But may I encourage you today to pick up your Bible and get to know your God, hide God’s word in your heart. He is a refuge and strength a very present help in times of trouble/storms.
He does not change. He is the same yesterday today and forever. Christ is a solid foundation in a world or a life of ever changing circumstances. So keep rowing, keep trusting. Remember, sometimes he calms the storm, sometimes he gives his people the strength to keep rowing through the storm. What ever he chooses it is for your good and for his glory. You will get to the other side!

"Be Careful Out There"

As you read the book of Proverbs it becomes increasingly clear that this father is under no lofty illusions when it comes to his children or the world his children are living in. Early on in chapter 1 vs 10 he says to his son, “if sinners entice you do not consent.” This reminds us of a very important principle. We cannot keep our children from temptation. What we are called to do as parents it to prepare our children to be able to deal with temptation when it comes. Our children are going to face temptations. We can home school them, send them to Christian schools, keep them from all the “bad things” which is all well and good, but the bottom line is we cannot isolate our children from temptation.
The prevalent philosophy today, in the world and sadly even in the church to some degree, seems to be “prepare the road for the child” in stead of “prepare the child for the road.” Parents run ahead and try to manipulate all the bad things out of the lives of their children. They never have to experience disappointments or the “mean teacher” or all the other harsh realities of life. Parents just smooth everything over for the child. The child never learns to face hard things, never has to face difficult choices, and eventually when he gets out on his own he is introduced to a world that is harsh, unjust , and filled with temptations and he hasn’t a clue how to deal with it. The task of parenting is to prepare our children for the world. Not by trying to change their circumstances to make it easier but by teaching them and preparing them in their hearts to deal with what the world is going to throw at them.
This is not going to happen in a vacuum. It means we must be teaching our children and spending time with them. We must train them spiritually to know the deceitfulness of their own hearts. We must show them the need of Christ to save them from their sin and then teach them the principles of walking in spiritual victory found in Scripture. Proverbs is written by a father preparing his son for the “real world” but not only that he is teaching his son about his need for a wisdom and a strength outside of himself. He is teaching his son about his need of Christ.
I fear today we are relying to heavily on trying to insulate our Children from temptation instead of preparing them to face it. Certainly we do not want to throw them to the wolves at a young age, but we must be preparing them as they grow up to face some hard things in life, one of which is temptation. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it”. Part of that training is training in spiritual warfare, learning how to resist and be victorious over temptation.
When sinners entice our children may they meet a child who has been taught how to handle victoriously such deceitful talk and to turn and listen to the voice of his parents and the voice of his savior Jesus Christ. May our children be found walking in his ways because they know him and love him and want to follow him into the abundant life he has promised to those who obey his word.

"Just a Little More"

Proverbs 25:16 “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

IF you have found honey, something sweet to the taste. What does that mean? Well I think it means if you have found something you like, something that works, something that was pleasurable and enjoyable - show some restraint. Have you found something like that? May, in fact, have been that favorite dessert that was soooooo good. Or it may have been a program that you put on that went really well, everyone enjoyed it and it was a blessing to all who came. Or it may be a special friend. It could be any number of things. What do we tend to do with a good thing? We want more of it. We tend to hoard them, over indulge them, eat to much of them. Consequently that which at one time was a great source of joy has become something we have tired of, or even worse something that is making us sick. That which was soooooo good and we ate so much of we can’t even look at it now without a sense of revulsion. Why? Because we over did it.
Some things are better in little doses. When you hear someone say, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" They are seldom smiling and if they happen to be smiling with some deluded grin, it won't be for long.
I know in churches sometimes if a particular activity goes very well, maybe it happens twice a year, often people will assume that if it goes well twice a year then we should do it every month and it will be even better. What ends up happening is it becomes to much, to familiar, and people lose interest. We kill it by overdoing it. Sometimes we need to learn that more is not always better.
It may be that special friend. If we could just spent more time with them, but sometimes more is not better. It is those special times, that may not be as often as you like, that keeps the friendship fresh and enjoyable. Many a friendship has ended because it was decided if we are this happy together once a week imagine how great it would be to share an apartment and be together all the time. It starts off great as you would expect, but soon they have their fill of each other and the friendship quickly deteriorates and they wind up on Judge Judy. That is not always the case obviously, but sometimes more is not always better.
If you have found honey, something special, be wise, control yourself. Eat only what is good for you. Sometimes the key to keeping things special is to do them less often not more often. Familiarity breeds contempt. It is better to leave people wanting more than to over do it and have them say “not this again”.
The wise person knows that sometimes more is not always better. We need to teach this to ourselves and to our children.

"Give Thanks"

We celebrate various holidays during the calendar year. These holidays appeal to a wide variety of personality types.

"New Years Day" is for optimists
"Valentines Day" is for lovers
"April Fools Day" is for out of work clowns to strut their stuff
"Christmas Day" is for giving or getting, depending where we are on the maturity meter.
"Thanksgiving Day" is for thinkers

Thanksgiving has rightly been called the thinking mans holiday.

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." G.K. Chesterton

The Bible repeatedly calls us to "Give thanks with a grateful heart" a heart that thinks about

God's goodness to us
God's steadfast love that endures forever
God's undeserved blessing
God's faithfulness to all generation
God's mercies that are new every morning
God's forgiveness that sets the captive free
God's Son, Jesus Christ who lived and died and rose again that we might have everlasting life.
God's provisions - spouse, children, food, church family, fellowship, friendships,
God gives us freely all things to enjoy
God's peace
God's joy
God's love
God's precious promises
God's Spirit that indwells us and comforts and strengthens us every day and every hour.
God"s prepared place for his children
God's soon return to this world as the undisputed "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"

The Hymn writer tells us to count our blessings name them one by one. Not a bad idea. Think about all the blessings we have in Christ Jesus, blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing.

Thanksgiving means we think about who God is and about who we are and about what we deserve and all we have in spite of what we deserve - all because of God's Amazing Grace.
Only thinking humble people can truly give thanks and mean it.

"From a heart overflowing with gratitude, we will want to honor and glorify God by gratefully offering back to Him the many good gifts He has bestowed on us. We will not go to church to be entertained, to see "what we can get out of it" for our own private gratification, but rather to praise and worship the triune God of grace and glory"

So this Thanksgiving let us thoughtfully, prayerfully and humbly give thanks with a grateful heart.

"Are You Ready for Some Football?"

We’ve all heard the question “Is nothing Sacred?” Well apparently there is something sacred. I was watching football last Sunday Afternoon and was pleased to discover that the advertiser for a popular “beverage” says Sunday is sacred. But as we would expect, it is sacred not because it is the Lord’s day or a day of worship. Sunday is sacred because it is the day set aside for “football.” That is a rather sad commentary on our society and a very accurate commentary on those who like to drink this particular “beverage”.

Proverbs 28:14 says "Happy is the man who is always reverent.” Happy is the man who remembers that Sunday is for football. Is this what the writer of Proverbs had in mind? I don’t think so.

This verse is interesting because reverent and happy are two words that most people would tell you could never appear in the same sentence. You can be happy or you can be reverent, but you can’t be both at the same time.

Reverence means stained glass windows, pipe organs, uncomfortable wooden pews.
Reverence means elaborate robes, men speaking with solemn,mumbling voices.
Reverence means people with long, pious, sad, unhappy faces.
Reverence means “quakers meeting has begun no more laughing no more fun.”

So, who wants to go to church? Hmmm I’ll get back to you after the football game.

First we need to understand that none of the things I just mentioned about reverence are indicators of the truly reverent person.

Proverbs tells us that reverence does not kill joy, it leads to joy. Reverence is about taking serious the things of God. It is refusing to trivialize or render common that which is holy and to be set apart.

God, Jesus Christ, the Church, The Lord’s table, the Bible, Marriage, Sex, the Family, the Cross, Life itself are all things that are to be treated reverently because they are sacred. God and the things of God. They are to be set aside and treated with respect, dignity and reverence.

The problem in our society we have changed the trivial things into sacred things and rendered the sacred as trivial. For someone to run onto the playing field of a professional baseball game, to hear the announcers describe it, you would think they just desecrated a holy shrine. But people can use the Lord’s name in vain, joke about the family, trash a church and its no big deal.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, reverence and happiness. The hard hearted person who thinks it is good sport to desecrate sacred things, Proverbs says they will fall into calamity. God is not mocked.

We are to treat with reverence God and those things that God says are Holy. Reverence is not a place, or something we wear, it is an attitude. This attitude does not slam shut the door of happiness, it opens the door for true Joy and happiness to manifest itself. May God help us to discern the difference between the sacred and the trivial.

Therefore "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice" Phil 4:4

"Hiding in Me"

We have all tried at times to think of ways of improving our lives. Add something here or there or maybe get rid of some things that just clutter up the place. Get back in shape, or at least try to change our shape into something more appealing. So we join health clubs for a while, or go on diets, we buy things, sell things, consider a career change etc. But I would dare say that no one has ever thought, I am going to turn my house into a prison. I have finally figured out what my life has been missing, some good old fashioned jail time.

There are many different kinds of prisons we can build for ourselves, but the one I am thinking about right now is the prison of concealment, covering up wrong doing.

Proverbs 18:1 He who isolates himself...

No one deliberately goes out trying to put themselves in prison. There is a law that pertains to all sin called the law of unintended consequences and bondage (jail time) is always one of them. As soon as that choice is made to do something that we know is wrong , something we cannot tell our spouse or our parents or friends and certainly not God, we hear those large prisons doors clanging shut. We have just put ourselves in prison. We get uncomfortable around people and we try to avoid them. Conversation that was once free and flowing is now calculated and tense. Times we used to enjoy with them are now strained and awkward. The freedom we once enjoyed just being ourselves around others is now lost. To us they have now become like prison guards and we don't like them. We think they are the one's keeping us locked up and miserable but they aren't. They are just being themselves, we are the ones who have changed. We are the ones who sentenced ourselves to "hard time". We fear that hard question, or can't take those penetrating eyes. This is a prison we have erected all by ourselves. The guilty conscience makes life a prison. We now have shackles on our feet and hands our tongue. We are constantly looking over our shoulders for guilty people are paranoid people.

I remember in grade school reading short stories and one that I never forgot was "The Tell-Tale Heart". Do you remember reading that? My memory is a bit fuzzy but the story centers around a murder and the murderer puts the body in the floor of their house, and unsuspecting people come over to visit and the beat of the dead man's heart hidden under the floor boards gets louder and louder and louder and louder and louder.

That is how the guilty conscience works. We yell, "Be Quiet" but it won't listen. That is a prison many people live in. Running away is not the answer. If you are in prison there is only one way out. Confession and repentance. Face what put you there to begin with.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He (Christ) is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

One of my teachers in college used to say "Keep short accounts with God". May I add to that, keep short accounts with others as well. Guard your heart, beware of the need to isolate yourself from others. Let me close with this quote.

"Keep clear of concealment -- keep clear of the need of concealment. It is an awful hour when the first necessity of hiding something comes. When there are questions to be feared and eyes to be avoided and subjects which must not be touched, the bloom of life is gone. " ... Phillips Brooks

What is hidden in your floor? Have you built a prison for yourself your living in right now? What are you hiding from others that is destroying that relationship? Sin ALWAYS enslaves. Jesus said "the Truth will ALWAYS set you free." So confess, repent and walk out of the doors of your man made prison into the light of a new day filled with renewed relationships, trust, openness, a clear conscience before God and fellowship with Christ and with others. For further reading Psalm 32:1-5

"Let's Make a Deal"

Proverbs 8:10 - 11 "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her."

I remember growing up watching this show called "Lets Make a Deal". Some of you may remember this show. Contestants dressed up in kooky costumes and Monty Hall would walk up and down the isle choosing contestants to make a deal. Eventually it would come down to the end of the show where two winners were given one last opportunity to make the ultimate deal. " Do you want to take that new toaster oven you just won and trade it for a chance to win the grand prize?" Almost always they would say yes (who wouldn't) and then they had to choose door # 1, # 2 or # 3. The tension would be unbearable. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't. As in all good television, even before we could see what was behind the curtains, the camera would be zoomed in on the faces of the contestants to catch that moment of elation or sadness. Some people would win a car while others went home with a brand new pair of donkeys. The expressions on the faces of the new donkey owners were always "priceless".

I think the verses you just read ask us a similar question. What will you give for wisdom? How much do you value wisdom? Do you value it more than what you are holding in your hand right now? More than your own understanding. More than silver or gold, more than all you hearts desire. If you had all that at your disposal and were asked do you want to give it up for something greater but this time there is only one curtain and behind it was not fame, or more gold and silver, or success but instead WISDOM was behind the curtain. Would you keep what you've got or would you make the trade?

Solomon says that wisdom is better than gold and silver or anything that I may desire. Do I believe that...
Wisdom will help me have a better marriage
Wisdom will help me to raise my children in the way they should go
Wisdom will help me not to stumble into sin
Wisdom will help me avoid the heartache of broken relationships
Wisdom will help me walk with integrity
Wisdom will help me glorify God in my life
Wisdom will protect me
Wisdom will guide me
Wisdom will instruct me

Every time we open up our Bible we read God's word to us. We read how we are to live and we should jump for joy. We have been told this is the way walk ye in it and when we do we have found something far more valuable than gold or anything our hearts could desire. We have found wisdom. There are people with gobs of money who would give it all away just to have a meaningful relationship with their spouse or their child, or just to have one real friend. But they have no clue because they are blind to God's word. Our eyes have been opened through the precious blood of Jesus Christ and the gift of His Spirit living within us. We are in Him and in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2. We have the answer in God's word. So read it. Obey It. Cherish it. It is more precious than silver or gold.

"The quality of our lives has everything to do with the quality of our relationships." Wisdom says. "lets make a deal." Everything you have in your hand and in your heart for everything I am. Wisdom's invitation is to trade all your understanding, all your gold, silver and desires for the wisdom and riches found in Jesus Christ and His Word. It is a win win deal, so let go and make the trade.

"Leaning, Leaning, Leaning on...?"

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

This is no doubt one of the most memorized verses in the Bible. Many a young person has claimed this as their life verse and rightfully so. It is the last part of that verse that I have been thinking about lately. And it has to do with the word "lean". I think to help understand what it means to lean you can change the words around a bit. Lean on the Lord with all your heart and do not trust in your own understanding. To lean on is to trust, to trust is to lean on.

Several years ago Karen and I had the opportunity to go to Italy and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. People come from all over the world to see this leaning tower. I guess it is a good thing it is leaning because there are buildings all around it that are perfectly straight and no one pays any attention to them. I even walked up to the top of this tower and like Galileo (a real scientist) thought I would drop something off the building, like an apple, to see what I could discover. I discovered that the people on the ground apparently did not appreciate my quest for knowledge. (that is if hand signals mean anything.) Just think about it, here is a tower famous for one thing, it leans. But as you look at the tower and at pictures of this tower you notice something. It is leaning toward other buildings but it is not leaning on them and there is a very big difference.

As we think about our verse I think this helps us see what the writer is saying. Trusting God is not leaning toward Him, it is leaning on Him. To lean ON something or someone is to place our entire weight on them and without them we would fall flat on our face. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, is not an invitation to lean toward him. That is not trust. What is true in such cases is that we are leaning in the LORD's direction but are holding ourselves up .

What are some things people lean on?

• Lean on their own understanding
• Lean on their friends
• Lean on their education
  
• Lean on their jobs
• Lean on their bank accounts
• Lean on fame and popularity
• Lean on the government
• Lean on their success
  
• Lean on the economy
• Lean on pills
• Lean on the church
• Lean on doctors
• Lean on credit cards
  

The situation for many is that they are leaning toward God but in reality are trusting or leaning on these things to help them, sustain them, and meet their needs. And our prayers often reflect this. We pray and ask God to help all the things we are leaning on to come through for us. It is prayer directed toward God concerning the things we are really trusting in. "God please don't let these things let me down!" It is because of this that so many people are discouraged, anxious and confused in their Christian walk. They do not understand what it means to trust in (lean on) the Lord with ALL their heart.
Trusting God is not leaning in his direction - it is placing all of our weight, all our hopes and dreams, our family, all our needs on Him and if He does not come through we fall flat on our faces. There is no plan B. He is our everything, we are trusting in Him alone to sustain us. We are trusting in Him alone to save us. We are casting all of our care upon Him, trusting Him, leaning on Him. The good news is God promises to do just that. He cares for us. Do not look in God's direction on Sunday and spend the rest of the week leaning on your own understanding. God will never lead you astray, our own understanding will lead us astray every time. Remember, The Just shall live by Faith.

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path."
" My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus" Phil 4:19

Read Matthew 6:25-33 to see some wonderful promises God gives us about our everyday needs.

May we be found "Leaning, leaning, leaning on His Everlasting Arms"

"I Forgot"

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

Forgetfulness, it plagues us all. And apparently it is not just a sign of old age. This father is speaking to his son not his grandfather. Growing up I must admit that on occasion I had my own father say to me as a young man, do not forget. Sadly young people have a tendency to forget. They do not forget where they placed the car keys or why they walked into a room. They forget much more important things.

• They forget that they were created by God
• They forget that God's ways are right and the way to peace and safety
• They forget that the pleasures of sin only last for a season
• They forget that without God we can do nothing
• They forget that our choices not our circumstances can make our lives unbearable.
• They forget one wrong choice can have life long consequences
  
• They forget we must all give an account to God one day
• They forget God's grace, goodness and compassion
• They forget they are sinners in need of a savior
• They forget that life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possess
• They forget God, consequently, there is no fear of God before their eyes

They forget. They heard the father , the preacher. They read the Bible but they just forgot. The reason they forget is that their heart is not in it. They don't care. We tend to forget things that we think are irrelevant. How many trigonometry classes, chemistry classes have we sat through wondering when will I ever use this stuff. And consequently as soon an the test is over (hopefully not before) we forget. It's irrelevant. And I am sure many people young and old sit in church with the same attitude. Listen to the preacher, read their Bibles saying when am I ever going to use this stuff. This has no bearing on where I am at or what my life is about whatsoever. What they are being taught seems boring because it is deemed useless. That is not a teacher problem or a Bible translation problem - that is a heart problem.
That's why this dad is wisely aiming at the child's heart. "Let your heart keep my commandments." He doesn't just want his child to go through the motions of obedience. The heart is where we really live - it is who we really are. It is where we keep all our precious things, like dreams, passions, our will, our desires, they are all resident in our heart. That's why obedience begins in the heart. Where we delight in God, where we are passionate about God's word. We obey God because we love God, we do not forget His Word because we love His word, we treasure it and memorize it because it is our spiritual food, our spiritual anchor, our spiritual compass to take us where God wants us to go. We want to live lives to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. We want to help others see the joy there is in following Christ.
People say all the time I' can't memorize, I can't remember things. But that is not true. We all remember things the only question is what.

Proverbs 2 1-5. shows us the attitude of the one who will not forget God's word
"My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

Remember your creator in the days of your youth. Do not forget but rather recieve, treasure up, be attentive, incline your heart, call out, search for, seek for it like silver, search for it like hidden treasure and look what God promises...

Proverbs 3:2 - 4 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 2:6 - 12For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,

O God, create in me a new heart, a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me. "Thy word I will hide in my heart that I might not sin against You."

"Just Walk Away"

Proverbs 26:17 "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears."

I've never actually grabbed a passing dog by the ears. I've never even been tempted to grab a passing dog by the ears. But I must admit I have been tempted to meddle in quarrels not my own. Some times it's hard to mind our own business. Meddling means to get involved on our own initiative. We were not asked but just thought we'd "help". The point is quite simple - If you meddle in a quarrel not your own you will get hurt. A dog (probably) cannot bite you while you're holding both it's ears. (again I cannot verify this from experience) However, you cannot hold on to a dogs ears forever. You eventually have to let go, and when you do watch out, apparently they don't like it. You see, a passing dog is not your dog, it belongs to someone else. You have no idea how it will react when you grab it's ears. If it was your dog you would know. But this quarrel is not yours so leave it alone. Not only will we get hurt he is also saying when we meddle in these "quarrels not our own" we may actually escalate them and make things worse. Grabbing a dog by both it's ears does not improve its disposition. So the next time we are tempted to meddle in an argument not our own, we should just keep on walking. If there is a quarrel between two people let them work it out. We (I) must resist the urge to play the "wonderful counselor". I believe that position has already been taken anyway. As juicy and tempting as the opportunity may seem to jump in and get involved , listen to the wisdom of Solomon, just walk away.

"Says Who?"

I have heard a lot of sermons in my day. I have heard many different responses to a sermon. “That was a very moving sermon” or “That was thought provoking” or that was very profound” or “that was a powerful sermon”. But I do not think I have ever heard someone comment on a sermon by saying “that was an authoritative sermon.” Maybe it has something to do with how we think. We go to church and yes, we want to hear a word from God, a moving word, a provoking word, a profound word. But how many of us want to hear a Word from God that speaks to us with authority? A word that does not suggest but commands. Many would shudder at such a thought. When Jesus preached his first sermon the response was immediate, yes he was profound, provoking and powerful but “they marveled because he spoke with authority.” I wonder if a pastor were to stand up and read the Sermon on the Mount as his message one Sunday how many in the congregation would marvel at its authority. I wonder how many people read the Bible or listen to the Bible today as an authoritative book? The problem people have with authority is that it does not merely call people to speculate or to examine their feelings. Jesus Said if you love me Keep my commandments. Authority calls people to obedience. Authority implies the right to call people to obedience. That's what sinful men react against. There is no wiggle room. When sinful men hear the Word of God their response is "Says Who?" Far to many people hear the word of God as a message from man and not from God and therefore it has little if any authority over their daily lives. "Everyone does what is right in his own eyes."

Paul's thankfulness in the book of Thessalonians reflects this fact that he understood the authority of the Word of God
1 Thess 2:13 “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

The Bible is the word of God, it is not just someone’s opinion. It is God’s message to us. A message of mercy, love, compassion, life, salvation, forgiveness, hope, grace and peace and a message of absolute authority. Pray that men and women boys and girls (You and I) will hear the word not as the word from men but as what it really is, the WORD OF GOD. “whatever he says to you do it.” That is the only right response the Word of God. For further reading go to ...
Psalm 19:4-7; Psalm 119:1-178

"The Cross and Marketing 101"

Proverbs 16:6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

From a business perspective, when you have a product you are trying to sell or market there are certain fundamental principles that you must follow if you are going to have any measure of success. One of the key principles would be, as you market your product to the public make sure you take out anything that the target audience would find verbally or visually offensive. Therefore, great care is given to, choosing the right colors on the packaging, finding a jingle that people can relate to etc. Overall the goal is to make sure the product is visually appealing to as large an audience as possible so they will at least stop and consider the product as it sits on the shelf. The bottom line is if you are going to market a product successfully it must appeal to the masses and not be offensive.

It is precisely for this reason that the church is not in the marketing business. We must never make the grave and tragic error of trying to market the cross.
The reality is that the cross is offensive. Paul in Galatians talks about the offense of the cross.

In Corinthians Paul says 1Co 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

When we try to market the cross and make it more appealing we destroy it’s power.

1Co 1:17 = For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul was not willing to compromise the message of the cross to accommodate his audience. Yes, you may get a bigger crowd, one that is not offended but you have a powerless message. People embrace a cross that is powerless to save them. They think they are saved but are still lost and under the judgment of God. Why because the cross has been stripped of it’s power. How did that happen. It was stripped of that which makes it offensive, foolish. .
The cross repels men at first.

• The Cross says all have sinned
• The Cross calls men to repentance,
• The Cross brings men and women face to face with the truth that all our good deeds are as filthy rags in God’s eyes.
• The Cross is a message that says for God so loved He gave his only begotton son Jesus Christ to die in my place, to bear God’s wrath for my sin.
  
• The Cross is a message that slays man’s pride.

And for many this is offensive. But this is the message and for those who will embrace it through faith, it is the power of God unto salvation..

George Bernard said it so well – “IN THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS, STAINED WITH BLOOD SO DIVINE, A WONDROUS BEAUTY I SEE; FOR TWAS ON THAT OLD CROSS JESUS SUFFERED AND DIED TO PARDON AN SANCTIFY ME.”

Do we want to see lives changed? It is going to be through the message of the cross powerfully and truthfully preached, In our pulpits and through our lives. Paul gloried in the cross, he boasted only in the cross. May we do likewise. We were not left here to market the cross, we were left here to proclaim the message of the cross . A message that offends many but transforms and saves those who believe. Remember - Whatever obscures the cross deprives it if it’s power.
By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for. These are found at the Cross of Jesus Christ.

"1-800-Pray"

“Jesus did not teach his disciples how to preach –
he taught them how to pray.” DL Moody

HEB 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

What an invitation given to us in this verse! What an opportunity! What a privilege!

A song writer once asked the question, "who am I that a King would bleed and die for . . .? May I add this, who am I that this same King would invite me to come to His throne to obtain mercy and find help...? I sometimes wonder if we as Christians realize the tremendous blessing and far reaching implications this has for us as believers to have access personally to The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I have accented the word personally for a reason.

There is a trend especially in some TV churches and ministries, to spend an enormous amount of time talking about God's power to answer prayer. The Christian is repeatedly told that God hears and answers the prayers of His people, which is true. The problem is, that having been told this the believer is not urged to come boldly to the throne himself but to call a 1-800 number where he will reach people who "know how to pray" and they will go to God on his behalf with his prayer requests.

There is nothing wrong with calling in and asking people to pray for you and with you - but I wonder how many of these people who call in realize they have just as much access and right to enter the Holy of Holies through prayer as the people they are talking to on the phone.

When Christ was crucified it says the veil in the temple was rent in two, and it was not replaced by an 800 number. It was not opened to allow certain "super" Christians to have access to God on behalf of the rest of us. It was opened for all believers young and old, those who are hurting, or struggling, those who need forgiveness, comfort, strength, or a friend. You have a Savior who can be touched , who can be approached, a Savior who invites you to come boldly to His throne to find mercy and grace to help in your time of need, and strengthen you in your daily walk with Him. "He's as close as the mention of His name", not the nearest phone.

Access to God is not knowing a number, it's knowing a person - JESUS CHRIST.

"We are His Sheep"

“As life in general becomes more and more complex, so religion tends to be affected in the same way. It seems to be assumed that if the affairs of men are so difficult and complicated, the affairs of God should be still more complicated, because they are still greater…The fact is, that as we get further away from God life becomes more complicated and involved. ..The truly religious life is always the simple life.”

When we think about peace and simplicity our minds imagine, quiet pastures and gentle streams. We have such a picture given to us in one of the most famous chapters in the bible. Psalm 23 is written by a shepherd, however it is not written from a shepherd’s perspective but is written from the perspective of a sheep. “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” We dare not ever forget this. The life of a sheep is pretty simple. Sheep only get into trouble when they forget they are sheep
The Key Phrase in this Psalm is “The Lord”
The LORD - (Yahweh)(“I AM”) is My Shepherd. The LORD is...

• My Savior - My Deliverer
• My Substitute - My Sin bearer
• My Shelter - My harbor of hope
• My Strength -
• My Shield - my defender
• The LORD is my shepherd – he is all of these and more

As we consider this statement something should be obvious, obvious that is to sheep.
The most important knowledge a sheep can have is knowledge about the shepherd.

• Sheep do not need to know a lot about how to build fences
• Sheep do not need to know a lot about how grass grows
• Sheep do not need to know a lot about waters sources
• Sheep do not need to know a lot about bears, wolves etc.

The survival of sheep is dependent upon one thing - do they have the courage to trust the shepherd?! That courage comes from knowing the Shepherd

It is true that the Lord is a shepherd.
It is true that the Lord is the Good Shepherd.
It is because I trust in the Lord as MY shepherd that I can experience the rest of Psalm 23.

We need to have a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. That relationship comes through faith in His finished work upon the Cross where the good shepherd gave his life for the sheep and paid the penalty for their sins. The most important question you can ever ask yourself is , do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

The rest of Psalm 23 outlines the multitude of blessings flowing out of this personal relationship with the Lord my Shepherd. Read it again today. Follow the Good Shepherd, have the courage to trust The Good shepherd who gave his life for you. “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.” Perfect peace comes when we have the courage to trust the perfect shepherd.

This Shepherd says to us in Proverbs 8: 34-35 “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Wisdom, don’t leave home “the sheepfold” without it. Listen, watch and wait for wisdom and blessings (the blessings of simplicity) will find their way into your life.

"Borrowed Time"

Here are some sobering words for two of the greatest countries in the world celebrating their independence this past week.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.

It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage. [Source Unknown]

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chro 7:14

"You Look Familiar "

We have probably all heard the saying “familiarity breads contempt”. Well I would like to add another thought to that one. Contempt is not all familiarity breeds.

• Familiarity breeds comfort
• Familiarity breeds routine
• Familiarity breeds laziness

One more that you would think is true but often proves to be false is this - "Familiarity breeds insight." The truth is that familiarity usually kills insight because we think there is nothing more we can learn. We know all there is to know, so we stop looking for new insights. And consequently the result is that familiarity does not breed insight it breeds boredom. Let me illustrate.

For most husbands there are three days of the year we tend to dread. Our wife’s birthday, our anniversary and Christmas. The reason being those days mean we have to pick out a present for our wife. Well imagine early on in the marriage a young, naive husband learns that his wife loves perfume. So suddenly all of his questions about what to buy on those special days have been answered. Be it a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas he no longer has to think or interact with his wife about what to buy. He has found out all he needs to know so he can (finally) get back to the golf course. When this happens in marriage, we sometimes stop listening or paying attention and begin to miss things. (important things) We miss all the hints about a new outfit, the pictures of jewelry left lying around . We stop listening. We stop asking what they would like. Why? Because we know the answer. We stop trying to discover more about our spouse, because perfume is easy. No matter what the occasion, perfume is always the answer. Then you hear those words no husband really wants to hear “honey, we need to talk!” (a wise man will listen without a golf club in his hand.)

No where is this more evident than in our study of familiar passages of the Bible. Sometimes in our Bible reading when we get to these stories we skip over them because we already "know" them and to dig in familiar territory is needless work. What we know about that story no longer excites us and what we don’t know no longer concerns us. Consequently we stop trying to learn more, stop meditating, and stop studying. Stories like Jonah and the Whale – David and Goliath – The Cross – the Resurrection of Christ - The Christmas Story. Stories many of us have heard since we were old enough to go to Sunday School
It takes thought and concentration to get beyond the cliches and the obvious truths we have heard so many times. It means acknowledging that there is more to these stories than meets the eye.
God says that the Scriptures are alive. They are living and active they always have something to say to us. Are you bored with Bible study? Do those old stories you know so well still excite you and challenge you? Has familiarity led to complacency and boredom?
May I challenge you, maybe even today to get out your Bible and look up a story you know so well you can almost quote it. Begin to study it with a renewed desire to see what it has to say. Study it to to get below the surface and dig for fresh insight. Start looking for nuggets of truth that have been hidden because you thought you “knew the story”. Ask God to open your eyes that you might see wonderful things from His Word – insights and truths you have never discovered in all these years.
Remember these words from Proverbs, this is how we need to approach God’s word
Pro 2:1- 5 “My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”

I remember driving down the same road year after year thinking it was the most boring stretch of road on the planet.. I’d seen it all a hundred times, I knew it like the back of my hand. Then one day I decided to walk down that same road and I noticed things that I had never seen before. When I slowed down and walked that which once seemed boring came alive with new life . Things I had never seen in all these years jumped out at me – the beauty of flowers, the aroma of the blossoms, the rustling of the leaves on the trees, the birds singing, it looked new and fresh and exciting. And all I did was slow down.
Next time you are tempted to skip over a familiar story because you know it so well - slow down - and you may find God putting his arm around you saying “FRIEND, WE NEED TO TALK”

2 Timothy 3:15 "study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed."

"Ready - Fire - Aim"

“Ready, Fire, Aim.” You will never find these instructions in the manual that comes with a firearm. The reasons are obvious. The results would be disastrous. Someone would eventually get seriously hurt. Learning how to aim is the key to using a firearm and it is also the key to using our words.
I have never done this, and never will, but if I were to carry around a tape recorder with me all day I wonder what my words would sound like. How many of my words just shot out of my mouth with little thought or aim given to them? Proverbs gives us a wonderful word picture to help us to use our tongues properly. So no one gets hurt.

Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

Apples of gold in settings of silver, that is a beautiful table setting. Pleasant to the eyes. Solomon compares that to words fitly or rightly spoken.
There is something very beautiful about the right word at the right time isn’t there. We’ve all been victims of people trying help and all they have done is hurt. They fired but forgot to aim. And we have all been the recipient of that right word, that fitting word and know how much it meant to us.

• A word fitly spoken at the graveside of a loved one is a memorable thing.
• A word fitly spoken to that teenager whose heart has been broken is a precious thing.
• A word fitly spoken to those who need a loving rebuke is a valuable thing.
• A word fitly spoken is a word that has been chosen with a great deal of thought and preparation.
• A word fitly spoken is a word spoken with the right attitude, the proper tone and at the right time.

Shooting from the hip seldom brings images of apples of Gold in settings of silver. It usually conjures up images of a train wreck. The Apostle Peter was never at a loss for words, and on one occasion it even tells us in Mark’s Gospel that Peter spoke and the only reason he spoke was because he didn’t know what to say. That's the equivalent of saying I'm not sure where to aim so I'm just going to start shooting. It might be wise to turn off the tape recorder before you start. Jesus tell us in Matthew 12:36 something that should make us all reach for the duck tape "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak," with that in mind we should listen to this great counsel from Ecclesiastes

12: 9 - 10 “Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”

Proverbs reminds us to learn to choose our words thoughtfully , especially in tense, emotional settings. Think about what would encourage, and uplift. Often I have found that a few words can speak volumes. We cannot take our words back once they are said. Therefore, seek to find right words, fitting words, and if you can’t find them and don’t know what to say ( can't get the aim right) that’s ok. Take your hand off the trigger. (Bite your tongue) Believe it or not, sometimes our hurting friends, or our kids, don’t need our words, they just need us put an arm around them and be quiet. Remember, Silence can be golden as well.

"The Green Eyed Monster"

We have all probably heard of the “green-eyed” monster. No, not Shrek, the other one. It has many different names but the most common one it goes by is “Envy”. Being a book about life and godly wisdom it is not surprising that Proverbs talks quite a bit about envy. Jonathan Edwards defines envy this way - “Envy is a spirit of dissatisfaction or opposition to the prosperity or happiness of other people.” Proverbs helps us narrow down a particular group of people we as believers may be tempted to envy and it may surprise you.

Proverbs 23:17 “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.”

The fact that Proverbs tells me not to do this means that this must be something I find myself prone to do. So I did a quick inventory of my heart and sure enough it was there, the tendency if I am not careful, to envy sinners. Now there are some sinners I don’t envy. I don’t envy drug addicts and alcoholics, or those whose lives or families are falling apart because of sinful choices. I don’t envy John and Kate and their eight kids, I feel sorry for them. But not all sinners are drug addicts or have their lives falling apart around them. Some are upstanding citizens, have nice families, good marriages, nice homes and good reputations. Some sinners have a lot of really nice stuff as well. Nice stuff, stuff I would really like to have! They seem to enjoy life. They get up on Sunday morning and never think about church. They have a nice breakfast, get the kids ready for soccer. Go to the game, come home and spend some time around the pool with the family and some friends and never give one thought toward God or church. They seem perfectly happy in this world because they are. This world is all they know. They are at home here, this is their turf. Yes sometimes it is easy to envy them.
But I am thankful for the honesty of scripture and for recording for us another man’s struggle with this same thing in Psalm 73 his name was Asaph.

Psalm 73:2-14 “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not h stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.”

Thankfully psalm 73 does not end with vs 14 and Proverbs 23 does not end with verse 17. There is more at stake than just this life.

Psalm 73:16-17 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

Just read today about a famous celebrity who passed away. I'm sure there would be much about his life one could envy, but where is he now? Where will sinners be 1 second after they die. What is their future from an eternal perspective. For the believer the future is bright and filled with hope beyond the grave. It comes through salvation in Jesus Christ. Remember, we are not home yet. We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth, the best is yet to come for the believer. We have a sure and certain hope, we have a home prepared for us, and we are awaiting our Father’s return for us so keep looking up. For the sinner this is as good as it gets, the worst is yet to come for them. We need to keep an eternal perspective on our lives. Life is not about the abundance of the things we possess. Here is the point of this little article -

It is very unlikely we will have much of a passion for evangelizing sinners if we are secretly envying sinners.

We will be home soon, so don’t envy sinners. When tempted go re-read Psalm 73, then seek to rescue sinners from the wrath to come by telling them the good news of Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God will bring greater satisfaction than any “thing” this world can give.

Proverbs 23:18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

"Do It Again!"

Heb 13:7- 9 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.

Here is very thought provoking quote read it slowly...

“A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” [G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Chapter 4]

Think about it... this spring we were looking forward to the trees blooming and they did. But it was the same as last year - green leaves - every year green, green, green. But we don’t mind.
There is glorious detail in every flower down to the smallest particle - yet it is the same every year. It is true that we rejoice that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But sometimes we cringe at the thought that something might be the same this week as it was last week.
There is a certain security in the routine, in sameness. Children can hear the same bedtime story again and again and again. So much so that the parents secretly are tempted to “loose the book” so they can read something else. Children never seem to tire of repetition. They love to do it again. Children love routine - they flourish under routine - schedules. The best teachers are teachers that understand the power and importance of routine and schedules.

Obviously God is perfect and we are not and when we are doing something there is always room for improvement and change
But what is the reason we should be willing to change? Is it because sameness is bad or routine is bad? Is it change for the sake of change. No!

We change because we are open to the fact that there may be a better ways of doing something. We change because we are learning - and learning implies a willingness to change. To change because we think routine and sameness are bad or wrong is to be mistaken. It is the flesh not the spirit that hates routine, discipline.

Golfers practice for hours and hours so they can learn to repeat he same swing time after time. There success depends on the ability to reproduce the same swing every time. They never complain about being bored. Routine is the key to there success.
It may be a mark of our sin nature and immaturity that we get bored with sameness and not the other way around. There is nothing sinful about routine - there is nothing wrong with knowing what comes next.
Do you wonder what heaven will be like? Will it be constant change? Or will there be a perfect , glorious sameness that we will rejoice in for eternity?

“It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." When I pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Daniel, Isaiah and David, The God of Paul, John, and Peter, the God of Luther, Edwards and Livingston I am praying Father "Do it again... in me."