Keep That Follow-up Visit

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” (Ho 6:1 AV)

The fact that the LORD chastens those whom He loves is undeniable.  The reality we don’t learn as well as we should often presses that chastening to a point of severe chastening.  That is why we see two levels of chastening mentioned above.  We have a tearing.  We also see a smiting.  Both leave marks.  Most are subtle and dissipate fully.  Some do not.  The stubbornness of our own hear forces the LORD to bring upon us circumstances of life that sting a bit.  For the most obstinate, those circumstances could mean a life time of hardship because we did not listen.  However, the LORD is not without mercy!  If He inflicts a bit of discomfort, He will also heal.  Even though we do not deserve it, He still makes things whole again.  But He will not do it from afar.  We must return.  We must go to the hand that corrected for some desperately needed healing.  If we do not, we are asking for a festering wound.

I have seen many cases where God turned a life around after a hardship of sin caused circumstances.  I have seen single parents who eventually find the one whom God intended all along and as long as they all walk in humility before the LORD and one another, the LORD gives them a beautiful family.  I have seen addicts riddled with the scars of their addiction written plainly on their faces used of God to change the lives of others.  I have seen believers who ran from God and who now bare the marks of that running, but who are faithful in their service to the LORD.  God has turned their lives around and that are a testimony of God’s grace.  I have seen teenagers rebel against the LORD going their own way only to see the LORD turn them completely around, restoring them to full fellowship.  The key is returning.  We have to return to the only one who can and will heal.  We have to return to the only one who can stop the bleeding.

Think of a surgeon.  There is a disease which needs his knife.  We are not aware of the pain because we are under anesthesia.  If there was no healing which followed, one would think the good doctor was evil.  If all he did was to open the body and remove the alien body, it would be cruel.  There must be repair work.  There must be a closing.  There must be dressings and bandages.  There must be therapy.  God is not cruel to send that which we need to get better.  Unfortunately, we are not under anesthesia.  We feel it all.  Going under the knife and then leaving half-way through the surgery would be completely foolish.  Like my shoulder surgery of a few year back, if I did not faithfully and fully submit to therapy, the surgery would have accomplished nothing.  We must return to the healer who caused the initial infliction to begin with.  Otherwise, we have learned nothing and the discomfort will only grow worse.  We need that follow-up visit.  We need it regularly.  Otherwise, the scars will fester and the disease will eventually kill us.

Give In To The Allurement

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” (Ho 2:14 AV)

I’ve been in enough wilderness areas to know that it takes some doing to allure someone into it.  From a child we are conditioned to avoid the unknown.  Who knows what evil beasts lurk in the shadows of the wilderness?  How many snakes or spiders, capable of making or lives miserable, scurrying along looking for some poor victim into whom they might inflict pain?  Then there are the less dangerous, but nonetheless distasteful aspects of the wilderness.  Where am I supposed to take a shower, go to the bathroom, eat, or sleep?  What if an emergency were to happen?  How far is the nearest hospital?  Then the oft used, but mostly dramatic sacrifices like the conveniences of life.  How will I charge my cell phone?  What am I supposed to do when there is no TV to watch?  When push comes to shove, the wilderness is not something one can be easily allured into.  It might be seen as adventurous at first, but then real-life settles in.  But the wilderness is often where one comes face to face with the God who created and hopefully saved them.

The context here is Israel during the tribulation period.  The verse above specifically speaks of the mid-point when the Antichrist sits on the mercy seat and declares himself God.  The nation of Israel is told to flee into the wilderness.  There, the LORD will sustain her for the remaining three-and-a-half years.  In our context, it takes horrible conditions to entice or allure Israel into the wilderness.  As challenging as the wilderness would be, the alternative is much worse.  However, there are others that went into the wilderness for varying reasons.  Moses was driven into the wilderness because Egypt was after him.  It was there Gad called him.  Israel wondered in the wilderness because of unbelief.  It was there the old faithless nature of the nation died off.  John the Baptist spent time in the wilderness.  It was there God refined John and built his faith.  Then there is Paul.  He spent three or so years in the wilderness where God trained him for the ministry.  There is Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid who spent time in the wilderness.  Twice in fact.  The first time she had to learn submission.  The second, she learned of God’s mercy.  Jacob spent some time in the wilderness on his way to meet his wife.  It was there he learned to wrestle with God.

The wilderness is always a place of great growth and protection.  It is the place of life when the LORD becomes very real.  The things of life are stripped away and we are left to the visitation of God.  It is where the LORD removed any and all distractions so that He can do a mighty work within our hearts.  It may seem like a void place.  It may seem like a dry and arid place.  It may seem like there is little accomplished in the wilderness.  But, rest assure, the LORD allures us there because it is more than it seems.  It is a place of peace, rest, work, and change.  It is often a place where things are permanently settled.  We have to be allured there because it is not a place we would naturally want to go.  Perhaps for a vacation or two.  But not a place where things become more difficult than we would like.  We have to be allured there because there is work to do and the LORD knows how challenging that will be.  So, give in to the allurement.  It may not seem much at first.  It may even seem a bit frightening.  But the exit is far better than the entrance.  God knows what He is doing.  He knows what is best.  Give in to the wilderness.

Seize Limited Opportunity

“And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” (Da 12:7 AV)

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (Joh 9:4 AV)

It is interesting the condition upon which the LORD ends a dispensation or period of time.  In Daniel, the end of the tribulation period, although predetermined to be a set number of days, also happens to coincide with the ability of the Antichrist to scatter the power of the people of God.  The power of the people of God means their hand, or, their ability to accomplish anything for the LORD apart from personal holiness.  In effect, they will become ineffective.  There will be believers who survive the seven-year tribulation period.  These saints will be the saints that begin with Christ as He reigns for one thousand years.  What we want to consider is the inevitability of ineffectiveness and the encouragement Christ gives in our other verse.

God changes things.  For various reasons, He decides a new direction or environment is needed.  I have noticed this pattern in my own personal life.  Especially when it comes to ministry.  Working in various secular settings, invariably, evangelistic opportunities would eventually wane.  At first, they would start out with many different souls who had never heard the gospel.  After months or years, when all my co-workers had heard enough, the LORD simply moved me on to a different field of evangelism.  This can happen with churches as well.  Different generations require different ways at looking at things.  The basics are never abandoned.  Truth should never be compromised.  But methods of communication can.  There might be a time when what worked in the past will not work in the future.  In other words, opportunity is limited by time, means, and methods.  Eventually, an opportunity will cease.  The once effective Christian or ministry must change or move on.   What strikes me here this morning is how this applies to the end times.  There will come a time when the church can no longer be effective in its mission to spread the gospel.  Not for lack of trying.  It is simply the world is not interested anymore and they have heard enough.  Perhaps that is when the LORD will call us home.

The problem is, we are not the standard by which effectiveness is measured.  Only God knows that.  He alone knows when the church can no longer function for the purpose of which it was created.  Until then, we are to work.  Effectiveness is a subjective term.  God is the one who know what He desires to accomplish.  So, He alone is the only one who can say whether we are being effective or not.  Jesus put it so plainly.  While there is opportunity, we need to seize it.  While there are open doors, we need to walk through them.  While there is one soul who might come to Christ, we need to find it.  There will come a time when being here on this earth serves no purpose.  He will not call us home simply to remove the church from a hostile world.  If that were the case, He would have removed us in the first century.  He will remove us only and when there is no reason to be here anymore.  Until then, let us follow the example of Christ as set above.  The night is coming when no one can work.  So, while it is still day, no matter how late in the day it might be, let us work

Not All Encouragement is Good Encouragement

“He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.” (Pr 28:23 AV)

The man being flattered or rebuked is obviously planning on making a mistake.  For instance, perhaps a person is planning on a career move that he clearly isn’t capable of pulling off.  His friends may bolster this man’s self-confidence and encourage him to seek that change.  He is blind to his shortcomings, or worse, is so full of pride he thinks his shortcomings are minimal and easy to overcome.  Rather than join in a collective cheer leading squad, another knowing this will not end well, remains quiet.  The promotion goes through, in part because of the group’s unrealistic elevation of this person’s abilities.  After a few weeks of struggling in his new responsibilities, the man is demoted back down to his original position.  The one who remained quiet approaches his co-worker and gives him a subtle rebuke regarding his pride and overly ambitious goals, but offers to help him get where he wants to be.  That second man will be appreciated.  The entire group of cheerleaders will be resented.

We have to be careful when we encourage others to take steps that may or may not be the will of the LORD.  We have to be especially careful when we can clearly see that someone is going down a road for which they are not prepared.  If they will not heed advice before the decision is made, it is better to offer a rebuke afterwards.  But we should never encourage someone to go down a road that will lead to failure if we can clearly see that it will.  We actually have a great example of this in the word of God.  One of my favorite saints of the Old Testament is a prophet who was imprisoned at the hands of Ahab, king of Israel.  His name was Micaiah.  Ahab had decided to engage the king of Syria.  All the false prophets, using props and all, encouraged the king to go to war.  Knowing they were only filled with flattery, he called for Micaiah to prophesy before the king.  At first, he mimicked the false words of the heretics.  The king rebuked him and told him to only prophesy that which was in the name of the LORD.  When he did, Ahab knew he had heard the truth, but decided to go to war anyway.  He sets of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah as the fall guy.  It doesn’t work.  Ahab did not appreciate the truth.  But the king of Judah did.  It saved his life.

The point is this.  We should encourage one another to pursue God’s will for our lives even if we think it is impossible.  That is where faith comes in.  God will put us in situations of which are above or beyond our abilities.  Not every decision is purely black and white.  God can overcome where we are limited.  However, there are other decisions which are clearly not God’s will.  It is better we say our piece and remain silent so that afterwards we can guide through the circumstances of a bad choice than to flatter with words and encourage someone to go a direction we know in our heart of hearts will end in failure.  The axiom that it is better to have tried and failed than to not try at all is not always true.  Yes, we do not want to be scared little rabbits too afraid to step out on faith.  But at the same time, the step we take has to be the will of God and manageable by the power of God.  Otherwise, no matter how great someone thinks we might be, it will not end well.

Be that strength. Need that strength.

“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.” (Pr 27:13 AV)

This is a difficult proverb.  In reading several commentators, I gather the meaning is instruction for those who are disciplined to assist those who are impulsive.  Specially with their resources.  The meaning is something like this.  Take the garment away from a person who would loan out his garment to a complete stranger.  The loan is a naïve one.  The one making the loan does not bother to think ahead of how he would get his garment back.  He loans it to a complete stranger and doesn’t show prudence or wisdom in doing so.  The second half is like unto the first: take the pledge away from a person who intends to spend in an immoral and impulsive manner.  The mechanics of this wisdom is not stated.  We cannot forcible go into someone’s private life and remove any and all resources than may be used unwisely or impulsively.  We have no authority to control another person’s life.  However, that does not mean we cannot fulfill this proverb.

No matter how disciplined we think we are, those who are extremely disciplined when it comes to their personal resources is rare.  Very rare.  We are all optimistic and sometimes a bit foolish when it comes to the nature of others.  We want to trust.  We all are impulsive in certain areas of life.  It doesn’t have to be a strange woman.  It could very well be food, entertainment, leisure, exercise, etc.  Addiction are impulses that have gotten control of the majority of who and what we are.  We are always in one of two places at the same time.  We have discipline in some areas, but lack it in others.  This is how we can understand this proverb.  We need someone to help us control ourselves.  But we can also be that person that assists in another’s weakness.

Recently, I have been told by my doctor that I need some lifestyle changes.  These changes have to be taken seriously.  One of them is a better diet.  No, I love healthy food.  Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.  Love ‘em!  I am not a serious sugar addict either.  I can take or leave chocolate.  I have yogurt, oatmeal, grain bars, or a rare egg for breakfast.  I skip lunch.  Dinner is whatever we come up with.  Now that my doctor has rung the bell, my lovely wife is researching diets that will help my situation.  If there was anyone on the planet that would probably no buck at a changed and more healthy diet, it would be me.  But I found myself having a hard time being told I have to eat more salads and less meat!  Excuse me?  I don’t have this discipline.  So, my best friend is watching out for me.  I need her to help me strive after better health.  We all need that person who can tell us we are undisciplined in a certain area and offer to help.  Be that person.  But be willing to be that other person, too!

Forced Into Faith

“Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Da 2:16-18 AV)

Sometimes, we are forced into circumstances when we can do nothing else but trust the LORD.  These times are frequent, and are often the times when God works His most dramatic miracles.  Daniel didn’t have a choice here.  It was either trust the LORD with an answer, or die with the rest of the heathen wise men.  The tragedy would not be his death.  Rather, the tragedy would be that the God of Israel would have been seen no different than the false gods of the pagan magicians.  When Nebby (because I cannot spell his full name) decreed all the wise men, magicians, and astrologers be killed, this included the wise men of Israel.  Nebby assumed that if the wise men of pagan nations couldn’t reveal and interpret dreams, then no god could.  Even the God of gods.  The one true God.  The only wise God and potentate.  So, Daniel had no choice but to trust the LORD, take a chance, and seek to save his life as well as the lives of all the wise men.  In the end, his goal was to glorify his and our God!

Living by faith is not for the faint of heart.  But it is that which is required in order to please God.  Hebrews chapter eleven and verse six tells us directly that the only way to please God is by faith.  That doesn’t make faith any easier.  Faith is that which sets us apart from all of God’s creation.  Mankind, and mankind only, possess the ability and circumstances to trust by faith.  No other creature possesses this ability.  We have reason, we have the light of God’s existence, and we have a moral code written on our hearts.  We have the evidence to accept what we cannot see.  Accepting what we cannot see, we place our trust in it and order our lives by it.  This is reasoned faith.  However, faith must be tested in order for it to grow.  Testing faith, or as the Bible says, proving faith, requires circumstances where we have no other choice but to trust.  Once submitted to, this can be one the most sublime experiences a believer can experience.

I know this example pales in comparison to what others may have experienced, but it does go to show how letting go of worries and anxieties when there isn’t anything we can do about our situation, rests in faith.  A few years ago, I had surgery.  It was only the second time in my life that I had gone under general anesthesia.  I crazy thought went through my head.  If anything goes wrong during surgery, the only way I am going to know is if the next thing I see is the glory of Jesus Christ as I enter the gates of pearl.  I won’t feel a thing!  What a piece of mind that was. I couldn’t do anything about my situation.  I was totally at the mercy of the doctor and the skills of his staff.  May as well trust the LORD.  The reason we get anxious is we feel we are losing control.  The problem is, we never really had it to begin with.  It is all in the hands of God so we might as well sit back and let God show Himself strong!

The Perks of Obedience

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” (Re 22:14 AV)

At first, this verse appears as though access to the tree of life and entrance into the heavenly city is based on obedience.  If this is the understanding, then there are contradictions in the word of God.  We know that nothing that defiles will be in the presence of God and we also know that God recreates all material creation in righteousness.  We further know that when the saved are glorified, they will not longer have the capacity or desire to sin.  So, if this is not a verse to teach that salvation is kept my works, then what is the LORD saying here?  The understanding is in the Greek word for ‘…right…’.  We use the word in a legal sense as one who has earned a privilege based on merit.  This is reinforced by the phrase ‘…may have…’ which precedes the word ‘…right…’.  But the Greek word for ‘…right…’ means power.  Not an entitlement based on merit.  Note the small word ‘…the…’ is missing just before the word ‘…right…’.  Not also it is those ‘…that…’ do rather than those ‘…who…’ do, avoiding a comparison between two groups of people.  In other words, those that do His commandments, beginning with the commandment to accept Christ as their Savior, have been granted the power to enjoy the tree of life and heaven itself because of the grace of God shed upon them.  Now that we have expounded upon this verse, let us find a more practical application for the saint.

It is often suggested that obedience to the word of God limits one’s joy and liberty.  According to our passage, reality is quit the opposite.  Looking above, we see those who walk in obedience are given the privilege of joy and access.  They (or we) will live in habitual obedience to the LORD’s commandments have be given the liberty to come and go from the gates of New Jerusalem and partake of the tree of life freely.  Let’s compare the individual who decides not the obey the LORD in repentance and salvation.  There is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Furthermore, they are confined to a place call hell for all of eternity.  No place to go.  No escape from it.  They will be there for one reason and one reason only.  Disobedience.

As we have spoke of before, the oldest argument in the history of man is that God is not fair.  All God wanted to do was to rob Adam and Eve of the blessings of being like gods.  That was Satan’s argument.  He promised them liberty.  Instead, it thrust mankind into consequences of their sin which constrain our liberty more and more.  This reminds me of another passage.  “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” (2Pe 2:19 AV) The next time someone promises you more liberty in disobedience, remember our passage.  Only those who walk in obedience will enjoy maximum joy and true liberty.

The Fight for Good

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” (Re 19:11 AV)

There is a difference between the warfare of men and the warfare of God.  The Bible tells us in the book of James why men war.  “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (Jas 4:1 AV) Men fight and strive because they want something.  And, by the way, it is not always material.  People can fight because they want power, influence, or status.  This is why we see the actions of some in our government.  Warfare is not wrong in and of itself.  But warfare must in and for righteousness.  Righteousness, as defined by God and not our own value system; for that is the only true righteousness.  What the LORD returns, there will be warfare.  Very brief.  But warfare nonetheless.  This warfare will not be for conquest because God owns it all anyway.  This warfare will not be for power because God controls it anyway.  This warfare will not be for influence for the whole world already declares the glory of its Creator.  This warfare will be for the cause of righteousness.

In one of the documentaries on World War II, one of the veterans related how the Allies powers at first did not want to come to terms with the holocaust.  They saw Hitler’s war as nothing more than a war of conquest.  This American veteran relayed his reactions to coming upon the Jewish interment camps in Poland.  I remembered seeing all the human violation and destruction and becoming numb.  At first, it was surreal.  Then the horrendous nature of it overwhelmed him to the point of becoming numb.  He remembered forcing the citizens of the surrounding German towns who ignored what Hitler was doing to come to the camps, clean up the discarded bodies, and bury them with honors.  The comment that is often relayed is that seeing the absolute vile and profuse wickedness changed the tenor of the war.  No longer was the cause liberation or conquest.  It was righteousness.

This world has forever been in rebellion against the God who created it all.  It has rejected the commands of the Creator, turned their back on His mercy, and in the most stubborn of all ways, lived like animals.  This vile rejection must be judged.  For the child of God who is disheartened, don’t be.  This world cannot continue must longer without the God of righteousness waging war upon if for that very cause.  For the cause of righteousness.  Not the arbitrary definition of righteousness that comes from an atheistic moral relativity spewing from our highest thinkers.  Not the corrupt and perverted definition of right and wrong as propagandized from our electronic influencers.  No, the righteousness which Christ will fight for, and win, is His definition of righteousness.  The only true definition of right and wrong.  This warfare is coming and this warfare will finally and completely establish the righteousness of God on the very creation which He made and owns!  Glory!

Always Merciful

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Re 14:6-7 AV)

Our God is not a God vacant of mercy.  No matter what the devil or the world tries to convince themselves of, God is a God of mercy.  The above event follows the martyrdom of the 144,000 witnesses.  The Antichrist will kill all the preachers, and then some, by the mid-point of the seven-year judgment period known as the tribulation.  Convincing themselves that all they have to do is destroy the messenger and the message becomes irrelevant and of no force, the world tries to extinguish the message of sin, grace, and reconciliation.  If they can, they believe God ceases to exist and mankind is no longer accountable.  They believe they will be free from a God who is almighty!  How foolish.  The passage above proves that God is not bound by our actions.  Kill all the preachers?  Fine.  He will just send spiritual beings called angels whom they cannot kill.  Why?  To offer a way out.  Even while judging the world for rejecting free salvation in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, the LORD still sends the gospel and warnings against rejecting it!

 There have been several law enforcement reality shows that have attempted to reveal the true nature of law enforcement.  One such program, Live PD, is such a show.  The cameras follow police departments while they are on duty and film the stops made.  We know that all stops do not go down exactly like we see.  There are some unfortunate situations that make the news.  But these are the extreme exception and not the rule.  Anyway, something should jump out at the viewer as he watched Live PD.  The professionalism of the police is something we rarely hear about.  What is also remarkable is the balance between enforcing the law and a true genuine interest in serving the accused.  For the most part, there is a respect given regardless of the stop.  It only escalates at the prompting of the perpetrator.  But, by and large, law enforcement desires the situation handled according to the law and in the best interest of both the accused and the victim.  There is still mercy even though the law must be enforced.

 Never let it be said that God is not merciful.  The world deserves the wrath of God for spitting on the free gift of salvation which cost He Son everything.  To turn their collective backs on the God who created them and then offered salvation when He was not obligated to do so, would normally incur dispassionate judgment.  But when they kill the 144,000, instead of going silent and eradicating His enemies, the LORD sends one more opportunity for reconciliation.  One more time to admit fault before God.  One more opportunity to repent.  If you are getting angry at this, don’t blame God.  He is the one extending the offer of reconciliation.  If you are full of bitterness, it is not God’s fault.  He sent someone to die for you.  He offered all that He could.  He is merciful and your anger only serves to testify to that fact.  God loves all the souls whom He created and desires desperately to save them.  But He cannot if they do not desire it.  Turn to the Creator before it is too late.  If you die lost, it won’t be God’s fault

Still Significant

“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” (Re 11:2 AV)

This passage has always given me a pause.  My thoughts go back to the book of Hebrews that clearly teach the religious things of the Old Testament are done away in Christ.  My thoughts go back to our LORD’s comments as He approached the city of Jerusalem and reflected on the holy mount.  He told His disciples that a simple prayer of faith would cast it into the sea.  So, I was always puzzled why, given the history of the failure of temple worship, the LORD would care about it in the future.  Temple worship has become obsolete by the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary once and for all.  Continuing that same thought, why will it be such an abomination of desolation when the AntiChrist sits upon the mercy seat, declaring himself to be God?  People declare themselves to be gods all the time.  Sitting on the mercy sit while doing so seems to be the pinnacle of insult towards the God whom gave that Ark of the Covenant.  But the Ark has been replaced by the written word of God and Jesus Christ’s substitutionary offing on His cross.  So why is the temple and the Ark seen as something that demands respect, even though they are both obsolete?

 Just because something, or someone, has lost a major sense of purpose does not mean it has lost its significance.  Monuments or memorials come to mind.  Things of the past that can guide us to the future should be respected and protected.  They should be honored.  Our church had a significant clean up day about a month back.  The space behind the pulpit area and under the baptismal was cluttered.  It was full of decades of materials and things once used for ministry.  These things were not junk.  They still had value.  It wasn’t like spoiled food that could not be reused for another cause.  They had some value even if they were recycled for another use.  However, there was one item that had no other use but that for which it was once used.  It was a fund-raising plaque hand made for the time our church bought their first and only building.  On the top it might have said something like “Southside Baptist Building Fund”.  Underneath were brass plates with $1000 stamped on them.  There is nothing we can do with this plaque.  It cannot be re-purposed.  However, it has great significance.  It is a reminder of what God did in the past and can still do in the future.  The first inclination was to throw it in the dumpster.  Hardly anyone was left who remembered that long ago.  This doesn’t matter.  It is a part of who and what we are.

 So, we will dust it off.  We will hang it on a wall with other parts of our past.  In a generation which is too quick to throw away anything not deemed as immediately purposeful, we are losing a big chunk of who and what we were and are.  Older generations are seen as disposable.  We replace our cell phones every two years because someone has convinced us ours no longer serves a purpose.  A quick trip to some of our nation’s historical sites or markers only helps to reinforce this sad reality.  I am reminded of a such a special place at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.  What was known as Camp Defiance and then Fort Defiance would be the launching spot of Lewis & Clark’s westward trek as they surveyed our country.  A significant place of American history lays abandoned, overgrown, and vandalized.  In our rush to modernize or improve, we lay to waste things that may not have a purpose, but they still have significance.  They still do matter.

Upward

“And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” (Re 8:4 AV)

We need reminders or we often forget truths.  Prayer is one of them.  Prayer is communication with God who is spirit.  We cannot touch Him, see Him, or audibly hear Him.  When we pray, we are praying to a God who cannot be pointed to.  If we are not careful, we will allow our prayers to remain here on Earth because we forget where they are going and to whom they are addressed.  This was the point of the incense.  It was a reminder of the direction of our prayer.  It was a constant reminder of the God to whom we are praying.  Incense has no spiritual value.  When the angel is using incense, it did not increase the potency of those prayers.  The incense of the angel did not add a divine stamp on the prayers of the saints.  The incense is for the finite mind of the penitent as he seeks to converse with God.

 If you are like me, our personal prayer time can become a battle of concentration.  It can become mere words, spoken to the ear or to our own minds, without realizing just what prayer is.  We need to be reminded that God is a person.  Just because we cannot see Him does not mean He is any less real.  Sometimes we day dream.  Or sometimes we get to preaching to ourselves.  Our minds can take over and prayer becomes mere musing.

 This morning, one of my sons called.  He usually calls every Monday just to visit with his father.  I cannot see him.  I cannot touch him.  I can hear his voice and know that it is him.  The sound of his voice, verified with recognizable familiar phrases or a chuckle or two, reminds me of just who it is to whom I am speaking.  We are not advocating that incense must be used when praying to the Father.  However, catching ourselves as our words and thoughts drift off into beating the air is a significant step in the right direction.  Just a reminder.  There is a person on the other end of that conversation.  That person is your Creator.  He is God.  He is your Savior.  Remember in which direction your prayers are going and it might help to always keep God in mind during your times of personal devotion.

Your Race To Lose

“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Re 3:11 AV)

Believe it or not, I used to run track when I was much younger.  The sprint was my event.  One of the fastest of my class, winning races was not all that challenging.  That is, until the coach decided to make marathon running the goal of all track athletes.  He ran us all over the place.  Miles upon miles of running.  In the end, it slowed my pace down considerably.  No longer able to place first, I was relegated to third string.  If the coach would have simply let me train a different way, then perhaps the crown that was mine for the taking would not have been worn by another victor.  You see, the victor’s crown is ours for the taking.  It is our race to lose.  We already possess it and the only way we can lose it is if we fall behind or drop out of the race altogether.

 Notice the LORD tells his beloved church they already have it.  “Which thou hast” means they have it.  There are five crowns which the believer can earn while serving Christ in our present life time.  There is the incorruptible crown for those who remain faithfully engaged in defense of the faith until death.  There is the crown of rejoicing for faithful soul-winners.  There is the crown of life, often referred to as the martyr’s crown; for those who endure great hardship for the cause of Christ.  Then there is the crown of righteousness for those who seek and anticipate the return of Christ because they deeply desire the conclusion of Christlikeness.  And finally, there is the crown of glory for those who have forsaken all other earthly endeavors to dedicate themselves to the service of the LORD.  These five crowns are the crowns which will be cast at the feet of Christ at our appearing before Him.

 As was stated twice before, we already possess these crowns.  Or, for a more accurate understanding, we already possess the opportunity to possess these crowns.  The one thing that binds them altogether is faithfulness.  Starting out a race is nice.  It is exciting.  It is filled with fanfare.  But all that anticipation and zeal is not worth it if the runner doesn’t finish.  Like being a sprinter, it is nice if the race is only a few hundred feet as opposed to a mile or two.  Finishing a sprint is rather easy.  Finishing a marathon, not so much.  But life is a marathon.  It is not a sprint.  If we are the fastest runner in a race of one (and that is what we are), finishing is all that matters.  We do not run against other believers.  We do not run against other churches.  We run against the adversaries of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  They are not trying to win the race.  They are simply trying to keep us from finishing well.  So, the race is ours to lose.  What are we going to do?

More Talk, Less Write

“I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.” (3Jo 1:13-14 AV)

John closes both Second and Third John this way.  He seems to make it a point to shorten what he could write because he intends to come for a visit to more perfectly expound to people dear to him some spiritual benefit.  I couldn’t help but see an obvious application to our tech saturated world in which we move and have our being.

 Text messaging, instant messaging, personal messaging, and social media has made us a less sociable people.  Just because we communicate electronically does not mean we are communicating effectively.  There are things that fail in the world of electronic relationships.  One cannot see the love behind the eyes of the one who cares.  We have a hard time reading emotion into words even if adjectives and adverbs are profusely used.  Inflection of voice is something that cannot be shared electronically.  Merely sitting with someone going through a hard time communicates more than a trove of text messaging.  A smiley face emoji, a gif appropriate to the occasion, or even a lol or haha simply does not accomplish the same thing as if it were done in person.  We use the excuse that we are too busy.  Personally, I love texting.  A person can accomplish all that he needs to do efficiently and quickly without all the lighter chit chat that usually accompanies such and endeavor.  What I have found is we are a generation that knows how to talk at each other all the while we have lost the ability to talk with one another. 

 When I was a child, my favorite place to be when all the extended family got together was in the living room with all the adults as they shared life experiences.  I heard all the stories of how it was when they grew up.  Sure, occasionally one would hear an uncle pontificate on come current social issue or political debate, but that was the acceptation and not the rule.  For the most part, my parents and their siblings sat and spoke of the years gone by.  They fondly remembered things.  There was a lot of lol, smiley faces, and hahas.  But they were in person with much joy that simple cannot be expressed in electronic format no matter how many emojis or acronyms we use.  We are losing the human connection.  No wonder our society is in such a mess.  We do not see people as they are.  We see one another as an avatar that can be closed out.  A simple click of the mouse or selection of the fingertip puts and end to an intrusion which we now feel is inconvenient.  Maybe we should take a que from John here and visit more while writing less.  Perhaps we can make deeper connections that a pixel filled screen will allow.  Instead of a bunch of dots on a screen, we will see one another as a living, breathing, human soul that has real value and real needs.  Time to connect as only humans can.  Our beloved brother John knew this almost two thousand years ago.