Funerals Rather Than Parties

Ecclesiastes 7:2  “Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart.”

To spend time thinking of death. To spend time experiencing all that surrounds death. I read a quote that said “Our culture prepares us for everything but death.” Jesus tried on a number of occasions to speak to His disciples about his coming death. They never wanted to listen, they changed the subject. It was not until after His death that they remembered His words. Jesus wanted to make sure the important things were said. “I will be killed but I will live again.---and in the world to come you too will have eternal life.” He taught of heaven and of Hell. He taught of the great gift of forgiveness for all who turn to Him. He has left us His word, explaining truth, giving us hope.

I just watched a movie titled “The Note”, the story involved a plane crash and a note written by a passenger just before they crashed. It was a note from a father to his child. It was a story of forgiveness and healing brought by a few words from a father with minutes to live and what he wanted to convey to his child before he died.

Minutes to live, a hastily written note, not much could be said, yet how many of us wish we could have one last word with someone we loved who has died. Words that would bring healing, comfort, guidance, forgiveness and hope. The father in the movie knew he had but minutes to live, he was going to die. We all have been given notice we are all going to die. It is just a matter of when.

We can write our note’s now. We can explore together the reality of Heaven and read together what the Bible says about Heaven. We can share or fears and our hopes. We can say the words that have not been said. We can forgive and comfort. We can lend guidance and help to bring hope. We can talk honestly to each other and when our time comes to leave this life for the next, the ones we leave behind will know that it is not good-bye but only see ya, until we meet again and celebrate together the joy of having eternal life with Christ our King.

Family Movie Nights

Isaiah 38:19  “The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.”  NIV

I remember family movie nights from when I was young. My dad would set up the projector and bring out the old movies of our family. My mom would get the chips and dip.  We would sit and watch movies of our vacations, camping, boating, first bike rides, birthdays. We would laugh, memories would be refreshed. I remember those nights with great joy.  Nights like these helped to keep our family together, helped to keep our family strong.

This Bible verse speaks of fathers telling their children the stories of God’s faithfulness.   Fathers telling of how God has helped them in their own lives. Fathers telling their children the stories from the Bible, David slaying the giant, Noah building the ark, Elijah calling down fire from heaven.  Fathers telling the story of Jesus and His great love and sacrifice for us.

God created us as fathers to lead our families, to guide them.  God has given us the responsibility of teaching our children. To teach them of life, of love, and most importantly to teach our children of the faithfulness of the Lord.   Deuteronomy 11:18-21 says, “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.” God goes on to say in verse 25 “No one will be able to stand against you,” With God at the center of our families nothing can tear us apart, our families will flourish.

“Those who are wise will take all this to heart, they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43

Recount The Righteous Victories of The Lord

Judges 5:11 “Listen to the village musicians gathered at the watering holes. They recount the righteous victories of the Lord and the victories of his villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord marched down to the city gates.”

My job allows me to travel and to meet a variety of people everyday. I visit with them in their homes and in our short time together it is amazing to see how God will direct our conversations away from work and on to him. Many times over the past two years I have been able to share with people the miracles God has done in my life. How he has healed me physically. I share of the miracles God preformed in the healing of my body. I share with them my story but what amazes me is the stories they then share with me. Stories of how God has worked in their lives. Stories of sight being restored, sickness and diseases being healed. Stories of faith, healing and miracles.

I have also been blessed to be able to tell my story at churches, and with other groups. People will come up to me afterward and they will share with me what God has done in their lives or in the lives of family members. Paul said this, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other.” Romans 1:12

God wants us to gather and to recount His righteous victories. Each of us have a story to tell, stories of Miracles, stories of faith. I will end with one such story. This man was a chronic alcoholic. God delivered him from alcoholism yet shortly thereafter he lost his sight. At about that time a women he met at church offered him a job as an accountant. He said to her, “You realize I’m blind.” She responded, “God put it on my heart to hire you, so we will leave that part up to him.” He took the job, but he felt guilty going to work and not being able to do the job he was hired for. Shortly thereafter his sight was restored. The woman was right, She was faithful to do what God asked of her and God took care of his end of the bargain.

My faith has been greatly encouraged over the past two years, I would not have been so blessed if I had not opened up and shared my story with those around me. I encourage you to share your story with the people God puts in your path. “Recount the righteous victories of the Lord and in this way we will be a blessing to each other.”

Houston We Have A Problem

Isaiah 59:1,2  “Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf.  He can hear you when you call.  But there is a problem---”

“Houston we’ve had a problem here.”  Jack Swigert, Command Module Pilot on Apollo 13.  200,000 miles from home, Apollo 13 was in trouble and they needed help.  Their oxygen tank No. 2 had blown up, causing the No. 1 tank also to fail. The Apollo 13 command modules normal supply of electricity, light, and water was lost.  The ship was on a course to the moon, now the boys and girls back at Houston had to find a way to change direction and chart a course back toward the earth.  The ships navigation system wasn’t designed for this situation.  Houston came up with a procedure to use the sun as a navigational star.  It worked, the crew used the sun to align the ship on the right course and Houston was able to bring the crew safely home.

The Israelites were also in trouble, they needed help, they were heading in the wrong direction.  They were calling out to God to save them but they were receiving no answer.  Isaiah tells them why, “God can hear you when you call.  But there is a problem---your sins have cut you off from God.  Because of your sin, He has turned away and will not listen anymore.  Our sins are piled up before God and testify against us.  We have rebelled against the Lord.  We have turned our backs on God.  Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed.  Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked.  It is because of this evil that deliverance is far from us.”  

We too cry out to God, “Oh Lord don’t you see what is going on?   Why don’t you help us?  Well my friends we’ve got a problem here.  We too have turned our backs on God, our sins testify against us.  Truth falls dead in our streets.  We as a nation have lost our direction.   We need to get back on the right course.  The navigation system we are using does not work it is taking us further and further away from God.

Our first president George Washington said this,  “The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.”  --  “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.  These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.”

Jesus said,  “I am the bright morning star.”  Let’s again use Him as our navigational star and let God bring us safely back home.   Our world and our families are in danger, let us, “Endeavor to live and act as a Christian soldier defending our rights and liberties and to learn the religion of Jesus Christ.”

Please Not Me

Exodus 6:30 “This is the same Moses who had argued with the Lord saying, I can’t do it! I’m no orator. Why should Pharaoh listen to me?”

God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and he commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses protested again and again, “How can you expect me to do that; They won’t listen to me; They won’t believe me; I’m not a good speaker; Please send someone else.  God spoke, He told Moses to go, yet Moses hesitated, he came up with excuses. Don’t we do the same thing.

I met a couple recently and the wife (I will call her D) told me this story. God had put it on her heart to go on a mission trip to South America. This ministry was focused on bringing large groups of people to help on building projects in South America. Immediately she came up with four reasons not to go.  Her reasons for not going were, I don’t want to sleep in a large barrack with a lot of other people. I don’t know the first thing about construction, I don’t do well among large groups, and we cannot afford it. D kept these excuses to herself but she told her niece, who heads up the trip, that she felt there was no way she could go. Her niece told her to pray about it.

D did pray and a week later her niece called her and told her the trip was set but it was going to be different this time. They were taking just a small group of people, and they were going to be staying in a hotel. Also they were not going to be on a building project because another ministry opportunity had come along. D said to me, after all this I still wasn’t convinced I should go, we still didn’t have the money.  I smiled thinking of Moses, the burning bush, God speaking from the bush, Mose’s staff turning into a snake, “No not me! I can’t do it!”.  D then told me how the next day she had two phone calls with temporary job offers. D and her husband both smiled as D told me she went on the trip and it was a life changing experience.

D’s story reminded me of the many times I have heard God’s voice and refused to listen. I can’t, I won’t, no! not me! How about you, are you arguing with God about something in your life right now? D’s niece had some great advice, “Just pray about it.”

With Longing

Luke 22:14,15  Then at the proper time Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table.  Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this passover meal with you before my suffering begins.”

Jesus longed for this day, the day he would break bread with his disciples. Within hours Jesus would be arrested, beaten, and die on a cross.  Scripture says Jesus looked forward to (He longed for) this intimate meal with His disciples.  For in this meal the new covenant is to be remembered for all time.  Jesus broke the bread and said, “This is my body, given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  He took the wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.”  Luke 22

Within hours Jesus did pour out His blood, Hebrews 9:12 says, “Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves.  He took His own blood, and with it He secured our salvation forever.”   Jesus knew the disciples did not understand what he was doing or what He was saying.   For just after he shared this meal with them they started arguing among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming kingdom.  But He also knew that after His death, He would rise out of the grave and then they would understand.  He knew they would be changed men, full of the Holy Spirit.  Then they would remember, and this day and this meal would be remembered forever.  1 Corinthians 11:26  “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again.”

As we eat the bread, we too are to remember.  As we drink the wine we too are to announce that he shed His blood for us, that “we are made Holy by His blood.  Our sins have been forgiven, and there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”  Hebrews 10:18

Easter is a time to remember, blood was shed, a body was given.  We are now free to worship God, we are free from the penalty of sin.  This Easter season as you break bread together--remember. Yes!  He is risen!!

Spring Has Come

Psalm 147:18  “Then, at his command, it all melts.  He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.”

I have found myself complaining lately, sick of the cold weather, tired of looking out the window and seeing ice on the lake.  Each morning I look out the window and see a winters worth of ice, dirt and grime still covering the lake.  I find myself thinking spring will never come.
I woke this morning to find the ice was gone!  The lake had been transformed, winters grip had been released, no snow, no ice, no grime.   Spring was here, Praise the Lord!  Not only had the lake been transformed but so had my attitude, I found myself smiling throughout the day.  Sharing with others that the ice was out on the lake.  Spring has come!  Yet I was thinking I missed something, I did not see the ice go out, it was there the day before, now it was gone.

God works in our lives the same way he worked on the ice.  We find ourselves complaining and focusing on winter, focusing on the grim and problems in our lives.  Wondering if God is listening to our prayers.  Maybe doubting that He cares.   Asking, will spring never come? Yet if we ask Him, if we allow Him.  God will work in our lives.  A little at a time He will change us.  Instead of melting away ice, He will melt away the hardness of our hearts. He will clean away the grime in our lives.  We will wake one day to find that while we were not looking, He will have transformed us.  People will see the beauty of Christ (His Son) reflected in us.  Winter will be gone, spring will have come.  At His command our hearts melt, through the wind and trials of life the ice will thaw.

Are you focusing on winter?  Do you feel spring will never come.  Ephesians 4:23,24 says, “Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.  You must display a new nature, because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness--righteous, holy, and true.”  Spend some time with God, put your focus on Him, ask Him to change you.   Then while your not looking, one day you will realize God has changed you, all that old stuff, all the grime will be gone.  Winters grip, Satan’s grip will have been released from your life.  You, like the lake will be transformed, you will have a new nature.   You will find yourself smiling throughout your day, you will find yourself telling others how God transformed you, telling others how the ice has thawed.