circle syndrome
I paid $100 to buy a car in my teen years. No, that’s not a typo. It truly cost me $100, and it was worth every penny of it. It was a very used 1960 Plymouth Fury that had lost its passion.
It was a peculiar car, having a bar graph for a speedometer and a pushbutton gear selector. It was also a car with a scenic view. The floorboards were rusted through allowing me to watch the street pass beneath me. I could empathize with Fred Flintstone.
At one point, the car developed an annoying problem. Each time I made a left turn, the engine would die - every single left turn without exception. Fortunately, the car would start right up again, but it just wouldn’t tolerate a left turn. Which was OK if my destination could be reached by right turns only.
I was doomed to perpetually drive around the block!
I wonder if this might sound familiar to you.
Sometimes life can feel like a circular rut – like a perpetual cruise around the block! We may be moving, but we don’t seem to get anywhere.
Some perceive it in their finances. They live hand to mouth – one bill is paid, and another quickly replaces it. They just can’t break the cycle and get ahead.
Some experience it in their marriage. Toxic habits perpetuate the hurt and unhappiness.
Some see it at the job. There just doesn’t seem to be a path ahead – just more mind-numbing routine.
This is not the way the Lord would have us to live. In fact, He provided clear instruction on how to get off the hamster wheel of woe.
Solomon recorded God’s words in Proverbs 3:5 & 6. He wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.”
The author implies that most of our difficulties are of our own making. The life choices we make may be skewed by our lusts, our fears, our insecurities and maybe our pride. Objectivity and wisdom are lost in the mix.
The better way to live is to trust in the Lord, all the way – with all our
livelyville
I was cruising the backroads of East Texas when I passed through Livelyville. Now I thought to myself, “This sounds like a fun place to live!” Turns out - it isn’t.
The population is zero. It is a rural, unincorporated place. There is no school, post office or store but they do have a historical marker. The town was founded by Thomas Lively back in the 1850’s, but even he eventually chose to move away. I guess even old Thomas was bored.
But the one thing that caught my attention, was the big green sign that pointed the way to the official Livelyville Cemetery (where the population is considerably larger).
Now I decided right then, that when it’s my time to go, well that’s where I want to be buried!” I want me a plot in that graveyard. It seems like there might always be a hope for a man buried in the Livelyville Cemetery.
Well, the truth is, many cemeteries will be lively places one of these days, at least that’s what the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. (NETBible ®)
The people of Thessalonica were expecting Jesus to return at any moment, but He tarried so long that some of them had died. Those left were inconsolably sad. They assumed it was all over for those folks whose bodies slept and they grieved without a hope.
But, God through Paul said, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.” (vs. 13).
And then, Paul gave them a hope. He wrote, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also, we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep” (vss 14-15).
Knowing that Christ is scheduled to return to this earth, Paul says that Jesus will, at that time, tend to those who have already d
presence
A storm was brewing, but the grass needed mowing. Amid thunderous, flashing skies, I pushed the equivalent of a metal lightning rod through the grass.
It began to rain but I persevered. Like captain Ahab at the prow of a mighty whaling ship with the wind-driven spray of the sea lashing my face - I courageously (or maybe foolishly) pressed on.
But then I was joined by a big old mangy dog that was obviously terrified by what he did not understand. He jumped with every clap of thunder, and he followed me - stuck to me like glue with every turn.
He was more afraid of the thunder and lightning than the noise of my Briggs and Stratton. Being near me seem to bring him a measure of comfort and a sense of security.
So, for a half an hour we plowed through the lawn together and as we did, I began to reflect on what I had just read the night before in my Bible.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” - Ps 46:1. These words sound as if they were written by someone who had experienced them.
Actually, scholars suspect that King Hezekiah of Judah was the author. He had prayed for deliverance from his enemy and God answered by sending His angel to slay the 185,000 Assyrian troops that were there to topple the capital city.
God proved to be a stone-walled refuge and the strength of His people. The King was full of gratitude and a Psalm.
The latter part of the verse fascinates me. He referred to God as a “very present help in trouble.”
When we are in trouble, we typically need help. It might come from afar such as from your dad who Venmo’s some money to help you get your car fixed. In the same way, a person can rely on God to dispatch help from heaven when it is needed.
But the Psalmist said that God was a “present help.” This would be like dad driving several hours and taking his weekend to work on your car himself. The Psalmist said God is like that. He shows up when you need him. Or as they
to the test
I was a motivated school-boy. I often finished my tests before the teacher had distributed them to the rest of the class.
I was in such a hurry that I seldom took the time to read the instructions - which is why I usually got a score of either 100% or 0%. You see sometimes I circled the right answers when I should have Xed out the wrong ones. Oh well!
Fortunately, when the Word of God is tested, it always passes with flying colors. One promise is found in Matthew 6:33 which says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - KJV.
This calls us to make God’s Kingdom business our highest priority. Jesus promised that God will provide all the necessities of life previously mentioned in chapter 6 such as food, clothing, shelter – as we prioritize His Kingdom each day.
We might paraphrase it in this way, “When we take care of God’s business - He takes care of ours.” OK, but how does this fare when tested? May I offer an example?
There was a time when a financial tornado swept into my house.
My pre-teen daughter was told by the orthodontist that she needed braces. The cost was $3,000 and he wanted half of it up front to get started. That same day my accountant called and said, “You owe the IRS $3,000 dollars in taxes!”
And then I went to start my car and it didn't work. I would have to hire a mechanic to fix it. And then my wife threw a load in the clothes dryer, but it didn't spin. Alas more money for an appliance repair man.
We were shocked, astonished and stunned. All of this happened in one day. Of course, financial problems occur. It’s a given in life. But they don’t usually come in a 4-pack. Was our sovereign God trying to communicate with us?
We had always been responsible with our money. We tithed and on top of that we provided financial support to three different missionary families.
But the $600 in our checking account
big ears
They say that our ears and nose never stop growing. The rest of the body does, but not the ears and the nose.
Now I don’t think I’m vain or anything, but I feel like my ears are big enough and I can already pretty much hear everything I want and somethings that I don’t.
But if this is true, it creates some prickly theological issues like, “How big will a person’s ears be in heaven? Will mine be toddler or granddad sized?”
And what about Methuselah? Genesis says, “The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years” - (5:27). Wow, he must have had some mighty big protrusions popping out of head.
Then there was that incident where Peter deftly cut off the ear of the slave of the High Priest. Was this because the man was an old geezer with jumbo ears for targets? (Matthew 26:51)
Well, I decided to research the claim. Turns out - it’s a myth! Ears and noses also cease to grow. However, they are made of cartilage, and such stuff begins to sag over time. So, they stop growing, but then they start drooping and stretch themselves out.
And what is even more irksome is the fact that our cheeks and lips lose volume as we age, which exaggerates the appearance of our ears and nose.*
So, what’s the difference? One day Yoda, we will be!
But here is the thing. I don’t think I would mind having bigger ears – spiritually speaking that is.
Jesus spoke a good deal about ears and their capacity to hear and understand His teachings. Twice He said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” - Matthew 11:15; 13:9) KJV
Usually this was said in relation to the Pharisees and Sadducees who audibly heard the words of Christ but failed to consider them and properly respond to them.
But sometimes Jesus’ own disciples were deaf. He spoke to them about the “leaven” of the Pharisees,” which prompted them to argue, “Well who forgot to bring the bread anyway?” (Mark 8:14-18) They heard His words but misunderstood th
olive tree identity
In this age of self-identification, I believe I will identify as a donut. This might come in handy if I were ever pulled over by a policeman for speeding.
So, what if you were to identify as a tree. What tree would best capture you? Some of us might be hardheaded oaks. Others fragrant but fragile pines. You might identify as a cedar so thoroughly resistant to rot. Some are aspens who tremble when the wind blows. My wife might consider me to be a pecan tree because I’m nuts.
Great King David chose to identify as an olive tree or at least he likened himself to one in Psalm 52:8. Why?
Well let’s back up and try to understand his situation. In Psalm 52, David told of being undermined by a guy named Doeg, the Edomite. Doeg was an agent of King Saul. He murdered those who assisted David (1 Samuel 18:22-23) and was chasing after David himself.
So, in the Psalm David spoke directly to dastardly Doeg predicting his downfall. He wrote, “God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. He will scoop you up and remove you from your home; he will uproot you from the land of the living - Psalm 5:5 - NETBible ®.
Doeg was entrenched in Saul’s administration. David promised that God would remove him from power and from his comfortable home and even uproot him entirely from the land. In other words, Doeg was headed for a disaster at the hand of the Lord.
But because David served the living God and His agenda, he had a different future ahead of him. He wrote, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God” (Psalm 52:8).
Why an olive tree? It’s the most highly valued tree in the land. It is exceptionally gnarly but it gets the job done. This tree thrives in stony, depleted soil where few other trees could survive.
It takes ages for an olive tree to mature, but once it does it is almost impossible to kill. A tree will thrive and bear fruit for many centuries If it is completely cut down, it will sprout again from
battle dress
I have a picture of my entire family dressed in camo. You may look at it and wonder about us, as in, “Did they go overboard with Y2K preparations?”
Actually, our son was on leave from the Air Force and his mom wanted a family photo. The rest of us didn’t. There were disagreements as to when, where and what to wear.
So we agreed on wearing my son’s BDU’s (Battle Dress Uniform) which he wore when he was on duty.
We loved the final product, and our son took the pic back to the base and hung it on the wall. A fellow airman looked at it in wonder and asked, “Is your whole family in the Air Force?” His words exactly! This was somewhat alarming to hear, given that this guy often stood guard over nuclear weapons.
It really is a great picture - an entire family - from ages twelve to forty-three, each one dressed as if we were ready for battle.
Now, I wonder if every Christian family should be pictured this way because the Scripture tells us that we are at war. Enlisted is every member of the family.
Twice Paul told young Timothy to, “Fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12).
The enemy is not our fellow human being. Peter wrote, “Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour” - 1 Peter 5:8. NETBible ® Our adversary is the one who preys upon us and our fellow human beings. Unlike some ideologies today, our goal is not to destroy people, but to loosen Satan’s smothering grip upon us.
But beware! He is a master of disguise. He often parades as a do-gooder - “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). He also appeared to Eve as an ordinary garden snake and in the book of Revelation, he will appear as a charismatic world leader.
Today, we may not recognize him, but his undercover presence is pervasive. Have you ever told a lie? Perhaps it was because the one called the father of lies first whispered it into your ear (John 8:44).
Have you ever found your s
a pink slip or a pat on the back?
“Everyone is smoking grass. Should I take my youth group home?”
Let me explain. I was a desperate youth pastor. My teens would never make the cover of Christianity Today. Going to church was slightly more pleasant to them than a tooth ache.
They were obese with knowledge but emaciated in their faith. To them, Christianity was about ethical principles rather than the person of Jesus. So, I put them to work. I created challenges for them that were so difficult they would need to turn their heads upward.
I invited John to join the Christian band I was forming. He wasn’t a super spiritual guy, and he didn’t play guitar, but I promised to teach him. He signed on, and then he recruited others until we had ourselves a band.
We worked hard, even wrote our own material, and began to sing it. Our equipment was janky and our skills jankier. But when the boys sang for other teens, the kids really listened.
After each concert, kids would seek out band members and ask questions about God or ask them for prayer. My guys realized that they were in over their heads, and it pushed them to seek the Lord. They were definitely growing!
But then John signed us up to sing at a fundraiser. We followed our map to the end of a dirt road to a makeshift amphitheater. We settled in and listened to the bands that preceded us. Church this was not!
One band sang, “If you got bad news, you want to kick them blues, cocaine.” Band after band was singing their hedonism with all their hearts as the acrid scent of marijuana wafted over the crowd.
I was thinking, “Oh man the parents of these kids are gonna throw a fit. There is surely a pink slip in my future.” So, we huddled up and I told the boys that we didn’t belong there, and the crowd would never tolerate our message anyway.
But the boys, to a person said, “No this is exactly the kind of crowd that needs to hear our songs.” Oh my! I created a monster - o
Caitlin and the cut list
It was reported that WNBA sensation, Caitlin Clark was not invited to join the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team. A firestorm of opinion erupted over the decision.
But this is what got my attention. A representative from the Olympic Committee privately met with Caitlin beforehand, to let her know of their decision.
Gee I wish I would have enjoyed such consideration.
There was that time I tried out for the Varity football team. I was a scrawny sophomore competing against seasoned seniors for a spot on the team. I was determined to wow coach Montgomery. I worked harder and sweat wetter than the rest. I even pushed my 1960 Ford Fairlane around the block to build up my leg strength.
In those days you learned whether you made the cut or not by checking “the list” posted in the locker room. The names of only those who made it were on the list.
The day came and I scanned the list. My name was not on it – not even an honorable mention. I wasn’t good enough to make the cut.
The other guys slyly scanned the list for my name as well. The omission became another reason to tease the guy with red hair and acne.
I felt such shame. There was nothing left for me to do but to join the chess club!
I sometimes ponder the day when I again will need to scan a list for my name. The Bible calls it, “The Book of Life.” It’s a thing, mentioned 7 times in Scripture.
It’s a list that most would like to be on. Jesus told His disciples, “rejoice that your names stand written in heaven” - Luke 10:20.
Paul mentioned at least one person who made it. The name Clement is recorded in the book of life (Philippians 4:3).
This is a book where the names of those who have been redeemed are written. These folks have believed the message of Christ, repented of their sins, placed their faith in Jesus by trusting what He did at the cross to save them. These are those who have chosen to do life with the Lord Jesus.
a different kind of dad
There’s a man in the Bible called Joshua the son of Nun. OK, Nun was actually the name of his dad. And no, his dad did not belong to a convent. So, what was his mom’s name? Nun of your business.
Joshua is my hero and mentor when it comes to fatherhood.
Moses led the children of Israel to the border of Canaan land. Joshua’s job was to lead them in the conquest of it. They crossed the Jordan and by faith, they loosened the grip of the Canaanites. The campaign took 7 years. Scholars believe that Joshua was about 77 years old by the end of it.
His people had a history of spiritually waffling. So, he gave them a post-invasion pep talk in Joshua 24. He challenged them to remain true to the God who had given them the land.
Then he put some skin in the game saying, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” - Joshua 24:15. (KJV) He boldly promised that, as the leader of his home, he would be faithful to the Lord and teach his children to do the same.
Once Joshua said his piece, he melted into the landscape. We don’t hear of him again until he dies of natural causes nearly 33 years later. (Joshua 24:29)
Now this is quite incredible. The 33 years of silence that followed his public life projects a very loud message. You see in those days, when a leader type had success, especially in war, his people would often press the man to become their permanent king.
Gideon successfully rallied his people to overthrow their Midianite oppressors. The Israelites responded saying, "Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson” Judges 8:22. NETBible ®
After Saul died, one of his sons would have typically succeeded him. But young David was the popular candidate with his warriors (1 Chronicles 11:10).
Jesus had just fed the 5,000 with a few fishes and loaves – clearly an extraordinary miracle. The diners wanted free meals forever, so they planned to, “seize him by force to make him king” - John 6:1
zapped by a zipper!
What would the Lord need to do to get our attention?
I can think of one method that He would not use!
It was a beautiful Sunday morning at church and the worshipful singing had just concluded. With an air of dignity, I stepped up to the pulpit in the hope of delivering a powerful Spirit-filled sermon.
I reached down to open my message outline, which had been laying there. I saw a yellow post-it note attached which said, “Your zipper is down!”
Instant brain freeze! What? Where? How? Who wrote that note?
I wanted to look down and check my fly but that would be too obvious. Maybe I could get Pentecostal and spin around and fix it on the way. Or maybe I could use the open fly as an object lesson and bring a message on Zipporah the wife of Moses or maybe we could just sing, “I’ll fly away.”
In exasperation, I just flat stopped, and I told the congregation about the note. Then I turned around and checked - and - my zipper was exactly where it should have been.
What a terrible prank! The guilty one confessed after church. I hope there isn’t a special judgment for such a sin.
But back to the question - What would the Lord need to do to get our attention? Well, what if He were to raise a nation from the dead?
The nation of Israel died in 70 A.D. when the Romans leveled it. Yet, the Bible clearly predicted that Israel would be regathered as a nation in the last days.
For instance, Isaiah 11:11-12 says, “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people… He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” (NIV)
The prophet was one of many who predicted that the nation of Israel would once again exist. This regathering was to take place during the time that Isaiah called, “The Day of the Lord” (Isaiah 13:6).
The odds were against it. T
wrong deposit
I lost $200! Not much in some respects. On the other hand, I could have bought 4,000 Snickers bars with it in my teenage years (and I am not kidding!)
It began this way. I was in a strange town but saw a familiar sign. It said, “Texas Bank.” I assumed it was a branch of my bank. So, I pulled into the drive thru, put the check for $200 in the tube, and watched it zip away. I crossed that off my to-do list and headed for home.
BUT later that day, I got a call from the bank. “Uh sir, you made a deposit in the Texas Bank, but your account is with the Texas Bank and Trust.”
Seriously? How could this happen? The teller deposited the check and gave me a receipt. Was there another James Johnson. Well of course there was - maybe 30 of us. But surely, we didn’t have identical account numbers?
OK I know I’m shifting the blame. It’s my fault. I should have read the sign more closely. In any case, I ended up depositing my $200 in an account from which I could not draw. I should have invested in Snickers bars.
Jesus had better advice when it comes to making a deposit. He said, “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” - Matthew 6:19:
He alluded to an earthly bank of sorts. This bank is overstocked with earthly goods. In Jesus’ day, one’s well-being was measured by their wardrobe collection; the volume of stored wheat in the grain bin, and the amount of money that was buried in the dirt wall of their home.
The problem with this bank is that moths feast on stored clothing. Insects devour food that is not soon eaten, and thieves are relentless in their effort to find what we hide. It is the excess - the surplus that is in peril.
Therefore, Jesus suggested a better investment strategy. He said, “Accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven...” - Matthew 6:20. We are to use what we have now to make eternal dep
no skin off his feet
I have a friend who has three passions: basketball, the guitar and frugality. One day they all came together. It was in his college days when he played a lot of hoops. So much in fact, that he often developed large blisters on the soles of his feet.
He would meticulously cut away the dead skin and apply ointment to his wounds. But one day he looked at an excised patch of skin and wondered.
He placed it between some books for a few days, where it dried out and became perfectly hard and flat. He then trimmed it into the shape of a guitar pick.
Pleased with his new economical creation, he began to strum his guitar. Unfortunately, his organic guitar pick, quickly disintegrated into a powder puff. The skin of his foot turned to dust in his hands.
What a great reminder of the truth in Genesis 3:19. Adam and Eve had forfeited everlasting life in the garden when they chose to snub the will of God. God detailed their consequences in this way, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat food, until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”
Dust from whence we came, and dust to where we’ll all go. From Adam to the present day, the number crunchers believe that about 109 billion people have lived and died. That’s a pretty big dust heap, isn’t it?
The fine folks of the funeral industry tell us that “dust to dust” is not just a poetic expression. It takes considerable time, but the final remains of a person are eventually reduced to a handful of dust.
This stark reality prompted Job, the Old Testament Patriarch to ask the question, “If a man dies, will he live again?” - Job 14:14
Good question! Will he? Will a person who dies ever live again?
Jesus must have thinking of Job when He spoke these words in John 11:25. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies…”
Yes, a person can over
the way we drive
It occurred to me the other day that the way we drive a car tends to reflect the way we do life in general. The reckless teenage boy screams around the corner assuming he is all but immortal. The cautious elderly lady motors along a good ten miles below the speed limit. We really do tend to express our personalities by the way we drive.
So, what if they traveled by car in the first century? What if Jesus had entered Jerusalem in a Mustang convertible instead of on the foal of a donkey?
Let’s start with Paul. I picture him in an ambulance, screaming along at 120 miles per hour, passing through town after town with the life-saving message of the Gospel. He actually was quite a driven individual.
Peter, we might find pulled over by a car with red flashing lights. The patrol officer says, “You were going 70 in a 50 mile an hour zone. Peter says, “I did not!” “Yes, you did!” says the officer.” “It wasn’t me!” “Yes it was,” says the officer. To which Peter replies, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Then suddenly a song from Sheryl Crow begins to play on the car radio.
Clueless Philip, he would be the guy driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
You might find doubting Thomas arguing with his wife in the car. “Thomas the GPS says turn here!” “I don’t believe it,” he says.
Diabolical Judas, he would be the guy who bypasses the traffic jam by driving on the shoulder of the road. Ooh I detest that guy.
We might find the sons of thunder, James and John, duking it out over a parking spot.
And Jesus, well He might just pick up every hitchhiker He saw. And when they left His car He might say, “Go and hike no more.”
Goofy thoughts for sure, but it illustrates the fact that we express our personalities by the way we drive.
And I am ashamed to admit this – because my driving has often sent the wrong message. When I was a young Christian, there was a bumper sticker t
we want to go camping!
We were hopelessly motoring around Custer State Park in South Dakota. It had already been a long day when we finally realized that we were lost. The park was a vast expanse - roughly 10 miles wide by 10 miles deep and our campsite was playing hide and seek with us.
In the spirit of General Custer, I was ready to make my last stand. So, I suddenly pulled the car up next to a construction crew and strongly exhorted my wife to ask for directions. I wasn’t going to do it of course.
She was quite flustered, and it showed, but she stuck her head out and said, “Uh, we want to go camping!” (Hmm an interesting way to ask for directions!)
Well, the man leaned back on his shovel and pondered his answer. He said, “O really?” Awkward! She was embarrassed and the rest of us were entertained.
We didn’t know where we were headed. Some of us experience that kind of confusion in the spiritual realm.
We believe that God is sovereign, and has a plan for our lives, but what we experience day-to-day doesn’t always make sense to us.
There have been the good times which we have counted as blessings. But there have also been some hard times sandwiched in between. There have been seasons of plenty, but also seasons of want.
There was that job that opened just when it was needed but it ended up in a lay off just 5 years later. There were spans of time when the nearness of God was incredible, and other times when He seemed to be absent.
It makes us wonder, ”Lord, where are you taking me? Help me to understand!”
Paul answered that question in Romans 8:28-29. He wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” NETBible ®
Many of us have verse 28 memorized. It’s of priceless encouragement, but it’s verse 29 that we need to consider here. It
an encouraging word
My wife has taken up the palette and easel to become a painter. She is doing well! In fact, I encouraged her to send her finished art to our adult children to hang on their refrigerators.
I’m funnin’ ya’ of course, but that is certainly one way they could encourage her artistic endeavors.
Encouragement can come in the form of pictures on the ice box and other helpful activities, but let’s focus on verbal encouragement for now.
Hebrews 3:13 tells us we all need a daily dose of it. It says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
This is a command directed to us and it is something that we should offer to those around us on a daily basis.
Most encouragement is kind of like milk. It has a short shelf life. It expires and then we have to run to the store to get more. So, we need to encourage each other regularly.
The author tells us why. He says, "so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." There is a sin principle which is at work in this world. Think of it as the sun at work on your skin. The UV rays penetrate and damage your skin. Get enough of it over time and you'll end up with a leathery look.
Likewise, we are bombarded by the destructive lies and the lusts of this world. It erodes our ego. Over time it harms our souls and causes us to become insensitive and indifferent to spiritual things.
Encouragement is like sun block. It keeps the UV rays of sin from penetrating and protects us from damage.
To experience encouragement, we need to be together. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”
The author spoke of people who gave up the habit of church. He pleads – don’t do that because being with other Christians is where encouragement is found.
Sunday worship lifts us up, the message challenges us,
the journey of the soul
I bought a new cell phone. My old one was having memory issues, it garbled messages and it was having a rough time recharging. Which ironically is also how my wife describes me.
The girl at the store opened the phone case and took out the SIM card. That card contains the essence of my virtual identity. She slipped the card into the new phone, and I was good to go.
Hooray, my virtual identify was not lost, it was just transferred to a new home.
Believe it or not, this helps me to understand a big existential question – What happens to a person when they die?
Well let’s discuss the soul. When your parents put your birth on the calendar, God did not withdraw a soul from an existing repository. Your soul was conceived right along with the rest of you. It came into being at that moment, but it became an everlasting entity from then on.
Your soul essence was placed in your body. I am somewhat disappointed because I feel like my soul should have been placed in athletic body. But the Lord knows best.
Anyway, the soul remains in the body until death occurs. At that time, the body is vacated, and the soul of the Christian goes to be with the Lord. Like a hermit crab that seeks a bigger shell to inhabit, our soul longs for bigger things.
Paul wrote, “Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth, we are absent from the Lord for we live by faith, not by sight. Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
He argued that the Christian can only be in one of two places – either on earth confined to our mortal bodies, or in heaven with the Lord. There is no “time out” in Purgatory for bad behavior, nor does the soul ever sleep. It’s either fixed in our functional earthly body or in heaven. Jesus said to converted thief on the cross as he was dying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.
an offensive gift
I have a sweet friend who happily teaches at an elementary school. Ladonna posted a note, not long ago on Facebook. She said, “Throughout my years of teaching, my students have brought me little gifts from time to time. It may be a rock, a picture they’ve drawn, or a bracelet made from a pipe cleaner.”
“Today I received another sweet gift.” She included a picture of this gift. It was a container of Secret deodorant! She concluded by asking, “Do you think this student is trying to tell me something?”
I bet you a hundred bucks she smelled her pits that day just to be sure.
I’m sure he meant well, but regardless it was kind of a goofy, maybe even an offensive gift.
Ironically, Jesus also lacks tact when He gives His gift.
He offers us the gift of salvation, but He first must make us aware at how desperately we need it. He lets us know that…
- Without Him we are incapable of doing what He considers to be good.
He said, “Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” - John 15:4.
- Without Him we don’t even have a desire to be good.
Again, He said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” - John 6:44
- and without Him we don’t even understand what that good is.
Jesus said, “Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear, nor do they understand.” – Matthew 13:13
We have proven Him correct by the many and varied ways we have chosen to sin. It’s as Paul said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23.
We treasure the idea that Jesus loves us. But this same Jesus regards people as being totally corrupt and possessing nothing that makes us attractive or acceptable to God. Basically, He says, “We stink!”
We mock the preacher in dowdy dress, who stands on the corner with a sign that says “repent.” And yet Jesus freely us
shoe pile
For 12 hours each day I taught the Bible to house church leaders in Beijing. Sunday was my last day in China, and I was to bring the message at a clandestine house church meeting.
My translator and I were the first to arrive. Following the custom, we removed our athletic shoes and left them outside the apartment door. My schedule was intense: preach, then quickly exit to drive to the airport to ride a 747 on home. A tight schedule.
Folks began to show up. Their arrival times were staggered so as not to draw attention from the authorities. Eventually, about 100 of us were jammed together for a glorious time of worship.
After the last Amen, I was alarmed to realize that I was seriously behind schedule. I snatched my stuff and exited - only to run into a mountain.
I found a pile athletic shoes that looked much like mine (maybe because they were all manufactured in China.) I tore into them looking for my pair. Shoes were flying around like it was the BOGO sale at the shoe store.
I rifled through them and even gave a couple of pairs the smell test.
After 5 eternal minutes I remembered some wise advice that I once heard, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”
Ah but they were all 2 to 3 sizes too small. And then it hit me: look for the clown- sized shoes. Found em - and I was on my way.
Now I wonder if you might join me in my shoe search? In Ephesians 6, Paul described for us the spiritual armor that God has supplied for the Christian. Most of us understand the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
But our footwear is a little more puzzling. Paul told us to prepare for spiritual battle by “...by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace.” - Ephesians 6:15 NETBible ®
He used the sandal of the Roman soldier as his model. His “caliga” was a thickly-soled sandal that was strapped around the ankle in several places. Nails studded the sole much like golf cleats.
Those s
step on the crack
I was walking recently when it occurred to me - since my mom is now secure in heaven, I am now free to step on the cracks in the sidewalk. What a relief!
That is a crazy superstition - probably generated by an ancient obsessive compulsive. And yet most of us once cautiously hopped over many a crack on the way to school.
So, what is a superstition anyway? It is a belief or behavior which is irrational and grounded in the fear of the unknown. It’s the understanding that certain events or things will bring either good or bad luck.
Now did you know that there is superstition in the Scripture? Wait a second! Let me explain. What I mean is that the Scripture sometimes tells stories about superstitious people.
Consider Acts 28:3-6, “When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. When the local people saw the creature hanging from Paul’s hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself has not allowed him to live!” However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.” - NETBible ®
Paul became a snake handler - not by choice. The Maltese natives regarded the snake as a sign that fate was meting out justice to Paul for a former crime. When he shook it off unscathed, they changed their minds and promoted him to a god.
At another time the people of Israel turned the Ark of the Covenant into a rabbit’s foot. They believed that by carrying the Ark into battle, victory would be guaranteed. (1 Samuel 4:3)
Judge not, because we also have our little superstitions. Some of us believe a four-leaf clover will give us fantastic luck.
I re
