Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

Paid Dearly

    Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it (Mt.13:45-46).

The story is told of a young boy who had worked hard to build a model boat. The boat was beautiful and the boy was pleased as he looked at what he had made. The day came that the boy had long awaited, the day he would take his boat to the lake at the city park and set it afloat in the water. With excitement, he set the boat in the water and gave it a push. But in his excitement he pushed it a little too hard and the boat soon moved out beyond the boy's reach. In a short time the boat was pushed along by a breeze and moved further and further until it faded from sight. The young boy was heart-broken and ran home and told his father what had happened. His father assured him they would go and by another boat--one even bigger and better than the one he had lost. The next day, the boy was walking down the street when while he was passing a pawn shop he noticed a model boat in the store window. But it was not just any boat, it was his boat--the very one he had labored to build and had lost at the lake. The boy quickly ran into the store and told the owner what had happened, but the store owner insisted that if the boy wanted the boat he would have to pay for it. The price was not too great for the boy as he gave the owner the money to buy back what was already his. For the boy thought to himself, "This is my boat again. For I made it, and then it was lost, and now I have found it and have bought it back again. And it is mine once more."
Sometimes, it seems that we forget the value that we hold in the eyes of our maker. We look at our lives and sometimes let the circumstances persuade us that we have been all but forgotten. There are those times when we are like the lost boat, adrift without a sense of direction or purpose, and we might feel as though we are far and away from the safety of a shore whereon our Maker stands--watching us move further away from Him.
But our Lord has not forgotten, and He misses the one who is lost while many are not. He longs to bring back to Himself those who for some reason have drifted away and are not where they belong. He has not forgotten, and He will leave the ninety nine to find the one, and He notices just one that is missing among thousands who are not.
Sometimes we forget the price that was paid for us. We forget how great a love the Father has for us that He would give His own Son so we might be in His Hands once more.

    Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God (Isa.43:1-3).

[Soldier4Christ]

Sand Castles

    “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-29).

An old bottle had been found in the midst of dirt and rock. The glass bottle had some markings on it, but very little to give clues as to its origin or age. But because the bottle was obviously old and because it was still in good condition, it was seen as a valuable find--one that intrigued the finders of it. “I wonder how old it is!” one said with enthusiasm, as others marveled at the find. But to me it was kind of funny that we all took such great interest in an old, man-made bottle, and gave no thought to the age of the rocks that had surrounded it in the ground.

It would seem that the more fragile or rarity of the find, the more incredible it is to us to look at it. The rocks had existed far longer than the bottle, yet the bottle was the only one like it in the area--it was fragile yet had lasted. But if we had to consider which would last longer, which would be more dependable, we would surely give more thought to the rock--knowing it is more solid and sure.

We are much like the bottle. We are a rare find--unique in many ways. And we are a sight to behold if we somehow survive and seem to remain intact. Yet we are not sure, or solid. We are not as lasting as the rock. If we see ourselves next to God and consider which is more dependable--proven through the ages, we cannot help but see that such trust is warranted only toward God, and not to ourselves.

We are like sand castles--here today, and yet--worn away by the tide. But with Christ, we are not the sand castles but merely inhabit them. Our bodies are the sand castles, they will be here only for a short time. But we who inhabit them need not pass with them. If we place our faith in the Rock, then we shall see that we are more than the sand castles we inhabit. We shall see that though the sand castle falls apart and fades, that we shall continue on because we set up ourselves upon the Rock--the lasting foundation. But should we decide that this life is all there is, then we have placed our faith only within our sand castles, putting our faith in what appears to be a great thing, completely missing that which is so near, yet goes unnoticed.

Our lives are only for a short time. Where shall we place our faith? In the sand castles? Or in the Rock?

[Soldier4Christ]

Things Change

    He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end" (Hebrews 1:10-12).

Like so much else, memories tend to fade. We try so hard to keep them from doing so. For as things seem to change and appear to never be as they once were, we long to cling to that which once brought us joy and happiness. We long to keep alive that which has given us so much to make life worth living. Though the days come and go, and we have no control over what tomorrow will bring--it is so very hard to let go of that which has always been our most cherished times of this life.
I remember Christmas time as a child: getting together with relatives, playing with my cousins, pestering my aunts and uncles and sitting on Grandparent’s laps. So many good memories are rooted in what I knew I could expect when family came together. From one gathering to the next, there seemed to be certain things that I knew I could always depend on. But those things did not last.
I remember my first time going home after I had moved out of the house I had grown up in. It felt so odd--not at all like home to me. I was with my family, and was able to see old friends, yet something never seemed quite the same from that time on. It was as though I was being forced to let go of some things that I was not sure I was quite ready to let go of. I had no choice but to accept it and move on.
It seems this life is full of change. Some that is welcomed change and some that is not. Hard as it is for us, we know that there are some things we must accept. There is change that happens that we have to face as much as it hurts us to do so.
But God is able to help us. And though we cannot relive the past, we do not have to forget it. We can find a way through God’s strength to hold onto our fond memories and treasure them in our hearts; while at the same time not allowing those memories (that cannot be as they once were) to steal our joy and cripple our spiritual stride. We can reflect on the warmth of what was, while maintaining a hope for what will be.
In many large and little ways, we can become prisoners of the past. We long for times that we have held dear. We wish with all our hearts that some things could be as they once were. And yet, those moments will never be the same, and if we cannot let go and accept that fact, we will remain prisoners to some degree. But God has not given us the good so that we shall be prisoners to it once it is gone. He gives us many good and wonderful things, much of which is only for a season. And while some things are harder to let go of that others, we must not let what we cannot have, erase what we have already been given. We must instead remember the gift that we were allowed to embrace--even if only for a short and seemingly fleeting time.

[Soldier4Christ]

Momentum

    And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest
    (Exodus 33:14).

A friend had come to my house one wintry, weekday morning to jump start my car. I had called him at work and he graciously offered aid to me in my time of need. But something unplanned occurred right about the time we were finished. He and I stood between the two cars, talking. We had already gotten my car started and was letting it charge for a moment when suddenly it started moving toward us. It seemed that my son, who was about four years old at the time, had managed to sneak into the car and somehow put the car into gear. Our first reaction was to try to hold the car off, pushing against it vigorously. My friend soon grasped the futility of our efforts and hurried toward the driver’s side door, got into the car and put it in park. One has to wonder how much we would have accomplished if we stayed where we were--pushing against the car rather than stopping it’s forward movement. It’s really pretty obvious that we would have been wasting our time and energy trying to hold off the car than simply putting it in park.
It may seem to have been a simple problem. One might wonder how anyone would lose their head and not have quickly surmised the solution. Yet, for a moment, we panicked. We did not think but instead, we reacted. We did not wisely approach our situation but jumped into a predicament that could have been made worse. Within that moment, the problem was not so simple--and the solution was far more complex.
Take a good look around and you will see many people living life with the same kind of response. You will see people overwhelmed by the momentum of daily living, and you will see them reacting to the pressures that seem to come upon them so suddenly--or so it would seem. Within such a place it is often difficult to see new ways of doing things; ways that might be quicker and more productive. Instead, we enslave ourselves to a way of living that is almost self-defeating at times. And we continue to stand in a dangerous place, pushing against the pressures, the stresses and the difficulties, rather than looking for more sensible solutions. We fall prey to predisposition and predetermined approaches. We listen to common sense above spiritual wisdom, and we tell ourselves that we have to do what we have to do, making ourselves helpless to change any part of our current situation.
What we may have forgotten is that Jesus came to give us freedom and life abundant. We were not created to be a slave to life but to have life, and life more fulfilling. There is so much of what we claim we have to do for one reason or another that seems to be sapping the life right out of us, making us tired and cranky and less of the “light of the world” than we could be if we weren’t exhausted all of the time. God designed us as such that we flourish when we are balanced in our living. We will be at our best--for everyone’s sake--when we are applying wisdom to our living rather than trying to push against the momentum of life’s pressures.
In considering how to move back toward balance, let us keep in mind that when we are overwhelmed, it is a natural tendency to feel helpless to do anything about it. So we first must realize that we are going to have to give it to God to begin with. We must ask Him to take control and give us wisdom so we will find His answer for how to stop the momentum, and then we must be obedient to His guidance. God has a plan, but its not likely to involve your pushing against your life pressures--but instead, getting control of them through His guidance, wisdom and strength.

[Soldier4Christ]

Achilles’ Tendon

    Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed (Psalms 6:2).

Perhaps you have heard of the story of the man named Achilles as depicted in Greek Mythology. He was a man who apparently had no detectable weaknesses. He was portrayed as a warrior of warriors, undefeated in battle, until the day his weakness was discovered. A valiant archer discovered the weakness of Achilles and shot an arrow into the tendon above and on the backside of his ankle--severing his “achilles’ tendon” and dropping him to the ground--dead.
You may or may not have your own “Achilles’ tendon;” a sin weakness that would beset you in an enormous and devastating way. But chances are, and are most likely, that you have a sin weakness just as we all do. It may be something that seems to always get the best of you, or it may be something that sneaks up on you once in the while in the heat of a moment. But what your weakness is, is not nearly as important as what you do with that weakness. For just as with many things in our walk with God, how we respond to our circumstances is far more important than the circumstances alone.
There are many methods we employ to deal with our personal sin area weaknesses. Some ways are good and others are not so good. We could probably start making a list right now of many ways that we can think of that people deal with their weaknesses; and our list would probably be heavily weighted toward the bad methods used. For it is often more difficult to come up with the good, or see the good in people--which in itself can be another human weakness. And certainly what we will find to be an interesting phenomenon, is how many of us would quickly pinpoint the weaknesses of others; while somehow overlooking our own. For the very weakness and fragility of the human ego often demands casting ourselves in the better light; and that is a demand to which we often yield.
So what are some of the wrong ways we deal with our sin weaknesses? One way is to simply ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. Yet we know that our sin weaknesses are like a cancer that eats our bones, and just like a cancer, our weaknesses will not go away if they are avoided, ignored or denied. Our ignoring our weaknesses may stem from fear to face it, or a denial that is a result of pride. In either case, it will require the acknowledgment of our sin weakness, confessing it to God, and quickly getting His help to overcome the fear or pride, or whatever else would lead us to cover up the weakness, rather than dealing with it. It’s like having an infected sore that you cover with a bandage and hide beneath your clothing without ever treating it or cleaning it. It will continue to fester and to be a problem, and it will never simply go away.
Coddling our sin weakness is perhaps one of the easiest, wrong ways to respond to them. We pamper our weakness and hold it carefully, afraid it will cause us pain if we leave it unattended. We guard it, but not in a manner as to defend it while it is dealt with. Instead, we find ourselves looking on it in a self-pity kind of way--telling ourselves we must learn to live with the sin weakness--and certain it will never go away. This is the response of the perpetual victim, rendered helpless as a result of a besetting sin and never able to envision victory over the sin in this life time.
Now let us consider how a warrior would deal with his weakness. He will do his best to conceal the weakness from the enemy. He will hide it behind his armor and he will take special care to ward off attacks that threaten to expose his weakness; and he will go out of his way to avoid encounters that will open him up for him to fall as a result of his weakness. He will advise his closest comrades of his weakness so that they will be ready to come to his aid when the weakness looks like it will get the best of him. His friends will stand ready to defend him as though it were their own lives they were protecting. But only because they have been made aware of his weakness, and understand his need. The warrior also has God. God is his Protector who watches over him and helps him to overcome what he cannot see and much of what he can. God is his Defender who blinds the enemy and disables the enemies efforts. And God is his Commander who can prepare his way so long as he follows and is loyal to his Lord’s commands.
We are to be the warriors in the army of the Lord. We have our sin weaknesses, but they do not have to beset us. We cannot ignore, avoid or deny them for they will not simply go away. We cannot coddle and baby them or they will persist. But we must confess our sin weaknesses to the Lord and find in Him the strength to overcome. We must advise our close brothers and sisters of our downfalls so they can lift us up in prayer--for the good of the whole army of the Lord. For if one falls in the front line of battle, how many shall he take down with him? And how shall any stand once the “Achilles’ tendon” is severed?

Further Scripture:

    2 Chronicles 15:7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work
    shall be rewarded.
    Matthew 26:41
    Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
    Acts 20:35
    I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
    Romans 15:1
    We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
    1 Corinthians 8:9
    But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

[Soldier4Christ]

To Be Seen

    Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1).

The number of eggs that the chickens produced was perhaps anybody’s guess. But all that was seen was the refusal of the couple to give away any, even to their closest relatives. There was no preferential treatment--all were required to pay if they wanted any one of the eggs the chickens had laid. “How greedy,” the town’s people must have thought, “for how could anyone not even share some of their prosperity even with those closest to them?” But their thoughts betrayed them from the truth. For they easily perceived the worse and blinded their own eyes from the possibilities. It was only sometime after Mrs. Spurgeon died that others learned the truth behind Charles and his wife’s actions. For it was the money from the sale of the eggs that supported two widows in their old age--for so it was their purpose of the sale of the eggs--and so it was the reason for their persistence in collecting payments.
It seems that Charles Spurgeon and his wife saw that it was no one else’s business as to the truth behind what they did. They had chosen to set aside a portion as a gift to some who had need. They did not choose to display their giving so as to gain the attentions of others. Or so others would see what they had done and somehow congratulate them on their work for God. The praise of men were obviously of no consequence to them, for in keeping their actions secret, they drew no applause for their selfless acts.
In fact, they drew quite the opposite. What they gained from others was ridicule and resentment. What they gained for themselves were reputations as stingy folk, unwilling to give up even a part of what they had even to close relatives. But even as they were able to give without needing the approval of others, they were also able to bear up under the insults and continue to give even as the Lord had directed.
It is fortunate for us that our lives are not measured by the assessment of mankind regarding our accomplishments. For so much of what is seen in us by others is biased by what is desired to be seen; and even then, so much is not seen at all. But God sees all things, and as we are reminded by Jesus, “thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
But what shall we do for the praise and attention of others? And to what end? What we shall do might be anything we feel we must to gain approval; while what we shall gain shall be an appetite to continue gaining approval. But as we thirst for such approval we will find that we can never fully satisfy others, and that even if we do, we will only need to top our last performance to gain their approval in the future.
Jesus told us that if we do our works to be seen of others--to gain their approval--then we already have our reward. But if we do our acts privately so as not to seek the approval of others, then there is a reward that awaits us from God--far greater than any reward we might attain from others.
And what shall we do for the approval of God? Shall we open a door for a stranger and welcome their silence without so much as a “thank you?” Can we give expecting absolutely nothing in return? And shall we continue to give, even if all we seem to receive are the insults of others who do not understand our actions? May God help us to do just that. For in such Christ like actions are the greatest of blessings found, and they are those that continue to bless us--even into eternity.

[Soldier4Christ]

Sacrifice of Praise

    By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name (Heb.13:15).

It would seem to us at times, that we have moved into and made our home in the valley of the shadow. The pressures of the darkness of our lives hangs like a thick fog that surrounds us and keeps us from clearly regaining any sense of direction. And as the valley is low, we might find ourselves at the lowest point within the valley, and have probably been certain that though we cannot clearly discern our location, we have certainly gotten stuck in the lowest place. The optimist would say, "Look on the bright side--there's no where to go but up." But to those who are in the valley, they would like to see clearly long enough to slap the optimist right in the face. For it is often hard to be optimistic when you are at the bottom looking up. For though there be no where to go but up, it seems to be nothing less than a long hard climb.
But to climb, one first must have the right equipment. Sure we can try to go it without any special tools--no climbing gear, no ladder or no rope. But our strength will soon diminish and our footing give way and we watch our efforts come to nothing as we slip back more and more each time. But should we use the proper tools, we will find that the climb is much easier than it would first seem. Imagine, for instance, that a rope ladder is lowered to the bottom of your personal pit. The ladder has now been placed in your reach it is simply up to you to begin to climb.
But let's not oversimplify it, even when a way is provided for us to be lifted out of our despair, it is sometimes hard for us to take hold of that way. We may believe that nothing will really help and that everything will lead to the same result--failure. So we lean back against the side of the pit and stare at the rope ladder, and despair all the more because we would like to believe that the ladder will work, but it just makes no sense to us that it would be that easy--especially after we have climbed and slipped and climbed and slipped until we have become exhausted.
God provides for us many ways to come up out of our worry and to be lifted out from our despair. It is often just a matter of us reaching out and taking hold of the way that He has provided.
The Bible says to bring a sacrifice of praise to the Lord. I have never known a more difficult time to sing praises than when everything seems to be falling down around me. Nevertheless, I have never had an easier time dealing with difficulties than when I make myself turn my eyes off of my troubles and put them on God and simply praise Him for who He is and thank Him for who He has always been--Faithful.
We often look at troubles and act as though we believe that the troubles will never end, but they do. And we look at God's provision to get through our troubles as though His way is not as secure as it looks, but it is. The difference between despair and praise is that we finally take our eyes off of what appears to be (troubles), and fix them on what is (God).

    For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day
    (2 Timothy 1:12).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Unwritten Rules

    I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. (Eph.1:17-18).

As a friend of mine was preparing to be a minister, a time came in which he became very anxious. It seemed he had started thinking about the expectations of his role and was not sure he would be able to live up to them. When I asked him about what he thought he had to be like to be a minister, his eyes turned away from me and into an inward kind of gaze as he began to think about his answer. He began describing what he foresaw to be his role and the frustration became more than apparent. For though he spoke from what he had determined, or predetermined, regarding all of his thoughts on the matter, he could not get by the uneasiness that he felt. Something inside of him severely clashed with the words that came out of his mouth.
Preparing for a ministry, a vocation, or a major life changing event is often difficult. But add to the top of that the expectations of others and of ourselves, and the burden is often greatly intensified. Everywhere around us there are the unwritten rules of society, church, friends and family. To be certain, some of these rules place expectations upon us that enable us to be better people and to better interact with others. Yet there are so many unwritten rules that place weighty and unnecessary expectations upon our shoulders that serve only to disturb, weaken or misdirect us in our attempts to be true to ourselves and to God as He has created us.
Many of us have asked the questions such as my friend had asked. We wonder what we must do to be a good minister, minister’s wife, Christian, and so on. And as we begin to look for our answers, we do what so many of us are so prone to do--we begin filtering it through the understanding of our former programming. That is to say, that as we grow up in the world, we learn to respond to life situations in similar fashions to everyone else. But once we become a child of God, He begins to transform our thought patterns so that we begin to respond His way--the best way. Unfortunately, when a question or crisis arises, many of us still cling to our old ways of finding solutions, and the answers that God wants to reveal to us get hidden behind a cluster of societal expectations and human predispositions.
But there is a better way. God has a plan for each of us that is unique. He has created us with gifts, abilities and personality traits that are all combined to make us fit for the work He has chosen for us. If we try to hold to the predefined guidelines of society, church, family and self, we may completely miss what God is desiring to do with us. We may become the epitome of what everyone around us thinks a proper minister, minister’s wife, Christian, etc., should be, but we may also be very miserable as we do not allow ourselves to simply be what God has designed us to be.
It may be easier to depend upon the unwritten rules to determine how we should act and what we should do, but if we can lean on God, trust Him, and find His specific design for us, then we will truly find the greatest fulfillment. And in so doing, He will be able to use us to the fullest, to accomplish more according to His purposes for us than we would have ever imagined possible.

[Soldier4Christ]

Seek And Ye Shall Find

    There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph.4:4-6).

    Several cotton farmers were whiling away a winter afternoon around the potbellied stove. They soon became entangled in a heated discussion on the merits of their respective religions. The eldest of the farmers had been sitting quietly, just listening, when the group turned to him and demanded, "Who's right, old Jim? Which one of these religions is the right one?" "Well," said Jim thoughtfully, "you know there are three ways to get from here to the cotton gin. You can go right over the big hill. That's shorter but it's a powerful climb. You can go around the east side of the hill. That's not too far, but the road is rougher'n tarnation. Or you can go around the west side of the hill, which is the longest way, but the easiest. “But you know," he said, looking them squarely in the eye, "when you get there, the gin man don't ask you how you come. He just asks, 'Man, how good is your cotton?'" --Los Angeles Times Syndicate

Is it a search for truth that has brought speculation as to there being many ways to heaven, or is it a search for self? Many have asked, “If there are so many different religions, how can you be sure yours is right?” Is it that religion is something that is the result of God reaching to us, us reaching to God, or simply man’s efforts to accommodate his own thinking? Jesus asked John the Baptist’s disciples, “What seek ye?” The question must also be put to this generation--to those who are “finding themselves,” and to those who are finding God--Jesus still asks us, “What seek ye?”
What you seek--or, what you desire--often has greater impact upon what you find than the fact that you are seeking. Sociological studies have been done with teachers and students wherein some typical students were randomly labeled as trouble makers, while others were not. The tendency was for the teachers to treat the so called “trouble makers” poorly; often discriminating against them due to the student’s label. The study showed that what the teachers looked for in the students labeled as "trouble makers," was often just what they found. But it was not because the student was a trouble maker, but simply because that’s what the teacher perceived, expected, and therefore saw in the student.
So what do we seek? If we were to place the answer somewhere on a line that has at the one end, “finding yourself” and at the other end, “finding God;” we would probably find that the closer we get to the “finding God” side, the fewer the answers we would find. In fact, we would eventually only get to one way to come to God, and that through His way--not ours. But as our motives turn inward and as we seek to “find ourselves,” we may come up with as many different answers as there are people. Simply put, we should be able to see that there is one reason for our lack of unity in faith, and that is that any other way to come to God other than the way He has provided, has come about due to our own selfishness, pride, lust, etc. The great diversity of religion is due to the great diversity of want. Even religions that seem selfless are often born out of someone’s need to feel complete within, rather than without.
The solution is simple, and difficult. It is easy to grasp, yet hard to do. And this is it: Seeking God is an outward reach in an effort to draw Him in; whereas seeking God falsely is an inward reach in an effort to draw out from ourselves what we determine God should be (bare in mind that God seeks us out). The first is a person; while the second is a perspective. The first builds a relationship; while the second builds a religion. If we and others are to find God’s way, it must come through forsaking selfish interests and through truthfully seeking out the person of God, and that as through the reconciliation of the work of Christ--not of works (or anything else) lest anyone should boast.

[Soldier4Christ]

Opened Eyes--Filled With Tears

    A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God (Jeremiah 3:21).

Jeremiah is often refereed to as the “weeping prophet.” He was one who mourned over the fallen condition of Israel and Israel’s stubborn persistence as they refused to see things as they really were. Jeremiah tried to make Israel see why they had suffered the fate they had suffered, why they had been taken captive and why they would remain captive for some 70 years before being freed. But Israel would not hear of it. They chose instead to believe the false prophets who said to them exactly what they wanted to hear; and the truth that Jeremiah spoke did little more than stir up anger in the people. The acceptance of a better “truth,” albeit a lie, led them to blind themselves to God’s word, blinding them from seeing God’s solutions and thereby crippling them from moving in a positive direction back toward God.

Jesus Wept
Weep Jeremiah, weep once more.
The world has forgotten your tears.
We listen again to falsehoods and lies
and to only what tickles our itching ears.
Where is your word, Jeremiah?
Our ears have grown dull to your cries.
We don’t want to see your sorrow for us,
we just want to see what pleases our eyes.
Weep on, Jeremiah, weep on.
for thousands of years you have wept,
While you have been crying for God to save man,
so much of mankind has slept.
Weep on, Lord Jesus, weep on.
Gethsemane is a garden of pain.
For you were alone to bear your sorrow,
and you seem alone to bear it again.
Weep Lord Jesus, weep once more.
We’ve no hope but to gain your pardon.
For while you continue to weep for mankind,
your servants lay asleep in the garden.

We may think that by always trying to find the good in things that we are being optimistic--and so we may be. But optimism must be applied with wisdom--wisdom that leads us to see things as they are rather than hiding them behind the rose-colored glasses of our hopeful wants and wishes. If we are to be of any real help to this world, we must not hide behind the guise of optimism that is really a shield to protect us from the painful truths. Jeremiah wept. Jesus wept. And so we too must realize that there is a time to weep for the condition of a fallen people so that God may move us forward toward our freedom.

[Soldier4Christ]

Church, Choice & God's Direction

    In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
    (Acts 13:1-3).

In returning to a city that I and my family had previously lived, we began to seek God's direction concerning a church home. There was one church that we had attended before, and that was the first one we visited. We loved the members of that church and had fond memories of many of them. They were a good group of people, and we could have very easily rejoined that church and it would not have bothered any one of my family to do so, with the exception of one--God; and therewith, us as well. As Christ is the Head of the head of the house, He is the family member who has the final say. And we were certain that although we would not have minded rejoining that particular church, it was not where God wanted us to be, and so we continued to seek.
But to so many this was quite out of the ordinary. Some who were dear friends from the church seemed very puzzled by the news that we would not be coming back. They had difficulty understanding how we could look anywhere else and possibly questioned our motives and our reasoning for doing so. Some were hurt by our decision, feeling as though it was something that was done or said to us by someone in the church that caused us not to come back. We were approached by some who asked us what was wrong, how they could help, and if someone did something to offend us. It was just too much out of the ordinary to them, and no one really knew what to make of it.
We assured them that no one did anything. We told them that we just knew that God was wanting us to serve Him at a different church, for whatever reason He alone knew. It may have been a mystery to us and a puzzlement to the church, but there was nothing of it that surprised or bewildered God. He had a specific place for us to serve Him and it was not with the church to which we previously belonged.
Now this could have been any church, and it is indicative of most. Someone leaves and the questions arise, "What's wrong?" they ask. Everyone begins to wonder and to speculate why the person or family left. The first thing that is thought is often that something must have upset them, for "why else would they leave?" Then many people begin to ask others if they knew what happened to so and so, and if they know why they left. Why do they ask that? Perhaps they have seen several occasions just like that; in which someone got mad and left or in which someone did not come back because someone offended them. Perhaps that is the normal thing; while what is out of the ordinary is someone who honestly goes to another church because God has led them that way. Even with that, many would still question the validity of such an occurance.
But what is truly puzzling is this: why does it seem odd to us for someone to say that they are simply trying to follow God's direction? We are a church that is called to send out servants--not retain family members. We know that God has a plan for each of our lives and that the plan varies for each of us. Even as that plan brings us to a local church family, it may also lead us away. Grant it our motives are not always pure in our choice of churches. For all too often people join churches for what's in it for them, or for how comfortable they feel in a particular church. But as a church we should be encouraging people to serve wherever God tells them, and we should be sending them out with our blessings when God calls them away. For it should not be our choice that leads us to one church or another, but only the Lord that leads us to a church in which He has called us to serve.

[Soldier4Christ]

Pressure Points

    When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone (Exodus 18:14-18).

'Tis the season for surmounting stress. If you are like most people, this is a time of year that you look forward to--yet also dread. The holiday pressures of buying gifts, preparing to go to relatives' homes, Christmas parties, plays, and musicals, etc., are hard enough to bear.  But that's not all.  These pressures are simply added to the heap of pressures we already face in our daily living; and they are at times enough to really wear on our nerves, our patience, and our character.
Outward, inward, it does not make any difference, the pressures are still there.  The inward demands we place upon ourselves are no less difficult to deal with than the outward pressures that others place upon us. So, we must never fool ourselves to thinking that things are under control if we turn down a few requests of others, without seeing what we need to turn down with regard to our own desires of ourselves.
A good example is found in Exodus 18 (above). Moses had been acting as judge and counselor for the whole nation of Israel. His father-in-law noted that Moses had little time for anything else, and that because of that, it would inevitably wear on Moses and be harmful to himself and the people. His counsel to Moses was for Moses to get help, for there were so many people, surely there were others God had placed there that could help Moses give God’s counsel.
Moses had been spread too thin--a fate many of us suffer--especially at this time of the year. But regardless of the time of year, the solution we may need may still be found in the words of Moses’ father-in-law: “Get help.” It is bad enough that we take on more than we can handle, but once we have done that, it is worse if we do not get help. And the help is out there, but we first must be willing to accept that we “can’t do everything” that we thought we could, we must admit we need help, and we must seek God and others in getting help.
God will be faithful to help you in your time of need, even if it was you who got yourself overwhelmed. He won’t let you sink if you ask Him to rescue you. God does not want anyone to bear more than can be taken. He wants each of us to be expressions of His Joy to the world. But it is very hard for anyone to see God’s joy in us, when we are wiped out by the rigmarole. When we think of "'tis the season," let it be that the love of God delivered to us through the birth of His Son is what we think of.  And let it be that it is what is seen in us--the love of God toward all mankind, reflected in our eyes, felt in our hearts, and evident in our lives full of peace, rather than a Christmas chaos.

[Soldier4Christ]

To Suffer Loss

    For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed
    (Isaiah 53:2-5).

The couple did not expect anything was wrong. The pregnancy carried to its full term and there had been no sign of any trouble. But their hearts were broken when the time finally came to give birth to triplets, and all three were still-born. The announcer on the radio related the story to listeners and followed up by asking us to remember the couple in prayer. And so I explained to my son what “still born” meant, and answered his resulting questions as best as I could, and then we prayed for God’s comforting hand to be on those who had suffered loss.
I remember a time myself, wherein my family had to struggle with the loss of a loved one. It was during a visit to my parent’s home when as my sister was making her way back to the house after dropping off a friend, a drunk driver swerved across the highway centerline and hit her head on. She was killed instantly. Sure we thank God she is a Christian and that we shall see her again, but I have never seen or known so great a sorrow as I experienced, and as I saw experienced in my parents.
The residual effects linger on. We have all been changed in some fashion and regardless of what anyone will ever think or say, life for my family will never be the same--there’s a hole that we will feel in my sister’s absence until we are re-united with her in heaven.
So many people suffer similar events, and so many this very day will suffer loss. My thoughts draw back to the prayer request for the couple, and compel me to seek the same from all of us today, that we might stop and pray for those who this very day will suffer loss.
My thoughts are also drawn to another time. A time wherein the God of heaven saw the suffering of humanity, and made preparations to send His own Son as the answer to our suffering. And knowing ahead of time that His Son would be sadistically crucified at the age of 33, He did not change His mind but was willing to give His only begotten Son up for us all. It was not simply a gesture of love, it was what had to be done to make a way for us to be re-united with our Heavenly Father. But it took greater love to do this than any of us should ever hope to understand.
My wife and I at times will playfully swap punches--I punch her softly, and she hits with the most of her strength. If however, I increase the force of my punch a little, she will quickly remind me that I am a guy and I should remember that I can take it better than she can. But with her, as with my kids, sometimes they forget that Dad can get hurt too.
My point is this: sometimes we consider our suffering and somehow lose sight that our Lord has suffered. He seems to us to be so much bigger and stronger, and so it is so easy to forget His sorrows and sense of loss--a sense of loss that is no doubt felt every time a lost soul dies.
As we approach Christmas, let us consider this: Our Lord has taken upon Himself our sin, our suffering, and our sorrows. This does not negate our feelings and pains, but it validates them--and more importantly--it points the way to the very One who can help us press onward through our times of sudden loss.

Sudden Loss
Sudden loss could not be any less.
It's knock precedes no idle chat,
no talk of how the weather's soon to change.
Instead, it is a hurricane
that curves, and swerves
to crash upon some piece of land
that everyone thought safe.
Then lifts and swoons and sways,
pressing panic through fragile walls,
to shake the ground
beneath consistency of homes
abandoned to the care
of boiling pots
and dangling phones.
And left behind within it's wake,
a mangled mesh of flesh and steel,
contorted, distorted, twisted so
that nothing now makes sense.
And in the eye where sight
has been restored,
to look behind, or look ahead,
reveals no promises
of brighter days to come.
but promises instead
of pending storm.

[Soldier4Christ]

Interpreting God’s Directions

    Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:13-15).

I recall numerous times while traveling, wherein we would have to pull out the road maps and try to find our way back to a highway that we got off of that we shouldn’t have. In our attempt to keep from having to stop, the person next to the driver would become the navigator and give instructions to the driver. Then we would find our way without a hitch? If only it were that easy. For somewhere during the giving of the instructions and the interpretation of the instructions, there would often be something lost which kept us lost as well.
You may have already heard it said that God has a roadmap for your life. But in this case it is somewhat different than that of the story above. For one thing, we start out our journey through life completely lost--we only think we know where we are going. Secondly, once we find our way to Christ, it is still He who holds the map. Simply said, He does not say to us, “All right, you’re saved now. Here’s your map, your compass, and so forth. Go and find your way and I’ll be waiting for you at the end of the road.” Instead, He gives us everything we need to move through this life on our way to the next, yet He is the one who always holds the map. He is the Navigator.
But even as driving instructions can be confused, so we also can misinterpret His instructions to us; and there are many things that can hinder our following His instructions fully. Not listening to Him or only listening partially, prediction, presumption and predetermination are a few of the things that will quickly get us off track.
When we do not listen there is no way we can know what road God wants us to take, since He is the one with the map. We will only try one new road after another like trying on new shoes until we presumably find the right pair. By the grace of God we might get lucky and get on the right road, yet it is always a more direct approach to simply follow the instructions of the Navigator.
Listening partially is something most of us are guilty of. We take God’s first instructions and then begin to fill in the blanks as to the next steps. We jump the gun and even though we start out on the right road, we will soon find ourselves without a clue and wondering how in the world we got where we did.
Predicting God’s direction is a lot like listening partially and is the predecessor to predetermination. We take a little that we know and mix it with common sense and experience and come up with a road we believe must be God’s choice for us. Then we Predetermine to take that road and in essence shut our ears to any further instructions. In presuming to know God’s course, we make many false interpretations of His course for us, and we come to many forks in the road being bound by confusion and wondering how we went astray.
God’s directions for us may take many roads or even lead us to a choice of roads. Sometimes, we will see clearly the reason for our being on a certain road--and sometimes not. In any case, we must not allow our interpretations of God’s direction to lead us to the next road, for our interpretations are not always accurate, as we do not see the whole picture (or map) as He does. It is enough for us that we know who holds the map, and that we keep listening to Him, and that we make every choice a matter of obedience to Him and His guidance.

[Soldier4Christ]

Christmas Lights

    Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12).

The lights are beautiful this time of year. So many different colors and variations. It has always been enjoyable to go riding through the streets as Christmas nears, and look at all the wonderful decorations. The city streets take on a strange, enchanting kind of glow that seems to draw so many out to see the sights.
To consider our Lord’s words in calling us the “light of the world,” the Christmas lights seem so perfect a representation of what He has called us to be. They are beautiful and enchanting. They draw us out to look at them and become enthralled by their wonder. Jesus was the most beautiful Light ever, and we are lights even as He said. If only we could have an effect on our world year ‘round, as the Christmas lights have on so many of us each Christmas,

A Chorus Line of Lights
To contemplate the state of man
has often led me to despair
for what I see is more than I
would ever hope to hold or know.
But candles glow within so many
distant, dark and gloomy nights
and we are but a flicker
dancing in a chorus line of lights.
I see the church, a chosen vessel
to carry love and truth in heart.
I see a church in disarray
for selfishness has quenched love’s fire.
But candles glow within so many
distant, dark and gloomy nights
and we are but a flicker
dancing in a chorus line of lights.
My hope at times seems empty
as to think that we shall ever see
Christ-like hearts take form in us
to grip and save humanity.
But candles glow within so many
distant, dark and gloomy nights
and God can use a flicker,
dancing in a chorus line of lights.

We are the light of the world. Sometimes we will feel like we are not a very bright light, or like our light does not make a difference. Perhaps we see ourselves as a tiny flicker in a vast darkness. But we are not alone. Our light is one of so many lights and God can use us all to accomplish His goal. We must never give up hope.
It has been said as encouragement to us, and bears repeating, that we must continue doing what we know to do--do our best--and let God do the rest. Instead of looking at the vast darkness and seeing ourselves as a single, puny light, may God help us to be a light where we are--showing His love, His grace and His kindness to a single person.
There is a song that says, “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going.” Sometimes we are so concerned with the fire that we forget a our spark can do.