Trust!

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

Hebrews 4:16

As a child, I enjoyed going to the circus.  The smell of peanuts roasting, the clowns creeped me out more than a little, the sounds of the music... But it was the acrobats that fascinated me the most.  They made everything look so easy, as they would swing out over the crowd and "fly" to their partner who would catch them.  It was mind boggling for a kid of 6.

One year on a school field trip we went to the circus and got to talk to some of the performers.  The strongman was HUGE and quite powerful.  But I wanted to talk to the acrobats.  When we got to their area, I asked how they were able to perform those amazing tricks.  The acrobat said, “The flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything.  I have simply to reach out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron.”  The flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.”

Think about that,God is the catcher, and we are the flyers.  We trust.  Period.  We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us.  And as we trust him, a wonderful thing happens– we fly!  Your Father has never dropped anyone.  He will not drop you.  His grip is sturdy and his hands are open.  Place yourself entirely in his care.  As you do, you will find it is possible, yes possible, to be anxious for nothing!

What A Day!!

He personally carried our sins
    in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
    and live for what is right.
By his wounds
    you are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 

 

I've lived through a number of years of Good Fridays and the one statement I've heard over and over is "It may be Friday, but SUNDAY'S a-comin!"  And it's true, Easter Sunday is the celebration of Christ's resurrection.  

 

A number of years ago, I was attending the 102 birthday of a wonderful lady.  She was spry, witty, and wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind.  Quite a few of her relatives and friends had gathered to celebrate her special day, but when she came into the room and everyone (including me) shouted "Happy Birthday" she shook her cane and in her loud gravelly voice said over the racket, "BE Quiet!  Don't come here celebrating my birthday!  Y'all have NO IDEA what I went through to get here, so sit down and be quiet!" She had a very valid point, none of us had any clue what she had endured to reach 102 years of age.

 

And yet the same concept applies to Easter as well.  If we become so "glory-eyed" about Easter that we sanitize all that Jesus had to endure on our behalf, (His arrest, His trials, His torture, His crucifixion) then we will discount the price Jesus paid for our sin.  When we forget what He went through for us, then Easter becomes just another day with pretty new clothes, and a tasty lunch.

 

Remember, once chapter does not a story make! 

"Rules, Rules, Rules!"

A few years ago, when I was in Carson-Newman College with Methuselah, part of the course requirement for public speaking was to register as pulpit fill for the local churches. For some reason, probably due to my church sounding name, I was asked to speak at a church that was "not on the main road." Seriously, it was, quite literally, well off the beaten path. Upon entering the sanctuary the first thing I noticed was the pungent smell of, for lack of a better term, old. The church was tidy and clean, the carpet and cushions appeared well maintained, but the smell was not only musty but overwhelmingly distracting.

Another thing I noticed were the rules of conduct on the back of the bulletin which laid out the "Thou Shalt Nots". For example, "Thou Shalt Not laugh! Church is serious business", "Thou Shalt Not Forget to give extra in today's offering since we have a guest speaker" (yes, it was really in the bulletin), "Thou Shalt Not sleep in church!" The list was quite extensive.

When it came time to speak, to be honest, I was about to offend a lot of people unintentionally. I began by asking, "How many of you came to church today?" Every hand proudly went up. I then asked, "How many of you brought church WITH you today?" Blank stares! I went on to talk about how church was not a building and it was not a bunch of rules, regulations, and rituals. Church is the relationship you have with Christ!

"For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." - Galatians 2:19-21

You see, if all we had to do was keep some rules and regulations and perform a few rituals, God would have had no reason to send Jesus Christ to fulfill the law on our behalf. Because, through Christ we have freedom! I must confess that I think a few members almost had aneurysms when I expressed that freedom by taking my necktie off (I do NOT like neckties) and invited the gentlemen in the congregation to feel free to do the same. The elbows and glares from the wives were priceless!

But my point was this: God had a relationship with Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve messed that up. God, then, still wanted a relationship with us so He has always reached out to us in love seeking that relationship. We continually took His gift and ground it through the "religious" machine and cranked out a list of rules, regulations and rituals. Then God sent Jesus to fulfill all the Law and established that RELATIONSHIP is what God seeks from us through Christ Jesus. Here's the best news of all, through Christ we have true and eternal freedom!

Will you take church with you today? 

One side note, I was not asked to deliver another sermon at that church.

Is There Peace In The Midst of Chaos?

"My soul finds rest in God alone."

Psalm 62:1

 

Today began as a typical day with my mind racing to remember what I needed to do, what to avoid, how I might be able to work more efficiently, remembering all the precautions to take in the midst of the COVID-19, and on and on.  

 

By the time I left home at 5:30 in the morning, my mind was buzzing.  I happened to look into the sky as I got into my truck and saw the full moon.  I stared at it for several minutes and felt all my anxiety begin to fade away.  God was reminding me that the moon is still there regardless of what is going on here on earth, because He's the one who put it right there where I would see it this morning.  The more I thought about it, the more clear it became: Regardless of what we see, feel, think, stress over...God is still in control!

 

Think about it, regardless of how panicked we become about the events we can see, God is still making sure the Sun still shines, the Moon still glows, the birds still sing, the flowers still bloom, and God's love is still strong.  As I drove to work, God reminded me that NOTHING can change His plans for us and NOTHING can take His love for us away.  When we focus on Him, our anxieties, stresses, worries, concerns will melt away.

 

Ponder That! 

Question of Authority

One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Luke 20:1-8 

Have you figured out that the Scribes and Pharisees thought they were, not only wise and pious, but clever?  Jesus had just ridden into Jerusalem on the young donkey colt. Why?  If He had ridden in galloping on a horse, the Scribes and Pharisees could have gone to the Governor claiming Jesus was inciting the people to riot.  Instead, Jesus didn't just come in on a docile donkey, but to further prove His point, He rode in on a colt of the docile donkey, much to the irritation of the "Church Folk."

Jesus was teaching in the Temple and the people who heard Him were interested by His message, which further irritated the "Church Folk." So they come up with a plan to trick Jesus...they will ask Him by whose authority is He teaching His message, because if Jesus says His authority is His own, He will be discrediting Himself. HOWEVER, if He says His authority is from Heaven, then they can have Him arrested for blasphemy.  In their minds, it is a flawless plan.

So, they confront Jesus IN FRONT OF the people who came to hear His message and ask by what authority He is preaching and were probably chuckling to themselves at their own cleverness.  Jesus, however, completely derails their cunning scheme by asking them if John's authority to baptize come from Heaven or from himself.  The Scribes and Pharisees huddled us and began trying to salvage their scheme by telling Jesus that they didn't know where John's authority came from.  And Jesus told them He wasn't going to reveal the source of His authority either.

Jesus' authority came directly from God!  End of story!

There's This Town In Texas...

When I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in you.

Psalm 56:3 

 

There's this town in Texas called "Uncertain."  If you think I'm kidding, Google it. It is a REAL place.  Some of you didn't believe me when I spoke of "Toad Suck, Arkansas" until you Googled it.

 

Think about this for a moment, with all that is going on in the world right now, how many of us live in our own "Uncertain"?  In fact, our uncertainty tends to lead us to the realm of doubt, stress, anxiety, and worry because we are uncertain what might happen. 

 

 There's an old adage that says, "If you want to know about the road ahead, ask the person coming back."  What does THAT have to do with anything? It's simple, God has already BEEN through our future and knows what will happen, so talk with Him.

"But what if.....?"

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

Matthew 10:28-29

 

The night before I was due to have my quadruple bypass surgery, I was not feeling exceptionally calm.  To be honest, I was terrified!  I tried reading my Bible, but just couldn't concentrate, although I "justified" that by blaming the nursing staff who came in frequently to check my vitals.  

 

One of the nurses took the time to stay and chat with me because he saw that I was upset (and my vitals apparently confirmed this). 

He said, "May I ask you something?" 

* I said, "Sure."  

He said, "Do you believe that book you're reading?"  

* I said, "Yes, of course."  

He said, "Then why are you so nervous?"

 *I said, "I could die!"

He said, "Yep, you could.  You could walk into the restroom, slip and hit your head and die. You could step off the curb and get hit by a bus. An airplane carrying an elephant could accidentally jettison the elephant which could land on you. Face it, we ALL are going to die. Our bodies weren't designed to live forever."

* I said, "You aren't helping.  I could die and what would happen to my family?"

He said, "You really DON'T believe the Bible then."

* I admit, I got a bit testy at that. "YES I DO!"

He said, "IF you do believe it, then you know that God will take care of everyone. We don't have to worry or be afraid."

 

Then he left me and my mind kicked into overdrive.  I really didn't have anything to fear or worry about. God has provided for His children since the dawn of time, why would He stop now? 

The news portrays grim situations.  That's what terrifies us, makes us afraid, and makes us nervous.  Yet God's word promises us that He loves us and takes care of us so we have nothing to fear.  Take precautions, of course, but don't let anything take our hearts off of God!