Homecoming

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  —Luke 15:10

I attended two different homecomings this past week. One was Oakland Church’s 100^th Anniversary Homecoming. We rented a large tent and invited former pastors and son/daughters who had gone into the ministry from Oakland back for a few days of reunion, worship, and celebration. We made old fashioned apple butter in two copper kettles on an open fire the week before to serve on homemade bread. A special meal Saturday night, in addition to the bread and apple butter, included vegetable soup made that day according to the ancient Oakland recipe.

In the services, we had testimonies and preaching by returning pastors and a special visit from Rev. Richard and Wilma Jean Burns’ son, Doug portraying an early Methodist circuit-riding preacher. God’s Matches, a 1970s youth choir led by David Michael Ed reunited for Saturday’s service.

The second homecoming occurred as I conducted a funeral service for a dear friend who was also my wife’s uncle. When I first met Mel, he was not walking with the Lord, and his living arrangements were not the best. Darlene and I decided to simply accept him, her aunt, and the situation in love. A fast friendship developed and the closer the two of us became the closer Mel grew toward the Lord. I had the privilege of conducting their wedding a few years later and became a faithful prayer partner for them.

As I led the funeral service last week, I got to meet his family, share our common love for Mel and celebrate our common hope in Jesus Christ as our resurrection and our life. The Bible describes a coming banquet where Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom and His Bride, the Church, enjoy a tremendous reunion dinner together (Revelation 22:17). The funeral service was truly a celebration of a glorious homecoming for Mel.

Both of these homecomings reminded me of another party described in the scriptures. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories about lost things that are found: a sheep, a coin, and a son. At the end of each parable, a party is thrown because that which was lost had been found. Jesus says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). After we announced that God’s Matches would be singing at our Centennial Homecoming, I received many testimonies of persons who came to faith through their ministry.

As God drew Uncle Mel closer to Himself, Mel found a little church in New Bethlehem and began attending. The pastor guided Mel in turning his life over to the Lord. I was not there when Mel prayed the sinner’s prayer, but later, we had many conversations about the Lord and the common faith we shared. Mel’s life and his new found faith late in life remind me that there was once a party in heaven for me, too. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and stepped over the line to faith, all the activities in heaven stopped, maybe only for a moment, and a party was held in my honor. Wow! God loves you and me that much. It sure puts life, death, and homecomings in a different light.

Cracked Wedding Ring

“Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”  —Ephesians 4:26b-27

I don’t know how it happened, but one day, I noticed my wedding ring had cracked. This isn’t my original wedding ring. We replaced the original after I lost it while mowing the lawn. It must have felt extra tight on my ring finger that day so I placed it on my pinky. When the mowing was complete, the ring was missing. We borrowed a metal detector and searched the lawn, but no ring could be found.

The decorative finish on my replacement ring stops two-thirds of the way around at an indent on both sides. I never take my ring off; so when I do any kind of rigorous work with shovels, hammers, or handle materials, the ring often gets misshaped. It’s gold, and gold is soft, so I simply straighten it out again. One time, it must have cracked at the indented crease. I continued to wear the broken ring for months. Although it was cracked completely through, it seemed to stay on OK. I even swam on vacation with it on but often thought about the possibility of losing it.

My cracked wedding ring reminded me of cracked relationships. We allow many imperfections to exist in our relationships with loved ones and do nothing to fix them until a crisis comes along. Ephesians 4 tells us to “not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (4:26). If there is a problem in our marriages or any relationship, we should mend it quickly. We wouldn’t drive our car with a tire nearly flat. It’s usually too late to check the oil level in your cars’ engine after the low oil warning light comes on.    

If we allow unresolved issues and unforgiveness to continue day after day, we give the devil an opportunity to sow seeds of anger, malice, and hatred. If there is something wrong in your relationships, make it right. Ephesians 4 continues to urge us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (31).

If we would take care of our marriages and other relationships the way we take care of our hunting and fishing gear, our face and complexion, or our cars and techie gadgets, then our families, churches, and country would be much stronger. Rather than neglect your marriage, allowing cracks to exist in your relationships, why not say encouraging words that build up your spouse according to his/her needs and benefit those who listen (Eph. 4:28). I would imagine right now, there are loving words of kindness and forgiveness that are waiting to be spoken in most relationships. Why don’t we heed the teachings of scripture to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

Oh, by the way, I got the ring fixed this past week. My local jeweler repaired it, polished it, and touched up the decorative finish. It looks as good as new, and now I feel much more secure that my wedding ring won’t slip away. Can you say the same about your marriage? Pay some attention to your relationships. Offer some words of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. You won’t regret it.

God's Power, Our Weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   —2 Corinthians 12:9

How did David, a shepherd boy, the youngest in the family, too small and insignificant to be considered by Samuel as a future king, slay the mighty giant? The answer, he didn’t. God defeated Goliath through David’s courage and faith. How did the innocent, orphan, beauty pageant contestant, Esther, a foreigner, become queen and save the Jewish people from destruction? She didn’t. God working through her obedience and courage did.

When Gideon faced the Midianite army with 32,000 men, God instructed him to send soldiers home because Gideon had too many men. After 22,000 went home, God told him there were still too many. When the army was weaned down to 300 men, God said they were now ready to fight. You see, if Gideon and his entire army had defeated the Midianites, they may have taken the credit and glory for themselves (Judges 7). But if a mere 300 men defeat a huge army, God will definitely receive the glory. God’s ways are not our ways. The ways of God are often exactly opposite to the ways of human kingdoms.

This world looks for the strong, the intelligent, and the swift to win the day. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). In the kingdom of God, the first shall be last, the least the greatest, and those most unlikely heroes bring glory to God.

The apostle Paul lived with an affliction. It may have been physical, emotional, or mental; we are not told. We do know Paul called it, “A thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove it. Now, we are not talking about some ordinary person praying for God to remove a problem from one’s life. God had used Paul to raise the dead, cast out demons, and heal the sick. God protected Paul from beatings, shipwrecks, and poisonous snake bites. If Paul prays three times for the Lord to remove something, we would expect God to act. Instead, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Rather than be glorified by Paul’s great testimony of victory and healing, God wished to show His perfect grace and power in Paul’s life through weakness. I am not suggesting we go around telling everyone our worst flaws and weaknesses thinking these will bring glory to God. But, if we live a life of faith in spite of challenges, if we step out in courage in spite of fears, and if we surrender even our weaknesses to God in confidence that they may bring Him glory, then God’s power will be truly made perfect in our weaknesses.

You may feel you have very little to offer God today. You may be thinking, “If I get this part of my life together, if I get a little stronger in that area, then I will be of some use to God.” That kind of thinking is exactly wrong. Thinking I can make myself presentable and useful to God by my own efforts is a works righteousness. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). God loves you so much that Christ came and died in your place. There is no way to improve upon such a sacrifice. Simply turn to God and accept His grace. God loves you.

How Much is Too Much?

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”   —2 Corinthians 9:7

At our house, I can and often watch almost anything that comes on the television. I do, however, tend to migrate to typical outdoors and manly things like the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and sports. My wife watches almost nothing but occasionally the Game Show Network, and the Weather Channel capture her interest. Her two favorite shows are Local on the 8’s and $25,000 Pyramid.

Last week, we turned on the TV to catch the weather and then flipped to the game channel. The new American Bible Challenge game was on. By the way, we got every answer right but one. We forgot Jacob’s daughter’s name, Dinah. Family Feud followed where teams try to guess what 100 surveyed persons answered on a variety of subjects. One question caught my attention. “What is an appropriate amount to put in the offering plate at church?” In the Fast Money round, one lady guessed, “$20.” Ten persons agreed. When her partner’s turn came, she said, “$10.” I think 14 persons agreed. The number one answer was $5.00. You can see why this interested me.

How much is too much? I don’t think we really know, but the Bible very clearly tells us how much is too little. The Old Testament consistently speaks about giving a tithe to the Lord. A tithe is 10% of your income. It is called the first fruits (2 Chron. 31:5). If we do not give the first 10% of our income to God, it’s not enough. We often debate whether tithing refers to before or after taxed income. Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (Matt 22:21). I guess if we put the government first, we would tithe on the take home pay. If God is first, then tithe on our gross pay. $5 in the offering plate would imply an income of $50.00.

In the book of Malachi, God seems very intense about the whole tithing issue. God curses the Israelites for robbing Him by not giving their tithes and offerings. God said, “You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house” (Malachi 3:8-10). God clearly describes anything less than 10% as not enough.

But how much is too much? In the New Testament, the emphasis on how much to give shifted. New Testament Christians believed that they themselves and everything they owned were under the Lordship of Jesus. They saw all their income as belonging to God. (100% and not just 10%). The New Testament model for Christians was to keep only what was needed to provide for themselves and their families. I guess too much would be giving to the point that you and your family depended upon and became a drain on the resources of others. Beyond that, the New Testament describes giving in terms of generosity rather than law.

The verse, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart,” refers to the upper limit of giving. The tithe, 10%, remains, for me and many, the minimum we should give. Giving beyond the tithe is limited only by our ability to give and the amount of joy we receive in giving. The scripture continues, “For God loves a cheerful giver.” Maybe the reason so many people and businesses are so grumpy these days is they don’t give enough. God promises to open the windows of heaven to meet the needs and more of those who give. Let us give generously and joyfully.