Our First Love

But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.    —Revelations 2:4

I am a proto-typical male. I dislike shopping. I may be understating my feelings so folks don’t think too badly of me. I really, really, dislike shopping, even though my wife loves me to go with her and spend time with her. When, rather IF, I go to the mall, I sometimes catch glimpses of my younger self as I see young couples from middle school to post college age walking hand in hand with dreamy looks in their eyes sharing a few moments of bliss shopping in the mall. The guy may even very attentively help pick out shoes and dresses. It’s a date. They are in love.

When folks first fall in love, they fall so head over heels in love they will do almost anything to demonstrate that love without being asked. I have seen girls become hunters and fisherwomen just to capture the man of their dreams.

We might draw a parallel to the Christian faith. When I first asked Jesus Christ to come into my life, I was so overwhelmed with God’s love and presence in my life, I read the Bible every spare minute I had reading the entire New Testament in the month of December. Granted, I was in college away from home. I had no obligations but to go to class, watch Star Trek immediately before going to the dining hall, and play ping pong. I made spending time with the Lord a top priority among these other lofty endeavors.

After I dropped out of college, returned to carpentry work, and got married, I had to discipline myself to make time for prayer, Bible reading, and quality time with the Lord. My first love, Jesus, was now in competition with many other demands in my life. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus warned how the cares of this world act as weeds choking out the Kingdom of God from our lives (Matthew 13:22).

In the book of Revelation, Jesus dictates seven letters to seven churches. In the first letter to the Church of Ephesus, Jesus commends the church for their works, perseverance, and faithfulness, but condemns it for one small (or very large) thing, leaving their first love. Jesus urges the church to “remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first” (2:4-5).

Remember your first love. Remember the acts done out of total, unreserved, overwhelmed love you did at first. God is more interested in our all-consuming love relationship with Jesus than deeds done out of a sense of duty. In a recent book, Steve DeNeff and David Drury list the shift from Slave to Child as one of the transformations needed in order to become the Christian God intends us to be.  “Slave to Child is a shift in identity from serving God to loving God (SoulShift, 27).

In personal relationships, true love manifests itself both by lifelong dedication to care and support another person as well as the spontaneous demonstrations of joy and excitement of spending time with that person. Many wives and husbands, my wife for sure, would enjoy seeing more of the kind of excitement and infatuation demonstrated in those early days of courtship.

Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first.” In the Christian life and in our married life, remember your first love.  

Pray for America

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.    —1 Samuel 12:23

Several years ago in a different part of the country, I participated in a National Day of Prayer service. The Christian and civil communities gathered at the County Courthouse. I was privileged to sit on the platform atop of the Courthouse steps as one of the prayer leaders. Sadly, for me and a few others, the prayer service degraded into a complaint session against our government leaders and American culture. Each prayer began with a short preaching moment condemning the administration and America.

I, personally, agreed with the complaints, but became increasingly annoyed and disappointed by pastors and leaders who used their prayer time to preach and condemn our government. A retired minister from Central Pennsylvania wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper describing an earlier time in history when the Christian community prayed fervently for their leaders.

Centuries ago, Samuel, from infancy was anointed as a Jewish priest. He was the last of the Old Testament Judges and a prophet for the people and kings David and Saul. When the Jews asked for a king like other nations, they were rejecting God as their King and Samuel as God’s representative.

In a demonstration of the severity of their request for a king, God sent thunder and rain during the wheat harvest. The people were terrified as it almost never rains during this time. They confessed their sin and asked Samuel to prayer for them. Samuel responded that he would never sin against God by failing to pray for them (1 Samuel 12:23).

Many of us in America feel that American values have been compromised. We may even feel that our governmental leaders are not leading or leading in the wrong direction, but God has called us to pray for our nation and our leaders. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  

The command to pray is really an invitation, “If my people…” It does not say, “If my people condemn and criticize our leaders;” although we need prophetic voices to speak out. Also, it does not say, “If certain candidates get elected.” Nor does it say, “If drug addicts and pushers stop drug abuse;” but it says, “If my people, will humble themselves, pray, and repent, then God will hear and heal.”

Somehow, in the face of movement away from Christian values, rising drug and sexual abuse, the continued terrorist threat, and ineffective governmental leadership, God calls His people to humble themselves, repent of our sinful ways, and pray. Far be it from us that we should cease to pray for America, for the American people, and our leaders.

We are facing a tremendous election year. America is more extremely divided than I have ever seen. The needs and challenges are larger than in any time in my memory. We need to pray. Christian people everywhere need to humble themselves and pray. God promises to hear and heal our land. Join me in praying for America.

Come Down and Serve

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.    —Luke 9:37

Over thirty-six years ago. I was attending licensing school at Jumonville, one of our Conference’s Camping and Retreat Centers. Jumonville sits on the mountain ridge above Uniontown, PA. Its main attraction is an illuminated 60 foot high white cross. On a clear day, the cross can be seen from three states, three counties, and up to 50 miles away.

Everyone in my licensing class wanted to walk up to the cross during a break before dinner. I planned to catch up to them after I called my wife. Darlene was seven months pregnant with our second child and was very ill with bad case of the flu. My family was still adjusting to my call into the ministry that I sprang upon everyone a few months earlier. It was a very long, tearful, and heartfelt phone call. I never did catch up to the rest of my class.

Mountaintop experiences never last. We receive those blessed times of spiritual revelations and majesty but are soon called back down to the real world and to serve. My weekend on Dunbar’s Knob under the Great Cross at Jumonville lasted a few days. I returned from the mountaintop to care for my ailing wife, provide for my growing family, and eventually be appointed as a part-time pastor to Albion Heights, a small church in the Punxsutawney area.

Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountain receiving the Law of from God. As he tarried on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites polluted themselves by making an idol in the form of a golden calf. God told Moses to return quickly. The work and service of a shepherd never ends.

As Jesus’ time on earth neared an end, He took Peter, James, and John up to a mountain top where He was transfigured before them. His face and clothing glowed brightly. There on the mountaintop, Jesus conversed with Moses and Elijah. The disciple, so overcome with awe, wanted to build three shelters and remain there. We cannot remain permanently in our mountaintop experiences. They are given to direct and empower us to go back down into the valley and serve.

Jesus very quickly took Peter, James, and John down the mountain where they faced a crowd of people. A father and his demon-possessed son were the center of the crowd’s attention. The disciples had tried unsuccessfully to cast the demon out. The father asked Jesus to help, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22b). Jesus rebukes the man, “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes” (23).

Jesus and the three disciples came down from possibly their highest mountaintop experience directly into the demon-possessed valley. Many times we often think, if I could only get away from all my troubles, I can make it. If I could only get alone with God or alone on a beach, I’ll be OK. God is in the beach, yes. God is in our quiet time. God is also in our deepest valleys.

Jesus told the demoniac’s father, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Rest in the power and presence of Jesus. It will be alright. He will never leave nor forsake you. Enjoy your time on the mountaintop with the Spirit, but then allow the Lord to lead you down into the valley to serve. 

In the Beginning

Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion.    -Genesis 1:26.

The baseball season is upon us--go Buccos. Many of you may not know, but God likes baseball and even began the Bible with the words, as one little leaguer misquoted, "In the big inning."  Maybe you've heard about two retired men who loved baseball. They made a pact with each other; whoever dies first would see if there was baseball in heaven and come back and tell his friend. One man died and the next day appeared to his friend in a dream. He said, "I have good news and better news about baseball in heaven. The good news, yes, there is baseball in heaven. The better news is that you are pitching tomorrow."

Seriously, in the beginning, the first two chapters of the Bible tell the powerful story of God who spoke everything into being.  God then creates human beings in His own image and gives them dominion over all creation.  God dwells among His creation in authentic community, even enjoying walks in the garden with Adam and Eve.  They KNOW God and God KNOWS them. 

One very short chapter later, Adam and Eve eat fruit from the one tree God says is forbidden.  This is called “the fall,” and the rest is history… or is it?  In our western world we all have heard the story but do we really understand what it means to be created in the image of God and to be in fellowship with God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? 

Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves in a post-industrialized age of rugged independence with little that we can be absolutely certain about.  This legacy of modern thought has seeped into our theology in crafty ways.  We deny absolute truth, preferring a “whatever works for you” mentality.  We say things like, “I choose God,” and “Jesus is my homeboy” or “I’ve made a personal decision for Christ.”  We ask questions like, “Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?” 

When we base our relationship with God on our personal decision to accept Christ or not, we slip into the trap of individualism.  Yes, Jesus longs to have a personal relationship with all people. 2 Peter 3:9 speaks of a God who is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish.  Jesus relates to us on a very personal and intimate level, but we must be careful not to base our relationship with God solely on our personal decision. Our response to God's love and offer of salvation is required in order to experience new life and fellowship with the Lord, but basing our salvation completely on our personal decision denies the majesty, power, authority, and magnificence of a God who merely had to speak creation into existence. 

If I think that the basis of my salvation rests only on my decision to accept and follow Christ, I run the risk of thinking everything else is up to me, too!  Personal holiness, love for all humanity, sacrificial living, Christian perfection…the stuff we “Christians” are made of, becomes up to me.  

The story of God is a story of mutual interdependence.  God sent Jesus to take on the sins of every person and provide a means through which we can come into fellowship with God.  We needed Jesus to do this for us, not by us.  The really good news is that God did not stop there.  By grace, God sends us the Holy Spirit who works in and among God’s people to lead, guide, and empower them for all the “good works” God had called them to.  God tells us in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

Baseball is a team sport, and so is life in the Kingdom of God. By the grace of God you need and must not go it alone.  You are known by God, you are called by God, you are justified and made whole by God, and you are being glorified and made holy by God.   This is not of yourself… it is a gift from God.  In the end it is up to God who has saved us and reaches out to us. You and I get to partner with God to make His goodness and love known to all the earth.

We Have God's Attention

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.    —Colossians 3:12

The Voice reality television show is a singing competition that seeks to find new talent based on a contestant’s voice alone. Four celebrity coaches sit in chairs with their backs toward the performers. If the coach wants the singer for their team after only hearing their voice, they press their button, and their chair turns around.

There are five different parts to the Voice season: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockout Rounds, Live shows, and the Season Finale. Each season begins with the Blind Auditions where singers try to catch the attention and choice of the judge to be on their team. They perform to be chosen. The blind aspect of the competition levels the playing field for those with phenomenal voices but without the wow-factor in appearance. Eventually, everyone turns around for those who are chosen, and performance, appearance, and personality all come into play.

In the Kingdom of God, we already have God’s attention. God judges by the heart rather than outward appearance. The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. Salvation is the gift of God; it is not earned or deserved (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Romans 6:23 tells us that we have already been judged and have been found guilty. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The second half of the verse states that although we are condemned, God offers each of us the gift of eternal life.

On The Voice, each singer performs to be accepted by the coaches and to have the opportunity to begin a new life for themselves and their families. In God’s Kingdom, we have already been chosen by God, and everyone has the opportunity to begin a new life in Christ. We are accepted by God not based upon our performance but on the performance of God in Christ. Jesus came to earth, lived a holy life, and died for our sins on the Cross. God raised Him from the dead and now gives salvation to all who believe in and follow Jesus.

Colossians 3:12 tells us that we are chosen and dearly loved. The Bible also tells us that while we were sinners and cared not for God Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). When Jesus prayed in the Garden, He thought of you and me. When Jesus died on the Cross, it was for you and me. You have probably heard the questions posed to Jesus, “How much to you love me?” Jesus opened up His arms to be nailed to the Cross and said, “This much.”

God wants us to live holy lives. God yearns for us to walk with Him every day, but we cannot earn God’s approval, selection, and love by our performance. God already loves us. God already desires to bless us. Our actions, our desire to follow Jesus, and our holy lives are in response to God’s love for us. 1 John 3:19 tells us, “We love because he first loved us.”

Our voice to God is a response to God’s voice to us. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). My friend, God loves you. God has chosen you. He is calling your name. Open your ears and hear His voice. You already have God’s attention. You have already won. Open your heart and ask Jesus to come into your life. Claim your prize.

The Rest of the Story

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.    —Mark 9:9

He was before my time, but I have heard classic commentaries from radio news host, Paul Harvey and his “Rest of the Story” reports. “The Rest of the Story” began as part of Harvey’s newscasts during World War II but became its own series on the ABC Radio Network in the 1970s. Harvey would present a little-known or forgotten fact while holding back an important aspect of the story. As he concluded his commentary, he would reveal the missing part, a famous person’s name or accomplishment, and end with some variation of his well-known tag line, “And now you know the rest of the story.”

On several occasions, Jesus instructed the disciples to tell no one about Him. After healing the blind man, cleansing the leper, or healing the deaf mute, “Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it” (Mark 7:3). Many explanations have been given for why Jesus would not want His Name proclaimed. Some say His popularity made it impossible for Him to minister due to the crowds. Others point out that the animosity with the Jewish religious leaders only increased with Jesus’ popularity.

Mark 9:9 shows another reason for this delay in proclaiming the news about Jesus. As He led Peter, James, and John down from the Mount of Transfiguration, “Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” The Disciples did not know the rest of the story. Jesus may have repeatedly instructed them concerning His suffering, death, and resurrection, but they never quite got it until they met Jesus after Easter.

Jesus did not come to gather a following as a great teacher or miracle worker. Jesus came to live a sinless life, reveal God the Father to us, and die as the only and final sacrifice for our sins. Without the resurrection of Jesus, our message is only part of the story. Before Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, He sent the disciples to only the Jewish people. Before the Empty Tomb, Jesus often told His followers to tell know one of His glory or their healing and deliverance.

After the resurrection, Mary was told, “Go quickly and tell” (Matthew 28:7). At Jesus’ first post resurrection appearance to the Disciples, He told them, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Now that Jesus had risen from the dead and His true nature as God had been revealed and understood, we are commanded to go and tell everyone that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The message of Jesus is not for one people, nationality, or socio-economic group but for every tribe, nation, and gender. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told His Disciples and us, to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In Acts 1:8, Jesus declares, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Sisters and brothers, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you know the rest of the story. God so loved each and every one of us that He gave His only begotten Son that we might have life in the Name of Jesus. All who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.

Jesus is risen from the dead. Go and tell the world the rest of the story—Jesus is Lord!

Finishers Are Winners

Finishers Are Winners

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”    —2 Timothy 4:7

A runner from Kenya, Hyvon Ngetich, took third place at the Austin Marathon in February 2015. It is noteworthy just to complete a marathon, but Ngetich was leading the female pack until she got within 1.2 miles of the finish line, and her body began to shut down. Race volunteers and nurses rushed to her side to give her aid, but she refused knowing their assistance would disqualify her. She crawled the last 400 meters on bloodied hands and knees to take third place.

After completing the race, Ngetich was rushed to a medical tent, where she was treated for dangerously low blood sugar. The race director was so impressed by her determination that he adjusted the prize money so she received as much as the second place winner. She may not have come in first place but was a true winner in many persons’ minds.

In most children’s sports leagues today everyone who finishes the season gets a trophy regardless of the record. My grandchildren have received participation trophies that are twice as large as some of my most prized trophies from high school. Every Special Olympics athlete has a hugger who greets them with a congratulatory embrace for competing, “Well done! Way to go!”

In the kingdom of God, winning and losing is not as important as finishing faithfully. The first shall be last and the last first (Matthew 19, 20). Those who lose their life for the kingdom shall find it; they are the true winners (Matthew 10, 16). Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).  Because he had kept the faith to the end and finished the race, he will be rewarded a crown of righteousness.

Each letter to the seven churches in chapters two and three in the book of Revelation, ends with the challenge and promise, “He who overcomes.” In three of the letters (to churches at Smyrna, Thyatira, Philadelphia), overcoming or being victorious is further defined as, “be faithful until death,” and “hold fast what you have” until the end (2:10, 2:25, 3:11). God’s promise of reward is not to the fastest and brightest but to the one who finishes faithfully.

In life, we spend way too much time looking around to see how well everyone else is doing or to see the expression on their faces telling us how well they think we are doing. Hebrews 12 urges us to run the race with perseverance fixing our eyes upon Jesus (12:1-2). If we focus our eyes on Jesus, we are reminded that He has completed not only His race but ours, also. On the Cross, Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). With Jesus’ last breath, He paid the price for our sins and offered salvation to everyone who will believe.

As you journey through this life, you don’t have to compare yourself, your accomplishments, and your family to anyone else. God is not concerned with who finishes first or last, only that we remain faithful to the end that we overcome through Jesus’ sacrifice and love for us. Jesus tells each of us to “be of good cheer” because He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Are you overwhelmed, today? Do you feel you are falling behind in the rat race of this world? Take heart! Jesus loves you. He has overcome the world and promises to be with you to the very end. Take His hand and finish the race that is before you. You are a winner in God’s eyes.

How Much Longer?

“Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.”    —Luke 2:51a

Road trips have always been a large part of our life with two children, and now, two grandchildren. Years ago, I attended seminary in Kentucky, and we traveled home to PA several times a year. Now, we frequently visit my brother’s vacation lake house in the mountains of South Carolina.

Inevitably, about 30 minutes into our eight to ten hour journey before we have left PA, one of the children will ask, “How much longer?” My wife and I take two different approaches in answering the question. I quickly reply, “Five more minutes.” I am not lying but using the grammatical technique known as hyperbole. I exaggerate how close we are to our destination to demonstrate that the how-much-longer question is premature, and “We are not anywhere near there yet!” I think it’s humorous.

Darlene patiently tries to distract the children with a game or song or nap. “If you take a long, long, nap, we will be much closer.” In more recent days with portable DVD players, “If you watch four more movies, we will be there.” I feel her patient approach is unnecessary. Toughen up kids. Life’s rough.

The movie “The Young Messiah” is set to be released to theaters next week. It tells the fictional but possible events from the life of Jesus Christ, age seven until His public ministry as recorded in the Gospels. Luke’s Gospel recounts the only Biblical record of Jesus’ early life. At the age of twelve, Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem to debate with the religious teachers in the Temple. Jesus’ family searched for three days before they found Him.

Confronting Jesus in the Temple courts, Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you” (2:48).  Jesus replies, “Why were you searching for me? ... Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus may have been saying, “We have arrived. It is time for My public ministry to begin.” Mary’s response basically says, “We are not anywhere near there, yet.”

My Bible subtitles this passage, “Boy Jesus amazes the scholars.” What amazes me most about this passage is not that Jesus debated with the religious scholars but that Jesus returned home to Nazareth and patiently submitted to earthly parents for the next eighteen years.

There are two different Greek words in the New Testament that are usually translated as patience or endurance. One stresses the idea of great forbearance under suffering caused by other people. The second stresses patient endurance and steadfastness as we seem to be kept waiting for a long time by God. Hebrews 12:1-2 describes both of these ideas, “Let us run with endurance [patience] the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, … who for the joy set before Him endured [patience] the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

At times in life, you may feel circumstances, family, or even God is holding you back. Jesus understands. He had a God-sized mission but fulfilled it in God’s perfect timing. You may be crying out to God, “How much longer?” Jesus obediently waited 30 years to begin His public ministry. By God’s grace, we too can be patient with those around us for a while longer.

Made New

“And we all … are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”    —2 Corinthians 2:18

Last evening, I sat down in front of some mindless TV program with two pairs of shoes, a newspaper, and my shoeshine kit. My kit consists of two Kiwi tins of polish (brown and black), two old tooth brushes, and a horsehair shine brush. As I opened the brown tin, I quickly remembered how dried out and cracked the polish was. I managed to hold down a few of the larger pieces long enough to get sufficient polish to coat both brown shoes. Then, I googled the internet for some way of restoring my leftover brown polish.

I typed into the Google search bar, “soften Kiwi shoe polish.” Within 0.46 seconds, I had over 5,000 results to my query. I took the advice of the first two responses: reheat without an open flame until melted. We have a large electric tart warmer. (For most of you guys out there, it’s kind of like a mini crockpot for scented candles.) Our tart warmer has a 4 ½” opening and was just large enough to allow my fingers to lower a shoe polish tin to the bottom. By the time I had polished my black shoes, the brown polish had melted and looked completely new.

Just a word of caution: don’t try this at home without adult supervision. Guys, get your wife’s permission. I am told Kiwi shoe polish contains naphtha, lanolin, turpentine, wax, and, ethylene glycol. It might not explode but will definitely catch fire if heated over an open flame. Also, I read that 175 degrees is hot enough to do the trick. One website cautioned against overheating and most warned not to ignite the polish. The tart warmer worked perfectly for me.

Honestly, when I saw the dried, cracked polish transform into a shimmering liquid in the tin, I was completely amazed and immediately thought about how God is able to take the cracked and broken pieces of our lives and make them new again. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus in faith, God begins the process of melting, molding, and transforming us into His image. We, who have wrecked our lives or lived for ourselves, can, by God’s grace, become re-created and useful for God’s Kingdom and others.

I would imagine, thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Kiwi tins have been thrown away with plenty of useful polish within. The polish may be cracked and crumbled. It may be dried up and appear useless to the human eye, but a few minutes in the tart warmer might make them good as new and useful once again. God’s love for us is infinitely more powerful than a tart warmer.

If you and I would only place ourselves under the discipline and love of God, we too can be reclaimed and made new again. This is done through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, in my illustration, would be the power source, the electricity that causes the warmer to heat and transform the polish (our lives). John the Baptist said he was baptizing with water, but One was coming, Jesus Christ, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).

My renewed polish worked great, but after a couple uses, it cracked and dried again in the tin. I plan to follow another post’s advice and add a small amount of mineral spirits (turpentine or kerosene) and try again. After all, the scripture did say transformation comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. This lesson may indeed be good household advice for shoe polish, but the greater lesson is an invitation from the Lord to begin life anew. Take the broken pieces of your life and give them to Jesus. You, too, can be made new.

Traveling with Family

“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”    —Mark 3:35

Growing up in St. Charles, Pennsylvania in Armstrong County, my family drove a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief station wagon. In those days, there were four children in our family. I do not remember the actual traveling part of family road trips, but I do remember celebrating my birthday each year on Lake Erie in July.

One thing I do vividly remember when traveling as a family was my dad threatening to stop the car if we did not calm down and behave in the back seat. My dad would whip his right arm onto the top of the front seat and yell back at us, “Don’t make me stop this car!” We never found out what would happen if he had to stop the car because we obeyed immediately.

My memory has been kind to me. I look back with nostalgia and good thoughts over my childhood. The saying goes, “You can pick your friends, but you’re stuck with your family.” I felt blessed (most of the time) with the family I had. It was a good childhood.

God entrusted Jesus into an earthly family. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be the Creator of the universe and to have to listen to a step-father threatening to stop the ox cart.  It’s hard to think how Jesus’ family reacted to living with the perfect Son of God. Mark chapter 3 gives us a glimpse into one moment in Jesus’ family history.

After Jesus had healed a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath and then appointed His twelve Disciples, they entered a house but were so overwhelmed with followers that they could not even eat. Jesus’ family came to rescue Him. “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind’” (Mark 3:21). The leaders of the day were also calling Jesus crazy. They accused Him of being possessed by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. They attributed Jesus’ miraculous powers to heal and cast out demons to Satan.

Jesus’ mother and brothers could not reach Him due to the crowd. Word was sent to Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you” (3:32). Jesus replied with a question, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus then looked around and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (3:34-35).

Jesus may have had His struggles with His earthly family, but He loved them to the very end. His family eventually believed in Him. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was at the Cross and with the believers gathered in the Upper Room on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. James, the Brother of Jesus, became one of the key leaders of the Jerusalem Church and was the human author of the book of James. Acts 16:31 became true for Jesus’ family, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

As Christians, we have a large extended family of every Christian believer in the entire world who does God’s will. As human beings, God has entrusted us with a biological family to care for and love. If you had a great childhood, praise God and love your family with all your being. If childhood was painful and your family members do not believe, continue to love them and trust God for their salvation. God loves them even more than you and I ever could. God loves them and us so much that He said (well, not exactly in these words), “Don’t make me come down there.” But praise the Lord, God did come down to Earth in Jesus to save us from our sins.

We All Have Baggage

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”    —Matthew 3:17

In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells the story of riding with her father on a train. Because of something she heard in school, Corrie asked her father what “sexsin” was. Her father did not answer immediately but then asked little Corrie to carry his bag off the train. When she admitted that she could not do so, he said he would not be much of a father to expect her to carry such a heavy load. He told her, “Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you” (26-27).

 

We all have baggage in life. God never intended for us to carry our baggage alone. Much of it is too heavy. Some of our baggage comes from past sins and mistakes, our families’ and our own. Other baggage comes from the abuses that others put upon us. Many spend a lifetime trying to run away from or rid themselves of the effects from the baggage of the past, but it has shaped us into the person we are today. According to God, “We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Jesus had more baggage than we might realize. Reading the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, we find that Jesus had more skeletons in His closet than most of us. His family history includes prostitution, incest, sibling rivalry, adultery, and murder. If you read carefully, you will find that on His human side, Jesus was not 100% Jewish. Rahab was a harlot from Jericho, probably a Canaanite. Ruth, another of Jesus’ ancestors, was a Moabite (1:1-17). Yet at Jesus’ baptism, God spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Another part of our baggage comes from our future. Many of us have had expectations and standards thrust upon us that seem too high to attain. We struggle to achieve what our parents, teachers, coaches, bosses, and spouses demand of us. Here again, Jesus had more expectations than we could ever imagine. The Thompson Chain Reference Bible lists nearly 300 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus would fulfill in His life. According to scientist Peter Stoner, the chances that a man could fulfill just 16 of these Messianic prophecies would be 1 in 10⁴⁵. That would be a 1 with 45 zeroes following it. Mathematically and statistically impossible. (Science Speaks)

Jesus lived victoriously in spite of His baggage by focusing on the present. Jesus kept His eyes on what His Heavenly Father was doing, and then did exactly what He saw. We are told to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). By keeping our eyes on Christ, God will accomplish in our lives what He intended for us to do. The Old Testament scriptures were not so much predictive of what Jesus must accomplish but descriptive of what Jesus would accomplish. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God is making us into a masterpiece so we will accomplish the good works he planned for us to do. Philippians 1:6 teaches that God “who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God is doing a work in and through you. Let Him carry the baggage in your life that is too heavy for you to bear. Come to Jesus and find rest. Hear the words of God to Jesus; they apply to you as well. You are His beloved child, and He is well pleased with you. God doesn’t look at your faults and hang-ups but sees you as He created you to be. God loves you. Look to Jesus.

Blue Skies Are Coming

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”    —1 Corinthians 2:9

On Groundhog Day I was traveling from Somerset to Johnstown early in the morning. The skies were blue, and the sun shone brightly. Miraculously, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow meaning spring is just around the corner. I wondered how anyone could not see their shadow on such a beautiful, blue sky, sun shiny day. I soon discovered how.

As I descended toward the city of Johnstown with the Conemaugh River gap before me, I saw the most awesome, terrible, and incredible cloud of fog before me. The entire city of Johnstown was completely socked in with a dark dense fog. As I slowed to turn across traffic onto my street, it was nearly impossible to see oncoming traffic even with their headlights on. No shadow here; nothing but darkness.

At staff meeting, I related my incredible experience of beautiful sun and blue skies for my hour long trip and then the dark fog for the last two minutes. Asking around the table, no one else saw blue skies. No one was aware that just above the darkness was a bright sun already burning away the dreary fog.

Difficult days of our lives often act like the dense fog trying to block the bright future God has prepared for those who love Him. We lose a loved one, get a bad report from the doctor, have a confrontation at work, or watch someone close to us make one bad choice after another. It seems like there is not only no bright future ahead but no future at all. It is nearly impossible to convince someone plagued with bad news after bad news that God is still on the throne and the blue skies will soon be coming their way.

Most of us subscribe to the adage, “Seeing is believing.” When I talked with our staff this past Tuesday, most of them would not have believed the sun was shining and the skies were bright blue. Why? Because all they could see with their human eyes was darkness and fog. They might have agreed with me that somewhere else the sun was shining but not on them. I had just driven down the hill and had seen the sun for myself. It was really shining and would soon overpower the fog.

Think about the promises of God and His answers to your prayers. God knows what He has in store for each of us. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). I know a man who asked God to deliver him from the drug culture he felt trapped in. Within minutes as he walked home, a policeman arrested him for a drug violation. At that moment his future looked bleak, but he was transferred to drug rehab, got clean, and the sun (and God’s Son) began to shine in his life.

What challenges are you facing? What darkness are you living in? What prayers are you waiting for God to answer? I may not know your particular kind of fog and despair, but I am certain that God has a break in the clouds and a future of hope for you. The answer may already be on the way. The darkness around you may soon be dispersed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ

Grace Empowers

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.    —2 Corinthians 3:18

Tiffany Dawn, the author of the Insatiable Quest for Beauty, spoke last week at the Johnstown Christian School. She helped us to see who we are as children of God and urged us to stop trying to be someone else to please others. She related a story along these lines. A father was sitting in his study, and his two-year old daughter came in and climbed up onto his lap. As he read her a story, she fell asleep in his arms. His wife walked past the door, and dad motioned her in. With heartfelt, tearful eyes, the father said, “Look at her toes. I just love her toes.”

Our Father in heaven loves us that much and more. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). God not only loves us, but He actually likes us and delights in us. You and I may no longer have cute, baby toes, but God thinks we are something special.

I have read that up to around three months of age, a baby’s eyes do not focus on objects more than 8 to 10 inches away. If you think about it, that is about the distance from a nursing mother’s breast to her face. Before three months of age, what more does a baby need to see but the face of a loving, caring mother. As children of God, we see the Lord in a way that the world cannot see Him. As we look to God, we see and reflect the glory of the Lord and are transformed into God’s image. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Gospel repeatedly emphasizes that we are saved by God’s grace. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned or deserved. God loves us so much that He gives us eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, John 3:16). Often we look on grace as the soft cuddly side of God, but grace is much more than a blanket covering our sins as we snuggle onto God’s lap. Grace is the power of God to transform us and enable us to become more like Christ, live a godly life, and witness effectively.

Plagued by a physical weakness, “a thorn in the flesh,” Paul asked the Lord three times to remove it. Instead of physically healing Paul, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The grace of God was the power of God made perfect and active in Paul weakness.

It matters not what challenges, addictions, weaknesses, and habitual sins we face, God’s grace is sufficient. God’s grace is powerful enough for our every circumstance. We, children of God beholding the glory of the Lord, can do all things through His grace and power.

Jesus loves you. Trust Him as Savior and Lord, and He will come into your life and fill you with His Spirit. Picture God wrapping you in His loving arms, covering you with His blanket of grace and mercy. You are safe, protected, and loved. Look into the face of your heavenly Father, and allow the power of His grace, the Holy Spirit, to transform you into the likeness of Jesus. God’s grace is more than sufficient. God’s grace is the power of God made perfect in your life. 

Grace Removes Our Sin

”But He [Jesus], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”      —Hebrews 10:12

There is a story and quote attributed to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Homes. Supposedly, Doyle anonymously sent the message, “All is discovered! Flee at once!” to the most influential men in the U. K. The result, it is said, was that within 24 hours, none of those men could be found. 

Similar stories are told about Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, and others. Actual or not, they illustrate the truth that we all have secrets and sins hidden in our closets that we fear might be revealed. Many try to keep locked away the truth of about an alcoholic parent or child, a past affair, a theft or arrest from our youth, stories of abuse, and/or personal weaknesses.

I still remember some of my childhood weaknesses and insecurities that prevented me from having friends sleep over or spending a night at someone else’s house. Those childhood fears often continue into adulthood as we worry that our true, vulnerable self will be found out.

Sadly, many Christians continue to live in fear that their past sins will be revealed to embarrass them or destroy their lives. They live as though Jesus’ death and resurrection were for nothing, as though the blood of Jesus is powerless to remove sin. There is great power in Jesus’ blood! By God’s grace, our sins are not only covered but removed.

When Jesus died on the Cross, He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The phrase “it is finished” in the language of New Testament Greek has been discovered in old business documents to declare a bill or account as “paid in full.” Jesus died once and for all for our sins. “But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). Our sins are forgiven, covered, and removed.

My friends, each of us has a past. Each of us has weaknesses and imperfections, but God, who knows us best, also loves us the most. Your sins and past mistakes, failures, and weaknesses have been removed by Jesus Christ. Psalm 103:11-12 encourages us, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

How far have your sins and your past been removed from you? How much does Jesus love you? Think of Jesus stretching His arms out on the Cross, and hear Him saying unto you, “This far. This much.” Jesus loved you from the Cross, and He loves you now. Receive His forgiveness and cleansing. You are forgiven.

Are We There Yet?

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:14

A few years ago, I visited someone in a Pittsburgh Hospital. I had been to this particular hospital before, but I had moved and needed to find a new route. Also different from my earlier trips to this hospital was that I now owned a GPS, Global Positioning System—a computerized map that navigates using data from satellites orbiting the earth.

It all seemed simple enough. I punched the address 5230 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh into my GPS. Everything went well and looked familiar for the first hour, but then the GPS instructions began to take me along the Ohio River to the northwest side of the city. Something was drastically wrong. After several double checks on the address and a brief call to my brother-in-law in Plum, I discovered my destination was Centre Avenue (spelled “re”) and not Center Avenue. It appears your GPS is only as good as the destination you enter.

You may not have a GPS. You may not even own a car, but we all have an internal GPS. We have hopes, dreams, and desires of who we want to become and what we want to achieve in life. We might not write it down, but there is a default setting in each of us that pushes us forward to our destination. As a small baby, it is simply to survive. Eat, p- -p, and sleep. We seek nourishment, love, and protection. As we grow older our goals change to possessions, houses, marriage, children, success, power, winning a $1.6 Billion lottery, or simply peace of mind. 

A good question for each of us to ask ourselves is, “What is my ultimate goal in life?” Or put another way, “What would success look like to me?” People often talk about “when their ships comes in.” What would your ship look like? When would you know that it had have arrived?

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3 about giving up everything past, present, and future in his life for the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ and having a righteousness that comes by faith in Him (vss. 8-9). His ultimate goal was no longer to be a successful and influential Jewish rabbi. He no longer sought to be the holiest and most law abiding person on earth. Paul now desired to know the power of God that worked in Jesus’ life and to be conformed to Jesus image in power, in sufferings, and even in death. His internal GPS was now set correctly; it was set on Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead (vs. 10).

Paul declares that he had not arrived, but he kept pressing on. He could be certain he was making the correct choices and turns because he had the correct destination in mind. He forgot his past goals, past failures, and past accomplishments, and moved forward in his Christian journey. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (3:14).

What is your internal GPS’s destination?  Are you confidently moving closer to God in Jesus Christ? Are you becoming more faithful, more loving, and more like Jesus each year? Jesus has gone before us to Heaven and prepared a place for each of us. Make Jesus the Lord of your life and set your focus, your goals, and your ultimate destination on Him. Let us confidently move forward in this life with peace, joy, and power. Let us focus our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus as Lord

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.     —Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9 and 10, known by some as the TNT (Ten, Nine and Ten) of the Bible, conclude the Roman Road explanation on the plan of salvation. The Roman Road is a list of verses from the Book of Romans that describes our lost state without Jesus Christ (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:12) and Jesus as our only hope (5:8, 6:23). Verses 10:9-10 then describe how a person receives forgiveness of their sins and Jesus as Savior, “confess with your mouth” and “believe in your heart.”

I often use only Romans 6:23 because in one verse it describes our helplessly lost state and God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The punishment or wages for our sin is death. Heaven, eternal life, and a right relationship with God through Christ is a gift.

I usually emphasize the need, according to Romans 10:9-10, to personally believe in Jesus as your Savior and to publicly declare to someone else that you are a Christ follower in order to be saved. I have underemphasized for years the confession of Jesus as Lord. The word savior is found around 26 times in the New Testament. The word Lord referring to Jesus as Supreme Ruler and King of our lives occurs over 650 times in New Testament, not counting over 6,000 times in the Old Testament.

Being an American living under democratic principles makes it difficult for us to grasp the fact that God is our Supreme Ruler more like a benevolent king or dictator than an elected official. When we confess Jesus as Lord, we are surrendering our lives to His Kingdom principles, His protection, and His plan. When speaking of Jesus as our Savior only, we may confuse the work of Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin with the position of Jesus as Lord of our lives. Jesus as Lord, King, and boss of our lives reflects His position. Jesus as Savior describes the benefit we receive when we make Jesus Lord.

My wife, Darlene, and I are currently away on vacation. My wife receives rest and re-creation by being very active: doing crafts, seeing sights, and shopping. I, on the other hand, am very content to sit on the beach, take a nap, and watch a movie. This past week, there have been times when I have sat idly by and waited for Darlene to prepare the meal, set the table, and serve me dinner. I usually do help where I can, but knowing her need to be active, I have done less than usual.

Darlene is my wife; that is her position. Darlene as an excellent cook, neat housekeeper, and babysitter of my grandchildren describes a few of the benefits we receive. Her position is my wife; her work is the many, many things she does for me, my family, and others.

Have you made Jesus Christ the Lord and Supreme Ruler of your life? Jesus becomes our Savior, forgives our sins, and gives us eternal life when we allow Him to reign over our lives. If you confess the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart, you shall be saved. God loves you and has the absolute best plan for your life. Trust Him as Lord.  Make Jesus the King of your life.