Routine Surprises

“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times … and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”  —2 Kings 5:14

Growing up on a gentleman’s farm, we performed chores morning and evening. We moved onto the farm during Christmas vacation of my first grade year, but I don’t remember how young I was when I began making early morning trips to the barn. We milked two Guernsey cows by hand every morning before school and every evening after supper. Counting twice a day for at least ten years and adding 4 more for leap years meant we milked those cows 7304 times.

Although we often tire of menial chores, God must love routine and repetition. He commanded the priests and Levites to offer two one-year-old lambs every day, one in the morning and the other at twilight, for over 1500 years until Christ came. (Ex. 29:38) He fed the Israelites manna every day for forty years. How often does God expect us to pray: every day, every meal, or every moment?  The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing.” God never tires of hearing our prayers.

This past week, I had the privilege of helping with Vacation Bible School. In the closing on Wednesday night, I reviewed the lesson on faith. After learning about Nicodemus, the children learned the A-B-C method of becoming a Christian: A—admit you are a sinner, B—Believe Jesus is God’s Son and died for your sins, and C—Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The accompanying teaching material described “Admit” as when the time is right and God shows you that you are a sinner. It hit me, no matter how many VBSs you attend or how many times you hear the Good News of Jesus, God the Father must do a work of grace in your heart before you can believe.

So many stories in the Bible speak of doing things over and over until one time something happens that changes everything. Have you ever sought a great message from the Lord only to find the simplest command? Have you done a small deed repeatedly hundreds of times but suddenly this time it’s different. Ordinary acts of obedience done faithfully under the power of the Holy Spirit over time will accomplish much for eternity. The miracle may not happen the first, second, sixth, or six hundredth time, but at God’s perfect time, God acts.

Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Aram was a leper who went to Elisha the prophet to seek cleansing. Elisha refused to meet with him; but instead, instructed Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times. Reluctantly, Naaman washed but was not healed until the seventh time. The scriptures urges us, “Let us not become wearing in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

How many of you are bored to tears over some faithful act of obedience you do regularly? You have not received a fresh insight from God’s Word for months, perhaps years. You have not had a prayer answered for the longest time, maybe forever. Do not give up. Do not grow weary. Continue to walk in obedience and faith. God will show up when you least expect Him. God will act at the just the right time. With faithful routine, comes the surprise of the Holy Spirit. Keep on keeping on for the Lord. Lift your eyes in faith. God may surprise you, and it may be soon.

Heroic Spirits

Then he had another dream … “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”  —Genesis 37:9

Often I feel like a superhero. Not that I wear a cape or can leap tall buildings, but I am called upon to appear and take out of the ordinary actions. A shut-in or a person with a terminal illness is taken to the hospital, and I make an immediate visit. I comfort, read scripture, anoint with oil and pray. Then I jump back into my car and rush off to the next emergency. On each occasion, some dedicated person: a child, a parent, or a spouse, has been giving faithful care day in day out.

Doctors, nurses, and pastors are often treated with the awe of superheroes. When the emergency comes, we call the specialist or expert—the superhero. We have become a culture looking to the superlative, the extreme, the biggest and greatest. At times, God gives us dreams, visions, and mountaintop experiences, but we are always called to walk in the routine, sometimes drudgery, with faithfulness.

Many Christians, influenced by our culture, (maybe it’s simply the human flaw) approach spiritual disciplines in the same way. Instead of practicing regular, continual prayers, we wait until a crisis comes and cry out with urgency. Rather than making Bible reading and worship a regular and faithful means to draw near to God, we crave ecstatic worship experiences with just the right music and that special preacher. We long for mountaintop experiences, but human beings are really made for walking faithfully in the valleys.

When it comes to giving, we still think heroically. I frequently hear persons say, “If I win the lottery, I’ll pay for a new youth center or I’ll fund this or that new outreach ministry.”  Or “When my ship comes in, I’ll do something great for the Lord.” No you won’t! Jesus said, “If we are faithful in little, we will be faithful in much.” Faithful stewardship as well as every other spiritual discipline works best when practiced with consistency, faithfulness, and dedication.

The truly great among us become heroic through faithful service. Philippians 2:7-8 teaches us that Jesus took on the nature of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient to death. After this humble service, God exalted Jesus and gave Him a name above every name (2:9-11). Jesus became heroic by faithfully surrendering and serving.

Genesis chapter 37 describes the great aspirations and dreams of Joseph. He had a dream that he would become greater than his eleven brothers. He had a second dream that even his mother and father would bow. God’s vision for Joseph came to pass years later as his entire family came to Egypt to buy food from him during the famine. But the dream only became a reality after Joseph had spent 13 years learning faithfulness and obedience as a slave and a prisoner.

Dream big! Catch a glimpse of the future God has for you, your family, and your church family, but allow God to bring that vision to pass as you pray, serve, and give regularly and faithfully. The real Superman has already come, and he’s not you or me. Jesus is human nature in perfection. He desires to live in your heart and life. He can and will remake you after His image. Surrender your life to Him and walk faithfully and obediently into God’s perfect future for you.

New Beginnings

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”—2 Corinthians 5:17

Early in my Christian journey, I met a family who, after returning from a mission trip, promptly sold the family farm and enrolled in Bible College. Following graduation, they moved to Africa to give their lives in missionary service. I have always been impressed by individuals who give up everything in order to follow Jesus’ radical call to discipleship. In the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a merchant who found a pearl of great value and “went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:46). In another place, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Over the past six years in Johnstown, I have observed the courage, tenacity, and faith of many persons who made completely new beginnings. One man left a career in purchasing to return to school and enter the medical field. Last week, I attended a farewell dinner for a gentleman who left the accounting field, returned to school to get a second bachelor degree in worship leading, and entered into fulltime Christian ministry. I know a single mother who left the medical field, returned to school, and began her own business. People are still stepping out in faith and trusting God to do a new work in and through their lives.

These amazing real life stories remind me of the miraculous new beginnings that God desires to work in all of us. God calls persons to allow the Holy Spirit to make a new creation of our lives. We have all failed. Each of us has a past: sins, mistakes, and even a label. As we call upon the Lord Jesus to forgive our sins, we walk into a new life. “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). A new creation isn’t merely a remake of the old person, but something completely new, something never known before. God is still in the creating business.

If we can dream a new future under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish it; or rather, God can accomplish it in and through us. The scriptures tell us that God is at work in us both to will and to do God’s good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). God is still giving fresh dreams and working new plans. We need to cry out the Lord, see God’s new future for us, and walk obediently with faith in the footsteps God sets before us, even if those around us don’t believe in us or give us another chance. God knows His good plans for us for a hope and a future.

In a depressed economy, it is easy to lose hope. When a strained relationship continues to sour, it is easy to quit praying and trying. But most of all, when we have had doors repeatedly closed on our faces or we have been sick for years, our spirits begin to sag. In those times, it is hard to hear the voice of God say, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). I urge you, lift up your heads. Open your eyes. God’s still creating. God is giving fresh dreams. God has a new beginning just for you. See it, receive it, claim it, and live it.

New Grace Every Morning

“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” —Lamentations 3:23

My vacation went better than expected. Oh yes, I am exhausted and trying to catch up on my physical rest, but my soul and spirit have been refreshed. God surprised me the first morning of my vacation with a new experience. Early Saturday morning as I looked out over the deck to enjoy the view of the lake, I saw a squirrel carrying a branch up the trunk toward the top of the oak tree. A gray squirrel was building a nest at eye level just twenty feet away. Now ignoring the breath-taking view of Lake Keowee, I watched in amazement as the squirrel climbed down the tree, chewed off another small branch, and took it back to the nest. I had never before seen a squirrel nest under construction.

At that point, I declared to the entire family that my vacation was complete. I just experienced something completely new. At my age, new things that happen each day are not usually good: a new gray hair, a new wrinkle, a new notch in my belt, or a new ache in a joint. As it turned out, this week was full of new experiences. I saw a family of river otters for the first time. I observed and even photographed a bald eagle living naturally in the wild. While enjoying a very productive week of fishing I was blessed to watch my grandson catch his first bass while casting a lure from the front of the boat. He reeled it in all by himself. I have a picture of Gavin and his dad smiling from ear to ear. It doesn’t get any better than that.

One of the great things about vacations is the change in things we worry about. On vacation this week, I still had worries and decisions. I had to decide what time I was going to get up in the morning. I had to decide between going fishing in the bass boat or taking a ride on the jet skis. Do I swim in the pool or take a dip in the lake? Lie on the dock or by the pool? I don’t really consider myself a worrier, but as the week progressed, I could feel the burdens of life and ministry lighten.

The scriptures repeatedly tell us not to worry. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). God does not give us grace for the troubles that will come in the future. God only gives us grace for today. As I experienced new things on vacation, God reminded me that His grace is new every morning. God supplies new grace and compassion for us each and everyday. We begin each new day with more than enough of God’s grace and power to get through whatever challenge we will face, today.

How do we get through the daily struggles of life? Take a vacation. Time off may not change our circumstances, but the rest and new experiences may remind us of the daily, refreshing grace of God. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, lamented the destruction of Jerusalem. As he cried out to God, he declared, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22). He recognized that even in defeat and destruction, it was God’s compassions that keep us from total annihilation. He goes on to say that God’s compassions “never fail, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:23).

I pray for each of you as you read this article. May God bring a new experience and fresh insight to your soul and spirit. May you learn to trust God anew. God’s grace in Jesus Christ is new every morning. Great is God’s faithfulness.

Not All About Me

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” —Philippians 2:4

Last week I wrote about taking a vacation and Jesus telling His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Actually, I didn’t tell you the whole story. In Mark 6, Jesus did take the disciples by boat to a solitary place, but a large crowd had run ahead and awaited their arrival. Jesus’ response is both inspiring and challenging for us. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).

Upon seeing the crowd, Jesus didn’t say, “Woe is Me.” Instead, Jesus put their needs before His own and began to teach them as their shepherd. When the time came to eat, the disciples wanted to send them away, but Jesus said, “You feed them.” Through our Lord’s compassion and the disciples’ obedience, they fed 5,000 men not counting women and children. One of Jesus’ most famous miracles came through a group of exhausted men in desperate need of a day off.

Jesus’ reaction to the crowd demonstrated His sacrificial nature. Philippians 2:5-6 further describes how Jesus put our needs before His own welfare. Jesus, who was God (meaning it is really all about Him), emptied Himself and became a servant. When God created human beings, He knew the price Jesus would have to pay. When Jesus came to earth in the incarnation at Christmas, He had already counted the cost. When praying in the garden, “Not My will, but Yours be done,” Jesus willingly gave His life and was separated from His heavenly Father for you and me.

As I prepared for vacation this year, many people encouraged me to get away and rest. I usually responded, “Oh, it’s going to be an exciting family vacation.” Darlene and I, her mother, and my daughter’s family including our two grandchildren (a seven-year-old and an almost two-year-old) will load into a seven passenger van and travel eleven hours to South Carolina. We’re going to have an exciting time. “Exciting time” is code for I will come home exhausted looking forward to two weeks back at work in order to get rested up.

I remind myself, it’s not all about me. I thank God (really I do) for the awesome privilege of spending two weeks at my brother’s lake house in the mountains of South Carolina and using all his water toys for free. I praise the Lord for having Darlene’s mother with us in Johnstown and for healthy grandkids. God is so good. I praise Him that as a father, a son-in-law, and a pappy, I can look to the interests of others and bless them. It really is not all about me.

What are you wrestling with in your life today? What troubles you? Are you living for yourself or for others? Are you allowing the attitude that Jesus Christ had to be yours, or are you continually asking, “What’s in it for me?” If you want to be truly refreshed in the Spirit, put on the attitude of Jesus. Allow someone else’s needs to come before your own and serve them in the power of the Lord. You never know, a miracle might just happen. And in the meantime, bless someone and take them on a vacation with you. 

Take a Vacation

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."    —Genesis 2:2

Have you ever heard church leaders complain about low summer attendance? Invariably, someone will say, “What if God took a vacation?” I am not really much for using guilt to get people to serve the Lord. The first time I saw a church sign that read, “CH—CH, What’s missing, UR” I was amused. But now when I read such a sign, I am reminded of the critical cry of a dying ministry. Rather than browbeat the Church for low attendance on a summer Sunday, encourage people to take a vacation. We all need some time off.

A day off or a vacation as ordained by God should be a time for recharging our souls, replenishing our minds, and refreshing our bodies. If your body needs exercise, then a vacation should be a time of exertion. If your body needs rest, then time off should be spent recuperating. Jesus told the disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). But a vacation should never be an escape from morality or a time to forget about the Lord.

What if God did actually take a vacation? Well He did! At least, God took a day off. The scriptures tell us that not only did God take a day off, but He institutionalized the day off. The fourth of the Ten Commandments reads, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:8-10).

Some may wonder why most Christians observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as their Sabbath rest and not Saturday, the seventh, as prescribed by the Old Testament. The Jews observe Saturday as their Sabbath, and a few Christian denominations still do, but the early Church began meeting on Sunday calling it the Lord’s Day, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Each Sunday became a celebration, an anniversary of Easter. John writes in Revelations 1:10, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.” Several places in the New Testament we read about the Church gathering “on the first day of the week” (John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 6:2).

If God took a moral day off, then prayers would not get answered. Our sins would not be forgiven. If God completely severed Himself from any relationship with His Creation, the world might fall apart. Colossians 1:17 tells us that “in him all things hold together.” A vacation may be a break from one’s responsibilities at their local church but not from the spiritual responsibilities of being a Christian. You may miss a Sunday with your home church, but why not check out a new ministry at your vacation setting. You may miss Sunday School or your home group but take a moment as a family to have devotions and pray together.

This year, take a vacation. You may stay home because of finances, but change your routine. And remember to make your time of rest holy unto the Lord. Don’t forget the three Ps of a godly vacation: Play, Pray, and Pay. Play and refresh your soul, mind, and body. Pray and draw close to God. And Pay—don’t forget to continue to support your local church and the ministries you sustain. Have a great summer!

High Cost of Freedom

“It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”—1 Peter 1:18-19

Celebrating Independence Day, known by many as the Fourth of July, has come to mean eating picnic lunches, watching fireworks, and traveling. Along with the traveling we may also complain about the high price of gasoline, but few of us take the time to consider the high cost of the freedom we enjoy. Try it just once. Read over the Declaration of Independence.

The last line of the Declaration of Independence reads, “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were not radical wild-eyes ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security and possessions, but they valued freedom more. Many of them lost their lives and their fortunes, but not their sacred honor.

This Independence Day, let us pause and remember those men and women who paid dearly for our freedom. On Memorial Day, we remembered those who gave their lives for our freedom. We remember the 618,000 who died in the Civil War and the nearly half a million who died in World War 2. World War 1, Korea, and Vietnam deaths totaled over 200,000. In recent years and even today, although the numbers do not compare to those of earlier conflicts, we hear reports of young soldiers who pay the ultimate price for freedom. The death toll from Operation Iraqi Freedom is nearly 4,500 and from Afghanistan’s Operation Enduring Freedom over 1,600. The high cost of freedom includes the sacrifices made by military families as well.

Jesus signed our spiritual Declaration of Independence on the Cross with His blood. Just as the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence declared the colonies free from England, so Jesus Christ declared human beings to be free from sin and sin’s punishment. John 19:30 records, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Another passage declares, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

What have you done to live out Jesus’ Declaration of Independence for you? Just as the American Colonies had to live out or live into the declaration they had made, so each of us must decide if we will receive Jesus’ offer of salvation. Our freedom from sin and death cost Jesus Christ, God’s Son, God Himself, His life. The scripture rightly asks, “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

How did you celebrate Independence Day this July 4^th? A better more eternal question might be, “How will you respond to God’s offer of salvation and freedom from sin and death?” God loves you so much that He gave Jesus Christ to die in your place. God’s Holy Spirit is calling each of us to respond and receive His love and forgiveness. Let us consider the high cost of our freedom this day and invite Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives.