I read the story recently of a rabbi and soap maker who went for a
walk together. The soap maker had some negative things to say about religion:
"What good is religion? Just look around you. What do you see? Trouble,
misery, wars - even after all these years and years of preaching and teaching
about goodness, truth, peace. What good is religion with all its prayers and
sermons if all this evil still exists?” The rabbi kept quiet as they continued
their walk. Then they noticed a child playing in the gutter. The child was just
filthy with dirt and mud. The rabbi said to the soap maker: "Look at this
child! Now you say that soap makes people clean, but what good is it? With all
the soap in the world this child is still dirty. What good is soap after
all?" The soap maker immediately answered him: "But rabbi, soap can’t
do its job if it isn’t used!" The rabbi said, "The same is true with
religion." What an incredible truth! While religion is looked upon as being
suspect and inefficient by many, God offers so much to us through it. However, our ability to receive depends upon
its application. Medicines can be
prescribed, encouragement offered, advice given, but if not applied these do no good. This is
the case with our spiritual lives. Faith, prayer, praise, and submission hold
the key to making the facets of religion work. When taken seriously and used
effectively they bring peace, victory, joy, and perpetual satisfaction. Dirt
requires soap and sin a spiritual remedy, but just not in name only. The
benefits are offered but success comes only when the principles are applied. So
if you have found yourself being skeptical, doubtful, or disappointed why not
try religion. Just remember success is not a given but comes as we participate
with God which means it’s all in the application.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Everyone Is Needed
Right now the NFL is working to put together their teams for the 2013/14
season. Although talented and performance driven several players will be
cut. Why? Teams can have only so many on
their roster. Selections are made based upon who owners, managers, and coaches feel
will give them the best chance at winning. While this is how the sports world
handles giftedness, the same is not true of the church. Paul emphasized this in
1 Corinthians 12:14-16. “Now
the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not
for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not
for that reason cease to be part of the body.” All are a part and all are
equally and vitally needed. Dr. Gary Smalley in his book “The DNA of
Relationships” remarks “Suppose your heart and your kidneys got into a heated
debate about which one most needed a steady blood supply, winner take all.
“Hey, I pump blood through the whole body,” declares the heart. “Without me, every organ dies-including you!”
“That may be,” retorts the kidneys, “but if the blood doesn’t go through me,
all you accomplish with your incessant pumping is to poison the entire system. And then guess who dies?” The truth of the
matter is, the heart cannot “win” at the expense of the kidneys any more than
the kidneys can “win” at the expense of the heart. When we look at this in
relation to the kingdom the game is not won with twenty-two carefully selected
players while grandstands filled with thousands look on. No, everyone is a
player because there’s no one we can do without. Selections are not made during
a yearly draft nor games played by a seasonal schedule. There are no “most valuable player” awards
granted because all are gifted and empowered to do their best. So, put on your
gear, get off the bench and get onto the field. The Coach of the ages has just
called a play and says “for this one everyone is needed.”
Sunday, June 16, 2013
An Amazing Father
This
is that time of year when we honor fathers. I am reminded of the story of the three boys who are in
the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad
scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him
$50." The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few
words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $100." The
third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a
piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And it takes eight people to collect all
the money!" I
suppose all of us could give personal accolades that if entered into a contest
would make our father a blue ribbon winner. When you think about it there are
no adequate words to describe the sacrifice dads make for their children. While it can be said that some disregard
their responsibility, the majority go far beyond the call of duty to provide
for the needs of their family. The
reason being—they have the perfect role model to emulate. The bible is very descriptive in letting us
know that our heavenly Father is a loving provider that constantly seeks what
is best for His children. He walks behind us covering our past. He walks with us helping to order our present,
and He walks before us helping to secure our future. He is a “constant present help in the time of
need.” In other words He has us covered.
Therefore, we have no need to worry or be afraid. To do so is to doubt His faithfulness and His
presence in our lives. Elizabeth Cheney explains the anatomy of doubtful
behavior when writing:
“Said
the Robin to the Sparrow, I should really like to know
Why
these anxious human beings rush around and worry so,
Said
the Sparrow to the Robin, Friend, I think that it must be
That
they have no Heavenly Father, Such as cares for you and me.”
In
our celebration of Father’s day may we not sit in the audience of the anxious,
but may we be overwhelmed with confidence knowing that we have “An Amazing
Father.”
Sunday, June 9, 2013
The Cost of Rebellion
A little boy was being rather rowdy and his mother was
doing her best to calm him down. Finally after several attempts at trying to
get him to behave she came over grabbed him and sat him firmly upon a seat demanding
he stay there. He looked at her and then
said, “Mom I may be sitting down but I’m standing up on the inside.” That humorous story explains the behavior of a
lot of people. It also exemplifies an attitude of rebellion which is something
God hates. All of us meet authority at
different levels of our lives. Thus, it is something we cannot dismiss or avoid,
especially in the spiritual realm. If
the believer wants to have authority he or she must first submit to it. This
often presents a challenge because we tend to justify obedience on the basis of
our agreement or disagreement with authority. If we agree we obey. If we
disagree we offer complaint or protest. However, God has not given us the
option to respond according to our own whims. He simply requires
obedience. And to refuse is to invite
His judgment upon our lives. Not only are we to submit to Him but also to those
over us in the Lord. Paul describes it
like this, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed
by God” (Romans 13:1). John Bevere agrees in his book Under Cover and states; “We cannot separate our submission to God’s
inherent authority from our submission to His delegated authority….There is
freedom in submission and bondage in rebellion.” One only has to do a random
study on the lives of such Biblical characters as Adam, Eve, Saul, Miriam and
Korah to discover that rebellion is too far great a price to pay for temporary spiritual
volition. God’s favor and authority come
through submission. While He hates rebellion He loves obedience and sees it as
the highest form of worship. So when it comes to compliance let it not be said that
we are sitting down but standing on the inside. Rather, let us live our lives
in obedience both inwardly and outwardly.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
"No Purchase Necessary"
My
ten year old granddaughter recently attended a church service where there was
an utterance in tongues given. Afterwards she asked her mother if she would purchase
the Rosetta Stone course for
her so she could learn to speak in tongues. While Addison was innocent in her
request we read of a man named Simon in Acts chapter 8 that was not. He was involved in sorcery and loved to be
considered “the great one.” Following is the account as given by Luke: “Then Simon himself
believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he
was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. When the apostles
in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they
sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new
believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any
of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter
and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy
Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their
hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed,
“so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” But
Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift
can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God.”
This was quite a rebuke but totally necessary. There are two things about God
that we must always remember. One, He
loves to provide the power of the Holy Spirit as well as other gifts we need. Just
as importantly, He loves to provide those things for free. While we are so accustomed to patronizing
stores that display items for a suggested price; God operates just the
opposite. He offers us grace, gifts, and
glory with a sign attached, “No Purchase Necessary!” So why not capitalize on His offer—nothing pleases
Him more.
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