There Are No Soft Rocks

And do not give the devil a foothold.
Ephesians 4:27

The driver slammed on his brakes! The bush the kid was hiding behind wasn’t nearly big enough to keep him from eventual discovery. Panic gripped his heart! Why had he thrown those limestone pebbles in the first place? He was paralyzed by fear! Even though everything in him screamed run, his body wouldn’t respond.
Time stood still; then a flashlight with an angry voice attached emerged and started probing for him. “Who threw those rocks? Where are you?” He sure was mad! As he was about to bolt, the beam of light found him.
Oh no! He jumped up and turned to run, but the man had anticipated his move and intercepted him, grabbing his sweatshirt by the collar, pulling him up short. “What do you think you’re doing, kid? You could’ve killed us!” At that moment, he heard the little girl crying in the car.
“I’m sorry, mister!” he offered, scared to death. “I didn’t think it was such a big deal. I thought it would be fun,” he blurted out, realizing this wasn’t fun at all. It was about to get a lot worse when Dad found out!

†

Rarely as children do we contemplate how our actions affect others. Uninformed choices usually lead to consequence rather than reward. Unrestrained, pranks can, and often do, graduate to more daring exploits in order to elicit excitement. Childhood traits are patterns that become footholds for the enemy. Left unchecked, they become strongholds. It requires substantial effort to unlearn bad behaviors, so it is critical that we help our children learn good behaviors that breed character and integrity. Well-informed children stand a much better chance of making right choices more consistently. This requires investment of ourselves and our time in our children in order to raise up caretakers for their generation.
If we fail to do this, our children will reap the harvest of their own experiences. We will be leaving them open for innumerable enemy footholds.

Prayer

“I love the children You have entrusted to me, Lord. Help me invest in their character and future. Help me nurture them instead of allowing the world to raise them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Unveiled Hope

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

1Thesalonians 4:13

Mary Jane Phillips lay in a bed in her daughter’s kitchen, in the final stages of what appeared to be cancer. As her daughter cared for her, she sat up in bed and said, “Oh, my! There’s Mrs. Leonard!”

Everyone present was amazed as she named off several dead relatives and long-gone friends. It appeared as if Mary Jane was being given a view through the portals of Heaven. She continued to name people who were long-forgotten, even people who had passed away recently. And then, she said, “And Mrs. Sader, too!” at which point the family figured she must be hallucinating, because Mrs. Sader was very much alive. They had just spoken to her that morning.

Just then, the telephone rang and one of the girls answered it. A startled look crossed her face. As she hung up the phone, she announced in an astonished voice, “Mrs. Sader passed away just a little while ago!”

Only minutes later, Mary Jane Phillips joined Mrs. Sader as she met Jesus face-to-face.

†

This event changed my mother’s life, for having listened to her Grandmother speak so candidly about Heaven brought the certainty of its truth to her heart and spirit. She has never known a fear of dying because Grandma Phillips had unveiled the mystery of death to a six-year-old that day.

In this same way Paul wants us to know the hope he professes; that on the day God calls us home we will be greeted by our loved-ones and friends as we enter Heaven to be with Jesus.

Prayer

“Give me the certainty of my true home, Lord, and take away any vestiges of fear of death. Speak to my spirit of the reality of Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Right Time

At just the right time, when we were still powerless.
Romans 5:6

“Stop worrying, Loran. He’ll be here like he promised,” Gail said to her son.
“You think so?” asked the apprehensive twelve year-old. “I sure hope he doesn’t forget. He never called to remind me, you know.”
“Honey, Uncle Bob knows how much this game means to you. He knows you’ll be ready to go. You’re worrying for no reason. You’ll see. He’ll be here at 6:30 like he said,” she reassured him.
At 6:25, Bob’s truck pulled in the driveway. He jumped out with a smile on his face and waved at Loran, who had jumped off the porch and was running to meet him. “You goin’ somewhere, Loran?” he asked teasingly.
“Aw, Uncle Bob. Stop teasin’!” he said as he threw a punch at his uncle’s stomach. “You know darn well where we’re goin’.”
Bob eluded the punch and rubbed Loran’s head. “We’re gonna have a great time tonight, buddy! Fifth game, tied at two apiece. Our guys are gonna do it this year. I can feel it!” Bob’s excitement transferred to Loran.
“If we don’t get goin’, we’re gonna be late!” Loran scolded.
Jumping back in the truck, Bob looked at his sister and winked. “Guess he’s right. We don’t wanna be late for the game. I’ll have ‘im back kinda late, sis. Don’t wait up.”

†

Paul spoke to the Romans about God’s timing. How God’s appointed time, or kairos time, a specific moment when God shows up, is always the right time.
This verse in Scripture tells us that God’s timing is impeccable. He’s never early, never late. Yet we fret and invite stress into our lives because we doubt He’s remembered His promises. Like Loran, we think because we haven’t heard from Him lately that we’ve fallen off His radar.
Waiting stretches and tests our faith. During a time of God’s silence, we can lose hope and sight of the truth. In the silence is where Satan whispers, “God doesn’t care.” But that’s a lie. If we immerse ourselves in His word while we wait, we will find the assurance that He will show up at just the right time!

Prayer

“Sometimes I doubt that You’ll show up when I need You, Father. Help me wait in faith. Amen.”

Elevator or Stairs?

Your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21

As Chris stood waiting for the elevator, he felt God suggest, “Take the stairs.” But I’m in a hurry, Lord he reasoned.  And besides, I’m tired…that’s ten flights of stairs. “Take the stairs.” He heard a second time.

Fine! he silently expressed his frustration.

As he approached to the fourth floor landing, Chris heard muffled crying. Cautiously taking the next few steps, he could make out a woman’s voice, “I can’t do this anymore.” Rounding the next landing, he came face-to-face with a young woman, seated on the stairs, the step below her wet with tears. Chris quickly prayed for wisdom. “She needs to know I love her.” came God’s gentle voice. Chris asked, “Can I help you?”

As the woman’s story unfolded, Chris discovered she had been contemplating suicide. She was trying to get up the nerve to go to the roof and jump, believing this would end her problems.

As Chris shared with her about Jesus’ love and His desire and ability to carry her through her pain, a glimmer of hope appeared in the woman’s eyes. By the time Chris finished sharing, her desperation had been replaced by a desire to know the One of whom Chris spoke so highly. Chris would never forget this morning’s lesson. 

†

Though at first resistant, Chris obeyed, and a life was saved. We’re not sure what his disobedience would have wrought; quite possibly the woman would have taken her life, losing the opportunity to come to know Jesus, and making matters worse for those she left behind. Thanks to Chris’s obedience, we’ll never know.

This lesson applies to us all…in everything we do…at all times of the day or night…whether some else is watching or not…when we feel like it, and when we don’t.

Faith is submitting every decision we make to God for approval, trusting that He always has our best interest, or someone else’s, in mind, while listening for the Voice from behind, ready to safely lead us through life.

Not always, yet sometimes, life hangs in the balance. Wouldn’t it be better to be sure?

Prayer

“Father, guide my steps today and every day, as I bring each day’s choices to You for wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Owned by a Carpenter

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.

Luke 21:34

In the movie ‘The Last Crusade’, Indiana Jones is commissioned by the antiques dealer, Donovan, to find the ‘Holy Grail’, the cup Jesus supposedly used during the Last Supper. Unknown to Indi, Donovan is actually a Nazi sympathizer, sent to find the chalice as a national treasure. But Donovan wants it for himself, believing it to have the power of everlasting life. Indi is eventually coerced into accepting the challenge due to his father’s capture at the hands of the Nazis.

Fraught with danger and intrigue, Indi leads them through the booby trapped temple to the cup. Once there, they find a table full of chalices, guarded by an old knight. The knight warns Donovan’s assistant, Elsa, to “choose wisely” as only one of the cups will provide everlasting life; the others will bring death. She chooses a magnificent golden chalice and hands it to Donovan. He dips the cup in the basin, drinks…and dies. The night glibly says, “He chose poorly.”

Indi, desperate to save his gravely wounded father, surveys the remaining chalices and chooses a simple cup; “A carpenter’s cup” he says. He dips the cup, drinks…and lives! The knight remarks, “You chose wisely.” Indi runs to his father, tips the cup to his lips, then pours water from it over his father’s wound. The elder Jones is instantly healed! The movie ends with them barely escaping with their lives.

†

Making impulsive choices can have grave consequences. Donovan assumed the visually stimulating chalice possessed eternal life. He drank and died, lead astray by opulence.

Beauty and seduction have a way of enticing us and dulling our reasoning by introducing an air of carelessness. If we submit to the desire under these circumstances, we will choose poorly.      

Jesus, in today’s text, warns us to be on our guard against the things of this world. The best way to do that is to think like Indi; look for what would be owned by a Carpenter. If He wouldn't own it, leave it alone.

Prayer

“Help me see things for what they are, Lord Jesus, and to use the Holy Spirit’s strength to make the right choices. Amen.”

Perfectly Unique Imperfections

But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
1 Corinthians 3:10

As the master glassblower puffed gently, a small bulb appeared at the end of the forging tube. Working with quick, decisive motions, she rolled the six-foot tube along a lintel while her apprentice held thick, wet newspaper under the glass, creating a more slender tube. A more forceful puff of air and a larger bulb was created at the end of the tube. The apprentice now used a cup-shaped, cast-steel ladle to shape the vase as the forging tube continued to spin.
Working in unison—one blowing and spinning the tube, the other handling the glass with different tools—they achieved the desired effect. Frequently, the entire work of art was placed back into the furnace for reheating.
When asked why the glass was continually placed in the furnace, she answered, “The glass has many imperfections. As we re-fire the glass, we remove many, but not all, of them. The remaining imperfections are what make each creation unique; it gives the piece more value.”

†

Until the day Jesus comes back for the church, we will be imperfect. This does not translate into useless. In the same way the vase has great value even though it is flawed, we too are of great value to God.
The trials of life refine us. God uses the Holy Spirit to influence our lives in one way while He reveals truth to us in another. He places us into the forging fires to remove our imperfections. What is left is a less-flawed vessel.
As we walk through the fire, we become a purer version of the person God means us to be. The Holy Spirit urges us while God directs us. Our refining yields the desired effect. As the forgings cool, we reflect a clearer image of the One Who is perfect in every way.

Prayer

“Please use me, Lord. I need to feel valuable. I want to make a difference in this life. Guide me through the refining fires so I reflect a better representation of Your image to those I meet along life’s path. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Call

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8

He was fourteen when God called him the first time. It was through a wonderful woman he’d known for years. Although deaf, she served God faithfully. She asked if she could share something she felt God wanted him to know. “I guess so,” the boy tentatively answered. Holding his face in her hands, looking directly into his eyes, she said, “God told me that you would be a great minister for Him some day!” Not really understanding, he answered, “Okay.” And that, as they say, was the end of that.
Over the years, the call was replaced by other desires, yet a sense of longing plagued him. Still, he continued to resist. He knew what the call was—God’s invitation to be in relationship with Him in a way that would make him wholehearted. He couldn't tell you why, but he was afraid of the call. But as a patient Father does, God waited. The man finally answered the call and in that answer found a joy and contentment that fulfilled the longing in his heart.

†

Isaiah’s relationship with God was so close that he overheard God asking for someone to go. In those close relationships, we are conscious of God’s voice. We overhear Him speaking in our presence, asking us to go for Him. We can be so uncertain and fearful that we want God to call us by name, saying, “John, please do this for me.” God rarely calls us that way. His hope is that we would be in a close enough relationship with Him that when we hear Him say, “Whom shall I send?” we answer, “Here I am, send me.”
Everyone’s call is different; for one it’s a helping hand to someone in need, to another it’s giving someone a ride to the store. It is not to be feared, but embraced. All are called. Sadly, few answer.

Prayer

“I get afraid when I hear You speak, Lord. I don’t know why; I just do. Help me walk through the fear. Help me understand that by serving others I serve You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”