Up and Moving

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Carl rubbed the sleep from his eyes and swung his feet to the floor. The digital clock read 4:15. Maybe I oughta just stay in bed this morning. After all…I don’t have to leave for work until 8:00. But as much as his flesh wanted him to pull the covers back over his head, his spirit knew he would feel differently about things once he was up and moving. Twenty minutes later, in the second mile of his run, that fact was being born out.

Carl was training for an upcoming marathon. And although he’d been running each morning for more than ten years, the debate over whether to stay in bed or go for his morning run was a familiar one. It never lasted more than a moment these days but he remembered when he’d first begun running. It had required determination to overcome the desire to lie back down. Carl had never forgotten his coach’s admonition: “If you fail to prepare properly you will most certainly not perform at the level you expect.”

By ascribing to his coach’s training philosophy, Carl had improved his personal best in almost every race he’d run, and was now considered a worthy opponent by his peers.

†

Our spiritual life must be lived with this same level of conviction and determination. If we are to rise above the temptation to lay down in defeat we must live with purpose, fostering a winning spirit.

Paul says we’re fooling ourselves if we run with anything less than the expectation of winning, because if we fail to give the best we have each and every day, we’ve already begun to lose the race.

When Satan plants seeds of indifference, “Stay home today, you’re tired… or…You can let devotions go today…you’re on top of things,” we can only blame him for the whisper; whether we lie down or persevere is our choice.

Paul exhorts us to win! If you’re tired, encourage yourself to prevail…you’ll feel differently about things once you’re up and moving!

Prayer

“Birth in me a determination to excel in my spiritual life, Lord. Awaken in my spirit a desire to run to win! In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Calluses

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…

Colossians 3:5

“My chords don’t sound anything like yours,” Eric said, shaking his hand, trying to restore feeling to his fingers.

“I’ve been playing for twenty-seven years,” Lew said. Holding his hand so Eric could see his fingertips, Lew explained, “My fingertips are well-calloused, so when I press the strings against the neck it’s like using the rounded end of a ball-peen hammer.” He grinned, “Right now yours are more like putty. And it’s hard for you to put the right amount of pressure on the strings. But they will toughen up, and the chords will sound crisp. Give it time. It’ll come. I promise.”

Eric looked at his fingertips, “I’m thinking mine are more like hamburger than putty!”

Lew laughed, remembering how his fingers had cracked and bled when he’d first learned to play. “Looks familiar,” he admitted. “I soaked mine in salt water for a few minutes each day. You should too. It stings a might, but it keeps infection from setting in and it helps toughen the skin….helps build those calluses.” As an afterthought he added, “Whatever you do don’t use lotion; it softens your fingertips.”

†

This is the perfect example of how our hearts become hardened to sin. Like learning to play the guitar, the things we practice create calluses. These calluses allow us to become insensitive to any spiritual or emotional discomfort involved. The more we do these things, the thicker the calluses become. Eventually, there is little to no sensation whatsoever.

Today’s text says that we must get rid of the sinful things that rule our lives; to do that we must reverse the process of hardening our heart.

Reading God’s word is the equivalent of applying lotion to the hardened area of our heart. Each time we apply the word it softens a little more of the callus. Verse 2 says, “Set your minds on things above.” When we commit God’s word to our heart it removes any callousness we have toward God, and builds calluses where they belong, between us and Satan.

And as uncomplicated as it sounds… if you’re living in sin, stop it! God is offering you a choice right now. My prayer is that you will put to death anything that stands between you and God. Sometimes it can take a while. Give it time. It’ll come.

Prayer

“Scrub away the hard spots of my heart, Lord. Make it soft so Your word can penetrate with life-changing results. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Incline Thine Ear

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Proverbs 4:20 KJV

Janelle pressed the pillow tightly against her ears in the hopes of shutting out the sirens and street noises below. Her first night in their new apartment was light-years from the honeymoon they’d just returned from.

Sleeping soundly, her husband, Jim, was oblivious to his wife’s plight.

How is that possible?! she wondered. Is he deaf?!

Sometime around 3:30am exhaustion won out. She dozed in and out of fitful sleep, never finding complete rest. When morning finally arrived, Jim was surprised to find Janelle sitting against the headboard sound asleep. He watched as her body involuntarily shuddered. After extended observation he realized her movements coincided with noises emanating from outside.

“Hey,” he spoke softly. Janelle stirred and opened her eyes. “You okay?” he asked.

“How can you sleep through all that racket?” she questioned.

“I’m sorry,” Jim responded sheepishly. “I should have warned you., but it’s been so long since I’ve heard the street at night I forgot how loud it was when I first moved here.” Drawing her close, he assured her, “After a while you’ll learn to tune the noises out. You’ll get used to it.”

†

It is possible, even for God-loving Christians, to ‘condition’ the ears of our heart to silence the world around us to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. We tell ourselves we know what we can handle the temptation...no problem…it’s okay to watch this…or to allow our children to do something questionable…and to not respond when God nudges us about certain things.

When we don’t want to listen to God’s warnings we simply disregard His advice and go our own way. Done enough, we harden our heart in that area of our lives.

God instructs us to incline/focus the hearing of our hearts to His voice, not tune Him out, because He knows how easy it is for us to fool ourselves. Complete surrender to God isn’t easy…but it is rewarding. It also keeps us out of a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Is there an area of your heart shut off to God? If so, ask Him to help you adjust your spiritual hearing.

Prayer

“Help me, Holy Spirit, to listen for the sound of Your voice in every issue of my life. Amen.”

Make Them Thirsty

You are the salt of the earth.

Matthew 5:13

Remembering how much the concession stand had cost him their last time out, Ron decided to try a different strategy for movie night. Looking in the rear-view mirror at his three boys, he said, “Ok, here are the rules for snacks tonight; one item each,” he stated, “be it candy or popcorn. And only one drink. No refills.”

He was unmoved by the concerted, “Awwwe, Dad!” His wife Erin hid her smile, trying not to let either her children or her well-intentioned husband discover her amusement at the attempt at snack suppression. After all, half the fun of going to the movies was stuffing yourself with Raisinetes, Goobers, and popcorn….then chasing it all down with a ‘Jumbo-Sized’ soft drink.

“I mean it,” Ron said. “The last time you boys about cleaned me out. Come to think of it,” he added, “if you get popcorn, nothing larger than a medium drink.”

“Scrooge,” Erin whispered.

“Not Scrooge, just smart,” Ron responded. “I’m not going to be lured into the cinema’s marketing ploy. You know darn well they salt the heck out of their popcorn just to sell you more pop.”

“I still say you’re a Scrooge,” she said, with her smile now on full display.

†

Salt, in Jesus’ day, as in ours, has many uses. Among them is the preservation of meat and fish. But in today’s scenario Ron understood the salt’s ability to create great thirst. He was trying to save himself some money by deterring that effect.

Jesus, on the other hand, was talking about creating a great thirst. He was giving the crowd information of great value, information which made them thirsty for more. Once thirsty this thirst could only be quenched with the gospel of Jesus Christ…the upcoming shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of the sin of mankind…true freedom!

We, like those present at the Sermon on the Mount, have the ability to be salt to those who don’t know Jesus. If we will study Jesus’ life, and make ourselves available, we can have the privilege of telling others about God’s Son, and what His blood can do.

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, fill me with the knowledge of Your word that I might be able to create a thirst in those I encounter. Amen.”

My House…My Rules

And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Luke 16:12

“Sure,” Chet answered the caller, “the hall is available the twenty-third. I’ll put you on the calendar. Just remember, no alcohol and no smoking.” With that he hung up and wrote the caller’s name on the calendar, securing the hall for their wedding reception.

His final comment caused me to ask, “Do you get requests to rent the hall for wild parties?”

“You’d be surprised,” he said. “There was a group a few years ago,” he reminisced. “When they failed to return the key long after the appointed time, I went down to see what was going on. I walked in the back door and found two guys lying on the floor, drunk as skunks. I ignored them and went into the main hall. I’d never seen such a mess, and haven’t had one since,” he emphasized. “Whiskey bottles littered the floor. They’d had beer on ice in a couple large washtubs; both of which had been dumped on the floor; there was water everywhere.”

Chet chuckled as he shared how he’d handled the situation. “I grabbed those two by their collars, pulled them up off that floor, and ran them out the back door. I told ’em, ‘Take your money and get out! This is my house! When you come to my house you abide by my rules. If you can’t do that, don’t bother coming back!”

†

Respect of others and their property, is something we learn the same as good manners and good moral character. If these are found lacking in anyone it is generally because they were never taught how to behave themselves, either at home or in public.

You never have to tell someone with good manners to respect someone else, or their property. It never enters their mind to disrespect someone.

Sadly, in our ‘it’s all about me’ society, self-interest presumes that because they paid to rent the space, they are entitled to bring their own set of rules to the party.

By failing to teach our children to respect others and their property, we are fostering an untrustworthy generation.

Prayer

“Lord, may I treat others as if I’m doing it to You. Amen.”

Stay In The Race

Fear of men will prove to be a snare.

Proverbs 29:25

Speaking in regard to some friends who didn’t believe as he did, Andrew began, “I was constantly arguing with them, trying to validate my position. I even showed them scripture to back it up. Didn’t matter…they weren’t listening.”

He continued, “I decided to talk to a godly friend outside my church. He patiently listened as I poured out my heart. ‘Andrew,’ he said when I’d finished, ‘I see you running a race. And you’re running well. You’re out ahead of everyone else and things are going well. But I hear the spectators on the sidelines jeering…telling you you’re running the wrong race. I see you leave the track and run up into the grandstands to argue with them.’”

Andrew paused a moment, remembering his friend’s words so he could quote them verbatim. When he continued his voice carried the power of the revelation he’d received, “He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘Andrew,’ he said, ‘even if you win the argument, you’ll lose the race. Don’t waste time vindicating yourself. Just run the race God set before you and let Him handle the crowd.’

Andrew smiled, “That one statement wiped away years of frustration and completely changed my perspective. And it’s kept me focused on the work God wants me to do instead of on what men think about what I’m doing.”

†

In our need for affirmation, it’s easy to let what others think dictate our actions and behavior. And while we should always, in humility, consider the welfare of others, we must never allow their opinion to hinder our taking action upon God’s intended purpose for our lives.

When God gives us a directive we should seek to follow it. Although it is wise to seek godly counsel in implementing the process by which we act, it should never deter us from the course set before us.

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a human, that He should lie.” Therefore, if He tells you to do something, don’t leave the race to argue in the grandstands.

Prayer

“Help me put to death the fear of men, LORD, that I might run the race with the singular purpose to carry out Your will for my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Gun on the Bible on the Desk

In the beginning God created…

Genesis 1:1

Nicole walked into the pastor’s office to tell him two reporters from the New York Times were here to see him. That’s when she noticed the handgun lying on his Bible. Bemused, she asked, “Is that for our two guests?”

Following her line of sight, he smiled. “It’s a thought,” he teased, in light of the reason the reporters were here. They’d come to interview Pastor Ron and one of his parishioners.

Jack Newbrook, a science teacher at the local Middle School, had been embroiled in an employment-termination hearing for more than a year following the school board’s demanded that Jack remove all religious symbols, including his Bible, from his classroom. Jack had removed everything but his Bible, sighting his First Amendment right to leave it on his desk as long as he didn’t teach from it. Terminated without pay pending the final ruling, the hearings had just passed their first anniversary. It had been a long battle.

As Pastor Ron locked the gun in his desk drawer, he explained to Nicole how the gun had come to be there. “I bought it from my brother-in-law. He was in town so he dropped it off to save me a trip.” Then on a mischievous note, he added, “But the Bible stays where it is. And if they mention it, I might just unlock this drawer.”

†

Though somewhat humorous, today’s scenario is disturbing. Regrettably, events like this take place on a daily basis in our public schools across America because the immoral-minority hates the sight of the Bible. To impose their ideology they must discredit it, part and whole, and are currently working toward that end by attacking “In the beginning…” with Evolution.

Satan is patient. He’s been around for millennia. A few short generations mean nothing if he can attain his objective. He’s fine with baby steps as long as the silent-majority passively play spectator, unwilling to engage in the controversy. Because given time without opposition, he’ll get what he’s after.

What will we do—or perhaps it will be our grandchildren—when they come to our homes and demand that we remove all religious symbols, including our Bibles?

Prayer

“LORD, may I not be ashamed of my life’s purpose as a Christian, to influence the world for Jesus Christ. Amen.”