Good Things In Small Packages

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Bible

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I love that old saying, “Good things come in small packages.” Wedding rings come in small boxes. Pay raises come in small memos. Encouraging words come in small whispers. I like the old saying, because I like the truth of it: life is good when we get good stuff in small packages.

I was reminded of this when I read a small passage in the New Testament. It’s not a lot of words, but it sure contains some mighty good stuff. For me, it’s a gift from God in a quest for peace in a life filled with stress.

Here it is (Philippians 4:2-9): “(1) So then, my brothers and sisters, you are dearly loved and longed for—my joy and crown. In this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. (2) I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. (3) Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. (4) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (5) Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. (6) Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (8) Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. (9) Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Now don’t run off just because it’s addressed to two ladies with funny names in a country far away and a time long ago. Let me share the good things coming in this small package. There are six of them…and who wouldn’t love to possess them when life and relationships run wild with stress.

—to stand firm in one’s faith (verse 1)
—to be at peace with others (verses 2 and 3)
—to rejoice at all times (verse 4)
—to be gracious with everyone (verse 5)
—to dwell upon virtuous, beneficial things (verse 8)
—to consistently apply God’s truth (verse 9)

Now notice, in verses 6 and 7, the one thing we need to do: pray. However, don’t miss the power in this small package. Remember it was originally delivered to two ladies with funny names feuding about forgettable things. What do you suppose Euodia and Syntyche were being asked to pray about? Right. One another. And what should inform their prayer. The six wonderful things surrounding this encouragement to pray.

Stop going in separate directions and pray for the capacity to stand firm together.
Stop fighting to gain advantage and pray for the capacity to get back on the same page.
Stop pouting to receive sympathy and pray for the capacity to rejoice over the good in others.
Stop criticizing to inflict pain and pray for the capacity to be gentle toward others.
Stop dwelling on negative things and pray for the capacity to see what’s noble and right about others.
Stop banking on faulty opinions and pray for the capacity to see God’s much larger picture.

Imagine: the ladies with funny names start seeing one another through the far-sight of God’s eyes rather than the near-sight of their frustration.

Imagine: you start to see your life and relationships through God’s eyes rather than the stress of your frustration.

Imagine: you face conflict, but pray to resolve it rather than fight about it.

Imagine: you face loss, but pray to challenge it rather than retreat from it.

Imagine: you face stress, but pray to manage it rather than crumble under it.

Imagine, just imagine.

It may have been delivered in a small package, but it’s mighty good advice.

 

Stay Hopeful My Friends

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Bible, Life's Moments

≈ 2 Comments

In the face of the Terror at Boston one might be inclined toward despair… please do not do it. Rather be inclined toward hope. Yes evil tends to make a big splash. It erupts quickly. It hurts. It leaves terrible damage in its wake and lingering pain for years and years. Still it cannot vanquish that which is good.

I offer two lines of evidence:

First, watch the videos of the Boston attack. Not ten seconds passed before heroes chased confusion from their hearts and minds. They were true first responders. Some in uniform. Most civilian. Some, I’m sure, acted out of training. Others from instinct. All from character. They are the “good’ who run toward chaos when evil thinks to overcome.

Second, never stop considering the Lord. In the face of centuries of evil–some beyond description–he runs continuously to those in need of rescue. From ultimate salvation to a brief moment in time, he responds. This is why the Apostle John said, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

We witnessed darkness at the Boston Marathon, but we witnessed greater light in and through the heroes of the attack on the Boston Marathon. We have and we will witness darkness in our own marathons, but we can witness greater light in and through the ultimate First Responder. Stay hopeful my friends.

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bible

≈ 1 Comment

Too bad we can’t put music to our typed words in these posts. If we could, I’d accompany the following with the music:

♫Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.♫

And then I would change some of the pronouns for the second time through:

♫Jesus loves you this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves you. Yes, Jesus loves you. Yes, Jesus loves you.
The Bible tells me so.♫

And then conclude by making it inclusive:

♫Jesus loves us this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves us. Yes, Jesus loves us. Yes, Jesus loves us.
The Bible tells me so.♫

Yup, that’s what I thought I would like to do…right up until I witnessed the clip below. Now I just think I would like to share the voice of Whitney Huston as she sings one of my favorite songs of all time.

We miss you, Whitney.

Childlike Prayer

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bible

≈ 2 Comments

Proud grandmothers. You can’t blame them for wanting to brag about their grandchildren. Those little ones are the apples of Granny’s eyes and the blessings from Granny’s God all rolled up in sticky hands and sweet hearts. And sometimes the bragging is beyond beautiful because it is so deserving…

My sister, Barbara, sent me the text of an email her little granddaughter’s teacher sent to her son, Jeff, and daughter-in-law, Amanda. Here it is:

Hi Amanda,

I just wanted to take a minute and email you and let you know your daughter did the sweetest thing this afternoon when they got up from nap, I told the class I would have to leave as soon as Mr. ________ got there to take Mrs. ________ to doctor and she got down on her knees out of her chair and prayed for her right then. Of course that brought tears to my eyes. I just thought I would share that with you and your husband…

Oh man, you can’t blame Granny Barb for swelling up from pride over that. Little McKoy, as they say down in Georgia, “just blessed their hearts.” Such a spontaneous act of prayer comes from a heart fully dependent on and fully devoted to God. It’s called faith. It’s called worship. We learn about this kind of trust in Mark 10:13-16. Here’s what Mark recorded:

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The Lord loves this childlike faith. Notice I wrote “childlike faith,” not childish faith. We all know the difference. One is beautiful, pure, expectant. The other is manipulative, greedy, and indulgent. Little McKoy’s immediate turn to prayer erupted as naturally for her as her desire to hug her daddy’s neck when he comes home from work. She depends on both her Dad’s.

Have you thought about your “turning to God in prayer” quotient lately? Are you just as likely to drop to your knees in prayer as you are to start talking about your problems? Do you find yourself fully dependent and fully expectant in your walk with the Savior? If not, what’s the hold up? What roadblocks are you facing?

Could it be so easy…so simple…so childlike? Try dropping to your knees. Let McKoy show you how.

The Bible on the History Channel

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bible

≈ Leave a Comment

Coming March 3rd. The reviews by folks like Rick Warren and Luis Palau give us hope this will be a great mini-series. Our church, West Sound Community Church, is going all in. We are kicking off this Sunday with preview messages. Then on March 3rd we will join with many other churches utilizing Sunday morning messages that will prepare you to see the Sunday evening shows on the History Channel. We are also encouraging people to host Viewer Parties for friends and family. And, finally, we will be driving home the power of God’s truth with Small Group Bible Studies complimenting the entire campaign. The goal? As always, our purpose is to glorify God by developing followers of Christ who are passionate about God, His Word, His Church, and His World.

If you want to get a head start, download the Operation Andrew prayer slick at this link (Operation Andrew) and watch the trailer below. The trailer will give you some food for thought and some motivation, while the Operation Andrew prayer slick will give you a tried and true format from Billy Graham Evangelism to assist your prayer efforts on behalf of others. The slick contains two prayer cards. Download it. Print it. Cut it in half. Use one and share the other with another.

Human Trafficking

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bible

≈ Leave a Comment

I thank God for those faithful servants of the Savior who labor diligently to rescue the captives…and I literally mean the captives. Slavery is still a tragedy of monumental proportions. A June 2012 report by the U.S. State Department, while merely an introduction, paints a very dark picture. According to the report, Trafficking in Persons US St Dept, there are some 27 million victims of human trafficking…and the number is growing (up 28% over the last year).

I have but one request with this post: download the report, read, and start praying. Pray for revival, so God’s people will renew their effort in the Great Commission. Pray the Lord of the Harvest will send workers into the fields. Pray about how you can sacrifice (time, talent, treasure) so others may go free. You can download the current report by clicking on the above link. You can find even more information by following this link (
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/index.htm
). You can download the latest report, earlier reports, and much more.

Galatians 6:8,9    If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.

Unalienable or Constitutional

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Since when did unalienable rights become rights sanctioned by the Constitution.

The phrase “unalienable rights” occurs in the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Here it is:

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…

The Bill of Rights, (added to the Constitution out of the concern of citizens that government must truly remain submissive to the people) limit government.* They do not liberate individuals. Neither are they our only rights. While everyone loves to remember the first, second, and fourth, not many remember the ninth:

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Our founding fathers were steeped in the theology of natural rights granted to all mankind by our Creator. It is because the Lord created all men and women equal with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that such rights are unalienable. According to the dictionary, this means these rights “are not transferable to another or capable of being repudiated.” They are “inviolable, absolute, unassailable, and inherent.” No other person, and certainly no government, has the right to infringe these rights. Neither can they grant these rights since they have already been granted. There is only one exception. Since God granted them, he can also adjust them or rescind them. The Apostle James, writing by way of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote:

There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  James 4:12-15

Why is all of this so important? It’s really simple. If these rights are Constitutional Rights afforded us by the government they can be changed. This means I can share the life-changing news about my Savior so long as the first amendment remains. Change it or eliminate it, either by constitutional process, or by presidential weight, judicial writ, or legislative whim (of which all three are unconstitutional and therefore illegal), and sharing the life-changing news about my Savior becomes unlawful. However, they are not Constitutional Rights afforded by a government, they are unalienable rights endowed by the Creator.

What does this mean to a follower of Christ? It means we practice our rights only under his discretion.

As James said, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.

As other apostles said on another occasion (when ordered not to proclaim Jesus): But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19,20

As Martin Luther said, when ordered to give up his beliefs by the powers that be, “Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convicted [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” This may have been a bit flowery based on the standards of both today’s culture and by that of the first century Hebrew and Roman cultures, but it was still effective.

One is reminded of the words of Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

We live and breathe by the grace of God. Will we not also speak by the grace of God?

So, how about the next time we refer to our rights we remember to say “our God given rights,” rather than “our Constitutional rights.” And finally, how about the next time we refer to or even remember our rights, we remember to say “our God given rights subject to the grace of God.”

____________________

*Remember, the first ten amendments to the Constitution were added out of the concern of citizens that government truly remain submissive to the people. One might paraphrase the historical context: “Let there be no mistake. As was said earlier in the Declaration of Independence, governments serve at the will of the people. And just to be sure everyone remembers that rights are not granted by governments, but by God, let’s spell it out in these ten amendments we’ll call the Bill of Rights.”

 

The Most Delightful Telling of the Christmas Story I’ve Seen in a Long, Long Time

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Okay, you know the truth about Jesus. God became a man. However, sometimes the laughter and innocence of children are needed to jump-start us back into the wonder of having faith like that of a child. You will really like this video. Just click on the link below. After you watch it and smile a bit, remember to pray for the children in and around your life. Merry Christmas.



Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 270 other followers