Treasures

I have stored up your word in my heart, ​​​​​​​that I might not sin against you. ​​​Psalm 119:11 ​​​​​​​​ My kinfolks accuse me of reading the dictionary for fun, which admittedly isn't far from the truth. Back in the "olden days", if you asked a teacher what a word meant (or how to spell it), she would point to the big classroom dictionary and say the magic words: "Look It Up Yourself." So, up you'd get and proceed to the 50 pound dictionary-on-a-stand and begin turning pages. Talk about "Old School"! Of course, if you kept turning too long, there was a series of throat clearings (ahem - Ahem - AHEM!) followed by "Stop Dawdling", and finally the command to "Take your seat!" To be fair, I learned a lot along the way to looking up something else. Makes it annoying to watch "Jeopardy" with me (so I've been told), but it didn't always help my grades. If you're supposed to be doing a report on elephants, but spend 2 hours rabbit-trailing from "archipelago" to "zygote"...well, there's not a lot of overlap. All you teachers out there who want to scold me for my lack of concentration and self-control, let me just say, "THPBBBTTT!" One of the MANY things I love about the Bible: There's ALWAYS overlap! ​​​​​​​​Your word is a lamp to my feet ​​​​​​​and a light to my path. ​​​Psalm 119:105 Transforming truth glows on every page. Connections are discovered between Ruth and Romans, Ecclesiastes and Ephesians, ancient heroes (and sinners) and modern Me. Many, many times I've faced a conundrum ("L.I.U.Y."), looked up to Heaven with a "Lord show me what to do", opened at random (Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous), and found the Answer I needed. We used to call that "Inspiration by Gravity", but I'm always finding treasure in God's Word and I don't think it's random chance. I "faith" (believe, trust, and expect) instead that He is guiding my eye. Of course, when you've got it in your heart you can find that Answer by listening for that "still small voice" who can call to your memory the right word at the right time. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 Find the Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, the Treasure of the Word of God, and enjoy the Blessing of eternal riches!

Potted Meat Won't Fly

Heard this story at the cafe recently. A couple of locals on vacation were trying to catch their flight when one of them was tagged by airport security. There was a problem with some of his carry-on baggage. They brought out the supervisor. They brought out the manual. After much scratching of heads and furious debate, they decided: "You can take the sardines on the flight, but not the potted meat." This begs the question, "Huh??" Now I know that outside the South, not a lot of people are aware of the joys of "lips and tips" (my dad's description of "redneck pate"), and maybe they thought that it was a fake product disguising a bomb, but it's really hard to understand how - and why! - they made this decision. Did they think the potted meat can would make a better missile? "Nobody move, or I'll thunk you in the head!" Were they moon-lighting as cholesterol cops? "Do you know why we stopped you, Sir? Do you have any idea what this stuff will do to your arteries?" Maybe they were afraid he was planning to eat it on the plane: "We're concerned that the stench might create a panic by making the oxygen masks fall down."As bureaucratic intelligence goes, I would have to say that this was not their finest hour. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Matthew 23:24 Of course, security trolls aren't the only ones capable of making such, well, goofy decisions. Jesus ran into a group of religious professionals called Pharisees that boggled even His mind. For example, to avoid accidentally swallowing tiny unclean insects, they would always pour their wine from the jug through a piece of cloth into a cup. This actually makes pretty good sense to those of us who have lived in a bug-intensive environment, but in the image Jesus is painting, it's as if they were getting their wine out of a vat that had a dead camel floating in it. No puny little cloth was going to filter that taste out! In the world of airline security, it really REALLY shouldn't be about deciding between sardines and potted meat, but about intercepting real threats to the lives and safety of everyone involved - and since we haven't had any more planes flying into buildings, maybe they are doing a better job than we give them credit for. And maybe, just maybe, we should be more concerned about deeper issues than having our religious sensibilities irritated by the trivial. The Pharisees could put on a good show of "religion" even while despising their neighbor. They were great at nit-picking, not so good at getting to the heart of God and the things that please Him. Let's not make the same mistakes, but put into practice those things that are near and dear to His heart! He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 ​​​​​​​​

Got Worms?

The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 Heard a friend of mine quoting "an anonymous source" (couldn't remember who said it): All the Devil's apples got worms! We all laughed (and wrote it down. Good, clear, pithy statements are rare enough that we should share them when we find them.) I immediately began to think about apple polishing. No matter how carefully the outside of the apple is buffed, no matter how artistically displayed, if it's got a worm, the inside is being corrupted. Nobody wants to be the butt of the "Worst Kind of Worm To Find in an Apple" joke. (A half of one. Rimshot.) No, the flavor and value of any fruit is compromised by the presence of the vermiform, and the devil always makes it first priority to insert a corrupting influence. But then it occurred to me. These weren't the Devil's apples, but God's! (And yes, I know the Bible doesn't say "apples", but "fruit". Go pick your nits on your own time.) In The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis notes that the Devil doesn't create anything but misery. In this case, he doesn't even possess anything. He only suggests. He suggests that God (!) is deceptive and is actually withholding something, and implies that Eve would be better off by choosing rebellion. We all know how well THAT worked out, don't we? No, this worm wasn't even in the "apple", it was in the Trust/Faith of Eve. She was tempted by the peculiar idea that somehow God wasn't good - enough. This particular weapon in the Devil's arsenal was so effective, he still uses it, and hardly ever has to use another one. Every time we face temptation, at it's heart it's the same old same old. "This moment of pleasure and self-indulgence will be far better than the result of resisting. If God didn't want us to do it, He shouldn't have made it so enjoyable." It's that kind of bogus thinking that keeps us destroying our lives with the deeds of the flesh instead of enriching them with the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:19-23 Keep up, people.) But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Everything the Devil tempts us with has the Worm of Rebellion in it. You're probably thinking, "But I don't feel rebellious!" Despite what Obi Wan and Yoda preach, your feelings are never the best guide to truth. If you are doing something God said "NO!" about, that Worm is already corrupting the most precious thing in life - your relationship with the Lord. Break out the only effective spiritual pesticide: Devotion to Christ by Faith. And no matter how strong that temptation is, remember: All the Devil's apples got worms!

Which Church?

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 Any idea how many "churches" meet in your building each Sunday? There can be quite a collection of groups with different expectations and needs, and rare is the preacher who doesn't at least occasionally feel the pressure of trying to feed all of them with the same fodder. Happily, HSS is a great sauce for both milk and meat. HSS? Holy Spirit Sauce, of course! Don't get your sermon without your HSS, or it will be dry and tasteless and it'll spoil before you know it! It's a good thing you can bring it with you anywhere, because you don't always find it when you get there, do you? Anyway, there are always at least three groups in every meeting I can recall. There are shades and variations, and some folks belong to more than one, but I think you'll find yourself in one of these on any given Sunday. If I missed you, let me know, because I also care for "all the churches", especially those meeting with me! First off, there's the First Church of the Devoted. They come early and stay late. They notice who's missing, they encourage their pastor and one another. They are intensely interested in the success of the ministry, so they bring their all to the altar. They are the heirs of the Twelve, always in on the action, and though they are Leaders in the congregation, they are also the most fully Led. And they are generally outnumbered by our second group, the Distracted: "What's that she's wearing? Can you stand that cologne? Wonder what's for lunch? What's going on now?" Teens and toddlers. Moms and Dads. Grands and their treasures. Widows and the never-wed. Honestly, most of us can fit in this group from time to time, thinking about any- and every-thing except what we should be, but a good many people never leave it. Like the multitudes around Jesus, they are mostly there to see and be seen and usually missing or misunderstanding what's going on, the Fussing and the Fussed At. But the ones that break our hearts, that are the main focus of most of our prayers and preparations are the members of the Last Chance Church of the Desperate - the sick, the lonely, the broken, the needy, the Dying and the Dead, hoping for relief even against their expectations. Will they find it? Can they be led to it? It IS God's will, and our hope! And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 Devoted, Distracted, or Desperate, the Saviour is calling us all. Come take your place in His church, and meet with the One who makes the difference for me.

Caught Dead...Again?

...Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required... Luke 12:48b Remember the tale I told about my mother's husband? He's got a nice outfit ready, chosen by my sisters, if my mom "goes" before he does, so that she won't be buried in "something she wouldn't be caught dead in." While she's not in any particular danger of "going" for a while yet, he's all set. Until she decides to revise it. Good luck with that, Papa John! There are quite a few things I don't want to be caught dead in, and I think you'll find some of them in your own list. Don't have a list? Might be a good time to make one so you aren't caught...by surprise. Let's put Selfishness on the top of that list. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Luke 16:22-23 Personally, I've never been in much danger of being "rich", at least by American standards, so for a long time I just kind of assumed that the rich man was getting what he deserved. If you follow up that little train of logic, it wrecks on the premise that poor folks are somehow better or more godly than rich ones. For most of us, it isn't a character issue, just lack of opportunity. You could make the case that Jesus doesn't really say why the rich man ended up where he did, but I think He gave us a pretty big hint. I suspect that maybe letting a man - a fellow countryman, maybe even a kinsman - starve to death on his front porch while he was feasting inside might have just a little bit to do with it. Trust me, you don't want to be caught dead like that! If he had even deigned to think about the beggar in the yard, it was probably along the lines of "If I help him, it will just encourage other deadbeats to show up, and I don't have the resources to feed ALL the poor." Thing is, the promises of God's blessings were directly tied to generosity (Deuteronomy15). There always have been, and I suppose always will be until the Lord establishes the new Heaven and earth, folks who try to take advantage. We have learned to not give cash, but a sack of groceries to a soul in need will never go amiss. God has been overwhelmingly generous to us, and as His representatives He expects us to be the same to others. Risky, sure, but He's got us covered. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35

Caught Dead

The other night my mother's husband told me he had asked my sisters to be ready in case she 'went' before he did. "Ready for what?" "To pick out her clothes for the casket." "Why?" "Because I'm afraid I'd choose something she wouldn't want to be caught dead in." When I got my breath back and dried my face of the Tears of Mirth, it occurred to me that there might be some things I would rather not be "caught dead in". Like neck ties. If you come to my funeral, bring a sharp knife or a pair of scissors. If they have knotted a tie around the neck of my corpse, cut it off!! Don't ask permission or forgiveness! I'll thank you in Heaven! But seriously, there's some other things - more vital than wardrobe - that I think all of us should be thinking about. Like Forgiveness. Because if you forgive people their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people their offenses, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” Matthew 6:14-15 I believe that Jesus meant what He said And said what He meant For the Savior is Truthful One Hundred Per Cent. If clean we've been washed by the Lord's Sacrifice Then His judgment for us is to be "More than Nice". "Forgiveness" and "Mercy" aren't just words in a song But the very lifeblood of the souls in His throng! As we have received, so freely must give And the best of His blessing will flow where we live. (Grateful acknowledgment to Dr. Seuss) Before God Almighty, we will be ashamed of our hard hearts and stubborn minds, like a thief caught red-handed. No excuse will suffice. No "mitigating circumstance" will compare. Receiving God's forgiveness carries with it the understanding that we will pass it on to other people who don't deserve it any more than we did. And that's where the rubber hits the road. People don't deserve forgiveness. Neither did we. To experience God's best requires that we do what He does. Then indeed, ...you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 So, don't be "caught dead" missing God's best for you!

Whatever...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 I don't know about you, but I find myself overwhelmed sometimes. The World of Media is relentless in its invasion attempts of our hearts and minds. I find myself needing some sort of filter to keep out the cr... "garbage", but one that lets in the good stuff. There is good stuff out there. Isn't there? So, I've decided on a question: Does it pass the "Whatever" test? Not the teen angst "whatever" - "Did you take out the garbage? Make your bed? Do your homework? Have a good time? Break your leg?" "Whatever." Makes me want to go armed with a rubber-band gun, reward the offender with a sharp and painful shot, then when they whine about it say, "Awwww. Whatever!" No, I'm thinking more along the lines of what we give ourselves to think about, imagine, fill our time, the "content of our lives." TV, the Web, movies, music, books. Do they pass the Test? Are they on the list? ...whatever is true... So much for TV - especially the "news" media. Better keep looking: ...worthy of respect... Well that thins out the candidates - especially in national journalism and politics. What else? ...just...Is there anybody out there standing up for true righteousness and justice? Anybody?...pure...Yeah, right, through today's media sewer storm! ..lovely...Only after application of heavy duty cosmetics and photo shop. And I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about faces and figures anyway. ...commendable...Hmmm. Got to get me some better channels!! Actually, no. Just have to focus on a better Source. While many of these qualities are found in isolation, scattered here and there in the world, there is one Person where they ALL find fulfillment: Christ Jesus. Now when the anxieties of this life attempt to invade, I've got a Shield, a Defender, a Peace-keeper extraordinaire! And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7