Of mice and men

I'm not afraid of much, but people who know me well would tell you that I have a slight paranoia about mice and water, and the theme music to 'Halloween'. I admit it freely, though not proudly. I had very traumatic experiences with all three when I was a child.

Concerning mice, I opened a kitchen drawer one time and had a little gray mouse leap out of the drawer at me. I shouted with an oath and was very nearly decked to the floor by my little mother who figured I'd been watching too much television. She could have been right; nevertheless, I hate mice and arm myself with long handled brooms every time I think there might be one under the fridge or behind the trashcan. I nearly beat a friend of mine blue around the feet and ankles when one ran between her feet one time. And you can laugh all you want, but you'd probably feel the same as me if you'd ever had a mouse leap out of a drawer at you.

Concerning water, I was taught to swim the same way that my daddy learned to swim. When I was about five years old, Dad took me out to a diving platform in the middle of a lake and tossed me off. I was wearing inflated floaties around my arms and popped right up to the surface, making my way for shore as fast as my dog paddling could carry me, but I could not escape. Twice more I was hauled against my will to the top of that diving platform and thrown to my possible peril. After the third time, he let me get away and I refused to leave the shallows thereafter. To this day, I hate water in which I cannot see the bottom, I don't really like water in which I can't touch bottom, and I refuse to open my eyes underwater for fear of coming eye to eye with the great white shark that is coming to eat me.

Concerning the theme music to 'Halloween', it's the first horror flick I ever saw in my life. I was ten years old, at home alone, waiting for 'Star Wars' to come on The Movie Channel on the first day we had cable, and 'Halloween' (actually the second installment) was the feature preceding the one I was waiting for. After watching the boogie man in a William Shatner mask hack and slice his way through a dark hospital in an attempt to kill the every beautiful Jamie Lee Curtis, I was shaking in my socks...especially when I had to walk out to our chicken house after sunset and make sure our chickens were secure. I was absolutely convinced that Michael Meyers was going to be hiding in the feed bin with a machete. To this day, that creepy, eerie, spooky piano theme makes the hair on the back of my neck rise.

But one thing I am not afraid of is people. As a preacher, I cannot afford the luxury of fearing men. Occasionally I preach a hard message, and fear has no hold on me. If I make people mad, if they won't give to the ministry, if they leave swearing they'll never come back, I stand secure in knowing I preached what the Lord gave me. Standing for right and righteousness does not bother me one bit, for what can anybody do to me? The Bible says we shouldn't fear those who can kill the body and send us to heaven; rather we should fear God who can kill the body and the destroy the soul in hellfire. That's a healthy fear to have.

But men don't scare me. (And to tell you the truth, neither really do mice, water, sharks, or Michael Meyers with a machete...I'd just rebuke him in the name of Jesus and run! He can't move very fast).

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man brings a snare.

But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Coming Attractions: April 2008

If you thought you were celebrating the anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus Christ last Sunday, think again. March 23rd, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox was indeed Easter Sunday...a pagan holiday imposed on the church 1800 years ago by a pagan Roman emperor trying to make everybody Christian by proclaiming it the state religion.

Starting on April 1st, a date which has special Spiritual significance for me and my family, I'm going to be sharing on this blog some facts and truths about the Last Days of Jesus Christ on Earth, starting with the exact date of Jesus' resurrection, when the anniversary really is, and other cool stuff that happened way back when that resulted in our salvation!

Playing Catch-up

Well, I've obviously been absent for a couple of days, so I thought I would just drop some brief thoughts about a few different things from the Proverbs.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2. Knowing what you believe is important; knowing why you believe it is as important if not more so. But so many times recently I have been engaged in conversations with folks who have wished for some kind of clear directive in Scripture to explain a concept with which they are grappling. How easy it would be to be able to turn to page 405 of your particular text and there are all the answers on any particular subject. I think there may be books or Bibles out there which do exactly that, but for the most part, finding real answers in the Book requires a lot of effort, reading and study on the part of the seeker, and sometimes requires the use of inspiration, contemplation, and revelation. Search out what God has hidden in His word--it's worth the effort.

Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, "I was only joking!" Proverbs 26:18-19. I have a reasonably developed sense of humor; I like a good joke as much as the next wise guy. But I have to admit that one of my pet peeves is humor based upon deception. Apparently, Solomon had the same idea. And for all my friends who are reading this who happen to like this style of humor, don't take it personally; I still love you and your sense of humor. I just wish your practical joking didn't involve lying.

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:5-6. If you love somebody and you don't tell them, what good does that do anybody? You've got all that feeling trapped up inside you, and you're leaving the one you love hanging with the constant question...does she love me, or doesn't she? Outright confrontational correction is more beneficial than hidden adoration. And always remember, if it's your friend who does the correcting, it may hurt, but at least you know the person loves you. And for those of my friends who have ever been on the receiving end of my verbal swordplay when I'm right, please know that I will never stop loving you...even if you don't agree with me. On the other hand, beware the kisses of an enemy...just remember how Jesus must have felt when Judas kissed him.

Good Answer, Good Answer!

A kiss on the cheek is simple, chaste, brief. A kiss on the hand might be a bit pretentious. But in my humble opinion, there is nothing more affectionate or inspiring than a good kiss on the lips. There is usually an honesty in such kissing, an expressiveness whose meaning is clear. A kiss on the lips is a great way to say, "Hello, I've missed you!" or "Good-bye, don't stay gone too long!" A kiss on the lips can allay fear and worry and doubt in an instant. A kiss on the lips can introduce immediate comfort and joy into any situation. A kiss on the lips can hold all sorts of promise for more good things to come...like more of the same, for one. Personally, I think kissing is a great way to spend a few moments or a few minutes.

Solomon says a right answer does the same things. The answer to a question, the solution to a problem, the key to a riddle...when those words are spoken, the revelation can accomplish almost anything! The right word at the right time communicates far more than a lengthy speech, a forceful lecture, or lofty oratory. Simply an appropriate response can do away with dread and discontent, with ire and ill will. And the promise of a right answer holds that more right answers are to come. What a blessing to hear such words.

Proverbs 24:26

He who gives a right answer

kisses with the lips.

Hereafter

Proverbs 23:17-18

Do not let your heart envy sinners,

but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;

for surely there is a hereafter,

and your hope will not be cut off.

Sometimes, the life of serving God just doesn't seem fair. You try to live a good and godly life, forsaking the world and the things in it in pursuit of holiness. Yet no matter how good you live, it seems like there is never a reward. You work hard, you give to the work of the Lord, you volunteer your time, and you get no thanks for it. And then you look around at people you know who have no interest in serving God and it seems like they have everything. They sin and laugh about it, and have plenty of money to go sin with. What's up with that?

But the Bible says we're not to worry about sinners, nor envy them in any way. The reason being is they may have a great life of fun and fulfillment here, but it will be all the fun and fulfillment they ever have if they don't know Jesus. Those people who do not receive Christ as savior will find that the pleasures of this life were as much of heaven they will ever experience. Their hereafter will be a wasteland of eternal suffering and punishment, devoid of pleasure or fulfillment of any kind.

For the believer, there is a hereafter that promises fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord. Whatever we lacked or lost in this life, believers are promised restoration and recompense in this life and much more so in the life that is to come. God knows how to reward those who are his, and when we serve Him in hope, it doesn't matter what we have or have not now. Later, God evens everything up.

Just be glad He doesn't give us what we deserve--which is death and hell for our sins. Instead, He gives what Jesus purchased for us--grace, love and eternal life! Those things are worth living for.

The Old Landmark

Proverbs 22:28

Do not remove the ancient landmark

which your fathers have set.

The ancient landmarks were set up during that era of Israel's history in which the land was divided among the tribes and then apportioned to families. Property ownership was designated by divine direction to pass from one generation to the next of the same family, and if it was sold, or mortgaged, or lost in any other way, it would return to the original family's possession ever 50 years. This was so that no one would lose their inheritance in the land, and the old landmarks were put up to show the boundaries of property. To move one was to cheat some other family out of their rightful inheritance.

Now think about it in a Spiritual sense, the markers that our forefathers put up for us in the faith. Times and cultures change, but the Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel change not. There is no shadow of turning with God; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. There are some things that were good enough for Paul and Silas that are still good for us today. But I speak of substance and not style.

Are there traditions handed down to us that are worth keeping? I am not in favor of anchoring so solidly in the past that we can't make adjustments for the 21st Century in which we live and labor. But I'm not for change, just for change's sake either. Just because something is old doesn't make it useless. The things that became traditions wouldn't have become so if they weren't worth repeating.

Some traditions and commandments of men are just that. They are opinions made up by well-meaning individuals which have no practical reason for being today. For instance, many years ago in my denominational background, women couldn't wear pants, jewelry or makeup, and neither could they cut their hair. Today, those particular standards of attire have been adjusted and most in our church circles don't think that way anymore. Our songs have changed, our music has evolved, our mode and method of doing church has been modified to better suit our society's needs. But I believe we run the risk of throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

Before we just sweep everything that is old or past away and replace it with something new, perhaps we need to first examine those traditions and determine whether they are simple adornments that can be changed with the time, or if they are old landmarks that should never be moved. There are some things that are worth keeping, but our standard is not our own subjectivity; it must be the Word. What does the Word say about that which we wish to change. Where the Word is silent, we have liberty to make adjustments and changes as necessary. But let us never make changes to the Word to suit our modern fancies.

God is in Control

Proverbs 21:1

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord,

like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes.

We are much more comfortable with the idea of free will than we are with the sovereignty of God. We would rather think that our choices are our own, rather than believe that God has a great master plan that is being fulfilled regardless of our will. It is disconcerting to some to think that God's hand is in everything and on everything, not necessarily a hand of approval, but absolutely a hand of direction.

Consider the river. Every river has a source, and from that source the water flows in a path it has carved for itself from the earth. When rain falls or snow melts, adding water to the river, the current carries more soil and sediment away, making the river wider or deeper. When the waters are low, the sun bakes and dries the earth which is then blasted by the winds, infiltrated by flora and fauna alike, and changes continually occur to the river. Some say the Grand Canyon is merely the result of millennia of these kinds of changes. What once flowed up on the flat land now rushes thousands of feet below in a bed it has carved for itself.

And yet the Bible seems to teach us that God doesn't even let the rivers have their own way. They are in his hand too, and they flow as He wishes. Science would tell us that the river carved its own place through the sand. God tells us it was His finger that started the river on its path, and it goes where He wants it to go.

We make our choices. We do our thing. We go where we want. We do what we want. It's our decision, after all. Right? Everything that happens is a result of my free will. Right? Except that the Proverbs teach us that God holds all things in His hands, even the hearts of kings, and He turns them as He desires.

Take Pharaoh, for instance, the Egyptian king who opposed Moses 3500 years ago. Pharaoh resisted the will of God in Egypt, because the will of God was for Pharaoh to let God's people go freely, of His own choice. And yet before Moses ever said the famous line, God told him that Pharaoh's answer would be no. His heart would be hardened. But Pharaoh was still an instrument in the hands of God for the fulfillment of God's eternal plan.

Pharaoh, Moses, us--we all have our role in the unrolling blueprint that will eventually show us all the big picture. Personally, I find it much more reassuring to know that God has my life in His hands. I may not always do His will; that is the result of my free will, my ability to choose. But never am I out of His control. And even when things don't go my way, I rest easier in knowing that God is sovereign and has His way of making all things work together for my good and His glory.

Getting Spanked

Usually, it was for being a smart mouth. Sometimes, it was for being a whiny brat. Occasionally, it was for being disobedient. A few times, it might have just been for being annoying. And one time it was for no reason at all. But the Proverbs tell us that the man who loves his son spanks him, and thereby delivers his soul from hell. My daddy loved me and wanted me to go to heaven, and he proved it to me often.

It's not PC to spank your kids anymore. Government agencies have started stepping in to punish parents who discipline their children, therefore parents are administering less and less spankings, therefore our society's children are running amuck! Personally, I think a good spanking administered with love would solve most if not all of our world's problems.

But love is the key. Lest you think I advocate arbitrary beatings just for beatings sake, let me say again: Love is the key. If people loved their children, they would spank them appropriately. Sometimes a smack on the hand or a pat on the backside is enough to bring a little one into line; but remember they also need you to hold that hand and rub their back to show them that you love them. Sometimes several swats must be landed. But they must never be done in anger. Spanking must be administered with love first, but also with discipline. The child should never think for one moment, in the process of being spanked, that they are not loved.

As the children of God, we (and by we, I really mean I) do from time to time get in trouble with our heavenly Father. Sometimes its for being a smart mouth, or a whiny brat, or disobedient. But never for no reason at all. The Bible says that whom the Lord loves, He disciplines. Just as a father disciplines his own children, the Lord disciplines His children. If I didn't know the chastening of the Lord, I wouldn't know that the Lord loved me.

The discipline is never pleasant, but it is always administered in love, and it is always necessary. The parent who doesn't care what their children do refuse to discipline, and thereby communicate that it doesn't matter what their children do. If there is no discipline, there are no boundaries, and therefore no consequences. But the terrible swift sword is a sword of judgment because we didn't do what we were supposed to do. I think I'd rather undergo discipline now than face the sword later.

When I feel the displeasure and then the discipling of the Lord, I thank Him for His love, because I know then that He still cares about me. He still cares about changing me. He still cares about conforming me to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. If He ever stops discipling me, I'll know I'm a goner.

Proverbs 20:30

Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,

as do stripes the inner depths of the heart.

For Those Who Missed Me

As one comment here and others elsewhere have indicated, my absence has been noted by those who frequent this blog. My apologies, Faithful Readers. You might have wondered where I have been, and I have to be honest and say that for most of the month of March, I have been somewhere between preoccupied and obliviated in my thinking. So I took some time away from the blog to get some other things sorted out, but I'm back now. Thank you for your concern.

When Man Plans

Proverbs 19:21

There are many plans in a man's heart,

Nevertheless the Lord's counsel--that will stand.

Has life turned out the way you thought that it would?

I used to spend hours planning out what my life was going to be like. I had my children named--all twelve of them. I had my career choices made, each rung on the political ladder labeled and dated so that I would know exactly when I would run for President of the United States. I had my house diagramed and detailed, right down carpet color and furniture placement. I had a handle on things.

Of course, I had more realistic plans, too. A list of goals I wanted to accomplish. I try annually to review that list, deleting things that I've completed, adding new things I want to try.

And the work that I do requires me to constantly be concerned with my calendar and scheduling, where I'm going to be next week, next month, six months from now. But in 21 months of itinerant preaching, I've learned that I need to be flexible. That calendar that I've worked so hard to plan out and keep organized can change on a moment's notice. Last minute cancellations happen, completely beyond my ability to control or plan for, and I have learned not to worry about those cancellations. God must have something else in mind. That philosophy works in all of life's circumstances and situations.

There's nothing about my life now that looks anything like what I envisioned two decades ago. I think mostly it's better than I could have imagined, with a few unforseeable bumps along the way to teach me some important life lessons. But I wonder sometimes if the saying is true--"Man plans; God laughs." If we could only see what He sees, and know what He knows.

There are many plans I've made, and many plans I'm making still. But I've learned in life that it's really the plan of God that works everything out, not mine. I'm glad I serve a God who is completely in control of all things, even when I wonder what He's doing. He is a good and great God!

Happy Am I

Psalm 32:5

I acknowledged my sin to You,

and my iniquity I have not hidden.

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"

and you forgave...

Sin. Iniquity. Transgression.

It would seem the Psalmist is repeating himself in synonymic fashion, but understanding comes from the realization that the Holy Spirit inspired the repetition for a reason. There is a actually a lesson to be learned from the use of the three different similar words.

Sin is missing the mark, and the Bible says we all do it. We fail to measure up to God's excellence and high standards in many ways, and sometimes every day. We do what we shouldn't; we don't do what we should. There are multitudinous ways for us to fall short of glory, and when we try to explain why, our explanations fall shorter still. We blame it on the tempations of the world; we blame it on the devil; seldom do we blame it on some flaw in our own character or nature, but the Bibles clearly tells us that the temptation to sin comes from within.

Iniquity is the twistedness of one's character that makes one susceptible to temptation and prone to sin, and truthfully, we're just born that way. Because of the disobedience of our first foremother and father, every male and female member conceived naturally in the human race is inherently perverted, bent out of shape from the image and likeness in which we were originally created. That twistedness is the root of our shortcomings. Sin is the result of iniquity, which in itself is a result of the fall. But lest someone point to these inherited character flaws and say, "I can't help it, that's just the way I am," God gave us the intellect and ability to choose our own behavior.

Transgression is rebellion, the choice to sin because of the iniquity ingrained in our humanity instead of following the instructions of God and the dictates of our conscience. When we choose to do what is wrong, we ignore what God has said, and we suppress any inner feelings of dobut, guilt, or shame concerning our considerations, opting instead to do what the desires of our iniquitous flesh compel us to do.

Yes, we all sin.

And yes, we are all born with a nature to sin.

But neither of those means we must choose to sin. In fact, the nature of God being pursued by those who know Him necessitates that we choose NOT to sin. It's up to us.

And when we sin, thankfully, we have an advocate with the Father who pleads our case and renders us guiltless and unpunishable by our confession and His atonement, so like the Psalmist we can also rejoice with the words, "Happy am I when my transgression is forgiven, my sin covered up, and my iniquity not counted against me."

Oh, how happy am I!

Deliverance

Proverbs 2:10-12

When wisdom enters your heart,

and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

discretion will preserve you;

understanding will keep you,

to deliver you...

Throughout the Proverbs, the wise father is instructing his young son to keep away from two kinds of people--perverse men and immoral women. And he says that when wisdom, knowledge and understanding have been made realities in our lives, they will keep us from those things.

A perverse man is one whose ways are twisted, who doesn't think like he ought to think. Solomon describes him as one who is always scheming to do sinful things, who walks in darkness and rejoices in unrighteousness. The world is full of people who just love to sin, and encourage and entice others to sin with them. Wisdom will deliver us from such men.

An immoral woman is one who seduces and flatters to get what she wants, forsaking her vows and her covenant with God to pursue unrighteous living. Solomon continually warns his son--to go to her is to go to your death. Wisdom will deliver us from such women.

A man is known by the company he keeps, or so they say. An old French proverb says, "Bad companions bring bad luck." Solomon put it another way--Bad companions corrupt good manners. For most of us, hanging around perverse men and immoral woman would bring about compromise in our lives, and yet even a cursory glance at the life of Jesus shows that those are exactly the kind of people he came to minister to. Yet the wisdom of God embodied in him kept him free from their influence, leaving him freer still to minister to their needs.

Once we learn how to be in the world but not of it, separated and secured by the abiding wisdom of God, but empowered by the inwelling presence of the Holy Ghost to reach the world around us, we will be so much closer to fulfilling the will of God for our every day existence.

He Who Wept

I was listening to Jeremiah today, and it struck me how often he talks about his own crying. I've always heard him called the weeping prophet, and I know he wrote a long lament as a eulogy to Jerusalem. But it suddenly struck me today just how often he mentions his tears. In fact, he cried so much that God actually told him to dry up. All the crying in the world was not going to change his reality, and the reality of Jerusalem's impending doom.

It made me mindful of my own tears. I'll admit I cry easily, for any number of reasons. I have been known to cry over Hallmark commercials and Wal-Mart openings (well, not really that second one). I seldom cry for long when I'm sad, as I see no purpose in it. Sadness is the result of a broken heart, and I prefer to let Jesus bind up my broken heart and heal its wounds. I'd really rather laugh and be happy, but sometimes my happiness produces tears of their own. Today, I was listening to some old-timey music in the car and just began to cry along with the testimony of the songs. Later I wept to the words of a powerful sermon I have listened to numerous times.

There is a time and place for tears, or so says Solomon in Ecclesiastes. But I'm also reminded of the Psalmist who said, "Weeping lasts for the night; but joy comes in the morning." Even Jeremiah knew that God would turn his mourning into joy and comfort him. And in eternity, when we dwell in that city where the lamb is the light, John saw a time and a place where there will be no more crying, no pain, no parting, no death, and no more tears. For God and His Son would wipe away ever tear!