Do You Have Blessed Assurance?
July 27, 2010
There is an old hymn that many of us have sung that says, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His spirit, washed in His blood”. Have you every thought about what a tremendous message of faith that is? The chorus then goes on to proclaim, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long!” How many times have you really thought about the message you are proclaiming when you have sung those words? If the song is new to you perhaps you can
see the power more easily than some who have sung it all of their lives.
The point I want to focus on is that there are far too many of us who wear the name “Christian” who don’t really understand or perhaps appreciate the meaning of that name to our lives. I ran across this quote by R. Garrison, which I thought was very appropriate. He said, “Christianity is Blessed Assurance, not dying with our fingers crossed”.
The apostle John wrote in I John 5:11-13 that far too many Christians don’t really believe. John said, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Do you really believe and “know” you have eternal life? Really know? If you don’t then you fall into the category of “finger crossing Christians”. (Finger crossing is a symbol for “wishing or hoping something’s true or sometimes asking for ‘good luck’”). John however wrote that we can “know that you have eternal life,” so do you really believe that?
Paul wrote in Romans 8:15, “So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into His family calling Him ‘Father, dear Father.’”
So what are you afraid of today? How about uncrossing those fingers and really believing the Word of God! If you have been “united with Him” you will be “resurrected with Him.” All He asks is from that point on that you continue to obey Him as proof that you really love Him.
My prayer is that you truly have “Blessed Assurance”! - MFTH
God bless you all and have a great week! Michael
What’s Weighing You Down?
July 14, 2010
A couple from Bakersfield, California purchased a new boat, but they were having serious problems. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get the boat going. It was sluggish no matter which way they turned or how much power was applied. After an hour of trying to make it go, they putted to a nearby marina, hoping someone could tell them what was wrong. A thorough check on the topside of the boat revealed everything was in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. Then, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking with laughter. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!
How often have we been guilty of the same thing? We sputter along in our spiritual lives, wondering why we’re not making much progress, wondering why we don’t feel any closer to God than we do. We take a spiritual check of the situation and find that we’re attending worship regularly, we’re reading our Bibles, we’re praying. On the surface, everything appears to be what it ought to be. But beneath the surface lurks some sin that we have allowed to latch hold of our lives. And there it lies, unforgiven, maybe even unrecognized, dragging us down.
Though the Hebrew writer used the image of a runner as opposed that that of a boat, the concept is exactly the same: “…(L)et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1).
If your spiritual life is sputtering along, perhaps you would do well to look for sin that lies beneath the surface. Throw off everything that hinders you, and you’ll find that things will run a lot more smoothly. - TFTD
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
Timing
June 17, 2010
I want to share something amazing that happened this week. Amber received a package from her mother. Our first response was how can this be? Then immediately we both wanted to know what was inside. In order to experience th
e significance I have to explain to you the circumstances surrounding the delivery. This past weekend Amber made a visit to her dad’s house. While she was there she and other family members cut squares out of Amber’s mom’s clothes for a memory quilt. While they were cutting out squares they pulled out pictures of her mom wearing those clothes and they decided how neat a quilt would be with pictures on it. So they picked a few but were having trouble narrowing down which ones to use.
The package from Amber’s mother contained a letter and a picture. The picture was one of Amber when she was little that her mother had restored and blown up. The letter said “I love this one. I sure hope you like it too. I love you, mom.”
The postmark on the package was April 2nd. Her mother died a few weeks later. Apparently the package has been sitting at the post office since then. We received a note from the post office Monday asking us to pick up mail. So the timing was incredible. God’s timing is always right! “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6 NAS)
Have a blessed week, Michael & Amber
Making The Best Of It
June 2, 2010
How often do things turn out dif
ferently than we had hoped?
How often do we find ourselves in a situation that we don’t like, and we are disappointed that it turned out the way that it did?
Sometimes we are supposed to rise up in prayer and fight until we get the victory. Other times we are supposed to “make the best of it.” We should pray and ask for wisdom to know which of these is best.
Paul mentions in Philippians how being in jail had actually worked to further the spread of the gospel.
The Lord exalted him to a high position and helped many people!
Paul’s attitude of “making the best of it,” not only allowed him to minister and witness, but it also was an encouraging example for others. Wouldn’t it be great, if we could be like that? We can!
Joseph also “made the best” of a bad situation and saw God’s hand in it. Even though he had been deserted, sold in to slavery, falsely accused and put in jail, Joseph “made the best of it,” and kept on trusting God.
The Lord exalted him to a high position and helped many people, including his own family. Speaking to his brothers, Joseph says, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
The next time you find yourself in a difficult situation resist having a “pity party” and feeling sorry for yourself. Like Paul and Joseph, “make the best of it.” Maybe God is doing something that you don’t see at the time. Perhaps the way you handle it could be an encouragement to those who observe you. Who knows, God may be using your time of trial to prepare the way to be a blessing to many more people than you could ever know. “Make the best of it” and watch God work. - M. Barres
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
What Are You Sowing?
May 25, 2010
Paul said in Gal. 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Your life is a never-ending cycle of reaping and sowing, of planting and harvesting. Every day you experience both.
Today you will enjoy (or, in so
me cases, not enjoy) a harvest you have planted in past days or weeks or months or years.
And today you are planting tomorrow’s harvest. Your actions today create the life you will experience tomorrow, and in the days to come.
“The one who sows to please the Spirit,” Paul says, “from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
And then he encourages us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Sometimes it requires all of your emotional reserves just to continue one more day in your journey. Remember: this is a journey worth taking, and it is not without reward. At the proper time, you will reap the harvest that you are sowing today.
So keep sowing. Make the calls that aren’t easy to make. Finish the task you’ve been putting off. Confront the problems you’ve avoided. Do what needs to be done. Sow today, and wait for the harvest. As the book of Job says, God will make all things beautiful for you in His time. – S. May
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
What Path Are You Walking Down?
May 17, 2010
A teenager, Elizabeth, was nervous as she took the wheel for her first driving lesson. As she was pulling out of the parking lot, the instructor said, “Turn left here, and don’t forget to let the people behind you know what you are doing.”
Elizabeth turned to the students sitting in the backseat and announced, “I’m going left.”
Though it may not have been understood properly, the instruction of the teacher was a valuable piece of advice: “Let the people behind you know what you are doing.”
In Hebrews 2:10, Jesus is referred to as “the captain of our salvation.” The RSV, though, translates that phrase as “pioneer of our salvation” because the Greek word used in this verse (“archegos”) was a word sometimes used for a pioneer or trailblazer who opened up a territory so th
at others could follow.
I love the Appalachian Mountains. When I lived in Boone, I often wondered what it would have been like in the early 1700’s to cross those mountains — no interstates, not even any dirt roads, just trees and bushes. There were mountain men who had braved the frontier, but there was no safe and reliable way to get settlers over the mountains. What was needed was for some brave man, a “pioneer,” to open the west by finding the best mountain passes and building a passable road to the west.
The idea of the pioneer is an appropriate image of Christ. He went before us and opened up the way so that we can follow.
But you, too, are called to be an “archegos,” a pioneer who blazes the way for others to follow. There are those who work with you and live around you who are looking to you as they struggle to find the way in their own lives. You may have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and countless others who will be influenced by the legacy you leave behind. Choose your path carefully. And let the people behind you know what you are doing.
May we be able to say with Paul: I Cor. 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” - TFTD
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
How Do You View Death?
April 14, 2010
Death surrounds us, we can’t escape it and we can’t escape constantly hearing about it. Turn on any TV news program and the lead story will almost always be about some violent death. Pick up any Newspaper and usually somewhere on the front page will be a story that deals with someone’s death. Some are uncomfortable with this constant reminder of our mortality.
Death is something that we will all one day face, no matter how religious you are, no matter how good you are, someday you will face death and then face the maker of the universe.
How do you view Death? H
ow have you prepared for this eventuality? Do you face our mortality with confidence or with fear?
John Claypool shares this story in Leadership, Vol. 12, No.1 “Winston Churchill had planned his funeral, which took place in Saint Paul’s Cathedral. He included many of the great hymns of the church, and used the eloquent Anglican liturgy. At his direction, a bugler, positioned high in the dome of Saint Paul’s, intoned, after the benediction, the sound of Taps, the universal signal that says the day is over. But then came the most dramatic turn: As Churchill instructed, as soon as Taps was finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played the notes of Reveille – It’s time to get up. It’s time to get up. It’s time to get up in the morning. That was Churchill’s testimony that at the end of history, the last note will not be Taps; it will be Reveille”.
Churchill’s understanding is straight from the scripture. Paul writing in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 encourages us for our death. The key to these verses is found in the words, “I want you to know what will happen to Christians.” The word “Christian” is a descriptive word that is given to those who are obedient disciples of Jesus Christ.
For those who serve God it is not a matter of life ‘or’ death, it’s a matter of life and continuing life in a new location. Maybe it’s time to consider if you are ready for that day!
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
How Much Do You Need?
April 7, 2010
It’s amazing the things we ask for sometimes isn’t it? I know we tend to look at the kids and say, “that’s ridiculous, you need to be more realistic!” But what if God gave each of us exactly what we ask for?
Jim and Carolyn Wheeler shared this little story: During a trip from California to Indiana, it didn’t help that my connecting flight from Denver was delayed twice because of mechanical problems. Then, after we were aloft, I noticed the lights began flickering. I mentioned this to a flight attendant. “I’ll take care of it,” she said. Moments later the lights went out. Clearly she had solved the problem by turning off all the lights. A passenger across the aisle who had been watching me leaned over and said, “Whatever you do, please don’t ask about the engines.”
So, what if God granted us everything we asked for, would we be happy with the results? I can pretty much guarantee that we would be surprised at the results, because often we really don’t think through what we are asking of God. I remember a fictitious story from my youth about a young man who was killed in accident in which he was caught in some kind of equipment. Someone gave his grieving mother something magic that would bring him back to life. She used it and he did come back to life, but he came back screaming to die because of the pain from the way his body had been mangled in the accident. The loving mother hadn’t thought of that happening, all she wanted was her boy back with her again.
Jesus was in a tough sit
uation, (about to be killed) when He prayed to God the Father, “Not My will but Thy will be done” – Luke 22:42. Do you think perhaps He understood that God might have a better understanding of what we need than we do ourselves? Could it be that just perhaps we should adopt Jesus’ method of praying? Sure God wants us to ask Him for the things that are on our heart, the scripture clearly says, “you have not because you ask not” – James 4:2. But perhaps it’s time we start adding the words of Jesus to our prayer, (and really mean it) “Not My will but Thy will be done.”
May God bless you with all you need and with the ability to realize that it’s all you need!
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
Always Remembering Him
March 31, 2010
A preacher was telling the story about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to a group of children. He asked, “What did Jesus say when He came forth from the grave?” He was trying to make the point that He didn’t need to say anything that His wondrous miracle said more than words could ever say. A young lady however insisted that she knew what Jesus said. The preacher finally asked her to tell him what Jesus said. She smiled widely and said, “Ta Dah!”
Now I don’t know that Jesus actually said, if anything at all, but from a human standpoint I can imagine the excitement of just defying death and just perhaps Jesus doing something like that, (in part because I believe that Jesus had a human side as well as a sense of humor).
We are entering into a time of the year at which most of the religious world celebrates “Easter.” It might surprise some of you to know that our church doesn’t do that. I know that it is hard for you to imagine someone claiming to be a Christian and yet not celebrating this very special day. Yet for us, it is no different than any other Sunday.
You see, the Bible tells us to c
ome together the first day of each week to worship God. The early church did just that, Jesus told the early church to remember His death, burial and resurrection through the partaking of “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion” whenever they met that way, (Matthew 26:26-29). The early church is seen coming together on the first day of every week to “break bread” or to partake of the Lord’s Supper, (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 11:23-30; 16:1-2).
In other words, we don’t need one special Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the “Savior of the World.” We do it each and every “First day of the Week,” every “Sunday.” I know that some of you may ask the question, “Won’t doing that make it something that is no longer special? My answer is no, not at all, it is a continual reminder of the sacrifice Christ on our behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Cor. 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Not only His death, but His resurrection, because that is part of what the Gospel is all about, (I Cor. 15:1-4).
I don’t know about you, but remembering “The Great Ta Dah” every week is a great thing and a great comfort to me. My prayer is that you will see past the “display and circumstance” that so many heap upon this one special day of the year and understand that it is something you can participate in every Sunday with the same sense of awe. - MFTH
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
Are Your Eyes Open?
March 17, 2010
The following is a true story (though there are some questions about a few of the details). Back in 1893, there was a group of four sisters in Iowa. They called themselves the Cherry Sisters and made their stage debut in Cedar Rapids in a skit they wrote themselves. It was terrible. But, for three years, the Cherry Sisters performed to packed theaters throughout the Midwest. People came to see them to find out if they were as bad as they had heard! Their unbelievably atrocious acting enraged critics and provoked the audience to throw vegetables at the would-be actresses. Wisely, the sisters thought it best to travel with an iron screen which they would erect in front of the stage in self-defense.
Amazingly, in 1896 the girls were offered a thousand dollars a week to perform on Broadway — not because they were so good, but because they were so unbelievably bad. Seven years later, after the Cherry Sisters had earned what in that day was a respectable fortune of $200,000, they retired from the stage for the peaceful life back on the farm. Oddly enough, these successful Broadway “stars” remained convinced to the end that they were truly the most talented actresses ever to grace the American stage. They never had a clue as to how bad they truly were! They naively believed that the tossed vegetables were either unrestrained tributes to their talent or acts of jealousy by less talented people.
How could they be so blind? I find it all too easy to understand. The truth is, like everyone else, I am blind to many of my shortcomings. I fail to recognize that I have a problem with impatience or lack of compassion or pride. Don’t get me wrong — I have no trouble seeing those faults (and many more as well!) in the lives of people around me. I can readily see how sinful everyone else is. But even when people “toss vegetables” at me, I still insist there’s no problem with me.
Jesus had something t
o say about this to the Pharisees (and of course it’s easy for me to see how sinful THEY were!):
Matt. 7:3-4 “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
God, please open my eyes to those things in my life which displease You and keep me from being close to You and others around me. In my times of blindness, help me to see. In Jesus’ name, amen. -TFTD
God bless you all and have a great week,
Michael
