Take a moment to give thanks for the season we are in, remembering that life changes very quickly.
Labor Day marks the end of summer for most of us. The days are already getting shorter and the mornings are a little cooler. College football has started and at this point, even the schools up north are back in session. I hope you will take this day to take a breath and rest.
As we embark on a new season that includes crisp mornings and cooler nights, let’s give thanks for the summer as it slowly winds down. In a few weeks, leaves will be falling and God will treat us to the glorious show that is fall. We will carve pumpkins and go on hayrides and bask in a season that is usually very short.
But, for today, just breathe. Get outside and take a walk and appreciate all that is green. Enjoy the warmth, because a month from now, the landscape will look very different. The air will be different.
If you have the day off, spend some time with family or friends. Spend some time with God. This is the day that the Lord has made, make it count!
As humans, we often find our spiritual selves and our physical selves at odds with one another. Our physical selves really want ice cream every night for dessert. Our minds know it’s not good for us and can lead to obesity and eventually to diseases like diabetes. Our spiritual lives can suffer if we are constantly battling physical disease.
But, physical desires can be incredibly strong. Ask anyone who has tried to give up smoking. Ask and alcoholic who has tried to give up drinking.
There are many issues that face humanity that are close to impossible to handle with our physical will alone. Try forgiveness for something horrible that was done to you. Try forgiveness for a betrayal of some sort. How often have we heard it said, “I just couldn’t get past the lies told, the actions done, the infidelity, (you fill in the blank here.)”?
How often have we personally said things like, “I just couldn’t help myself,” when it comes to anything ranging from bad relationship choices, to impulse purchases, to having too much to drink at some get together?
Here’s the truth about humanity. “We can’t, but God can.” It seems so simple doesn’t it? It’s something I would highlight if I were reading it somewhere, but how often we forget.
Our physical bodies are weak. We can’t stop drinking, or stop smoking, or say no to dessert, or forgive the unforgivable, but God can. God has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide and help us. Yes, the Holy Spirit can physically help us. When we feel weak and that the right path is impossible, we can call out for help.
Jesus even acknowledged this when he told Peter, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41
When we pray and read the Bible, the Spirit gets energized. The impossible becomes impossible. Our faith, not our physical bodies can move mountains. “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt it in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:22-23
Our faith, not our bodies, can move those mountains which appear impossible for us to budge. This is the truth. The Bible says it is so. Â Whatever our physical weaknesses or struggles may be, no matter how big or small, we can choose to turn away from trying to conquer them physically. We can choose to turn towards the spiritual.
Because once we give it to God and we walk in His will, wearing His armor including the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we will win every time. All things are possible with God.
We simply have to acknowledge and embrace the spiritual. The choice is ours.
How can we make a kingdom impact if we withdraw from society?
Sometimes as Christians, we decide that we need to withdraw from a corrupt world gone bad. There are those who are convicted not to work for a company that doesn’t hold their values or to work with people who don’t know Jesus. There are parents who put their children in Christian schools because prayer is not allowed in public schools.
First of all, God calls us all in different ways onto different paths. When we prayerfully give our concerns to God and we feel led to leave a job or convicted to pull our kids from a school, then we should definitely do that. He has plans for us and our children that we can’t possibly know or understand.
But, for many of us, the secular world at large, is the place for us to be the face of Jesus, the place to let his light shine through us.
A workplace where we find ourselves to be the only Christian, may not be pleasant or comfortable, but it may be where we are called to be. We may be the only Christian some of our co-workers have encountered or perhaps the ones they may have encountered previously, didn’t leave a good impression. We may have the opportunity to present a different face on Christianity to those who desperately need it.
We have to remember that God didn’t call Jonah to go to a place where believers would welcome him. Nope, He called Jonah to a place that was Godless. Paul often found himself in enemy territory when he was sharing the Gospel as well.
Jesus once said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32
Most of us are not called to be Billy Graham or some great evangelist, but we are all called to share the love of Jesus in some unique way. We don’t have to quote scripture to share Jesus. It’s our actions that make the biggest impact. How do we treat others? How do we react to adversity? How do we react when we are mistreated? How do we react when we have been blessed? Is there a peace and joy that set us apart? What makes us different?
How can we share any of these truths if we withdraw from what we consider to be secular? If we withdraw from society, how can we make a difference? How can we make a kingdom impact? If the Christians leave, who wins?
We are not called to try to save the entire world. Only Jesus can do that. But, we are called to be a living witness to those who cross our paths, wherever those paths may lead. Sometimes I need a reminder.
The tall grass in our lives can needlessly frighten us. Peace is a choice.
When I walk in my neighborhood, there’s a stretch of road with grass that rarely gets mowed. There’s no way around that area. I simply have to walk by it to get home, wondering the entire time what scary creatures may be lurking in it. I have no trouble picturing a rattle snake coiled up, just waiting to strike as I walk by. Grant it, I’ve never seen one there, but I worry just the same.
I usually choose that little stretch to run. The faster I can get past it, the better. On rare occasions, a car will come flying over the hill and I’m forced to actually walk in that tall grass. If it’s a choice between being hit by a car and the unknown, I’ll take the unknown. But, at that point, my heart rate rises all on its own, no running required, and I get out of the grass as quickly as possible.
We don’t like to walk in areas where we can’t see. Part of that fear of the unknown is justified. It keeps us safe. But, part of it is our need to control our circumstances. The unknown can be unsettling and down right terrifying.
Yesterday, when I took my walk, one of my neighbors was walking his dog in the tall grass. Can you imagine? I told him that I stay out of that grass because of what might be there. He laughed and asked me how many snakes we had seen around our house. I admitted, very few. He said the ones they had seen were king snakes, which are non-poisonous, good snakes. I laughed when I realized that king snakes were the only snakes we’ve seen this year as well.
We chatted a few minutes and I walked on, but I pondered that conversation as I went.
Life sometimes puts us in the tall grass. We are sometimes put into situations and circumstances where we simply can’t see what we’re up against. Whether it’s test results, finances, job loss, relationship worries, family problems or anything else beyond our control, we fear what we don’t know. We fear what we can’t control.
Sometimes God calls us out into the tall grass. It may be a call to participate in or lead a new ministry. It may be some kind of mission opportunity. It may be financial. Whatever it is, if He calls us, He has us covered. He can handle the poisonous snakes.
Whatever our tall grass looks like at the moment, be it spiritual or physical, we can all take comfort in knowing we never walk alone when we walk with Jesus. He said, “I have told you these things, so in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
We are called to have peace of mind and peace in our hearts, no matter the circumstances. We are loved and cherished and God has us covered, no matter what the tall grass looks like.
God still seeks to use us to do glorious things. Are we willing?
Daniel and the Lion’s Den is probably one of the most well known stories in the Bible. It has all of the elements of a made for Hollywood movie. There’s a Godly man minding his own business, trying to live a good life, who has an incredibly strong character. There are jealous antagonists who plot against him. They use his righteousness not only to try to remove him from power, but to kill him in a horrible way.
The bad guys seem to win when Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den. But, then good wins, when he comes out miraculously, without a scratch. In a manner of true justice, the bad guys are then tossed into the same lion’s den where they are devoured immediately. Roll the credits.
Isn’t that the perfect Hollywood story? Of course the famously secular Hollywood would have left out the true meat of the story. Hollywood would gloss over the God part. They might refer to God ever so lightly, as a higher power of some sort. Daniel would be characterized as a good guy, not a Godly one. They would see no need to bring God into the scenario.
They would miss the entire point of the story. Daniel wasn’t saved by some unknown mystical force. He was saved by God.
By the time Daniel faced the lion’s den, he had lived through Nebuchadnezzar’s reign where his death was imminent if he couldn’t interpret the king’s dreams. He and his friends prayed and God delivered them. He had already witnessed Sharach’s, Meshach’s and Abednego’s miraculous deliverance from the fiery furnace. He had seen God strike King Belshazzar dead, for drinking out of cups stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem and praising idols in the process.
Through all of these trials, Daniel remained steadfast in his faith and God rewarded him time and time again. Most scholars believe that Daniel was in his eighties by the time the lion’s den presented itself. This was just one more way for God to use a willing Daniel to show His power and protection of those who love and worship Him.
This story is not so much about Daniel or the lions, but about the God who stands by those who remain faithful. Daniel had been growing his faith for many years. He wasn’t a new convert.
Our calling today is really not that much different from Daniel’s. God still seeks to do the miraculous through us, but like Daniel, we must grow our faith over time, through Bible study, prayer, and worship with other faithful followers.
We all face lions of some sort. They can range from doubts, to debt, to sickness, to relationship issues and anything in between. God can still shut their mouths just as He did for Daniel. We all have the ability to grow that kind of faith, the kind that changes the hearts and minds of all of those who hear our stories or cross our paths.
The question is if we are willing to make the effort to grow it. Are we willing to be the vessels for our glorious God or are we content to do the Hollywood version and gloss over Him? The choice is ours.
As long as we are living, we can all do something to help someone else.
In 1938, a teenager named George Weidenfeld, was rescued from Vienna, Austria, right before the start of World War II. He and many other Jewish children were saved by English Quakers. They were taken to safety in England. At the time, most of the Western World was looking the other way as the Jews were being rounded up and massacred for their faith.
Young George was blessed in his new country. He became a publisher and eventually a millionaire. He was knighted in 1969 and became Lord George Weidenfeld. He is now 95 years old. The years have been good to him and he’s still in very good health. He could easily retire and enjoy his wealth.
I mean, he’s 95. He’s worked hard. He’s survived tragedy. What can he do at this point? What indeed?
Sir Weidenfeld has taken it upon himself to set up the Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund to rescue persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq. His goal is to rescue 2,000 families. He says he feels he has a debt to repay to the Christians who rescued him and so many others from the Nazis.
He’s particularly inspired by the English stockbroker, Sir Nicholas Winston who helped to organize the Kindertransport Program which rescued nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland prior to World War II. He recently died at the age of 105.
It’s now 2015 and another war rages on. It’s been 70 years since World War II ended and another massacre is in play. This time Christians are being killed for their faith all over the Middle East, and the Western World has once again, looked the other way.
In mid-July, Weidenfeld’s group provided transport for 150 Syrian Christians to safety in Poland where they will continue to provide support for up to eighteen months, to get them resettled somewhere safe.
It doesn’t seem like much when we consider that 230,000 have already been killed in the ongoing civil war in Syria. But, it’s something. The Jewish faith, like the Christian faith, teaches that every life matters to God. Every soul matters to God.
Weidenfeld knows that he can’t save the world, but he can do something. Most Western governments, including the United States, have refused to help him in his efforts because he is only rescuing Christians and not Muslims who are under fire.
His response is that the Muslim countries in the region are not without resources. They have the ability to help their fellow Muslims. The Christians, however, are completely without protection. He feels he is answering a calling.
Was Weidenfeld saved all those years ago for just this moment to help these Christians escape to safety? It’s impossible to say.
But, we can say that God does have a plan and that there is always hope when we put our trust in Him and maybe it’s equally as important to remember, that as long as we are breathing, there is work to do. If you are reading this, you are not done yet.
I can tell that fall is coming soon because the mornings have started to get cooler. The humidity is starting to get lower and there are spider webs everywhere. Spiders get really busy in the fall and their webs are abundant.
I’ve learned to make peace with the eight-legged creatures over the years. I’ve even gone out of my way not to disturb them when they decide to take up residence in my garden. However, there are few things that I find creepier than walking through one of their webs.
They have a tendency to stick to my hair and clothes and of course I totally freak out, not knowing where the spider itself is. Let’s face it, some spiders are poisonous and can be dangerous.
I tried desperately to capture the above web with my camera a couple of days ago. I could see it, but I couldn’t make my camera see it. I tried several angles, from a safe distance of course. But, I eventually gave up.
Then yesterday, I saw it gleaming in the light and dashed out for a photo. Then the truth struck me. It’s all about the light. In order to see that web on camera, it needed to have a certain amount of light hit it. To see it period, it needed to have a certain amount of light to hit it.
If it were dark, I would walk right through that web and well, you know, freak out.
I thought about the light and the web as I was scrolling through the photos, and how God’s light is a guide to keep us from walking through pesky webs that life might throw at us.
The Bible tells us, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
That means when we are walking with God, not only are we following the light, but we are also supposed to shine our own light. How do we do that?
First of all, we have to spend some time reading His word. If we want God’s light and truth to shine upon life’s troubles and issues, we have to learn what He says about life’s troubles and issues. The Bible is the only place we can truly find those answers.
Next, we add in prayer and time with other Christians.
Finally, we use those answers as a light to guide us around and away from sticky webs. Along the way, we can take others with us, helping to guide them.
That’s how the light works. God shares with us and we share with others, but we have to seek the light. He won’t hit us over the head with it.
The choice is ours. Do we seek the light or do we take our chances with spider webs in the darkness?
Caterpillars are dull and unremarkable, but we know that it’s just for a season.
I have seen caterpillars everywhere lately. It seems like wherever I walk, I have to be careful not to step on one. My daughter even announced to me yesterday, that she had saved one that was crawling in the garage. That’s a huge step for her because she really hates worms. But, she knows that a caterpillar is much more than a worm and she has a special love for butterflies.
Don’t we all? Most butterflies are so beautiful that they look like God hand painted them. However, no butterfly was ever born a butterfly. Nope, they all start out as lowly, unremarkable worms, crawling around on the ground, completely unaware of the breathtaking potential that they carry within them.
I think we all are like caterpillars at one time or another, just slogging along in our drab and unremarkable way. Thankfully, Jesus can see the butterfly within, even when we can’t. He saw the butterfly in Peter even though he would deny him. He saw the butterfly in Mary Magdalene even though she was possessed by demons. He saw the butterfly in Levi, the lowly tax collector and he sees the butterfly in me and you.
When we take our focus off of ourselves and our own day-to-day trials and put it on Jesus, something amazing happens. We realize that we are loved, cherished and created for a purpose. We realize like the butterfly, that we are beautiful and one of a kind, because God made us and He doesn’t make mistakes.
Following Jesus, gives us wings.
When we stay focused on Jesus, we feel like we can fly and that all things are possible. But, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we get off track. We let our noisy world drown out the truth and we go back to being a caterpillar. But, here’s the beautiful truth about following Jesus: We can go back to being a butterfly if we choose to.
Jesus always welcomes us back with open arms and his transforming love will change us back into something beautiful.
If we ever find ourselves in a caterpillar season, we need to remember that Jesus wants more for us than we are willing to settle for and that we are loved beyond measure, even enough to die for. That’s how much we matter to him.
He wants us to put on those beautiful wings and fly around and share that truth with all of those caterpillars who desperately need to hear it. What do you say? Are you tired of crawling? Are you ready to fly? Jesus is waiting.
God can use anyone to serve His purposes. We only need to trust and obey.
I’ve been participating in an online Bible study on the Book of Daniel. It’s fascinating stuff. It’s the stories I remember as a child, displayed on that black felt board, about fiery furnaces and lion’s dens, but when I read it as an adult, it means so much more.
I’m in chapter three and King Nebuchadnezzar has built a golden statue that he says everyone has to bow down to whenever they hear any type of music from horns, flutes, harps, etc.. This guy was clearly an egomaniac. He seriously wanted everyone in his kingdom to stop whatever they were doing anytime they heard music, to worship his image.
What’s even more ridiculous, is that in the chapter before, he had proclaimed Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s God, the God of all gods. He seemed to have forgotten that proclamation fairly quickly, but isn’t that often the case when someone is given absolute power? They forget promises they made to get where they are, whenever it’s convenient.
But, here’s what screams at me about this story: God can use the enemies of His people to prove His love and faithfulness to those who love and obey Him.
In the previous chapter, the same king had a dream no one could interpret. The same narcissistic king was going to kill all of the wise men in his kingdom including Daniel and friends. Daniel respectfully asked the king for some time and he and his friends prayed. God gave Daniel the answers that saved him and his friends and elevated them in the king’s court.
A little while later, when the three friends are ruling the provinces that the king put them in charge of, he comes up with the golden statue law. The friends refused to bow. I suspect it was tempting. They were fairly high on the totem pole at that point. Why rock the boat?
They knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God had put them where they were. They had been true to their faith from day one. They weren’t about to cave. But, I love what they told the raging king when they were brought in for judgement.
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
God, of course, used this egomaniac king to show His power and rescued all three from the fire without a hair singed. I imagine as they were being tossed into that fire, that they were wondering if God had abandoned them. If they prayed for deliverance, I doubt seriously, it could have been in the way that God provided. But, oh how God provided.
He had a plan all along. He rewarded their faithfulness and who knows how many spectators became believers as well, because of their obedience?
I think it’s so important to remember that God is always listening. He’s in control. He can use the worst of humanity for His purposes if He chooses. I can think of some pretty awful world leaders right this very moment. I’ll bet you can too.
All we need to remember is that we are loved by the Almighty God and if we are faithful and obedient, He will save us, maybe not in the manner we expect, but in one way or another, just like Daniel and his friends.
It’s impossible for one shingle to keep out the rain on its own.
I learned a fair amount about roofing on my Salkehatchie summer mission trip. I learned that shingles are heavy. I learned that you can’t walk on them when they get hot because it shortens the life of them. I learned to wear gloves when handling them because you will get pieces of fiberglass in your fingers that become painful later.
But, probably the most important lesson, was that a shingle only does its job when it is in unity with other shingles. There’s a black tar line that runs along the center of a shingle. It must line up with the ones on either side or the roof will eventually leak.
They have to work together to keep the inhabitants of the home warm and dry. If just one shingle is in the wrong place, the roof can leak. Leaks lead to all kinds of problems from mold, to wet ceilings, to eventual ceiling collapse, if the roof isn’t repaired.
I was reminded of the importance of shingles working together, at a team meeting at church last night. We are desperately trying to build communication between all of our church committees, so that we can all work together and grow together in unity, and avoid any leaks which happen when we get out of unity with each other and with God.
It’s a lot trickier with humanity than with shingles. Inanimate objects stay in a nice straight line once they are nailed down. But, people, well, we are all over the place. We are broken and we tend to take our focus off of God and place it on ourselves. That leads to all kinds of leaks and problems.
It has been said that churches are the most peaceful and wonderful places ever, until you put people in them. Yet, that’s what Jesus has called us to do. He’s called us to come together as a family and create a solid line, like those shingles, and call as many people as humanly possible, to join with us and build his kingdom.
Knowing that we have an enemy who would love to see us fail in our mission, has made all of our church members pray constantly for guidance and unity. We know that when you are in a war, you really should expect some resistance.
But, I wonder what our world would look like if all Christians came together and prayed for guidance and unity. What if we all used the Bible as our straight line and prayer as the nails, and joined together? I think we would be impenetrable to anything and everything that comes against us.
When the shingles are nailed together, the people in the house, stay dry during storms.
Maybe we could learn a lesson from shingles. Maybe it’s time for more unity among all Christians. If we all worked together, who knows what the outcome would be? I imagine it would be spectacular.
