How the Mighty are Fallen!

One day I'm feeling fine - able to work and play and plan. The next day I am achy and whiny and grouchy and tired - barely able to get out of my own way. What is it?

The common cold... a sinus infection... a runny nose... sinus headache... fever... and I'm done for.
How can a microscopic organism knock the stuffing out of a complex, intelligent being like me? My eyes are watering. My nose is threatening to drip. My sneezing is a wind shear danger to low flying aircraft.

Ow! I'm ready to be better now! Ow!

Ministry Mysteries

(Romans 11:33-36) ¶ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 ¶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

I preach for a living, and I love it. It is a wonderful blessing to have spent so many years in the ministry of the word of God. It is truly a growth industry because you have to grow to keep on going in it. Every day I learn more and realize how much more there is yet to learn. Every week I look forward to the next Sunday and realize it will be a miracle if I come up with the messages and lessons I need for the following week. Each week I pray that the ministry of the word of God will make an impact in the lives of the people God puts in my way.

Praise God for another Sunday of ministry behind me! Now I pray that God will gear me up for the week of ministry ahead!

I freely confess that in myself I am incompetent and impotent to come up with messages. But praise the omnipotent God that He is sufficient! I will spend some time looking at a blank page - but He will guide my thoughts and give me the understanding I need in the end.

Praise the Lord! What an exciting way to live!

Our Debt Of Love

(Romans 13:8-10) Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

We are to pay our debts - not to leave them outstanding. But one debt will never be retired. We always have a debt of love for others.

This is not to say that people are particularly lovable. It is not something they deserve because of their love for us - because we are also to love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)

Our love for others is like God's love for us.

(Romans 5:8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(1John 3:16) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Our love for others is based on our love for God.

(Deuteronomy 6:5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Human beings are made in the image of God. While that image is obscured by sin, it is still there. We love God in godly love for other people. When we don't love other people, we don't love God either.

(1John 4:7-9) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

So we have a debt of love to other people. To see them. To listen to them. To care about them. To help them. To forgive them. To serve them. To bless them.

(1John 3:18) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth

Merry Christmas - Peace on Earth

"At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven, no hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

My daughter clipped the above paragraph from a news article. As I understand it, this is on a sign posted next to a manger scene in a public square. Evidently the open minded souls of the American Atheists want to wish us a Merry Christmas!

Why it is reasonable to believe that there is no God is never explained. There is, after all, a creation. Why not a Creator? There is life. Why no living Source of life? Humans are moral creatures who make laws. Why is it reasonable to think there is no Lawgiver greater than man?

Oh, well! So let them go ahead and prove that their claims are true. (Is it possible to prove a negative?)

What would God have to do to prove His existence to their satisfaction? What if He created a wonderful complex universe and created man in His image? What if He sent prophets and provided them with written revelation of Himself? What if He sent His eternal Son to become a man so that He could provide salvation?

"Religion is but myth and superstition..." Does that include the religion of atheism or only other religions?

Religion "...hardens hearts and enslaves minds?" How so? It is easily proven that many people have been freed from slavery to alcohol, drugs, sexual depravity, and other "vices" through faith in Jesus Christ as God. Have you ever heard of even one person delivered from anything (other than restraint) by coming to believe in atheism?

Many people do nice things like feed the hungry, help the homeless and work for peace in the name of Christianity. The best an atheist can do is say, "In spite of the fact that I don't believe in God, I will be civil." The worst an atheist can do has been displayed by Hitler, Stalin, Mao and their henchmen.

Jesus came to make a way of salvation for men - to offer peace with God to all who will believe.

(Romans 1:18-22) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Messy Lives

Pastor Lynn Einfeldt used to say, "There are so many pitfalls between the cradle and the grave, it's a wonder we can make it."

Life is messy. Everyday we are confronted with daunting challenges. There are difficult decisions to make. There are financial problems. There are unexpected illnesses. People have problems at home and problems at work. People have interpersonal problems and personal problems.

Life is messy enough that you might even cringe with apprehension whenever you think that just for this moment everything is going well.

We would like to iron out our lives and make them problem free, but that is not really an option. So what can we do?

The answer is faith in God. We have no control - but God is infinite, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He reassures us that there is no hole we can fall in that can keep Him from blessing us. We cannot see the pattern of God's plan, but He assures us of His love and His blessing.

Trust in God. Praise Him even in the messiness of life. Every difficulty is another opportunity to seek God's work in your life.

(Romans 8:28-39) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

More laundry thoughts

When I was writing about folding clothes, it made me think of Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

That night the disciples were still anticipating that the kingdom would come soon and they argued about which of them would be the greatest. (Luke 22:24) They couldn't imagine that any of them would betray Jesus. (Luke 22:23) Peter was bragging that he would never deny Jesus, even if it meant death. (Mark 14:29-31)

So Jesus gives them this new paradigm. The Greatest is the servant - so serving is the greatest!

(Luke 22:25-27) And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’
26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.
27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

As human beings we are often concerned about our own dignity, power and authority. We want people to know that we are important. We like to be treated with deference.

Jesus washed the feet of all of the disciples - including the toes of Judas Iscariot. Then He said,

(John 13:13-16) You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

The Christian mandate is love and that love is demonstrated in service. We are not greater than our Master, Jesus. If He laid down His life for us, we should lay down our lives for each other. (1John 3:16) How much more should we fold each others' socks?

Laundry Lesson

We share the laundry responsibility at our house. Saturday is our usual laundry day and we share the duties - gathering, sorting, switching, and folding laundry. Even so, I think we all try to get out of folding the whites load of tube socks and underwear.

Folding the whites load is unexpected.

What ten year old ever dreamed he would one day be folding underwear? This isn't a Hanes commercial. This is real life where the underwear shows its age. Elastic is stretched and frayed. Some things are torn or stained. Some whites are whiter than others. Some socks have holes. Ten year olds worry about cooties - but adults need to get over it.

Folding the whites load is tedious.

There is some mystery in matching socks. There is some drama in fighting the static to get T-shirts folded straight. Getting things turned right side out can be frustrating. Putting things neatly into each person's laundry basket brings some satisfaction. But no one cheers you on... There is only the hum of the dryer and the slosh of the washer to keep you company while you fold.

Folding the whites load requires love.

We do these tedious things because we love each other. Only the most hopelessly obsessive would do laundry just for fun. We do it because it needs to be done. We do it because it is a service of love. We take care of it because it benefits our dear ones - and brings us joy in making sure they are not surprised by it.

Happy folding.