Flow, River, Flow

John 7:38-39 (NIV) ³⁸  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

            When I was a boy a friend and I would spend many summer days exploring the area in which we lived in East Auburn, Maine. There were lots of woods and hills and a lake close by. It was a terrific place to grow up for boys who liked fun, adventure, and exploring. About a mile from my house we could make our way through a hay field off of a small back road out to the Androscoggin River. The Androscoggin is a good-sized river in southern Maine that flows into the Kennebec before it comes out to the ocean through Bath. Far out at the other end of the hay field was a small hill that overlooked the river – or should I say, the dam.

Gulf Island Dam is one of the larger dams and hydroelectric projects in Maine. It was completed around 1927 and spans the river about 4 miles north of the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn. On the Lewiston side there are access roads and traffic in an out. On the Auburn side there are only trees, a hill, and hay fields… and a fence to keep people from getting too close to the dam. My friend and I would approach the fence and then walk along it down the hill to a huge rock ledge that served as an overlook below the dam. We were also below the height of the dam and had to look up to the top of it. Years before iron bars had been put in place on that rock ledge, suggesting that it was once a formal kind of location for viewing. It’s a great spot.

Now dams are interesting to look at, but when no water is flowing through the gates at the top of the dam it’s hard to stay interested for very long. We could always tell long before we got to the overlook if gates were open or not. The roar of flowing water was intense enough to cover a fair distance. And when you combined it with the sight of millions of gallons of water crashing down on the rocks below, it was pretty impressive. And if water levels were extremely high due to heavy rains, what a show it all put on.

The power of flowing water attracts us - so much so that we build places of safe observation so that they may be enjoyed more fully. Water in Acadia in spring makes a beautiful sound and a beautiful sight. There is a place fairly high up on the Cadillac Mountain auto road where water flow is especially striking over some ledges. The flow of heavy surf crashing on rocks mesmerizes people all up and down the coast of Maine. Great canyons show panoramas of beauty that flowing water has carved out through the centuries. Letchworth Park in upstate New York was a favorite of Joanne’s and mine when we were at college at Houghton. The north-flowing Genesee River had many beautiful, large waterfalls to enjoy. But especially thrilling are the great waterfalls, like Niagara Falls. Even though the flow of water is greatly reduced from what it once was, when you lay your eyes on it for the first time, it is difficult not to be impressed. I am really happy God that created waterfalls and I try to remember to praise Him for their beauty whenever I am around one.

Jesus spoke of another kind of water flow that is even more impressive. Streams of living water will be the natural and normal outcome in the life of the person who believes on Christ. Not literal flowing water, but a flow coming from the presence of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would give to all who place their trust and hope in Him. We learn in Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Imagine your life with a “Niagara Falls” of these flowing in you. May God open up the gates in our lives so that this fruit may overflow and impact our relationships with God and with one another. God hasn’t designed this to be a small, quiet flow, but a great flow that crashes and roars with the beauty of the presence of His Spirit and attracts others to Christ.

Psalm 78:14-16 (NIV) ¹⁴  He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. ¹⁵  He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; ¹⁶  he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

Revelation 22:1-5 (NIV) ¹  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²  down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

PRAYER:  Flow, river, flow. Fill me with your Spirit. May his fruit in me be abundant. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Happy Endings

Revelation 22:3-5 (NIV) ³  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

            On Sunday night Joanne and I watched the series finale of Downton Abbey. This television program which originates in England ran for six seasons here in the U.S. and gained a large following of fans. One theater in Portland hosted a community viewing of that last episode. Things like this happened in many communities. Fans everywhere could not get enough of the show. PBS used the occasion to garner financial support. After the program concluded one of the PBS hosts was just glowing with delight at how “satisfying” a conclusion the episode was. I think she felt that because virtually every circumstance and relationship of the show’s characters ended up experiencing a happy ending. I remember thinking as I was watching, “This is all a little bit too good to be true, isn’t it?” Of course, with fiction you can write it and make it happen any way you want.

            The world cannot guarantee us happy endings in real life. In fact, life surrounds us with all kinds of injustice, evil, sadness, brokenness, and death. Words like cancer, nuclear, warming, etc., trend our thinking toward unhappy endings for our lives and even the world. Doom and gloom overhang us and keep us from the comfort of the happy endings we long for. In fact, some consider anything that ends happily to be confined to fiction and fantasy. When things are “too good to be true” we may tend expect that it cannot last, or that we do not deserve it. Real life in the real world doesn’t happen that way, we may think. Perhaps we aren’t far from where Solomon was as he wrote the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes. He begins with "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (1:2), and goes downhill from there. But if you stay with the book of Ecclesiastes you will find a happy ending: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (12:13-14). Now that might not sound too happy to you. But it seems to me that any ending with God in control is a happy ending.

            The Scriptures reveal to us a God who writes the last chapter, and at the end of all things He will establish complete and perfect justice. All injustice will be judged and/or “made straight”. At the end of all things God will overcome all evil and all impact of evil in the universe. At the end of all things God will destroy death and all of the despair that accompanies it. God will put an end to all things that cause hopelessness. All of our hopes in Christ will be fulfilled. There will be no such thing as pain, and all sorrow will be healed. How is all that for a happy ending? And it is not “pure fantasy”. This is the real promise of the Word of God. What a future awaits us in Christ! What joys will result from knowing and walking with Him!

            And here is really good news: The foundation for such a “happy ending” future has already been established. It would be easy to accuse Christians of a “pie in the sky when I die” mentality… if it were not for the cross. When Christ entered this world, the beginning of the end was written. When Christ went to the cross and when He rose again, everything that awaits the people of God was sealed for eternity. The Gospel promises that God will make all things right because the work of Christ on the cross was sufficient to do so. The power of the cross undoes sin. It heals all that is unwell in us and in the universe.

            Are you looking for a true “happy ending” to all the problems and troubles of life? Then look to the cross and to Him who gave His life for you upon it. See there the Gospel of God’s love and grace and put your hope in Christ alone. You will not be disappointed, even though your world may be full of adversity now. We have victory in Jesus and true peace in the midst of hardship. God is faithful and He is good.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV) ¹⁷  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV) ¹  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ⁵  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

PRAYER:  My hope is in You Lord. Thank you for all that is ahead of me in Christ. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Timing is Everything

Galatians 4:4-5 (KJV) ⁴  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, ⁵  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

            “Timing is everything.”

            You’ve said or thought that before. You’ve certainly experienced it. I experience it regularly. Last week, for instance, I needed to have some bloodwork done after a doctor’s appointment a few days before. I decided to walk early in the morning and stop by the hospital as a part of my walk. I like to go early for things like that because the lab at the hospital isn’t usually as busy. As I was rounding the corner toward the entrance of the hospital I noticed a man who had gotten out of his car and was also headed to the entrance. He literally entered the building two seconds in front of me. Then he entered the registration area right in front of me. I missed it by… “that much”. Of course I had to wait for my turn to register. Then I had to wait for my turn in the lab because it just so happened that he was there for the same reason I was. He didn’t know me and I did not know him. He did not do anything wrong. But I was annoyed with him. What I originally thought might take about ten minutes in all, ended up being about 30-35 minutes. I had no right to be annoyed with him. He was there just like me. He just happened to be there two seconds before I was. “Snooze you lose,” right? It was just one of those things that happened in a certain way. Those things lead to the “if only’s” of thinking: I could have left earlier or walked faster and I would have arrived sooner and wouldn’t have to have waited. I find that is an unproductive way of thinking, and can even be unhealthy if/when we dwell on things and if our emotions are unchecked. “If only’s” have rarely don me any good.

            If you’ve ever waited to pull out behind another driver who ends up being an extremely slow driver, you are probably familiar with the “timing is everything” experience. The further you have to drive the more you wish you had pulled out in front of this driver, or that you could have gotten out ahead of him. And then you start a thought or a statement with, “If only…”

            Timing is everything in a manner of speaking. We want to be so in control of it, however, that the situations I have described and others like them can be quite bothersome and troubling. I know people who are tightly wound about time issues and are as precise and perfectionistic as a person can be. I know others who don’t even wear a watch. And then there are others who are rarely on time to anything they are obligated to. They live in a state of perpetual lateness (according to my timeframe). So, we all live someplace on the spectrum between totally tight and totally relaxed. I find it’s better for me (physically and emotionally) to use time wisely but to avoid being its victim. Perhaps I will learn someday about many hurts and dangers I actually missed because my schedule was impacted by another person (positively or negatively). Certainly the ways of God are beyond my comprehension, because the same questions can be asked about the hurts and dangers we do experience. I believe that ultimately those questions are unanswerable for us, but that God will make all things clear when we are in His presence someday. In the meantime I will leave those things in the category of the “secret things” that belong to God.

            I do know this: God has never had a problem with timing. There has never been a second of time in the history universe that has been out of order or out of place for Him. He created time as a part of His original work of Creation. And because He knows and does all things well, I can safely offer my time and my attitudes about it to Him. I can trust Him to act always at just the right time in just the right way as I wait on Him from day to day.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)  The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

PRAYER:  In your time… in your time. You make all things beautiful, in your time. Lord please show me every day, as you’re teaching me your way, that you do just what you say, in your time. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Tomorrow is Guaranteed to No One

Psalm 90:12 (NIV)  Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

            I was thinking recently about how much of life is spent planning for the future. And we do it so confidently, as if it is guaranteed. I certainly am not against planning for the days ahead. I actually think it is wise. But what I think is unwise is the presumption that tomorrow is guaranteed. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

            This year Joanne and I hope to spend some time with our daughter and her family. We would like to visit our son and his girlfriend in Florida. We hope to take a trip in September with two of her siblings and their spouses. We’ve already booked flights and lodging and car rentals. You have to plan ahead for these things. Want good tickets to a game or a concert or an event? Typically you’ve got to get them early. Otherwise they’ll be gone or they’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Got kids you hope will go to college or on to some other kind of post-high school education? You feel a need to start saving so you can help them. Right now I am at an age where I am starting to think about retirement. It’s not all that far away. A financial advisor would say to me… “If you’re just starting now, you’re too late.” Fortunately, I did start thinking about it when I was in my twenties, and hopefully I will be better prepared when I get there… if I get there. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to me.

            So wisdom teaches us to prepare for tomorrow while at the same time recognizing that tomorrow may never come for us. But does that make sense? It makes great sense. It makes the best sense. Anything else is simply foolishness. Have you ever read a newspaper and noticed obituaries around the holidays? When I was younger I had such an idealized idea about Christmas that it was unthinkable to me that someone might actually die on Christmas Day. That had to be wrong. That just couldn’t happen. But it does happen – every year - year after year. It is unrealistic to live a life that forgets that tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

            One area of life in which this truth is critical is in the area of relationships. How many problems in relationships exist because people thought there would be a tomorrow to deal with them? How much unfinished business exists between fathers and their sons, between siblings, between husbands and wives, between in-laws, between neighbors, between _________. Wherever there is a relationship, today is the day to deal with it. Today is the day to do all that we can to make it healthy and vibrant. We can presume all we want about future opportunities to solve problems, but tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Procrastination is all about putting off until tomorrow what we could or should do today. But relationships are too precious to put off until tomorrow. Personally, I’ve seen a lot of suffering in people’s lives because tomorrow came, and it ended up being too late. I like what Frodo’s friend Sam says in The Lord of the Rings… “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” Today is the day to do all that we can to be right in every relationship we have.

            No, it’s not wrong to have dreams and hopes and desires for the future. It’s not wrong to make plans. Yet these things must always be held in our hearts with the knowledge that Christ, and none other, is Lord of tomorrow. Therefore, knowing His will and living in it today is our highest priority. Do you have any unfinished business? Are you putting off anything that God requires or expects of you – including a relationship with Him – until a “better” time? Have you placed everyone you love in the Lord’s hands, and are you willing for His will to be done in their lives? Have you trashed your worries about tomorrow and learned to trust them to Christ?

            The only tomorrow that is guaranteed comes from God to the person who has believed on His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the only person in this world who truly has a hope and a future. Without Christ, tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. So… make plans, but do not put your confidence in them. Be confident in the Lord. So… dream big, but let your surrender and submission to God’s will be bigger. And when it comes to those you care about, treasure them today. Be right with them now, for tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

Romans 12:18 (NIV)  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Luke 12:16-21 (NIV) ¹⁶  And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷  He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' ¹⁸  "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹  And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' ²⁰  "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' ²¹  "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Proverbs 27:1 (NIV)  Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

PRAYER:  Lord, let me fully trust you for tomorrow and let me live faithfully and confidently today in Christ. May I seek first your kingdom and your will. May I have grace – a grace learned firsthand from your love for me – for those in my life. My hope is in you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

What Makes Us Clean Before God

Genesis 8:20 (NIV)  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.

            Currently in my Bible reading I am in Leviticus. Leviticus is not typically at the top of the list of inspirational reading in the minds of most Christians. But God has included this book of Moses in His Word. Therefore it is a blessing to any reader who loves Jesus Christ. So far the book has been all about various ceremonial states of cleanness and uncleanness. Today I read about what was appropriate for the Israelites to eat and what they had to avoid. I found myself questioning why or how God would allow one “class” of foods and not another (one species of animal, bird, fish, or insect, and not another)… just wondering how He decided the differences. After all, He created it all and declared it all good at the time of creation. Perhaps it had something to do with what would be most healthful and practical for them on their transitional journey to Canaan and beyond to when they had settled there.

            When God used Noah to preserve humanity and animals from the flood, Noah was directed to board two of every species onto the ark, except for “clean” animals. There were to be seven pairs of these. Why was that? When sin entered the world, a process of atonement for sin was established by God which involved the death of an animal as a substitution for the person who had sinned against God. God showed grace to human beings in this manner. But the process is a reminder of the seriousness of sin, which always has a cost, and the response of a holy God toward sin. All sin produces death. By grace God allows the blood of a substitute to work in the sinner’s favor. This history of Noah’s time would have been known by Moses and taught to the people. For after the flood subsided and Noah and his family could go out, the first thing Noah did was to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. For this only clean animals would do. This is likely why more clean animals were brought onto the ark.

            There is an association between clean animals and sacrifice in the Old Testament. It is not just about clean animals and what may be eaten. God’s people were set apart to worship Him. And God arranged for particular animals to be set apart for this worship. “Clean” animals were a reminder to them of this separation unto God. Every time they ate, and every time they sacrificed they would be reminded that they were set apart to God, so even just in the eating they could worship and acknowledge Him.

            In the New Testament we learn that people are no longer judged according to the food they eat. In the new Kingdom Christ comes and He Himself is the full and final atoning sacrifice for sin. God’s own Son ends the need for any other kind of substitute, for He Himself is THE substitute for our sin. On the cross as His blood is being shed, our sin is being punished in Him. At the same time, His righteousness (His “cleanness” before God) is being given to us. In this gospel God works what we call our salvation from sin and death to eternal life. This gospel of God’s grace is received by faith, and through it God transforms our lives. Nothing more than the blood of Jesus – the ultimate sacrifice – is necessary. Nothing less will work to meet our need before a holy God. Nothing else can bring us into relationship with God. The cross of Jesus Christ alone is our hope. I pray that your trust is in Him alone today.

Mark 7:17-19 (NIV) ¹⁷  After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸  "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? ¹⁹  For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Isaiah 53:5-6 (NIV) ⁵  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Hebrews 9:24-28 (NIV) ²⁴  For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. ²⁵  Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶  Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷  Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸  so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 10:8-14 (NIV) ⁸  First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). ⁹  Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. ¹³  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, ¹⁴  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

PRAYER:  Thank you, God, for the ultimate and complete sacrifice of Jesus, your Son, on my behalf. His death is sufficient for the forgiveness of all my sin. Thank you that I need not depend on any other thing or person… that Jesus has done all that is needed. And thank you that you have declared all foods clean. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

How to Make a Difference in Someone's Life

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷  encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

            The 2015 football season is over – to the relief of some and the disappointment of others. As a faithful Patriots fan I enjoyed the season, though I would have enjoyed it more had they played in the Super Bowl. In their AFC Championship playoff game with Denver they came within two points of having a chance to win. It should have been one point and easier to tie (with a kicked extra point). But they needed two and did not get it with a play. When they failed to tie the game they lost any chance to win in an overtime period. Why did they need two instead of one? Earlier in the game their kicker – Stephen Gostkowski – missed an extra point. Since he is one of the best kickers in the sport this miss was extremely rare and unexpected. When the game ended with a loss, Gostkowski tried to take the blame. Yes, he was responsible for the miss, but not completely responsible for the loss. Sixty minutes of play meant that many team opportunities to get points came and went. His teammates and coach resisted the opportunity to blame him and chose instead to point to his extreme value to the team over the course of the season (and many seasons).

NFL kickers are in a tough position. When they are successful they can dramatically win games and the adoration of millions of fans. When they fail they can be the goat – depriving their teammates and fans of victory and sometimes becoming an object of scorn and even hate. Fans can be extremely fickle in their affections and support. On January 12, CBS News in Minnesota reported the story of another kicker this season. The Minnesota Vikings place kicker Blair Walsh had made an NFL-high 34 field goals. Before the Vikings' playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, he had converted 33 of 34 kicks inside 30 yards in his career. So when the Vikings were down 10-9 with 22 seconds left and Walsh lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt, it looked the Vikings would win. But Walsh's kick sailed wide and the Vikings season came to a crashing halt. In the midst of the social media storm directed against Walsh, a group of first graders in Minnesota set out to encourage the broken-hearted kicker. First grader Allie Edwards said, "Blair was really sad, and we wanted to make him feel better." One of her classmates, wrote, "Dear Blair Walsh, I think you shood keep trying. Don't give up! We still love you! Git better by practicing." Tyler Doffin filled a whole page for Walsh: "Dear Blair: I fell bad for you. Don't give up. You're still #1. Practis more so that you can get better at cicing. You're so good at cicing. So don't give up! Keep trying! We still love you." The kids' act of kindness got his attention. He was so touched to hear from children who didn't know him that he pushed his flight home back a day to visit the classroom. After the visit he said, "It was very touching to me. … A lot of [the cards] were very pretty and creative. … I will cherish them forever."

            There are no age restrictions or education limitations for encouragers. And people need encouragers. They may not be as devastated as Gostkowski or Walsh, and the occasion of their discouragement may be completely different from a football game, yet encouragement is exactly what they need. That’s where you and I come in. When opportunity presents itself, are you ready? Because you can be used by the Holy Spirit to lift spirits, give hope, and meet needs. Anyone can be an encourager. Yes, it’s true that some people may be gifted in this area, but that should not keep the rest of us from stepping up when we see the need. This is a practice that I know I can improve in my life. It’s often easy for me to be critical. But criticism is rarely helpful. Words from an encourager are a blessing, and we do not always know just how valuable they are. Lives have been saved or dramatically changed just with words of encouragement. Relationships have been transformed with words of encouragement. Hurts have been healed. New strength has come. Let us as disciples of Jesus seek to offer this blessing to others, especially to those who are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) ⁶  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 (NIV)  Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-15 (NIV) ¹¹  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. ¹²  Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴  And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

PRAYER:  Father, let me make a difference in someone’s life today: someone who needs a word of encouragement. It’s easy to criticize. Lead me down a different path, with words that lift up and bless people. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

When Life Goes "Pop"

Psalm 23:2-3 (KJV)   ²  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

            “Pop!” came the sound from the kitchen. I looked at Joanne and asked, “What was that?” Neither of us could figure it out. But later, when Joanne was cleaning the stove, she came across a crack in the glass that formed the cooking surface of our stove. “That must have been what it was,” She told me.

Over and over again… day after day and week after week… for years we have been using those burners, doing our best not to scratch or misuse them. The glass is very strong, but it is not unbreakable, either from direct blunt force or from long-term use. I’ve learned that even if you keep the surface very clean, over time very small scratches can eventually weaken the surface and make it prone to cracking. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what happened in our situation or not. But the crack still came.

Stress has a way of making an impact in our lives sooner or later. Like the glass top on a stove we may endure scratches – maybe even many of them – that come and go. When we come under high pressure in life’s situations or high heat from life’s tribulations we may endure for a while. But unless we have relief of some kind we will likely “crack” in some way – losing our temper, having a nervous breakdown, lashing out, or experiencing severe exhaustions to name just a few. People who go, go, go without a break cannot last. In our pride we may try to convince ourselves “it” won’t happen to us, but stress will catch up with us. We need rest, renewal, and rejuvenation. We need a different pace doing nothing or doing things that help us to “de-stress”.

How true this is spiritually. Jesus is often depicted in the Gospels as getting away to pray and to spend time with the Father. He was busy – doing good and teaching – on a daily basis. In His humanity He was subject to the limitations of a body. Physically and spiritually He needed to rest and to reconnect with the Father. If Jesus had these needs, it would seem that we also would have them, and that our need would certainly be no less than His. While we can often tolerate the small “scratches” of life for a while, if we do not get away to be with the Lord they will lead to major breakage in our fellowship with Him, and possibly even physical and mental harm.

Jesus invites us into the yoke that He bears for us. God is a sustaining God in times of stress. He is also the God of peace who welcomes us into His presence and out of the world’s stresses. Let us fly to Him in time of need, and especially anytime “the pressure’s on”.

Psalm 55:22 (NASB)  Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) ²⁸  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) ⁸  "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) ²⁵  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸  "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

PRAYER:  Father, be the strength of my life, and protect me from trusting in the adequacy of my own resources. I am weak, and I need you. It’s as simple as that. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott