Leap Day

Today is Leap Day, February 29th.  Leap Day comes in every year that is divisible by 4, such as 2008, 2012, and 2016.  Years that are divisible by 100 (1800, 1900, etc.) do not have leap days except those divisible by 400 (1600, 2000, etc.).  It happens because the sun's complete revolution is actually 365 days and 6 hours.  We ignore the 6 hours for three years and then catch up (or leap) in the 4th year or leap year. 
Due to the fact that are reading plan (www.lifejournal.cc) does not acknowledge Leap Day, there is no Scripture on the previous mentioned link or on our bookmarks.  (I can make bookmarks available to you, if you contact me at drheeringa@bellsouth.net.)  However, I don't want to leap over Scripture so I moved on to the March 1st reading.  Tomorrow we will be reading Numbers 28, 29 and Mark 8.  I am reading it today as well. 
It takes my breath away every time I read the words of Jesus found in Mark 8:36-  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  When I read that, I think about the many folks that work so hard to gain the things that will not last, yet neglect the things that are everlasting.  I recently read parts of an interview with Tom Brady, the very successful NFL quarterback of the New England Patriots.  He has taken the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl five times, however, the first three times he took them, they won.  After the third win, he was interviewed on 20/20 and asked an interesting question while answering one.  Brady said, "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘ . . . It’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t, this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” When the interviewer asked, “What’s the answer?” Brady could only say, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”
I wish I knew....What do you profit if you gain the whole world, reach all your goals, yet lose your own soul?
Share Jesus today.  Everyone desperately needs Him!

Burning Bright

We read a passage today that is easy to kinda glaze over, because we may not understand why it is there.  Sometimes we don't glaze over, we hang onto to get a better understanding.  That is the impact Numbers 26:60-61 put on me- And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. (www.lifejournal.cc)  The censers they burned to the Lord was to be lit only by the everburning fire.  They were not to find another way to light their censers for worship.  These two sons of Aaron did it their way, instead of God's way.  This incident is recorded in Exodus as well as earlier in Numbers.  It is one of those passages that gets your attention because it is not something that we read of often. 
It reminds me of when Lot's wife was told not to turn around, but she did....but never again.  It reminds me of when Ananias and Sapphira stood up and gave a testimony and an offering but lied about what they gave.  They both quickly died after the fact.   Why such a drastic response by the Lord?  I don't know all the answers to that, but I do know the powerful lesson that came forth their situation and the poweful impression that it made on others.  Lot's wife disobeyed.  She looked back.  Christ said no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.  Ananias and Sapphira misrepresented their offering.  Christ taught about the genuineness of a life offering and not just one to show off.  Nadab and Abihu tried to light their own fire, their own way.  We cannot light our own spiritual fire.  If we do, it is not legitimate. A relationship with the Lord comes from our surrender of our own ways and techniques and a filling and empowerment of the Lord's Spirit in our lives.  The Holy Spirit is often represented in the form of fire.
To me the lesson is strong.  You cannot have your way.  You must do it God's way.  If you do it your way, does that mean God will strike you down?  Usually not.  He can but He did things like that so seldom that when He does it is recorded in Scripture as a great example for the rest of us.   The greater likelihood would be that the greatest opportunities of our lives will be stolen from us by the evil one if we don't surrender to the Lord and His ways.  When we believe that we can do it our way instead of surrendering to His, we try to light our own worship censer in our power, instead of following the Lord's lead and letting His Spirit light our fire.  It will never satisfy and it will never last.  Always remember that it is not about getting things to go our way in heaven.  It is about getting things to go God's way in our lives here on earth.  That only comes in our surrender.  With our surrender He'll light us up!
Let Him light your fire today and burn bright for Him!

Amazing Jesus

Jesus is amazing!  To read of the many miracles that are included in just the passages that we read today out of Mark (www.lifejournal.cc) is astonishing!  The feeding of the five thousand is unable to be explained or described.  It must have been breathtaking to watch such a miracle take place.
The walking on the sea was horrifying to the disciples. They thought it was a ghost!  They thought they were going to die.  No, it was Jesus walking on the waving waters as if they were a newly waxed floor.  Then there is the healing!  They brought the diseased to him by the dozens or the hundreds and he healed everyone that he touched.  We read that kind of thing so much in the Gospels that, if we are not careful, we may read it like old news. Got news for you:  It better never get old!  We serve an Amazing Jesus. 
We also serve a Lord that can be amazed!  Notice what amazed Him in Mark 6:5-6- And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And he marveled because of their unbelief.  Christ was marveled!  Not by their great faith or by the many people that came, but He was marveled by the lack of faith in Nazareth.  That is quite amazing!  His own hometown lacked so much confidence in the sinless, serving Son of God that He was limited in what He did among them.  That is amazing!  It is amazing as well that our faith, or our lack thereof, is what amazes Jesus.   The amazing question is:  How often is Jesus amazed at us?  at our churches? at you? at me?
We serve a too amazing Jesus to be amazing Him!  Live like you believe today and enjoy your Amazing Jesus, instead of allowing your lack of faith to be amazing to Jesus. 

Put'em Outside

Mark 5 contains one of my favorite passages.  It concerns Jairus' daughter who is at the brink of death when the people come to Jesus.  He is on his way, but another matter delays him.  He heals a woman who has been hemorraging for 12 years.  When he gets to Jairus' house, the little girl is dead.  The crowd is somewhat twisted in their reception of him.  Mark 5:38-40- They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. (www.lifejournal.cc)  I like the part about them laughing and Jesus putting them outside.  He then went in and got the job done. 
If you wait until everyone pats you on the back to do ministry, it will never be done.  If you share Christ, some won't welcome you.  Shake the dust off your feet and move on.  If you try to minister to someone, some will think you need to do more and some will think you did too much.  The barometer of your service for the Lord cannot be taken by a consensus.  You follow the Lord today in whatever He would have you do and watch Him work through you.  God blesses obedience, so follow Him.

The Strands of the Web

When we share Christ with someone, love someone in the Lord, or proclaim His Name, we are dropping seeds all along the way.  We never really know how it works except that it is the power of the Gospel.  Paul described it many times as 'the mystery.'  How ever it happens, it works.  God chooses to bless when we share His Message.  I love what Jesus said about the farmer who throws the seed and then goes to bed.  Mark 4:27- He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. (www.lifejournal.cc)  So it is with the Gospel. 
I had a seminary professor describe it as a web.  Like a spider web catches his prey, the Lord has a way of webbing around someone to help him catch the Gospel.  The first hit could be an overheard conversation that proclaims the Lord.  The same fellow that heard that conversation goes home and turns on the television and just for a moment hears a message of the hope of the Gospel.  These two fragments of the Gospel link together in his mind and heart.  He then reads something about the love of God, gets an invitation to church, hears someone speaking of their salvation, and then hears a Christian song.    All of these little pieces begin to link up around him like the strands of a spider's web.  He is being drawn in by the power of the Gospel.  The fellow goes to church just to check it out.  He hears the Gospel message and responds at the invitation and gives his life to the Lord.  Was it the preacher that 'did' it? No, it was the web of the Gospel influence that really did it.  It was the power of the Gospel faithfully lived out that did it.  Like the farmer from Mark, we know not how.   Never underestimate the 'strands' that you leave in lives that help them to be changed by the Gospel.  We don't really know how, except by His Grace, in His Power, and for His Cause. 
Leave a strand today.  Help build the web in someone's life.

His Body, My People

I am thankful for the body of Christ.  The church is a blessing and has always been a blessing in my life.  When I was led by the Lord to go to New Orleans for seminary, I packed all I had (except for those classic treasures that you clutter your former closet with-  too valuable to get rid of and too useless to actually carry) in the Honda Civic and headed 600 miles from Momma.  Those were lonely days and days of soul-searching.  However, I met friends in that short-lived dorm stay that I can still lean on if needed. 
Six months later I took my first pastorate.  The church was a graying church that had been battered and bruised.  I just loved on them and cut my teeth on writing sermons weekly.  They were good to me and gave me space to grow.  I will forever appreciate those men that I had coffee and donuts with at a local little shop as we hashed out the world's problems.  Those many potluck leftovers from the ladies kept a hungry preacher fed during thinner days. 
We then moved to SC and I was near family and we started our family.  We had babies alongside our members (not literally).  The bond of those young families was absolutely amazing.   We watched our children grow and our lives change.   We then came to North Mississippi and the love that this dear church has for us and the care that they give our kids is remarkable.  The question is never if we can find help when schedules get tight and we need to do a kid 'toss-about', but who will it be this time.   Once again we are blessed to walk alongside of peers that are trying to raise their kids and sweet Seniors that make you feel like you hung the moon. 
I think of those bonds when I read the words of Christ- And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” - Mark 3:34-35 (www.lifejournal.cc)  
If you are not investing in the lives of the others through the church and are not faithfully walking alongside brothers and sisters that you worship with on a weekly basis, prioritize your lives for worship and fellowship.  The church, the body of Christ, is the gift that keeps on giving. 

The Fourth Man

As we read today about the paralytic and the four men that went through the obstacles to bring him to Jesus, there is a lot more about the story that it would be interesting to know.  Mark 2:3-4 tells us- And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.  (www.lifejournal.cc)  Who were these men and what in their life story led them to work so hard on behalf of this man?  We don't know and don't need to know, however, as I read this morning a gospel song popped in my head.  It offers an interesting scenerio. One day, four men brought a crippled man to Jesus
Still and lifeless, he lay upon his bed
He had not moved since he was just a baby
Still he longed to become a normal man

Now we don’t know much about the men that carried
The corners of his tattered bed that day
But if we may create an illustration
We’ll see what these men might have had to say

Suppose that first man said, “I hate to doubt it
For Jesus touched my eyes when I was blind
He made me see and there’s no doubt about it
But this man’s needs are more serious than mine”

Suppose that second man said, “No need to bother
This man’s condition will remain the same
Though Jesus touched my hand when it was withered
I don’t believe He can heal a man so lame”

Suppose that third man said, “I hate to question
But no one here is more skeptical than me
Though Jesus cleansed me when I was a leper
This helpless man will never walk, you see”

Then every eye was turned to the fourth man
To see how he might criticize and doubt
But all three men were startled with amazement
When that fourth man stopped and said his name out loud

He said, “My name is Lazarus, could I testify?
My name is Lazarus, it feels good to be alive
When I in chains of death was bound
This man named Jesus called me out
If you think your little problem is too big for Him to solve
Take it from the one who’s heard the mighty voice of God
A living testimony of His death-defying touch, my name is Lazarus”

I first heard the gospel song entitled "My Name is Lazarus" sang by Greater Vision.  It was a group originally formed by a couple of former Cathedrals and this is a fast and fun song.  Makes you wonder some, don't it.  Regardless, the four brought the man to Jesus.  That is what we are to do as well.  Lead one to Christ today!

Immediately

I have found over the years, whether working with others or trying to guide my children, the best time to take action is immediately.   There is a greater tendency among us all not to get it done when we put it off.  When asked by another to do something, if delayed, many have a tendency to forget to do it.    Many good intentions have never been fulfilled because they lacked immediate action.   That is one reason why I love Mark 1:18 so much.  Notice how Andrew and Simon responded to Jesus- And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (www.lifejournal.cc)  There is no time when you need to be more immediate, than when you are following the Lord's lead.  The reality is that delay is often disobedience.  Andrew and Simon immediately decided to leave everything they knew (their nets) and to follow the Lord.  You see for Andrew and Simon, their nets were their job.  They had a family business, but they left it all to follow Jesus immediately.  You don't need to make immediate decision about major moves in life, unless you have a clear, clarion call from God.  When He speaks, delay no longer.  Follow the Lord....immediately!

The Whistle and the Cloud

Although I grew up as a military brat, I did not grow up in a military atmosphere.  I did live on an Air Force Base the first several years of my life, however, I did not live in a military atmosphere.  The school I went to was not 'military acting', even though it was only military kids.  I don't recall any kind of 'boot camp experience' among my little playmates.   I was also blessed not to come up in a 'military' home.  My dad was overseas in my early years once or twice for extended times, but when he was home, he was not militaristic in his method of fatherhood.    He was not some overzealous drill sergeant to us as boys.  He was far from it.  I was whipped a few times, but probably not near enough.  My dad had a stronger weapon- the whistle.  No, he did not beat me over the head with a plastic whistle or swing it around like a whip.  He did not even use a whistle.  He is a whistle...a loud one.  That was always our call to come home.  He had a distinct whistle.  No, redneck hollering like most do.  Just one deadly whistle.  He has dislodged his own teeth with the might of the windforces coming from his larynyx.  (Not really...at least not that he has actually admitted.)  However, not only was his whistle loud, it was authoritative.  When he whistled, I ran.  There was no hesitation.  Why?  Well, I honestly never remember being reprimanded, whipped, or threatened for not coming when he whistled.  I just remember coming home.  I have thought about it in hindsight and wondered how it was so effective.  After much thought, I know why it was so effective...it came from my dad.  Dad wanted me home.  If he didn't want me home, I would not have come instantly....but I did.  I had fear of the second whistle coming.  It was about as effective as the tardy bell at school, and nobody wants to be caught in a sprint during the....Tardy Bell!!!!!  Again, the only reason I was afraid was simply because he was my Dad.  The fear was a respect, not a terror.  He wanted me home and when he wanted me home, I wanted to be home.  I needed to be home.  It was time to go home.  Why? 'Cause Dad whistled so, that's why. 
I thought about Dad's whistle, when I read about God's cloud over the community of his followers.  Notice how they responded (www.lifejournal.cc): Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. -Numbers 9:22.  When it lifted, they set out because God wanted them to move.  When Dad whistled, I set out because Dad wanted me home.  May I...may you...may we respond as quickly to the leadership of the Lord everyday as I did to a whistle and as they did to a cloud.  Follow His Lead today!!

Shirley Goodnest

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him.  She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe. So, she had an idea of how to handle it.  She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her. She said that since she was up early with her own two kids anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.  The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week. As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week.  Finally she said to Timmy, 'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?'  Timmy nonchalantly replied, 'Yeah, I know who she is.'  The little girl said, 'Well, who is she?'
'That's just Shirley Goodnest,' Timmy replied, 'and her daughter Marcy.'  'Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?'  'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!'
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell^[f] in the house of the Lord forever.- Psalm 23:6 (www.lifejournal.cc)
May the goodness and mercy of our Lord shadow over you today and everyday!

Consider the Whole Psalm

Today is a great day in our reading.  I found significant passages that spoke to my heart in Numbers, Psalms, and in Acts. (www.lifejournal.cc)  I love the blessing that you find in Numbers 6:24-26-The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;²⁶ the Lord lift up his countenance^[c] upon you and give you peace.  You often hear that passage in a benediction and how appropriate it is in that setting!
I also loved the passion that we see from Paul that Agrippa and everyone else come to the know the Lord in a personal way. And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” ²⁹ And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”- Acts 26:28-29.  If not already very obvious, this passage makes it very clear that Paul's motivation for his committed actions was about the salvation of the Lord changing people's lives. 
However, the passage that really gets me is Psalm 33.  You should recognize the first line:  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  This is the passage that Christ was referring to on the cross.  If you never have, I want you to consider the entire psalm being upon the heart and mind of the Lord on the cross.  Many believe that Christ uttered this because he felt betrayed or forsaken by His Father.   I have heard multiple times how God turned his back on Christ and Christ uttered these words in response.  I don't know all the answers to all the questions such a scenerio brings up.  I just ask you to consider this.  If I were to say, The Lord is my shepherd, would you know what I meant?  For many, I would not have to utter another word.  You would know that I spoke of not wanting, green pastures, still water, my overflowing cup and goodness and mercy following me.  If I stand and says simply, 'The Lord is my shepherd', many in my congregation could finish the sermon.  We are familiar with that passage. It speaks to our heart. 
Consider on the same note that many at Christ's feet would know Psalm 33 and would be as familiar with it as we are Psalm 23.  Could it be that when Christ spoke simply the first line, he was speaking of the whole psalm and his listeners knew where that was headed?  If you read Psalm 33 closely, you will see how prophetic it is to the state of Christ on the cross.  You will also see that even in the midst of the most difficult struggle, the praise was going to the Father.  Consider v.23-24-You who fear the Lord, praise him!... For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.  Christ was, in fact, stating that the Father did not hide his face from Him.  Even when it was hard to understand the sense of betrayal, the blackened sky, the certain death, in reality, Christ kept his eye and heart on the task at hand and appropriately referred to this psalm (not just meaning the first line) in the most crucial hour, thus giving praise to God even as He took on the wrath of God.  S
I think it is worth our pondering.  Enjoy it today and and give Him praise!  I hope you day includes worship in your local church this morning!  Have a great day in the Lord!
 

Never Silent

They did not know what to do with Paul!  If you are reading along with us daily, we have got to the point in Acts when Paul is being tossed around the legal system of conflicting parties and convoluted reports. Nobody knows what to do with him.  It reminds me a lot of the arrest of Jesus.  No one wanted to get their hands dirty or alienate their constituents, but something had to be done!!  I have always consider those midnight trials of Jesus to be the kangaroo courts.  Well, it does not seem much better with Paul.  All the while, Paul is on mission to Rome and he utilizes the confusion to lead him to that place of calling even when he is in custody.  Acts 25:11- But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar. (www.lifejournal.cc)  All they really wanted from Paul was for him to stop speaking of the Lord.  He refused.  He would not stop speaking of the Lord regardless of the costs.  If you will be quiet concerning the cause and message of Christ in this world, they may accept you a little better and like you a little more.  But for what?  You are called to make a difference for Christ-- not to win friends but to win souls.  I believe you can do a lot of both if you just keep on speaking for the Lord.  Pray for opportunities today and walk through the doors God opens for you!

Congrats! Keep Going!

Let me begin by saying that if you have faithfully read the Word since the beginning of the year and have worked to read the text daily as prescribed by the reading plan that I support and promote (www.lifejournal.cc), CONGRATULATIONS!!!  You have made it through Leviticus! 90.4% of  folks that attempt to read the Bible through in a year do not make it past Leviticus.  However, please remember that 96.45% of statistics are made up on the spot!  Including those two!!  Leviticus is tough.  Know that as we get into Numbers much of it is census information but there are wonderful, golden nuggets buried into those figures, so read carefully.
As we read the book of Acts, the authorities are not quite sure what to do with Paul.  However, Paul's actions do not change based upon how they respond to him.  In Acts 24:16 he says-  So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.  In other words, his great concern was to be the man he needed to be, so that God could use Him anyway the Lord wanted to.  That is where we are to be as well.  We need not be worried about how we are received.  Some will like you and some will not.  We need to be concerned that our testimony is consistent enough to proclaim Christ effectively.   Noah was blameless and above reproach.   We ought to work toward that standard every day....including today. 

Unseen but Sensed

The greatest blessings of the Lord are the intangibles of trusting Him, loving Him, and living for Him.    It is hard to explain what you have when you have Jesus.  Paul repeated called it a mystery, which in the  Greek speaks of a secret.  Not the kind of secret that (shhhhh!) you don't want to tell or you want to keep from someone.  It is more a mystery to folks outside of Christ until they have experienced it.  I went to DisneyWorld when I was a teenager and they had just built a roller coaster inside a building called Space Mountain.  The first time I rode that, I was amazed.  It was the first roller coaster that I had been on in the dark. You could not anticipate what was coming.  Now, since then,  there have been other rides that do that kind of thing and I have now been to Disney more than I wanted to, however, I still cannot describe to you what it is like to experience that roller coaster in the dark if you never have.  I cannot tell you when it loops or if there is a corkscrew.  I don't know all the details.  I just know the experience.  So it is with my relationship with the Lord.  If I tried to explain the many blessings of knowing Christ as my personal Savior to someone who has never experienced Him, I am not sure that I could describe it.  I am not sure of all the things that Christ has done for and the benefits of knowing Him are greater than I can recall.  I can just tell you my experience, and my experience is beyond words...so maybe I can't. 
As I read Leviticus 26 about the blessings of obedience, I cannot help but think that the tangible evidences as they are mentioned are great.  The intangibles are even better.  Maybe Lev. 26:10 will describe it best-  You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.  I love this passage.  I love the wording for some reason.  Even more I love the truth behind it.   The Lord will make sure we have enough stored up, but even with that, He will give us new.   That is great with the things that you can taste and feel, even better with the matters that you cannot.  His blessings are matchless, unspeakable, and amazing.  Enjoy Him today and tell others how you do!

Real Jubilee

When we lived in SC, Dawn and I would often watch a local Christian broadcasting channel.  The channel throughout the day would have various worship hours or preachers from across the country that had bought time on the channel.  However, every night they had a two hour singing, preaching, and talking show.  It was mainly local preachers, local singing groups, or representatives of community events that were coming up.  It was always entertaining to watch amateur anchors try to come up with enough questions to fill up the time  during the talk show segment of the program.  It was not odd for the 'real spill' to last about five minutes but the programming require about 30 minutes of conversation.   Fun to watch them try to fill the time up. 
At certain times in the year (seems like it was quite often) they would have their fundraising telethon.  They would get the "big" preachers for that.  All kinds of promises were made about the hundredfold blessing that would come if you gave, and it was fascinating to watch them take various scriptures from various places to back up whatever their points were.  One favorite each and every year was Jubilee.  The first time I saw it, I was amazed.  Jubilee only comes around once in 50 years and I was fortunate enough to see the 50th year celebration.  The following year, the same dude came back and said it was Jubilee again.  It was based on some type of prophetic math that only the "big" preacher could understand.  He would use a white board to explain it, but it was always too spiritual for the rest of us to be able to grab on to.  Whenever Jubilee came, it was the year to get all your stuff back.  I heard one time that if you played a country song backwards, you would get your wife back, your truck back, and your dog would come back to life.  That sounds something like the way that preacher described the year of Jubilee, and he talked about it every year.   I don't think that is quite what was meant by it.
Leviticus 25:11-12 summarizes well- That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. ¹² For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.   (www.lifejournal.cc) In the days of the Old Testament, Jubilee did not come every year based on diffferent math every time.   Instead, Jubilee came every 50 years.  The thought behind it is something like this:  With the celebration of the Sabbath day each and every week to allow the body to rest and worship, the ground needed a Sabbath as well. Every seven years the ground was to rest from planting.  People practiced crop rotation.   It is good for the health of the soil.  However, every 50th year, there was a great celebration of the Sabbath based on seven sets of seven years.  7 x 7 is 49 and they were to celebrate the following year (50th) with the ultimate Sabbath.    It would be the year of rest or freedom and remembering all that God does for you year in and year out and celebrating that with freedom for others. It was a beautiful year and time.  It was not manipulated with goofy math.  It was a once in a lifetime experience (for most). 
Now the Sabbath is not in a day as much as it is in a person.  In Christ we find our Sabbath rest.  With that rest comes freedom.  Freedom in Christ is much greater than anything that the folks of  Jubilee could fully grasp.  I believe Jubilee was really a prophetic event that pointed to all that we can have in Christ now. It was a foreshadowing of the real freedom and the real rest that was to come in Christ.   Knowing that, we ought to live for Christ, celebrate our freedom in Christ, and live like folks that have been changed by His Sacrificial Death.   If we have been forgiven and have surrendered our lives to Him, we are free to live for Him.   That is something to celebrate each and every year...not by goofy math....but by a glorious Savior. 

Happy Valentine's Day

God's Valentine

God so loVed the world,
 That He g Ave
        His onLy
        BegottEn
               SoN 
            thaT whosever
  Believeth In Him
     Should Not perish,
  But have Everlasting life."
                                                                      John 3:16

Truth or Dare

When I was a kid, we used to play Truth or Dare.  It was not a board game, a video game, or a television show, it was just one of those time-fillers that we would participate in when our mothers told us to 'go out and play.'  The concept of the game was to make your opponent have to either tell some deep, dark secret or do something that would be daring.  The important thing about the game is that you need to stop playing it when you are about  10.  The deep, dark secrets at that age are fun and innocent.  They ask thing like 'Do you like so and so?' or 'Would you 'go with' so and so?  Kids of that age today ask, 'Would you date so and so?', however, thankfully, that means very little to most 10 year olds.  For us, boys, the dare was always to climb a tree 'way up' or jump a ditch on our bike or ring a doorbell and run or something else 'daring.'  It was a game that kids played with a tinge of fear, but a flood of anticipation. 
Today we read in Acts 20 of Paul playing 'Truth and Dare' or 'The Dare of Truth.'  He is going to Jerusalem because God is leading him there, but he has already been told by the Lord that it will not be easy.  In Acts 20:22 Paul explains it like this:   And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. (www.lifejournal.cc)  You will find in coming chapters that Paul does face difficulty.  He is warned more than once by folks that also have felt the trouble brewing and have heard the Spirit's voice of confirmation concerning it.  Yet, with all of that, Paul continues on. Why?  There is a task at hand. 
If you really want to accomplish something for Christ or to make your life count for the most for Christ, there will be difficulty that comes along the way.  It will not always be easy. You may face matters of  hardship.  God, however, will pave the way for you to make a difference and to grow you in Him, if you will surrender your ways to His.  His Will for you will require you to walk away from 'pet sins' or those habitual sins that you often try to justify away.  His Will will require you to give up some of your idols, whatever they may be.  Our idols today are typically not golden, lucky charms but instead are matters that concern our schedule, our spending, and our mental focus.  What means the most to you?  Those matters can easily be idols.  It could have been easy for Paul's idol to be the comfort of staying with those that he loved and those that loved Him.  However, Paul cast any such idol aside and continued on for Christ, no matter what may come.  So must we.  For us it may be more of a game of "Following the Daring Truth", however, when we chose to trust God completely, we are winners, no matter what.   Win today!  Throw all others aside!

Worship Regardless

We don't always understand why the Lord allows things to come into our life that is constraining, encroaching, or difficult.  What do we do at such a time?   The Psalmist teaches us that even when the enemy pursues and the Lord seems silent, we worship the Lord in spite of our circumstances and because of our Savior.  Psalm 13:5-6- But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶ I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (www.lifejournal.cc)
Worship the Lord today, whether you understand what is happening in your life or whether your happy about it or not.  Worship Him faithfully!   The encouragement of God's people gathered in worship and in the Word is there for you today. 

The Itch of the Body

We are here to encourage one another.  Sometimes we say 'good job' and sometimes we say 'be careful', but it is the spirit and intent in which we say it that makes the difference.  In our passage today, Apollos is effective preaching the message of the Gospel.  He does not quite get every little thing right and he is pulled aside and corrected.   Acts 18:26- He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (www.lifejournal.cc) I don't get the sense of embarrassment or judgment in this statement.  They just pulled him aside and said, 'Hey, let us help you sharpen your pencil.'  We live in a day that people have a greater tendency to say something behind someone's back or to look down on them when they correct them.  We also live in a day when people are very sensitive to correction.  We must remember though that we are the body of Christ.  We work together to get the job of the Body of Christ done.  When one needs another, we help each other along the way.    When my leg itches, my hand scratches.  When my foot hurts, my hand will rub it.  We are to work together as the body of Christ, always looking out for the good of the work of Christ.  Honor Him today and do whatever it takes to help the body of Christ.

Upside Down

When I read this morning about the attacks upon the people of God in Acts 17, one phrase really stuck out to me.  It is found in Acts 17:6-7-  And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⁷ and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”  It immediately reminded me of a song that was written by Gary Driskell years ago and performed by Truth, 4Him, and Russ Lee. Read these lyrics:

"LIVING LIFE UPSIDE DOWN"
John has a new way of looking at life / He's tired of his job, his kids and his wife
He says the secret to his success/  Was in leaving and finding himself
Now he's someone to somebody else. And you say we've risen to a new age of truth /  You're calling it a spiritual Godly pursuit
But I say, I say,/  (chorus)
What if we've fallen to the bottom of a well/  Thinking we've risen to the top of a mountain
What if we're knocking at the gates of hell / Thinking we're heaven bound
What if we spend our lives thinking of ourselves /  When we should have been thinking of each other
What if we reach up and touch the ground / To find we're living life upside down.

We've got a program for saving the earth/ While unborn children are denied their right to birth
One baby's blessed, another cursed/ Have we made this world better or worse
Now that the life of a tree comes first /  And you say we've risen to a new age of light
You're telling me what used to be wrong is now right/  But I say, I say,  (repeat chorus)

What if we're living, what if we're living, /  What if we're living life upside down.

It is our job to be salt to the earth and light to the world and to turn everything on its head by presenting the world changing Gospel of Christ.  It is only by turning it on its head that it is properly aligned with these other king....Jesus!  Honor Him today by standing strong in the midst of the aggressive tide aimed the wrong way!

Clean in Christ

It is the month of February and the book of Leviticus that often sets people off-track in their daily Bible study.  Leviticus is so thick with rules and regulations.  Most of which have little application to our lives.  There is difficulty with these passages because there is not as much narrative about the daily happenings in the lives of the Israelites. There is a lot of listing.  Don't be discouraged though.  I believe it is well worth your while to spend some time in Leviticus.  It is a sweet reminder of the difference the cross of Christ makes and the wonderful grace of God.  Why so many rules anyway? I believe Leviticus 11:45 gives us a strong hint- For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (www.lifejournal.cc)  Holiness and sinlessness is the will of God for our lives.  We are to run from sin.  We are to take sin seriously.  We are to avoid it.   When we do not, there are provisions for forgiveness, but they must be followed.
Thankfully in the New Covenant of Christ the process is quite different now.  Do you remember reading just a few days ago about the Peter's vision (Acts 10) and the sheet with all the unclean animals on it?  Well, the animals that are listed in Leviticus 11 are the ones that were on that sheet.  The Lord told Peter to eat.  Peter said 'No' and then called him Lord (greatest oxymoron in Scripture).  He said he would not eat the unclean things.  The Lord said what I have made clean is clean.  That whole vision was not just about food.  It was also about people.  It was about reaching the Gentiles for the Lord.  All the ramifications of certain foods for certain people was gone with the cross.  Now, whosoever will may come and be clean by the forgiveness of sin.  No need for sacrificial animals anymore.  Christ is the sacrifice that ends all sacrifices.  No need for all these regulations.   Christ and the cross has changed everything. 
Therefore, we ought to keep reading and keep thanking the Lord for the freedom that we have in Christ.   We are free in Him!  Celebrate today (maybe even with some BBQ)!!

The Fork In the Road

Sometimes things that look awful and feel horrible, end up not being that bad after all.  God can work in mysterious ways in difficult circumstances.  Let me show you an example in Acts 15:36-41- And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.   (www.lifejournal.cc) The men of the Gospel come to a fork in the road and as Yogi Berra recommends, When you come to a fork in the road, take it.  They took it.  One went one way and one went the other.  This disagreement was over whether John Mark ought to travel with them. Barnabas said, 'Yes', but Paul said, "He has already left us one time and I don't want him doing it again."  John Mark joined them in the last verse of Acts 12 and left them in Acts 13:13.  Paul did not want him to leave them again.  Barnabas wanted him to have another chance.  Both men were so passionate about this that they went their separate ways.  Awful and horrible, huh?  Not really.  Both parties continued to share the Gospel faithfully and that led to twice as many people hearing the Gospel in twice as many places.  The Gospel was spread even more in the midst of the conflict. 
In other words, don't grow so discouraged and downtroddened when good, Godly folk don't agree on a matter as long as they are continuing to minister for the Lord.  The Lord works in us in spite of us sometimes.  He is in control.  Rest in that...no matter what may come!

Sweet Fellowship

I have always enjoyed church.  I don't mean when the guy don't know when to stop.  I don't mean every little event my Mom and Dad dragged me to (I almost wrote "drug me to" but we didn't go to that kind of church).  I mean the vast majority of times, I would rather be at church than about anywhere else.  That is from a combination of proper raising in church and a God-given love for the people of God.  The church I went to for about 15 years (from elementary school through college) was about a mile from my house.  As soon as I was old enough to ride my bike there, I did.  One of the secretaries (who is with the Lord today) said that I used to come in (as a kid) and tell her that I would pastor there and she would could be my secretary one day.  That never happened, however, I was a youth minister there for a short time and worked alongside of her.  I was that kid that came and walked through the church when the educational wing was closed and dark.  I would go in and mill around.  I was the kid that put a piece of paper that was way-to-small into the new document feeder on the new copier and got it jammed.  That caused a panic attack and a 'shoo-ing' from the above mentioned secretary.  I have, as well, always been jacked up on Sunday or as we call it at my house (for the sake of Millie) 'church day'.  When I wake the girls up on Sunday, I go in singing 'Church Day', a yet to be released Christian hit that I am sure will go aluminum on the charts. 
I love the church. I love the building, the steeple, and when you open it up, I love the people.  I especially love the fellowship.  Acts 14:27-28 reminded me this morning of the gift that we have in the church-   And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples.   They testified about what God had done in them and for them and then they hung around a long time.  You need to be fully involved in the work and the fellowship of the church.  Commit today to walk with the Lord in and through the local church!!

Changed Lives

Christ and His Message have always been polarizing. You have to do something with the message of Christ and that confrontation will split the crowd everytime.  Some want to come to Christ and thankfully through the cross, they can.  Some, however, are offended by the "only way" message of Christ and either leave the conversation divisive or, at least, defensive.  Notice how the crowd splits in Acts 13:49-52 - And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. ⁵¹ But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (www.lifejournal.cc) While the Gentiles were happy to hear the salvation message for the first time and responded wholeheartedly, the Jews did not like the challenge to their longstanding religion.  Notice how I Peter 2:6-8 states it- For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” ⁷ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”   Christ is to be the cornerstone of your life.  He is to be that pivotal base that everything else is built upon.  However, some don't want Christ to be what their lives are based on. They want to use Him as an additive or another suggestion from time to time, but that is not a real relationship.  That is not true salvation.  So, how do we respond?  Do we sensitive share our faith and the hope of salvation with only those that we guess will welcome the message and respond with affirmation?  No, we share the message, scattered the seed, spread the light, to all and let God work out the rest.  And if they get upset with us (and He is the rock of offense for them)......Notice Acts 13:51-52 again (as previously written).  As they did in v. 51, we shake the dust from our feet concerning those that are offended. And as in v.52, we celebrate with the changed.  
No more excuses.  Let's share Christ openly and let God open the doors in people's lives.  Lives will be changed....including ours!!

Expectations

Dawn had a painful procedure done Wednesday so we have been hanging around the house a lot this weekend.  We have had a lot of rain and a tinge of cabin fever.  My youngest asked me real sweet Friday night if we could play a couple of board games on Saturday.  I said we could.  Each child picked a game.  Millie (my 5 year old) picked a game that takes just a few minutes to play.  We played it and moved on to Abby's game.   Abby wanted to play Monopoly.  If that is not bad enough, the Monopoly that we have is a special edition: world monopoly with credit cards.  No longer are you paying hundreds for staying at Park Place, now you are paying millions for staying in Istanbul or Cape Town or Montreal. No bills just individual credit cards.  The technology is pretty cool.  So my 5 year old and my 11 year old sit down to play against a less grandiose version of Donald Trump.  I knew we were in trouble when Millie started counting the dice (each little dot, each little time) and moving her guy around the board while sweeping the community chest cards with her elbow. Abby got sent to jail a couple of times straight out of the gate and she was telling me how she was not the kind of girl that ought to be sent to jail.  I spent an hour explaining to Abby how you buy all of one color and then start building houses.  Meanwhile, Millie was sweeping the houses off like a big tsunami everytime she reached across the board to move her man.  After an hour, things began to spiral.  One was talking about what are we going to do next, while the other was asking if we could eat.   Finally a property card was misplaced and I said if we didn't find it,we would end the game. (We lost a domino the first time we played with a new set...while sitting at the table!!!!!)  Thankfully, we did not find the property card until the board was sweep clean (by MY elbow this time) and the game was over.  Now, looking back, what was I expecting playing Monopoly with a 5 year old?  I guess I was expecting something like that.  That is why we have only played that game a couple of times in a couple of years. 
I thought about expectations when I read about the church praying for the release of Peter and then calling Rhoda foolish when she interrupted the prayer meeting to say he was there.  Acts 12:14-16 puts it this way- Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.  Isn't that interesting?  I appreciate the church praying for Peter's release.  It was apparently effective.  However, isn't it ashamed that their faith was so very weak?  First, they told Rhoda she was crazy to think Peter was free.  Then they said it was his angel. I guess that means they thought he was dead?  When they realized it was him, they were amazed that God had released him just as they had prayed. 
Let's pray with their earnestness but have greater faith that God will answer.  There is no telling what God will do when we faithfully believe as we fervently pray.  Let your life be marked by such today!

The Paradigm Shift

God always has a plan and no matter what happens God is at work.  Romans 8:28 puts it in perspective- And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  Therefore, even when bad stuff happens, stuff that we don't understand, God is still at work.  We read a few days ago about Stephen.  His powerful testimony for the Lord and his relentless nature in standing for the Lord led to his death by stoning.  It was a horrible tragedy of martyrdom.   As a response to that, the church scattered.  No longer did they stick close, they ran for cover like roaches when the light is flipped on.  However, something happened every where they went.
Notice part of it in Acts 11: 19- Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.  (www.lifejournal.cc)  Now in the beginning  they were only sharing with the Jews.  Their background or 'raising' taught them that all Jews had hope.  Notice, however, as they scattered, they moved with praise and testimony upon their lips.  They shared as they went.  That set the course for the time when God spoke to Peter about the Gentiles and Peter spoke to Christians about his enlarging vision.
Everything changed.  It was a paradigm shift.  Whereas, they had only mingled with the Jews around Jerusalem, now they were scattered beyond those parts and reaching people beyond their comfort zone.  God took the stoning of Stephen and used it to grow the spread of the Gospel to viral proportions.  And for that, you and I should be eternally grateful...and sharing...even today...no matter where we scatter....or with whom we speak.  Share Christ today!

No Partiality

I guess part of it comes from my earliest church memories being at Faith Baptist Church in Dafter, Michigan.  We lived on an Air Force Base in the upper peninsula of Michigan (called the U-P).  We would drive off the base to go to a Southern Baptist Church (almost unheard of in those parts then).   The most unique thing about the church was that it was an entirely white church except for the pastor and his family (and maybe one other lady).  The first pastor that I remember was an African-American.   I must say that although he was my pastor for a short time (we moved away), he had one of the biggest impacts on me.  Why? Well, for one, I was saved under his ministry.  He baptized me.  As well, and what I remember most, he prayed with me regularly.  While Mom and Dad practiced choir, Bro. Wolf would sit on the back row of the sanctuary and pray with me.  I was about 5 at the time.  I was taught early on not to be racially bias and that there is not room for such in the Kingdom.  I moved to the south after that and the atmosphere is oftentimes different about such things.  I have felt the weakness of partiality in me from time to time, but that does not make it right.  We are not to be partial in the kingdom.  Read how Peter put it.  Acts 10:34-35- So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. (www.lifejouranl.cc).
Let's show the love of Christ to all people that God puts us in contact with and work hard to make a difference in our world with no partiality....even today!!  Love folks in the Lord today.  You will be surprised the doors it will open. 

What a Great Day!

Well, I think it is a great day.  First, my wife has her surgery behind her now and is awake and alert today.   Yesterday was a day of surgery, morphine, sleep, nausea, and phenegan.  Poor Dawn would wake up, spit up, go back to sleep. An hour or two later it would happen again.  Most of the day was lost to her due to the medications.  Today she is alert, not in near as much pain, and we are anticipating release.   Thank you for your prayers, iniquiries, and loving gestures. (We like loving gestures a lot more than ugly ones!!)  I am thankful for a day that could have been much worse and the hope of getting up off of this durable, uncomfortable, utilitarian couch that I have lived on for most of 18 hours.  How I feel for those with long hospital stays.
The second thing that makes this great is the conversion of Saul.  Acts 9:15 issues the announcement -But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  Thank God for Paul.  Do you realize the difference his ministry made in the crucial first century to help the Gospel to spread to us?  I give full credit to the Lord working in Paul and the first century church for us to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and know the Lord.  Now, we have a responsibility to let the rest of the world have such an opportunity and to pass it on to the next generation that needs it so desperately.  Share Christ today as He gives you opportunity!  What a great day!!

Waiting on the Lord

The Lord set the Hebrews free from Pharoah.  He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  Each and every morning they would awake to food on the ground and when that was not enough, he gave them a buffet of bird until they were sick of it.  He provided their every need and gave them a leader in Moses that was strong and faithful.  Moses sought the Lord.  He went up the mount to face the Lord and receive guidance directly from God for the people.  He would receive instructions that would help govern their communities, lead them in worship, and guide them in life.   What did these grateful Hebrews do in response?  They whined.  When God solved one problem, they would whine about another. Like kids in the back seat of a car, they cried, "How much longer?"  Like kids in the back seat of a car, "We're hungry!'  Like kids...."we're thirsty."  (Can you tell I am a well-traveled parent?)  Even when Moses went up the hill to receive the greatest instructions the world had ever seen, they grew impatient.  Exodus 32:1- When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (www.lifejournal.cc)   Oh, if they would just wait upon the Lord. If they would just quit whining and wait on the Lord.  It is so worth it!  God has wonderful things in store for our lives if we will just work on His timetable, let Him lead, and trust His schedule.  As the people grew impatient and put their confidence in other means, we do as well way too often.  I encourage you today to remember, however, wait upon the Lord.  He is working on a much better plan than yours!  Trust Him today!