Pocket Sermon

How Poison?

2010-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Although I no longer watch "My Name is Earl" one of the early episodes had a scene in which Earl's Ex-wife was trying to kill him for insurance money, and sent him some poison cookies. The friend sent to deliver them warned Earl so he obviously didn't eat them, and set them aside. Later Earl's brother Randy shows up, sees the cookies, and is about to have one and Earl says "Don't eat those, they're poisoned". Randy hesitates, hand hovering, looks at Earl and asks "HOW poison?". We smile at that, that in order to enjoy a cookie Randy is willing to eat a poison cookie as long as it doesn't actually kill him.

Yesterday I flashed on that scene as I was considering how we sometimes consider allowing sin in our lives. We wonder if it's really all that bad. We think "sure, it's not ideal" but we try to think whether or not this little bit is actually going to hurt us. In order to enjoy a movie we might put up with a little violence or profanity, not enough to kill our christian walk, just enough to make us a little sick is all (we hope). Perhaps we indulge in harmful substances that truly are a poison over time. I don't need to list the examples, we all know what our temptations are.

While we easily recognize how wrong it is to eat a poison cookie, we have a little more trouble with "maybe just a little sin is safe" and although our Heavenly Father sees our every choice He is not forcing our decisions. My best advice is the next time you hear that soft voice warning you something is wrong, consider Earl's poison cookies and exercise your right to say "no" to temptation (or good times tainted with bad ingredients, as the devil loves to cook those up).

Keeping it Real

2010-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's easy to talk about how to beat temptation or how to choose the better path, but it has the negative effect of making the speaker appear holier or better than they are. This can make others lose hope, thinking that they have no willpower and see (seemingly) around them in their local fellowship with other Christians all these supposedly holy people.They start to think that church is not for them and that they don't fit in. I had spiritual downfalls this week, giving in to temptations and making poor choices, and as I come to God asking forgiveness and renewing my commitment for the one billionth time to try to do better and honor God, I realize I'm not alone. I feel bad, but this is a very real situation for so many, I just wanted to share for others who are struggling, battered by the feeling of failure. As Jesus told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you."

I have often wondered about the line "confess your sins one to another..." - that could simply mean going to those you've wronged and saying you're sorry, or maybe it means we should have a safe environment among the brothers and sisters in Christ that we can talk about the sins we have trouble with and get help and help each other. I wish there were more groups within most church environments where we can do that. Often it is the smaller groups that meet during the week for prayer where you can find this. I wish I remember where I heard this but I recently heard a quip: "Attendance to Church services shows how popular the pastor is, and attendance to the midweek prayer service reveals how popular God is!" That's not entirely true, but you get the picture. Your midweek prayer group will just be a different environment.

I myself have broken every one of the Ten Commandments, and while it may not be a good idea to share our sins randomly at church, I just wanted to take a moment here on this blog to say: Take heart, there is none good, except for God. Don't let discouragement try to convince you that you're not good enough to come to God. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take heart in the words of Christ "My grace is sufficient for you."

If you ever get the chance to hear the story of the man who wrote "Amazing Grace" - it's a good example of how God reaches out to offer forgiveness to us all.

This morning I read at Grantley Morris's site an interesting discovery he made when interviewing people who had been delivered from temptation by miraculous power - "I interviewed a number of people. I became increasingly perplexed to learn that it seemed everyone who had experienced such a miracle still had one addiction – often smoking, but not always – that caused them great shame and embarrassment as they kept floundering in their attempts to beat that particular habit." Why does God sometimes let us lose battles with temptations? - netburst.net. I always enjoy Grantley's insights.

The Mote in my Idea

2010-05-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

So many great ideas and companies are born because people wanted the product or service for themselves. We need something, and that thing does not exist yet. Or we interact with a provider of something, and they do it wrong or have such poor service that we decide to go into competition with them. Or we go to buy something and it simply costs more than we know it should, so we go create it, build it, do it - and a new company or idea is born.

Find a need and fill it, the saying goes, and what better need to find and fill than our own?

I think this motivating principal lies at the root of our tendency to be hypocrites - where we are finding the faults in others that are our own weakness and fault as well. Read on.

"And why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, and not notice the beam which is in your own eye?" Mat 7:3

But here is why we do that: Whatever our problems are, we are trying to improve and we're fighting our own bad behavior. Say we're trying to eat healthy. We may not be very good at eating healthy yet, in fact we may have just started some new willpower-testing regimen today, and we can hardly stand to see someone breaking the new rules we've just set up for ourselves, maybe downing junk food and soda, and our instinct is to jump all over them for it.

We've "geared up" mentally to wage war against the bad behavior in ourselves and when we see the "enemy behavior" we're going to start shooting, (unless we're self-aware enough to hold our tongue and recognize the source of our zeal).

Self-quarantining ourselves

2010-04-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

The devil's got a problem. On-fire-for-God Christianity is infectious. "It only takes a spark, to get a fire going - that's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it, you want to share, you want to pass it on" [Pass it On, a song I learned in the 70's]

I saw a show last night in which a monastary was depicted, filled with people who'd made a commitment to study God's word and spend much time in prayer and meditation. How convenient for the devil. Folk who get the Gospel and they then voluntarily quarantine themselves away where they can't infect anyone else.

We do this also, to a lesser degree, when we send our kids to Christian school, or when we find a church denomination or church family and never get around to other churches or denominations.

And when we go out in public we wear our politically-correct filter, like a hospital ward breathing mask, careful to filter out praise for our Creator, hope for Jesus' soon return, and anticipation of Heaven.

Choose, and Enjoy!

2010-02-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we wish we could have a face to face consultation with God. All we'd need, we figure, is 5 or 10 minutes and get some solid advice on a few "life direction" questions.

"Should I marry this person, are they the one?"

"Should I take this Job? Is it right for me?"

"Should we move to this certain city, and sell our home?"

"What should I Major in, in college? What would I be best at and enjoy most and serve you best by?"

This list goes on and varies for each of us but we all have these uncertainties in life and we just know our life's path would be grand if God would just take a moment to tell us what to do. We'd also be able to go forward in confidence knowing that "if God is for us, who can be against us?"

I too sometimes yearn for the opportunity for a little direction. Sometimes we want it so bad that we try to force it. "Okay God, if this sign happens, then I will know it's your will - and if it doesn't then I will know it is not your will."

We know that Gideon used a fleece as a sign, but after getting a sign, he started to worry that he'd chosen the thing that was going to happen naturally, so he asked again that the sign be opposite. (judges 6:39). It may be important to note that Gideon's test was not to decide between his own conflicting choices. It was to test a direct request of service from God. That's a bit different from the decisions we are usually stuggling with.

This week we're going to be studying Ecclesiastes in my Sabbath morning study group. It may shed some light on this idea of God's plan for our lives or the importance we think our life's path holds. I'm somewhat undecided. I do think that God answers prayer of all types, including and maybe even especially those "life direction" questions.

But I also can't help feeling it's sometimes a bit like asking God to tell us what our favorite color ought to be. To which I'd imagine Him answering "Choose, and Enjoy!"

Perhaps that is often the answer he gives us in our search for our own life path: "Choose, and Enjoy!" There are many many paths we can take, and many jobs, places to live, candidates for someone to spend our life with. All wonderful, all filled with both blessings and hardships, all worthy of our best efforts and richly full with possibilities.

While we do have these choices, and we are free to choose, James 4:13-15 makes a good point, that with any plans we set we should say to ourselves "The lord willing, we will do this, or that", always being ready to abandon our plans in favor of God's will and leading.

But prayerfully consider the possibility the next time you wonder what God's plan is for your life, perhaps he is trying to tell you: "Choose, and Enjoy!"

Gigantic to do lists

2009-12-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

I love life!

There is more to do than I will ever be able to get done. I have web opportunities on scribbled scraps of paper all over my office. Some I'm actively working on but some may simply never get enough time allotted to ever see the light of day. Here it is mid December and months ago I had a gift I wanted to start working on, heavy in graphics and computer, but there is also some printing and turn-around time to have it ready as a gift for a few of my family members. I probably won't get it done in time for Christmas, so maybe I'll have it ready for next year.

One of the lines that has stuck with me from and old Jim Croce song "There's not enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them." It was truer for Jim than he knew, but it's true for all of us. Life is rich with possibilities and I simply can't get to it all.

This is of course nothing new, but what struck me this morning and why I'm blogging this message is this verse, from Malachi 3:10 which says:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

That's how I think of our to do list that is so big we'll never get it done. Blessings so plentiful that "there shall not be room enough to receive it".

Something to think about next time we're feeling overwhelmed :)

God our helpful friend

2009-09-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at the downstairs computer getting some things ready to mail out and I heard my wife call out "Could you grab me a pair of white socks from my top drawer?" which is upstairs. I didn't really think about it, I just broke away from what I was doing and bounded up the stairs to get her a fresh pair of socks. As I came out the door of the downstairs office and she saw me, she said "Oh, you're down here, never mind honey, I can get them myself."

I was already on my way and it certainly wasn't a task that needed any deliberation over, so I just said "I don't mind", grabbed her a pair of socks and returned back to work.

The day before I'd had a similar experience with God. I had prayed asking for help with my recent unemployment and meeting the financial difficulties associated with it. I asked specifically for help meeting this month's bills, finding ongoing income, and for help in digging us out of our backwards situation.

In what I assume was a response to that request, these three things happened: My brother called and asked if I needed some short-term work, a person who owed us some money called to get the address to send it to, and my sister spent some time helping me line up a possibly lucrative business deal. It was one I had been inquiring about but she took the time to make a convincing presentation of the merits, and it worked, I should have that project beginning mid next week.

The interesting thing is that all of that was things I could have done myself. I could have called to see if that money was going to be sent soon, I could have called and asked my sister to check in again on the possibility of the business deal, and I could have called around to friends and relatives to see if there was any work available.

When I was asked to grab the socks for my wife I couldn't help but think that God sometimes responds in the same way, not annoyed or telling us "you could do that as easy as I can", but instead, happy to help, a true friend, willing to pitch in alongside us.

I am convinced that the Psamlist recognized this of God when he wrote "no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." (psalms 84:11) Romans 8:32 has this to say: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

This is just one small insight into God's relationship with us, and it is not "stand-alone". We need to study and be aware and continue our learning, because sometimes God uses delays in answers to our prayers to teach us, as when Jesus delayed healing Lazarus until he had died.

But this post is just about a glimpse of God our helpful friend, who helps us just in love, not always to teach us something.

Hey! I get Reception Out Here!

2009-09-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Just a thought that made me smile - I was driving taking the back roads recently, and as I often do while driving, spent some time in prayer.

As I got into some of the mountainous areas I noticed my cell phone had gone out of range. I'd been this back way many times before, so it was no surprise, but as I continued in prayer it suddenly struck me that I still get 5 bars of connection with God. Anytime, anywhere.

And that just brought a smile to my face.

Skippable Church

2009-09-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is a growing group of people who are Christians, pray and live their life keeping God in their overall outlook of the world we live in, but do not attend any church and promote to others not to attend.

"Church doesn't save people, Jesus does" or "I don't need church to connect with God" are the types of reasons given.

An electrician I worked with for several months earlier this year said that as a child he went to church almost every day, because they had so many things going on, and he thinks God won't hold it against him because when he was young he got in enough church to last a couple lifetimes. That gnawed at me ever since, because he was looking at church as an obligation. Do other people? I wonder how many go, but only from a sense of obligation?

Maybe It was just the church. I have been to a lot of churches, and a lot of denominations, and it's been very rare to attend a church I didn't like. I admit that in "exploration mode" any church is going to be more interesting because I'm trying to find the "real" Christians and fellowship, and learn what differences or strengths that particular church has. I'm specifically looking for what's good, and purposefully turn a blind eye to anything that's missing or not right, if I can. I could be happy and grow in my Christian walk in a lot of different churches, but not all of them. So if anyone you know is not attending, read on, but plan to encourage them to explore and visit other churches. God's family is huge, and there's more wonderful churches out there than you'd imagine.

But back to my title "Skippable Church." Sometimes church seems skippable. Perhaps the regular pastor is out of town, or everyone you usually associate with are going to be away that weekend, and it seems "I could skip this week, take a day of rest in an even truer sense..." etc.

But a week without church is not the same. The day does not go as restful as you thought it would and at the end of the day you don't have much to show for it. Awareness of God's will for us and his working in our lives and on our hearts barely gets a passing thought, and the day is gone, and the new week begins.

When you're at church you are participating in a special event to which Jesus said "Where two or more are gathered together in my name, there I am with them also". That's a pretty big deal. And we don't go only to church as an audience, but to contribute, and as an example. Friends and family all know whether you go to church every week or not. And every once in a while people you'd never expect to attend end up attending for one reason or another. I don't want to focus too much on the idea that your attendance is to help others' salvation, maybe because that is more from the obligation viewpoint mentioned above. But it is a reason for not skipping. And I know from past personal experience that skipping changes to "wow how long HAS it been since I've gone?" very easily.

There is so much to be gained from church. Encouraging and sharing with others in the small groups time before the sermon (don't just show up for the sermon or you're missing the best part!) has an encouraging and strengthening effect on you as well.

God used to play a little game with me, as I would sometimes ask Him questions during prayer throughout the week, I began to notice He'd answer me through the weekly sermons at the campus church. (I used to have a daily walk along the riverside and could pray aloud in private because the babbling of the river masked my voice.) Often during prayer time questions would come up. Once I figured out what He was doing, I began to await anxiously for each new sermon. The one most memorable to me was the time when the pastor got completely off-topic, answered my question, then composed himself saying "I don't know how I got to talking about that." I just smiled. I knew why.

I would just summarize by saying church is not "skippable". If you don't like your church then go find a new one! There are so many and in my experience there is something good in all of them. There's bound to be a group with whom you can relate, and actually get excited about what it means to be on God's team when the enemy's war machine is in full operation. Don't think it's not.

And if you don't like church because you're not a sheeple, then good! The churches need a lower ratio of sheeple :) Get involved, and before long you'll wonder why on earth you let something so important become optional or avoided.

Running on empty

2009-04-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

We live in a whirlwind of blessings from God, and yet He is very skillful at giving us blessings without being obvious about it.

I often think God runs better on "empty" than on "full". When we're "full" we feel self sufficient and have a reduced sense of our need for God.

When Jesus fed the 5000 with 3 loaves and two fishes, (and when Elisha did the same thing in II Kings 4:42-44) He did not do a more visibly spectacular miracle of creating a mountain of food and then distributing it. Instead He "ran on empty", but made what was available sufficient to supply everyone's needs, enough that there was left over.

When Jesus sent out the disciples he instructed that they take nothing with them, and when they returned he asked if they had lacked for anything. Their every need had been met.

I have often heard about people who have gotten "just enough" or got it "just in time". Because God has unlimited resources, he is able to supply our every need. By supplying us just in time and with just enough He helps us to not fall into the indulgences we might be tempted with if we got too much or got it too soon.

I just learned last week that when my wife and daughter were in Guatemala on a mission trip about three weeks ago, they had a loaves and fishes type miracle. They had food for 150 and were unprepared for the 450 villagers who came to eat. Many of these villagers eat just beans or beans and corn tortillas because that's what they can afford or what they grow, so this meal with lots of fruit and variety was quite an opportunity, and they all ate plenty. The food never ran out, and when it was over the leftovers equaled about what they had started with.

While we love to hear of and experience miracles, we need to remember that everyday life is probably full of unseen miracles that we never notice. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want".

Gifts left unwrapped

2009-03-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

I wonder how often as Christians we receive answers to prayers and requests, and then we end up not accepting God's special assistance and intervention.

We ask.

God offers help.

We pass.

Wisdom not accepted, divine guidance not acted on, warnings not heeded, opportunities not taken.

I have both seen personally and heard others tell me of times they have prayed for someone else, either for spiritual awakening or financial and relationship help, and then we see those prayers answered in some way. A renewed interest in spiritual things, a second chance at a relationship, or an opportunity providing a way out of the financial trouble they are in.

But before long, the interest wanes, the chances are squandered, and opportunities get missed.

What happened?

And just as importantly: Is this happening in my own life as well? Am I getting answers to prayer and then not recognizing or ignoring the advice, squandering my temporary financial relief by relaxing a little rather than using it to improve my situation?

And for those times that we pray for others, and then see the answers come to them, is there anything we can do to keep God's gifts from amounting to nothing?

Have others seen this same effect or am I imagining things?

Thought you might like this too.

2009-03-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

From Morris Venden's "Life's Little Instuction Manual"

1. Above all else, love God alone.
2. Bow down to neither wood nor stone.
3. God’s name, refuse to take in vain.
4. The Sabbath rest with care maintain.
5. Respect your parents all your days.
6. Hold sacred human life always.
7. Be loyal to your chosen mate.
8. Steal nothing, either small or great.
9. Speak truly of your neighbor’s deed.
10 Rid your mind of selfish greed.

Everybody does it

2009-03-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

"Everybody does it" can sometimes lull us into complacency about the higher calling we are called to. God expects us to be different, in places calling us his "strange and peculiar people" and "the salt of the earth"

Some areas we might be lax:

* Fudging or cheating on our tax reporting
* Our language
* Speeding
* pre-marital sexual relations
* watching inappropriate material
* downloading pirated songs or movies
* keeping the change if a clerk makes a mistake

Why do these "Little things" matter? They matter because if we are no different from others in the world, then we don't represent the change that Christ brings about. Often Christianity is discarded as an option when those who might otherwise be seeking have been exposed to Christians who showed them there is no difference. As Christians we are representatives of Christ, and when we are shown to be dishonest, poor at repayment of debts, given to adultery, using "that's business" as an excuse to be hard-nosed or greedy, then we don't represent Christ at all, and we convince others that Chistians have nothing special, or worse, that we use our Christianity as license to do as we please.

So next time you think "Everybody else does it" just remember, we're not everybody else. We're called to be different.

Selling your birthright for a bowl of porridge

2009-03-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

In these tough economic times, some people are being forced to sell possessions on craigslist or kijiji etc. for less than they paid for the items initially. Furniture, computers, electronics, the "extra" vehicle, all are being considered as a way to make it through the month, making the rent and credit card payments.

But what went into those credit cards? Fast food, coffee drinks, a night at the movies, snacks and impulse stuff. In the end we may have to sell something valuable and more important to pay for our poor impulsive decisions to buy a "bowl of porridge" (Juice instead of water, snacks at high prices at the gas station, movies instead of waiting for the DVD or better yet, reading a book or enjoying family time)

I don't mean to cheapen the traditional moral of that story, which is that we should be careful not to trade away things eternal for the frivolous "now", but the real-life economic metaphor can perhaps serve as a reinforcement of that same principle.

Kids and Faith

2009-01-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

As parents we learn to never take on a conflict with our children unless we are sure we're going to win. Unless we're willing to follow through with the punishment or other measures the child needs for training on a certain issue, then we avoid the conflict; otherwise we might be "training" our children that they can get away with inappropriate behavior.
As a young parent I tended to apply the same principle to faith, but I now think that was a mistake. Usually, if I didn't think there was a strong chance that a payer would be answered "yes", I kept my prayer requests private and didn't involve the kids. In a few cases even prayers I fully expected to get a "yes" ended in disappointment and I worried it would hurt my children's faith, but it hasn't.
When discussing discouragement and a seemingly unanswered prayer with my now much older 17 year old son, he said "You're looking at it wrong, God isn't some prayer vending machine where you always get what you asked for." I see that faith is strong in all three of my children; they often turn immediately to prayer in the face of dangers and perplexities. I now wish that I had included the kids more often when they were younger in our family's prayer requests. I think it would have given them an even richer prayer life experience, and more data points in which they could see that God often allows the events of life to take their course, even with prayer, but finds a way to take care of us in other ways that make everything okay, even if He didn't intervene in the way we'd expected or hoped.
A sick cousin, Taylor, who dies and is not healed, and yet maybe got an extension on her life and had a greater bonding and parental relationship than most kids get in a lifetime. A car wreck that happens even though special attention was put on prayer for safety for that trip, and yet no one was seriously hurt in the head-on collision.
Not to say that God doesn't directly intervene and provide the miracle we would have wanted, but more often in my experience God finds a way to make things work out anyway. And I think now that those initial disappointments followed by discoveries of divine assistance is not something we should protect our children from, but rather an important part of developing their young faith.
There is a value in putting our hopes in the Lord, regardless of the outcome, and teaching our children to put their hopes in the Lord will be a strength to them their entire lives.

One hundred percent

2008-08-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Giving 100%, nothing held back, will open the floodgates of blessings from heaven. So many Christians do the equivalent of dipping their toe in the water but don't just jump in and go for it. They fully intend to "someday" but convince themselves that they are doing pretty good by choosing one thing to work on, and use that one thing as a distraction from having to feel guilty about whatever it is that they are holding back.

A 100%-er is someone who has no sin they are unwilling to give up. A 100%-er is someone who gives their whole heart to God, imperfections and all, nothing held back. They say:

"God I give you my life. Wherever you may lead I give you full reign of the events of my life. I give you my abilities, my hopes, my past present and my future. I give you my health, my family, my finances, my fears. I give you my sins and weaknesses, my strengths and talents. I give you all who have wronged me and forgive them. I give you all that I have ever done wrong and ask forgiveness. I give you my possessions and means, my ideas and imagination. Whatever is your will in my life, I trust you with it."

It is so liberating to have nothing held back, to know that although you have a road yet to travel, that as of right now you are "right" with God, and knowing that no matter how bad things get, you can trust that God will guide your path so that you can have a worry-free life regardless of your circumstances. God is the same God who blessed Job and made him very wealthy. The same God who gave Solomon all his famous riches. God will probably not make you wealthy in a monetary sense, but he will take care of you so that you will lack nothing, and make you wealthy in the abiding presence of the holy spirit.

Another wonderful thing about being a 100%-er. You get to participate in the miracles of God. People love to hear about miracles and God's intervention. By becoming a 100%-er you'll be joining His inner circle, and some pretty amazing things happen there. Not all the time, not instantly, but you will be where the "action" is, and it can be very fulfilling to be in God's inner circle. Just remember that Paul prayed three times asking God about his "thorn in the flesh" which the devil was pestering Paul about. Finally the third time God gave him an answer. The miraculous and direct answers from God will still be the exception, and may never become commonplace, but if you're going to be a Christian, being a 100%-er is definitely the place to be.

If you are part of a church group, a sign of a 100%-er is that they will be an active worker and contributor, not just another person sitting in the audience.

A bigger gift than we sometimes realize

2008-02-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Early in my Christian experience I used to wonder innocently "What did Jesus really give up, by dying on the cross?" He was raised back to life in three days, after all. Well, we also know that if we give our life as a Christian that we will be ressurected too. But we don't want to die, do we? Especially not painfully. Leaving hurt ones behind and missing out on the life we'd planned, even though we know a better life awaits us. But even that requires faith. "What if something goes wrong?" "What if we don't make it?" Jesus had to deal with these same issues, and the stakes were very very high, the life of God's own son at risk. There are other things Jesus may have given up by assuming humanity, but much of that we don't know till Jesus comes again and we get to ask all those questions.

But God gave up something we don't always think about, when he let Jesus be a sacrifice for our sins.

Think of what Jesus accomplished in three short years of His ministry. Can you imagine what another 30 years could have accomplished to benefit mankind?

I can just see God watching approvingly as His Son "finally got it right"; as the truth about God was revealed and Jesus lived his life as a perfect example of love, kindness and forgiveness.

What an opportunity for God! Jesus wept when Isreal would not accept him. Imagine how Jesus felt too, about all that he could accomplish for good.

Even though it was Christ's mission to come and be a sacrifice for our sins, it was also his mission to minister to mankind, and it was likely a very hard choice to let Jesus be sacrificed so soon, and so harshly. It is not so different from Isaac - a young life so perfect and full of promise. We get a glimpse of this when Jesus prayed to the Father: "if there be another way..."

So what does all that mean? To me, just that the price was great, and that I need to keep aware and respect the great price given. Then my awareness and awe will turn to a life in which I try to honor that - and make sure that so great a price is not wasted. Either on me or for anyone else I am able to help along the way.

Freedom through giving

2008-01-02T03:01:00.000-08:00

To keep the benefits of giving, we have to stay in the realm of truly giving, rather than falling into the trap of "just doing our obligations". The quickest way to get out from under an obligation is to go the second mile. I think that this was the gift Jesus was giving the Jews when He gave the instructions to give their cloak also or to go the second mile in the sermon on the mount. By going two miles, both miles became a gift, so that neither mile was by obligation. Jesus set the Jews free of many oppressive obligations, and to us now if we will listen to that same advice.

I think most people would hear that teaching and paraphrase it in their minds to say "don't just do what you ought, do even beyond that" as a calling to a higher standard, but I think it was more than that, I think He was giving them a tool to lessen the burden of the Roman oppression they were under.

You know how when you were just about to do some task, unasked, and you imagine how everyone will be pleased when they see you've done it. But then someone asks you to do it, thereby stealing your good deed and turning it into an obligation. Well, by using Jesus' method you can take it back by simply going it one better. Load the laundry to the dryer and take out the trash. How cool is that?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

2007-07-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God,and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt 6:33 --- Most people have heard this verse, and usually it is given in the context of "Put your attention on the important goals, and these smaller day-to-day issues will sort themselves out" Or some similar way of looking at it.

In my personal life I am hoping to get my now-empty house sold, and rescue my finances.

Today in church our pastor related his recent doctor visit which revealed that his choice of lifestyle and healthy diet is why he is alive today. He has a hereditary cholesterol condition that if had been combined with ordinary diet and lifestyle, he'd be dead. So for him, "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" was not merely a better choice to focus attention than other worldly pursuits, it is why he is still alive at all!

Which made me consider my own situation. Sometimes there may be a direct cause-effect such as with the pastor's health. Other times there may be a cause and effect, with another factor at work: Remember the Lord's prayer? It asks in part "Lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil".

Assuming God answers our request, there may be lessons we need to learn in order to move on. I need to learn to say "No" to my kids when they ask for things, especially when I see it is from a dissatisfaction in life and they are asking for things as their own personal shopping "fix", a temporary feel-good that invariably doesn't even last all the way home from the store. I probably need to be more careful with money for what I spend on myself as well. Those small Items add up to big money. In hindsight, would I forgo a couple months of fast food in exchange for a laptop? all it takes is discipline.

So it comes down to this: If I seek first the kingdom of God, and learn the lessons that God is waiting for me to learn, then the rest "shall be added unto me". Perhaps the things I am seeking first are set as a learning opportunity, by changing my focus those things will all come together.

Fighting the enemy on our shore or theirs

2007-06-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

We struggle with sin, yet we invite the enemy to our own turf before we finally decide to battle. Far easier to fight the battle on a foreign shore than right at home.

What am I talking about? Fantasies. We play out our temptations in our minds be it revenge fantasies, sexual fantasies, greed fantasies, or just mean-spirited prideful "I sure showed them" fantasies that we fully indulge and allow to play out in our minds.

Whata perfectly safe way to have all the sin we like, right? No one gets hurt and we can do whatever we please without repercussion. Not so. Soon enough, the real thing comes knocking, and we are unprepared, having given in to the temptations many times over in our minds.

So if you're serious about being in that number "blessed are they who overcome", consider taking the battle to the foreign turf, where not so much is at risk, and a lost battle does not carry the same casualty counts as a home turf battle, and truthfully, the battle is more easily won.

But we love our fantasies, don't we? Well, you've been there, done that. Get a new fantasy: a life where Christ reigns supreme in our minds and hearts 24/7. Because there is not a single minute of a single day that we don't need Him. Think of it - as life's daily elements come your way, what if you were not so often "on the outs" with God, always needing to apologize before you felt you could ask for help and advice? What if you were friends, sharing the day as it came along? That is such a better place to live, because life doesn't leave you alone, and there is always something we need His help with. If you'reused to going without you are missing out on much more than whatever you're still clinging to instead. Just FYI.

Going without to give to the needy

2007-04-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine you have 10 gift baskets for a party for your children and their friends. There is just enough, and each child gets a basket. An unexpected guest arrives, and your youngest goes to the new child and gives up their basket saying "Here is a gift basket for you."

As a parent you would certainly notice, and even though the baskets might be worth only a dollar or two each I can just imagine at the next opportunity you'd be itching to do something extra or special for that unselfish child, probably something worth much more than the dollar or two the basket was worth.

Your child may or may not ever even know the connection between their selfless act and the follow-on reward.

I believe that Luke 12:29-34 is, in part, talking about this. Verse 33 says : "Sell what you have, and give to those in need." God is watching, and I can just imagine how pleased he would be to see us willing to go without in order to help those in need.

Quite possibly he'd be looking forward to the next opportunity to grant our own requests sent heavenward, don't you think? (don't misunderstand me here, I'm not advocating trying to manipulate God, and that would never work anyway, but I am advocating learning from our relationships with our own children to give us insights into ways we can live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God.)

They'll have to face how they acted someday...

2007-04-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

When I hear my kids bickering and fighting in the back seat I have to wonder how they would feel if they realized that they will all have to interact together once they've grown up -- calling each other for help and even introducing their children to each other as friends. I think they are of the mindset they only have to put up with each other till they hit 18. They are (hopefully) in for a surprise.

Time travel on the way to work

2007-04-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Years ago I had a police officer make a comment to me about one reason why a person would risk death or injury to themselves and others by speeding. He said they try to "use their vehicle as a time machine," racing to their destination and try to be less late.

So here's a question to provoke a little thought: If you use your car as a time travel device, are you going backward or forward in time? I asked this around and not everyone answers the same.

The Perfect Apple

2007-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect - Matthew 5:48

I recently mentioned to a friend that my daughter sometimes had trouble with guilt, that she would get so angry and devastated if she did the smallest thing wrong, or especially if anyone tried to correct her, making a point of her mistake.

He immediately knew what was at the source and was able to tell me that she must have strong tendencies to be a perfectionist. She is. She gets straight A's in school, and now that he pointed this out to me I see it in many things. Now I am able to diffuse her guilt flare-ups better, knowing the cause, and I'm working on helping her see that it's ok to be human and make mistakes. Without making her feel guilty. Kinda tricky sometimes.

This matter of perfection can be a bit confusing. We are told we cannot be perfect, so don't be too hard on ourselves, but keep trying because we can do better and better.

I do see the problem with perfectionism, it can lead to suicidal tendancies. But I can also see the problem with "we can't be perfect, so why try?"

So I'll just say two things.

1) Perfection is an opportunity, not a requirement. The more we rise to the occasion and "go for it", as long as we see it as an opportunity to go farther, do more, share the wonders of our Creator more closely, we gain with every effort.

Like the gold medalist who gets a 9.5 instaed of a 10 as part of their score, they are still delivering their personal best.

2) Think of the perfect apple. It is just perfect, and as delicious as you can imagine. Now think of a "good" apple. Nothing wrong with a good apple - can eat them all day long and love them. So we could see perfection as "being our best", giving our efforts that little something extra in everything we do.

Point here being that short of perfection isn't "bad", just as a good apple is still good even if you don't declare it the perfect apple. And one "perfect apple" may be in fact better or worse than some other "perfect apple"

The matthew 5:48 reference should not be taken alone - it is a summation of a point jesus was making in Matthew 5:43-48.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The greek word here for perfect is teleios
1. complete, perfect, entire, without spot or blemish. 2. of animals and men; full-grown, adult; hence, perfect in his or its kind. 3. of numbers, full, complete. 4. of actions, ended, finished; of vows, fulfilled, accomplished.

So then, in Matthew 5:43-48 the key thought is that following the bare requirements of the law is incomplete; to reach for perfection as God the father is perfect, we need to go the full measure, loving our friends as well as our enemies.

This call to perfection is not concerned with our private slip-ups or even indulgences. I only say this because almost everyone judges themselves and their progress toward perfection by these sort of things. Rather Jesus is focusing on what we do toward others and for others. It is much more important that we love and forgive all fellow men, and not judge those who make mistakes, than say, our personal struggle with calories.

For those perfectionists out there focusing on "lack of bad" rather than "full of good", it's worth considering for your guilt's sake.

The maturing of our love for our fellow man, as we become more christ-like, is akin to an apple "grown to perfection"

Through a glass, darkly

2007-01-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Einstein is quoted as saying that "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." (I am having fun with the new quotes capability of ThoughtOffice). He may have been onto something there, as if you look hard enough you can find a few cracks in reality.

Take for example mirrors. Has it ever struck you as odd that a mirror always flips everything left to right? We are so used to it that we take it for granted. It never flips things top to bottom, only left to right. Even if you turn a mirror on it's side it still only flips things left to right!

People are startled when I reveal this to them and it's fun to watch as they try to come up with an explanation and they can't. Have fun with that, and if you enjoy brainy pursuits, have a play with ThoughtOffice 30 day demo. I am building the installers for the product, so I'm a bit of an "insider" :)

This little Light of Mine

2006-12-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

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I am looking for input on this - how do we let our light shine? I ask this because I would like to let my light shine, but I have a feeling it doesn't. No one around me knows my relationship with God, how he helps me with big things and little things, I have prayer time and church time (and am lacking on the Bible study time) but it's all like my little secret.

When I think of who I know or see at church whose light is shining, I think of the Pastor, several of the leaders, they are naturally more visible. I guess what "shines" most from them is when they share something they are praying about, or experiences.

I tend to keep quiet about my thoughts and experiences, (well except for this blog). People in a group setting are usually not at a point where there is no one itching to speak, so I take a back seat and contribute little. Maybe that is not the place to shine, when I'm in the midst of other candles. But no that is wrong too. seeing more people "shining" will add inspiration and will help others to catch the flame too. The more lights shining the better.

Others who come to mind when I ask myself "who do I know that is letting their light shine" - are the friendly people who make a point to greet you at a gathering, come up all smiles and say something friendly, remember your name (usually they surprise me if they know my name and of course I don't know theirs, so I feel a tad awkward but then try to discover their name without letting on), and they give your shoulder a friendly squeeze or offer a handshake. They may not say a single religious thing but they seem all aglow and I'd have to say their light is shining bright.

Of course to let your light shine you have to have a light. I do have a light, I just want to know in what ways I can let it shine.

And maybe my light shines and I don't know. Still I'd like to hear from anyone else who may chance accross this blog if they have any ideas of how to let our light shine :)

You me and everyone we know

2006-12-03T04:13:00.000-08:00

Consider these:

To God "one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day." (2 Pet 3:8) and "love one another as yourself" (Romans 13:8-10) and "As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40).

What if these clues show God can time travel, but what's more we are all the same being. You and I are the same person, just taking different trips through the present. You know the old idea of a time traveller going back in time and meeting himself. well what if when going back you were a different person each time.

I don't propose that this is actually how things work, but it makes a great what-if. Now that really adds new meaning to "love your neighbor as yourself" because that "neighbor" may very well BE your own self, taking a different trip through the present. So next time you see one of your other selves in need, stop, pitch in, help out. You want, even expect, your other selves to help you out if it was you stuck in a jam, right?

And don't be afraid to share the gospel with your other self either. They may not have heard it yet. There is really no reason to be afraid of your own self now is there. You would want to have the gospel shared to you, if you had not gotten that chance yet, right?

Play with the idea a bit, it helps conceptualize how far we should be willing to go. When to lend a hand and when to use "tough love".

Then realize that through Christ we are all one body. Not through time travel, but by God's circle of love that draws us all within. I still like thinking of it using the time travel analogy; it really gives you a clear perspective of things.

Jesus and Seat Belts

2006-12-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a thought -

You know how some of us have thought to ourselves: I like my life the way it is, and I like my indulgences, and whatever little things I cheat at, but I know it's wrong, so I'll half-heartedly work on one small thing or another, or simply cut back a little, but continue to indulge the rest, and then when I see that the end times are here, and see the signs we all heard are coming, then I'll get more serious about my faith and put away the rest of those "cherished sins". I'll give Jesus my "all" as I see the "last days" prophecies starting to happen.

There' s of course a problem with that and we all know it, and in fact there's a couple wrong assumptions in there too, but I'll save those for another post. For now I just wanted to draw a comparison to seat belts. Imagine the driver who says to himself "I don't want to bother wearing my seat belt, or I find it uncomfortable, so I will pay attention and if I see that I am about to experience a car wreck, I'll just grab my seat belt and quickly strap in"

Only you'll be too busy wildly steering or braking. Yes That would be kinda silly.

Welcome!

2006-12-03T03:44:00.000-08:00

Hello! Welcome to my (finally) little spot for musings.

I come up with ideas from time to time and then they are soon forgotten. Well, No More! Here they will grow and we'll see what they become collectively.

A few words of explanation: I go by "Smart Alec" because when we were kids my younger brother was impressed with something I had come up with, and said, "wow Eric, you sure are a smart alec!" I didn't correct him - I knew what he meant :) So I'll see if I can't drum up some of those smarts to share with you here. Wish me luck.

And as for the title of this blog - Pocket Sermon - I came up with that a couple years back, thinking that it would be good to always have a little mini-sermon at the ready, to inspire and get people thinking. and if I don't have a fresh one from time to time then that means I need to be spending more time with the Word and Prayer :) For my first example I'll post "Jesus and Seat Belts", which I came up with yesterday. Not everything here will be a mini-sermon, and maybe that's even a bad name for it, but hey, I gotta start somewhere, so here we go!