Author Archives: revjaf

CAN’T LET GO Psalm 32

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The problem with forgiveness is not with God but with me.  We know that sin takes a terrible toll on everyone and everything, don’t we?  But too many kid themselves, imagining that that three-letter word is some medieval superstition.  Long out of its ‘best used by’ date.  Not for our time.  Good luck with that.  For sin’s pain is real and current, coupled with far-reaching effects.  So, to have God forgive me of all my sins is way over-the-top amazing.  Unearned and undeserved, certainly by me.

Unfortunately, feeling unforgiven won’t let go.  I can quickly drum up nasty infractions I committed decades ago.  Some insensitive remarks.  A put-down that feels good at the time, which rots in my conscience ever since.  And lots more and worse.  Again, all are forgiven by Jesus.  All of them?  All.  Gone?  Forgiven and forgotten by the Lord.  Really?

Maybe you need some evidence.  I do.  Read the first two verses of Psalm 32–‘Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity…’  The word ‘blessed’ in Hebrew can also be translated as ‘happy’.  Sins forgiven, covered over, not noticed anymore, and not counted against me ever again.  For sure?  Am I happy yet?

Any fine print I missed?  No.  Shouldn’t that make me happy as a lark?  For that’s God’s promise to those of us who come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.  That’s His Word.  What He says.  God wants us happily forgiven.

Yet once again I have trouble letting go and being happily forgiven.  Why is that?  Could it be that I don’t easily forgive others?  Possibly.  I feel a twinge or two.  Or that I know that I’m not pure as the driven snow?  No doubt.  Got me there.  Or that my conscience is way too sensitive, eagerly holding onto the negative, too reluctant to accept what God has positively promised me.  Probably.  That sounds like me.

Is there any help on the horizon?  I think so.  Honestly talking about my foibles reveals some honesty which in itself brings rewards.  Confession is good for the soul.  But there’s more going on as in changing my ways.  Doing what I know needs doing.  What God wants.  Countering those negative thoughts with His good promises.  Crowding out accusing voices with Jesus’ accepting ones.

All that would help.  In what ways?   Relying on His promises more than my guilty feelings?  That’s good.  Believing what Jesus says more than my fragile feelings?  That’s better.  Don’t stop now.  Refusing to lie helplessly flat on the ground when He offers to lift me up?  Come on.  Take hold.   Acting on what I know He wants.  Right!  Now we’re headed in the right direction.

Other ideas?  You must have some that will help us to feel happily forgiven.  Don’t you?  Time to practice what we preach?

Thank you, Jesus, for your generous forgiveness and love.  Amen.

PEOPLE OUR AGE Psalm 90

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I’m innocently checking out a couple of books from our public library.  Since I never carry my library card, I recite from memory my card number to the librarian.  An older man overhears what I say and shouts his card number at me, saying, so the whole building can hear, ‘not many people our age know their library card numbers by heart, do they?’  What?  Who’s he talking to?  ‘…people our age…’  Our age?  This old duffer is way past his sell-by date.  Who’s he squawking at?  I look around. They must be hiding.  Can you blame them?   Unfortunately, there’s no one else standing near him.  Just me.

Here’s a better word that I can also hear.  Psalm 90:10–‘The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.’  This is better?  Life soon gone?  Sliding away as if coated with greased lightning?

Should I get all weepy-eyed, down in the dumps?  That’s one option, but not what’s recommended.  Later in Psalm 90, better ideas are put forth–‘So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom…Satisfy us…with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days’ (vs. 12, 14).

Make each day count.  Cherish each one, especially as they’re nurtured by God’s love.  Spend time praying.  Dig into your Bible.  Quality and quantity time.  This time for Jesus.  Give carefully but generously so your money promotes God’s work.

I’ve noticed that the older I get, the more I’m aware of Jesus’ love and care.  More experience with answered prayers.  Some answers are yes.  Some no.  Some wait a while.  Some ‘you’ve got to be kidding!’  Even then, I’m more apt to pray than gripe, turning quicker to Him, trusting Jesus a tad more.

Have I arrived yet?  ‘…people of our age…’?  Made it as a Superbowl saint?  Perfect in every way?  Humble and proud of it?!  Well, you know.  But I am getting there, slow as molasses, even on good days, moving ahead at a snail’s pace, plugging along with that slowpoke tortoise.  Progress noted.  More ahead.  He’s not done with you or me yet.

By the way, remember that not ‘many of us our age’ can recall the numbers on our library cards.  Remember that, if you can.  I do!

Lord, it’s good to grow old with you, getting closer and closer, day by day, moment by moment.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WHO DID WHAT? Matthew 28

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I feel bad when I doubt the Lord.  Unwelcome thoughts cross my mind.  When troubles hit, I wonder if God cares.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  Passing thoughts that erode faith.  Is God out to lunch?  Taking a much-needed holiday?  Or am I even saved?  Maybe I’m kidding myself when I hem and haw about trusting Jesus.  How weak can I be?

That’s why I read my Bible every day.  Pray often.  Why?  To strengthen what I have.  To shore up against doubt’s incoming tide.  To hold Jesus’ hands as our godless culture’s whirlwinds blow ever stronger, trying to knock me off course.  I need His help.

Know what I mean?  Possibly you don’t but I doubt that too!  If we’re in this together, we’re in rather good company.  Take a gander at Matthew 28: 16-17–‘Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.’  Who did what?  You read it.

Some doubted.  Who?  The disciples and apostles of Jesus.  How can that be?  They witness firsthand the miracles Jesus performs.  They hear with their own ears His engaging stories.  They witness the change in others’ lives, including their own, after encountering Jesus.  Then His trials and death, but all trumped by His Resurrection.  He lives!  He’s alive!  Death defeated by Jesus!

Their reaction here at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, just before Jesus ascends to heaven?  Well, they do worship Him.  Fine.  Bow down and offer praise to God.  Even better.  However,  that’s not all– ‘…but some doubted.’  In spite of all that they had seen and heard?  That’s what the Bible says.  Sadly, even then.

Guess we’ll have doubts too.  The Lord knows this and understands.  So, return home from your guilt trip.  Unpack your bags with that excess baggage.  Get used to living in an imperfect, fallen world.  Have joy, encouragement, blessing… and doubt.  But know that doubts will come and doubts will go. But they won’t last through eternity.  Not at all.  They’ll be like fog disappearing on a warming day.  Here this morning, then gone forever.  Gone and good riddance.  No doubt about it.

Lord Jesus, please strengthen my faith in you today.  Amen.

LEAVE IT TO ME! Psalm 20

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A church member has charge of a local hospital’s medical imaging department.  It’s an active unit filled with umpteen stresses.  When I’d stop by to see this member, after visiting a patient, invariably some crisis captures the emotions of the nurses and imaging assistants.  They’d come running to their boss with this issue or that.  Always immediate help required–as in pronto, half a jiffy, on the double, a.k.a. right now!

I’d marvel at my church member who would say, ‘ Leave it to me.  I’ll take care of it.’  You could sense the anxiety-bubble bursting into thin air.  Best of all, he would!  Take care of it, that is.  So, go about your business and leave whatever to him.  Okay?  Got it?

Psalm 20:7–‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.’  Read that verse again.  Good advice, I’d say.  The best really.  Okay?  Got it?

So, what’s weighing heavy on your mind today?  Can’t seem to give it a rest.  Nags, nudges, and hounds at you.  Hard to sleep lying down on pins and needles.  Any help out there?  As in on the double?

Here’s an idea–memorize that verse from Psalm 20.  Deposit it deep within your memory bank.  About trusting the Lord more than anyone or anything else.  I know that’s hard.  It’s disappointing when this world offers so little to hang your hat on.  Its limits are everywhere, aren’t they?  Why even that church member couldn’t cover every issue thrust in his face as quick as greased lightning.  Did the best he could, but still…  Well, you know.

Now look at Psalm 20: 4-5–‘May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!  May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!’  Good news, huh?  But only when we put our trust right where it should be.  Smack dab in His hands.  Resting firmly on His shoulders.  And leaving them with Him.  Okay?  Got it?

The bottom line– trust Jesus.  Bank on Him.  He’ll take care of it.  In His time.  In His way.  And don’t fret over hanging onto security blankets from this life.  Relying on what’s unreliable.  Trusting the untrustworthy.  Just come back to Him.  Keep on keeping on with the Lord.  I’m trying the best I can.  My grade is a C+.  Better than an F but still a long way to go.  Remember that God knows we’re made of dust and clay.  So, He keeps saying, ‘Leave it to me.  I’ll take care of it.’  Okay?  Got it?

Thank you, Jesus, for being so trustworthy.  Amen.

HEAVEN IS NOT THE SAME Hebrews 11

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I’ve wondered, if when my time comes, when I’m welcomed by Jesus through heaven’s gates, that there will be some who see me and immediately want to quit heaven’s welcoming committee and start carrying placards protesting my presence!  ‘Fischer’s a Fink.  Keep Heaven Heavenly.  Toss the Sinner Out.’  I think not!

Reading Hebrews 11 comforts me with its last verse–‘And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they not be made perfect’ (Heb. 11:39-40).  Could it be that those Hebrews 11 heroes of the faith, that none will be complete until you and I cross the finish line?  Heaven is not the same without us?  Paradise waits patiently for, well, you know who?  And no placard-plastered protesters in sight.

Such good news.  Heaven yearns, even pines for us until our homecoming.  Complete only when the seating at the Lord’s banquet table is full.  None empty.  None whatsoever.

I cuddle up next to the idea of the waiting Father, whose patience seems limitless.  Never giving up on His own.  With hands wide open.  Expectant and hopeful.  On the other hand, I’m dying to see Jesus return and wipe out His enemies once and for all.  To rid the world of nasty buggers.  Evil dictators and sin-loving godless folk.  All of them, vamoose!

Thank God I’m not God with my appalling attitude.  Imagine all who would be left out if I were in charge.  Including me?  Maybe you?  Fear not.  Our patient Lord Jesus puts up with the likes of even me.

So we live in an in-between time, a pause that allows God’s people to repent and become one of His family.  This becomes our opportunity to promote His Kingdom.  To share Jesus with others.  To dig deeper into our treasure trove of shekels sharing with others.  To be purposeful.  Committed to what we believe in.  Where our faith’s rubber meets the road.

Since I first heard about Jesus’ love while listening to the radio, guess what type of ministry I’m eager to support?  Right.  Go to the head of the class!  Then I do what’s natural as a believer–give so that someone else can hear about the Lord, as they listen to Christian radio programs, as I did many years ago.

Any ideas about how you can help others to hear about your Lord?  It’s still early in the year, with time to get busy.  For Him.  For a change.

Father, help me to share Jesus with others. More than ever.  Amen.

ANYTHING NEW? Psalm 23

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Can I find anything new in Psalm 23?  After all, it’s so familiar.  Over my twenty-three-year pastoral career, I performed hundreds of funerals, probably with none omitting the familiar and comforting words of the 23rd Psalm.

Today it’s my time to read this well-known psalm in my daily Bible reading schedule.  Skip over it?  Or scan it, using my Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Dynamics techniques?  Better not.  But will I find anything new here?  I would love to be grabbed by the collar, making me sit up and listen to God’s Word with something that I hadn’t noticed before.

Wait a minute.  I do feel a tug.  Where?  It’s in the last verse–‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’  Nothing new there.  Same old, same old.  Until I dig into my Old Testament Hebrew language.  The word ‘goodness’ is the simple word ‘good’ as in fine and dandy.  But the next word ‘mercy’, is a word that is packed with Hebrew meanings.

It’s the word ‘chesed’, often translated as ‘loving kindness’, which is fine as it is, but there’s much more going on here.  Though difficult to translate, let’s give it the old college try.  ‘Chesed’  boils down to synonyms such as loyalty, generosity, trustworthiness, and commitment.  Getting a bit of its drift?  Like deserving nothing, yet receiving everything.  In other words, the Lord is crazy about you and me.  We give Him many reasons not to be, but He does anyway.  That’s ‘chesed’.

But I see even more in this familiar psalm.  It’s in that last verse, about dwelling in God’s house–‘…and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever’ (Ps. 23:.6).  When you’re God’s child, as in when you accept Jesus into your life, then He does all in His power to make sure that nothing and no one ever gets in the way of your being with Him forever.  He makes sure we’re not hell-bent or -bound.  Quite the opposite.  That’s His promise but one we should never take for granted.

You know you’re His own, don’t you?  If not, ask Him.  Open your heart to Jesus.  Trust Him.  Believe what He says for He means what He says.  Keep a forward focus on Jesus who forgives our sins, rarely looking back.  Then dwell obediently in His house as His worthy and respectful resident never to be evicted.

Dwell.  Planted.  Safe and secure from all alarms.

Lo and behold, I found a couple of goodies to chew on this week.  Makes me a happy camper!  How about you?

Oh, Lord!  For your promises, we thank you and love you.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

DELICATE WORK Psalm 8

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For our 25th wedding anniversary, Sue and I enjoyed a river cruise in France.  Before traversing the Rhone River, they put us up in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cannes, on the French Riviera, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.  So nice to be pampered!

Two weeks later we culminate our silver celebration in Paris, having seen and enjoyed so much of France.  One particular stop is at the medieval town of Bayeux.  It’s there that we encounter something we hadn’t heard of before that hasn’t left our minds since.

It’s the Bayeux Tapestry.  The what?  It’s a thousand-year-old woven piece; actually, an embroidered cloth, depicting the events and people surrounding the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD.  Remember that date from your history studies?  Whether you do or not, it’s when France and Normandy conquer Britain installing the French Duke of Normandy as ruler of both England and France.  That monarch’s name?  William the Conqueror.  Whom I’ve discovered, through genealogical research, to be my 25th great-grandfather, along with 88+ million others as my wife loves to remind me!  Such a close-blood relative.

This tapestry is over 250 feet long. Takes quite a while to walk around it marveling at the detailed work of this masterpiece.  The hands that embroidered it were those of superb and brilliant craftsmen and women.  Their tapestry is breathtaking and astounding.  Only wished we could have gawked at it for much longer than allowed.

But such delicate work pales in comparison to the handiwork of our Creator God.  His work.  The fineness.  Its details.  The symmetry and precision.  And how God’s creation all holds together through His mastery and genius, which boggles my pea brain and little grey cells.  Makes anything of man’s design seem like child’s play.

Psalm 8:3–‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?’  It’s that phrase ‘the work of your fingers’ which gives me pause.  Every bit of creation has been minutely crafted by the Lord.  Down to the tiniest sub-particle and below.  Up to the highest mountain, to what’s above the earth in the skies.  To infinity and beyond!

This week spend some time marveling at God’s creation.  Any part of it.  A sliver here, a slice there.  Delicately and finely tuned. Then gawk, with a panoramic view, at nature’s expanse.   For all this is  ‘the work of your fingers’.

Thank you, Lord, for your marvelous creation.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WHICH IS IT? Luke 1 and Ecclesiastes 12

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Angels reassure Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds to ‘fear not’.  Earlier one of God’s angelic messengers tells Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, much the same–‘…Do not be afraid…’ (Luke 1: 13).  Stop worrying.  No nail biting or pulling out your hair.  Yet elsewhere in the Bible, we’re told to fear the Lord.  Ecclesiastes 12: 13– ‘Fear God and keep his commandments…’  Deuteronomy 6:13–‘It is the Lord your God you shall fear.’  So, which is it?  Fear not or fear?  A confusing kettle of fish?

On the one hand, fear of the Lord has to do with our relationship with Him.  That He’s God and we’re not.  He’s all-powerful, all-knowing, all-everything.  We’re not even close.  Okay, you’re smart, many of you.  After all, God created you in His image.  But being created as such is not the same as being God.  Not by a long shot.

To fear the Lord is to bow down before Him.  To respect and obey Him.  To love and honor Him, showing reverence.  To know our place at His feet, which honors Him and humbles us.  Should take the starch out of our self-absorption.  Knocks us down a peg or two.  Seats us at God’s table with Jesus at the head, the place of honor.  Don’t try to nudge Him aside.  Be satisfied to have a chair at His banquet.  I’m fortunate to get in through the back door finding any spot to park myself.  No grumbling from the likes of me.

On the other hand, when you know Him, and have that closeness which you can feel in your spiritual bones, believing His promises, with peace settling in, as His protection fends off anxious fears and worries, at least some of them for some of the time for some of us here on fractured planet earth.  For the closer we get to Jesus, the more those pesky jitters fly away.  Good riddance!

So, choose to believe Him.  To claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  To take His name as your own.  Christian.  A little Christ, enjoying a large piece of humble pie.  With nothing to fear really.  Accept the paradox–when I fear, love, and respect the Lord, I have nothing to fear in this life.  Makes sense?  Think so?  Hope so.  I’m still working on it.

Lord Jesus, I love and worship you, wanting to be your faithful follower.  Amen.

NOT MERELY A SMIDGEON! Psalm 5

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Having dinner with friends is usually a treat.  Food’s tasty and abundant with humorous banter back and forth, front and center, on the menu.  One time we have a meal that defies description, stretches credulity, and barely met minimum caloric requirements.  In other words, we didn’t get much to eat!  And before the casserole can be gotten to for seconds, it’s whisked off the table, and hidden away in the refrigerator.

Then we’re ushered into their living room to view some movie that’s their favorite while asking us if we’d like the heat on.  Turn on the heat?  It’s bitter cold outside, the dead of winter, and not much toastier inside.  We didn’t know what to say, so out came their blankets and afghans to keep in body heat, the only warmth in their house.  I knew Allen Funt and his ‘Candid Camera’ must be lurking somewhere behind the living room curtains.  Alas, not!  Too bad we had to leave early for some unknown reason.

What about the things of the Lord?  Is He a cosmic cheapskate?  Doling out only a smidgeon or two of His goodies?  A tiny dollop of ice cream when a triple scoop of Gelato on a waffle cone would be nice?  Counting out each grain of rice before cooking?  Generosity not being His middle name?

Fear not!  For the Lord lathers it on with blessings.  Slathers them like melted butter oozing over steamed lobster.  When He serves a plate, it’s full to overflowing.  Oodles and oodles.  Seconds or thirds are always available at His table.  Well, you get the point.  But don’t get me wrong.  I’m not referring to material things necessarily.  Sorry about that.  Somewhat disappointing isn’t it, but not unexpected!

Psalm 5:7–‘But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.  I will bow down toward your holy temple…’  No doubt the best gift God could give us is His love.  Not the lovey-dovey, easier-said-than-felt type.  Mere words which lack follow-through.  No.  But the steadfast type.  Dependable.  Reliable.  Constant and committed.  Promises made; promises kept.  That’s His love.

We know this because the Father sent His only Son Jesus to save us from our sins.  To make the lost ones found.  Outcasts become His own.  Those standing outside His door welcomed in, in royal fashion, with God’s hands held wide open.

When I look in the mirror, I know how far from His ways I’ve lived my life.  Only me?  Don’t you wish!  I also know how much love He must have to care for me.  That takes a lot of love, and He has tons more, never running out.

Count on His love.  Not just a smidgeon of it.  More like limitless and inexhaustible.  That thought alone should make your day… and year as 2023 arrives.  Happy New Year!

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us your love forever.  Amen.

IT’S GREEK TO ME! Romans 6:23

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I’ve never admitted this in public or in private.  Of course, God knows and thankfully keeps it to Himself.  Am I ashamed?  Not really.  I didn’t rob a bank or cheat my way through college or father multiple families all over the world.  None of the juicy stuff.  Sorry to disappoint you!  Yet, having my undergraduate college degree in biblical Greek language makes me squirm when I admit that I fail the elementary Greek entrance exam at Princeton Seminary.  Failed, with a capital ‘F’, their basic test that clears the way to enter high-level Greek language studies, which is exactly where I should be.

Instead, I’m forced into remedial Greek for a semester.  How boring as I truly know the biblical Greek ins and outs backward and forward.  It’s as if I’d known diddly-squat about the New Testament language.  Somehow, I forget to mention to seminary classmates or professors about my college major.  Mums the word.  Anyway, none of their beeswax.

Time to own up now?  Seems safe being almost five decades ago.  Unfortunately, on a more serious note, what’s up to date is our sinful nature.  Its pervasiveness.  Can’t get away from it.  That’s my story.  Just me?  Once again, I fail the test.  Haven’t mastered perfection, needing massive remedial work and not only for one semester.

Pervasive sin is but one part of the story.  The other centers on Jesus, who forgives us and gets us back on track with Him.  Lifts us up off the ground.  Scrapes off the dirt and mud.  Cleans us up, turning us in the right direction while giving us many more chances in life.  Romans 6:23–‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’  That’s the rest of the story.  Thankfully.

Wait a minute.  Let’s unpack that verse.  Our sin pays wages.  We’ve earned them.  So, stop blaming everyone else.  Exercise ownership.  And praise God that the verse doesn’t end there.  For we’re offered a free gift from Jesus Christ–life forever the likes of which we can hardly imagine.  Nothing you have to earn.  Nothing having to do with being good enough.  Then what?  Only to accept Jesus into your life, knowing that He’s done it all; and then, naturally, wanting to follow Him.  Again, faultless and flawless?  Hardly.  But more and more like Him.  Three steps forward, one back.  Make the trend your friend by following Jesus in His direction.

Okay, I failed my entrance exam.  I’ve said it now and feel much better.  However, for a long time now, I’ve been hitting both my Greek and Hebrew textbooks to keep current.  Even adding Aramaic for good measure or as punishment for my failure!  No more remedial biblical languages for me.  And best of all–no more tests!

Here’s a Christmas gift to enjoy–leaving the past behind.  Moving forward more and more.  Looking over your shoulder less and less.  Enjoying the new life given to you by Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you, Jesus, for new beginnings.  Amen.