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‘STICKS AND STONES…’ James 3: 1-12

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Is there a more ridiculous nursery rhyme than this one–‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me’?  Who are they kidding?  Why is it that I still remember name-calling from over 60 years ago?  Like the word ‘hunker’.  Yes, that was one nickname hurled at me by friends across the street.  All because I was chunky and flabby.  Still am.

Bones heal.  Name-calling lasts a lifetime.  James, the half-brother of Jesus, the biological son of Joseph and Mary, raises red flags about the toxicity of what leaks out of our mouths.

James 3: 6–‘The tongue…is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.’  No beating around the bush.  ‘Mr. In-Your-Face’ pulls no punches.  Can’t miss the point.  Bulls-eye.

I cringe thinking of what I’ve said with a tongue that gave little indication that I’m one in Christ.  What I thought was funny yet wasn’t.  What I imagined was clever turned out to be twisted and hurtful.  Words and names I can never take back.  You can’t either.

James issues dire warnings about the tongue.  I wonder why?  Maybe, just maybe, he remembers growing up with Jesus and what came from his lips to Jesus’ ears.  When his mouth was too big for his britches.

Jesus Himself says this–‘…only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor’ (Mark 6: 4).  From His family comes everything but respect and gratitude.  This includes brother James, who no doubt remembers and regrets.

Or when Jesus and His disciples are mobbed, shoved and pushed around, that this is recorded–“When his (Jesus) family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind'” (Mark 3: 21).  Jesus must be nuttier than a fruitcake.  Out of His cotton-pickin’ gourd.  Unstable on the best of days.  My, what a great family of yayhoos!

Maybe James remembers his wagging tongue.  Think so?  Not bad to wander back, asking forgiveness.  Always bringing our sins to the Lord.  He’s able to handle them.  Forgive…and forget.  Maybe that’s why James wrote with such fervor and vehemence.  As if giving himself a tongue-lashing.  Knowing that his brother probably wouldn’t.

By the way, note the prayer below.  It’s mine.  Yours as well?

 

Lord, give me restraint, guarding what I say.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

A-OK! 1 Corinthians 3

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I received a gift of a lapel button from my district manager when I was a financial planner.  It said–‘A-OK!’  Thanks for the encouragement, Ron!  Managers often aren’t so appreciative, wanting more and more out of you.  Greedy types.  Not mine.  I was blessed to have both manager and friend.

‘A-OK!’ meant something different than what I thought.  Its initials stood for ‘Action-Oriented Kind!’  Not just talk.  No snow jobs or tooting your own horn.  No braggadocio or blathering.  Some of the most boring people I’ve known only talk about themselves.  Talk…talk…talk.  Don’t you dare try to get a word in edgewise.  Weariness and dreariness shoves me out their back door!

Be ‘A-OK!’  Action-oriented kind…with what God wants in your life.  If you’re busy for Jesus, you won’t have to broadcast it.  No one else needs to know.  Only Jesus.  Your audience of One!

Are you ‘A-OK’?  In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul talks about God’s people making a difference in this life.  Doing what He wants.  Activating the gifts, passions and abilities we’ve been given.  Pursuing them, focusing on Jesus while helping others.  Doing your bit… for Him… for a change.  ‘By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder…if what he has built survives, he will receive his reward’ (1 Cor. 3: 10,14).

Our abilities, whatever they may be, are God’s gifts.  Do you know what yours are?  If you do, wear your own ‘A-OK!’ button.  Action-Oriented Kind!

If you don’t have a clue, don’t lounge around as if in a fog.  Pray.  Ask for guidance.  Don’t stop until the answer comes.  When will it?  I’ve no idea.  What will it be?  Don’t ask me.  Ask Him.

Let me assure you that the answer will be on the way.   Wait.  Hang in there.  And when it comes, get going.  Get off your duff and do what God wants.

Okay?  Be ‘A-OK!’…for Jesus!

 

Thank you, Lord, for good we can do for you and others.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

LEARNED MY LESSON Psalm 119: 9-16

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Here’s a familiar verse–‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you’ (Psalm 119:11).  God’s Word, hidden in our hearts and minds, becomes an impregnable wall against encroaching sin.  A holy hedge.  A godly fence.

The word ‘hidden’ often translates as ‘stored up’.   Sometimes you hide something if you’re afraid it could be stolen or when you don’t want to share.  But here ‘hidden’ refers to having a storehouse of needed help.

Let’s store up God’s Word.  Take it in.  Chew on it.  Squirrel it away.  A godly rainy day fund.  Stashed away.  Then put to work for Him.

When I was a student at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute, my spiritual immaturity stored up too little of God’s Word.  I was a top student.  Loved the biblical scholastic challenges.  Graduated 2nd in my class.  And, yes, there were more than 2 of us.  Like hundreds, wisenheimer!  But I seemed to relish food even more.

We ate well at Moody.  Institutional food there was surprisingly delicious, especially those Sunday morning cheese omelets.  So yummy and gooey!  When I overslept weekday breakfast, I’d go to the Sweet Shoppe and order one of Pop Mitchell’s own, over-the-top, 3-egg cheddar cheese omelets.  Fluffy and tangy.  Slid down my gullet so easily!

Walking back from historic Moody Church, about a mile from the school, I’d stop by a funky hot dog stand that served the most amazing loaded franks, along with gobs of the greasiest French fries I’d ever eaten, all wrapped in old newspaper.  Needed protective clothing to avoid the dripping stains!  Don’t remember much of the sermons I heard at Moody Church, but have never forgotten that jaw-dropping hot dog stand.  See what I mean?

Distracted.  Earthbound.  Carnal.  Too little storehouse of God’s Word.  It was telling.  Took it’s toll on me.  How about you?  Interruptions galore, making your time in the Bible only if available, with nothing better to do?  Weather-permitting?  Anybody have a TV Guide?  Where’s my I-phone?  My I-pad?  Sound familiar?  Sadly, I know.

But not any longer.  I’ve learned my lesson.  No more scratching the surface for me.  Taking the low road of nibbling on the Bible, toying with the Word of God, snacking and sampling, leads to nowhere fast.  And that’s on a good day.  Regretfully, I know.

So, get into your Bible.  Get it into you.  Hidden.  Every day.  Let it be a storehouse.  Will come in handy, for sure!  Gladly, I know!

 

Thank you, Lord, for help found in your Word just when I need it most.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

ABRAHAM’S FRIEND AND OURS 2 Chronicles 20 and John 15

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Do you have many friends?  The older we get the more precious they become.  Ironically, that’s when we start to lose them.  Making new ones?  Hard as nails.  Pointedly difficult.  When we need them most, their numbers decrease.

One friendship we can count on above all others is with our Lord.  He’s our totally trustworthy friend.  Immovable in His caring for His own.  That means you…and me!  Makes a difference in our daily lives?  Should.

But does it?  To know He’s reliable and dependable.  Not fickle or competitively jealous.  Won’t drop us like a hot potato.  He’s our friend.  Jesus says–‘I no longer call you servants…Instead, I have called you friends…’ (John 15:15).  We are Jesus’ friends.

Here’s a question.  Can He count on us to be trustworthy and true?  To stand up for Him?  To be Jesus’ friend?

To be honest, sometimes.  At other times, I’m less than resilient.  Weak-kneed, lacking prayer and patience.  Sadly, not always His best friend as He is for me.  Don’t you wish you could be a better friend…to Jesus?

Abraham, the premier Old Testament patriarch, is far from perfect.  Read his story in the early chapters of Genesis.  Tells lies.  Gives his wife into someone else’s harem to save his own skin.  Somehow avoids ‘Divorce Court’!  Nevertheless, in 2 Chronicles 20:7 the author writes this–‘…of Abraham your (God’s) friend…’  Abraham is friend to God.  How wonderful!

Friendship.  Something mutual.  Give-and-take.  Two-way street.  A covenant bond, like marriage between a man and a woman.  Commitment.

Not of equals for God is the only perfect One.  He holds our hands, knowing full-well we need His constant help.  Even as imperfect as we are, He cherishes our friendship, such as it is.  That’s grace.  With gobs of mercy.  But we strive to be better.  Don’t we?

Yes.  And Jesus loves me enough not to leave me the way I am.  Wants to clean me up.  Wipe off the dirt and grime from my knees, which have wallowed in sin and shame.  Nudges me, stubborn old me, to grow up and mature.  To get out of my grubby, ungodly ruts.  Thank the Lord, He’s not done with me yet!

On top of that, He won’t abandon me.  He reaches out even when I’m in resistance mode.  After all, He’s my friend.  Yours too.  Stays closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

We can count on Jesus.  Can He with us?

 

Thank you, Jesus, for your friendship.  Amen.

 

‘LOVE MAKES THE WORLD…’ Psalm 136

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The first musical play I attend is ‘Carousel’, starring a teenager named Liza Minelli, performing at the historic Papermill Playhouse in my hometown of Millburn, New Jersey.  The popular song in ‘Carousel’ is ‘Love Makes the World Go Round’.  A catchy tune with memorable words.  Love, at the very heart of this world, makes it go round-and-round.

Reading Psalm 136, I discover love’s source.  Who makes it happen.  Love, not only keeps the world spinning on its rotation and axis, but permeates the very air we breathe.  Rather than sing Carousel’s hit song, let’s delve deeper into the heart of God’s love, found in this psalm.  With me?

Immediately you’ll notice a refrain, repeated at the end of each verse.  Twenty-six times this phrase is sung by God’s people–‘His love endures forever’.  Every verse reminds us of God’s love.  Hard to forget when it’s said over-and-over again.  Love makes this psalm go round!

Not love on its own.  It’s His love that’s celebrated.  God’s love.  Disconnected from the Lord, at best you get a lesser form of affection.  A liking that rarely lasts for long.

But love, fused to God, clamped tightly to Him, embraces an eternal quality.  It comes from One who has no beginning and no end.  Therefore, ‘His love endures forever.’  An unbroken circle.

The Hebrew word ‘chesed’ (‘love’) is hard to translate into English.  Lots of synonyms come to mind.  Like faithfulness and kindness.  Covenant relationship and promise.  Commitment and loyal love.   ‘Chesed’ reaches to God’s highest goodness, though that’s merely the outer reaches of His love’s fullness.  And even that’s only the beginning!

‘His love endures…’  Even puts up with the likes of me…and you!  Now, that’s something!  His loving care outlasts our sin and shame.  When we get on our knees before Jesus, He never throws salt in our wounds.  Never keeps nagging us about our faults.  After all, He forgives AND forgets.  Something I’ve experienced in no one else, including and especially me.

‘His love endures forever.’  How long?  Forever.  That’s a long time.  As in never running out.  No final straw that breaks His camel’s back.  No.  Forever and ever…and beyond!

This Valentine’s Day week, let’s celebrate God’s love that created the world, rotating it round-and-round on its axis,  running through every bit and morsel of our daily lives.  Yes!  ‘His love endures forever’!

 

Lord, thank you for your love which lasts forever.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

 

 

WHAT? NO YANKEE BASEBALL CARDS ALLOWED? Revelation 14: 6-13

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Let’s talk about family.  Maybe not!  Wish I could report that our clan exhibits only peace and tranquility.  Not so.  However, we’re not alone, are we?  Hardly.

Sad to admit,  I’ve let down lots of family.  Please don’t ask them!  You may get an earful!  I’ve given big hurts through the years, with some of the same aimed directly at me.  I wonder about the greeting I’ll get at heaven’s family gates?  ‘Well done…’?  Or ‘what are you doing here?’

Consider  Revelation 14:13–“Then I heard a voice from heaven say,  ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’  ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'”

When down-in-the-family-dumps, this verse is for you…and me.  In Jesus (here’s the key), when our time is up on earth, in Jesus we find ‘rest’.  And peace.  Burdens lift.  Sorrows cease.  Failures flee.  Sins given a swift kick-in-the-pants.  Joys dominate.

But only if you’re ‘in the Lord’.  In Jesus.  Being His.  Committed to the Son of God.  Born anew.  That’s you?

In addition,  we’re told that, if we’re in Jesus, we’ll bring something with us to heaven.  Like all my vintage Yankee baseball cards?  No.  Too bad Mickey, Whitey and Yogi!  How about my Hull Pottery ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ ceramics collection?  Sorry, Charlie!  No can do.

But something much better–‘…for their deeds will follow them’ (Rev. 14: 13).  Anything we’ve done for Jesus, even things tiny as a mustard seed (Luke 13: 18-19), will accompany us to Heaven’s gates and beyond.  Whatever they may be, they’ll all be welcome in Paradise.  Each and every one.  Big or small.  Accompanying us to Jesus Himself.

Good deeds for Jesus’ sake will go with us through the valley of the shadow until we see Him face to face.  Talk about the red carpet treatment!

The more we do… Well, you get the point!  And the more the merrier!

Thank you, Jesus, for welcoming us into your presence.  Amen.

 

 

KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! Psalm 81

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Where we used to live, a new tax was approved to upgrade local roads.  I wasn’t impressed with this costly project, and felt it was another boondoggle adding to everyone’s tax bills.  Called the mayor to express my feelings.  Rather bold, you say?  Not for me.  I can be a bear, especially if it affects my net worth!

The mayor instantly became defensive, leading me to conclude that this would be a wasted call at best.  And it was.  At the conclusion, the mayor assured me that, when all was said-and-done, this project would ‘knock your socks off!’  Really?  I’m ready.  It didn’t.  No socks came off.  Only gobs of shekels from my wallet each year!

Psalm 81 makes better promises.  Of God’s blessings galore.  Psalm 81: 10–‘Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.’  Verses 13 and 16–‘If my people would listen to me…you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’  Gushing with blessings!  God loves to give.  He’ll knock our socks off!

His bounty costs us… nothing.  It cost Him… everything.  As in the death of His Son Jesus on the cross.  He did that exclusively for you and me?  Not quite.  All for His glory with side benefits coming our way.  Not just for us.  For there will be clouds of witnesses praising Jesus from every tribe and nation.  All for His glory.  For Him.

What God promises, He produces.  No ‘knock your socks off’ tax business with little to show but bare feet.  Not with our God.  He never lets us down.  We fail.  He never does.

It’s His promises we hold onto.  Not mine or yours or those of politicians.  His.  God’s Word alone.  Couldn’t get any better than that.  Could it?

 

Thank you, Lord, for being the ultimate promise giver and keeper.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

I CAN’T COUNT THAT HIGH! Psalm 71

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Math is not my long suit.  The only ‘D’ grade I ever earn is in Junior High Algebra.  ‘D’ doesn’t mean delightful.  More like dunderhead!  Forget about trigonometry or calculus.  Avoid both like the plague.

Even though I was a successful financial planner for twenty years, with over 800 clients, yet I couldn’t count worth beans.  Didn’t have to with computers and calculators.  That’s best for clients…for sure!  As I can’t count that high!

I notice the same about the poet who pens Psalm 71.  Look at verse 15–‘My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.’  The measurements– length and breadth, height and depth, of God’s saving work goes beyond measure.  See!  He can’t count that high either.

No one can.  Even though we hesitate to admit it, our knowledge is palpably limited.  Think we’re so smart.  So clever.  Have all the answers.

Do we?  Not on your life…or mine.  Think of the scientific chaos theory of creation.  That all this marvel of God’s fashioning comes about by chance and happenstance.  How lucky can we get!  Talk about requiring faith?  That certainly does.  More than I can count on!

How about God saving His lost people?  How does that happen?  Sending His only Son Jesus to die for us?  Makes no sense.  Doesn’t add up.  I’d never do that.  Sacrifice either of my sons for ingrates who hate me?  No way.  Never.  Not a chance.

But He did.  For me and you.  Because of His love.  More than we can imagine.  A love we can count on, even though its measure is beyond calculating.

Don’t worry.  It’s not about me or you.  Or our limitations, which the Lord knows all about.  No.  It’s about His boundless love.  Agreed?

So what if we can’t figure it all out.  He knows and that’s all that matters!  Can always count on Jesus…no matter what.

 

Lord, thank you for your Son Jesus, our Savior, whom we can completely depend upon.  Amen.

 

PEOPLE TODAY Psalm 78

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We moan and groan about people today.  Not ourselves, of course!  Others!  You know who they are.  Crass and getting worse.  Take a gander at television.  Maybe you shouldn’t.  Movies?  Have you seen new ones?  For us, maybe a decade ago, and what a colossal waste of time and money.

I’m now reading about a bunch of totally greedy botchagaloops.  Believe in numerous gods.  Never satisfied.  Always grabbing for more.  Money-grubbers.  Noticeably unhappy with nary a smile on their faces.  Scowls dominate.  Ungrateful like they deserve everything.  ‘I’m owed’.  And angry.  And entitled.  You know them.  No, not you, of course!  Or me, certainly!

By the way, what am I reading?  Just perusing Psalm 78.  What?  Yes!  Asaph pens this psalm.  He’s one of the leading choir directors of ancient Israel.  He knows the history of God’s people.  Warts and all.  Read the first thirty-one verses and you’ll note how little anyone has changed over the millennia.  No evolution in our spiritual lives.  Same old, same old.  More like devolution.

Mustn’t end of such a down note.  Read on.  Especially verses 32-39, and you’ll discover where our hope lies.  You know!  With the Lord.  With Him alone.  He’s the key as Jesus opens the doors to life in its fullness (John 10:9-10), which will be complete when we close our eyes to this world, opening them to Him in glory.

No matter what comes your way this year, whatever happens, remember this– ‘…God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer’ (Psalm 78: 35).  Time to stop whining and start becoming a wide-eyed believer in all the goodness God has for us in His Son Jesus.  Both now and then, here and there.  As in always!

Got that?

 

Thank you, Jesus, for making life worth living.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

DOING WHAT JESUS DOES John 10: 22-42

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Happy New Year!  2019?  My, how time flies.  Whizzes by at lightning speed.  But I wonder about the future.  With all its uncertainties.  No doubt this new year will entail some doozies.  Either personally or in our families, with our finances and jobs, and certainly in politics.  Looking forward gives me the shakes!

In the winter, Jesus attends Hanukkah celebrations in Jerusalem’s Temple (John 10).  Cold days and nights.  But the hierarchy glows hot as you-know-what.  About Jesus.  And His miracles.  And His big mouth proclaiming blasphemy, or so they say.  His life dangles in mortal danger.  It hangs in the balance.

So what does Jesus do?  John 10:40–‘…(Jesus) went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days.  Here he stayed…’  Facing the future, Jesus goes back to where His earthly ministry begins (John 1).  A hint for you and me?

When fears and worries rear their ugly faces, head back to the Lord for His reassurance.  That’s where Jesus goes, putting His mind and soul at ease.  To where He hears John the Baptist announce that He’s the Messiah.  He’s God’s Lamb who will take away the world’s sins (John 1:29).  Also where the Holy Spirit anoints Jesus, mimicking a gently descending dove (1:32).  And where He hears most comforting words from His Father, who loves Him so much, that Jesus is ‘the Son of God’ (1:34).

When frightened and panicky, trust what the Lord has already promised.  When shaken to the core, hold on tightly to Him.  When wobbly with uncertainties, lean firmly on God.  Dig deeper into His Word.  Stay close by.  Heels dug in and unmoved.  For if so, terrifying winds will give up long before you do.

What’s ahead for you and me in 2019?  I know as much as you do.  Nothing, really!  But going forward I’ll try to gaze back for God’s strength just like Jesus does.  I’ll try.

Good enough for Him.  Good enough…  Well, you get the point.

 

We’ll stand with you, Jesus, all year long.  But only with your help.  Amen.