Category Archives: Devotions

For Future Delivery

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Today’s Topic: For Future Delivery 

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:122 (ESV) Give your servant a pledge of good;

So far it’s been great. There may be rough days ahead, but to this point everything has gone very smoothly. The potential for sleepless nights and tension-filled days exists, but the present reality overcomes the temptation to fear what may or may not actually happen.

Having three kids around the house for nine days makes me feel young again. Well, actually, it reveals how old I am, but inside I feel young. Listening to a two-year old say “Hi Papa” when I enter the room just melts my heart. Hearing a six-year old granddaughter joke about my baldness doesn’t bother me a bit when she does it while cuddling with me on the couch. And watching a football game with a nine-year old who understands and loves the game (and the right team) the way he does is so enjoyable.

Now, if my daughter and son-in-law are reading this on the cruise ship today, don’t get any ideas about not coming back. I know they wouldn’t ever think that. But every once in a while, having these kids around for extended stays is a great idea. We’ll see how today goes after last night’s sleep-overs. Tired kids usually make for crabby kids.

Yesterday after church I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some things we needed – like milk. Boy can those kids go through the milk. When I go to the store I usually end up with more than what’s on the list. Yesterday was no exception. I bought two extra things. When I got home, I told the kids I bought them a treat. They came running with their expectations flying. They couldn’t stop asking what it was as I slowly and intentionally unpacked all the other groceries.

Finally I reached the bottom of the bag, and with a grand announcement I pulled out a bag of grapes. They love grapes, but it wasn’t anywhere in their expectations of what a treat should be. Their faces dropped with disappointment. They said thank-you, but in very reserved tones with no eye contact. They had been given a pledge of good and it had not been delivered.

But the bag was not empty yet. I reached down in one more time and grabbed what was still there. As I removed the items I asked, “So would this be better?” There in my hand was three bags of Skittles. There was an explosion of enthusiasm. They reached for them immediately, but I was still quick enough to pull them out of their reach. We hadn’t had lunch yet.

I told them the treats were for some time later – to be handed out at my discretion. I then placed them inside an out-of-reach cupboard. Of course I was bombarded with questions – “When can we have them?” “What do we have to do to earn them?” “Are they for after lunch?”

I simply said that they were for some time later. Since yesterday, they have not asked about them once. Have they forgotten that they are there? Not a chance. But they have accepted the pledge of good as a promise of delivery, and they are waiting for the Grandpa that they trust to make good on the pledge.

I’m waiting for the God I trust to make delivery on the good He has pledged. Some of it has already come. Some of it is still on its way. Someday, at His discretion, it will all be delivered. For today, I can just enjoy what’s going on, knowing that the God who made a pledge of good is incapable of failing to deliver His promises to me. His discretion as to when the delivery takes place is His way of teaching me faith and patience.

In fact, when I think about it, even the waiting for delivery of the expected good is God’s way of delivering to me the good that He knows I need right now – patience and faith. God is always making His good available to us!

Hey kids, the grapes are still on the counter. Eat up!

I Own Nothing

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Today’s Topic: It’s All On Loan       

Today’s Text:  Psalm 24:1 (ESV)  The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…

  Haggai 2:8 (ESV) The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

  Psalm 50:10 (ESV)  For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

One sunny spring day a wealthy man by social standards went into a bank owned by his long-time friend to begin the process of purchasing a new home. He sat at a small table and filled out all the necessary financial statements and application forms. When done, he handed the paperwork to the administrative assistant behind the desk. He was told that the loan officers would review his information and get back to him within a few days.

When the phone call came three days later, it was his friend who called. The bank owner was puzzled. He asked his friend to explain why he had not listed any assets on his application. “How do you expect to get a loan for this huge mansion you want to purchase when you state that you own nothing? I’ve known you for a long time, and I can see on your credit report that you are extremely wealthy. Why have you chosen to not list anything as a personal asset?”

“Oh, that’s easy to answer,” said the wealthy applicant. “I don’t own anything. It’s all on loan to me. By your standards it’s mine, but not by God’s standards. Everything I have is His asset, not mine.”

I thought of this story this morning as I was reading an email I received from a friend who shared what God was teaching him in his personal devotions. With his permission, I share his thoughts with you.

As I was reading a devotional this morning, the opening reading was Psalm 24;1-2 which basically says that it’s all God’s. This led to Haggai 2:8 and Psalm 50:10 saying that all money and everything on the face of the earth is His. What especially made me stop was a comparison. “Since God consistently reiterates that He is the exclusive owner of all creation, we should respond appropriately when using His resources–including money. In other words, we should have exactly the same response as when using something that belongs to our neighbors: ask permission to use it; honor the owner’s instructions and do as he has designated; take no unnecessary risks; handle it the way we would want others to handle one of our possessions; and return it in a timely manner, preferably in better condition or more plentiful than before. And then say “Thank you.”

Well that sure hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately went to my garage and made sure I didn’t have anything of my neighbor’s that I hadn’t returned. But seriously, I did immediately begin thinking about what I claim to own and possess, and I discovered I was guilty of taking ownership of what had not been deeded to me. You see, it’s all on loan. So here’s my plan – actually it’s God’s plan that I’m choosing to make mine:

  • I hereby declare that I own nothing, and that everything currently at my disposal is God’s, and He has assigned it to me to use solely for His purpose.
  • As the Owner of all I have, He can ask for anything He wants at any time, and I will cheerfully give it to Him. This includes people as well as possessions.
  • If I think I can use it in some way, I will ask God for permission to do it first, and wait for His response before taking action.
  • I will not put His property at risk hoping to gain more for myself.
  • I will not hide His property to preserve it, but will put it to use for the current needs of the Kingdom.
  • I will invest His resources in ways that bring an abundance of eternal treasures. I will not invest in building earthly security.
  • I will learn to say “Thank You” more consistently, and seek to minimize my complaining that He hasn’t given me enough.

See the parable of Jesus in Matthew 25:14-30

What’s the Hold Up?

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Today’s Topic: Held Up By Promises                                               

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:116-117 (ESV)  Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! 117 Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!

One of the past traditions of our family when the kids were young was that we would spend Thanksgiving at my brother’s house in Chicago. What a riot! Women shopping, men golfing, kids hiding and playing all over the four-story house: great memories.

Every year we would load up the car and head out from the Chippewa Valley on Wednesday afternoon. Without fail, as soon as the Hormel chili can came into view at Beloit, Wisconsin, the traffic would come to a complete stop. It would take us over an hour to travel the next few miles to the first toll booth on the Illinois expressway. The first time we ever made the trip and we got to that spot, I remember saying out loud, “What’s the holdup?”

Sometimes we say that to God. We have heard His promises and expect immediate results. When we don’t get the results when we thought we would, our impatience, generated by our prideful desire to have everything work out our way, makes us question the very nature of the promise. We may even question the integrity of the One making the promise. So instead of being upheld by the promise, we think we are being held up by it.

On Tuesday God designed the last Connecting Points devotional in such a way that it addressed this very issue of being held up in the life of a friend from church. With his permission, I share what God is doing in his heart with you. The background you need to know is this – he and his wife are in the process of adopting a little boy from another country, and while other families doing the same are having their process move forward, my friend’s process is being held up. In fact, they had just received an email from the adoption agency that stated that it could be another few months before they would get to go pick up their son. My friend did not react well to that news, but God worked through it with Him to bring further growth to his faith. Here is how he writes it:

I was thinking over your devotional from yesterday and I find it kind of funny how we can react to “perceived promises”… We had never been given a specific promise of a court date. We were never specifically told that we would travel at the end of January, but rather we were told that we might or could possibly travel AROUND that time. 

My initial reaction yesterday was not good. As I thought about the situation, I got jealous of other’s situations. I felt it was unfair that they had moved along faster than us. I got angry that our agency had been leaving us in the dark. All these things I was feeling put me in a downward spiral of thought.

Thankfully that spiral didn’t last long. As I drove to work yesterday I was praying like crazy that our process would go faster; that the Lord would take away the pain; that things would work out like the “perceived promise” that I had in my mind. 

Surprisingly by the time I got to work I felt significantly better (I say surprisingly because I really wasn’t praying for the right reasons or the right things). I believe, though, that the Holy Spirit was interceding on my behalf AND God was about to reveal a whole lot of truth to me. Once I got to work I actually had a chance to read the email that the adoption agency had sent (previously, my wife had just paraphrased it for me.) The information was the same, but now I saw God’s timing in it. The reason for the delay was the fact that the orphanage was filing for re-licensing with the government. You see, orphanages don’t renew their licenses every year; they renew them every two years. So, the possibility of us “just happening” to be at this specific point in the process at the exact time that they “happen” to have to renew their license, and the fact that our little boy just “happens” to be from this orphanage and not a different one is probably slim at best. Nothing is circumstantial with God.

He then spoke to my heart and reminded me that we are not in this process to bring honor or glory to ourselves, but rather to honor and glorify God. He reminded me of huge hurdles He had cleared for us in the past, and that everything was working according to His plan and His timing.

So why should we have to wait any longer? I do not know… BUT, I do know that whatever the reason is, it is to show the majesty and power of the one true God. It is to honor and glorify Him. And I can rest assured that when He is ready for our little boy to come home, it will be perfect! (Not by my measure of perfection, but rather His.)  

I choose to rest on His promises and not my “perceived promises;” the promise that my life is in the hands of the God of the universe. A promise that will not fail nor fade away. One that is not perceived, but rather guaranteed. I thank the Lord that He is in control and I choose to accept His perfect plan!

There are no hold ups in God’s timing. Instead, He intends that His promises will hold us up! It’s all a matter of perspective. What’s yours?

Pastor John

Pocketful of Promises

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Today’s Topic: A Pocketful of Promises                                           

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:116 (ESV)  Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

I have a pocketful of promises. At least I believe they are promises, and because of that I use them. I put coins in a vending machine because of the promise of a thirst-quencher or belly-enhancer. I put green-colored paper into the hands of a cash-register operator in exchange for the product I have determined is essential to my life. I slide a plastic card through an electronic device when I don’t have any green-colored paper and I expect the same result. I pull out a cylindrical device with a clicky top to make a promise to pay later with the promise of a signature. I hand a colored punch card to the clerk who makes a promise with a hole to give me something free later. My pockets are full of promises.

In one pocket of my coat I carry a dozen promises, all attached to a steel ring. One promise opens my office door. One promise opens my house. Other promises open a variety of cabinets and files and doors. When I pull them out of my pocket and insert the appropriate promise into the matching slot, things that had been previously inaccessible are suddenly fully available.

I’m having trouble with one promise in my pocket. It is a small black plastic promise with three buttons on it. Each button is supposed to perform a function on my vehicle. Every morning when I get to the office I exit my car, shut the door, and push the button that promises to lock the doors. Nothing happens. I push the promise again, and nothing happens. I slowly move to a different location on the outside of the vehicle and push the promise again, and maybe, it will work. Some days I just go inside and leave the car unlocked because the promise was never fulfilled. Then there are days like this morning that the promise was fulfilled at the first request.

It can be really embarrassing standing in the parking lot pointing a promise at the car while moving around pushing the button repeatedly. Unfulfilled promises are shameful. They destroy hope. My pocket is full of promises that are consistently fulfilled, but the one promise that isn’t seems to dominate my thoughts and affects the quality of my life (or at least I choose to believe it does).

None of the above is true of God’s promises. Never once has one of His promises failed – at least not from His perspective. From my vantage point things don’t happen like they should. I want to be fulfilled according to my desires. I want to be upheld according to my application of the promise. Therein lies the problem. Putting God’s promises into our context and timeframe is like putting the wrong key into the lock and never gaining access to the previously unavailable. The Psalmist reminds us of this truth with the words, Uphold me according to your promise.

God’s promises are like the coins and currency we carry. Read these encouraging words from Charles Spurgeon:

Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, “Lord, do as Thou hast said.” We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Think not that God will be troubled by reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the throne.

Follower of Christ, your pocket is full of promises, and they all fit perfectly into the doorway of the heart of God. All that has been previously inaccessible is now fully available, and never, no never will the promise be unfulfilled. Point the promise directly at God, and push the button. It will open God’s heart every time.

Pastor John

 

The Right Side of the Bow

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Friday, January 11, 2013

Today’s Topic: The Bow Covers You

Today’s Text:  Genesis 9:14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud.

As many of you know, I’m an avid hunter of deer using a bow. I’m not the best bowhunter, but I love being in the woods. I have a good understanding of deer and I know how to use the bow to harvest them.

One thing I know is that I always want to be on the right side of the bow. I always want it curving towards me and not away from me. When the bow is curving away from me, I am in danger. When the bow curves towards me I am on the safe side and the danger is minimized.

There is a great analogy to life in this simple illustration. It is found in God’s design of the bow – the rainbow. In your mind’s eye you can visualize it right now. Maybe you are even blessed enough to be seeing a double one. Now notice, which way does the curve bend? Towards us, right? We are on the safe side of the bow. Most certainly there are clouds of trouble have invaded your life, but every cloud holds the promise of the bow – a promise of God’s safety and protection. The bow is not aimed
at you, but as an umbrella it covers you.

This morning as I read my daily promise devotional from Charles Spurgeon in his classic book “Faith’s Checkbook,” I discovered this simple yet profound truth.

Just now clouds are plentiful enough, but we are not afraid that the world will be destroyed by a deluge. We see the rainbow often enough to prevent our having any such fears. The covenant which the Lord made with Noah stands fast, and we have no doubts about it. Why, then, should we think that the clouds of trouble, which now darken our sky, will end in our destruction? Let us dismiss such groundless and dishonoring fears. Faith always sees the bow of covenant promise whenever sense sees the cloud of affliction. God has a bow with which He might shoot out His arrows of destruction. But see, it is turned upward! It is a bow without an arrow or a string; it is a bow hung out for show, no longer used for war. It is a bow of many colors, expressing joy and delight, and not a bow blood-red with slaughter or black with anger. Let us be of good courage. Never does God so darken our sky as to leave His covenant without a witness, and even if He did, we would trust Him since He cannot change or lie or in any other way fail to keep His covenant of peace. Until the waters go over the earth again, we shall have no reason for doubting our God.

So if today it appears that you are being hunted, and that you are on the wrong side of the bow, remember God’s promise. The clouds that hunt you are God’s delivery system of His promises, and you are on the right side of His rainbow of blessing and protection.

Pastor John

“It’s Mine”

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Today’s Topic: Why Do I Keep Doing It?                                          

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:109 (NIV) Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.

I love the little games I can play with my grandkids to make them giggle. Some of them only work for a short time, but while they do it is so much fun.

One of the simple ones is what I call “Give and Take.” This is probably the shortest-lived game of them all, and is confined to a very narrow age span. Here are the simple rules:

  • Give the child a small toy, or what’s really fun is to use their blanket or pacifier…sorry, nook.
  • While smiling and with a playful attitude, take the item away from them and say, “It’s mine!”
  • Then IMMEDIATELY give it back to them and say, “It’s yours!”
  • Repeat and repeat until the giggles stop.

I have discovered that after only a couple of repetitions the child is handing the item to me rather than me having to take it from them. Then after handing it to me, they are reaching out to take it back. That’s when the fun really begins, because they have decided to participate in the game.

After a few months the window of opportunity closes. Not because they tire of the game, but because the desires of the human heart take over. “It’s mine” totally dominates the little one’s mind as “It’s yours” becomes an unacceptable option. As they grow, the parents are faced with a constant challenge to teach “It’s yours.”

I wonder how much easier the teaching would be if “It’s yours” was consistently modeled by the teacher?

  • Are my possessions yours? Can you borrow and use anything I have when you need it?
  • Is my time yours? Can you have my time anytime you have need of me?
  • Are my plans subject to yours, or are do your plans always have to fit into mine?
  • Are my desires and dreams yours, or do I reserve the right to fulfill self first?

But let’s go one step further and look beyond the horizontal relationships we have with family and friends, and let’s see how this applies to our vertical relationship with Jesus Christ. You see, the Psalmist was admitting that no matter how many times he had surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus, he kept taking it back. He was playing the “Give and Take” game.

“It’s yours.”

“No wait, It’s mine!”

“That didn’t work out, so here, it’s yours again.”

Unfortunately, that conversation usually ends up with our lives being ours. We constantly take life into our own hands. We claim to have faith in Jesus Christ to bring fullness to life, but when the first circumstance arises that seems to contradict fullness we jump up and reach out and take back what we had given away.

Why do we do that? Does it ever really turn out all that well when we do?

From now on, imagine yourself with a nook in your mouth. Everywhere you go you have to have it. You have it in your mouth while you are driving. You have it in your mouth at the checkout lane in the grocery store, and have to take it out every time the clerk asks you a question. It’s constantly falling on the ground while you talk to people because you are also reaching for your wallet, credit card, or keys. Your attention is immediately diverted from whatever you were doing or saying because your nook is so important to you that you have to get it back immediately. You don’t even care if it got dirty, and it’s popped back into your mouth as soon as you find it. “Ahhhh, I can relax again because I’m in control of my nook.”

No, your nook is in control of you. And so is your life if you haven’t ever sincerely said, “It’s yours!”

Pastor John

 

 

Be Spontaneous!

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Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Today’s Topic: Spontaneous Praise

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:108 (ESV)    Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD…

Something spontaneous happened during worship on Sunday. It brought great joy to my heart. It was a fulfillment of today’s Scripture verse. I wish it would happen more, not only in church, but in everyday life.

Our church is incredibly blessed with men and women who voluntarily lead us in worship every Sunday. They are truly gifts directly from God. Are they perfect? Of course not. Are their hearts right with the Lord, and are they filled with the Spirit of God? Absolutely. I thank God for them all!

Well, Sunday was exceptional. We started by singing a contemporary version of the great hymn To God Be the Glory. My childhood love of the classic hymns of the faith was revived as we loudly praised the Lord for the great things He has done. We were immediately taken to the greatest thing God ever did when the next several songs directed our attention to the cross where Jesus died for our sins. The power of sin has been broken because Jesus gave His life away. As we sang You gave, you gave your life away for me it brought tears to my eyes. With simple quietness the next song began.

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

As we sang the intensity increased. The power of the song began to move our hearts as we praised and worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live.

By the time we got to the third verse, there was a growing sense of enthusiasm that permeated the air of the sanctuary. We had sung this song enough times that we knew the celebration that was about to break out. With quietness we sang There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then the cymbols started to build. The bass started to rumble. The guitar started to amplify. The keyboard pounded out the praise of the resurrection. And when we completed the next line – Then bursting forth in glorious Day, Up from the grave he rose again! – the congregation erupted in applause. It was spontaneous praise, and it wasn’t bad for a conservative Baptist church.

As we clapped, and some shouted, we completed the song.

And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine – Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath. Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

As the band played the final chord, and the voices of praise faded into silence before the throne of God, a spontaneous voice shouted from the front row of the congregation – “No Condemnation!”

It was our dear sister Cindy, seated in her wheel chair to which she is confined permanently unless she is sleeping in bed. This woman of God who despite all of her physical ailments continues to allow herself to be carried up the stairs of our current facility by several men and wheeled to the front row understands that in Christ alone she is eternal forgiven and free. And she’s not afraid to shout it.

In today’s Scripture verse, the word “Freewill” is defined in the original Hebrew as “Spontaneous”.

Oh how the Lord is ready to receive your spontaneous offerings of praise today!

Turn the Light On!

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Monday, January 07, 2013

Today’s Topic: Turn the Light On                                                      

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:105 (ESV)  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

What a great day it was yesterday. Worship at church was so Spirit-filled and Christ-centered. People fed on the Word of God and were satisfied. Fellowship with the family of God was sweet. It was a tremendous start to a wonderful day.

After arriving at home following a very nice lunch with my incredible wife, I quickly changed into my hunting clothes for the final afternoon of the bowhunting season. I spent two-and-a-half hours on a tree stand surrounded by multiple trails in the snow. But whatever group of deer made those trails, they weren’t there yesterday. But a day in the woods is so refreshing.

On the way home I called my wife and she suggested I bring home an evening treat of ice cream. I obliged, of course, and when I pulled into the garage I set the treats outside so they would stay cold while I put all of my hunting gear away. Then, before removing my boots, I set the treats on the stairs in the garage. While I was removing my coat, the light on the garage door opener turned off. I had not turned on any other lights. The garage was pitch black, and I’m several steps away from the light switch. I knew exactly where it was, and knew how to get to it without running into anything, but instead, I continued to remove my coveralls and my boots.

Having completed that task in the dark, I now had a decision to make. Should I go turn on the lights, move the treats inside, turn on lights that are controlled from inside the garage, go back into the garage and shut off the other lights and then return to the house, or could I make it all happen without the lights on? My philosophy, which doesn’t always work out for the best and sometimes causes bigger problems, has always been to do more in fewer trips, so I chose to do all of this in the dark.

Now some of you are already letting your imaginations run away with you. You are picturing me stumbling on something as I work my way to the steps, falling on the steps, and spilling the ice cream treats all over the garage. You would be wrong. You see, I left out one detail. I had not yet shut the garage door.  From almost a half mile away across the road from my house, a car had its headlights on. The light was unhindered by any obstruction in the open farm field between me and the car. The light, while very faint, was just enough for my already-adjusted eyes to see a faint reflection of white cups on the steps. I walked toward that spot, picked up the treats, went up the steps, and pushed the garage door button to not only close the door but to also turn on the light again. All was safe.

Sometimes we feel like we are living in the dark. We know there are things we want somewhere within our reach, but we can’t seem to find them. We are afraid to even try to find them for fear that we will hurt ourselves or damage something or someone else. In our pride we think we can manage in the dark, and the memory of a few successful adventures in the dark inspires us to try more.

But there is a light that is always shining, even if it is so far away that we can only see faint images around us. It is the light of God’s Word in our hearts. We have hidden it there so that we won’t stumble, and God is faithful so that even when we choose to try stuff in the dark, He keeps His light on. If we choose, the light could be brighter, and it would be better if we chose that option right away. But my choices do not stop God’s light from shining.

Somewhere in your darkness there is a light shining. It is God’s light, and once He has turned it on in your life it cannot be turned off. We can push it far away by choosing to surround ourselves with darkness, but we cannot turn off the light.

In your darkness today, look carefully for the light that is shining. Then walk to it. It will become your path, and soon it will be bright enough to guide every step.

Pastor John

The Second Greatest Gift

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Friday, December 21, 2012

Today’s Topic: Sweet Love                                                               

Today’s Text:  2 Corinthians 9:15 (ESV) Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

It was a cold night. It was to be expected at this time of the year on the flat plains of North Dakota. But this was the only date that allowed me to keep the tradition intact.

I’m pretty sure she knew what was going on, but it was fun to pretend she didn’t. I picked her up just as it was getting dark, and we drove together for thirty miles to the only town in the area that had a nice supper club. When we arrived I held her door as she exited the car, and we walked hand in hand to the door of the restaurant.

When we got inside I asked for a table for two, and was informed that we would not be allowed to eat there because my date was not yet twenty-one and this was a supper club that served alcohol. Amidst all of the other planning I had done I had not thought of that detail. I tried to pull the hostess aside and whisper to her, but I’m sure it was overheard. I explained my purpose for being there, and I convinced the hostess to allow us to have a table as long as I promised we would not order any alcoholic drinks. I assured her that would not be an issue.

They sat us at a table in the corner, away from everyone else, right next to the swinging door that was the waitress’s entrance to the kitchen. Everything went well with the dinner, and the food was terrific, which helped to distract us from the constant traffic around us and the occasional bump of my chair by the swinging door. After we had finished our steaks, the waitress came to clear the table. In the process, she dropped my greasy plate with all the scraps on it right onto my lap, spilling everything onto my suit. She was so embarrassed, feeling like she had ruined our evening. But nothing could ruin this night.

After she left I got cleaned up, I reached across the table and took the hand of the woman I loved, and presented her with a diamond engagement ring and asked her to marry me. I was thrilled when she said yes, and I get the same thrill today as I write the details of the story. For you see, it was on this day, December 21st, 1974 that I asked Denise to be my wife, and I will never forget or regret it!

It is the second greatest gift I have ever been given, and while I thank God for the incomparable and inexpressible gift of His Son Jesus, I also that God for the indescribable gift of Denise. I am going to spend the rest of my life loving her and preparing her to be given to her true Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Pastor John

Sweet Tooth

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Connecting Points

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Today’s Topic: How Sweet It Is!                                                        

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:103  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Mmmm, sweets. Christmas cookies. Fudge. Penuche. Peanut brittle. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. How sweet it is!

When that phrase first popped into my head this morning I thought of Jackie Gleason. He coined that popular phrase back in the 1963 film Papa’s Delicate Condition, and it became a consistent part of the comedy sketches performed on his weekly variety show. I can still picture the old black and white television set we used to watch when he would turn his head and shout, How sweet it is!

I also thought of the great James Taylor song that was originally recorded in 1964 by Marvin Gaye called How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You. Now that melody will be running through my mind while I clear the driveway of all the snow this morning.

It’s amazing how we develop a taste for certain things in our lives because they seem to make life sweeter. There’s no question about choice when confronted with candy or spinach. Choosing between a gift of $10,000 or an offer to work six months to earn $10,000 is a no brainer. Every day we make choices based on what we have previously determined will be a sweeter deal for us. We choose careers, make purchases, develop relationships, and set personal priorities based on the answer to this one simple question  – how sweet will it be for me?

But when it comes to choosing between the study and application of God’s words and just about any other option, we usually choose the less sweet of the two. You see, our spiritual taste buds are kind of dead. They have been killed by the allure of the world’s sweets. Oh, we may justify the sweets we choose with rationalizations, some of which we may even be able to back up with Scripture we’ve previously studied. But is our application of those truths being controlled by the wrong sweet tooth?

  • We’re too busy with activities for the kids, but in the end it will be for their good. Really? What end?
  • But I really need that _______________ so I have to work more to earn the money to pay for it.(You fill in the blank). Really? Possessions that perish are really sweeter than truths of eternal value?
  • Or here’s mine – I’m so busy doing ministry that I don’t have time to stop and just read.

We all have our sweets of choice. But are they the sweets of God’s choice? Maybe, just maybe, we need to visit the spiritual Dentist for a tooth extraction. It’s likely that we all need to decide that our taste buds need healing so that what God intended to be sweet to us truly becomes sweetest to us. His Word is to be sweeter to us than anything the world says is sweet. The commands, laws, precepts, and promises of God are absolutely the sweetest soul food you can ever eat. And I’ve discovered that you don’t have to acquire a taste for it. The truth is that the Holy Spirit of God is quite capable of accomplishing His role in us to give us a hunger and taste for the Word of God. It’s not that we won’t like what we eat when we feed on the Bread of Life, but the reality is that we have simply chosen not to eat because we don’t believe it can really satisfy our sweet tooth.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.(Colossians 3:16)

So every time you reach for your favorite Christmas candy or cookie, pause for a moment and give thanks for the blessing you are enjoying, and let the Holy Spirit bring to your mind one of God’s sweet treats from His Word. Let the right sweet tooth take control of your life!

Pastor John