Wouldn’t it be cool to receive a text message from God everyday to give you insights on how you are doing and what He would like you to do? I recently downloaded an “app” for my phone that has the complete Bible on it, in 25 different English versions. I found several services online that will text or e-mail a new Bible verse to me every day. I also have a “gadget” on my computer that gives me a fresh Bible verse right on my screen. I have at least 5 different print Bibles on the shelf in my study and another 5 computer programs from which I can read and study God’s Word. I can bring up Bible web pages from all over the world to see what it says and what people have written about it. On the radio, I can tune to several stations that preach the Word 24 hours a day. Even with all these resources available, the reality is that people have stopped reading their Bibles and seeking guidance from God’s Word.
I see truth in the words of the Old Testament prophet Amos who wrote (Amos 8:11-12), “Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.” How can this be true? The Bible is still a best seller and is available in thousands of languages. From experience, people are just not getting into the Bible and letting the Word get into them. They are reading every other “self-help” book on the market and let their Bible collect dust. There is a big difference between praying to receive God’s insights and actually seeing God’s insights in print. I’ve spoke with many people who believe that they are praying, meditating and contemplating to a “god” who gives them comfort and peace. I don’t have a problem with this discipline, as long as reading a passage of the Holy Bible is part of it. Seeking God and His everlasting Peace through prayer alone is like leading yourself on a path without a map or compass. Jesus spoke about a wide path that leads to destruction and there are many who travel on it (Matthew 7:13). He implies in later passages that there are leaders who contradict God’s Word, but they stand and proclaim themselves to be God’s spokesperson. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” The key here is to DO the will of the Father. But how does one know God’s will if His Word isn’t read? Joshua wrote (Joshua 1:8), "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” There’s that word DO again: “observe and DO all that is written” in God’s Word. Not what the guy on the radio says. Not what the best-selling author says. Not what the guy who speaks at the big mega-church on TV says. “DO WHAT IS WRITTEN.” I like what happened in the book of Acts where Paul and Silas were teaching. After they taught it says (Acts 17:11), “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” They did not trust the messenger. They searched God’s Word DAILY to make sure what was being taught by Paul and Silas was true. Here lies the problem. We are so eager for some new and fresh teaching, that we wander off the path in our search, and get caught up in a snare of a believable leader who tickles our ears with fancy talk which is not based on God’s Word. I spoke to a former follower of cult leader Jimmy Jones who told me the first thing Jones did to control the flock in the 1960’s, was to throw out the Bible. People are, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:7 “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” A good leader should be pointing his or her flock to the Truth of God’s Word. A good leader should be pointing to a saving knowledge of God’s Grace. A good leader should be pointing to Jesus and then get out of the way.
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The cool mountain rain drums against the taught nylon tent above my head as I lay on my dry sleeping bag inside, waiting for the storm to pass. The lightning plays a psychedelic light show on the fabric dome as the thunder rolls from the top of the mountain to the valley below. I half imagine myself as an early settler to the area, wondering what it is that is making the frightening noises and disturbing my peaceful slumber.
As I lay quietly, a tiny ant nibbles at my ankle. My mind is set spinning by the science of God’s great creation. I wonder how I can hear the thunder and the rush of the wind and rain in the trees. What is it that allows me to see the flashes of light in the darkness? Why can I feel the ant? How can I even think about the things that I think about? Yes, I have faith that the neurons, synapses and endocrine systems are all working in symphony, because of the science, but that simple faith gives way to the deeper faith of the order created out of chaos. The thought smashes through my brain that My God and Creator, with the stroke of His hand, encoded the very spiral strands of DNA within EVERY CELL inside me to see, feel, hear and do! The precise and delicate program He has written makes me who I am, instead of being a mindless ant. In 1637, the French philosopher René Descartes wrote, “I think, therefore I am.” God said, “I Am that I Am” (Exodus 3:14), which I like to read as, “I AM God and you are not.” All the thinking and reasoning will not make a person exist, unless God made it so. Here is a brief description of our Creator from the words of the Bible: John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. When the weather clears and the storm clouds fade away into the darkness, I leave the fabric dome of my shelter to witness the dome of the night sky. The magnificence of His artwork is splashed upon the darkness. I imagine myself launching out into His great universe, away from the problems of this world to seek His face in the infinity of space. While I cannot fathom the infinite size of the universe, as big as that is, I know God is not only its creator, but He is bigger. I look backwards to my home, but realize even the star around which the Earth revolves is engulfed in a sea of stars. It makes me feel so small. How is it that the One who is capable of this kind of work can still know me in the smallest detail? It is Jesus, the One described in John 1 and Colossians 1, who said in Matthew 10:30, "The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Recently a local preacher reminded me that believers in Jesus will inherit all that belongs to God. Then the preacher opened my eyes by reminding me that this includes the moon, planets and the stars, too! Heaven is not going to be a boring time. I’m going to visit ALL of God’s creation, even to galaxies that have never been seen by the very best of man’s creations – even if it takes a billion years! Psalm 8:3-5 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. Thank you Lord, for coming to this little speck of a planet to tell us of your gift of salvation through Your sacrifice. Thank you Lord, for giving me a mind that can understand and a humbling faith that allows me to see. Thank you Lord, for dying on the cross to allow me to enter into your presence and inherit your infinite creation. To God be the Glory! Pastor Jay Merritt The month of June traditionally brings celebrations for Father’s Day, Graduation and Marriage. Of these three, only marriage is an institution created by God. It has always amazed me, as I read the account of Adam in the first chapter of Genesis, that he had everything: trees filled with fruit, gold, precious stone, fresh water, even the whole world. Adam could walk in the garden with God all day and talk about the wonder of His creation. Yet God said in Genesis 1:18, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
We not only need a strong relationship with God, but we also need a strong relationship with other people. God describes this as a relationship that is needed to make us whole. Personally, it took me awhile to understand that my wife is a gift from God, made especially for me, and I for her. Each time I wrap my loving arms around her, I can unwrap and reveal the wonderful gift He gave to complete me. Each day I choose to remember this truth brings a new and exciting day where I can serve her and bring joy into her life. Our adversary, the Devil, wants to destroy God’s precious gift of marriage. He knows that if he can break up a marriage, he is destroying what God has created, as well as adversely affecting all those in the household. This cascading effect flows out of broken homes into schools, the workplace, places of worship and the government. For Christians whose homes are destroyed, the damage affects how people see God through His broken children. Here are some things to understand about marital relationships: The relationship is not about the individual, it’s about “us”. When God makes a marriage, He makes two into one. Jesus emphasized this in Matthew 19:6 when He said "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." What happens to one, affects the other. If one chooses to hurt the other, he/she is only hurting himself/herself. A marriage relationship is not a 50/50 performance based partnership. This becomes a stumbling block for many, especially when one person in the relationship does not meet the other’s expectations. A marriage becomes strong, when both parties give and serve. Marriage is about love without conditions. The Devil will continue to try to drive a wedge between the married couple for the rest of their lives. The wedge can be a conflict that is something serious or something trivial. The wedge, no matter how small, can affect the relationship in a substantial way, but only if the couple allows it. Conflicts in marriage do not have to cause disastrous problems. These conflicts can actually make a marriage stronger. When the wedge presents itself, the couple should step aside and let the wedge push the two closer to God. Marriage works best when the couple has a goal that is shared and they choose to work together toward that goal. There is an image that is painted in 2 Corinthians 6:14 of a yoke used by a pair of farm animals. A wise farmer would never put a donkey and an ox side by side to pull his plow. He would never get a straight line out of them. I’ve seen many believers marry unbelievers, who are clueless as to why they continue to have conflict. When raising children, the marriage is more important than parenting. Raising children is an important responsibility of a marriage, but it should not be the focus of the relationship. The children are a wonderful and exciting part of the relationship, but the focus should always be the man and the wife. I’ve seen many marriages become dominated by the children, to the point where the children become a wedge. There is an old child’s tune that goes “<boy> plus <girl>, sittin’ in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes <boy/girl> with the baby carriage.” There is a profound moral order here that is getting messed up. It’s what I call “ready, fire, aim.” Marriage should come before children, not as a result. If we get the order right, children become a blessing to the marriage, not a mistake. Jesus put an exclamation point on the importance of marriage, when he revealed His miracle working power at the wedding in Cana. No matter where you are pre-married, married, un-married, divorced - Jesus can be the miracle you need in your life. He can turn a bitter or tasteless relationship into a sweet and joyful one. Seek Jesus’ words. Seek His heart. Seek His forgiveness. Receive His miracle of a new life and marriage. Pastor Jay Merritt I remember my three boys when they were little, getting into disagreements with friends and vowing to never play with them again. Of course, about a week later, they were enjoying each other’s company as if nothing had ever happened. What changes in adulthood to make us so inflexible?
I once met a young man who believed that if he gathering all the hurts and anger inside, the memories would make him stronger. From personal experience, holding on to bitterness only makes a person hard and bitter. If left to fester, the darkness inside will consume the warm and loving personality that once flourished. There is a cure: forgiveness. In the Bible, Jesus teaches a model prayer that includes the phrase “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” - Matthew 6:12 Whether you learned this as debts or trespasses, forgiving is difficult. - Forgiving money that is owed. - Forgiving some words that were spoken or unspoken. - Forgiving physical pain. - Forgiving horrific personal violation. Don’t misunderstand this important fact: Forgiveness is NOT the same as forgetting. Forgiving is also NOT the same as allowing yourself to be walked on and hurt over and over again. Forgiving IS the beginning of healing. I have heard many examples of parents making the difficult decision to forgive someone who took the life of their child. One example that stands out is that of Sam Riddall, who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver as he walked home from church. Sam’s father, Mark Riddall, spoke outside courthouse after the accused was sentenced, “In four days we will celebrate Christmas for the first time without Sam,” he said. “It is going to be very hard for us indeed because we still miss him very much.” “At Christmas we remember God sending Jesus into the world to bring peace,” he added. “It is this same God that is giving us the strength and helping us to forgive Hannah for the terrible thing she’s done to us by killing our son. “It’s not easy, it’s not going to be easy, but with God’s help we know that it is possible.” - The Christian Post, Tue, Dec. 22 2009 For Godly people, forgiving is important. Why? Forgiveness is important to God. Many people have never read the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible. In Matthew 6, the prayer concludes in verse 13, but Jesus continues in verse 14, saying “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Jesus also teaches in Luke 17: 3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him." In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus went beyond this: Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Jesus continues in Matthew 18:23-35 with a parable about a man who begged the king to forgive a huge debt. The king had compassion on him and the man’s debt was forgiven. The man immediately went out and demanded payment from his debtors. The king found out about his lack of compassion and demanded he be thrown into prison until his original debt was paid. Jesus concludes the parable with these condemning words, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Let me remind you of another son who was killed by a bunch of bullies. They gathered up a bunch of their friends and even their enemies and teamed up against him. They beat him up and tortured him. They paraded him through the streets, broken and bleeding. They finally ended up hanging him until he died, on hill just outside of town. Just before his death on that hill far away, God’s only begotten son said “Father, forgive them…” Jesus died for our trespasses and our un-payable debt of sin. It is by His example that we are to forgive one another. Pastor Jay Merritt In Galatians 5:22-23, the Bible says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Who wouldn’t want love, joy, peace and all these attributes in their lives?
According to Galatians chapter 5, there are two things which keep us from reaching our full potential and obtaining the fruit of the Spirit. The first thing we do incorrectly to obtain Spiritual fruit is to try to make it ourselves. Fruit comes from a seed. The seed is planted. Roots form. The little plant grows and matures. After many years of continual growth, flowers appear and when the season is right, fruit pops out on the branch. Spiritual Fruit is similar. The seed comes from a relationship with God. We cannot get it on our own. In John chapter 3, Jesus says that “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Without a Spiritual rebirth, the Spiritual fruit cannot begin to grow. In Galatians chapter 4, Paul reminds us of the story of Sarah and Hagar. If you recall, God promised Abraham and Sarah a child in the old age. Sarah laughed at the idea, because she believed she was too old to bear a child. After years of waiting, Sarah persuaded Abraham to father a child with his servant Hagar. After Hagar’s son Ishmael was born, Sarah became pregnant with Isaac, fulfilling God’s Promise. I have often reflected my work and ask God to remind me if my work is in His will or my own effort. There are many times I think I have “pulled an Ishmael” when I should have “waited for Isaac.” Spiritual fruit will not grow without God. Along the same idea, Galatians 5:1-2 reminds us that performing rituals and following man-made laws will not grow fruit either. I have to be careful to catch myself when I get the idea in my head that I am better than other people because of all the good things I have done for God. Isaiah 64:6 reminds me “…all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” Having a tighter necktie and shinier shoes than my brother will not make fruit. Intentionally suffering more than my brother, will not make me bear greater fruit. Keeping score and comparing my work to others will not make my fruit sweeter than my brothers’ fruit. The second thing that keeps my spiritual fruit from growing is when I poison it with poor decisions and behavior. Galatians 5:19 calls these self destructive actions “the works of the flesh.” When I do these things, I am intentionally dripping poison onto my precious fruit and the fruit begins to shrivel away. The devil doesn’t make me do these things. It’s my choice to shoot myself in the foot. Galatians 5:19-21 reads, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;” These actions are “evident”, the text says. You know, I know, God knows. Let me emphasize one of these to give it more meaning – sorcery. This word was translated from the original Greek word “pharmakeia” from which our English word “pharmacy” was derived. In Paul’s day, sorcery was another word for drug user. When we use drugs without a prescription, we lose control. We are also locking the doors to letting God have control. Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” I like to read this as “do not be filled with the spirits (booze) but with the Holy Spirit.” When we allow ourselves to lose control with chemicals, the Spirit is not in control either and our fruit will not grow. Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” So what is our goal? To walk in the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” We start with love. Without receiving the love of Jesus, it is impossible to grow the love of the Spirit. Without the love, we cannot receive true joy. The fruit of love and joy must grow before we can have the fruit of peace. Each of the fruit grows upon the others, like layers of an onion, until we get to self-control, which is really Spirit controlled. It all starts with the true Love of Jesus, breaking the stony ground in our heart and making us into a new creation. Pastor Jay Merritt Imagine sitting in prison, on death row. You are accused of insurrection and murder. Your trial was swift and complete. Guilty as charged. You had hoped that there would be a few friends who would stand in your defense, but no one came. So you wait, listening to your own chains rattle as you fight to keep the insects off of the one piece of stale bread that was tossed into your cold, damp cell.
On this cool spring morning, the Friday of Passover, something is different. A crowd is gathering outside. A crowd of your people! “At last, they have come in my defense,” you think to yourself. You can see the chief priests moving to the front of the crowd to address the governor sitting in the judgment seat. You can’t quite see the platform where they are conversing, but you have seen it before, many times. After many uneasy minutes, the crowd stirs and shouts as if in one voice. They are shouting your name! Over and over they shout as your name echoes through the dark, dank cavern of your captivity. “BARABBAS!” The square reverberates with the cry of your name. You are suddenly filled with hope and joy as the echoes subside. You think to yourself, “With this many here for me, how can the governor refuse their plea?” Then, just as quickly as the echoes fade, a new cry erupts. It is a bone chilling cry, crushing even the faintest hope in your soul. With the same fervor as the first, the shout of “CRUCIFY HIM!” echoes again and again through the halls. “No! Not that!” You think, “Crucifixion is the most horrific of all methods of execution. How could my people turn on me like that? The Romans had done thousands of crucifixions and they were quite good at it. I really don’t want to die, but to die of suffocation, on a cross, was not what I was expecting.” The echoes of those damning words fade and are replaced by the heavy footsteps of Roman guards, marching toward your cell. In a matter of moments, you are chained between two of the biggest soldiers you have ever seen in your life, walking quickly toward the judgment seat you were straining to see just a few moments ago. As you approach, you recognize the governor and his wife, and the chief priests, but who is that man with the red face on the platform with them? He is unrecognizable as a man, but you can’t take your eyes off of him. Most of the hair of his beard has been plucked out at the roots, leaving open sores of raw skin. His face is purple and swollen from a very recent beating. Your eyes catch his for an instant. He blinks, and the chains that once held you, fall, crashing to the stone floor. The guards that had watched your every move step quickly away. As the governor washes his hands, other hands grab your shoulders and pull you into the crowd, past the priests and away from the judgment seat. “What happened?” you ask, moving through the crowd. “You are free,” someone answers. “He will die in your place!” As the crowd inches its way along stone streets in the cool morning air of Jerusalem, you spot the man with the bloody face, carrying a large wooden beam. On his head is a crown made of thorn branches. The sharp thorns have broken the skin and blood is streaming down his neck and into his eyes. The skin of his back is so beaten and bruised, shredded by the Roman whips, it’s as if he is wearing a purple robe of royalty. “Who is this man who bears the cross?” you ask. “Some say he is the Messiah,” someone in the crowd replies. Your eyes meet again for a brief moment. He blinks and tears well up in your eyes. “This man is innocent!” you cry out, “I am the one…” You lose focus, tears streaming down your neck, leaving stripes in the grime left over from your prison stay. You look up and realize you are standing on a hilltop looking at a man hanging on a Roman cross, silhouetted against a darkening sky. His blood is streaming down into the dirt at your feet. In a brief moment of silence, you hear the man on the cross speak. “Father, forgive them.” Your eyes meet once last time. He blinks, gasps, and is gone. With his last breath, the ground begins to shake and everyone collapses to their knees. As you lay in the dirt with your face to the ground, you hear the Roman centurion guard cry out, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Pastor Jay Merritt Matthew 18:1 (NKJV) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
When I read verses like this in the Bible, I tend to rest my head on one hand and think, “why would you ask Jesus such a ridiculous question?” I look at the constant battle Jesus had with the Pharisees and their nose in the air, holier than thou, front-sliding, confrontational behavior, and here, Jesus’ own disciples are infected with the same disease! But then, isn’t this the position many of Jesus’ followers revert to? Comparing importance and performance and jostling for position at the front of the line to heaven? Rather than back-sliding, I call it “front-sliding.” We could also change the question to “who then is greatest in…” the church, the office, the school, the government, your marriage? Amen or ouch? "Your Jesus is ideal and wonderful,” Bara Dada, of India, is to have said to a missionary before adding “but you Christians – you are not like him" (Jones, E. Stanley. The Christ of the Indian Road, New York: The Abingdon Press,1925. (Page 114)) All around the world, Christians have missed the whole idea that we are to BE LIKE CHRIST. That’s what the word CHRISTIAN means. Are we like Christ? If not, we are a stumbling block to others. In contrast to the Pharisees, we have Jesus, humble, servant of all, who came to serve. Jesus: who chose to wear a cross on his back, not a crown on his head. What is equally amazing, is Jesus’ response to the question “who is the greatest?”: Matthew 18:2-5 (NKJV) Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. ” Notice the child in this drama and how the child came. Simple obedience. I can imagine the child sitting on the lap of Jesus and resting the back of his head in the warm cleft between Jesus’ chest and shoulder. Simple trust. And then the child did something we have all forgotten how to do. He listened. And then Jesus spoke these piercing words: Matthew 18:6-7 (NKJV) But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! I’m listening. Are you? While residing in South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi desired to hear his friend preach at a local church. He was refused to enter because he was not of European decent. His companion W. W. Pearson pleaded with the greeter to let Gandhi enter the church, given Gandhi’s prominent name and position. He still refused to let Gandhi in. (C.F. Andrews, Mahatma Gandhi’s Ideas pp. 177-178) Later, Gandhi wrote 'Hate the sin and not the sinner' is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world. (A Tussle With Power, Part IV, Chapter 9) I’ve always wondered what would have happened if Gandhi had accepted Jesus as the Christ. I wonder what would have happened in India where the population is 1.21 billion souls – souls that are walking far from Jesus. Woe to the man who refused to let Gandhi in. We are all God’s creation. Red, brown, black, yellow, white, we are ALL precious in His sight. The precious blood of Jesus, is the same color as the blood of each of His children. I pray that those whom I have offended will forgive me, and will find their way back to Jesus, through a kinder, gentler soul than I. I pray, even more, that God will forgive me. When is the last time you paused in your busy schedule to come, with simple obedience, to hear the words of Jesus. Have you allowed yourself to trust His words, unfiltered and unstained, straight from the red letters of His Word? Have you come close to Him in your prayers and allowed yourself to lay yourself on His powerful chest and say “Rock of Ages, cleft for me!” Are you listening child? Pastor Jay Merritt What is something that can be measured, but never ends; can be spent, but not saved; watched but never seen; wasted but never held? We all have this same thing in common with Billy Graham, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, and the guy collecting cans along the side of the road.
Maybe this Bible verse will answer the riddle for you – “… walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 Each of us has the same amount of TIME every day. It is a gift from God. The Bible talks about time in a number of ways. Often it talks about time in terms of seasons that pass by regularly and predictably. Here in Ephesians, it is talking about time in terms of opportunity – “capture the opportunity” or “seize the day!” It’s about that fraction of a second between the time you see something, and a thought registers in your brain. I have to say, I feel a bit hypocritical about telling people how to spend time wisely, because I feel I waste a lot of time. I really get convicted when I roll the verses from Ephesians over and over in my mind – “…do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If each tick of the clock is a gift from God himself, what am I doing with that gift? Often I will look back and dwell on missed opportunities, what I should have said, what I should have done, what I was inspired to do. For me, these quick inspirations come in short flashes. If I don’t write them down, or act on them in that split second, they’re gone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been speaking with someone and I get an inspiration in my head that prompts me to say something which turns out to be divinely important. Other times, I just walk away quietly, indifferently – another missed opportunity. One Saturday at a men’s cleanup day, I was walking across the yard of the church with a friend of mine. We were picking up trash, straightening things up and talking while we worked. My friend said, “Someone should really do something about those bagworms.” I said, “Bagworms? What bagworms?” “Don’t you see them? They are all over that tree over there.” I couldn’t see them. For those of you that are not familiar with bagworms, they live in evergreen trees and chew up the tree to make their cocoons. Since they use part of the tree in the construction, the cocoons look like part of the tree. Plus, they hide underneath where the sun does not shine. The bad part about bagworms is that they will destroy a tree, or a whole yard full of trees, in just a few seasons. They basically suck the life out of them. My simple philosophy about time (and bagworms) is this: Sometimes God uses you to see something that no one else can see. When He does that, He is telling YOU to take care of it, not someone else. It is flash of inspiration from God: “redeem the time, for the days are evil.” I used this tact on my friend and suggested he, not “someone,” take care of the bagworm problem on the church grounds. He didn’t. The trees died. Then there wasn’t a bagworm problem anymore, there was a tree problem. Too often, I hear people talking about how “someone should take care of” something. Maybe you are the only one who can see the problem, and maybe you are the only one inspired to take ownership of the problem. Maybe, if you don’t take care of it, no one else will, and the problem will grow into something more severe. Many of the problems I tell others about, God gave to me to work on. Others may not get excited enough to help out. I used to get frustrated until I figured out the inspirations were specifically designed for me. It was up to me to “redeem the time.” So... If there’s too much litter on the road, don’t complain about it, clean it up. If you think there is a problem in our government, run for office. If you think there is a problem in our schools, volunteer, be a mentor! If the taxes are too high, form a lobby to get them lowered. You may be the only one inspired to take on the job. His servant, Pastor Jay Lately, I have seen our lives being driven by a “new version” mindset. Don’t like your phone? No problem. There’s a new version. Don’t like your car? Trade it in. Don’t like your church? There’s a new one down the street. Don’t like your marriage? Get a divorce and start over.
I think we are seeing “relationship” being redefined. Marketing people want us to have a relationship with our grocer, with our bank, with our cars and with our soft drink brands. Did you know that if a soft drink company can get you convinced at a young age that their brand is best, you will stick with that brand for the rest of your life? I can attest to that. I still prefer the brand that was in tall glass bottles sitting in the wooden case on the floor of my grandfather’s kitchen. On the internet, social media sites also focus on “relationship.” But unlike our favorite soda brand, I see people going in and out of relationships as often as the seasons change. Whatever happened to commitment? I’m not talking about favorite soda brands. What about life changing commitment that includes accountability? When we get a job, if we don’t perform, we are called to accountability. There are certain standards and rules we must follow or we get fired. It is a balance of commitment and accountability. We’re all used to that concept. When we get married we promise to love and cherish, until death do us part. It’s a commitment. Yes, there should also be accountability. That’s why we have all of our friends and relatives come and witness our wedding. We become committed to the whole family. And when we start our own families, we are committed to our children. Whether we like it or not, our spouses and our children hold us accountable. We’re also accountable to God, especially if we are married in a church. In Ephesians 5:21 it says we are to be “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” That’s commitment with accountability! Did you know that the Bible describes our relationship with God as a marriage? It continues in Ephesians 5: 25 saying “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Now that’s commitment in the picture of sacrificial love. This is not love based on performance. It is love, based on commitment, based on a promise. How did Jesus love us? He committed Himself 100%. How much are we to love God? Jesus said, “And you shall love the LORD your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind, and with ALL your strength.’ This is the first commandment,”- Mark 12:30. Notice FOUR TIMES the use of the word ALL. It means 100%. Not holding back. Not compromising. Compare that “ALL” command to the institution of marriage. If I were asked what percentage of the day I am married, would I say 85%, 90%? My wife would not appreciate that! If I were to ask if you were a committed follower of Jesus Christ, would you say 85%, 90%? It’s hard to find people who are even committed one hour a week on Sunday! Being partially committed to your spouse is like being partially married. You either are or you’re not. We used to call it being a “two-timer.” God calls it adultery. Being partially committed to the faith is the same thing. God, through the Old Testament prophets, would often speak of His followers as an adulterous nation, but not in a sexual way. They sought other gods, other distractions, in addition to the one true God. Why does that matter? Jesus talks about it in Matthew 7: 21, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” Jesus goes on to explain what happens to those who don’t have a committed relationship with God. “I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” I never knew you! That’s a relationship problem! What will happen to your marriage if you only hang out with one another an hour per week? It’s going to fade from hot to lukewarm, isn’t it? In His letter to the church at Laodicea, Jesus says "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ —and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—“ Is this where America is today? How is your commitment? Are you hot or cold? Pastor Jay Merritt This time of year, Valentine’s Day stirs up the often misunderstood concept of “love.” The English language is kind of silly when it comes to the word “love.” We love baseball, apple pie, the flag and our mother. I’m sure people who are trying to learn the English language find that awfully confusing.
Other languages like Greek, the original language of the New Testament of the Bible, use several different words for love: eros, phileo, and agape are just a few. In 1 Corinthians 13, the King James Bible of 1611 translated one of the Greek words for love, to be “charity.” At the end of the book of John, two different Greek words are translated into the same word “love.” It’s a shame the Bible translators were limited in their ability to communicate the depth of the original Greek. They were handicapped by our English language. English speaking people have lost the depth of the meaning love. Emotion fueled, sexual passion and lust are the words I describe what others might call “love.” But I dare not think that way about apple pie. I can have a preference for apple pie over cherry pie and a particular enjoyment when the sweet taste tickles my tongue, but it really isn’t emotional love. What kind of love should we be striving toward then? Jesus said to love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-39). When Jesus spoke these words, He tied two commands together into one statement, drawing a picture of our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with others. In doing so, Jesus tied our ability to have meaningful relationships with people, to the strength of our relationship with God. They are interchangeable. You can’t have one without the other. Here’s where we can miss the boat, if we don’t think the way Jesus commands. Many relationships are built upon an idea of a 50/50 partnership. If one person performs certain actions, then the other person in the relationship should perform an equal action. The same holds true, when one stops performing, the other gets upset and stops as well. I think this is why many people change relationships as often as they change jobs. Whenever their expectations are not met, they quit their “partnership.” This is also why many people fall out of relationship with God. I hate to be the one to tell you, God is not our “partner.” If you are like me, I often find it hard to love certain people. If I choose to step outside of my own emotions and see people the way God sees them, I can at least stay civilized around them. When I feel my love for someone waning, I sometimes remember the powerful verse from John 13:34, where Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” And what is the love that Jesus speaks about? Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” What if you saw someone running into the street, into the path of a speeding truck? Would you push them out of the way, save their life and take the hit? I may do that for a family member, but for a stranger? What if they were carrying your TV? Would you still die to save them? Jesus did. Here’s the short and swift answer: we should love others the way Jesus loves us – sacrificially. Recently I helped someone in a special way. They did not do anything to deserve my favor and I did not ask for anything in return. I just did it. The question came out “why are you doing this?” The answer, “I want you to succeed.” This kind of love is often described as “grace” or “undeserved favor.” This is what sets Christians apart. Soak up this statement from Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even though I was (and still am) a messed up human being, God still loves me - unconditionally. Even before I wandered from the path of righteousness, God had made a new path of reconciliation, a path bathed in the blood of sacrificial love, a path in the shape of a cross. Love the way God loves. Amen? (or ouch Pastor Jay Merritt |
AuthorPastor Jay Merritt writes about God in every day observations. Archives
August 2013
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