Each generation seems to have a countercultural group that stands up and says “We’ve had enough and we’re not going to take it anymore!” To be countercultural, is like a single fish breaking out of the swimming school, turning around and propelling itself upstream, against the current and against the confusion of fins and bubbles blinding the way. It is not an easy path. Sometimes others will turn and follow, but when the going gets tough, many go back to the flow of the culture. While I’m not going to lay judgment on these movements, I’m going to present the case that Jesus was, and is, countercultural.
In America, our Declaration of Independence proclaims the right for “the pursuit of happiness.” We work and we work to achieve that right. We exhaust ourselves and our resources chasing that elusive goal. We are taught from an early age to pursue the American Dream. We are to pull ourselves up from our own bootstraps and WIN – no matter the cost. To acquire our happiness, we have borrowed and spent. We have sought out things and substances to fill a void, a standard called “happiness” that is always one notch higher than our means. Material processions, money, and pleasure have become god in America. Is that what has happened in America? Have we forsaken the God our nation was founded upon? Our National Debt is now over $14 trillion. This is equal to $45,000 per citizen. Has our hunger for money and things, become a monster that will ultimately destroy this great nation of ours? Our U.S. economy is so driven by purchasing more and more stuff, that when we all stop spending, the whole system collapses, which resulted in the “Great Recession” I am hoping will end very soon. Even religious organizations seek to build “kingdoms” on earth. According to the US Census Bureau, churches in the US spent $7 billion on building construction, in 2009. This is more than the GDP of Haiti. Other sources estimate that amount to be closer to $11.5 billion per year. Large sums of church money go into building ownership – utilities, maintenance, construction and mortgage. According to Dave Ramsey, the American church is in debt to the tune of $33 billon. But all that is tiny, compared to the $60 billion a year Americans spend on soft drinks. Is it possible that even the church has lost its way? This is a picture of the culture, the fast moving stream where Americans find themselves. It’s easy to get pulled down stream. It’s easy to feel comfortable, because everyone else is there with you. 2000 years ago, there was a single little fish who turned around in the stream and started swimming the other way. His name was Jesus. He calls on us to follow him. Instead of pursuit of happiness, he said “pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) He said it will not be an easy road, for his followers will be persecuted for being righteous and people will hate you and say all kinds of evil against you for following him. (Matthew 5:10-11) He told his followers to be like salt in a wound, to be a bright light in the face, to be ready to be repulsed in a culture that is upside down, doing the opposite of his teachings. Rather than pursuing greatness, Jesus said " he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11) Rather than seeking wealth and possessions, Jesus said to the rich man, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." On the subject of money, Jesus said "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33 NKJV) The reaction to his words proves Jesus was countercultural: “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided (had bad things to say about) Him.” (Luke 16:14 NKJV) Jesus never built a church building, yet he has millions of followers. His most famous sermon was given on a hillside. He taught in people’s homes, in the streets and in existing buildings, yet he had no home of his own. "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Matthew 8:20 NKJV) While Americans are fighting for “rights,” Jesus died to take our “wrongs,” with nothing in his hands but nails. That’s countercultural. Amen? Pastor Jay Merritt
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It is hard to imagine being three feet tall, but many years ago, I was half my size. I used to stand on my tiptoes and strain to reach inside the top drawers of my clothes dresser, groping blindly with my short little arms to feel around in the dark corners for my belongings. I specifically remember the day when I realized I could see the dust on the top of my dresser without assistance. I thought I had been cleaning everything, but I missed a few spots. Even today, I clean the top of the refrigerator myself, because I’m the only one in the house who has the perspective to see when it needs cleaning.
There are some perspectives that I don’t think I will ever grow to visualize, at least with my earthly vision. In the “love” chapter of the Bible, the writer says “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (ESV 1 Corinthians 13:11). Like a child on our tiptoes, groping in the dark, we are expected to have a limited perspective. Maybe this is why we still have difficulty seeing the way God sees. We are looking at life from our perspective and not His. The front door of our home has a glass that is difficult to see through. I can see movement through the glass, but the prism effect of the light passing through often confuses my senses. Sometimes I “see” a car in the driveway, but it is just a car driving by. Sometimes I “see” someone on my front lawn, but it turns out to be a couple of leaves falling from the trees. God’s Word continues where it left off with a similar picture of perspective: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (ESV 1 Corinthians 13:12). The picture being drawn uses the fuzzy image of our own face, as seen in a piece of the best polished glass of the day – 2000 years ago – and comparing it to the clarity of seeing the flesh of a real person face to face. The perspective of our earthly knowledge is only giving us a fuzzy image, like that of an inexperienced child, but in the future “I shall know fully.” The writer is trying to get us to see life through the eyes and maturity of the knower of all things, who stands on the other side of the blurry prism glass called time. We also need to know that we cannot know all things. When we ask questions like “why does God let people go to hell?” or “why does God allow suffering in the world?” we are seeing things from the wrong side of the glass. We live our lives as a child with selfish and pleasure seeking minds, wondering “how could God do this to me?” Questions like these do not have significance when we understand who God is. We need to stand up on a stool and look down on the dust, which is our life. I know a number of people who claim that they do not need God. I don’t think they ever considered that God does not need us. Why would an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent being want anything to do with us? He is perfect and demands perfection. Human kind has made a mess of His creation and then turned their backs on the Creator for letting their sin happen. Why would God still want us? He loves us. Like a teenager who curses at their parents, we get angry at God for the life we are dealt. And like a rebellious teenager, we dishonor and deny our creator, even though He is the one who gave and sustains our life. But like a parent who never quits loving their child, God came to earth himself, as the Christ, to show us the truth of His love. He stepped out of infinity into our finite world to tell us what is on the other side of that fuzzy glass. Yes, God does not need us. This is why our perspective needs to change to HIM and not US; pleasing HIM and not seeking our own pleasures; being SELFLESS instead of SELFISH. Do you see? God did not have to come to earth and be nailed to a cross. He did it so that we could be with Him. We always picture it the other way around – that the message of the cross is all about us, when in fact, the message of the cross is all about God. Pastor Jay Merritt Darkness, frustration and disappointment are often the songs that ring loudest after the brilliant Christmas lights and joyful carols have faded. The emotional highs of the holidays, can crash to the deepest lows in the long nights of winter. Missed expectations and selfish thoughts overwhelm the positive outlook on life. Negative talk fuels dark thoughts to become like a contagious cancer that eats at the very soul.
Getting caught in a negative train of thought is so easy, making long lists in the mind of all the bad things that are wrong in the world and counting all the problems that are weighing us down. We stand back and let the bright portrait of ourselves be painted over as victims instead of victors, one dark brush stroke at a time. Our problems root deeper into our minds and fuel more negative ideas until they grow so deep we find ourselves in a pit of despair. Our life becomes stuck in a rut full of waist deep mud and we’re sinking fast. I heard that “a rut is just a grave with the ends knocked out,” and I believe it. Are you there? How do you get out? First of all, turn off the TV and radio for a few weeks, especially the daily news and talk radio. Broadcasters “sell” the news with negative stories and disasters. Stop hanging around negative people and politely step away when their gossip fans the flames of the negative fires. Stay away from alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and can fuel the dark thoughts in your mind. Find a way to quiet all the commotion in your life and your mind with exercise, reading and prayer. In the hymn, Count Your Blessings, written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. in 1897, the blessings God gives can be rediscovered by examining life and the simple necessities: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. Take up a pad of paper and a pencil. Make a list of blessings. I’ve taught for many years, that we only really NEED five things to survive in life: 1. Clean, disease free water 2. Nutritious food 3. A roof to cover us from the weather 4. Warmth to keep from freezing 5. Seasonably appropriate clothing Anything else makes you rich, in the eyes of half the world. Add your own “blessings” to the list. Here are some to consider: · You can read · Hugs and smiles · Sunshine AND rain · The breeze · The moon · God’s infinite creation · The wonder of how “the very hairs of your head are numbered” by God (Luke 12:7) · Prayer Keep your list with you for a week and add to it. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. Meditate on it. Thank God for His blessings every day. It takes 21 days to make a bad habit. It takes the same amount of time to establish a new, good habit, so it may take that long to shake off negative feelings. Do you have the five things needed to survive? Do you have extra blessings? Be content and count your blessings. The Apostle Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit reminds us: "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." - 1 Timothy 6:6-8 He also said: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” - Philippians 4:6-8 Be blessed, Pastor Jay Merritt On a recent Friday evening, my wife and I were in a retail store looking for a Christmas ornament to give as a special gift. The store was very quiet. There were no lines at the registers. The cashier looked dazed and exhausted from the recent craziness of the holiday season. I tried to make light of the situation by commenting, “Nine pm on a Friday is sure a great time to shop here. I’ll bet you are dreading Saturday morning though.”
The young cashier smiled and said, “I used to look forward to weekends, until I started working here.” I’ve worked retail at Christmas. I still feel the pain. Around the middle of November, all vacations are frozen. There are no sick days allowed. You are expected to work every night and weekend and EVERYONE works the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas. The song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Before I became a follower of Jesus, I pondered: “if this is what being a Christian is all about, I don’t want to be one.” Here we have the biggest holiday of the year, named after the biggest name in religion and all I could see, as a non-believer, was the insanity of covetousness, materialism and selfishness. If that was the “spirit of Christmas,” I did not want any part of it. I never thought the Christmas season could get any less Christ-like, but I was wrong. One parent said, “I don’t want my kids to think we can’t afford Christmas.” People! Christmas is not about finances! I recently heard about a family that bought all their children cell phones, of the pre-paid variety. Once the 30 days were up, the phones shut off. The parents insisted that they just wanted their kids to feel special on Christmas day. Then there was the parent who went to the local rental store and rented a laptop for her child for Christmas, only to take it back when she could not afford it. She just wanted her child to be able to brag to his friends about his gift. In contrast, I heard of a Christian family who chooses to celebrate the occasion as “Jesus’ birthday.” They have a cake, sing “Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus” and share gifts with one another. When one of the children was asked if she had gotten everything she wanted for Christmas, she said, “No. But it wasn’t my birthday, was it?” Another family decided, rather than purchase gifts, they would give the money they would normally spend to a worthy cause. The family would research and discuss which charity was in the most need and place an envelope under the tree with their decision. I like a recent e-mail I received that said, “Pssst: Your honey doesn’t want an iPad for Christmas. He wants a goat! Or maybe a piglet…” The promotion was for a charity, serving the needs of impoverished people around the world. The idea was to redirect my Christmas money to the needy. It even came with a link to an online catalog. For $205, I can buy a water pump to serve a whole village, feed a family of 4 for a month with $12, or feed a child for a year with $36. Now THAT’s Christ-like giving. What if you can’t afford to make a donation? Give of yourself! Find a place that needs some help, and volunteer the gift of your time. Find a need and donate your hands, feet and your smile. You want to know the best way to find out what you could do? Listen to your own complaining, and set out to fix the problem. Do you know someone who is struggling? Give them with your abundance. And do it all in the name of Christ, who is the perfect gift: James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Merry Christmas! In recent weeks, I noticed that there has been an increase in airport security which has the whole nation in an uproar. People are being searched in places that, quite frankly, should be left private.
I also noticed a recent poll revealing the condition of the hearts of Americans—44% of young people and 33% of older Americans are now a part of a growing trend in the belief that marriage is obsolete (source 1). Do you see the relationship between the two? A third statistic in this correlation reveals that more than 25% of Americans have left their faith and 25% of young Americans say they are not affiliated with any religion (source 2). How can these events be similar? What is the common thread between airport security, marriage, and faith? The answer: TRUST… or lack of it. Trust is hard for Americans. We’ve been brought up to be self-sufficient, self-conscious, to have a good self-esteem and to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Americans are in the mindset that if a job is going to get done right, “I have to do it myself.” Many Americans spend their whole lives climbing, clawing, fighting, and stabbing their way to the top, only to find someone looming behind them, waiting to stab out with a law-suit of their own. Trust requires that we lose ourselves, and become vulnerable. Americans don’t want to do that. As Christians, however, losing the sense of self is what we are called to do—practice humility. My wife Diane’s favorite Bible passage is proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM, and He shall direct your paths.” When I asked her what was so significant about this passage, she said, “Two words: the word trust, and the word all.” She said that when we go into relationships, with a group, a lover, or God, we tend to hold back just a little. We tend to leave an escape hatch. We go into the relationship expecting to fail and planning to be unsuccessful. If our hopes for the relationship are not met, we don’t try to work it out; we take our ball and go home, just like a five-year-old. I remember one preacher saying, “All means all and that’s all all means.” As believers, we are called to “trust with all.” Yes, we will get hurt. Expect to get hurt, plan to get hurt—no matter what the consequences, we cannot fail at trusting. No matter who you are, your expectations will not be met 100% of the time. That’s not what life is about. True happiness is not found through a sense of self-satisfaction in which there is no trust. I’ve found that when I am happiest, I am letting God direct me, without leaning on my own understanding or power. I am happiest when I am putting all of my trust in God. So what does it mean to put all of your trust in God? It means stepping aside and allowing Him to take the reigns. If God is merely your co-pilot, switch seats. Allow Him to take control. Here’s a hard question: who is sitting on the throne of your heart? Who is in the driver’s seat of your life? If you are fighting for possession of the throne of your heart, give it up. Submit to his Lordship. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart…” If Jesus is your king, why are you wearing the crown? When we adopt the name “Christian,” we are saying that we belong to Christ Jesus, and that HE sits on our throne. We are saying that HE IS LORD. If Jesus is not LORD of your life, please stop using the name, “Christian.” One of the greatest joys I have is finding other believers who “Trust in the LORD with all their heart.” The joy is that I automatically know that Jesus is on the throne of their hearts—I know I can trust them. Pastor Jay Merritt Source 1: pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/18/the-decline-of-marriage-and-rise-of-new-families Source 2: religions.pewforum.org There was a young man who was tired of living at home under the thumb of his parents. He ran off to join the Marines, because he said, “I was tired of being told what to do!” I hope you see the irony of this. In life, it seems that we move from one set of boundaries to another. While we despise being told what to do, and covet our freedom, boundaries actually allow us to reach our potential as human beings.
At a newly built school, the playground did not have any equipment or boundaries. The principal noticed the behavior of the children was a little odd. They all chose to cluster in the middle of the play yard, in small groups. He did not think anything about it, until the school installed a fence around the playground. The children immediately began to explore the whole playground, because they knew where they belonged, and where they did not. Think about it:
In Proverbs 3, the wise writer says – “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.” It’s amazing to think that God puts a limit on our behavior so that we will grow and have peace! I remember when I was young, I had an expired driver’s license AND expired plates on my car. Whenever I drove, I spent more time looking in the rearview mirror than through the windshield. I chose not to go out or to drive down side streets. I chose not to do things I wish I could have, for fear of being caught. On Valentines’ Day, I nearly missed an important date because of my failure to stay within the boundaries. I was pulled over on my way to ask for my girl’s hand in marriage. The officer gave me more grace than I deserved, and sent me on my way. My lack of judgment could have changed my wife’s and my future! Jesus says in John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.” He also says in verse 24, “He who does NOT love Me does NOT keep My words;” I think people have forgotten that we need to continue to live in God’s boundaries. Jesus did not abolish the 10 commandments. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Even in the last few paragraphs of the Bible it says, in Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” When our country was founded, the Bible was used in schools to teach children how to read. Harvard, Yale, and other fine institutions were started by ministers to train men of God. Everyone applied the Law of God first in their lives. The law of the land was considered when God’s Law was not specific. I picture it in my mind as sifting dirt through a window screen (the Bible) and then catching what falls through with a fishnet (the US Constitution). Today, the Law of God in the Bible has been taken away, and we are left with only the US Constitution, which can’t catch all the dirt, just the big chunks. What is happening? We live in fear, because of people abusing our freedom. We are losing our freedoms, because we don’t know our boundaries. Ironic isn’t it? What are God’s Ten Commandments again? 1. Love God Jesus said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” 2. Have no other gods or idols (or things or lifestyle that distract from serving God) 3. Don’t use God’s name foolishly (see #1) 4. One day a week is God’s (go to church) 5. Honor your mother and father 6. Do not murder (or say hateful things about people to destroy their character) 7. Do not commit adultery (or think lustful thoughts about someone) 8. Do not steal 9. Do not lie – not even a little, and especially when speaking about others 10. Do not look at things others have and compare your life to them, to the point where you’re obsessed (don’t covet) Get the first one and the rest come easy. Pastor Jay Merritt I used to be the world’s worst picture hanger. I would just grab a nail and hammer, some picture wire, and start pounding. Several holes later, I would look at my work and cringe. The picture was hung crooked, or off-center. My problem was solved, as soon as I started using the right tools – primarily a tape measure.
There are many simple tools builders use to create strong, sturdy, straight work. How can a good builder cut a straight line, without a good straight edge? Can he hang a floor or a door, without a level? Where does he dig the footers, without a plan? The wise man C.S. Lewis once pondered “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” Why did I cringe when I hung a picture wrong? I would look at the straight line on the ceiling or the corner, and see that my picture was not lined up. Today, in our daily lives, we look at crooked things and say they are wrong. By what standard are we making that determination? What is our straight-edge? What is our level? When I began building my life, I did not use a plan. I just lived. All my decisions were based on what I felt was right. Yes, I was selfish. I believed in ONE absolute truth, that there WAS no absolute truth. Looking back, I can see how that believing in “my truth” was also an absolute truth, which I could not believe. So was there absolute truth? Bankers handle good money all the time, so when they just touch a counterfeit, they know. Using C.S. Lewis’s example, falsehoods cannot exist without a way to determine they are false -unless by holding them up to the standard called “truth.” In the Bible, Proverbs 2 speaks of wisdom, discernment and discretion. When people seek these things as some seek after hidden treasure, they will find the knowledge of God. The proverb also says that it is God who gives knowledge and understanding. When have found the knowledge of God, verse 9 says “Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.” How do we know what is right? With a standard – God. We are the crooked line and Jesus is the straight edge we must compare ourselves to. Jesus came as Emmanuel – “God with us” – to fulfill all righteousness – so that we can have an idea of how crooked we really are. He gave us His Word – the Bible – so that we don’t have to go through life without a plan, or without direction. Am I saying that the best tool in our toolbox of life is the Bible? How else do we know about Jesus? How else do we know what is true and what is false? What better standard is there, than the standard of perfection? In fact, did you know that God will only allow “holy” things into heaven? What is holy? Pure, perfect, un-blemished – sin free. I once worked repairing computers at places like Motorola and Intel. Sometimes the broken computer would be in a “clean room.” Everything in that room had to be clean, dust free and hair free. I had to go through a cleansing process, put on clean coveralls, including a hat, gloves and booties, before I was allowed in. I had to learn to handle my tools with those gloves on. There were rules, and I had to abide by them. There was a reason behind it all. There is a reason behind God’s plan for us as well. There’s a way for us to be cleansed. There is a way for us to put on “clean” and perfection. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us to “put on incorruption” and to “put on immortality” and “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Romans 13 says to “put on the armor of light” and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is only through Jesus that we can be seen as Holy, because Jesus is perfection. Yes, I still cringe when I look at God’s definition of straight and my definition of “close enough.” I come to a quick conclusion that I can never be perfect. If God is expecting perfection from me, He’s not going to find it. Does that mean I quit trying? What it means, is that I need another way. We all do. That Way is Jesus. Jesus himself said in John 14, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I’ve raised up Jesus as the TRUTH. God raised him from the dead to prove that what he said was true. I can’t find a better straight-edge on which to build my life, can you? Pastor Jay Merritt Get rich quick! Pay off all your bills! Scratch off and win! Big payoffs every hour! Sweepstakes!
You’ve seen the ads. We’ve all been tempted. Is it really possible to get rich quick? I was brought up with simple logic: hard work will pay off, and there are no short-cuts in life. Did you know that the odds of lottery payoffs are worse than getting struck by lightning – multiple times? I also know that the large percentage of people who buy lottery tickets really can’t afford to and should be buying milk for their family instead. I think the folks selling the get rich quick schemes are the ones who are getting rich, not their customers. Proverbs 1:10 says “My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.” There are many out in the world preying on people who don’t know any better. They are counting on finding people who do not know how to protect themselves. They are also trying to find people who will help them in their scheming. Proverbs 1:11 “If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;” – DO NOT CONSENT - Proverbs 1:15 says “My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path;” In the olden days, people used to carry their own sets of weights to the market, so when they bought a pound of grain, they knew it was a pound of grain, because they tested the scales with their own true weights. Sellers would often hollow out the weights and fill them with wax, so they could cheat people who didn’t know any better. If a smart person came along, with their own weights, the seller would switch his good set of weights for the hollow ones. This practice was called “carrying two sets of weights” – one for the smart people, and one for the ignorant. Deuteronomy 25:13 says "You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light.” Today, folks call it “just good business” when they charge two sets of prices for the same item. In some industries, bargaining is expected, and the smarter bargainer may be able to get a lower price, especially if he is a friend. I still call this “carrying two sets of weights”. I look negatively on a person, or a company, who charges different prices for things, depending on who the customer is. I think one of the reasons the car company Saturn was so popular, is that they had a “one price” policy. Today, I get very confused by some of the grocery stores, who charge three different prices for the same item, depending on if you have a card or if you have points! I guess they don’t want me to shop there. Let me add a twist to this. How often do we judge people with two sets of weights in our mind? There’s the “preferred” and then there’s everyone else. People who are “like me” get treated with favor, but people who aren’t, get treated differently, or even taken advantage of. Is that right? While patriots are preaching about who is an American, and what rights do we have, who stands up for the human being you see walking along the side of the road? Does he have a soul created by God? Does he also have the same value in God’s eyes that you do, even though he doesn’t walk with your “crowd” or may not speak your language? God speaks their language. I try to think about how people may be dealing with some extreme circumstances, and they are just trying to help their family survive. Remember, Jesus did not come to give us “rights”; he died to take our “wrongs.” When Jesus looked at people, he looked at the inside, and not the outside. I think he had the advantage of knowing the whole story about a person. He walked with sinners. He dined with thieves. He forgave prostitutes. I’ve often wondered if the woman he forgave in John chapter 8, was dealing with some extreme circumstances, and what she did was the only thing she could do to help her family survive. Jesus chastised the leaders and the religious authorities, because they were so driven by rules, they did not see the hurting people. I sometimes wonder if Jesus came and visited, if we would even let him into our church buildings. As song writer Todd Agnew said in his song “My Jesus” – “my Jesus would never be accepted in my church. The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet.” It is in times like these, the God’s people should be opening doors for strangers, not slamming them. Pastor Jay Merritt I don’t like to make mistakes. I’m not a perfectionist or anything, but I don’t like the foolish feeling I get after doing or saying something wrong. Sometimes I feel that way when I DON’T do something that I should have. Frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who likes feeling foolish. I feel like I learn from my mistakes, so that I won’t have to repeat them and feel doubly foolish.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn all the lessons we need to learn without having to make the mistake in the first place? Maybe someone could come out with a video game that would teach everyone all the lessons they need to know in life. I wonder if anyone would play it? I suppose the game would have to be programmed to create the foolish feelings, or else it would not have a lasting teaching effect. Until the game comes out, I’ve figured out that I can learn from other people’s foolish mistakes, so I don’t have to suffer the same way. I can even learn by watching people who do crazy things on TV and hurt themselves in the process. That’s one reason I don’t grind skateboards down stair railings. I don’t have to experience it to know it can be painful. Something else I don’t want to learn is how to destroy my life with crack cocaine. I’ve travelled to many parts of the world and found that there are only a few words that are the same in any language – “crack” is one of them. I was just in Central America over the summer and met a young man in a substance abuse rehab center, who is going through the trauma caused by crack. He had met an American woman, fell in love, married her and they had a child together. He got messed up on crack and deported. His wife fell ill and their child was taken by the U.S. authorities. After accepting that the mother was not going to get well enough to take care of the child, it was put up for adoption, while the father was in rehab. The poor man was distraught. He lost his home, his family, his child – all for a moment of worldly pleasure. The man who ran the rehab center had a similar story about his life with alcohol. He had come clean many years before and opened this center for men who needed a place to get free of addictions and get fed God’s Word. Often, we learn best from people who have experienced the same thing we are going through. I have a profound respect of people who have suffered, recovered, and then reach back and help someone else through the same problem. I’ve even come to respect some of the people I’ve learned from, who have taught me to not even look down certain roads that lead to disaster. In many of our lives there are a couple of people we can look to and even need to honor for showing us the correct way - Mom and Dad. The Fifth Commandment says “Honor your father and mother.” The wise man Solomon said “My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother;” (Proverbs 1:8). How many things did they teach you about right and wrong? Sometimes, I think I learned more from the things they did, than the things they said. If you are a parent, are you behaving in a manner that is worthy of honor, or are your children learning things from you that may destroy their future, or lead them into temptation. None of us have perfect parents, so consider these words “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God…” (1John 3:1). We all have a Father in Heaven who is worthy of all honor and glory and praise. Hear His instructions. Do not forsake His commands. He has given us much to learn and meditate on. Pastor Jay Merritt There are many assets a person can obtain, if they are rich enough. Many assets though, can become liabilities – actually costing more in the long run. Example: A car is something that many people think is an asset, but really is liability.
Consider a young person still in high school. They believe they need a car, so they can experience the freedom of going out on Friday and Saturday nights. Without realizing it, their decision to get a car, requires that they get a job to pay for monthly loan payments, insurance, gasoline, repairs and don’t forget tags and taxes. When do most teens get scheduled to work? - Friday and Saturday nights, when all their friends are free to go out and about. To pay the bills, they must also work most school nights, which affects their ability to get homework done, and affects the amount of sleep they may get. Their fatigue causes problems staying awake and paying attention in class. This slow leak of energy and attention, shows up in their grades, which impacts their ability land a good job or to further their education in college, and to obtain scholarships. In the long run, the impulsive decision to get the car, could impact their entire life – for the worse. A car is not an asset, it is a liability. There is one asset we can obtain, which is “better than rubies” (Proverbs 8:11), “better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold” (Proverbs 3:14). Yet, it cannot be purchased, valued or exchanged (Job 28:15-19). We can learn about this special asset from a young man named Solomon. This young man was given the keys to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah when he was still in his 20’s. He held assets of over 10,000 horses, and over 1,000 chariots. He built palaces and a temple. He composed 3000 proverbs and over 1000 songs. He also knew all about nature and the world around us. His kingdom was strategically placed along a flourishing trade route between Egypt and the east so that his riches compounded exponentially. He had the world by the horns, but he was still MISSING SOMETHING. Then, in a dream, God came to him and offered to give him anything he wanted – ANYTHING! I don’t know about you, but my mind can really get to swimming at just the thought of an opportunity like this. Imagine, the Creator of all things, saying to you: "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5). How many young people, musicians, artists, actors, brilliant minds, have we seen rise to the top only to fall into a crumpled heap in an ash bin. They had everything, yet they were MISSING SOMETHING. The first thing Solomon did, was to reflect on the blessings he had already received (1 Kings 3:6). If we just look around, each of us could make a list of ten things we have been blessed with. The second thing I see in Solomon is that he humbled himself. He said, “I am just a child. I don’t know how to go out or come in (1 Kings 3:7).” Too many times, we get full of ourselves and forget that pride can destroy us. It is OK to admit when we can’t go it alone, especially when you are talking to God, because He already knows. Lastly, Solomon asked the Creator of the Universe for the one asset, the most valuable thing a person can possess, short of salvation in Jesus Christ. Solomon asked for an understanding heart for people and the ability to discern between good and evil (1 Kings 3:9). In one word, Solomon asked for WISDOM. What a great model for prayer: count your blessings, humble yourself, and ask for wisdom from God. And God blessed Solomon to be wiser than any man in his day. This great, young and wise king, wrote this simple statement for people the world over and for all time: Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Meditate on THAT! Pastor Jay Merritt |
AuthorPastor Jay Merritt writes about God in every day observations. Archives
August 2013
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