March 3, 2018 Saturday

“You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S, And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.” (Psalm 22:23-31 NKJV)

            Ever since the resurrection of Jesus people have “prophesied” the death of Christianity and some have even declared it dead but the Church continues to grow and expand in lives and throughout the world.  You may ask why?

            Christianity grows because unlike any belief system God dies for us rather demands us to do something for that god.  Jesus came, in His own words, not to condemn but to offer His life for us out of love for us.  For all the decorations and expense put into symbolic crosses the real cross is the most beautiful because the love and suffering of God are seen in it.

            In this passage we see the response to the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus!  Even as Psalm 22 delves the depth of God’s suffering we are also shown the celebration of humanity at being set free!

            As you read this passage do you feel this way?  Have you ever celebrated in this way all God has done for you?  Do you have a message of joy, love and hope to pass on to the next generation, to a people yet to be born?

            Get off your beds!  Ask God to cleanse the sleepiness out of your eyes!  Read Psalm 22 again – for the first time and be set free by the love of the Father to give “His only begotten Son, the love of Jesus to give up everything thus freeing the Holy Spirit to unite all those blessed by God in worship and in sharing with others!

            DO YOU NOT SEE?  HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? DOES YOUR HEART NOT CRY OUT FOR JOY?  The God of the universe heard your cries and when you could not reach sin stained hands to Him then God reached down to you.  Jesus entered into your shame and suffering and took it from you and bore it for you!

            If we are not careful we can decorate to sedate and we can liturgy the life out of the most amazing news since creation, maybe even more amazing than creation!  For God did not just create us but also re-created us!  God did not just win a future victory for us but that victory is alive now!  God did not win heaven for us after we die for we are new creations now and can come into God’s presence now!  God is our Father now, not just in the future!

            Join the generations of humanity who have rejoiced in the love of Jesus and in the love for Jesus!  In terrible pain, from prisons, from places of beheadings, from crosses, from seeing children stolen, from losing jobs and positions, from ridicule and shame shout your joy that the God of the universe loves you!  That the God of the universe came to save and re-create you!

            For all the gates of hell, the hatred of others, those who kill in the name of their demonic gods or the ridicule of the world can never stand against God’s love!

            RISE AND CELEBRATE FOR GOD CAME FOR US, GAVE HIMSELF FOR US AND WILL STAND WITH US!  And the hatred of hell will never overcome the love of Heaven!

            I woke early and got some cards to people who are sick ready and posted, read my Bible and had a great time of prayer.  The Lord led me to Nicaragua again, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Philippines and then a long time praying Muslims.  Muslims have long been on my heart and I used to pray for different nations but now I pray for all those who are Muslims.  In the West we often fear the terror of Islamic murderers but so do many Muslims in their own countries!  They often live with a tension of not being Muslim enough and if they convert to another belief, religion or just not believing in God they are considered worse than being an “infidel”.  Women are treated almost as household goods.  Very few Muslim countries are open and not oppressive.  May God open their hearts as He already has started with dreams and visions of His love!  Asbury is hosting a concert tonight with the Catholic Academy in Knoxville (CAK) singing with their choir and Mary McDonald.  Bonnie will be playing the piano and organ.  I will miss tonight hoping to be able to go to Worship tomorrow since she will be there and Asbury is having Communion.

March 2, 2018 Friday

“I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.” (Psalm 22:14-22 NKJV)

            Have you ever had the poor me’s?  Have you ever cried out God didn’t understand what you were going through?  Have you ever lied?  If you answered no to either of the first two questions than you are guilty of the third!

            Isn’t it amazing that if you want to understand the suffering of Jesus you must look in the Psalms rather than in the Gospels!  Here we have an amazing description of the suffering of Jesus presented from His own heart!

            Take time to list the many ways Jesus suffered and then write down how they affect you.  How do the sufferings of Jesus affect the suffering, loss and pain you go through?  Do these sufferings help you face your suffering?

            Isn’t it amazing God would come and suffer in your place?  All of our sin, suffering, sickness and pain were borne by Jesus through the suffering and loss He went through.  Jesus died for those who have been hurt by others and even more amazing for those who hurt others, even Himself!

            For those who even now suffer for their faith: being beheaded and having their children stolen to be sexual slaves by ISIS, paying high taxes in Islamic countries to not be killed for their faith, being held as prisoners in China and forced to work as slave labor in factories and so many other horrific persecutions.  The Voice of the Martyrs shows the depth of faith of those who suffer in the name of the One who suffered for them.

             An amazing picture of faith is of the men kneeling as they prepare to be beheaded.  You may be tempted to think ISIS won but those who were beheaded won because they showed the power of faith even as they offered themselves for the God who offered Himself for them!  Through the suffering of Jesus we call those who die for their faith martyrs’ and not those who kill others!

            We might be tempted to blame the Romans or the Jews but if Jesus died to overcome our sin, suffering and death then we are responsible for His death and we also receive the benefits.

            But while this grace is free for us remember the terrible cost for Jesus.  Such a sacrifice deserves a response by us.  So rather than doing works to gain salvation we in love work out of love for the One who loved us so much.  One of my simple theologies which I shared many times is:

God never asks anything of us that He hasn’t done for us

and God never asks to give anything that He hasn’t already given to us!

            Receive the grace and loving sacrifice of God and pass that on to everyone else, even your enemies!

            When I was in the pastoral ministry I used to tell people that they only had to live with my sermons for a few minutes when I had to live with them for a whole week.  God often gives me messages that are as much for me then for others.  This is one of those.  Lately I have been struggling more, the pain has increased and my mind seems less clear.  But I know that God is with me and even in my failings He still cares for me.

March 1, 2018 Thursday

“« To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. » My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:1-3 NKJV)

            When I was 19 years old doctors told me I had three months to live.  A friends mother took me to a Pentecostal Congregation she went to and they prayed for me.  When I left the older gentleman in charge of the group told me “Remember you are healed by the stripes on Christ’s back”.  I still hear those words in my soul after 40 years.

            Before that day I knew I was lost and without hope.  I did not have a fear of death but a fear of living!  A short time before they discovered my illness I went to a Congregation I had seen on TV.  I was so embarrassed to be there and sat behind a pillar hoping no one would notice me.  An older gentleman tapped my shoulder and said “Could you please come back another time, this is our televised service.”

            I felt forsaken.  To me it was not the Church but God who didn’t want me!  I could have cried Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 

            But I knew why.  It was because I was a drunk and I had cut myself off from God.  Why would God want someone like me?  I was not just broken I was shattered.  I wasn’t just lost I was nowhere.  I didn’t even know the God I cried out to.  I was in despair.

            But long before I cried out those words and felt that rejection God loved me enough to take on my despair as well as my sin!  As I read these words I knew for certain God understood my heart and still loved me!  I recognized the Holiness of God and with my praise I enthroned God in my heart.

            For 40 years I have served the one who bore my despair!  For over 40 years I have loved Jesus who sacrificed Himself for me!  For 40 years I have been in pain from my alcoholism and the blood disease and now I am disabled and in greater pain. But I trust in the One who took on my stripes and through my pain and suffering I pray I will glorify the God of my salvation!  For despite all I suffer I AM HEALED, I AM SET FREE TO LIVE AND DEATH HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY LIFE!  Glory be to my God and My Love!

            Spent today resting from the last week.  Had a phone conversation with Rev Tom Underwood and he is about the only one who keeps in contact except a few who send cards.  Tom keeps me up to date on prayer needs at First Jeff and we commiserate about our pains and weakness.  The only difference is he is about 15 to 20 years older than me.  For those who know a shut-in please remember them even if it is only a card.  As a pastor I was so saddened to see people who had served their congregations for years and the only time people from their congregation showed up was at their funerals.  But with the presence of My Lord and the blessing of Bonnie and Rebecca I am cared for very well.

February 28, 2018 Wednesday

“Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. “And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”” (Genesis 17:15-16 NKJV)

            When we follow God and accept the call for our lives this will and must affect our families and those close to us.  Some people may not be able to understand or accept that change and draw away from us while others will accept not only the change to us but the change it means for them.

            Abraham’s wife Sarai was able to accept the change and so she also was changed.  We can know this because God changed her name also!  Sarai which means princess is changed to Sarah which means noblewoman. 

            This may seem to be a step down but in reality it is a step up.  For Sarai to be a princess is a position which does not define character but in those days a noblewoman was a woman of great character who made the life of all around her better and deeper.

            From this we see accepting God’s call changes us to become a better and deeper person.  Our lives become more real and thus God can us to change the reality around us!  God makes us a noble people who quietly change the world in which we live.

            Like Eve Sarah would become a mother of many people.  Eve is the mother of all humanity but Sarah is the mother of those who follow God and accept His call!  By accepting God’s call Sarah has the right and duty to demand her “children” accept God’s call for them!

            God reminds us that when we accept his call for us we also receive God’s blessing and the promise that we will be blessed by seeing “children” given to us!  Please understand we are not called to save people or to be successful but to plant seeds and nourish them with love but it is God who really saves, changes their lives and places His call upon their lives.

            We continue to help them grow up and to grow into their faith and God’s calling for them.  Jesus calls us to make disciples knowing that only God can make them Christians.  And discipleship is more than just a moment at the altar! 

            Are you living out God’s call for you?  Is God using you to reach out to those He loves and cares for?  Are you disciplining those younger in you in the faith even if they are older in years?

       Today I feel so bad.  The medicine seems to be working on the either cellulites or the gout and my right foot is better.  But my left foot is hurting even more and looks bad.  I never know if the pain is from some illness or from the small fiber neuropathy.  Went to Dr Barkers and they checked out the machine and if I was using it.  They found I was using it and that it was helping a lot.  Got some advice from them about how to better use the CPAP machine.  God is so good and keeps us provided for.

February 27, 2018 Tuesday

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:1-7 NKJV)

            It is so amazing that God changes the names of so many of those who closely follow Him.   Abram becomes Abraham as God makes a Covenant with him that he will become the father of many nations and kings would come from him because of Abraham’s deep faith in God.

            Could that be because when we come to God and follow His call we are not the same person?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

            Through the work of Jesus Christ in our life and guided by the Holy Spirit everything about us changes and we do become and new “creation”. 

            God’s change to Abram can be seen in the meaning of the names.  Abram means exalted father and God changes him to Abraham which means father of a multitude.  God’s covenant with Abraham now extends beyond this group of people to beyond a people and time Abraham can imagine.

            When you follow God’s call upon your life you will reach out to a people you cannot even conceive and in places you do even know!  God will use you to change not only those today but also generations down!

            If we allow God to change us and use us through God we are able to be part of eternal changes as not just lives but eternal souls are changed forever!

            Are we descendents of Abraham?  What does that mean?   Has God given to you a new name and a new call?

            The new meds seem to working on the cellulites’ in my right foot but now the left foot is hurting even more than the other.  The pain is terrible and I pray it will lesson as I have to go to Dr Barker’s to have my CPAP machine checked out.  God still gives me places to pray for and people in so many places.  Often I do not know what I am praying for but I know God does.  It amuses me that I believe I travel farther as a disabled minister as I did as a pastoral minister!

February 26, 2018 Monday

“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:13-25 NKJV)

            Do you ever get weary and wonder why?  Could it be because you are running so hard trying meet the expectation of all those around you?  Could it be because you are trying to meet God’s expectations?

            The book of Romans is called the Gem of the New Testament because within it we are given a summation of all the teachings from the epistles of Paul.  Romans is a primer for being a Christian and of how to live and share faith in a pagan community.

            In Romans we discover that faith is not only essential to being a Christian it is also impossible to a Christian without it!  For if you cannot trust that the death of Jesus can cover your sins then how can you be saved!

            And that is for many Christians!  We are weary trying to meet God’s standards and laws and discovering (if we are honest) that we cannot do that!  We become like the hamster on the wheel running as hard as he can but not getting anywhere until he stops and then he goes round and round with the wheel!

            It is time to stop!!!  It is time to go from the arrogance of thinking you have to be good to seek the humility to ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself!  Over the years God has given me a simple theology.

God loves us enough to accept us as we are,

but God loves us enough to not leave us there.

                        In truth we have it backward.  We first need to come in faith that God will accept us as we are.  Then we must be guided by God to the works we were created for!  It is not that works earn righteousness but that righteousness is the source of works!

            Have you stopped running on that wheel growing weary not getting anywhere?  Or are you by faith living our God’s righteousness purchased for you and in love and gratitude serving the One who loves you?

February 25, 2018 Sunday

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”” (Mark 8:31-38 NKJV)

            There are two parts of the Good News we often do not want to hear.  First is that we are sinners who deserve hell and are in desperate need of the Good News.  Second is that the Good News calls us to sacrifice everything, even our life, to honor our Lord who gave His life for us!

            Like Peter we want to “rebuke” God for this call upon our lives.  After all grace is free so what is this stuff about denying ourselves, giving our life and maybe even dying for God?  But we should remember that even when tempted Jesus purchased the grace that is free to us!  Indeed grace is very expensive it is just that Jesus paid the price for us.

            It is easy to think this is about being martyred for Jesus but I think it is very clear that Jesus also means many of us will Lose” our lives by not doing what we want but investing our lives in honoring the God who honored us by His life and in those God desires to come to Him.  In many ways I think this is harder!

            As I write this I am lying in bed on a Sunday morning when I want so badly to be with God’s people.  The pain and suffering seems to grow every day.  I prayed and asked God twice to heal me from this pain and disabling disease.  Twice God told me He would heal me through this!

            For over two years I have seen my pain grow and my abilities lessen.  I have had to step from my calling to the pastoral ministry and face the grief of doing something I loved.  I have left the parsonage life and been thrown into “real” life with little warning.  The hardest part is seeing how this affects my family as they become caregivers and the grief I see on their faces.

            But God promised me my ministry would grow through this and even though disabled I send about 40 cards each month to shut-ins, write this blog and have a prayer ministry that takes me around the world from my bed!

            What is amazing to me is Bonnie and I are reading a devotional on the history of hymns it is amazing how many writers suffered terrible problems and how many people as they faced death found solace and comfort from those very hymns!

            Are you giving your life to and for God?  Are you experiencing God presence each day as you offer everything to God?  For if you are not experiencing God’s presence you need to be where God is, with the hurting and the lost!

“God never asks anything from you He hasn’t already given to you and God will not ask you to do anything He hasn’t already done for you!”

            After being able to do so much now comes the time to pay for it!  Doing always has a price paid for in pain.  Some may ask why I do it if it leads to pain but it would hurt more to lay there and do nothing!  My Love and My Lord strengthen me every moment so I can serve you and love my family!  Help me to keep going and serving until I no longer can and then enable me to praise you from my weakness and pain!  Even as the pain grows and becomes terrible I thank God for all the weakness and pain because it helps me experience God’s presence more!