May 30, 2010

An eighty-year old couple were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctor's office, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory.

After checking the couple out, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down, making notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left.

Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?"

He replied, "To the kitchen."

She asked, "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?"

"Sure."

Then his wife asked him, "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?"

"No, I can remember that."

"Well, I also would like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down cause I know you'll forget that," his wife said.

"I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries."

She replied, "Well, I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that. You had better write it down."

With irritation in his voice, he said, "I don't need to write that down, I can remember that." He went into the kitchen.

After about 20 minutes, he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs.

She stared at the plate for a moment and said, "You forgot my toast."




Does anyone here have trouble remembering things?


How many of you have to write yourselves notes and memos to jog your memory?

You owe a debt of thanks to Dr. Spencer Silver and Mr. Art Fry! Dr. Spencer and Mr. Fry are the inventors of the post-it notes. Dr. Silver accidentally invented the adhesive that makes it stick but also allows it to removed and reused. That happened way back in 1968. But it was Art Frey who figured out the possibilities for what was to become post-it notes. He first used it as a bookmark for his church hymnal.

Let’s pause for a moment to thank Dr. Silver and Mr. Frey and remember those who help us remember things.

“When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until it’s meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among you. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:14-20

REMEMBER HIS LIFE

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy eve, his wife was taking their children to a service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet.When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed. The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm.

God became like man in the Person of Jesus in order to show how to live and how to love. As John said, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

Remember God's love for you. Post that truth on your heart and you mind so you will alway remember His life.

REMEMBER HIS LOVE

One day the bridge tender takes his son to work with him. It's a nice day... the son is fishing on the bank of the river... and the father is checking on the machinery that runs the bridge. Everything is as it should be. But then the son notices the train is coming. It's early! The train has run through a red light and is heading toward the draw bridge and the bridge is open!

The son notices this and tries to pull the emergency switch. But he's too small and too weak and he loses his balance and he falls into the gears... just as the father looks out the window, seeing his son fall into the gears. The father must make a decision. Lower the bridge, saving the train but killing his son. Or run out to pull his son from gears allowing the train to plunge to the river below. In a matter of seconds he must act – save his son and allow a train filled with passengers to plunge to their deaths or close the bridge knowing he will crush the life out of his only son.

One life or many lives? What a dilemma! What should he do? He pulled the switch crushing his son and saving the train. Shaken in his grief he watched the train speed by looking in the window at passengers who were carrying on with life completely oblivious to the sacrifice that had just been made to save their lives.

This bridge tender showed an incredible love for those strangers on the train that day. He sactificed his son's life to save their lives.

That is precisely what God did in Jesus. He demonstrated His love for us by offering His only Son to provide for our salvation!

Remember that! Post it on your heart and your mind.

REMEMBER YOUR LOSTNESS

I hate to be lost. The feeling of being lost is one of the worst feelings in the world - but I dislike asking for directions even more!

There are few things worst than getting lost when you are trying to get to a certain place. With the rise of GPS availability you would think that getting lost would be a thing of the past. Not so.

In a lot of cases GPS has caused people to end up at the wrong address, or in some extreme cases even to drive off the road. Only a few days ago too much trust in GPS led to an even more extreme error: a company sent their workers to demolish a house not providing them with the address but only with GPS coordinates, and the workers ended up demolishing the wrong house.

CLOSING:

There once was a baby elephant and a baby turtle drinking from a river deep in the jungle. For no reason, the turtle reaches over and bites the elephant's tail, really hard. Years and years later, the same elephant, now grown up, is by the same river, having a drink with his giraffe buddy, when the same turtle that bit him on the tail all those years ago wanders up to the river. The elephant rears back a leg and kicks the turtle as hard as he can, sending him flying way off into the jungle. "Why did you do that? " the giraffe asks. "When we both were babies, that turtle bit my tail for no reason," the elephant replied. "Wow! You must have a good memory!" exclaimed the giraffe. "Yep!" said the elephant. "I've got Turtle-Recall. "When it comes to the great salvation that God has provided for us through the sacrifice of Jesus – we need to have “total-recall”.

When it comes to God's love for us, and when it comes to the life that He gave for us we must always remember!

May 29, 2010

"When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." I Samuel 17:28

Today's giant lesson is not as uplifting as most. It reflects an unfortunate attitude that manifests itself too often in fellowships. We see this expressed in our Scripture text for the day.

What is the attitude I am referring to? It is demonstrated by David's brother. Not only did he not want to fight the giant, he didn't want David to do it either. There are people like that. You have probably seen them. They are content being victims and they hang out with other victims who would rather complain about the giant than confront him. When someone else steps up to fight the giant that person becomes a threat to them. There are people, well-being as they may be, who don't want to fight giants and they don't want anyone else doing it either.

So, here we find David trying to defeat an enemy and deliver his people but finding opposition from the very people he wants to help. I have encountered that. Maybe you have, too.

You would think that everyone would be excited by someone daring enough to take on a giant. You would think they would want to encourage that. Not so. Unfortunately, victims become victims because they think like victims and get comfortable with victimhood. Before we get to critical of them, we have to honestly admit we all have our comfort zones and they are called comfort zones for a reason - they feel comfortable. It is hard to blast out of a comfort zone. Fortunately, David's comfort zone was fighting lions, and bears and giants.

As we see, those who get comfortable with losing are uncomfortable having a winner around. A winner exposes their losing. A victor casts a bad light on their victim-hood. It causes them to have to face their impotence. No one likes that.

Life is made up of winners and losers. Successful living is about hating to lose, learning to win, and resisting comfort zones. Losing is easier than winning but ultimately extracts a higher cost and the hardest part is not settling into comfort zones.

Like David, God calls His followers to fight giants. He expects us to be victors and not victims. One of the biggest giants each of us will fight is our comfort zones. Another word for comfort zones is "mediocrity". It is in our nature to do just enough to assure our basic comforts are met and then settle in and coast. When someone with a desire for excellence shows up it exposes our mediocrity and that is a threat.

David faced two giants that day. The Philistine giant and the mediocrity of his own people. One of the great purposes that a giant-killer serves is not only killing the giant but stirring up the saints. The latter may have been the biggest victory of that day - killing Goliath but pushing God's people out of their mediocrity. God had given David a holy discontent which derived from a holy hunger for God.

Are you stuck in a comfort zone? Are you settling for mediocrity? Have you lost your holy hunger? Have you quenched your holy discontent?

One of two things will happen. Either God will send a giant your way or He will send a David. Maybe He already has. If so, it is time to stop moaning and start moving. See them for what they are, God confronting the mediocrity in your spirit.

It happens to each of us and we have to be continually on guard against it. That is why I am asking the hard question today. How is your holy hunger? Have you lost your holy discontent? Do you need to reject your victimhood and repent of it? When was your last victory?

May 28, 2010

"For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army." I Samuel 17:16

Ready for another giant life lesson from David?

Let me ask you, "How do you measure yourself? How do you measure your problems? Do you ever measure yourself against your problems?"

Another big difference between David and the rest of this bunch - including the giant, was how they measured themselves and how they measured their problems. How about if we look at that this morning?

Goliath got in trouble because he overestimated himself. He overestimated himself because he measured himself against the other soldiers. For the most part, that was a good comparison because he was bigger and tougher and stronger than anyone else. He was a champion and he didn't inherit the title he earned it. Two errors here that eventually proved fatal. (1) He measured himself against men who were smaller and weaker than he. I see many people who do that. In order to feel good about themselves they find weaker, smaller, and less talented people and therefore arrive at an unrealistic value of themselves. It is not healthy to inflate your ego by measuring down. You may become a champion by defeating inferior opponents but you won't remain a champion that way. (2) He defied God and despised the man of God. Yes, he was big but not that big!

The Israelite soldiers measured themselves against the giant. They arrived an unrealistic view of themselves by measuring against an unrealistic standard. I know people like that who are always defeated because they set unrealistic standards for themselves. Somehow they have the knack for putting themselves in no-win situations. It is healthy to aspire to be like someone who may be bigger or stronger or more well-known than you but use that for motivation to get better. That is not what these guys did. They devalued themselves by overvaluing Goliath. Not good. Not healthy.

And then there was David! Let's learn from David! David didn't measure himself against the soldiers and he didn't measure himself against Goliath, he didn't measure himself at all! He just lived in the power and grace of God and let God handle the giants, and the lions and the bears in his life. The healthy approach to a self-esteem is not to measure ourselves against others but to lose ourselves in God! God has not called us to compare to others He has called us to complete others! David didn't compare he committed!

Are you struggling with self-esteem or self-worth issues? That is a common struggle. It is one we must each conquer and the sooner the better! But don't follow the lead of the giant and don't emulate the soldiers. Don't get into the measuring or the comparison trap. Do like David! To love yourself lose yourself in God. To find who you are and what you can do, find yourself in God.

There is a giant difference!

May 27, 2010

"Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken." I Samuel 17:8-11

Was Goliath a giant obstacle or was he a giant opportunity?

He was both! It just depended on who you asked! There was the actual Goliath, who was a large and powerful man. Then there was the even larger and more formidable giant that the Israelite soldiers were looking at and listening to. And then there was the big target that David saw.

What is it that determines your reality? Is your reality determined by what you see or by how you see what you see? Do you see life through eyes of fear or through eyes of faith? It makes a giant difference!

The soldiers were measuring Goliath's strength against their own. His size and strength were far superior to theirs. There was no denying that! We are talking about faith here - not fantasy! Faith is not denying reality it is focusing on a greater a reality!

That explained the difference between David's perspective on the giant as opposed to how the soldiers saw him. David knew he was no match for the strength and experience of the massive mountain of a man. But that wasn't a problem for David because he never planned on confronting the giant in his own strength. He had a realistic look at the giant but he also had a focus on a greater reality - God's strength!

They couldn't see beyond the giant and David could. They saw a big giant but he saw a bigger God.

Therein is the difference that faith can make. Faith is life without limits. Faith is a God-sized life.

Your life is filled with difficulties and challenges. Even on a good day life is bigger than you! To deny that is begging for trouble. In real life, giants don't always show up one at a time. Often they come in tandem or in groups! If you don't have a faith that is bigger than life, you will spend your days staring at giants paralyzed by fear and filled with frustration.

Don't you think God has something better than that in store for you? Do you think that God sent Jesus to suffer and die on a cross so that you can spend your life defeated by giants? Do you believe that Jesus submitted to leave heaven, become human and die a humiliating death in order for you to spend your life as a victim? I don't think so! I think He wants you to be a victor!

But you can't BE what you can't SEE.

David saw himself as a victor because he saw the power and strength of God! The army allowed themselves to become victims because they couldn't see beyond their own weakness. David chose a faith perspective but they settled for a fearful point of view.

Are you living as a victor or a victim? It depends on how you view your giants. You can decide as David did or you can default like the Israelites. Being a giant-killer is just one decision away. today could be that day!

May 26, 2010

"Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine." I Samuel 17:38-40

Once you figure why you are fighting the giant. Then you need to know how to fight him. What weapons will you use?

That is the first decision David had to make once he decided the giant must fall. King Saul had an idea for him. Even though he didn't want to fight the giant, he was willing to donate his armor and his weapons.

When your time comes to face the giant you will find other people have ideas how you should do it and weapons they are willing to loan. They don't want to face the giant but sure are free with their advice!

David was wise enough to know that if he was going to bring down the giant he couldn't do it with other people's armor. He could not face the giant with someone else's sword. In a big fight you need a familiar weapon. The shepherd boy had become an expert marksman with a sling and a stone. Because he had practiced and prepared and become proficient with this weapon, God was able to augment his skills to bring down a giant. God can't use what we haven't prepared. David understood that it was really a spiritual battle and that the battle was the Lord's. He understood what St. Paul knew:

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.In add ition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10-17

God's battles must be fought with His weapons. You can bring down physical giants with spiritual weapons - David did. And you can bring down spiritual giants with spiritual weapons but you can't bring down spiritual giants with physical weapons.

Killing giants takes the right reaons and the right weapons. David knew. Now you do, too.

May 25, 2010

"David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” I Samuel 17:45-47

I never served in the military. I have great respect for the military and for soldiers but after high school I went right to college and then out of college I was called to lead a church. So it just didn't work out for me to fight for the nation.

Growing up in America as a guy in my generation it was common to get into some fights with other guys as part of the passage from boyhood to manhood. I never really did. I'm not sure why except I grew up in a small town where everyone was well acquainted. Somehow I slipped into adulthood without being a fighter.

However, in nearly 40 years of pastoring I have come to discover that there are times you need to fight and some things worth fighting for. I have also learned there aren't many and the vast majority of what we fight over isn't worth it. David knew what to fight over. I think it is worth looking at.

The first reason that David fought Goliath was because Goliath defied God. It is never good to defy God. It is pretty stupid, too! But at a time when Israel was so closely identified with their God, it was crucial that other nations respected the God of Israel. Because their identity was so closely associated with God they must respect Him to respect them. Their security was at stake as was His honor. David thought that was worth fighting for. So did I.

The Church of Jesus and local churches that constitute it are inextricably tied to God. It is not wise or healthy to allow people to disrespect or disparage the church. When you defy the church you defy God. The Church must defend its honor and His. That is worth fighting for. David thought so - so do I.

Secondly, David fought Goliath because he wanted to demonstrate the power of God. The giant, the Philistines and everyone else needed to see a demonstration of God's power. Because of the cowardice of the Israeli army, God was beginning to look impotent. Other nations who had feared Israel because they feared Israel's God were now being emboldened by the powerlessness of God's army. Not only did God's enemies need to see a demonstration of God's power, His people did, too.

We live in a day when both God's people and His enemies need to see a demonstration of God's power. It is time to stand and fight against the people, the behaviors, and the attitudes that prevent God from demonstrating His power. When we stand against defiant giants, God moves and we see His power! His power manifests itself in the form of changed lives and changed circumstances and a holy, healthy, hopeful atmosphere! That is what I fight for!

Then, David fought the giant because he decided the battle was the Lord's! He was determined he could win. It is never a good idea to fight a battle you can't win. David faced the giant because God's people felt like they were losing and they needed to feel like winners. It is a good time to fight giants when you need a win.

There is a time to fight. David was a good leader because he knew when to fight - and when not to fight. He knew how to fight. God gave him the victory. Success or failure resides in the knowledge of when to fight and when not to. It rests in knowing how to fight and who to fight. Don't go to battle until you understand those principles and no one illustrates them better than David.

If you need to fight - fight right!

May 24, 2010

"Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken." I Samuel 17:8-11

Giant-sized lesson number four is coming up!

As I read this story the other day it occured to me, "Why did the Israelites allow the giant to set the rules?" Each morning and evening this fierce warrior came out and taunted the people of God. He dictated the terms and set the rules of engagement. They let him do it.

Who sets the rules for your life? Do you allow the enemies in your life to set the rules of engagement for you? Where do you get your marching orders?

That is a key question, don't you agree?

If you want to know the big difference between David and the other Israelities you look no further than that. David looked to God for his orders. He never allowed the enemy to set the rules for him.

I understand how easy it is to feel like you are powerless when you are confronted by an overwhelming circumstance or life situation. When you feel powerless you fell like your life is out of control. During those times you see how big the giant is and how small you seem to be. When that happens you become immobilized. That is where the army of God was when David showed up.

Notice the key word there - "feel". When you allow feelings to dictate your reality you are letting the enemy make the rules!

Here's a rule you can live with - WHAT YOU FEEL IS NEVER MORE REAL THAN WHAT YOU KNOW! As people of faith we judge our reality based on the facts of Who God is and how He works! We live "by faith and not by sight".

If you have a giant towering over you casting a shadow of fear or intimidation over your life - remember, he doesn't make the rules! What you feel isn't real! God is real! His Word is real! His Person and His truth define reality for us!