May 11, 2009

Reading in John 2 this morning I saw something about Jesus' first miracle that I hadn't noticed before. Maybe it is because this is the day after Mother's Day and I have been unusually mom-focused.

John 2 is the setting for Jesus' first miracle. It happened at a wedding. Mary seems to have been involved or closely connected to the wedding party. As a result, Jesus and His men were invited - so they came.

While Jesus and the disciples were invited, there may have been others show up who weren't because they ran out of wine. I a culture where hosting others holds very high value - running out of wine is a big problem. The wedding hosts would become disgraced in their community.

Mary discovered the problem and also thought of the solution. She came to Jesus and asked Him to make more wine. Jewish mother alert!

It is clear in the Scripture that Jesus did not want to do a miracle at this time. I am sure He had good reason for being resistent to her request - but, because it was his mother who asked, He obliged.

I found it interesting that most of His miracles He did for the glory of His Father but His first one He did at the will of His mother. I like that!

Notice too, that Mary did not ask for this miracle to make herself look good. How tempting would that be when you have a Son like Jesus? She didn't do it to launch Jesus' ministry career. That is also a tempting option for moms! She did it to save a friend from becoming a social outcast and from ruining the wedding day of a young couple she cared about.

Apparently Jesus respected the reason for the miracle as much as He respected her request.

What did you do to honor your mother yesterday? She doesn't need a miracle, just some respect will do!

May 10, 2009

I was reading in Luke 24. What a great chapter! It records the events of Resurrection Day!

Especially meaningful was the experience of the two who unknowingly met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Their testimony is written in verse 32 - "They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures?"

Because Jesus is alive He can walk with us! And when the Living Jesus is walking with us His Word comes alive in us!

From this encounter I can see some blessings of walking with Jesus:

Walking with Jesus causes your mind to learn.

Jesus opened the Scriptures and taught them "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself".

Since Jesus IS the Word, walking with Him makes the Scriptures come alive in you. We see what happens without the inspiration and influence of Jesus "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken." (V. 25). There is a huge difference in your ability to learn when you are walking with Jesus!

Walking with Jesus causes your spirit to discern.

"Their eyes were opened and they recognized Him...." There is a difference between understanding truth in your mind and having the wisdom to apply it to your life - decisions, attitudes and actions. Walking with Jesus gives you wisdom to rightly apply the Word. You can learn like Jesus so you can live like Jesus.

Walking with Jesus causes your heart to burn.

When was the last time your heart burned from something besides bad pizza? As these two walked and fellowshipped with the Risen Christ, a strange and wonderful warmth filled their hearts. In a matter of minutes they changed from despair over what had happened to Jesus to a great joy! That is the difference Jesus can make!

Walking with Jesus makes a difference! It is the difference between life and death. It is the difference between abundance and dearth. Walking with Jesus makes your mind to learn, your spirit to discern and your heart to burn!

Will you walk with Jesus today?

May 9, 2009

I am doing a series during May entitled "Games People Play". This is the second in the series that will be preached on Mother's Day.

Today’s game is “Aggravation”. Why did I pick this particular game to speak about on Mother’s Day? Because this game requires the players to move four marbles around a game board from their home base to a home on the other side of the board.

That reminds me of motherhood! Mothers have a lot of marbles that there are trying to move from one home to the next – while trying not to lose their marbles in the process! What marbles am I talking about?

THE ME MARBLE - THE MARRIAGE MARBLE - THE MOTHERHOOD MARBLE AND - THE MAKING A LIVING MARBLE

How do you move those marbles, get them all home and not lose your marbles?

They will all fit if you put them in the proper order. To do that you must add one more marble – THE MASTER MARBLE

THE MASTER MARBLE – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…

COMMIT TO HIS WILL – For You, For Marriage, For Motherhood, For Career

COMMIT TO HIS WORD – Let it be a lamp and a light

COMMIT TO HIS WAY – Live Out His Will And His Word

COMMIT TO HIS WISDOM – For Marriage, For Motherhood

THE ME MARBLE – PLAY THE MASTER MARBLE FIRST….

ELIZABETH CORCORAN shares this experience:
Four – year old Sara, had asked to pray before our breakfast this morning. That is quite typical of her. I think it's more her penchant to take charge than her avid spiritual growth as of yet. But I happily obliged as it still does something to my heart to hear that little girl of mine talk to our Heavenly Father. She started off per usual. Thank You for mommy, thank You for daddy, thank You for Jack. Then she added, and thank You for me.
She has yet to come across that place in life where you feel silly or full of yourself in bringing any sort of attention to who you are as a person. As adults, we'd probably be a bit taken aback to hear a fellow pray-er at our Bible study thank God for herself. But if you think about…I think the situation is less that she hasn't quite learned prayer etiquette, and more that she may know more than we as grown-ups do. Why not thank God for ourselves? He made us as much as He made the other people we thank Him for. We have as much value as those other people do. And I bet, if we began to sprinkle our prayers every now and then with a small "thank you for me," I just bet we'd start to see our value though His eyes. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
She then moved on to the rest of her list of thanks. Sara has not yet progressed much past the thanksgiving kind of prayers. She doesn't ask God for anything. She doesn't confess much either. (That will need to come…) She just thanks Him. And today, I noticed exactly what she was thanking Him for. She went through her routine of thanking Him for breakfast and her pretty clothes, saying, "Thank You that I'm beautiful again today" (no self-esteem issues with this little girl).
Now, I'm sure she wasn't hoping to teach me some huge theological lesson in that moment…but wow, did she ever. What if I stopped, just for a day even, asking God for stuff? Asking Him to fix things in my life? Asking Him to change this or that circumstance? What if--what if I just thanked Him for all of my situations as is? How might my life be different? How might I see God and my current status differently…if instead of complaining to Him or asking Him for a quick-fix, I just rested where I was at that moment…searching for His hand and for any lesson I could glean…and thanked Him for it? Maybe I'll just have to find out. – TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

THE MARRIAGE MARBLE – Next Play The Marriage Marble

I heard of a couple who, as they were paying for groceries in the check-out line, were discussing their soon to be 50th wedding anniversary, when the young cashier interjected by saying, "I can’t imagine being married to same man for 50 years!" The wife wisely replied, teaching the young girl a lesson at the same time, "Well, Honey, don’t get married until you can."

"Rules of Male-Female Relationships" 1. The Female always makes the Rules. 2. The Rules are subject to change at any time without prior notification. 3. No Male can possibly know all the Rules. 4. If the Female suspects the Male knows all the Rules, she must immediately change some or all of the Rules. 5. The Female is never wrong. 6. If the Female is wrong, it is because of a flagrant Misunderstanding, which was a direct result of something the Male did or said wrong. 7. If Rule 6 applies, the Male must apologize IMMEDIATELY for causing the Misunderstanding. 8. The Female can change her mind at any given point in time. 9. The Male must never change his mind without express written consent from the Female. 10. The Female has every right to be angry or upset at any time. 11. The Male must remain calm at all times, unless the Female wants him to be angry or upset. 12. The Female must under no circumstances let the Male know whether or not she wants him to be angry or upset. 13. Any attempt to document these Rules could result in bodily harm to the Male.

Recently, a survey was made of 200 married adults in regards to forgiveness The researchers were wondering how one’s ability to forgive others would affect their marital satisfaction and personal well-being. The results were astounding! This research suggests that there is a huge relationship between marriage satisfaction and forgiveness. In fact, it appears that as much as one third of marriage satisfaction is related to forgiveness. Not only does the ability to forgive impact the marriage relationship, it was significantly related to personal emotional distress. As forgiveness ability went up, individuals reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue! These results are powerful and suggest that all counselors, both secular and faith-based, should be helping people develop the skill of forgiveness.

Gary Thomas commented, "I don’t believe couples fall out of love—they fall out of repentance."

The secret of successful marriage is to strive for the perfect 16 – 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer…..

MOTHERHOOD MARBLE – Best Thing To Do For You Kids Is Love Their Dad

My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet." My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why." My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident." My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about." My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished." My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room." My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"

One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands.

"Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there." "She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word.""That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?""No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower."
"Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade."Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear.""What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there."

MAKING A LIVING MARBLE

Organize and Plan: Make the most of your time
Delegate: Share the load

Develop a Support System: Family, Friends, Church

Set Realistic Expectations: Big Rocks First!

Take Care of Yourself: Sharpen The Axe

You CAN move all your marbles and get them home - without losing your marbles! But you must know which marbles to move and the order in which to move them!

May 8, 2009

Donald Gray Barnhouse was a well-respected preacher of the mid-20th Century. His young wife died very unexpectantly, leaving him with two little girls. In addition to trying to cope with his own grief he had to find a way to explain it to his girls. On the day of her funeral he was driving to the church with his daughters. They pulled up to a red light in their car. While they were sitting there a big cargo truck pulled up next to them and casted a shadow over them. In that moment a God-given thought flashed across his consciousness. "Girls," he said breaking the silence, "Let me ask you something." "What, Daddy?" his oldest responded. "Would you rather be hit by that truck, or by its shadow?" "That's easy, Daddy! The shadow!" "Good answer! Me, too! And that is what happened to Mommy. She was only hit by the shadow of death - because Jesus got hit by the truck!"

Working with the family of Lawrence Berry this week, it was obvious that they felt like a truck had hit them. No one was expecting to lose this wonderful man anytime soon. He loved so well and was loved so strongly that his passing was a devastating and unexpected loss. How can you bring them hope and comfort in the shadow of his death?

I watched as the endless procession of family members, church family and friends came through to express their sympathy and condolences. With every hug the impact of death seemed to soften a bit and the shadow lifted ever so slightly. As the minutes passed into hours I saw faith take hold and hope return. I witnessed the amazing power of community. These people came together to absorb the impact of Larry's sudden death. Because these were people of faith, people for whom Jesus had been willing to take the full impact of sin and death, they brought the light of hope and truth against the shadow of death. It was a blessing to behold. We may live in the shadow of death, but we live in the light of God's truth and grace!

I remembered a message preached by TV preacher Robert Schuller. He was talking about the 23rd Psalm:

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

His theme was, "When the Lord is your Shepherd, the future is your friend." It is hard to argue with that. Especially after what I observed over the past few days.

May 7, 2009

We have been deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of Larry Berry this week. Here are some of the remarks I have put together for his funeral

Two become one in marriage but in death one becomes half. How do you fill up that other half?

When you have loved and been loved by someone as loveable as Larry – his passing rips and enormous gap in your heart. How do you recover from that?

For answers to tough questions like that, I turn to the Bible. In John 14 we find Jesus preparing his disciples for the fact that He is going to be killed. He makes this famous statement – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Brad, how can I do that? How can I sit here in the wake of a devastating loss and not let my heart be troubled? That’s easy for you to say, but hard to do.

Let me assure you that, like many leaders today, Jesus doesn’t just throw out positive platitudes hoping to profit from a good sound bite. He says what He means and means what He says and has the power to back it up. In these few verses Jesus shows us how “keep your heart from being troubled”.

TRUST IN GOD

Monday afternoon I sat with Nina and we leafed through Larry’s Bible looking for favorite verses. One that he had highlighted was 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 will make your paths straight.”

I believe that was Larry’s way of saying, “Trust the Lord and you will be alright! I trusted Him – and trust me I am alright!”

If you can’t trust God Who can you trust? And if you can’t trust Him now, when can you trust Him? You can – if you will!

You don’t have to understand it why Larry was taken. You don’t have to like it. But you do in to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” - because if you don’t “your heart will be troubled”.

It is hard to TRUST and be TROUBLED at the same time!

“LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED” - Trust In God

TRUST IN JESUS

Another verse that Larry had highlighted in this Bible was John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Larry trusted Jesus as His Savior. He would have a hard time understanding why you wouldn’t trust a love like God demonstrated when He sent His Son to die for your sins. And if you can trust Jesus to be your Savior, why wouldn’t you trust Him to be your strength and comfort at a time like this.

That raises another reason for trusting God – He understands what it is like to lose someone you love. He lost a Son. He knows the pain you bear right now.

You can’t TRUST Jesus and be troubled at the same time.

“LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED” – Trust In Jesus!

TRUST IN HEAVEN

“In my Father’s house are many dwelling places….”

If you trust in God and if you trust in Jesus then you have to trust in Heaven because that is where they are! And by the way, that’s where Larry is, too.

Brad, how can you be sure that there is a Heaven? How do you know that is not just wishful thinking?

1) Because God believes in Heaven and He wants us there. That’s why He sent Jesus – to open Heaven for us. I trust God so I believe in Heaven.
2) Because I believe in God and God is eternal and He has to live somewhere – and wherever He lives is Heaven!
3) Because Jesus promises Heaven – He said He is going there to prepare a place for us.

He has been working on it for 2,000 years. If He created the universe in six days – think what He can do in 2,000 years!

So, if thinking about death troubles you trust in Heaven.

If thinking about death troubles you, prepare for Heaven by accepting Christ as you Savior. That is what Larry did and Heaven is his home!

Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit. He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It’s just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live." Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him. "Paul, we’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We’re in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."

Sunday night, Larry left this world of the dying and was promoted to the land of the living.

“LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED” – Trust God

If Larry were here today he would say – Trust God!

“LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED” - Trust Jesus

If Larry were here today he would say – Trust Jesus!

“LET NOT YOU HEART BE TROUBLED” - Trust Heaven

If Larry were here today he would say – Trust Heaven!

"For the Christian Heaven is not just a destination - it is a motivation" (Warren Wiersbe)

It is even more of a motivation now that Larry has made it his destination!

May 6, 2009

Having been revived by the ministry of God's angel and 40 days removed from his fatigue-induced depression, Elijah arrived at Mt. Horeb - "the mountain of God".

Elijah went to hear from God. Where do you go to hear from God? How long since you've gone there?

"The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. The LORD Appears to Elijah And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

When God spoke to Elijah He spoke in a whisper not in the mighty wind or the powerful earthquake. On Mt. Carmel, God showed up in a dramatic way. But at Mt. Horeb He spoke in a whisper.

If you are always looking for God in the dramatic or the spectacular, you will miss Him. God usually speaks softly to those who wait before Him. It is our responsibility to know His voice and listen.

God told Elijah two things: "You are not alone (7,000 other prophets) and I am not done with you (He gave him a new assignment)."

That's the good news God brings to us today, He is not done with us and He has not left us alone.

Will you get alone with Him today? Will you listen for His voice? Will you obey?

May 5, 2009

I Kings 19 spoke to me this morning.

On the heels of Elijah's incredible victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, he was fell victim to discouragement.

"Elijah was afriad and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he may die.'I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.," Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

Thank God for answered prayers, but also for the ones He doesn't answer! He didn't kill Elijah. He did, however, touch Elijah at his point of need.

Let me make several applications from the first few verses of I Kings 19 that I find helpful:

1) Like Elijah, I often find that I am most vulnerable after a big spiritual victory. It usually takes a significant investment of spiritual, emotional and physical energy to get a big win like Elijah did. After you get it several taxing things can happen; you begin to feel the pressure from the next big thing plus you usually make some enemies who will oppose you, and invariably there is an emotional let down.

2) Notice the way God responded to Elijah's discouragement. Some would say that discouragement is a sin. The last thing you need when you are battling discouragement is a layer of guilt piled on top of that. But God did not condemn Elijah, He ministered to his physical needs. The lesson is this, when you don't take care of yourself physically you make yourself more vulnerable to discouragement and to attacks from the enemy. Eat right. Get rest. Stay physically fit. Ministry is a marathon not a sprint.

3) Elijah gave in to fear. Again, when you are physically and mentally exhausted you lose your perspective and fear can overtake you. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled." In otherwords, fear is a decision. In every situation you can choose to have faith or give into fear. When you get more focused on those who oppose you than on those who stand with you will fall victim to fear.

So, if you are battling discouragement today, take some wisdom from Elijah:

- guard your physical condition. Eat right. Rest well. Stay fit.

- guard your perspective, if God is for you, who can be against you?

- guard against a letdown, plan something fun or relaxing following a big event.

Getting discouraged is not a sin. Staying discouraged is! Learn from Elijah!