Your Heavenly Treasure

"The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field."   Matthew 13:44

The field the man found the treasure in wasn't his.  It belonged to someone else.  Didn't the man have a moral obligation to inform the lawful owner that he sat on a treasure?  Instead, our main character rushed out and did something quite deceptive. 


He didn't offer to buy the treasure from the true owner, but to buy the land, knowing that the owner didn't realize the true value of it.  If this part of the story wasn't important, Jesus could have simple said that the man sold all he had (a statement of deep desire) to buy the field.  But He didn't choose to tell the tale that way.  He turned in into a tale of obsession.


I realize obsession is a strong word, but strong words are sometimes needed to make a critical point.  Think about it.  What kind of man sells all he owns to buy a field?  A man obsessed with that field or, as in this case, the treasure in the field.  Clearly , Christ wasn't promoting deception, but He obviously thought it was a useful tool in showing just how far someone might go to secure the kingdom of heaven.


If there is one driving sentiment that heaven is worthy of, it is obsession.  Unfortunately, like desire and passion, the word obsession has been dirtied by the world.  Pure, irresistible desire has been undermined in many parts of the church.  Yet it best characterizes the kind of hope the early church had for the bliss that awaited them after this life.


Let's take a closer look at this word:
1. A persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly: a compelling motivation.  (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition)


The man from Jesus parable of the treasure in the field was indeed compelled by a persistent preoccupation with a somewhat unreasonable idea, wasn't he?  This is the missed point of the story.


The man did something unorthodox to obtain something he obviously thought was unattainable any other way.  He sold all he owned, and he went to great lengths to own the treasure by buying the field that contained it.  He was guided by obsession.


Jesus point isn't that we should all find deceptive ways to gain wealth.  It is simply that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, and that treasure is worth our greatest obsession.


I've seen plenty of obsessed Christians in my time.  They are usually new to the faith, and tend to bounce off the walls in their enthusiasm.  Talk about cars with them and they'll find a way to turn the subject back to Christ.  Talk about food and they will tell you they have lost their hunger for the things of this world.  They have a new compelling motivation.  They have a persistent preoccupation with an unreasonable feeling.  They are obsessed (what happened to us?)  Have no fear, new Christian you are in good historical company.


John the Baptist was obsessed:  His obsession with a simple message - prepare your hearts for the coming Messiah - compelled him to live in the desert, wear gunnysacks, and eat insects.  He was thoroughly preoccupied by an unreasonable idea.


David was obsessed:  His whole life reads like a maniacs, so passionate was he for his Deliverer.  Yet he was the one man in history called out by God as having a heart most like His own.


Paul was obsessed:  He spent years alone in the desert, feeding on the Spirit's revelation, before throwing himself into a dogged determination to spread the light to the lost.  Through it all he considered dying to be with Christ far better than living on earth. 


History is made by obsessed humans who are captivated by a compelling motivation for something they do not yet have.  That would be heaven for the Christian.


Question:  Is God obsessed?


If you say no, either you haven't read His story or you've not understood it.  The only difference between His compelling motivation to live as a human and die on the cross, and our own motivation towards heaven is that his required no faith.  But His passion far exceeds any we are even capable of in this life.  God is obsessive.  Remember Webster's definition of obsession?  God is indeed driven by a compelling motivation, a persistent preoccupation with an idea that is beyond our ability to reason.  His ways confound the wise, and his passion for YOU is beyond understanding.


He is preoccupied with YOU!  He is determined to save you from his own wrath.  He has wiped out many cities to protect his own.  He destroyed the earth with a flood in his anguish.  He goes to unthinkable lengths to find those who will allow Him to love them.  And in the end he will once again destroy the earth in the most spectacular fashion for the sake of his kingdom.


Because his ways are beyond our understanding, many people discount the records of what he has done as a fairy tale.  Many humans dismiss even the idea of God because he makes no sense to them.


Yes, God is obsessive.  Many frown on that term, but our faith in part depends on it.  God is obsessed, and now we, too, can be obsessed.


We can preoccupy our minds with an unreasonable treasure and enamor our hearts with the hope of glory.


Heaven, a treasure worthy of our obsession:


There are some people who believe that their treasure is found here on earth, that the kingdom of heaven is found in the here and now.  The treasure we experience here, now, is merely a foretaste of the great bliss that awaits us.  We do have incomparably great power to live victorious lives as we await our salvation, but we must understand that this power is designed to propel us down the road to our destiny.  Heaven.  That is the goal we are running for.  And the moment we take our eyes off the prize, our power to run the race to the finish is compromised.

"In this way they (those who put their hope in God vs.17) will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."  1 Timothy 6:19

What a bold statement by Paul!  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  If the treasure you obsess after is on this earth, your heart will remain on this earth;  but if your treasure is in heaven, your heart will be there as well.


God Bless and Press On
Larry


* from Ted Dekker's
"The Slumber of Christianity"

Be Angry...part 2

“He who angers you conquers you.”                            Elizabeth Kenny

“When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness. Our enemies would dance with joy if only they knew how they were worrying us, lacerating us, and getting even with us! Our hate is not hurting them at all, but our hate is turning our own days and nights into a hellish turmoil.”     Dale Carnegie

As you can see I want to continue with the topic of anger. I do so because it’s such an obvious problem in our communities today, and because it has been such a huge obstacle in my life as well.

Do you allow yourself to be angered by other people’s actions or words? Do you ever find yourself saying; “He made me mad!” or “She got me angry!” to explain away an emotional blow-up of words or actions?

One thing that I have learned is; other people do not have control over your thoughts, your emotions or your actions unless you give it to them.

If you remember some of my previous posts I made reference to my past gang involvement and the violence associated with it. In that type of lifestyle anger was a necessary evil, necessary for survival. You never wanted to be caught with your guard down, or unprepared to defend yourself. You always had identifiable enemies that were just a drive-by away, that possibility was there anyway. This kept me on my toes and ready to strike at a moments notice. It also forced me to keep the anger and hatred close at hand, always at the tip of my emotions ready to explode. Many times it was expressed to the wrong people in the wrong situation for the wrong reasons. When you live like I was living anger becomes your primary emotional outlet.

It is much the same for people coming out of an abusive background or a consistently hostile work environment or children being constantly bullied. When we don’t learn to deal with this emotion properly it becomes a very destructive element in a persons life.

So where does anger come from and how are we supposed to deal with it? Is it normal? Is it always a bad thing? Can we use it to benefit us in any way? Why did God give us this capability?

Everybody must deal with anger from time to time, some of us more than others depending on our job, family, where we live and the lifestyle we are living. But how often we deal with it has much to do with our own perceptions. How we view the world and our part in it determines most often whether we become offended and get angered by a perceived slight or injustice.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, yes, there are many real abuses, offenses and injustices in the world, but most often the things we get worked up about are not genuine threats or slights, but perceived. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Have you ever thought or said, “How dare you talk to me that way! Don’t you know who I am?” or things with a similar attitude. We are called to be humble but our pride often gets in the way.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

So the first thing is to identify or differentiate between the real and the perceived. In doing so, we can probably eliminate at least fifty percent of the things that would usually cause us to become angry. Often times we take ourselves so serious that everything seems offensive to us.

What is anger? It is an emotion expressed by feelings of displeasure, indignation, hostility, wrath and vengeance. Anger begins with a feeling that’s often expressed in words or actions. We feel something and it causes a reaction.

Joyce Meyer says in “Dealing with Anger…God’s Way” that anger is the “fruit of rotten roots” and one of the primary roots of anger is family. Angry people come from angry families (this was absolutely true in my case), and the same behavior will eventually be passed on to our children if we don’t get a handle on it in our own lives.

She goes on to list other “roots of anger”

Injustice: When we are mistreated we become angry because we feel it isn’t fair.

Strife: Which is usually hidden, is often exhibited in arguing, bickering, heated disagreements and angry undercurrents.

Impatience: When we can’t get what we want when we want it.

Abuse of any kind: Sexual, physical, verbal, emotional or mental abuse almost always leads to anger.

Unmet needs: What I call “unfulfilled expectations”, we all have needs that can and should be met by those closest to us; however, they don’t know and understand our needs unless we communicate our needs and desires with them.

Jealousy: Anger is one of the more extreme results of jealousy. It reminds us of how dangerous jealousy can be. The local newspapers in recent weeks have had multiple stories of domestic violence to the extreme – murder/suicides and the likes – and the root of this evil was jealousy.

Other root causes of anger include fear, insecurity, and feelings of being controlled by a job or other people and their problems.

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8,9

When we begin to feel angry it’s the perfect time to exercise the fruit of self-control. You may have a good reason to be angry, but don’t use it as an excuse to stay that way. Instead of denying or justifying it, ask God to help you deal with it in a positive way.

Romans 12:21 gives us some good advice, it says “Do not let yourself be overcome with
evil, but overcome evil with good.” When Satan attacks you, instead of getting mad, go bless someone. Responding in a positive way is the direct opposite of what the enemy wants you to do. It doesn’t come naturally, and it’s not always easy, but when we do what we can do, God will do what we can’t do.

“Do not be quick in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Is all anger sin? No, but some of it is. Even God Himself had righteous anger against sin, injustice and rebellion. Anger sometimes serves a useful purpose, so it isn’t necessarily always sin. Obviously, we’re going to sometimes lose it or not handle a situation correctly or else God wouldn’t have needed to provide the fruit of self-control. Just being tempted to do something is not sin. It’s when we don’t resist the temptation, and react to it, that it becomes sin.

While anger is often a destructive force, it can also enable a person to set limits and say no to unreasonable demands and take steps to meet important needs that have been ignored.

God sometimes allows us to feel anger so we will recognize when we’re being mistreated. But even when we experience true injustices in our lives, we must not vent our anger in an improper way. We must guard against allowing anger to drag us into sin.

“Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”

Ephesians 4:26,27

Refuse to give the devil any opportunity to get a foothold in your life through anger.

All anger, regardless of its cause, has the same effect on our lives. It upsets us, causing us to feel pressure. Keeping anger locked inside and pretending it doesn’t exist can even be dangerous to our health. Most of the time we’re only hurting ourselves, and the person who angered us isn’t even aware of it. So we must take responsibility for our anger and learn to deal with it. Process it and bring closure to it, and that will relieve the pressure. When you face your anger and decide to deal with it God’s way, you can overcome it. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be stable and walk in the fruit of the Spirit. We have the power to forgive those who do injustices in our lives and to love the unlovely.

So it really comes down to this; it’s how you respond, what you say and what you do in response to those feelings of anger that’s what really matters, that’s what’s at issue here.  So walk in the Spirit, be at peace with all man and allow God the bring you the victory!

God Bless and Press On
Larry

Be Angry...But Sin Not

"You used to walk in these ways, in the life once lived.  But now you must rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."  Colossians 3:7-9

It always amazes me what actions people will justify without regard for how the Bible instructs us to conduct ourselves as Christians.  It seems that the lines of behavioral demarcation have been clouded in many areas and totally annihilated in others.  Areas ranging from sexual sin and divorce to drug and alcohol abuse, from lack of respect for others to angry and violent outbursts.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone able to teach, not resentful."  2 Timothy 2:23-24

Last weekend I was at a home Bible study and the conversation turned to a discussion on anger and how we are to act when confronted with injustice or harmful behavior toward someone we love or ourselves.  One of the sisters in the group described how she had responded after she witnessed a teacher's mistreatment of her young son.  I then related a personal story of an incident that took place about eighteen years ago, involving one of my sons who was ten years old at the time, a football coach and myself.

"A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated."  Proverbs 14:17

We were two weeks into the season of Junior All-American football, the last day of conditioning and the boys would be getting their pads and practice uniforms at the end of practice.  When practice was over the kids were told to line up to get their gear.  There was a mad dash for the box of equipment and all the boys were jockeying for position.  My son was a small guy back then, and was having trouble finding a place in line.  He was half way down the line and the kids were still pushing each other and messing around.  While they were pushing and shoving one of the coaches noticing my son out of line, went over to him and shoved him in the chest knocking him to the ground.  He told him to get up and get to the back of the line, my son complied, but was upset and began to cry.  He was embarrassed and his feelings were hurt.

What would you have done as the parent?

"A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18

Now, all this time I was on the sideline watching, when I saw my son hit the ground I was furious.  I approached the head coach and asked to speak to him and his assistant coach (the shover), after they were finished distributing the gear to the kids.

"If a man be under the influence of anger his conduct will not be correct."  Confucius

When the assistant coach came over to where we were standing I shoved him with both my hands to his chest and got all up in his face.  I challenged him to push me like he had done to my ten year old son and see what would happen to him next.  This coach was bigger than I, but I didn't care, I was about to kick his behind to show him nobody would treat my child that way.

"An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man commits many sins."  Proverbs 29:22

As things began to cool down I took a look around and realized for the first time that most of the other parents and children were still there, watching me.  Here's this Christian man, this Pastor, getting crazy and trying to pick a fight with one their coaches.  They were all very surprised at my behavior as was I.  I had been around the league for a few years by then, and had been outspoken about my faith.  I was a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ and everyone knew it, and here I was letting my anger get the best of me.  Man was I embarrassed.

"Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame."  Benjamin Franklin

I've told this story several times now to different people, at work, at church, at Bible study, to other parents and the response I get most often is something like this;  "you did the right thing", "I would have done the same thing" or "you have nothing to be embarrassed about".  And these are some of the nicer responses, some guys and even the women talk about doing great bodily harm or worse to anyone who would hurt or injure their child or a loved one.  The responses didn't seem to differ between those in the church, the Christians, and those that were not.  This concerns me.

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."  Ephesians 4: 31-32

Before I even left the park I began to feel the Lord's conviction in my spirit.  Before I made it home I was absolutely sure that my actions and words were wrong, were sin and offensive to God.  I had failed a huge test and had cast a shadow over my witness.  I knew I had to apologize to these coaches, parents and kids and ask for forgiveness for my actions.  But the most difficult part was having to apologize to my son for my behavior and explain to him why it was wrong.  To him I was his hero, I had stood up for him, and was willing to fight for him.  I know that meant a lot to him, nevertheless my actions were wrong and there was a lesson to be learned both by him and by me.

"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness."  Josh Billings

Obedience, this is where the growth takes place, where you are changed.  When the Holy Spirit convicts you of some wrong done, and you know by the Word what your response should be, and you do it, you grow spiritually.  It's not necessarily the easy thing.  Try humbling yourself and apologizing to a group of people who didn't really think you did anything wrong.  I could have very easily ignored God or justified my own actions, but in doing so I wouldn't have given God an opportunity to make the necessary changes in my life.

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."  Proverbs 19:11

I'm surprised at how often we justify the actions of the flesh -- even us Christians.  We look at our circumstances through the eyes of the world instead of being led by the Spirit.  Instead of  living in obedience to Him we listen to the people around us saying, it's okay, you didn't do any thing wrong, I would have done the same thing, all the while ignoring God's Spirit convicting us.

"In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent."  Psalm 4:4

There have been other opportunities through the years for me to be tested in the area of self-control and I can't say that I've always passed.  But I've become much better at hearing and obeying.  I've learned not to ignore the Holy Spirit's conviction and to use it as a guide for my conduct at all times. 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.  My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

God Bless and Press On
Larry

"HE WHO FINDS A WIFE..."

"The man who finds a wife finds a good thing, she is a blessing to him from the Lord"  Proverbs 18:22 (TLB)
 













I was competing in a track meet at a rival high school (Gahr), and stopped to watch the junior class girls practicing for their "Powder Puff" football game.  A friend and I hung around to talk to a group of these girls; one in particular caught my eye.  She was short and slim with long flowing black hair, I thought to myself "Wow, she's beautiful, I'd like to get to know her."  But, she was the quiet one; I don't think she said one word to me.  It was 1975 - little did I know ten years later she would become my wife.

Patsy and I started dating the following year at Christmas time and we've been together ever since.  It hasn't always been bliss; we virtually grew up together, experiencing all of life's ups and downs, not always agreeing on how to handle things and making more then our share of mistakes.  But our love for each other was strong enough to get us through the many break-ups and make-ups and today we look back and wonder how it was that we made it through those early years.

I attribute our success to the Lord, for without Him in our lives we would have folded the relationship many, many years ago.  I was a hotheaded homeboy and she an obstinate young girl from a family of twelve children.  She definitely had learned how to fight for what she wanted and I just loved to fight, period.  This made for an explosive combination and boy did we have our battles.

All that started to change when God got a hold of our lives.  We were at a turning point in our relationship in 1984, we had just come off a six-month separation, we had two children and Patsy was pregnant with our third.  She wanted me to leave again and I wanted to be the man in her life, but it was clear that it wasn't going to happen the way I was living.  Violence, partying with my friends and drugs were the things that made up my life at that time and I was ready for a change.  During that separation time I began to realize what was really important in life and it wasn't what I was doing, my heart was ripe and ready for a change, a change for the good.

"Behind every good man there's a woman, pushing him"  
no, wait, that's not how it goes.

"Behind ever good man there's a woman, rolling her eyes." 
no, no that's not how it goes either.

"Beside every good man is a good woman." 
yes, I think that's more like it.

Through a promotion at work I was put directly under the supervision of a man who was a committed Christian.  By his invitation Patsy and I joined he and his family at church.  It was Sunday October 14, 1984 and we both gave our lives over to Jesus, we got "saved" and that was the beginning of our restoration.

Life didn't all of the sudden become sweet and pleasant.  We both had so much baggage (more me than her); Things that took years to work through, but with the help of God we worked through each issue and we are on the other side now, the last 15 years or so have been the best of our lives together.

"House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent (wise) wife is from the Lord."  Proverbs 19:14 (NASB)

We were married on May 18, 1985, with our three children present, a year and a half later our fourth and final child was born.  We are now coming up on our 25th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks, and I'm thinking once again of how very blessed I am.  Patsy truly is my best friend.  I know without a doubt that she loves me and that she always has my best interest at heart.  As we've grown up together and are growing older together we have become partners in life, we share most everything and have "become one flesh" as the scripture says in Genesis 2:24.

I don't know how it's possible that our love has grown stronger over the years, but it has.  I think of her throughout my day, wondering how she's doing.  I call her on the phone for a quick "hello, how are you doing today?"  and I feel better just because I spoke to her briefly, she tells me she feels the same way.  I really enjoy her company and miss her when we're apart.

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband"  Proverbs 12:4a (NKJV)

One thing that I've noticed also, she knows how to love me.  What I mean by that is; she knows the things in our home, our family and our relationship that are important to me, and she puts a great deal of effort into doing those things.  She does them to make me happy, to bring me joy, she is a very giving person.  And because she does all this for me it makes me want to love her more and show her more and give her more.

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies."  Proverbs 31:10

To some of you I probably sound like a sap, or a love struck schoolboy.  But that's all right, I have found joy and contentment in this life and I'm not ashamed to share with others where it comes from.  For me it comes from three main sources: first and foremost is my relationship with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, next, my relationship with my wife Patsy and finally my relationship with my family.  If these areas are okay than I'm okay - everything else will take care of itself.

Patsy my love, Happy 25th Anniversary, I want you to know that I love and appreciate you.  I truly consider you a gift from the Lord, and I look forward to many more years together.  To anyone else who may read this, my prayer is that you find the same love, joy and contentment in your life that I've found in mine, and it all starts with a relationship with your creator.
  

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Matthew 6:33

God Bless and Press On
Larry

The Treasure of A Friend

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with friendship."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greetings my friends,

Last week I wrote my blog entry and called it "The Brevity of Life", I was considering the death of a family member and the hope that comes from knowing Jesus.  In it I described the uncertainties of this life, and mentioned the importance of expressing your love to those you care about, those who are important to you.  I also mentioned taking the time to visit and spend time with them, not merely having the intentions of doing so.

"Go often to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the unused path."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friendship is something to be treasured and a good friend found is a treasure.

Treasure: 
1. wealth or riches stored or accumulated, 
2. valuable things 
3. any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized, 
4. to regard or treat as precious: cherish.

I decided my writing this week would be short.  To use it as a reminder of the precious people in our lives and how significant they are.  Treasure each day and the good people the Lord has blessed you with along the way.

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure."  Sirach 6:14

On Monday evening upon returning home from my Men's Bible Study I received some heart breaking news.  A very dear friend of mine had passed away that morning at his home in Santee, California.  Pastor Jay was a tremendous friend and mentor to me and my family.  Yet, it had been a good while since we last spoke.  My own words from last week's blog came back to mind and my heart ached for the loss.  The loss of the opportunity to express my appreciation for his friendship.  The loss of the opportunity to express my love for this brother in Christ and the example of his witness.
  

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  Proverbs 18:24

For years now I've told my children to treasure their friendships, not to take them for granted and not to take advantage of them.  When you're young you tend to have a lot of people coming in and out of your life.  Some of these people become good friends, but if you don't pay attention to them and cultivate the relationship you lose touch too soon and the true friendships that might have been are never realized.  

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they are meant to be there; 
they serve some sort of purpose, 
teach you a lesson, 

or help you figure out who you are" 

As for me, there are a few men in my life that I consider true life-long friends.  Guys who accept me for who I am and never place any undue expectations on the relationship.  Although we may not see each other for weeks at a time, we seem to pick up right where we left off without missing a beat.  These are the men I know I can turn to for advice, prayer and fellowship, whose company I enjoy and whose loyalty I can count on.  These are brothers who, although they accept me for me, can, if they felt the need, speak into my life or rebuke me and I  would accept it because I know their intentions are righteous.

 "A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."   Arabian Proverb 

I just want to encourage you again to pray for those most dear to you, for their health, safety and spiritual well being.  And, I want to challenge you also, to spend some time in the next day or two and make some sort of contact with those that you love but you haven't told in a while.  Tell them how important they are to you  and what kind of influence they have had in your life.

"A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers,

blesses you with love and encourages you with hope." 

Finally, I want to say this; Brother Jay I truly love you as a friend and a brother and I'm sorry I hadn't told you recently, you will be greatly missed.  For the rest of you reading this; Those I know, thanks for your friendship and know that you are appreciated and loved.  Those of you I don't yet know, thank you for considering what is on my heart today and my prayer is to one day get to know you, if not here then in heaven.

I want to leave you with some quotes from various sources about the importance of friends in our lives.  If you have some thoughts or quotes to add feel free to put them in the "comments" box below.

"Friends always show their love.  What is a brother for if not to share trouble?"  Proverbs 17:17

"Faithful friends are beyond price: No amount can balance their worth."  Sirach 6:15

"Those who live in the Lord never see each other for the last time"  Unknown

"Iron sharpens Iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance."  Proverbs 27:17

"Treat your friends as you do your pictures and put them in the best light."  Unknown

"Fate chooses your relations, you choose your friends."  Jacques Delille

"The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives."  Euripides

"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy  you must have somebody to divide it with."    Mark Twain

"Thus nature has no love for solitude, and always leans, as it were, on some support; and the sweetest support is found in the most intimate friendship."  Cicero

"Too late we learn, a man must hold his friend unjudged, accepted, 
trusted to the end."  John Boyle O'Reilly

"Do not save your loving speeches for your friends till they are dead; 
Do not write them on their tombstones, speak them rather now instead."  Anna Cummins 

God Bless and Press On

Larry  

The Brevity of Life

"We say the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future.  It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance."     Marcel Proust

Too often we take life for granted.  We get so caught up in our everyday busy-ness that we fail to say and do the things that are most important.  There are phone calls we intend to make and people we intend to visit, to let these most important people in our lives know how much we love and care about them.  But, things come up and we put it off saying to ourselves "I'll take care of it tomorrow", never really stopping to think that tomorrow may never come.  How many things have been left unsaid over the years?  How many times, after the loss of a loved one have we said "I wish I had __?  Or, I should have ___?  You fill in the blank.  Contrary the lyrics of a once popular song by the Rolling Stones, time really is not on our side.

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."   James 4:14
 
I spent three days this week out of state at a conference for my job.  A co-worker and myself drove to Nevada and spent the time getting acquainted.  We discussed our jobs, personal backgrounds, and families.  I was already aware of his recent battle and apparent victory over cancer.  What I hadn't known was the current ordeal he has been dealing with concerning his wife's health.

Sometime in the middle of last year it was discovered that she had a very serious heart ailment, which was only revealed after a number of fainting episodes.  Her heart would begin to flutter and get out of rhythm and stop momentarily, she would then faint and go into convulsions.  After the third incident she was admitted to the hospital for observation and hooked up to various heart monitors.  During the observation period she had another episode that allowed the doctors to observe and identify the cause.  It was determined that a portion of her heart was dead or dormant, it just wasn't doing it's job.  They immediately inserted a pacemaker and put her on the national heart transplant list.

"Man who is born of woman is of a few days... He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue."  Job 14:1-2


First his cancer and now her heart problems, talk about facing head-on the brevity of life.  We spoke of death's inevitability and how quickly things can and do change.  Most of the time, when you least expect them too.  This couple's life has been turned upside down in the last two years and it would be easy for anyone in this situation to become negative, beaten down and angry.  But, he wasn't, he said he knew first hand of God's miracles and credited God for his intervention.  He finished this conversation by telling me the good news they had received just last week; his wife's doctors had removed her name from the transplant list, not because they had given up hope for her, but because her heart had started working normally again.  That part of her heart that was believed to be dead came back to life - now that's a miracle!

"There is nothing certain in a man's life except this: that he must lose it."  Aeschylus Agamemnon

God's Word has much to say about the death of both the true believer and non-believer.  The Bible speaks of salvation or judgment, of reconciliation or condemnation, simply speaking, heaven or hell.  I know this is a subject that we usually shy away from, not a real popular topic of conversation, but what on earth is more important than the condition of our heart in relation to eternity.  Have you got your salvation worked out?  Great, what about the people you love and care about most?  What about the lost souls that God puts in your path daily?  Are you saying the things that need to be said?

"We understand death for the first time when he (death) puts his hand upon someone we love."
                                                                                                                       Madame De Stael

I received a phone call from my mother on Monday afternoon, she wanted to let me know that one of my cousins had passed away that morning.  I started thinking about my conversations over the past few days, the death of my cousin, as well as some recent deaths within my family and my church family.  I thought about the unpredictability of this life and of the comfort of God's Word for the believer.

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
                                                                                                                                 Revelation 14:13

Death is not something to be feared, not for the believer anyway.  We are promised a place in the presence of our Heavenly Father, a place of rejoicing and peace.  Paul the apostle actually looked forward to dying, speaking of it as a far better condition to be in.

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what shall I choose I cannot tell.  For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart to be with Christ, which is far better."       Philippians 1:21-23

Yes we mourn for them.  Why?  Because God made us that way.  We are emotional beings made to feel pain and sorrow, made to get excited and to love.  It's our love for that person that causes us to think about our life without them and we mourn because of the missing.

Our faith doesn't prevent the mourning but it comforts us to know where our loved ones will be until we see them again.  They are at rest, if they are a true believer.

So if you are sick or someone you love is, don't be discouraged or lose hope, God is still in the miracle business.  If you have recently or maybe not so recently lost a loved one, I pray you find peace.  You need to know and believe that he or she is precious in God's sight and that they are in His presence - a far better condition.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones."     Psalm 116:15

To sum it all up: life is too short and unpredictable, live well, love well and dedicate your time here to doing God's will, for you were made for this.

"For we are His workmanship (poem, masterpiece) created in Christ Jesus for good works, Which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."   Ephesians 2:10 

God Bless and Press On
Larry 

Are You Still Running?

Anytime that we choose to disobey the Lord's specific instructions to us, we are running from Him. The story of Jonah illustrates what can happen when a person rebels against the Almighty.

The Lord tells Jonah to go to the gentiles of Nineveh and call the people to repent. But because of his dislike for them, an enemy of Israel, he refused and got in a ship headed in the opposite direction. The narrative teaches us a powerful lesson about the foolishness of resisting God's will.

The Lord does not withdraw His command simply because we are unwilling to obey it.

Although Jonah ran from God's will, the divine command remained unchanged and the Lord was about to get Jonah's attention. If you don't hear the Lord's voice, ask Him to communicate in a way that you can understand. The Father speaks to us through His Word, through our conscience, and through the Holy Spirit.

It is impossible to run from God successfully.

Jonah took a ship "to flee to Tarshish and from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:3).

When God sent a fierce storm that threatened to capsize the boat, the prophet told the sailors to cast him overboard if they wanted to survive. Apparently, he was willing to die rather than obey God (v.12). Only after Jonah found himself in the belly of "a great fish" was he willing to obey the Lord (2:1-9). Why are we so stubborn?

How do people today attempt to run from God?

They act to please themselves rather than do what the Lord desires of them. For example, they ignore wise counsel regarding a potential marriage partner or refuse to discipline their children. Instead of serving God with their talents they seek out fame and fortune in this world and turn their backs on Him. You cannot disobey God without it costing you in some way.

Running from the Lord results in painful circumstances.

The greater the call on your life, the more guilt you will feel when you choose to rebel. Jonah felt so uncomfortable that he was willing to die. He told the sailors, "Throw me into the sea" (1:12). Sin always results in loss of some kind. We may lose abilities, time, money, opportunities, or relationships.

When you run from God, your disobedience will often bring pain and loss to others.

Jonah's rebellion cost the sailors their cargo and, therefore, their profit from the voyage. He also endangered their lives. We like to think that sin is a private matter and no one will be hurt by our disobedience. But when we rebel against the Lord, there is always a price to be paid, by ourselves and the people that love us.

The Good News: The Father's grace frequently provides a second chance.

Many times the Lord gives us another opportunity to obey Him.

After the sea creature deposited Jonah on land, the prophet traveled to Nineveh and preached to the people. They responded to the divine warning and turned from their evil ways (3:1-5).

The Lord isn't looking for perfect men and women; rather, He seeks those who are available to serve Him.

Jonah was angry that God would have compassion on an enemy of Israel. He wanted God's goodness to be shown only to Israel not the gentiles. When judgment didn't fall on the wicked city, the prophet was so angry and depressed that he asked the Lord to take his life (4:1-8). But God used Jonah despite his attitude.

Running from God can be eternally disastrous.

Scripture says that we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8). Those who run from the Lord by Choosing not to believe in His Son will reap eternal separation from Him.

Conclusion: When believers rebel against God's will, they bring pain and loss upon themselves as well as other people. The good news is that the Lord often gives second chance to obey Him. Have you been running from your Creator in some area of your life? If so, return to the Father and give Him complete control. He delights to work through available, obedient servants.

God Bless and Press On

Larry

*from sermon notes by Charles Stanley

"The Costly Decision to Run From God"

He Is Faithful!

“Any Promise given is only as sure as the character of the one giving it.”

The character of the promiser is what gives the promise it’s value.

“Character is like a tree and reputation like it’s shadow, the shadow is what we think of it, and the tree is the real thing…” Abraham Lincoln

I recently had a conversation with my eldest grandson about his latest report card. He was telling me how well he did in each of his classes, the grades he received and how happy he was. When he finished I told him that I was happy with him also, and how proud I was of him, which gave him a huge smile. Then I asked him about the grades he was given in citizenship for his behavior and he told me those marks as well. Then he asked me, “Grandpa why do you want to know that?” I told him that those grades were just as important to me. I said, “It’s a reflection of your character, what type of a person you are.” “The class grades tell me what’s going on in your head, and the citizenship grades tell me what’s going on in your heart.”

“The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.” Thomas Babington Macauley

How we act when people aren’t looking (in his case when his parent’s aren’t looking), is a good gauge of where a person’s heart is. Building character in an individual’s life is a life long process. It must begin when they are very young, it’s not something that just happens it’s something that’s taught and modeled. It’s something that is encouraged and reinforced through parental expectations and discipline.

“But man is born to trouble, as surely as sparks fly upward.”

Job 5:7

As naturally and as generally as sparks from a fire go up into the air, the heart of mankind is drawn to or even seeks out trouble (sin). And it doesn’t stop with the very young.

With my youngest son’s permission I want to share some of his story. He was raised in the church, went to Christian school from K through 12^th grade, and was a quiet, mellow and God loving young man. He graduated from high school in the spring of 2005 and in the fall of that year went away to school at a university in Missouri on a wrestling scholarship.

Sometime during that first year away from home he started partying – drinking, smoking pot, hanging out with his teammates and the girls. Not real conducive to an athletes training. He was a “Red Shirt” that first year, and wrestled at a few independent tournaments but only did “so-so”. This, from an outstanding high school wrestler who placed 5^th in the nation at the High School National Championships, which earned him All American status.

He came home that first summer a different young man. Distant and elusive, always out with friends, “just hangin out” was his explanation. Doing just enough of what was required to stay in my house, just enough to appease me.

I found out some time after his return home that first summer that he did not intend to return to school in Missouri, but in fact had been offered and accepted another scholarship to a college in northern California. The biggest reason, I realized later was to be closer to his girlfriend (my take on it, not his).

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

My wife Patsy and I pray for our children every day, we always have. Even more so when they left home and went away to college. This was our fourth child to make this transition into the world. We knew full well the temptations they would each have to face and the percentages were not in our favor that their faith would remain intact, for three of them it didn’t.

Within the first month of my son’s sophomore year, his first at the new school, he was arrested for DUI, went to jail, and was expelled from school (this is the abridged version). He had gotten into some pretty serious trouble.

“O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness.” Psalm 143:1

When I eventually found out about it I, along with my two older sons drove the 6½ hours north to be present at the final Disciplinary Committee hearing, where his expulsion would be finalized. I prayed all the way for God’s favor to be with my son and for an opportunity to address the committee. My prayers were answered.

“I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word.” Psalm 119:58

I was given an opportunity to address the committee, and made an appeal to allow my son to remain in school. It was granted. He was put on probation and had many other restrictions placed upon him, but he was in school. With court proceedings, First Offender classes, AA classes, community service, a job, school, and trying to wrestle, he was overwhelmed. He struggled but made it through the school year.

He came home for the summer broken and angry. He continued with his AA classes and got a job in a warehouse to pay all the bills he had accumulated from his troubles, court fees, lawyer fees, class fees etc. He expressed to me many times feeling like the weight of world was on his shoulders. He felt like he was always being treated unfairly. Life wasn’t so easy anymore, not like it was when he was a kid under dad and mom’s watchful eye and protection. Not like it was when he was living right and following the Lord.

Patsy and I have spent a lot of time on our knees over the years. All of our sons have struggled and gone through there own personal issues. As parents you hurt when your children are hurting. You cry with them and for them. Our faith provided for us an outlet, a place to find peace. God became our refuge and our strength; we purposed to put our trust in Him.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:23

My son decided not to return to school for his junior year, to walk away from his scholarship, to continue working and eventually he moved into an apartment with his girlfriend. Six months later he was out of a job, moving back home and his girlfriend was pregnant. Talk about a tailspin! I believe God was trying to get his attention in answer to our prayers.

His son, our latest grandson was born in March of last year, eight weeks early. He weighed 3 lbs. 5 oz. and remained in the NIC-U for nearly a month. When he got out of the hospital he came home to our house. And what a blessing he has been to us. My son’s relationship with his girlfriend soon dissolved and custody of the baby became an issue of contention. With police and courts and lawyers involved he felt like his life was literally falling apart. Me and Patsy felt overwhelmed as well.

What did we do wrong? What could we have done differently? Is this our fault? God where are you? These are just some of the questions a parent in my position would naturally ask himself or herself. We had to stand on God’s promise to bring our son back.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

This verse provides a ray of hope to those who, having reared their child in the best way they knew, have had their hearts broken as their child rebels and goes astray. They agonize under the pain that God recognized to be one of the deepest sorrows of human existence (Proverbs 10:1; 15:20; 17:21,25). To those parents this verse gives hope that when he is old the prodigal will return.

A PROMISE is only as good as the person who makes it.

The essence of God’s character is in itself a promise. Who He is determines what He will do and how He will act. Through the Scripture, each time God reveals something of His nature, He is promising us that He will be true to that nature in any circumstance.

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19

God has always dealt with His people by communicating promises to them. By promising first, then performing what He has promised, He awakens in us the desire and expectation that find their outlet in the prayer of faith. His promises prompt prayer.

We prayed for our son to return to us, the quiet spirited, joyful, happy, God loving son that had left our home years earlier and we did believe God for no less.

God makes promises to us for the reason of letting us know what He has available to us, if only we would ask. His promises are meant to ignite faith and expectation and desire, and then to point us to Him. His promises act to bind our hearts to His. His promises turn our eyes toward Him.

It’s been a few months now since our sons return, Hallelujah! I see him getting stronger each day in his walk with the Lord. I have also noticed a smile on his face more often, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. In talking to him recently, I heard him articulate clearly his thoughts about the valley of darkness he has just recently immerged from, and his understanding of how he got there. This is the beginning point of a full restoration. Thank you Lord!

I was truly blessed this past Sunday to stand beside him and my oldest son as part of the Easter choir at church, singing praises to our God. It brought tears to my eyes as I praised the Lord for His faithfulness to His promises. God is so good.

God wants to fulfill the desire of your heart. A person who is seasoned in praying the promises knows to let God fulfill the desire of your heart in His way at His time. If we are focused on God, then we will never be disappointed.

“God who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful.”

1 Corinthians 1:9

God Bless and Press On

Larry