Think About These Things.

Php 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (esv)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It is filled with so much for us to hold on to. Rejoice in the Lord always... Not sometimes, not only when things are going well, but in all situations. And then to let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Be anxious about nothing, make your requests be known to God and His peace will guard my heart.

And then the things that Paul instructs the Philippians to set their minds on. Purity, loveliness, excellence, honor, etc... These aren't a list of do's but a way to be. When I meditate on these things then the ways of the devil have no place in my heart.

I encourage you today to listen to this passage of scripture and read it over several times and meditate on it. Ask God to reveal anything in your heart that might not be a way for to be. Being in Christ is about being and not doing. May we draw closer to Him today by being more like Him.

Where Is Your Treasure?

Mat 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I heard it said once that if you look at a man's checkbook you will also see his heart. During this current economic crisis, many people I have come into contact with share with me the struggles they are having because they have lost so much money. The stock market has taken a huge downturn, retirement accounts have lost substantial money, and people's lives have been turned upside down. Not to mention the fact that we can no longer buy everything we want to satisfy all of our desires.

I encountered a gentleman a couple of days ago who is 74 years old. He owned a funeral home for forty years and sold it ten years ago and retired. He and his wife have been living a comfortable life... until recently. He shared with me that due to the changes in the economy his retirement income has dropped 70% over the past two years and he is an on call crew driver with a company that shuttles around railroaders. He's 74 years old and working an on call schedule all hours of the day and night for minimum wage. How discouraging I thought... but I noticed that there was something about him that was different. He wasn't grumbling about it, he wasn't all ticked off, he was content and happy. He knows where his real treasure is stored and he understands that this temporary setback is nothing compared to the glory he will see in Heaven.

As I was driving home I began to think about where my heart is regarding this matter. I have never been very materialistic, and neither has my wife, so it is easy to convince myself that my heart is in the right place because I don't have a lot of material possessions. But the more I prayed and thought about it the easier it was for me to see that my belongings are really only a part of the issue. The main theme that I get from Matthew 6:19-21 is "Where is my devotion?"

Am I using my limited time and resources solely to please myself or am I giving all that I am to the Lord and making deposits into my eternal bank account? The Lord knows I need food and clothing and shelter. Matthew 6:31-33 tells me that if I seek His kingdom first all of the things will be added to me.

Material things will come and go in my life and as long as my security, pleasure, and treasure are stored up in heaven, then no economic downturn, thief in the night, or even prosperity will cause my heart to stumble.

Thank you Lord for providing for all of my needs. Whether times are good or times are tough I choose to store up my treasure in Heaven rather than here on earth. Help me to remember that where my treasure is, there my heart will be also...

Casting All on Him

2009-05-06

1Pe 5:6-11 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Sower and the Seed...

A message from Jesus in the book of Mark.

The Sower and the Seed. Though we may sow seed everywhere we go, only some of it will spring forth and bear fruit. Sometimes, we think all people should receive God's word and be excited and accept it. This parable is a reminder to the sower and to the one who receives the message.

As a sower I am instructed to spread my message to all types of people along my path. Some will receive it and be fruitful and other's will appear to be fruitful for a little while. And still other's won't respond at all. Regardless of the outcome of my sowing, my job as a Christian is to just keep spreading the good news and let Jesus bring in His bounty crop.

As one who hears the Word I am also warned in this parable to not allow Satan or other earthly desires to choke out God from my life. The scorching sun, thorns and thistles, and Satan himself will be stumbling blocks in my walk with Jesus. I must cultivate my soil and bear good fruit.

Here is the parable from Mark 4:2-20.

Mar 4:2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
Mar 4:3 "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
Mar 4:4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Mar 4:5 "Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
Mar 4:6 "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mar 4:7 "Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
Mar 4:8 "Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
Mar 4:9 And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 4:10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
Mar 4:11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
Mar 4:12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."
Mar 4:13 And He *said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
Mar 4:14 "The sower sows the word.
Mar 4:15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
Mar 4:16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
Mar 4:17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
Mar 4:18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
Mar 4:19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mar 4:20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Bearing The Burden's Of Others

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Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

I was working with a fellow employee today that I have seen over the years in the crew room but have only worked with one time in 5 years. We didn't know each other very well so as we were going over the necessary paperwork for our duties of the day we were discussing all of the trivial things people usually start out with... How is the weather, looks like the Portland Trail Blazer's are going to lose another playoff series, and do you want to stop for coffee before we get out to the train?

As we were driving to the train I could tell that my engineer was someone I connected with and since he was wearing a Washington Nationals baseball cap I figured that once we got on the train we would at least be able to talk baseball. After four hours of getting our train built and all of the proper people being contacted we were on our way south.

So here goes, at least 6 hours in a locomotive with someone I hardly know and a lot of time to either sit and stare out the window or strike up conversation. There are many trips where I don't connect at all with my engineer and those trips are incredibly difficult. This was not one of those trips. Within a couple of short hours we discovered that we have many things in common. Little League baseball, kids doing dumb things that we just go "hello?" about, and wives who had breast cancer the same year going through treatment at the same time in the same hospital.

After our short 7 1/2 hour trip I could see that the conversation was incredibly beneficial to the both of us. This trip was spent talking about a variety of life events and how we feel going through them. It got deep on many occasions and when the trip was over and we were heading to our hotel rooms we both kind of laughed. My engineer commented that after a trip like that, what was left to talk about now. I told him that I was sure there would be far more we will be able to discuss on the return trip home.

Rom 15:1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.

Sharing good conversation in the right environment with someone you can trust can be quite healing. I could tell from our conversation last night that my engineer just needed to talk and he was able to share all kinds of personal struggles that have obviously been a burden on him for some time. God gives us opportunities to be available to others and it is our responsibility to discern when those times arise. Not only was I blessed by the opportunity to listen to a fellow worker share some of his burdens, but I was able to share a little bit about how God has helped me in my walk through my own struggles.

Look for open doors and listen to those around you who might be dealing with a load that they can't carry alone. And if you are burdened beyond what you can carry then I encourage you to look to Christ to lighten your load. Bearing one another's burdens is great when there is someone to share with. But from time to time when there is no one around but you and God, He wants to hear your struggles too. The only reason I was able to encourage and help my fellow worker bear his burdens was because I know that mine are being carried by a God who can handle all of my needs.

Psa 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Life Can Change In An Instant

Jas 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."
Jas 4:14 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.
Jas 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

I was in the crew office at work the other afternoon when it came to my attention that a fellow employee was back at work. He is a great guy and gets along well with everyone. He has a wine making business on the side so he is the local supplier of wine to those around my work who partake.

He has been with the company for over 35 years and in January and February he took all of his vacation days and personal days off and made plans to plant more grapes, buy more oak barrels, and up his wine making capacities. He is going to retire and spend his retirement doing what he loves to do... make wine. While on his time off he discovered something new about his health... he has lung cancer and now he is back to work and fighting this new found stumbling block. He needs the insurance benefits so he is now unable to have the time off to pursue his passion and dreams.

A week ago news spread quickly that two kids were walking adjacent to a fast moving freight train waiting for it to clear the tracks so they could cross and get to school on time. Just two young kids with headphones on walking to school enjoying a beautiful spring morning. Unfortunately they were standing in the middle of another main line and there just so happened to be a passenger train barreling down on them at 79 miles per hour. Within an instant they were dead. No recognizable body parts to be found other than dental parts.

Life has a funny way of throwing us a curve ball in an instant. We all have been there. One day you think this is going to happen and then something else takes place. It shouldn't be a surprise to us that life is unpredictable and may not go the way we think it is supposed to. There are a lot of promises in the Bible but I can't remember any that say life is going to go just the way we planned it.

James shares a sobering truth that is real in all of our lives. Verse 14: 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. A vapor, a mist, or a wisp of fog. We don't have a clue what tomorrow is going to bring, yet we live as though we have it all planned out. James says in the next verse that such is boasting and arrogance. Making plans for our life is a good thing, but I believe God wants us to include Him in those plans. Otherwise they are just empty boasting and that boasting is evil.

Now all the circumstances that change our plans in life in an instant aren't always bad things. Sure bad things do affect our lives instantly on many occasions, but the Bible also shares stories of hope that show that sometimes we have things change our life instantly for the good too.

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis tells us of a younger brother who was favored by God. But that didn't mean that difficulties didn't come his way. He was hated by his brothers, thrown on the side of the road and left for dead, sold into slavery and eventually put in prison for two years unjustly. But throughout all of the struggles he never lost his favor with God and ultimately the struggles he went through equipped him to be Pharaoh's right hand man. You see, one morning he woke up in a prison and that evening he went to bed in a palace. It is an amazing story of God's faithfulness to those he calls to Him.

Gen 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh.
Gen 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

So Joseph interprets the dream and look what happens next.

Gen 41:40 "You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you."
Gen 41:41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Gen 41:42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.
Gen 41:43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, "Bow the knee!" And he set him over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
Gen 41:45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.

There are many stories of God's people going through difficulties and struggles that change there life in an instant. And many stories of hope and redemption of others who's lives are changed for the good in an instant. We don't know what tomorrow is going to bring us so God wants us to cling to Him today. Ask yourself today, "Do I have the favor of God on me today?" If you don't know then turn to Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you and is waiting for you to turn your face towards his.

If you are in God's favor today then praise God. Even though times might seem brutally difficult right now He wants us to remember that He is shaping us to be all that He is preparing us to be. We are but a vapor on this earth and when our focus is on Him and our eternal life then the struggles we have down here can't hold a candle to the magnificence of knowing Him.

Lord, thank you for your Word. It brings forth truth and understanding every day. You are an awesome God and I praise you today for showing me that my plans are subject to you and your guidance. Please show me the plans you have for me.

Comfort During Times of Loss

Whenever people close to me and my family pass away I inevitably wonder about their eternal situation. Lori had an aunt pass away today and she is filled with mixed emotions. She feels sad for her mother, since her aunt was close to her, but she also feels joy for her aunt because she has proclaimed for many years to know Jesus.

I also wonder sometimes if people can hold on to life for a little while longer until the one's they love are around them. Lori's cousin is a pastor and he rushed to see his mother this afternoon. It was as if she was lying in her bed awaiting his arrival. After a few minutes of them embracing and praying together she took her last breath. As if to say, "It is well now."

I think the most difficult part of death is finding the right words to say to those in mourning, especially when the one who died doesn't proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I learned a long time ago that sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.

In the second chapter of Job, his news of great suffering spread around until it reached his closest friends. They traveled from afar to see him and to be with him.

Job 2:12-13 When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.



They spent seven days and nights and never said a word to him. Friends taking the time to just sit quite and comfort, pray for, and weep with their friend. How many times do we feel the need to toss out a scripture reference or a funny remark to lighten the mood when the spirit inside of us is just saying to be still and say nothing?

The writer of Romans tells us that eternal life is a gift from God given to us freely in Christ Jesus. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. I know that everyone isn't going to receive this free gift and it boggles my mind. Eternal life for me is the hope that keeps me going each day when the wheels eventually fall off the cart. Spending eternity with a loving, caring, magnificent God is the most awesome gift we could ever receive.

Therefore, while I am here on earth, I can give a little bit of Jesus to those around me when they are going through times of loss and grief. I have Him inside of me so I can comfort those with His love and compassion.

2Co 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

I encourage you today to turn to Him for your eternal security and human comfort.

Lord, thank you for the example of Job's friends to me. Help me to be a comfort to other's by allowing your love to flow through me in times of need. You have provided me with all of my desires and I praise you today for the gift of eternal life. Thank you Lord for allowing me to know you.