Detour Ahead

Some people’s lives are mapped out in detail. Some parents carefully select the right preschool, the right friends, the right college, the right marriage partner, and the right occupation. The only flaw is that they’re perfect! This kind of oversight isn’t necessarily a bad thing; carefully planning with an eye to detail can produce some highly productive, highly motivated individuals. So what’s the problem? Myopia? No! The problem is—detours. Life is ultimately chaotic and indefinitely disorganized with unexpected detours aplenty.

Hard to believe? Do you think Adam and Eve anticipated the serpent asking such a simple question with such nefarious intent? (Genesis 3) Do you think Noah anticipated spending over a century working to build an ark to save his family from the coming wrath? (Genesis 6) Do you think Noah’s son Ham anticipated his children being cursed by his father? (Genesis 9) Do you think Abraham anticipated the changes in his life and his children when God asked him to move to Canaan? (Genesis 12) Could you anticipate all the changes that happened in all these centuries from just these four examples in these four chapters? The Bible has nearly 1,200 chapters and a cast of thousands! Who could possibly anticipate the detours caused in 2,000 years?

Detours are everywhere. Life is unpredictable. There will be pain and suffering, and there will be joy and happiness. There will be unexpected twists and turns, and there will be mountain tops and valleys. Should that cause us to panic and avoid all detours? No! ALL—OF—LIFE—IS--DETOURS! What did God say about those detours? “I am with you always, to the very end of the ages.” Matthew 28

How is Jesus with us? Jesus was with the disciples physically until he ascended into heaven, and then spiritually through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit would be Jesus’ presence that would never leave them (John 14:26). Jesus continues to be with us today through the Spirit. The Old Testament prophecies and genealogies in the book of Matthew present Jesus’ credentials for being King of the world—not a military leader or political leader, as the disciples had originally hoped, but a spiritual King who can overcome all evil and rule in the heart of every person. If we refuse to serve the King faithfully, we are disloyal subjects, fit only to be banished from the kingdom. We must make Jesus King of our lives and worship him as Savior, King, and Lord. Still some ask, ‘where does he get this power?’ That’s simple; “All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18

Your shepherd knows that you’re not made for this place—earth. Jesus has come to guide us out—to restore our souls. Be careful! Do not let these orange cones confuse and detour you. Don’t follow the maddening crowd—they’ll lead you astray, into trouble, sin and even death. Remember what Jesus, himself, said in Matthew 7:14, “… small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life…”

A Two-fer

Ever hear someone say, “That doesn’t make any rhyme or reason”? Would you recognize something if it had both, rhyme and reason? Two for one! The Book of Psalms is a collection of songs, laments, and praises. The Jews referred to it as, “The Book of Praises”. The book was the hymnal of the Jewish people. The titles to the Psalms are related to several people; King David is credited with writing 73 of them, Asaph 12, Solomon 2, and others. Western poetry is based on rhyme and meter. Hebrew poetry is based on rhythm and parallelism. The rhythm is achieved by stress or accent on important words. In parallelism, the poet presents an idea in the first line then reinforces it by various approaches in the succeeding line or lines. There’s antithetic parallelism, synthetic parallelism, and emblematic parallelism. Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is also a didactic and wisdom psalm. It is an alphabetical acrostic in which each stanza of eight verses is devoted to successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This great psalm presents the thought that the Word of God contains everything man needs to know. The general supposition is that we cannot have God without knowing His Word. It’s elementary that it’s reasonable, and that it rhymes!

One of my favorite Psalms is found in chapter 1, verses 1-3:

“Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Believe It or Not?

Robert L. Ripley was a world traveler who searched for, and found the most incredible, amazing, and ‘almost’ unbelievable items of interest. Like a two-headed animal, a shrunken human head, and a person nearly nine (9) feet tall! Mr. Ripley would not only produce these items for anyone’s inspection, he would often challenge them to: “Believe it, or not”? He offered millions of dollars to any person who could disprove his findings. After seeing it with their own eyes, people had to believe it; they were often left no other choice! He had the goods.

Two thousand years ago three men were crucified on a hill called Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem in Israel. The official record shows that all three men died, but only one was wrapped in burial clothes and buried. After three days had passed, some friends went to the tomb to pay their respects. What they found was incredible, amazing, and ‘unimaginable’. The men at the tomb were dressed in white clothing (gleaming like lightning) because they were angels. They told the visitors that the man who had died and been buried, was not there. Before they could ask the men any questions, the men explained:

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.Then they remembered his words.” Luke 24:5-8

Like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James who took spices to the tomb, we too often run into people who are looking for God among the dead. We study the Bible as a mere historical document and go to church as if going to a memorial service. But Jesus is not among the dead—He lives! Do you look for Jesus among the living? In John 11:25 Jesus says to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” There are seven (7) “ I Am’s ” in the Bible, this is the last one mentioned.

You have heard the story many times before, and many times you have been given the choice, “Believe it, or Not”? You have a choice, but it’s not, believe it, or not. The choice presented to you is, “Believe it…or else”!

The Role of a Lifetime

You go to the store. You shop for the items on your list. You bring it home. Everything’s fine until you discover one small mistake; one item is different. You chose the generic brand over the popular name brand. You didn’t notice the packaging was almost identical, the size, the shape, the coloring, the placement, the look-alike graphics; every detail played a crucial role in your decision to just-grab and go. At first you’re disappointed, then anger sets in. Was it a trick, were you intentionally deceived? Sold an inferior brand? Feel like marching right back over to that store and giving the manager a piece of your mind?

In Genesis 3 Eve said, “The serpent deceived me!” That is true. And we need to remind ourselves here that the serpent did a good job at deceiving. He didn’t oversell or undersell his product. He knew his “target” audience. His sales pitch was delivered with finesse and charm, and when the customer was slightly confused, he ‘closed the sale’, ‘sealed the deal’. You’re caught. There were no refunds, there were no exchanges, there were no “do-overs”, and no second appeals; there were however, consequences.

We try products we can’t use. We buy cars that rust and wear out. We buy homes that devalue. We buy clothes that wear our or we outgrow. We buy stocks and bonds that fail. We buy the notion that a good life is all that’s necessary. We buy whatever Satans selling.

If you don’t buy into John 3:16: you’ll buy the consequences of John 3:18

Hot or Cold

The Book of Revelation is a record of what was shown to John the Revelator. The salutation is to the seven churches in the province of Asia. The seven churches addressed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 were actual churches in John’s day. But they also represent different types of churches in all generations. The seven churches were selected out of hundreds of churches. The statement at the end of each letter shows that the Spirit was speaking to the churches.

One interesting overlooked fact concerns the letters to the churches of Laodicea is mentioned in Revelation 3:15, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were one or the other!” Why would the Alpha and Omega say that? Would the people of John’s day understand that statement? Lukewarm Christians send confusing messages. In this state being useless to Him, He spews them out of His mouth! That is how He views this attitude of compromise with principles, ideals, standards and truth!

All the messages to these seven churches highlight works because they are evidence of how Christians conduct their relationship with God. Works reveal the heart. They are a gauge of one’s witness and spiritual state.

Is it Possible

The field of genetics has made some amazing discoveries. With just one drop of blood or a strand of hair, scientists can extract your DNA and tell if you are related to a Pharaoh, embalmed like a mummy. This information could be either a blessing or a curse. It may be a blessing if you could be traced to one of the twelve Apostles, hand-picked by Jesus. What a family history that would be! It may be a curse if you are traced to Judas Iscariot! It’s a fact-the ‘ole apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! What do these men and women have in common? They all have a relatively bad gene, their lives prove it!

Cain killed his brother Able in Genesis 4.

No remorse, no repentance.

Herod killed John the Baptist, Matthew 14.

No remorse, no repentance.

Pilate consented to the crucifixion of Jesus in Luke 23.

No remorse, no repentance.

Worry not, evil, murder and hatred wasn’t just a good ‘ole boys club, women participated too.

Jezebel had Naboth killed in 1 Kings 20.

No remorse, no repentance.

Jael killed General Sisera in Judges 5.

No remorse, no repentance.

A stylish little hat, like the one shown here is called the “Idiot’s fedora”, or “The Fools Hat”, It’s for people who are not stupid-but do stupid things without remorse or repentance. In the examples above, the hat fits perfectly. But beware: Satan is custom fitting a ‘Fedora’ for each of us. He laughs at us when he fits us with a Court Jester Hat, a Mad-Hatter Hat, a Dunce’s Hat or a beanie.

There is an alternative. We can fight back! In the Christian life, we battle against rulers and authorities, those powerful forces of evil (Satan). To withstand these evil attacks we must depend on God’s strength and armor. Our whole body needs to be armored, especially the mind and head. Sometimes it will be necessary for us to fight, to stand our ground, to be a good soldier, and fight the good fight. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, “Put on the helmet, the hope of salvation”, which protects our minds against the attacks of Satan. Forget the beanie, go for the helmet.

To Be Or Not To Be There

You’re familiar with the Bard’s work; the beautiful prose, intrigue, love, deceit, double-entendres, murder, plotting, scheming, fortunes, misfortune, royalty, paupers, and everything in between. What was his source of material? What else--everyday life: the royal court, the market place, the money-lenders, traders, the soldiers and sailors, the slums, and neighbors. The macabre drama of day-to-day living was his canvas. His mind only painted what he saw and imagined. Maybe he should have been more involved, and not merely a spectator.

Our lives are constantly changing, touching other lives. Like rings, some lives interlock (like life-long friendships), some overlap (like doctor-patient relationships), and some barely touch (like helping and serving others). When lives interlock, there is a deep bond. When lives, overlap, there’s a mutual respect. When lives touch, there’s a chance to witness. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the Earth.” This verse describes a series of ever-widening circles.

In Luke 11, Jesus told the Pharisees: “You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift a finger to help them.” The Pharisees were there for the people, but they oppressed them. Jesus was there for the people, and he liberated them. If your life touches another, don’t just be there-be all there! Grow your ring of influence, and your circle of friends—Jesus did.

Strangers Among Us

Have you seen a stranger sight than this recently? The Yeti, a six inch long crab found in the South Pacific is one very exotic critter. Taste tests are coming—hold on. In Europe people eat horse meat. India has a problem with hunger, yet they don’t eat cows. In Southeast Asia people eat dogs. In America people eat snails. It should be obvious, the world is…strange.

People sure have some strange habits don’t they? But to complicate matters, scripture mentions something about the strange habits some angels have! Like what? The Bible has been around for at least 2,000 years, and parts of it have been around for 3,000 years plus! This information should be common knowledge by now, but few people are remotely aware of it.

The first record of this peculiar habit by angels is recorded in Genesis 18. Three ‘men’ traveling stopped to visit Abraham and Sarah at Hebron. The men informed Abraham he would have a child by Sarah that time next year! Another record is found in Judges 6, when Gideon talked with a ‘gentleman’ about the Midianites and all the troubles they were causing. Yet another very special angel of the Lord (Christ) came to a woman who was sterile and childless that she would have a son—and she did. There are other cases involving these men/angels sent from the Lord to convey a message. In Luke an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to strengthen him. In Acts 12 the Lord sent an angel to rescue Peter from prison and death. We shouldn’t be surprised when we read of these theophanies. Paul reminded the people in his day, and us in our day of what could happen.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 12:3

Even though all strangers are not angels we are to love one another not only like a brother, but, because he “is” our brother. When we entertain strangers we must treat all persons with respect and dignity as if they are Jesus, and that is not an easy task. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others needs. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us—feed the hungry, give the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick and elderly. “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling,” 1 Peter 4:9

Bottom line

We are to love one another not only like a brother, but, because we are brothers. Our faith lacks sincerity if we don’t reach out to others.

Waiting To Strike

Some people are born mean, raised mean, live mean, spread mean, cause mean, and die mean. There’s evil, cruel, wicked, and all other permutations of nastiness that the mind can conjure up. Talking about it is one thing, but living it is quite another kettle of fish; a big kettle of rotten, stinking, rancid, diseased ridden fish. There are several individuals that fit that profile in the Bible, both male and female. One person of interest catches our attention for their particular brand of cruelty and maliciousness. After reading of their actions, you may wonder why God gives anyone after Adam and Eve the chance to repent of their sins. Only God forgives. Only God understands.

Once upon a time there was a shepherd. He was an Edomite (descended from Esau). He was employed by David as his chief shepherd. At that time King Saul hated David and was actively pursuing him, trying to kill him! Asking his men to help him find David, Saul told his men that David wasn’t just a fugitive but a dangerous revolutionary. Standing among Saul’s men that day was Doeg, the Edomite. He told Saul that he saw David go to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. “Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the King.” (1 Samuel 22:11)

After talking with Ahimelech, Saul accused him of conspiring with David against him and ordered him killed and his whole father’s family! Saul ordered his guards standing beside him to turn and kill the priests of the Lord! All the guards refused to kill the innocent priests. Saul was full of anger and ordered Doeg to kill the priests. Doeg was ready to strike!

“So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the lined ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.” 1 Samuel 22:18-19

Indeed, Doeg was a ruthless cold-blooded killer, a killing machine. Let’s not forget Saul had an equally important part in these killings, after all, he ordered them. Saul presented the visual image of a King, tall and handsome with personal courage and generosity. However, first impressions can be deceiving, especially when the image created by a person’s appearance is contradicted by his or her qualities and abilities. Saul’s character often went contrary to God’s commands for a king. Saul was God’s chosen leader, but this did not mean he was capable of being king on his own! During his reign, Saul had his greatest successes when he obeyed God. His greatest failures resulted from acting on his own. These personal choices cut him off from God and eventually alienated him from his own people. Saul ordered the killings, but, Doeg the Edomite was worse, he did the actual slaughtering.

Our skills and talents make us tools, but our failures and shortcomings remind us that we need a “Craftsman” in control of our lives. Whatever we accomplish on our own is only a hint of what God could do through our lives. Does he control your life? Or, are you a rogue?

Bottom line

God wants obedience from the heart, not mere acts of religious obedience. Obedience always involves sacrifice; but sacrifice is not always obedience.

No Return Policy

The Jewish nation has had a difficult road to walk for five thousand years! There have been salad days and dog days. There’s been brutal hardship and years of abundance. There have been times of war and times of peace. But there has never, ever, been a time when God stopped loving them. There have been periods when the nation has turned its back on God, to its shame and regret, but there’s never been a time when God turned His back on them. Like the story of the prodigal son; a father may not approve of his son’s life choices, but he loves his children nonetheless. Heartaches go with the job.

After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, God delivered them with a Mighty hand to safety and freedom. A few weeks later they were complaining that Moses, God’s chosen deliverer, had led them out into the desert to die! They felt that they would be better off back in Egypt! What could God have been thinking at that very moment? Heartaches go with the job. They realized a little too late how much better off they were. What other nation celebrates a 4,000 year old national holiday recognizing the providential hand of God in their deliverance? Does any other nation on earth have the equal of Passover?

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire!

It had to happen sooner or later. Even the smartest fish takes the bait. Whether it was opportunity or circumstance, a terrible mistake was about to happen. Call it greed or coveting or a lapse in judgment, it resulted in such a turn of events that it struck fear in the hearts of any “Prophets in Training”.

The story in 2 Kings 5 is a lesson for everyone. A Syrian general (Naaman) had leprosy and desperately wanted some relief. The general asked to see the King of Israel, Jehoram, to get some help. The prophet Elisha, a man of God, had heard that the King had torn his robe he sent him a message telling the king to send the man (General Naaman) to him so he would know that there’s a prophet in Israel. The general needed and agreed to see and help him. To make a long story short, the prophet healed the general, and the general was so appreciative, he offered to reward the prophet. Whatever the prophet wanted, silver, gold, expensive clothes, anything—it was his for the asking. The prophet declined, saying God did the healing. The general then said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” 2 Kings 6: 15. The general would go home and tell his countrymen about the great God of Israel. When the general left for Syria a “prophet in training” named Gehazi stopped him on the road and asked him a question.

Gehazi knew of the general’s offer to pay for his healing. He asked the general if it was too late to accept the offer. He lied and said the prophet Elisha would like some of those clothes and silver after all. The general, smelling a rat, said to take whatever the prophet wanted with his blessing.

Say what? Say nothing! God’s prophets can speak for themselves!

Bottom line:

This message is not teaching that money is evil or that ministers should not get paid; instead, it is warning against greed and deceit. True service is motivated by love and devotion to God and seeks no personal gain. As you serve God, check your motives, “No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

The Rest of the Story

A man hears that the Apostle Paul is going to speak in his town for one day only, then leave town the following day. A big fan of Paul, he is so excited that he makes every effort to hear what the great man has to say. Getting to the building late, he finds that all the seats are taken and there is no room even to stand. He is not dismayed, he moves to the second level only to find the same thing. He moves to the third level and finds the crowd standing shoulder to shoulder. Desperate, he sees a place no one has noticed. He works his way to an arched window and nestles on the window ledge. Three floors high, he is able to hear Paul preach and teach. Paul is leaving town the next day, but the crowd begs him to talk a little longer. Paul talks late into the evening. As midnight approaches, the crowd and all the lamps make the room uncomfortably warm. Eutychus, the man sitting curled up on the third story window ledge begins to grow sleepy. Closing his eyes, he strains to hear Paul, but the inevitable happens, and he falls into a deep sleep. 

"When he was sound asleep he fell to the ground from the third story

and was picked up dead." Acts 20:9

The crowd was shocked and quickly gathered around Eutychus fearing the worst. It was apparent the injury was fatal when they couldn't get him to respond after falling three stories onto hard ground. 

“Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him."  "Don't be alarmed”, he said. “He’s alive.” Acts 20:10

Swine Mud Pie

Wealth and privilege can get you far—fast! Money opens doors faster than any key ever could. Wealth in the wrong hands is an unmitigated disaster. You only have to look at recent lottery winners and how their lives have been twisted and tortured to see what money does to people. Don’t get the wrong impression, children of the rich have their own special problems. Athletes who sign multi-million dollar deals are constantly in the news for some misbehavior or other. Poor people have the same problems, but how often does the six o’clock news report on a homeless person with a cocaine habit while trashing a five star hotel, wrapping that Porsche around a tree or wrangles themselves out of a serious legal jam? The Bible has plenty to say about money, almost none is good. Trouble follows money like a shadow.

The Gospel of Luke records the story of the prodigal son. You remember the story, a man had two sons and the younger of the two asked his father for his share of the estate right then. The father divided up the estate and gave the younger son his portion. The young man went off to a distant country and squandered his wealth in wild living (Luke 15). After he spent everything, the country he lived in experienced a severe famine and suddenly he found himself destitute and in dire need. He hired himself out to a farmer who put him to work feeding a herd of pigs. Times were hard, no one gave him anything. Life was tough and the work was filthy. He wanted to eat the food he was feeding the pigs! He realized at that moment, the pigs had it better than he did!

He was hired out to feed dirty filthy pigs. That was probably the lowest possible humiliation for a Jew. When his money ran out, so did his friends. No more wealth and privileges, no more nice meals, no more nice accommodations, no more of the “good life”. Realizing his position as the head concierge at the swine spa, he quickly remembered his father’s servants and how good they had it compared to his miserable state of affairs. The Bible reports he came to his senses and returned home hoping to be treated like one of his father’s servants. Poverty and hunger can focus our attention on what’s important. Why wait, the Father needs servants now. It’s an honor to be His servant.

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the servant who serves me.” John 12:26