The Temple of God

I was having a conversation with my son the other day and he mentioned that he has met Christians who do not believe that there are things in life that are spiritual. This stunned me. God says differently in His Word.

 John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

 Yesterday I saw the Spirit of God come over a grown man and bring him to tears. During a Bible study of The Gospel of John we were discussing the church and how God now longer dwells in a temple made by human hands but that He has made His temple in the hearts of His people, the true church. Suddenly this man was unable to speak and tears ran down His eyes. We all just stopped talking. After a few minutes he spoke and said that he was experiencing the happiest moment he had ever felt and began simply praising God. He said for those few minutes he was unable to speak. It was an amazing moment for all of us. There was nothing fake or contrived in it. It was simply the power of God's Word moving in a man and leading him to worship in spirit and truth.

 This man is a former drug dealer who has shot a woman and was himself shot during a drug related gun battle. He grew up in East St. Louis and has seen and done many terrible things. Through the power of the Gospel this man has changed his life. God has chosen him to make His abode.

 I feel concern for anyone who calls themselves a Christian who does not believe in spiritual things. I cannot and do not pass judgment on those who claim Christ as their savior but if I were them I would start reading God’s Word and I would examine myself to see I am in the faith. The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is given to all believers at the time of conversion. I would study Ephesians chapter 6. I would become a Berean and search the scriptures daily.

 I have seen many times the hand of God move and in my own life, in spite of my rebellious and sinful nature, have experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence. To see it occur right in front of my eyes in a brother in Christ was a joy-filled experience and I was moved to draw closer to God through it. It was worship experienced in its purest form. Reverent worship, the kind that reminded me of Moses when he came into the presence of God in Exodus 3:4-6, “When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.”

 Fellow Christians, we are the Church and we are the Temple of the one and only living God. Let us worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. We should treat each other accordingly, for to treat each other badly is to profane the Temple of God. We should recognize the holiness of God and at times become speechless that He has chosen us be His Temple. That should move us to tears.

The Five Stones in David’s Pouch – Stone 5 Community

We come now to the fifth and final stone of David which is the stone of “Community”. As previously, mentioned the use of the five stones as weapons against our enemy are best used in a coordinated attack or defense. But as I thought about the stone of community as it relates to the other four stones I began to understand that most of us have a bent towards one weapon or another. It’s as if we are just gifted with the ability to sling that stone better than the others. Personally I seem to be more able to use the stones of Prayer and of the Word more effectively than the others. So I have to learn to discipline myself in becoming proficient in the other three. The stone of Community is probably my weakest stone.

The stone of community is a powerful weapon that enhances the other stones. Take prayer for instance. Certainly there is power in prayer but when a group of believers join together in prayer it becomes even more effective. There is power in worship but when people gather in corporate worship it too has a special effect on things. When people gather in small groups to study and read the Word great things happen. When a tragedy hits and a group of Christians gather around a friend in pain suddenly the level of hope rises even in the severest of situations. There is power in community.

In his book Cavetime, Pastor Jeff Voth talks about the different types of community we need. If you are married then the community of your spouse is very powerful. When a couple has a marriage based on God’s plan then they will each empower the other by their faith. Community includes having a close friend and when that friendship develops into a tight level of trust we find power in standing together and also in knowing truth is shared. Small groups are very powerful ways to gather in the cave and help each other fight out the battles of life. Church itself when properly handled is an imperative to become equipped to use the weapons God has given us.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is a wonderful scripture that helps explain the value of community.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

So there are the five stones we all need to equip ourselves with. Show up, worship God, pray, be in the Word, and gather in community. God has given us everything we need to fight the battles we face whatever they may be. He has already won the war but wants us to engage in the mop-up battles because there is no better way to become experts at warfare than to be battle tested. Life is going to be hard and until Christ returns we must keep up the fight.

I really encourage each of you to get a copy of Cavetime by Jeff Voth. I actually believe it is worth reading by women as well, if nothing else it will give you a little insight into what it’s like for Christian men to try and be faithful to fulfilling the calling God gives men. My intent was not to steal Pastor’s Voth’s ideas or to get credit for things he shared but my intent was to share the truth of God’s Word as he illuminates so well in the book.

My prayer is that all of you reading this are blessed and are moved to seek a deeper relationship with God.

The Five Stones in David’s Pouch – Stone 4

As Christians we find ourselves in a constant battle to live our lives as Christ would desire us to. Pastor Jeff Voth has written a book for men called Cavetime in which he suggests men should withdraw to the cave as David did while fleeing Saul who wanted him dead. Like David, we have an enemy who wants to destroy us. But God has not left us to fend for ourselves; He has provided everything we need to live in this world. The concept of using the five stones as weapons against our enemy are just as applicable today as they were in David’s time and though our roles are different, I believe women have the same need for these stones.

Today we look at stone number four, the Word of God. Stone 4 fits very well into the arsenal of weapons we have looked at so far. Stone one is “Show Up, stone two is Worship, and stone three is Prayer. Let’s take a closer look now at stone four and see how it fits right in.

The world we live in is a dark place. If you fly over our country it is amazing to see how man has tried to light it up. When I was a boy you could lie on the ground at night and look up into the night sky and see an amazing view of the heavens. But now you have to escape far into the wilderness to see that many stars as the artificial light of man has polluted the night sky. Imagine the cost and the use of energy it takes to keep all these lights on at night. Why do we do it? Because darkness makes it easy to commit crimes and light is seen as security. But that light is artificial and from what I see on the news every night, evil is not being deterred much, for the real problem is not the darkness of night but it is the darkness of man’s heart.

There are seasons in our lives when the world is darker than other times. These are the times we need to escape to the cave and refresh so we may prepare to get back into the fight. But if you know anything about caves you know they are dark as well. But we don’t have to worry because God has provided us a never ending source of light; Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 12:46 “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”  And stone four, God’s Word is the complete revelation of that light. Psalm 119:105 is the declaration of this very truth, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Soldiers operate under orders and we are God’s army. His Word has our orders. It tells us how to fight the battle and then it illuminates the way. It provides encouragement and reminds us of the power of God which is what drives us. How can we know what God wants us to do and how we are to do it if we do not read His Word?

In the Vietnam War the army had a weapon called a claymore mine. Basically it was thousands of metal balls that were shot out at the enemy like a shotgun blast but with much more force. But it had one drawback in that it had to be faced the right direction. Sometimes the enemy would sneak in and turn it around so that when detonated it would shoot back at our own men. This is what Satan will try and do with the Word of God. He will turn it around so it’s not being properly directed and use it against you. This is exactly what happened in the wilderness during the forty days of Jesus’ temptations as we read of in Matthew chapter four. Jesus countered Satan’s twisted use of scripture by speaking the truth of scripture. Satan had no defense and was defeated each time. Our enemy knows the Bible. Just as an army must spend time training in the proper use of its weapons, so must we. We must take time each day to read God’s Word, to study God’s Word, and to know its proper use.

As I said yesterday the weapons we have are best used in a coordinated attack. First we must show up, we must be willing to be God’s soldiers. Then we must worship Him as we show up, talk to Him through prayer and even use scripture when we worship and pray. Then we will be equipped to leave the cave and go into the dark battle with the light of Jesus illuminating the path. His light will reveal not only the enemy but also our own weak spots.

Tomorrow we will look at the final stone which is the stone of community. I hope as you read this you will be encouraged to call retreat at some time in your day. Take time to train with these stones. Show up and practice with them before the battle hits. If you are in the midst of a terrible assault then retreat for a bit to the cave and re-arm with the stones. In truth the first stone of showing up will do wonders. When we humble ourselves before God He will protect us. Show up, offer God worship, pray to Him admitting your weakness, and use God’s own Word to seek His protection. Sometimes we don’t even need to fight. Hear these words from Exodus 14:13-14, “And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

Trust Him. The war was won at Calvary. We are just on a mop-up mission.

God bless.

The Five Stones in David’s Pouch – Stone 3

Peter gives us a clear warning in 1 Peter 5:8 instructing us to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Life as a Christian is a never ending battle and clearly we have an enemy who seeks to destroy us. In his book titled Cavetime, author and Pastor Jeff Voth uses the story of David’s retreat to the cave as the background to his advice that we need to retreat and regroup from the battle by going to the cave. Like David, we have been equipped by God with certain weapons, stones in the pouch of David, to fight back with. Today we look at the third stone which is prayer. The first two stones, stone one “Show up” and stone two “Worship” work very well with third stone of prayer.

Obviously in order to pray we must first show up. We must first acknowledge God as true and we must believe by faith that He sent His son Jesus to save us. Yesterday we looked at worship as a strong weapon in defeating the attacks of Satan. Jesus gave us a pattern of prayer in Matthew Chapter six. It is no coincidence that worship is to be the beginning of all prayer. Jesus tells us to begin our prayers by saying "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The best tactics of any army involve a coordinated attack. Victory is attained when we apply our weapons in harmony. Use these stones together.

So what is prayer? It is simply conversation with God. Though God has no need of anything we have He desires relationship with us. Later tonight I may decide to stop and get myself an ice cream cone. Most likely it will be a chocolate dipped cone. My desire for that cone will not be out of hunger because I will have had my dinner. Though we might find something in the ingredients that have some limited nutritional value, most likely they will be minimal. But I won’t be eating the cone for its nutritional value. I will simply eat that cone because I enjoy the taste of chocolate dipped cones. It will bring me pleasure. God wants relationship with us simply because He loves us and wants the pleasure of relationship. He is no more lonely than I will be hungry when I get my cone, but He enjoys spending time with me. Prayer is spending time with God.

David wanted to spend time with God. He wanted to be in God’s presence in good and bad times because He loved God. So David was a man of prayer. It is ok to call out to God in the midst of tragedy. It tells Him that you trust Him and recognize He is the answer to all situations. He is also there in the good times. He wants to hear about your joy. He wants to hear about your day. He wants to hear about your desires and about your fears. He wants you to just talk to Him.

Sometimes we just need to retreat to the cave. Sometimes we just need to be in God’s presence. Prayer can also be that quiet time when, like a child weary and tired who crawls up on daddy’s lap, we just come to Him in silence. Sometimes we need to come to the cave and tell God what angers us or the things that hurt us. We need to go the cave and ask God what to do when it seems we have no answers to the attack we are under. Sometimes we just need a friend and there is no better friend than God. When we go to God we know we can be honest. He already knows anyway. But there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. God’s mercies are new every day.

Maybe right now you need to retreat to the cave. Do it. Just show up, offer your worship, and sit down and just talk to God. He is there waiting to hear from you.

The Five Stones in David’s Pouch – Stone 2

Today I continue my look at the Five Stones in David’s Pouch as Pastor Jeff Voth teaches about in his great book Cavetime. The first stone was the stone of “Show Up”. It sounds simple but if you don’t take time to show up in God’s presence then He cannot help you. So show up.

The second stone we will look at is the Stone of Worship. In my opinion this might be the least used of all the stones, yet it has the power to stop the devil in his tracks. When most of us think of worship we think of church and often we use that very term in describing what we do on Sunday. We go to worship service. We sing songs and worship God every Sunday. But is that where our worship should end? No, that is where it should begin.

The Psalms are maybe the greatest place to begin learning about worship. Again we turn to David, who wrote most of the psalms, as we hear what he says in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

David knew the power of worship. He wrote the Psalms in days filled with trouble and sorrows. Study the Book of Jonah and you will see that Jonah’s prayer was filled with quotes from the psalms. Both Peter and Paul used the psalms in the New Testament and Jesus quotes them more than any other book. How often do we Christians turn to the Book of Psalms in times of need? The reason why the psalms are so oft quoted is because they give God the praise He is so worthy of. They remind of us of who God is and why we can praise Him.

Certainly it is easy to praise God when things are going well. Praise and thanksgiving are key components of worship. Faith is easy to have in good times. But what happens when the storms come? When the diagnosis is cancer or the layoffs get to you? What happens in the dark night when your spouse has left you alone for another person? Or you stare at the burnt remains of everything you own after fire destroys your home?

I will tell you what happens; Satan rejoices. From the day of man in the Garden of Eden Satan’s goal is to keep us from worshipping God. Paul warns us of this in 2 Corinthians 11:3 saying, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

The worst thing we can do in the middle of a storm is to turn away from God. Ask Peter how that worked out for him. He was walking on water in the middle of the storm until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Then he sank into the waves. In your worst hour Satan will show up and cast aspersions on God. He will whisper questions such as these to you. “If God loved you why would He let this happen?” “If God is all powerful why can’t He heal your loved one?” “If God is so strong and is able to be everywhere then why didn’t He stop that car from hitting your child?” Satan will not let up until you finally cry out in agreement and you begin to doubt God.

It is that hour of the darkest night that you must pull out the stone of worship. When you rise up off your knees in sorrow and lift your hands to God and sing out in songs of worship Satan loses his grip on you. Sing out the greatness of our God in Word. Thank Him for the trial you face and remember that His Word is true and that He works all things together for good. Remember the words of James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

It isn’t easy to pull out the stone of worship in the worst of times. If times are good then use them to build your faith now so when the stuff hits the fan you won’t have to be looking for something you don’t have.

So remember to show up and worship God. These are your first two stones to sling at the enemy when he is on the attack. As we move forward tomorrow we will look at the third stone which is prayer. At the end of this study you will see that we need all 5 of the stones to get through this life and they complement each other.

Life is hard and we need to retreat to our own cave to get replenished and re-armed. You will be amazed at how good you can become with the stone of worship. You will be amazed how good it feels to have the peace that transcends all understanding. You will be amazed at how good God is.

God Bless you all.

The Five Stones in David’s Pouch – Stone 1

You don’t have to be a soldier to wake up every day to an attack. In reality as Christians we are under attack every day of our lives. Though it isn’t AK 47 rounds or rocket propelled grenades that we face, the attack is just as real and just as dangerous. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We have an enemy and he is real.

When Christ died on the cross He secured the victory for us. In the end if we have made Jesus Lord of our lives we know the ultimate enemy, death, has no power over us and we will reign in eternity with King Jesus. But until that day we must get up every morning and face the battle.

Recently I read a book called Cavetime by Pastor Jeff Voth. The book was a study of the way David in the Old Testament found that retreating to the cave was a necessary time he needed in order to keep himself prepared for the battles of his life. It was based on the story found in 1 Samuel chapters 17 through chapter 25:16. The book was written with men as its target because of the attack on our role as Christian men being a major target of Satan. I want to call attention to the concept he uses of the 5 stones David used to sling at the enemy during his life. Though our roles as men are different than women in our Christian lives, the need for these 5 stones is just as necessary for all of us. Today we will look at stone number one.

The first stone is the “Show Up” stone. 1 Samuel 22:1 says that “David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.” When I first read the book I wasn’t all that impressed with this stone and wondered if making it first wasn’t too simplistic. But as I pondered this after finishing the book I came to understand that without this first step there are no other stones. I also began to remember how that there are times in our lives when the enemy has us so surrounded that we forget to show up. This might manifest itself in self-pride that says I don’t need God or maybe in apathy that there is no point in calling on God. Often it is at the lowest point in our struggles that we finally realize we cannot do this by ourselves. Often we turn to other things and other people before realizing that in the end of it all, it is Jesus that we need.

The enemy will try and block your path to God. One of the most effective ways he keeps us pinned down is through our past. We think our sins are too many or too evil to for God to forgive. But this is just one of the many lies of the devil. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14, saying this, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Do not let the past stop you from retreating towards Jesus. We must make an intentional decision to call retreat when life has us pinned down. Even Jesus retreated to spend time with the Father in Heaven. Jesus retreated to the mountains, got in a boat to escape, and went to the garden to be in the presence of God.

So take steps to be sure you are “showing up”. This means more than church on Sunday. It means seeking Jesus every day. Schedule yourself time with Jesus but don’t limit yourself with only that time. Turn off the TV when at home alone and just be quiet and tell Him you need Him. Turn off the radio while driving and give that time to God. If the break room at work is a place where the attack goes on, then step outside or find a stairwell to escape. Take a hike in the woods or sit by a creek and just show up. You will be amazed at how simply retreating from the battle and telling Jesus you need Him will re-arm you and allow you to get back into the fight.

So show up. Tomorrow we will look at the second stone in the bag, worship, and begin to see how these stones, though handy alone, together make our arsenal effective against the enemy.

Building Your Faith

This morning I am reminded of a message I have believe God has told me to share many times. Many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are facing things that are hard. There is illness and tragedy all around. The message is simple; we must build up our faith before we need it most. You do not want to be in the midst of a trial and be looking for your faith. Satan knows the best time to attack. He knows that if you are struggling with troubles in your life, then your defenses are down. He will come at you with his best weapon and that is deception. He will tell that God doesn’t care. He will try and convince you that your prayers don’t matter. He will call God’s Word weak and ineffective. He will try and convince you God isn’t there. He will say if God cared He would bring healing. He will add to your fears, your anger, and your doubt. He is a liar.

This morning if things are going well then Satan will tempt you with busyness. He will do anything to keep you from spending time with God. He will remind you how hard you work, how smart you are, and even tell you how good of a Christian you are. His goal? Convince you of your own self-worth. Then you won’t see the need to pray. You will be too busy worshipping yourself to spend time worshipping God. You don’t have time to read the Bible. You did that last year he will tell you. You know those scriptures. Why bother thinking about those? He will remind you about all the activities you just have to get accomplished. Work, the housework, the kids, all the places to go and things to do. Then tonight He will remind you how hard you worked today and convince you that you deserve to just kick back in your chair, pop open a beer or pour a glass of wine and just watch the game or your favorite TV show. Then you will get sleepy and go to bed. Tomorrow it all starts all over. Then Sunday comes and you will go to church, drink your coffee and enjoy the music. You will take communion and write a check to the church. You will fight to stay awake during the sermon and check you watch to be sure the pastor doesn’t go too long. Then you rush out of church and go eat a great lunch. Maybe a little yard work and a nap. Then it will all start over Monday morning.

Life will become like the movie Groundhog Day. Blah, blah, blah. But then suddenly out of the blue it all hits; Cancer, kids in trouble, car breaks down, and you lose your job.  Where is God you say?

Friends the time to build your faith is now. The way to build faith is through relationship with Jesus. It is by reading God’s Word daily. It is by praying without ceasing. It is through leaning to be thankful in good times and bad. It is by sacrificing your time to just be simply worshipping God. It is though Christian fellowship by sharing both our good times and our bad times with other Christians.

Trouble is coming friends. Sometimes that trouble will leave you with nothing but your faith.  The time is now to build your faith. It really doesn’t matter how hard you trained last year if you lay on the couch eating Bon Bons all day for months at a time you will not be able to run that marathon or bench press the same weight you could while you were training hard.

Going to church is nice. We should do that. But we need daily nourishment. Open your Bible, get on your knees, lift up your hands, sing to the Lord, and reach out to others today. First of all it will change your life. But more importantly it will shine the light of Christ to others. It will bring glory to God.

We Are Never Alone

There is no worse feeling than being alone. Many years ago as an Army National Guardsman I participated in some training that involved an escape and evade exercise in which I ended up lost and alone in a very dark rural setting. For hours I wandered around with no direction, unsure of where I was or where I was going. It was one of those nights when you cannot even see your hand in front of you. But suddenly out of the dark night as I walked aimlessly I began to see a shadow of something ahead of me. Unsure of what I was walking toward, out of desperation I kept moving towards the shadow. It was only when I got within inches of this moving figure did I discover it was two lost soldiers wandering the night just as I was. Though we were just as lost and confused as before, the mere comfort of two other people changed everything. Together that night the three of us found our way back to base camp and successfully completed the mission.

Solomon wrote this great pearl of wisdom in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

This is wise counsel. Each of us needs to develop relationships with others that give us someone to help pick us up when we fall. But the truth is that there are going to be times in our lives when we will feel alone. People are human and even solid Christian friends will at times fail us. And to be honest there will be times that we will fail them as well.

What happens in those times when we find ourselves alone? What happens when the storms in life hit when no one is around? It is possible to be alone in a crowd of people. There will be seasons of our lives in which we will be wandering in the dark alone.

This sounds like dreary news. But the truth for the Christian is that we are never alone. Take some time to study the life of David in the Old Testament. David went through many things in his life. He rose from being a mere shepherd boy to his nation’s hero by killing the giant. Later He would find himself hunted down by King Saul who turned from one who loved and admired him to the one who wanted him dead. At times he was a great man of God but then later he would fall deeply into sin. David’s life is an amazing story of ups and downs, not so unlike the lives we live as Christians. Yet one thing remained constant in David’s life whether in the good times or the bad times; God was always with him.

When we made Jesus our Lord and Savior we became one of His disciples. The promises of Jesus are ours to have. In Matthew 8:20 Jesus tells us this, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus says this, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells three parables; The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin, and The Parable of the Prodigal Son. You see Jesus is with us even when we are trying to run from Him and even when we are dwelling in sinful places. He is there waiting for us. The only thing that can keep us from Him is our sin but all we have to do to restore that relationship is to repent. In all three of those parables Jesus tells us to repent and come back to Him. His arms are open wide. The problem isn’t that He isn’t there; the problem is that we turn away from Him. We have an enemy named Satan who will tell you that what you have done is too much and he will tell you there is no use. The problem here is simple; that is a lie. Our relationship with God is not based on our performance but on the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus is there.

But maybe for you it isn’t really like that right now. Maybe it is in an illness like cancer or in a failed marriage that you don’t see Jesus. Maybe loss of a job or the death of a loved one has you in a pit of despair.

In the past few weeks I have been stricken twice by some crazy stomach virus. I spent hours sick in the bathroom unable to sleep and unable to eat. I prayed and I prayed that Jesus would heal me and that Jesus would take away that horrible feeling of nausea and the piercing headache that came along with it. For days I asked Him to stop the suffering. But both times Jesus allowed me to be sick for about 5 days.

If you know me well then you know that I believe in prayer. I believe in the healing power of Jesus. I take the Bible literally and when I read that Jesus healed people simply by speaking the Word of healing, I believe that he still can and still will do that. I have seen answered prayer. But the simple truth is that sometimes we need trials in our lives. They are the way God grows us. Sometimes they are even the way God disciplines us. Scripture teaches this. It is not for me to try and judge why you face the things you face today. I don’t know why some people have cancer. I don’t know why some people lose their jobs. I don’t know why sometimes God takes little babies and children from the hands of their parents. But I know this; God is good. There is a reason for the trials you face today.

For me the past couple of weeks when I was so sick gave me a great opportunity to be with Jesus in a time when I needed Him most. My trials are mine and yours are yours. God has spoken to me clearly in my trials. It is not the first time He has done so. But the truth is this; Jesus was with me every minute of my sickness. As a matter of fact I probably spent more time talking to Him during those minutes of illness than I had done in months. I needed that. It has rekindled my love for Him.

While I was ill I began to imagine the difficulty many of you are facing this very day. Suffering is real and it is hard. My prayer life has grown as God showed me a small glimpse of what suffering is like and though I cannot know the depths of your personal pain, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, I pray for those who suffer.

Someday the suffering will end for those who are Christ’s. But for those who are suffering today my hope is that you will turn to Jesus. Pray He brings your suffering to an end now but trust in Him that if He doesn’t do that right away that He is right there with you. Jesus loves you. He has not left you nor forsaken you even in your pain. Don’t buy the lies of the enemy; turn to Jesus in prayer. Open His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the soothing comfort of it to allow you to experience His peace and His rest. Praise Him in the good and in the bad. Pray without ceasing.

The Value of Your Bible

What would you do for a Klondike bar? Most of us have seen that commercial. But today the question is this; What would you do for a Bible? Would you dance if I came and brought you one? Would tears of joy run down your face?

How many Bibles do you own? Personally I own at least thirty-eight complete Bibles, several versions of the New Testament, and many more electronic versions that I can view on my laptop, my desk computer, my Ipad, and even my phone. I also own numerous commentaries which also include the entire Word of God embedded in them. For me there is no excuse to not be saturated in God’s Word all day, every day.  It is now possible for me to have multiple translations of God’s Word with me no matter where I am.

But for many Christians across this world to simply have access to one Bible is a tremendous blessing. According to the Wycliffe people the Bible is available in complete form to 531 different languages. The New Testament exists for 1,329 different languages while there are another 1,023 who have at least one book of the Bible in their own language. At this time there are 2,195 projects of translations going on while there are about 1,860 languages yet to be worked on. This leaves 1.3 billion people who do not have a complete Bible to read in their own language much less a Bible of their own.

Last Sunday I was blessed to be in Tennessee visiting my daughter and attended her church where they are currently in a sermon series on God’s Word. Before the sermon the pastor told a story about how forty years ago some missionaries went into an unreached group of natives to take them the Gospel and to tackle the monumental task of translating the Bible into their own language. The leader of the group was killed by the tribe. But throughout history God has moved greatly through the witness of those truly willing to die for the Gospel. The tribe was converted to Christ and the process of getting the Word of God translated into their own language was finally completed after forty years. (Typically this is about a thirty year process.) Then a video was shown of the arrival of the newly printed Bibles in the village. It was an amazing thing to see.

As the plane landed with their new Bibles on board the entire village was there to meet the plane. Dressed in their native clothing adorned with all types of colorful feathers these people danced with joy as the plane taxied. As the Bibles were handed to the leader of the tribe, men who looked like fierce warriors watched intently and tears of joy ran down their eyes. I have never seen anything like this. After the video the pastor was moved to tears as was I.

Imagine being a Christian and hearing about Jesus at church but never being able to go home and find comfort and joy in the scriptures. Imagine those times when doubt creeps in and not being able to be strengthened by the Word of God. Imagine praying to God but not having His Word at your side to pray through. Imagine trying to share Christ with your family but not having a Bible to read the great stories of scripture. Imaging having no Bible.

Maybe you don’t have to imagine. Maybe though you have a Bible you never open it up. Maybe you’ve never prayed through scripture. Maybe your Bible is buried somewhere under a pile of other books or sits covered with dust on a bookshelf.

My friends, God has given us His Word. Most of us reading this have blessings of things others in lands far away cannot even imagine having. Most of us have a Bible. We should not take that for granted.

Open God’s Word this very day. Make a conscious decision to spend time with Jesus every day by reading His Word. Dust off that Bible. It will change your life. I leave you with God’s Word on God’s Word.

Psalm 19:7-10
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.