The Empty Heart

I heard a story once about a professor who began his philosophy class by asking his class a question. He pulled a large, empty jar out and set it on the desk.

"Is this full?" he asked.

"No," the class replied.

The professor then put in some rocks, right up to the rim, and asked, "How about now?"

"Yes. It s full."

Then the professor poured some sand into the jar, right to the top.

"There. Now it's full, right?"

"Yep," they answered. 

Then, he took a pitcher and added water to the jar.

"I guess it wasn't really full, was it?"

Each time the class thought the jar was full, they were proved wrong.

The question for today is, is your heart full? Maybe you will answer 'no'. There are many people whose hearts are not as full as they could be. Many more have empty hearts but they only THINK they are full.

Maybe 'yes' will be the answer. That's good. But what is your heart filled with? Does it contain any rocks or sand? Do you have any bad feelings about someone? Does it contain worry, strife, anxiety, pride?

Jesus can remove all of that bad stuff that fills our hearts and can replace it with pure, life-giving water.

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” - John 4:10

So I guess the big question is, "Is your heart full of living water? Pure, uncontaminated, life-giving water? If not, ask Jesus to fill it. He has an endless supply and He offers it freely. Drink deep!

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6

May God bless you today. May your heart be full. Who knows. Perhaps god will use your overflowing heart to fill the empty hearts of those around you. Drink deep!

"My cup runneth over." - Psalm 23:5

Five Finger Death Punch

Last week we were all witnesses to a terrible tragedy. Five lives were lost at a depth of 13,000 feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Did you notice how we all clung to one word? Hope.

If we condense the week's headlines and and emotions into just a few key words we end up with something like this:

Fear, hope, waiting, loss. 

There are lots of stories with 'similar features' in the news these days. Whether it's a missing child, a suicide, or when someone gets sick and dies, the process still features those four words.

I had a friend who had cancer. When she was first diagnosed, there was fear. Then came hope as the doctors ran tests and came up with a plan of attack. Third came the waiting, for the chemo to do its thing. People prayed and there still was hope. But then, in the end, there was death. And that was it. Sad.

If only we could expand and maximize the 'hope' side of things. Perhaps by adding a fifth word, a 'fifth finger', to the four listed above. We can then make a fist and give death a 'Five-Finger Death Punch'!

Fear, Hope, Waiting, Loss and . . .

Jesus!

Without Jesus, our lives end in loss - an eternity in hell. But WITH Jesus . . . with Jesus, we receive an eternity in heaven. It's our choice. Which will we choose?

For me, I have choosen Christ! Won't you join me? Roll up your five fingers into a fist today and punch death right in the face. Extend and expand the 'hope,' for yourself and for others. Share your story today.

The following is a music video that speaks to the problem that many of our nation's veterans have, transitioning back into society. It also offers us ways to contribute.

Wrong Side of Heaven - Five Finger Death Punch

The Witch of Endor

If you are a fan of Star Wars or Lord of The Rings, you have probably heard of Endor. For Tolkien, Endor was also known as Middle Earth. For George Lucas, Endor was a planet inhabited by Ewoks. But did you know that Endor is actually a real place in The Bible? And a witch lived there.

"Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at Endor." - 1 Samuel 28:7

Consulting mediums, spiritists, witches or sorcerers was against God's will.

“Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:31

So, why was Saul consulting with a medium if it was against God's will? Good question!

Saul was desperate for some guidance. God had stopped answering him because Saul had sinned. Repeatedly. Saul then remembered the prophet Samuel. Samuel was someone who had guided him in the past. Why not summon him from the dead, right?

The Bible contains many commands from God that we ourselves choose to ignore. We think they are ridiculous so WE DECIDE to disobey. Do you think that's wise?

One thing to remember about witches and the like - they are sinners just like you and me. We all face an eternity in hell unless we repent of our sins and turn to God in humble submission.

One more thing about The Witch of Endor. She knew that her 'occupation,' and what she did, was against both the king's command AND God's law. Yet, she did it anyway.

One might say, "I am no different than her." But we ARE different - if we have placed our hope and faith in Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18

Through the Window

If we read the Bible often enough we can begin to notice things. Repeated words or stories. Such is the case with today's story about windows.

In the 19th chapter of 1st Samuel, King Saul is trying to kill David. David's wife Michal warned David and helped him escape when Saul's men came for him.

"Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped." - 1 Samuel 19:11-12

That phrase, "through a window", caught my attention. I've read that before. 'Through a window' appears 11 times in the Bible.

The first is in the Book of Joshua when spies were sent into Jericho. To escape, Rahab let the spies down 'through a window.'

"So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall." - Joshua 2:15

Who was Rahab? A prostitute, yes, but what else is significant about her? And what did she accomplish for the spies?

Well, she delivered the spies from certain death. And she was in the lineage of the Messiah - Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was another example of someone being saved by being let down "through a window."

"In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands." - 2 Corinthians 11:32-33

Who was Paul? An apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Hosea 13:3 mentions "escaping through a window." Even the Song of Songs speaks of someone "looking through a window." That 'someone' is Jesus.

It is only 'through' our faith in Jesus that we can escape this world and the death that awaits us all. Our faith in Jesus is the window.

We all have heard the phrase a "window of opportunity." What good is that opportunity if we don't take it? What good is a window if we don't use it?

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

WE are the ones that have to get into the basket, as Paul did. WE are the ones who have to go "through the window" by placing our faith in Jesus.

God has provided a means to escape sin and death. His name is Jesus. And Jesus is waiting on the other side of the window. Watching. Waiting.

What are you waiting for?

A Servant's Heart

"So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you." - John 13:12-15

I saw a wonderful example of a servant the other day - a mother with two special needs children. I was able to witness her amazing devotion as she attended to their every need.

It was an amazing thing to behold, especially when you consider that she does it every day, day after day, without end. She exhibited tremendous love for her children in doing so. 

Do we have that kind of love for others, that we would place someone else's needs above our own? Family members, yes. But a stranger?

Devotion, selflessness, obedient, loving, compassionate are a few of the words that describe the characteristics of a servant. Are we any of those? Jesus was, and is, all of the above.

Jesus wants us to be servants. We just read that He is our example. 

There is also a difference between a hired servant and one who does so willingly, at no cost to the recipient. I think that is what Jesus wants from us.

One would think then that churches would be absolutely filled with willing servants. Nope. In fact, according to Pew Research, only about 20% of mainline Protestants are highly involved in church activities. 16% for Catholics. The Episcopal church is the worst at 13%. Why so few? Good question.

When asked to serve, do we immediately say 'yes'? Or do we search for excuses for why we can't?

Serving others should be a 100% thing. Not for any particular church, but for our individual hearts. Do you have a servant's heart beating in you?

Our Devoted Things

When Joshua was leading the Israelites into the promised land, God instructed the people about what they should and shouldn't do. They were about to attack Jericho and God didn't want them to become corrupted by the people who lived there. 

"But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it." - Joshua 6:18

But, of course, someone disobeyed the Lord and stirred up God's wrath against them.

"But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel." - Joshua 7:1

God punished all of Israel and only relented when the offender was found out, repented and was punished.

"Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel." - Joshua 7:19-20

Achan was then taken outside the camp and was stoned to death for his sin.

There are some interesting things we can glean out of this story. But most notably, God will punish an entire nation for the sin of one person.

If we think of "the world" as Israel, and "outside the camp" is hell, what 'devoted things' of Satan's have we hidden in OUR tents?

"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” - Mark 7:21-24

Even if we repent of having these things in our hearts, God's wrath still burns against us. We can say we are sorry and repent, just like Achan did. It doesn't matter. We are destined to be taken outside the camp and 'stoned to death.' Hell.

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." - Hebrews 9:22

We're all doomed! But....

"For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son...."

Jesus! Jesus died for our sins. He shed HIS blood for OUR sins. The sins of the entire world, "once for all." (Hebrews 10:10)

"...that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life." John 3:16

Jesus is our only hope.

Without Jesus we are destined to spend eternity in hell - "outside the camp." We must repent AND allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives. Now.

Without the blood of Jesus covering our sins we have no hope at all.

But...

"Blessed be the name of The Lord from this time forth and forever more." - Psalm 113:2

Knowledge of God

Imagine, if you will, a world without technology. No phones, computers, televisions, etc. What would it be like?

Heaven?

This phone I am using to write this story is convenient alright. I can sit here in my living room chair, in total darkness, and write about whatever comes to mind.

I can search the internet for pictures and Bible verses to add to my stories. Yet with all of the information and knowledge at my fingertips, something is still missing. 

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” - Daniel 12:4

We have a lot of "knowledge" in the world today. We have even created "artificial intelligence" to do a lot of our thinking for us. Is that a good thing?

I have seen interviews with some of the inventors of A.I. on the news. They say we should slow down in our development of A.I. There are dangers. What could possibly go wrong?

Have you ever seen Terminator or The Matrix? These are all science fiction movies but more and more, as time goes on, the 'fiction' part it becoming blurred.

Back in Jesus' day their 'technology' was writing on a scroll. Communication was largely done by word of mouth. But what good was any of it with out "ears to hear or eyes to see?"

Jesus often spoke in parables. Why? Because only those with "ears to hear" would understand. The thing we are missing in this world is a knowledge of God. HE gives wisdom to whomever he chooses.

"Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." - Matthew 13:11-17

The world we live in has a tremendous amount of knowledge, but it will never understand. Why? It's can't. Isaiah knew that. Jesus knew that.

"Blessed are your eyes because they see."

Lifting Others Up

This past Saturday I went to a celebration of life gathering for a friend of mine who had gone home to be with the Lord. It was wonderful.

One would have thought there was a church service going on, judging by the number of cars in the parking lot. Nope. My friend touched a lot of people's lives.

I looked around for my buddy's wife but couldn't find her. The fellowship area of the church was filled with people standing and sitting, talking and laughing. It resembled a normal Sunday morning after church lets out and everyone heads for the coffee and treats.

Then the sea of people parted and there she was. She was sitting down, a little dizzy from the day's events.

I had to wait a bit to see her but it was worth it. When she saw me she reached out her arms for a hug. So I bent down and gave her one. That's when it hit me - the topic for today's story.

I dropped to my knees in front of my friend and we had a wonderful conversation. It was a little hard getting up afterwards but it was worth it. Lol!

When we interact with people in our daily  lives we often do so from "our level." We do not tend to meet people where THEY are, emotionally or spiritually. To pick something up, don't we first bend down to get it?

A grieving widow should not  be the one to be walking around. We should come to her,  offering encouragement and support. And not as one handing scraps of food down to a dog under the dining room table. No. We should meet them face-to-face, heart-to-heart, if you will.

Think about it. A child can feel lonely in a room full of adults who are standing there, talking. But get down on the floor with a child and interact with them at their own level and you've gained a friend.

We spend too much time trying fit people into OUR lives. Instead, shouldn't we be trying to fit into theirs? And when we do, we can see them face to face. 

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." - 1 Corinthians 3:12

I have heard it said, "Just be yourself. Your friends will find you." But if we truly love the lost and hurting, won't we search for them no matter where they are, until we find them and join them in their pain? To take them to a much happier place?

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be." - John 14:3

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’" - Luke 15:4-6

God's Doors

You cannot see them, but you often walk through them. Usually without knowing it. You can't open them for yourself. Instead, they are often opened for YOU, or closed.

"Doors" are interesting things..... in the spiritual world.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut." - Matthew 25:10

There you have it. Jesus opens and shuts doors, in His own words.

When Jesus opens a door in your life, it is for a reason. Walk through it. When He closes a door, don't try to break it down. It was closed on purpose.

The key to the whole "open door / closed door" thing is being able to discern who created the door. Satan makes traps and temps us to sin. And there's one of your discernment clues. 

Is this open door in God's will? Or is it leading to sin via temptation? How can we tell? How can we be sure? Read the Bible. All the answers are in there.

Maybe you have been praying about something. Was your prayer according to God's will? Does this door look like it could be an answer to that prayer? Then step through the opening.

Once you've experienced what God's doors look like, they become easier to recognize.

Earlier this week I was trying to arrange a meeting with a friend who was recovering  from a car accident. The details never got finalized and I was headed back home - a 60-minute drive.

About 30 minutes into my trip home I felt like I should turn around and try again to contact my friend. So I turned around, not knowing for sure if we would be meeting or not. Was God opening a door? Yes, He was.

My friend and I were finally able to meet. We talked and prayed for each other and both of us were blessed as a result. God is SO good to those who love Him.

This last passage contains many good words to remember regarding God's opening and closing of doors on our lives.

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this." Psalm 37:3-5

Our Deliverer

Have you ever listened to a reading of the Bible? Try it sometime. You don't have to spend time figuring out how to pronounce all those names (like Mephibosheth) and you just might 'hear' something you missed when simply reading it.

I was listening to the Book of Exodus this week and the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Moses was trying to free God's people and Pharaoh wasn't letting the people go.

Here are a few of the key verses. 

Moses, the deliverer, was born as a baby (Exodus 2:2). Jesus, OUR Deliverer, was born as a baby (Luke 2:7)

Pharaoh tried to have all of the male Hebrew babies killed (Exodus 1:16,22). Herod issued an order to kill all the Hebrew boys who were two years old or younger (Matthew 2:16).

Is not Pharaoh a representation of Satan? 

Are not God's people in Egypt a representation of those who believe in Christ? Is not Moses a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Messiah? Will not Jesus deliver Christians from a spiritual 'Egypt', which is this sin-filled world we live in, just as God delivered His people through Moses?

Again and again, Pharaoh hardened his heart until those relentlessly pursuing God's people were 'drowned in the sea.' Just like Satan, and all those who follow him, will fight to the end against Almighty God and one day will be thrown into 'the lake of fire?'

We live in a spiritual 'Egypt' with Satan ruling over us. He is an evil and wicked taskmaster. We who believe in Christ have been set free from the bondage of our sins. And one day soon we will ultimately be delivered from 'Egypt' to our eternal 'Promised Land.'

Moses was an obedient deliverer for God's people in Egypt, just as Jesus, the obedient Son of the One True God, is OUR deliverer from Satan and the sin in this world.

Would you like to be delivered from death? Then place your faith and trust in THEE Deliverer, Jesus. Do that and you will live eternally with Him. But if you won't follow Him, then you have sentenced yourself to being thrown into 'the Nile.'

The choice is yours. It's all up to you. What will YOU choose?

What A Friend

According to Facebook, I have 529 friends. Well, that's a lie, by MY definition of 'friends' anyway.

As I look through my friends list I see people who I have never even met. And some of my Facebook friends are actually dead.

If these people were really my friends, wouldn't we be talking with each other occasionally? Doing stuff together? Grabbin' some lunch or hanging out?

I saw someone at the disc golf course the other day. I hadn't seen him for five or six years, since his wife's funeral. Yet we hugged and talked like old friends, which is what we are.

Most Facebook-type friends are someone you interacted with for a period of time, but have since moved on from. They don't unfriend you because they like to keep their number of 'friends' high.

One of my favorite verses is Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

That sounds like the definition of a true friend - never leaving or forsaking. 

Most of my really good friends are the result of a struggle we have walked through together. We emerged on the other side of that struggle as extremely close and strong friends (there's about a dozen).

How many of your friends are of the really close, personal kind? How many have you walked with through tough times? How many have you prayed with? How many are you willing to die for? I hope you have many.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:30

Perhaps today would be a good day to contact those really good friends and thank them for allowing you into their lives.

And that includes God. Because, quite honestly, there is no friend quite like Jesus... who died for us... because He loved us so much.

What A Friend We Have In Jesus - Alan Jackson

Punctuation

Do you think punctuation in a sentence is important? Let's see.....

My three favorite things are eating my family and not using commas.

Well, I guess that answers THAT question.

Punctuation is VERY important when trying to relate a thought or a concept to someone in writing.

Did you know that in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament, there were no vowels or punctuation at all? It's true. No spaces between Greek words in the New Testament, or punctuation either. And no verse numbers or headings anywhere in the any original text. Parchment was hard to come by so every square inch counted, I guess.

It wasn't until the Masorites - ancient Jewish scholars - that punctuation was added. That happened between 700 and 1000 AD.

When the New King James Bible was first published in 1611 there were still no quotation marks. There STILL aren't to this day. So how do we really know who said what?

I bring all this up because of one Bible verse - John 3:13

Jesus was talking with Nicodemus about being born again and who is in heaven. Here is the present day New King James Version of John 3:13:

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

There is a quotation mark preceeding this verse (back in verse 10 of the NKJV). That would seem to indicate that Jesus said these words. But the KJV still has no quotation marks at all. Read the verse again. It almost sounds as if the Apostle John himself was commenting on who is in heaven.

Remember, there were no quotation marks in The Bible until 1600 years after John wrote all this, and after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension.

"SOMEONE" decided when and where they thought quotation marks were used. It wasn't John. And they were way smarter than me.

So, what does all this mean? Pay attention when you read the Bible. Analyze it. Look at all the footnotes and subscripts. She what was changed and when. And pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read.

We should seek the truth above all else. And Jesus IS the truth.

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men." - Acts 17:11-12

How Was Biblical Puncuation Decided? - Christianity.com