Got To Get You Into My Life

Another morning, waking up with another song in my head. Usually I have worship music playing on WBOB radio, but this morning it was The Beatles. Not sure why or where this song song came from but I gave it a listen anyway.

The first verse meant nothing. "I was alone, I took a ride. Etc." Big deal. But then the chorus...

Ooh, then I suddenly see you

Ooh, did I tell you I need you

Every single day of my life?

The song is probably about a woman, or drugs, but my mind is shaped a little differently than Mr. McCartney's. Think 'Jesus.'

When I look back at my spiritual transformation, I can pinpoint the day, the hour, the location, what I was doing, and who was there. It was sudden, that's for sure. As Paul said in his song, "then suddenly I see you." And that, I did.

The sudden realization that Jesus was real, for me anyway, was literally an eye-opening event. From that moment on, I began to see things differently. That brings us to the second and third lines of the chorus...

"Did I tell you I need you" and "every single day of my life."

After I figured out what was going on, it wasn't long before I realized just how much I needed Jesus. And that I would need Him every single day of my life.

I look at the chorus of this Beatle's song now and think, this is really a prayer. Not what Paul McCartney had in mind, I'm sure, but consider this prayer.

Dear Lord, I was living my life, totally blind to what I really needed. But then, I suddenly saw You, and I confess to you now, O Lord, that I need you every single day of my life. For without you I am nothing. I repent of my sins and submit to your authority. Make me into who you want me to be, Lord. I am so incredibly grateful to get you into my life! For who am I that you should rescue me? I am your servant, now, and forevermore. Amen.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” - Isaiah 12:2

Got To Get You Into My Life - The Beatles

Aliens

What I am about to tell you may seem a little strange. Many will not believe me despite all of the evidence, but here goes....

There are aliens living on earth. Right now.

And I am one of them.

Perhaps you're laughing at this news. "Oh, he's an alien alright." Lol! Well, I'M not laughing. And neither is the rest of our army.

We kind of blend in with the crowd but, if you watch us for a while, you can tell we're not like most Earthlings.

Our leader has given us very specific instructions about our mission here. We are not going to kill anyone, but many of you will die. Such is the way of war.

Our goal is to take as many of you captive as we can. We will not use force. It is not our way. You will actually come willingly, once your mind has been transformed to our way of thinking.

Resistance is futile. And though many WILL try, you cannot kill us. We have a power beyond death.

Our leader came to you people once before, but you wouldn't listen. Foolish people. That was two millenia ago. He came to earth with his life or death offer. You refused him then, you will refuse now.

Your chance to surrender is coming to an end. You have been warned! This is tiur final chance.

“Now therefore, our God, We thank You
And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow." - 1 Chronicles 29:13-15

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

Change My Heart

One of the biggest obstacles we face in life is our unwillingness to be transformed into what God wants us to be. We fight it. We resist it. Why? It's because of our sin nature. God wants us to live a sinless life. And, quite honestly, we struggle to do that.

There needs to be a willingness in our hearts to transform. But so often, although God is willing to shape us, unless WE are willing it's just not going to happen.

Of course, God will try to change our hearts through trials and struggles. But even that doesn't change some of us. We are too unwilling to even consider Him. And that's too bad because of the joy that awaits us if we do.

The prophet Isaiah referred to a perfect relationship with God as being like that of clay in the hands of a potter. The potter knows what type and shape of art He would like to create. He knows how beautiful the finished work will be.

However, to arrive and that finished work, pressures and outside forces are applied to shape is. Exaclty like a potter and his clay.

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." - Isaiah 64:8

We always have to try things our way. Just as often, those ways don't turn out exactly as we had planned. But if we would just be willing to be molded into God's finished creation, we would become a thing of beauty in God's eyes.

The question each of us must answer is, "Are we willing?"

Change My Heart O God - Maranatha Music

Post-Christmas Blues?

It is now a couple days after Christmas. Things have pretty much gotten back to normal. And that, I think, is part of our problem.

Think back to the time of Jesus' birth. The shepherds most likely went back to tending their sheep. The wise me went back home. So did the angels. Even Mary and Joseph went back to a slightly normal life - life with  baby. But Jesus was new. And it was His "newness" that gave hope to the entire world.

We all lead pretty normal lives, by the world's standards. We go to school or to work. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's easy to settle back into a pre-Christmas routine. But Jesus breaks the mold of traditional thinking and sameness and challenges us to think.

There are basically two different types of people in the world. hose who have encountered Jesus and those who have not. Have YOU been changed?

Here's an example of someone who was changed in a flash. Literally.

"As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” - Acts 9:3-6

Paul became changed. He was one man, then he met Jesus and he became changed. Have we had that life-changing encounter with Christ yet? Or are we still the same? Still following the pattern of "The World?" Make a change. Get off the bus.

The Way We Were

Most of us are old enough to have gone through some changes in life. Maybe even multiple changes. We are not the people we once were. But neither are we the people we have yet to become. We are not the way we will be, nor are we the way we once were.

Life changes us. Our experiences, whether good or bad, shape us and mold us into who we are. Maybe it's an illness or the death of a friend or loved one. Change can also be brought about by our work situation or the decisions we make. We can even be changed by the nightly news or by a book we might read.

I think that how we react to all of the changes we face in life defines who we are as human beings and as spiritual beings.

God can change us. He has changed me. And it seems to me that, when He DOES change us, it's usually for the better. Even in sickness or tragedy we can become better. But nothing changes us quite like our faith and when we come to believe in Jesus, the Messiah.

I know people who were once alcoholics and drug users who were changed by Christ. A mother I know lost not one but two of her children. Her faith defined her reaction to those deaths.

We are faced with decisions and choices every day. How we decide, what we decide, effects the rest of our lives. Even eternity future.

Jesus requires us to become changed.

Everyone remembers John 3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus, "You must be born again." But how many recall this Old Testament verse, spoken by God through the prophet Ezekiel?

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.[a] 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." - Ezekiel 36:26-28

That's a big change! But it is a change we ALL must make. Have you made that change? If not, please do so today. Change can be a scary thing but it can also be an amazing, transforming event. Embrace it. As long as it brings us closer to God, how can change be anything but good?

I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath

The Parable of The Banana Bread

My wife and I are very predictable and very compatible - even though she tends to vote Democratic and I usually go the Conservative route.

We know each others likes and dislikes, we can finish each others sentences, and even drink out of the same bottle without wiping it off first. We're close. After 39 years of marriage, we should be!

Every once in a while my wife brings home a bunch of bananas. I like them fresher and a little firm while my wife likes hers somewhat aged and a little softer. But no matter how many bananas she buys, we always seem to have one or two left that don't get eaten. There's a reason for that. And we both agree, it's a miracle! :)

Brown bananas are disgusting. Most people might want to throw them out and get rid of them. But not MY wife. She saves 'em. I know. That seems strange at first but she can take the most disgusting bananas and turn them into the most amazing loaves of banana bread. What a gift! To be able to take something disgusting and turn it into something good.
 
But who decided to do something like that? Someone back in ancient times actually thought it might be a  good idea to cook up some over-ripe fruit and eat it. Sure! Why not! What could possibly go wrong?

It was probably the same guy who thought squeezing a cow's dangling underparts was a good way to get something to drink. And the same guy who digs around under a chickens butt to find something good to eat!

But banana bread IS good no matter WHO invented it. My wife takes old, good for nothing fruit, saves it from death in the garbage can and creates something wonderful, uesful and amazing out of it. It's a miracle!

God does the same thing with us.

We can get pretty disgusting ourselves - full of sin, we are disgusting in God's eyes. But God sees good in us. We just need a little cooking. The Bible calls it "refining." It might take the rest of our lives but God keeps working with us, mixing us in with the right set of ingredients.

He takes of mix of failed relationships, trouble in the workplace and health issues and throws in some love, compassion, mercy and grace, and the next thing you know He pulls a born-again Christian out of the oven.

My wife's banana bread is amazing. So is God's amazing handiwork. We still can go bad if we sit on the shelf long enough but that's why God wants us to be used. Consumed, if you will. Is there someone in your life who needs some "food" - The Gospel? Hey, we are God's banana bread.

If you find yourself feeling down, if you get to feeling like you're no good and that nobody cares, remember that God is not done with you yet. You are still a work in process. When you find yourself heading for the mixing bowl, about to be smashed into mush through a difficult trial, don't forget that the most beautiful diamond was once a dirty lump of coal.

God is not through with you yet!! So rejoice!! He is making you into something amazing!

Consider the woman Ruth who had nothing and had to follow the harvesters, searching for grain they had missed. Through her struggle God provided abundantly and changed her life forever through a man named Boaz. Look at God's provision in this story! Ruth emerged from her struggle . . . and one of their descendants saved the world. Jesus.

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to her (Ruth), “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. ¹⁵ As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

¹⁷ So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. ¹⁸ She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

And glory be to God who took notice of a bunch of bananas like us!

The Book of Ruth
How To Make Banana Bread

Post-Easter Meltdown

After the left-over ham has been sliced up and put in the freezer, after The Ten Commandments discussions about "The Old Frog" and "bundage" slow down, we go back to work and return to the way things were. We are still the same. There is no change in us. Just a little religiosity at Easter and we feel better about ourselves. There is no change. Why is that?

What happened on Resurrection Sunday 2,ooo years ago SHOULD change us . . . majorly change us. Yet, has it? I think not. Look at Moses in The Ten Commandments movie. He was minding his sheep with his wife when he noticed Joshua and then a burning bush on God's mountain. He went to investigate. He became changed.

On the mountain Moses met with God. He "spoke" with God, or as Moses later recounted, "He revealed His word to my mind." Has that ever happened to you. Has God revealed Himself to you?

Later, when Moses came down off the mountain, after meeting with God, Joshua and Zipporah noticed a change in him. "Look at His face! He has seen God!"

Have we been changed after meeting God? We should be. We should become changed. We were once part of the world in which we live, but after our meeting with God, if we truly have met Him, we should exhibit some sort of change. After all, the Bible tells us that we have been "set apart" . . . made "holy." Where is the change?

There should be a time in our lives when we remember a change. I remember that day clearly. That day was January 15, 2006 for me. When was YOUR day of transformation? Do you remember it?

Still, after that day of change, we are constantly being pulled back into the world from which we came. A battle is now taking place within those of us who have been changed. A battle between good and evil, light and darkness, God and Satan. It is a constant battle, a tug-o-war and we are the rope.

We constantly have to examine ourselves and ask, "Who is winning the custody battle for our souls?" We must loosen the grip that this world has on us and pry the fingers of Satan's hand from our lives - finger by finger. Remove everything about him from our lives. We must change.

When Jesus met His disciples he changed some of their names. When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus his name was changed to Paul. Have you met Jesus? Have you changed?

"16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Moses And The Burning Bush - The Ten Commandments

Have You Been Changed?

I saw a video yesterday that made me stop and think for a moment. Pastor David Platt, in the short video I have placed at the end of this message, said that when we encounter Jesus, we become forever changed. If there is no evident change present after placing our faith in Christ we are deceived and . . . we . . . are . . . a . . . lair.

I believe David Platt's statement to be true. We MUST be changed! If we haven't truly repented, we truly haven't placed our faith in Christ. We are still . . . dead.

There are several professing Christians in my life, and yours too, who say all the right words with their lips but then return to their old ways as if nothing has changed. That's because nothing HAS. There MUST be change.

"20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” - 2 Peter 2:20-22 we?

The word "holy" means "set apart." That should be us. We should appear different than everyone else who doesn't know Jesus. So why aren't we? Why do we return to our vomit? Why do we return to our eveil ways? Because we are sinners and , , , we love it.

There is a young lady on Facebook who sent me a Christmas card this year. She calls me her brother in Christ. That's nice. But she also rips her former boyfriends viciously, "F____ this, and F___ that." My young friend is deceiving herself. Nothing has changed in her. There has been no repentance. She is not saved. My friend will be going to hell if she does not change her evil ways, to quote Carlos Santana.

Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, admonishing those who had returned to THEIR evil ways, to repent, reminding them that "such were some of you." - 1 Corinthians 6:11

When God's Holy Spirit enters us we become changed. There is no going back. The same Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin is the same Holy Spirit that causes us not to deny our Lord, even though we might be killed for taking that stand.

Jesus speaking to Nicodemus said, "You must be born again" - (John 3:7). We must! We MUST be born again! No amount of going to church or doing good deeds will accomplish what Jesus already accomplished through His death and resurrection.

To my young friend, I beg you to repent and turn to Christ. He is the author and perfecter of our faith" -  (Hebrews 12:2) and He CAN save you, but you must first repent . . . and change. Oh, dear Lord, how I wish you would change.

Evil Ways - Santana @ Woodstock

Why Many Christians Are Deceived - David Platt

A Ray Of Light

There is a saying that goes, "It is always darkest before the dawn." I'm not so sure that's true. Right before the dawn the sky actually gets lighter. Check it out for yourself.

I know what that old saying was trying to convey to us though. We can go through trials in our lives and, just when we are about to give up, something happens to give us hope. It's like that sudden ray of sunshine that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Have you ever experienced that? Was there some dark moment in your life that you made it through due to a sudden reason to hope?

I saw a short two minute video this week that was kind of like that. It's from the movie God's Not Dead. Please watch it with me and see if you can see that moment occur in the mind and the heart of the man in the room.

Comfortable Prison Cell - God's Not Dead

Moments like that don't come along every day. They usually seem to occur right after our darkest hours.

Near the end of my father's life he was much like the lady in that film clip. He had Alzheimer's. He didn't know who I was. Yet, shortly before he died, he recognized his children. What a blessing that was!

I have come across numerous "rays of light" when I am reading my Bible or listening to a sermon in church. You have too I imagine. We hear a sermons that seem to be written especially for us. Suddenly there is a ray of light in our dark world and we finally get it.

There is a scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind that is a perfect example of this. Ray is driving along a deserted country road, totally lost. Suddenly there is a ray of light and his life becomes forever changed.

Ray Of Light - Close Encounters

Some Christians walk through life having never experienced that single defining moment. Then there are others who have come to the sudden realization that all these "stories" they have heard are true. They believe and are forever changed.

"9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.[a] It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.  8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank." - Acts 9:1-9

From that moment on, Saul (whom Jesus later named Paul) believed.

If you have never had a "Damascus Road" experience, not necessarily with a sudden bright light, but with a sudden realization that God is NOT dead, He's alive! He's alive!" I suggest you cry of to God to see if He can arrange something for you. I believe God reveals Himself to us. And often, not is such obvious and amazing ways. Sometimes it is a whisper, not a shout. May He whisper in your ear on THIS day. God's not dead. He's living . . . on the inside.

God's Not Dead - The Newsboys

The Road The Damascus

It seems like every night or so there is a news story about terrorists killing Christians. We act like this is incredibly barbaric, which it is, and we react like these atrocities are something new. They are not. Rewind 2000 years or so. Stephen had just gotten done with an amazing speech to the religious rulers of his time, which started in Acts 7, verse one. It ended in verse 53. By verse 58 the crowd was rather angry, took Stephen outside of the city,  and began stoning him. But this story in not about Stephen.

"58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he (Stephen) called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:58-60"58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:58-60

Saul was a rather ruthless man and he had a "thing" for persecuting Christians. Kind of like what is going on in the news these days in the Middle East. Early Christians were constantly persecuted and Saul was rather good at it.

In Acts 9 Saul headed for Damascus seeking Christians, people of "The Way," so he could bring them before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Stoning Stephen was just one of many "treats" Saul had. Saul loves persecuting Christians.

"But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." - Acts 9:1-2

Saul rather enjoyed what he was doing. One could even say he was obsessed with his persecution of Christians. Again, it sure sounds like something from the evening news these days, but there is something drastically different in Saul's story and his persecution of Christians - the Road to Damascus.

"3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." - Acts 9:3-5

Saul met Jesus and an incredible transformation took place. From that moment on Saul, whose name was changed to Paul by Jesus, began preaching the Gospel rather than persecuting Christians. The difference between our enemies of today and the enemiies of Saul back then  . . . . was Jesus.

What does Jesus ask of us concerning OUR enemies?

"43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48

Only God has the power to change our enemies. There is no treaty, created by man, that will ever work. Not without the approval of God anyway. Only God can change the world in which we live. You and I need to pray.

Here is a question for you. I encourage you to examine yourself. Have you had "a Damascus road moment?" Was there a point in your life where you became transformed? Has there been a Damascus Road moment in which Jesus transformed YOUR life?

Here's another question. Whom are you persecuting today? Think about it. Are you "persecuting" Jesus Christ today by the way you live your life?

Looking at myself, before I had my Damascus Road moment, I WAS living a life contrary to God's will. I was only interested in what I wanted. I was only interested in satisfying MY needs. I was my own worst enemy. I was my own Saul - living a life that would only lead to death.

Pray for yourself today. Ask Jesus to transform YOUR life right now!

You say, I'm a Christian already. Why should I do that?

I examine myself daily to discover areas where I need to be transformed. In many ways I am still walking on that Damascus road, searching for things that I want to do. I need to repent of that, humble myself before God, and ask Him to transform MY life so I can be more like His Son, Jesus.

Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

"For some days he (Paul) was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ." - Acts 9:19-22

Transform YOUR life today by surrendering it to Jesus. Only God has the power to change lives. What God did for Saul He can do for you. Please, place your faith in Him today.

Homeless Veteran Timelapse Transformation

Letdown

Have you ever been some place and you have enjoyed it SO much that you never wanted to leave? Maybe you were on vacation. Some place really nice and peaceful. So amazing was that place that you forgot what day it was or even forgot what your “real” life was like back in the world. It was wonderful. It was amazingly unforgettable. But then, you had to come back home. You had to return to reality. And when you did, you had that incredible yearning to return. To go back to where you just came from. That’s where I'm at right now and that's what I’m writing about today.

I have been feeling that way for several days now, having recently returned from three days of worship and celebration of Jesus at Lifest. I am finding that the workplace is a rather dreary place to return to. It’s kind of like depression in many ways. I’m moping around, not as happy and bubbly as I usually am. I am missing being at a place with all of my brothers and sisters. I miss all the late night talks and seeing old friends who I haven’t seen in a while. I miss it. Greatly.

And it’s not just me. Several others I have talked to feel the same way. My friend here at work feels the same. We have been mentioning it in our prayers this week. My friend at the company down the street also feels this way. Here are her words:

“Let down is right. I always feel that way every year but especially this year. There at Lifest we get to witness a bit of heaven and then back to the secular world much like the disciples.”

The Disciple’s! How letdown they must have felt after Jesus had been crucified. I bet THEY had an INCREDIBLE letdown after walking with Jesus for three years. After being the very presence of God – fully man, fully God. How depressed they must have felt in the days after His death. Questioning everything, filled with doubt, wondering about the future. What a sad time for them. But guess what. Things got better. WAY better!

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Oh, how that changed things! The disciples transformed from a bunch of self-concerned, frightened little wimps during the crucifixion to a bunch of passionately devoted men willing to die for their King after Jesus rose from the dead. And they did! Their letdown lasted three days. But after Jesus returned to life the disciples never experienced a letdown again. And neither should we.

We should remember that. I should remember that. I should be living for Christ, not for my own fulfillment. I should be living in such a way that exemplifies  and focuses on Christ. I bet if I did, I'd never feel letdown again. Whenever we feel letdown by someone or something, we must remember Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Our lives must BE Christ.

"Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again." - Philippians 1:18-26

Beautiful Letdown – Switchfoot

Stars

One of the things my wife and I enjoy about our house is that we built it WAY out in the country. We live six miles away from the closest town. Whenever people come to visit us way out here in the boonies they always remark how dark it is out here after the sun goes down. I try to keep my explanation simple . . . something city folk can understand . . .

"That's because it's dark . . . and there are no lights."

Sometimes the obvious can be so difficult to see or understand. I know people who have spent hours searching for their glasses, only to discover them on top of their head. We've all had moments like that. The sudden realization that we aren't quite as observant and we thought we were.

You've probably heard of Jeff Foxworthy and his "Here's Your Sign!" stories. They're pretty funny and sadly an all too true to life depiction of our ability to see the obvious. Here's a few.

A truck driver was climbing out of his too-tall truck that had become stuck under a too-low bridge. A police officer arriving on the scene asked, "So, are you stuck?" The truck driver replied, "No, I was just delivering this bridge and I ran out of gas." Here's your sign.

A fisherman was about to head home after a day's fishing from the pier. He pulled a large stringer of fish out of the water and a bystander asked, "Wow! Did you catch all those fish?" The fisherman replied, "Nah. Some of them just jumped right up here. The rest surrendered when they saw me comin'." Here's your sign. We humans can be incredibly blind when it comes to the obvious.

My wife and I went snowshoeing at the state park night before last. It was a cool, clear night with temperatures in the single digits. My wife remarked, "Look at all the stars!!" She was right. The stars were extraordinarily noticeable that night. However I could just imagine hearing one of our city friends exclaiming, "Wow! You have a lot more stars out here than we have in town."

No. The stars are always there. Even in town. Even in the day time. You just can't see them at night in the city because of all the city lights." (sigh)

For 52 years of my life I was blind. Blind to the reality of Christ. I had heard all of the stories. And that's just what they were to me. Stories. There was no meaning to them at all. I just didn't get it.

I'd like you to watch a short video clip. It's from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. I'd like you to pay particular attention to the character played by Timothy Busfield (the guy with red hair and a beard). In this scene, Busfield's character, Mark, does not believe there is a team of old, dead baseball players in his brother-in-laws yard, even though everyone else around him does. He doesn't believe it until something happens. Please watch.

Field of Dreams clip

Near the end of the clip Mark says, "When did these ballplayers get here?" Well what do yo know. Mark finally believed. But it took a miracle, one of the young ball players being transformed right before his eyes, before he finally came to believe. At that moment, Mark, who had been tormenting his sister and her husband for the entire film to sell the farm, did a 180. His eyes were opened. Where have I heard that story before . . .

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength." - Acts 9:1-19

There are many people in this world who do not KNOW Jesus. They have heard about him but do not believe in Him. Many of the non-believers enjoy persecuting Christians today just like Saul did back then. When Saul became Paul on that road to Damascus his life changed for ever. He was blind and then suddenly he could see. That account of Saul's conversion is the tale of every born again believer the world has ever known. And what did Paul do with this sudden knowledge? He began to spread the Gospel to everyone he met. It's like he handed himself a Jeff Foxworthy sign for his stupidity in not recognizing the truth. It's like Timothy Busfield's character saying, "When did all these Christians, my new brothers and sisters, get here? And what about the men who were with Saul/Paul. They heard the voice! They helped a blind Paul into town where he was made to see!

Go outside on some clear night and look up at the stars. Gaze at them in wonder. Look at God's immeasurably vast, heavenly creation and thank The God of all of it for opening YOUR eyes. Then preach the Gospel wherever you go for you once were blind but now you see.

Amazing Grace by Celtic Woman