Author: Tom

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Pure In Humor

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published last week, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I begin with Pure in Humor.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂  I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart and I begin with this post focused on our view of humor.

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Ephesians 5:2-5

What do you find funny?  How would others describe your sense of humor?  Dry?  Witty?  Missing?  Off-color?  Depends on who  you’re with?  What does it look like to live pure in humor — with no “obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking”?  Social media can be an incredible tool to communicate and connect with people in positive ways but the openness of it can often be a window into our soul that is much darker than we would care to admit.

As one that has been involved in vocational ministry for many years, I admittedly have been somewhat protected from what seems to be a gutter-ball slide of society into an acceptable culture of “obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking”.  If you have to start a story or joke with, “this may be inappropriate, but . . . “, it probably shouldn’t be told.  🙂  There’s nothing wrong with people knowing, because of what you believe and stand for, that what they’re about to say you wouldn’t find funny.  Polite laughter, so as not to offend, often appears to be implied approval or acceptance.  It is somewhat ironic that we will laugh at an offensive joke so as not to offend the joke-teller while we are offended, or at least ought to have been offended, by what was said.

While people who know me as a minister, or even as a Christian, may throttle back on what they say in person, the on-line social media is a whole other arena in which everything you post is out there for all to see.  It is sad to see how many people on my “friends” list use everything from mildly suggestive to downright obscene language in their posts and comments.  Everything is tagged with “lol” and we’re supposed to just laugh it off because it wasn’t meant to be serious.  I’ve heard it all.  “Get a life.”  “It’s no big deal.”  “Everyone talks like that — it doesn’t mean anything.”  “Times have changed.”  “What century are you living in?”  And on it goes.  The truth is, I can’t control what anyone writes, says, or finds funny — except for myself.  While it may be tempting at times to throw out words for shock value or laugh at things I know are inappropriate, God continues to call me to be pure in HEART and part of that calling is to live with purity in my humor.

Jesus says that what is in the heart is what comes out of the mouth.  The words that we use — whether in speech or writing — provide a window to our very heart and soul.  What we find funny, and the things we view as humorous, tells a lot about who we really are inside.  Yes, laughter really is good medicine but as we seek to be pure in heart, we really must pay close attention to seeking and having great purity in our humor.

I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

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2 Samuel: Lesson 7 — Are You Sure That’s The Right Way?

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 7 (Are You Sure That’s The Right Way?)
2 Samuel 6

The Text:

  1. Where did David and his men go?  What was their purpose?  How many of them were there?  What was significant about this task?
    –
  2. What did they do with the ark of God?  Who was guiding it?  What were David and the house of Israel doing?  What happened at the threshing floor of Nacon?  Why?
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  3. What reaction did David have to God’s action?  What did he do with the ark?  Why?  How long did this remain?
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  4. What news came to David about the household of Obed-Edom?  What did he decide to do?  How was this task done?  What were David and the house of Israel doing during this event?
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  5. How did Michal feel about what David was doing?  What did David do when the ark was set in the place prepared for it?  How did Michal greet David when he returned home?  What was his response?
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The Application:

  1. How far have you ever travelled to retrieve something of value to you?  Did anyone go with you?  What was the atmosphere of the trip?  If you’ve never done so, how do you think it would feel to make such a trip?
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  2. How does it feel to regain possession of something that may have been lost, misplaced, or taken from you?  Have you ever given your very best to a task only to discover you were doing it wrong?  How did you feel?  Do you think God values obedience?
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  3. How would you respond if it felt like you were being punished for doing something good just because you did it in different way than expected?  Are there times that you “avoid” God because you’re angry or fearful of Him?
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  4. How do reports of the goodness of God to others make you feel?  Do reminders of God’s goodness draw you back to Him?  What things might drive you to do things God’s way?  How excited are you for God’s presence to be with you?
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  5. Does the worship others offer God bother you?  Do you let others dictate how you worship?  What effect does your worship have on how you treat others?
    –

Next Week: A Godly Conversation
2 Samuel 7

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Pure In HEART

I had a song running through my head today . . . or at least a line from a song that took up residence in my mind for the day.  🙂  I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I think there is a lot that can go into that, but here are five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart.

  • Pure in Humor — “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Ephesians 5:2-5
  • Pure in Eyes — Remember the old church preschool song?  “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see . . .”.   “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.  Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”  Psalm 119:36-37  “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”  Matthew 18:9
  • Pure in Attitude — “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”  Ephesians 4:22-24
  • Pure in Relationships — ” Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”  1 Timothy 5:1-2
  • Pure in Teaching — “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.  Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”  2 Timothy 1:13-14

There’s the basic outline and a handful of scriptures that God is giving me to flesh out into a sermon. 🙂  I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

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Happiness Is The LORD

Happiness seems to be a character trait, or commodity, that is high on many people’s wish list.  In America, we’ve even been taught that it is one of our “inalienable rights” along with life and liberty — the pursuit of happiness.  Against that backdrop it may seem strange that the Bible seems to say very little about happiness — at least about our version of happiness.

I preached a sermon tonight based out of Matthew 25 with a focus on the statement of the master, “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!”  I have to state up front, as I did in the sermon itself, that I’m not sure why God would have me preach this particular message in public when it is an area that I have struggled with greatly.  I think what it comes down to is that the key to happiness is probably not what we usually think it is and happiness itself likely doesn’t look like what we think it ought to.

The title for this post, and the sermon, came from a song that God stuck in my head the entire week.  It didn’t matter how I felt or my perceived level of happiness, this song kept running through my mind and I would find myself singing it in my heart even when, as the song states, the tears would fall.

“Happiness is to know the Saviour, living a life within His favor, having a change in my behavior, happiness is the LORD!  . . . Real joy is mine no matter if the tear drops start, I’ve found the secret, it’s Jesus in my heart.”

As I meshed the story of the three servants in Matthew 25 and the response of the master to their actions with the first verse and chorus of the song, God gave me the following points to go with the word, “LORD”.

  • Happiness is the Learning — The servants who eventually heard the well done and were invited into their master’s happiness were the ones who had “learned” the master.  The song puts it to “know the Saviour”.  Real happiness requires that we put everything we have into pursuit of God.  When we seek him, we will find him when we seek him with our whole heart.  How much desire do I have to know God?  How much effort do I put into learning who God is, how much He loves me, how much He loves people?  Happiness is the learning of who God really is and how much everything real is centered in Him.
  • Happiness is the Obedience — The servants who were welcomed into their master’s happiness not only learned the desires and will of the master, they were obedient to it.  The second phrase of the song says, “living a life within His favor”.  It is hard to imagine living in God’s favor without putting serious effort and intent into living obediently to His will and purpose.  Jesus said, “why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things that I say?”.  Happiness is living in obedience to God’s will and purpose — a will and purpose that we learn more accurately as we pursue Him wholeheartedly.
  • Happiness is the Repentance — The third servant in the story missed out on the welcome into his master’s happiness because he chose to hold onto his belief regarding the behavior and attitude of his master.  He seemed to forget who the master was, who the servant was, and the difference between the two.  The song states that part of happiness is “having a change in my behavior”.  Change in my behavior comes when I repent of doing things my way and according to my understanding and start doing them God’s way and trust Him to have my best interest in mind.  Happiness comes when I repent — when I turn away from my selfish will and desire and turn to fully following God in complete trust.
  • Happiness is the Destination — The culmination of my learning, obedience, and repentance is the destination of sharing in my Master’s happiness.  It’s the destination that brings about the real joy that can be present “even when the tear drops start”.  You see, while real happiness comes in what many would consider an unconventional manner — a relationship with Jesus — it also comes in an appearance that doesn’t always look like what people think happiness should be.  Happiness comes when I am secure in my relationship with Jesus and can look forward with great expectation to hearing those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!”

I pray that you and I would find true happiness in the LORD!

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Opened Doors, Closed Doors, and Granted Favor

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Nehemiah 1:11

I am in the process of looking for a plow truck (similar to the one pictured above, although a V-Plow would be nice 🙂 ) for Michiana Christian Service Camp.  Searching for a used vehicle can be quite nerve-wracking — particularly when it is for a ministry and you are even more acutely aware of the need to be a good steward of funds God has provided.  I want something durable, reliable, and with no hidden or unseen problems that will serve us well for years to come.  With that said, I realize even the best mechanic can’t see inside an engine, transmission, or other major component and predict its longevity with complete accuracy.

That’s where I think the above verse comes in to this process. 🙂  Some may say, “What does God care about a truck, or buildings, or other “stuff” that a camp may need?”  Yet it is in the context of “stuff” that Nehemiah prays!  He receives word that his Jewish brethren living in Judah are in great need.  The walls of Jerusalem have been broken down and the city gates have been burned.  Nehemiah is concerned for the physical needs of the people and the city.  So, in his position as cupbearer to the king, he knows that the resources exist to help.  I believe he also knows that this process could go extremely well or could be an incredible disaster — kind of like buying a used truck. 🙂

So, Nehemiah does what we all ought to do when faced with a decision — pray!  While he knew the person who could provide everything that was needed, he also knew the God that could move the heart of the king to respond favorably!  Nehemiah didn’t rely on his connections, influence, or ability to convince the king to do what was needed.  Instead he prayed that God would give him success by granting him favor in the king’s presence.  In essence, he is praying that God would open doors that needed to be opened and close doors that needed to be closed in order for the needs of the Israelite people in Jerusalem to be met.  His success was connected to God granting him favor.  Did you catch that?  It wasn’t that the king would grant him favor but that God would grant him favor!  The king was simply part of the resources that God was providing to a servant who was faithfully seeking Him.

So I pray!  I pray that God will give me success in this plow truck search by Him granting me favor in the presence of the seller of just the right truck to serve the camp needs!  I pray that He continues to close doors of potential truck sellers that would be bad for the camp and that He would open the door clearly to the seller of the truck that God knows would be best for the camp!  Would you join me in praying that God would give me success by Him granting me favor in the presence of the right seller?

Thank you!

Update:  . . . and here is what God provided — If you can’t tell from the picture, it is a V-Plow!

plow truck

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2 Samuel: Lesson 6 — Conquering King

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 6 (Conquering King)
2 Samuel 5

The Text:

  1. Who comes to see David at Hebron?  What do they say about their past leadership?  What had God said?  What agreement was reached?  How long did it last?
    –
  2. Who was living in Jerusalem?  Why did David go to Jerusalem?  What did the residents think about David’s plan?  What was David’s response?
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  3. What did David call Jerusalem?  What did he do there?  How was it accomplished?  What did the king of Tyre do for David?  Who did David credit for what was  happening?  Why was it being done?
    –
  4. What was the Philistines response to hearing David was king over all Israel?  Where did David go?  What did he do there?  What did he learn?
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  5. What happened at Baal Perazim?  What did David and his men take from there?  When the Philistines returned, what did David do?  What instructions was he given?  What happened?

The Application:

  1. How would it feel to have unanimous, or nearly unanimous, support of people willing to support you as a leader?  How does it feel to have your past accomplishments recognized by people who didn’t seem to appreciate them at the time?  What things give a leader longevity?
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  2. How does it feel to be completely disrespected?  How easily do statements of people discourage you from doing what you set out to do?  How can you stay motivated to accomplish a difficult task when others think it is impossible?
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  3. What do you call yours?  How much attention and care do you give to what is yours?  Why do you put whatever effort into it that you do?  How did you come about obtaining whatever it is that you possess?
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  4. Are there ever people in your life who seem to be completely set against you succeeding?  What do you do when they come against you?
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  5. Is it possible that the idols of your enemies could become a stumbling block to you?  Do you tend to settle for one answer from God that should solve all your battles?

Next Week: Are You Sure That’s The Right Way?
2 Samuel 6

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Crossing The Red Sea

During our church gathering this morning, the preacher asked how we would have crossed the Red Sea if we had been one of the Israelite people when God opened up the sea for their escape from the Egyptian army.  His suspicion is that we would all have approached it like he would have — very cautiously, testing the ground and the walls of water with hesitancy and fear before fully heading out and getting through the unknown “bottom of the sea” territory as quickly as possible.  I would guess that’s more true than I would like it to be.  I like to think I would put my hand in the wall of water — running it up and down, making patterns with my fingers as I walked along — but somehow, I think fear would have kept me from touching it.

The real question, though, was not what would I have done but what do I do now when life appears to be a desert with no way of escape and God opens up a “sea” in front of me and says, “Step right in!”  Do I trust Him enough to do it?  How hesitant are my steps?  How much do I enjoy the journey and how much do I just hurry through — trying to get this part over with as soon as possible because who knows how long God will continue to hold up the “walls”?

Yet that is primarily just theory — the what would you, what if questions that have unproven answers until actually put to the test.  The hard part came through another set of questions — “What is the “sea” in front of you and will you be still long enough to see and trust God’s way through it?”.  Wow!  Is there something in front of me that is preventing me from escaping my past that God wants me to be still long enough to be able to see His path through it?  Is there a path that He has already opened for me but fear and logic has kept me from even considering it?

These were the hard questions this morning and I don’t have answers to them.  The only answer I know is to seek God more fully and learn to trust Him completely.  There’s an old chorus that I remember from years ago that goes something like this: “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through, God specializes in things thought impossible, He does the things others cannot do.”

I pray that you and I would consider the surroundings of our life and remember what God has called us to.  When there appears to be a sea in front of us, may we be quiet before the LORD long enough to hear and see the path that He will make and may we be courageous enough to walk through it with Him.

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2 Samuel: Lesson 5 — Look What I Did!

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 5 (Look What I Did!)
2 Samuel 4

The Text:

  1. What effect did the death of Abner have on Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, and all of Israel?
    –
  2. Who were Baanah and Recab?  How were they connected to the people of Israel?  Who was Mephibosheth?  What do we know about him?  How did he become crippled?
    –
  3. Where did Recab and Baanah go?  What did they pretend to do?  What was their real purpose?  What did they accomplish?
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  4. What did Recab and Baanah take to David?  What was their message to him?  What seems to be their expectation?
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  5. How did David take the news that was given to him?  How does he describe what took place?  What does he order to be done?
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The Application:

  1. On whom, or what, is your courage based?  What events would cause you to lose your courage?  Are there people whose loss of courage would cause you to be alarmed?  Are there people who would be alarmed if you were to lose your courage?
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  2. What are some things that would make you feel more, or less, connected to a group?  What harm comes from being disconnected and/or disillusioned?  Are there people who are easy to overlook because they seem to have nothing to offer?  Is that right?
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  3. How desperate are you to get ahead in life?  Are there people who you believe stand between you and success?  How do you treat them?
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  4. Do you ever expect to be rewarded for something that seems to help someone else even though it was done in a wrong manner?  Do you reward, or honor, activity that helps you even if the activity was wrong?
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  5. How would you respond to the falling, or even death, of someone who lives as your adversary or in opposition to you?  How can you live with integrity and honor, even with your enemies?
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Next Week: Conquering King
2 Samuel 5