Author: Tom

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Seventy Times Seven

Patience and forgiveness — how connected are they in your life?  As I consider these two qualities of God, I wonder if it is even possible to separate them. 

I think of the time Peter asks Jesus, “how many times should I forgive someone who sins against me?  Up to seven times?”  The response of Jesus seems to indicate that Peter missed the whole point of forgiveness.  True forgiveness — mercy — is undeserved each and every time it is given.  There is not a tally sheet that says I will forgive you this time because you are still within your limit and therefore deserve my forgiveness.  No, Jesus says to forgive seventy times seven — or some translations would say, seventy-seven times.  Either way, that principle is not setting up a score card, rather it is emphasizing the patience required in the act of forgiveness.

Think about the connection.  Consider yourself.  Would people say that you are a forgiving person?  Yes or no, does that answer not also fit the question, “are you a patient person”?  Patient people forgive.  Forgiving people must be patient.  Does forgiving in the manner and frequency taught by Jesus require patience?  Absolutely!  Does living out the fruit of the Spirit in practicing patience (long-suffering) with one another require forgiveness?  Without a doubt!

Look at your life a little closer and more deeply and you begin to see the patience of God at work.  Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 1:15-17:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”

How patient must God be with mankind — with you and me?  Do we want God to quit forgiving after the seventh time we ask?  Or even after the 490th time (70 x 7)?  I don’t think so!  I know I don’t want Him to.  God’s patience is defined by His mercy, both undeserved so that we know without a doubt it is all Him and none of our doing when we are saved.  God suffers long with us, not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.  It is God’s patience that can take a man like Paul, or me, and show mercy to him in order that the purpose of Jesus coming into the world might be accomplished — to save sinners.

Paul wants you and I to know that no one need be without hope.  Yes, the justice of God with His wrath and judgement will come but His very nature of patience and mercy says that He is willing to forgive and forgive, longing for each person to believe in Him and accept His mercy. 

I am thankful that God is patient.  As he works in my life — in this jar of clay that I’ve made available to Him — He is patient and works with loving care bringing the hard and brittle surfaces of my life to a point of softness and flexibility.  His patience allows Him to form me more and more into the image of His Son, Jesus, while not breaking or destroying me.  I pray daily and thank God for His patience with me.  He has not given up, though there have been many times — okay, daily times that he probably should have by man’s evaluation.  But God is not man and man is not God so His patience forms me, carries me, equips me, prods me, challenges me, and changes me into what He desires this lump of clay to be.

May you and I appreciate the patience of God on a daily basis.  May we seek to live obediently and not “try the patience” of God by the things we do and say.

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A Hidden Warrior

What might God call you that would be completely unexpected?  Perhaps He calls you a teacher, a friend, a giver, a speaker, a missionary, an encourager, a helper, a servant, a preacher, a politician, a unifier, a difference-maker, or some other thing that would make you say, “You’ve got to be kidding me!  That’s not what I am.  There is no way I could do that!”

I love the story of Gideon found in Judges chapter 6 and following.  He can relate to God having a different view of you than you have of yourself.  In the context, the nation of Israel has been experiencing severe oppression for seven years as judgment from God for their evil ways.  Finally, the nation cries out to God for relief and help because the desolation and destruction caused by the Midianites is so severe.  God hears their cries and His initial response is to send a prophet who speaks the Word of God to them and tells them that they have brought the judgment upon themselves because they have refused to listen to God.

I have to believe that there was some kind of repentant spirit or action that is not written because the next step of God’s response is an angel of the Lord appearing to Gideon.  Gideon is found in a winepress but he is not pressing out grapes, he is hiding his wheat crop and threshing out grain hoping the Midianites will not find him or his crop and destroy it.  Then God shows up with the unexpected greeting, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”  Gideon’s response is classic.  Does it sound familiar to you? — What! . . . Mighty warrior? . . . The Lord is with me? . . . I don’t think so!  Gideon not only could not see himself as a mighty warrior, he definitely didn’t see God as “with him”.  He challenges this messenger of God, believing that the nation could not be in the condition it is in if God were truly close by.  No, God had evidently abandoned them and given them over to the Midianites.

Yet, even in his doubt and fear, Gideon wants to believe.  When God tells Gideon that he is to go and save Israel out of Midian’s hand, Gideon wants it to happen but doubts his ability to get it done.  After all, he is not only of the weakest clan in all of Israel, he sees himself as the weakest person in his entire family.  His thoughts seem to go along the line, “Okay, maybe You do want to finally rescue us, but I cannot be the person that accomplishes that.”  God’s response is, “Of course not!  I will be with you!  I’ve called you ‘mighty warrior’ because I am close at hand.  Go in the strength you have — the strength you have is Me!”

Gideon is known for a variety of things and mighty warrior is not often one of them.  He is known for his “testing” of God.  The original “putting out the fleece” idea seems to be his.  I think Gideon knew himself and his ability but still wanted God to act and rescue the nation.  Gideon knew that if God wasn’t really with him, it would be a very short rescue effort.  Somewhere in the process, Gideon learned to trust God.  He doesn’t seem to balk when God reduces his army to a mere 300 men.  He goes along with God’s plan for the battle and arms each of his men with a trumpet and a torch covered by a clay jar.  I have to tell you, that this battle plan sounds even crazier than the Jericho battle plan, yet Gideon and his men faithfully carry it out.  As Gideon and his men surround the enemy camp, they blow their trumpets, smash the clay jars exposing the torches, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”  Then God does His work.  The Midianites turn on one another with their swords and take off in full retreat pursued by the Israelites.  God’s “mighty warrior” lived up to his name, not by his power, might or wisdom, but by obediently following the God that was with him.

So, what about you and me?  When God calls you to teach a group of junior high students about him and you feel you can’t, do you hear Him saying, “I am with you”?  Or when your neighbor or coworker needs an encouraging word and a representative of Jesus to speak truth to them, do you hear Him saying, “I am with you”?  Years ago, when I was in my early twenties, I dropped out of college because they were requiring me to take a speech class.  I was so terrified of people that the thought of speaking in front of the class was too much to consider.  Out of that context, a number of years later God clearly stated within my life that I was to be a spokesman for Him.  My reaction was similar to Gideon’s.  “You’ve got to be kidding!  There is no way that I can speak to people publicly or individually.  People scare me.  It’s impossible, I can’t do it.”  That is when God spoke to me, “I know you can’t do it, but I am with you.  Go in the strength that you have — Me!”  And so I’ve gone.  Hesitantly at first, “testing” God and affirming that He is indeed close at hand.  Slowly learning that life must be lived in complete obedience, even when I don’t understand the plan.  I was a “hidden spokesman”.  I can’t do it, but God continues to do it through me.

May you hear God’s words to you that seem so unexpected and impossible and realize that He is with you.  His closeness allows Him to see you in ways that you cannot see yourself.  As you trust Him to be the strength that you have, He will do what He calls you to.  May you know the closeness of God that both sees and equips you to be what He has created you to be.

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Nailing Down Your God

This week in our study, “A View From The Top:  What Does God Say?”, we are looking at the characteristic of God that He is close.  Monday’s scripture was Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Isaiah writes this in the context of contrast.  Earlier in chapter 41, he describes the collaborative effort of making of an idol.  Different craftsmen and skilled individuals are involved in various aspects of forming this idol while the last person “nails down the idol so it will not topple.”  God goes on to say that He is not like that.  The God of Israel was not made by committee, rather it was He who gathered His people to Himself and called them His own.  This was an important contrast because God is a living God that is with us — that is close at hand to strengthen and help in the midst of adversity. 

This message that God was giving through Isaiah is a message of hope.  God’s closeness in times of hardship and trouble should calm our fear and erase our worry.  As much as we may strive to put God in a box or nail Him down so that He stays where we think He belongs, it can’t really be done.  The “box” of the grave and the nails in a cross were unable to contain the living God.  It is this God that I worship and serve.  It is this God who is close to me when I recognize it and when I don’t. 

God doesn’t need me to prop Him up or nail Him down.  In fact, it is just the opposite.  I am the one who needs God to prop me up and nail me down so that I do not topple.  It is I who need God to plant my feet on solid ground so that I do not stumble.  The God that is close can do that. 

May you and I quit trying to nail down our God — if we can accomplish that, then our god is not “the” God.  May we draw near to Him and find that He is closer than we think.

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Preaching/Teaching Trip

Meramec Springs Cross

The above picture was taken from a scenic overlook at the Meramec Springs Park near St. James, Missouri.  I was able to spend a few days in Missouri with my family this past weekend as I was the mission speaker at the Waynesville First Christian Church in Waynesville, MO.  On Sunday morning, I was able to introduce the mission of Impact Prayer Ministry to the congregation and answer a few questions they had.  I also taught during their Sunday School hour on “A Foundation For Life” and preached a message, “Active Faith”, during the worship service.  They are a gracious congregation seeking to make Christ known in their area and around the world.

As I mentioned, my family was able to join me on this trip so we took a couple of days to enjoy some of the scenery of the Ozark mountains.  On Saturday, we visited Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  The name itself made me want to go check it out and when I read the description of the park, I knew it was a “must see”.  The park contains the shell of a “castle” built on an incredible bluff overlooking the rolling hills of the area.  While that was impressive, the real beauty was the natural features found in the trails and roads through the park.

On Sunday evening, after I had rested from the morning’s work, we went to Meramec Springs Park in nearby St. James.  We were able to enjoy a beautiful evening walk along the waterway flowing from the spring to the river.  A waterway filled with trout and trout fishermen.  There was also an interesting “historic drive” that took us to an incredible overlook of the park and surrounding area.  This park is owned and operated by a private foundation and was a great find.

On the way home, we stopped at the St. Louis Zoo.  Not only was this zoo impressive with its layout and variety of animals, it is free!  We had our membership pass from the Potawatomi Zoo and anticipated a reciprocal agreement that would get us in with the pass, but found out that wasn’t even necessary — it is free admission to everyone.  The main parking lot does cost $10, but there is some limited on street parking that is free if you don’t mind parking a little ways away.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I thoroughly enjoyed our family time together and the walks, hikes, and drives we were able to take.  I loved being able to teach, preach, and meet some of the folks from the Waynesville church.  I pray that my time with them was an encouragement and help to them as it was to me.

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Are You Thankful?

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Where did November go?  Christmas is just around the corner.  Excitement fills the air as the temperature grows colder and stores fill their aisles with the sights and sounds of Christmas.  Attention is drawn toward decorating and gifts.  But wait.  . . . Could this be true?  . . . My calendar would indicate that  Christmas is still two months away.  Yes, it is true!  I haven’t lost November after all.  All of this Christmas decoration that has been going on for weeks in October has had me confused.  You see, I believe that the commercialization of Christmas has caused us to overlook another holiday of great  importance, Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving holiday can give us a chance to reflect on our year and our life and recall the many reasons we have to be thankful.  As we apply the Word of God to our life, Thanksgiving reminds us to put into practice the verses above.  Thanksgiving isn’t simply about being thankful for the things in life that have gone our way, but being thankful in all circumstances.  Many Christians spend great amounts of time and effort to try to determine God’s will for their life, yet they fail to put into practice specific items that God directly says is His will for us.

How about you?  Are you a thankful person?  Would your spouse, parent, child, or another person close to you say that you are a thankful person? 

I pray that you do not overlook Thanksgiving this year and that you determine to be a thankful person each and every day that God gives to you.  As God’s people live thankful lives, the joy and enthusiasm of being a Christian spreads to those around us.

Thankfully serving Christ,

Tom

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Justice Is Served

Justice is a topic that offended parties like to talk about.  Victims and their advocates often gather in the court of public opinion and make statements such as, “this isn’t personal, we simply want to see justice served.”  I can’t speak for all such comments, but I suspect that many are not quite completely honest.  Particularly in cases where we can not see our self ever being the offending party in the way that “they” are.  We want more than justice — we want an example to be made out of them.  Show people once and for all that the offense committed simply will not be tolerated. 

A number of years ago, my vehicle was hit by a drunk driver.  My family and I walked away with no real injuries, but my Bronco II was totaled.  The insurance on the truck he was driving paid for my replacement vehicle (another Bronco II) and even gave us a small amount for the inconveniences and trauma of the collision.  But that wasn’t enough!  I wanted to see this man punished for what he put us through.  Over a two year span, I did what I could to see this case prosecuted in the county court system.  I would show up for his court dates to give a “victim’s impact statement” and he would not be there.  Not only was that frustrating to the judge and prosecutor, it was another reason in my mind to pursue “justice” in this case no matter how long it took.  I don’t know exactly when it happened and I don’t think there was anything that specifically triggered it, but one day I simply decided I was wasting too much time and energy trying to pursue “justice” in a case when I wasn’t really wanting justice, I was seeking revenge.  I already had justice.  My loss that he had caused had already been restored.  The damage done to me had been resolved.  The crime he had committed in the drunk driving collision was under the jurisdiction of the county, not me.  Justice for him was between he and the authorities, not between he and I.  It was their place to decide, so I quit calling and checking on the case progress.  I have no idea if they ever found him and what became of the drunk driving case.  I do know that I let go of my anger and my desire for revenge so that justice could be served.

If we define justice as “getting what we deserve”, the question quickly comes to my mind; “Who decides what I deserve?”.  In the case of this drunk driver, I wanted to decide what he deserved.  That is usually the case, isn’t it?  We like justice if we get to decide what that is.  Paul writes in the third chapter of Romans about God demonstrating His justice.  The thought of God handing out justice — of you and I getting what we deserve from God — should make us sit up and take notice.  We may even ask, “What do I deserve from God?”  I would say that depends — it depends on what you allow to define what you deserve.

In Romans 3:21-26, Paul lays out for us how God can demonstrate His justice and we can still have hope.  Here is what he says:

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Paul indicates two ways of defining justice.  One is through the law.  This is the definition we are most familiar with — and frankly the one we most like to see used on “others”.  Simply put, we say “you do the crime, you do the time”.  Under the law, justice is spelled out through a series of “if/then’s” — if you do this, then this is the punishment or consequence.  God’s law is really a fairly basic if/then — if you sin, then you will die!  Oh, and just in case anyone begins to think they’ve done pretty well, I just might make it, God makes it clear in verse 23 that all have sinned.  Justice under the law?  I think I’ll look for something else.

Fortunately, Paul says there is hope — there is a righteousness apart from the law through faith in Jesus.  God was able to do this by presenting His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for sin.  Justice demanded that payment for sin be made.  Jesus made that payment on our behalf so that by His grace through faith, we could be justified.  God’s justice says that sin will be punished.  It also says that faith in His Son, Jesus, will bring forgiveness.  The only way God could reconcile those two aspects of His nature was through the death of Jesus.  His death allowed God to be just and punish sin, and it also allowed God to justify and bring forgiveness to those who accept His grace through faith.

May you and I be encouraged that while justice is served, it has been served in a way that allows us to be justified even when we don’t deserve it.

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Tornado Damage Cleanup

Wow!  I was privileged to participate in a massive cleanup effort today.  I grew up near the Nappanee, Indiana area that was hard hit by a tornado on Thursday evening.  When I saw the notice in the South Bend paper on Saturday that volunteers were needed to help with cleanup on Sunday, I knew I had to go. 

I’m not sure anyone anticipated the response that was given by the surrounding communities.  I’ve read a report tonight that those in charge of the cleanup effort were expecting, or hoping for, about 1,000 people.  Estimates of those who helped, and those who tried to help far exceed that number.  I had a pretty good idea that the response was overwhelming when it took me an hour to drive the 5 or 6 miles between Wakarusa and Nappanee.  Traffic was inching along toward the Northwood High School parking lot where the volunteer work crews were to be sent out from.  Once I did arrive at the school parking lot, I joined a massive line of people waiting to board a bus for transportation to a work site.  Bus after bus arrived to be filled to capacity with people and then head off for an area of devastation needing cleaned up.  I finally moved forward enough that I would make the next series of arriving buses. 

That is when the announcement came.  There were no longer any safe areas left to transport people to.  The remaining crowd, which was still quite numerous, were told, “thank you for your willingness to help, but we don’t have work for any more people.”  Wow!  All of this devastation and more than enough people to meet the current need.  The crowd broke into applause; knowing that while they wouldn’t help today, it was a day to celebrate the outpouring of assistance being given.  And so, people quickly and quietly left.  They had come to work, to express their compassion, and to give of themselves.  For what some are estimating to be a couple thousand people, the thought and intention had to be enough.

As one of those being turned away, I wasn’t so sure it was enough for me.  While most of the multitude left quickly, I stood there — part in disbelief, part in wonder, and more in prayer and listening to God.  You see, I was confident on Saturday that it was His voice that was telling me I needed to be here today.  So, what’s with being sent home?  As I was reflecting and listening, I noticed a group of people getting on one of the empty buses that had returned from a cleanup area.  I quickly went over to see what was up and found out that the officials in the field had just radioed in that they could use another bus load of volunteers at the BP gas station site.  As I made my way to board the bus, the driver stopped the people in front of me and said we had to wait, the bus may be full.  Everyone in front of me had part of their group already on the bus, so they were allowed on.  Then it is the driver telling me that the bus is full.  I don’t know if it was a look of disappointment, or simply the hand of God, but she then stated that if I was by myself and didn’t mind sitting three to a seat with people already on the bus, I could get on.  I was on before she could change her mind.  As we pulled away, I thanked God for the hesitation I had that kept me at the right place to do the work He had for me.

Our work site was centered at what everyone called the BP station, although what signs were left seemed to indicate it had most recently been a Marathon station.  It isn’t either of them now, it is simply several piles of rubble waiting to be hauled off.  The canopy over the pumps was still partially there, but the building that used to house the convenience store was no longer in existence.  Our group picked up chunks of drywall and insulation that used to be part of the store from an adjoining property.  We would pile debris in huge mounds so that it could more easily be scooped up and loaded onto dump trucks for removal.  The remains of the building itself were gone through and piled into heaps of lumber and twisted metal framing.  It was satisfying to know that my day was useful and the path to recovery for this site had advanced at least another step.

While the devastation from this tornado was immense, the willingness of people to help was even greater.  It has often been said that a tragedy will show what a person, community, region, or even nation is made of.  From all appearances today, the destructiveness of this tornado was met with an even greater power in the response of people to care, share, and bear one another’s burdens.  How many came out to help?  My guess is that it is innumerable!  The bus driver on the way back to the school when we were done said that they had 22 buses running that each made 4 trips full of people out to work sites.  She stated that a full bus of adults would average about 50 people.  By my math, that would have had over 4,000 people who made it out to a cleanup site to work.  In addition to those who were able to help, there were hundreds, if not thousands, who waited in all of the lines only to be turned away.  Who knows how many others responded to the call for help but gave up when the wait appeared to be too long.  During my hour drive for those last 5 miles, many cars were doing u-turns and going somewhere else.  The wait was too much for them, or more likely, they decided the response was more than adequate to meet the need.  Either way, they made some effort but weren’t able to fully participate.

I think I had a point when I started to write this, but now I think it is more just chronicling my day.  It was so rewarding to give of myself and of my energy.  I was able to physically help and also had ample opportunity to pray on-site as I was cleaning up debris.  It was good to work together with people I had never met before and to talk with some of them about the prayer ministry God is doing through me.  All in all, it was a great day of serving God by helping others.

Pray for the community of Nappanee and the surrounding area as the rebuilding and recovery will take quite some time.  The National Weather Service states that this tornado was on the ground for 20 miles beginning just west of Bourbon and finally lifting a little south of Goshen with Nappanee right in the middle of that.  While the city of Nappanee will get the most publicity because of the amount of destruction there, the path of damage really stretches out over that entire 20 mile path.  Pray that people will not forget the “good neighbor” attitudes that were abundant this weekend.  Pray that you and I will always be attentive to what God would have us do and that we would be obedient to that direction.

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I Confess!

I love crime investigation shows.  Cue up some old re-runs of Columbo, Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, or some of the newer shows like CSI, Cold Case, or Without A Trace, and I am in another world trying to keep up with — or get ahead of — the ongoing investigation and figure out “who did it”.  Most of these shows wrap up with a tidy “confession” of some sort by the guilty party.  A confession that does not necessarily shed new light on the case, but a confession that is an agreement that what they are being accused of is true.  An out of the blue “confession” to a crime by a person who is not a suspect does happen occasionally, both on the shows and in real life, but that is not the usual case or practice of confession in our legal society.  More often than not, it is an attempt to clear the conscience after the facts have been laid out so well that there is no doubt the suspect will be proven guilty. 

That is really the way confession works between us and God — and between us and our fellow man.  It is a matter of taking responsibility for our actions.  Admitting to our self what God already knows.  It is agreeing with an offended person that we have offended them.  It is acknowledging the sin in our life that God has been convicting us of and He has made it obvious to us so that we would agree with Him about our sinful state.

Our text yesterday in the “God Is Faithful” part of “The View From The Top: What Does God Say?” study I am doing, was 1 John 1:9.  Picking up the context with verse 8, it says this:

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

What a powerful passage!  Verses 8 and 10 pack the punch that makes it clear we are not exempt from the need for verse 9.  If we read verse 9 and immediately come up with a list of people who ought to confess their sins, we miss the point of this scripture.  John writes that any claim to have no sin to confess is simply us deceiving our self.  Not only that, but if we wish to continue in that claim, we make God out to be a liar.  Throughout scripture, and through His Holy Spirit, God has laid out the proof that He has that you and I have sinned.  As He lays out His proof, His request is for us to confess this sin — agree with Him that He is right and the sin that He has called us on is, or has been, present in our life.

And what a wonderful promise!  If we do that — if we confess our sins — He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.  Wow!  To throw myself on the mercy of this court is a sure solution to what is otherwise a very bad verdict.  As judge, God’s desire is to have the lowest “incarceration” rate ever.  As judge, God says, “If you agree with me about your sin, I can take care of it.”  God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.  God knows that agreeing with Him about our sin is a critical step in our turning from that sin.  As we begin that process of repentance by confessing our sin, we can have confidence in a God who is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.

May you and I choose to not walk in denial before God.  May we confess our sins to Him and count on His faithfulness to forgive us and cleanse us — transforming us into the new creations He has called us to be.