Whatever Your Age, You are Usable

Tears filled my eyes on Sunday morning as one of our church members gave the sermon. Larry is a retired pastor, having served God for many decades. His love for God shone through. His love for the Word of God was in every word he spoke.

His points and depth weren't spectacular but we didn't mind. This would most likely be the last time Larry would preach. He's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and has begun the decline into the valley. But for this one last time, Larry blessed us by encouraging us to be thankful and praise God regardless of our circumstances.

Whatever our age, whatever our physical health, each of us is usable, valuable, and worthwhile to God. Psalm 92: 14 assures us, "They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green." (NASB).

Our society and culture does not value age. In all honesty, I wouldn't volunteer to help at a nursing home. But God values each and every day of our lives until the last moment when we join Him in heaven.

Thank you, friend Larry, for speaking to me this past Sunday.

My Friend is Enjoying Heaven

Larry and I visited our friend, Jenny, a week ago Monday and we knew her time on earth was short. For five years she had courageously battled cancer and now the Lord was calling her home. Morphine eased her pain but also made it difficult for her to open her eyes. She could barely smile and no longer speak. It broke our hearts to see her, but we were so glad we could hold her hands and kiss her cheek. We knew it would be the last time we saw her on this earth.

Three days later, on Thursday morning at 7:30am, I continued praying for God's mercy and peace for her and her family. Then I sensed the Lord whisper, "It's all right, she's with Me." Not sure whether I'd just imagined it, I discounted it. Yet, at 9am, we received the long-awaited text from her husband that Jenny had entered heaven at 7am that morning. I rejoiced that her struggle was over. Jenny was with Jesus.

Later we found out that with Jenny's last breath, her eyes popped open in amazement and she smiled broadly. Then she was gone, running into Jesus' arms. Absent from the body but present with the Lord.

In the few days since Jenny's graduation into heaven, I've continued my daily readings of Revelation. Suddenly, what the Apostle John records there seems more real. What did Jenny see that made her smile? We don't know for sure. But if not immediately, we know she entered the throne room of heaven where John's account tells us she saw "one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength" (1:13-16 NASB).

What a glorious experience for her, and some day for every one of us who have their sins washed clean in Jesus' redemptive blood.

As Jenny's family grieves and as we grieve for ourselves and for them, how wonderful to claim 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope" (NASB).

Our grief is understandable; even Jesus grieved with Lazarus' family. But we grieve with hope, knowing we will see her again and that she is happier enjoying heaven than she ever was in life on this earth.

I miss and will miss my friend, Jenny. I wish I could call her right now. Her creativity, her visionary mind, her passion for Christ, and her love for her family inspired and encouraged me. I'm so glad she was my friend. And I look forward to seeing her again.

When I relayed the news of Jenny's astonishment in seeing heaven to my friend, Lynn, she cried out, "It's real! It's real! Heaven is real!" I echo that. Dear friends, it's real! Are you going there after you die?

Watch Out for That Yellow Light!

The other day, my friend ran a red light and will end up paying about $1,000 between the ticket and driving school. Ouch!

It was a wake up call for me. I find myself getting sloppy and trying to edge through the later part of yellow lights. So far, so good, but my friend's experience reminded me that not only can it be costly, it can also be dangerous. She was so grateful that no one came through the intersection and hit her (or I should say--she hit them).

Then I started thinking about how easy it is to "edge" into sin. I'm always a little doubtful when I hear the rationale of someone who has had an affair:"Well, I didn't intend it to happen; it just happened." Nothing "just happens." There was a sowing by Satan upon fertile ground. James 1:14-15 tells us, "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (NASB).

There is a progression. Unfortunately, sometimes we water the seeds of lust. I still remember from decades ago, a woman telling me how her affair was "watered." "I asked the man to meet me for lunch so that we could talk about why I was attracted to him." I'm not making that up. Guess where the lunch ended? In a hotel room.

But most of us aren't watering the seeds quite that obviously. But watering--we do. And if we're not careful, we will bring forth death.

Also from decades ago, I attended regular meetings of a ministry group, but it rarely worked for Larry to go. I began to notice that as soon as I arrived, one man would immediately make a point to come over and talk specifically with me. His wife's working schedule prevented her from attending. I began to look forward to this man lighting up when I arrived, eager to greet me and talk with me. But then the warning bells began to sound. A part of me didn't want to miss out on feeling special. But in time, when he called on the phone to just chat, I realized I was walking on dangerous ground. I told Larry what I was feeling and what I thought was going on. And I made a point of immediately talking with other people as soon as I arrived at the meeting; thus blocking any private conversation with the other man.

Of course, it may have only been my active imagination that interpreted something that wasn't real. But I'm so glad I was careful. Whether or not the threat was real, I recognized a weak spot within my heart that needed to feel important and special. I determined to make sure that need was met only by the Lord and by Larry.

Are you trying to eek through some kind of "yellow light?" Are you playing with "enticement" or thinking something can't "just happen." I pray we all make a fresh commitment to seeking the Lord for everything we need, rather than substitutes that only lead to death.

Don't Believe Everything You Think!

Something to think about:

Catherine Hart Weber, PhD, writes, "Don't believe everything you think. Learn to question your thoughts, considering alternative, often more realistic, positive ways of thinking and viewing life situations." (From Flourish: Discover the Daily Joy of Abundant, Vibrant Living, pg 142).

I was really hit by that first sentence: "Don't believe everything you think." Why do we think that just because we think something, it's true? Thoughts come from all different sources and because we have an Enemy, they are often accusations from him--Satan. Revelation 12:10 tells us he is our accuser. Why do we cooperate with him?

I often speak of 2 Corinthians 10:5. Are you tired of me speaking and writing about it? But it's so important. "Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." If you think of every thought as an arrow coming toward your mind, you can examine it and ask, "Is this true? Is this the way God wants me to think?"

Then you can receive it and dwell upon it if it is true and if it's not, you can discard it and replace it with the truth.

I'm grateful to Dr. Hart Weber for a very concise way of saying it: "Don't believe everything you think." What have you been thinking lately and is it really from God?

"I'll Never Be Like Her!"

Have you ever found yourself saying something like, "I'll never be like her" or "I always want to be like him!"? I'm sure we all have and it seems like a really good thing to focus on avoiding the mistakes of some and emulating the good points of others. Even the Apostle Paul said, "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." (Philippians 3:17 NASB).

But it was also pointed out to me some time ago that if we only measure ourselves by other people, they become our "plumb line." And unfortunately, other people, even exemplary Christians, are still an imperfect plumb line. Plus, when we start focusing on other people, we can begin to feel either superior or inferior depending upon whether we think they're better than us or worse than us.

And as soon as we use words like "never," or "always," we've made a vow that leaves out God. We've become the judge and jury of what is good and right or bad and wrong. When the person we're emulating falls apart, what happens to our "always be like him"? And when the person who we swore we'd never be like, turns a corner back to the Lord, what happens to that vow? It gets kinda confusing, don't you think?

The Apostle Peter has the best advice: "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps" (I Peter 2:21 NASB).

Peter learned that lesson himself. As a practicing Jew, he had vowed never to eat unclean food. Then while praying, Peter fell into a trance and saw a great sheet coming down with all kinds of unclean animals in it. Within seconds, he was shocked to hear Jesus tell him to kill and eat the animals. Peter said (can't you just hear the vehemence in his voice?), "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."(Act 10:14). You can hear the subtle vow of, "I've sworn I'll never do such a thing because then I'll be unholy." In a sense, through his vow, he was depending upon his behavior to make him righteous before God. Of course, that vow had begun before He knew Jesus as His Savior through grace. Now he knows that only Jesus is The Way, yet, the old vow had never been eliminated. The vow would prevent him from seeing God's next opportunity to minister when Cornelius arrived (read Acts 10). Thankfully, Peter turned from his vow and as a result, his ministry to Gentiles began.

Peter had his eyes on all the legions of Jews who had kept the Law and thought they'd gained righteousness through it. It took three commands from Jesus (vs 16), before Peter heard the truth: "Don't focus on others; keep your eyes on me and what I say is clean or unclean."

The next time you start to say things like, "I'll never be like her," or "I'll always be like him," stop and ponder who should really be your model and "plumb line." Only Jesus offers a perfect example and will never fail before your eyes.

What Does it Take to be a Good and Faithful Servant?

We all know the verse, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." We lump it together and forget that Jesus could have used other words to describe what He was commending. In fact, if we as Americans were to commend someone, the words would be more like:
"Well done, thou hast accomplished a lot."
"Well done, you crossed off all the items on your to-do list."

At least, that's what I would have valued.

But the context of Jesus' statement is the Matthew 25:14-30 passage about the Parable of the Talents. You'll remember that Jesus gave three different people three amounts: 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent "each according to his own ability" (verse 15), and then went on a journey.

First of all, the landowner/Jesus is realistic in His expectations. He didn't expect everyone to be a "five talent" person. He knew their abilities and didn't expect more from them than reasonable.

Then when the five-talent-person earns five more, He says, "well done." When the two-talent-person earns two more, He says, "well done." Only the one who does nothing is not commended.

The "well done" compliment has nothing to do with the amount. This tells me a lot and it goes along with the wording of the affirmation. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Jesus is ultimately commending goodness and faithfulness. Although He mentions the amount earned, His real compliment's focus is on "being" and character, not "doing" and accomplishment. If the comment were about accomplishment, he would have given the five talent person a bigger compliment because that person earned more.

But the five-talent and the two-talent people received equal compliments. They were good and faithful. Goodness, I think, refers to the quality of their heart, their motives. They wanted to please their Master. And faithfulness, I think, refers to their consistency of actions. They weren't deterred from wanting to please their Master. They took action that was consistent with following the Landowner's directions. And they took action even though they risked not knowing what results they would earn. They trusted their Good Landowner's Heart that He would know their own hearts.

The one-talent-person wasn't good and faithful. He wasn't good because his actions were all about protecting himself: "And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground." (verse 25). He didn't trust the Landowner's good heart. He called God "a hard man" (verse 24). His heart and motives were all about himself, not God's glory.

He wasn't faithful because he did nothing. He didn't make any effort, because again, he wanted to protect himself. He didn't risk because he didn't trust the Landowner's good heart to value whatever effort he made, even if he only gained a single talent additional. I even wonder if he had put effort into earning more but somehow the economy suddenly fell, I think the Landowner would have understood. He still would have called him "good and faithful."

I'm still meditating on the messages from this parable and Jesus' commendations. For sure, I'm encouraged to know that Jesus values my heart more than my accomplishments. He sees my desire to please Him, even if things "earn" more or few talents. He wants me to succeed, not so much in results, but in character growth, in spiritual growth, and in expressing the fruit of the Spirit. That is what He values the most.

What speaks to you about these verses?
Do you think the Landowner would have called the one-talent-person "good and faithful" even if he hadn't earned anything additional?

Isn't it amazing how the Word of God speaks to us in deeper and deeper ways every time we seek Him in a passage?

Let me know what you think.