24

Jump Start # 2659

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2659

2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

It happened exactly forty years ago today. It was a Sunday morning. A young twenty-three year old stood behind a pulpit before a crowd of sixty-three people and preached “Compliment but Crucify.” And, in this small southern Illinois community, began a journey of preaching that continues today. That young guy was me. I had been preaching just about every Sunday for two years. It was different places each week. Now I was beginning the journey of being a full-time preacher. Just five years past being baptized I was now embarking on preaching full-time. It was a new career and a journey that I did not know where it would take me. Forty years ago. Forty years ago TODAY.

Since that time, I’ve gotten married, preached in the Indianapolis area for fifteen years. Then I moved to Kansas City for ten years. I’ve been back in southern Indiana, very near some of the places where I once first started preaching, for more than a dozen years.

When I first started, my office was a small, small room where folks changed clothes before they were baptized. I got some cinder blocks and boards to be my bookshelves. Forty years later, my office takes up two rooms, eight file cabinets, and hundreds of notebooks and file folders.

Forty years of preaching and here are some thoughts:

First, preaching remains work. It still takes time to write articles, develop a sermon and present things the way that I want. I don’t believe in short cuts. I don’t believe in just doing things to get by. Every article, every class, every sermon, and now, every podcast, every video—must be the best I can do. Hit a homerun every time, is my thinking. Sometimes one doesn’t. Some times you hit foul balls, grounders and you might even strike out. But you try. You try your best. It’s easy these days to be a lazy preacher. Get on the internet, borrow someone else’s sermon and spend the week goofing off. Not me. I’m not wired that way. God gave His best and I have to do my best. Always. And, when I can’t then it will be time to stop.

Second, people are a fascinating study. There have been so many faces that have crossed paths in forty years. Some were just a flash across the sky, like a comet. Gone as soon as they came. But others have touched my life for the better and I hope that I have made a difference for them. I know just about exactly how many sermons I’ve preached in those forty years. There has been so many funerals and weddings that I conducted. I can’t remember how many times I’ve sat with families in surgery waiting rooms. I visited prisons and even preached overseas for a few weeks. I’ve been in lectureships, Gospel Meetings, special VBS for young people, marriage seminars, on radio and on TV. And, through all of that are people. There have been people who have disappointed me. I’ve prayed and prayed for some and they just didn’t want the Lord. I never counted how many I baptized, but there’s been a bunch. Some in swimming pools at camp and some late at night at the church building. I’ve seen young men catch on fire for the Lord and some are preaching God’s word today. I’ve seen men appointed as shepherds of God’s people. So many names. So many people. And, I feel that I have benefited the most. I have been encouraged, supported, defended and called “friend” by so many. What a blessing to be surrounded by God’s people. They are indeed the greatest people on earth.

Third, preaching has put me in the circle with some of the finest preachers in the world today. I am amazed at my fellow preachers, both young and old. I love to be around them because we share something in common. Our journeys, though each unique, have many similarities. I gain so much from being around these high quality people. I love their families and I love the work that they are doing. There was an old country song that said, “All of my friends have been cowboys.” For me, my friends have been preachers.

Fourth, the Lord has been so good to me on this journey. Doors have opened. Opportunities to teach have happened. The Lord has blessed me, cared for me, and helped me. This has never been a journey of my own. The Lord has been involved all along. Days when I was so discouraged that I wanted to quit, the Lord touched my heart through the friends in my life. When I had to make some tough decisions about moving, the Lord opened doors and helped me.

In the past few weeks, three or four preachers have asked me about the number of young preachers who are quitting. The turnover seems to be high. Higher now than in times past. It could be that they had unrealistic expectations. It could be that they just could not endure as our passage states. It could be that their family wanted them around more. There is a cost to preaching. There is a sacrifice even to the family. I’m not sure why so many young preachers are quitting. This is concerning. Possibly we need to shepherd these young men more closely.

Finally, I know that the end is getting much closer than I may want to admit. There comes a time for everyone to step aside because of age and effectiveness. I won’t have another forty years of preaching in me. That’s just the way it is. I also know, from my vast study of Restoration History, that the church will carry on when my labor here is done. It is my prayer that I have helped some on the way. I hope that I have lifted weary hearts. I hope that I have taught and explained things and made the Lord come alive to some. I hope that I have made congregations stronger and better. But it’s before the Lord that I must lay my work, knowing that He has seen how hard I’ve tried and how true I have wanted to stay with him.

It all started forty years ago today! Thank you for letting me share this and walk down those wonderful lanes of memory.

Roger

21

Jump Start # 2658

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2658

Acts 26:32 “And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Our verse today is the bridge that takes Paul to Rome. He had been arrested, mistreated and taken before high ranking political officials. In the midst of all of this Paul appealed to Caesar. Being a Roman citizen gave him certain rights. He was not to be beaten without a trial. Caesar was as high as the court system went. It would be our Supreme Court, except in this case, Caesar stood alone. Agrippa realized that Paul was innocent. The Jews were squabbling, as they always did. Paul should have been released and sent on his way. However, he had already made a request to be seen by Caesar. That was now going to take place. Off to Rome, he would go. Bible students know how this story ends. Paul writes several letters to churches from his Roman prison. He’s released for a short time but then is back in prison. This second time would be the end of Paul. He would be executed in Rome.

I want to lift an expression from our verse today, “might have been.” This man ‘might have been set free.’ This week we’ve been running a series I called, “Articles from the West,” about a recent trip I took to Montana and Wyoming. This will wrap up that series.

While in one of the National Parks, having finished a hike, we came to an area where there was a lot of people and standing there was a park ranger. He was with the National Park Service. He was a young guy. My wife was asking him about other trails, waterfalls and so forth. I just stood looking at this guy. He had his Smokey the Bear hat on, green uniform, badge, complete with National Park patches on his shirt. This was the real deal. My wife talked and I stared.

You see, many years ago, that was what I wanted to do. I pursued two years of college following that dream. I wanted to work out West, where we were, for the National Park Service. What a cool job, I thought that would be. But things changed. I came to an intersection in life and found my real passion was in preaching. I left the Park Service dream in the dust and never looked back. But as I looked at that young ranger, I thought, that could have been me years ago. Borrowing from our verse, that “might have been” me.

I have thought and thought about what that life might have looked like had I put on a ranger’s hat rather than stood behind a pulpit. I know I would not have met the wonderful wife that I have. I expect in time that I would have gotten fed up with the politics of a government job. Church life is thin out West. I’d like to think that I would have stayed with the Lord, but I wonder. I would likely be retired now, and had a good life. But, it would not have been the best life.

Here are some lessons:

First, all of us face intersections in our lives. Stay on the path that I started, or turn down another road? Sometimes these paths are not the right direction. Some lead us away from the Lord. Money and fame too often make the decision for us. But it’s hard to get up Monday morning and go to work at a job one hates. Even if the money is good, the strain, stress and discouragement pressing daily upon the mind wears one out. So many, if not most these days, change their major in college. It’s hard for an 18 year-old to decide what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Many just want to run through Taco Bell and play video games all day. Deciding on a career path is foggy. This is why so many switch majors and change directions. I’m glad I did. Often these intersections in life are not a matter of right and wrong. What others want you to do is not always what you feel like doing.

Second, parents need to be realistic in guiding their children into the best choices. Some college studies sound really great, but can one find a job with that? I saw one university was offering advance classes on the music of the Beatles. Boy, I’d love that. But what would one do with that? College is expensive. And, college is a business. They don’t mind your child switching majors every semester. It’s more money for the school. All of us have a natural bent. That is what Proverbs 22, “train up a child in the way he should go,” truly means. Putting a person in classes that he is not passionate about wastes everyone’s time. College isn’t for everyone. What is your child good at? What excites your child? Don’t wait until he is 18 and graduating to be asking those questions. Find out much earlier. Introduce your child to a variety of different things from sports, to music, to camps, to summer reading programs, to see what he is gifted at and what he is passionate about.

Third, whatever we do, we must honor God, follow Him and glorify His name. Can one go to Heaven as a forest ranger? Absolutely. Is it better to be a preacher than a forest ranger? Not necessarily. It was for me. But that may not be for everyone. Putting yourself in a place where you find a great congregation, you can surround yourself with amazing Christians, and you can serve the Lord with your talents is most important. Honoring God, as an attorney, a park ranger, a preacher, a housewife, an athlete, a teacher, a doctor, a nurse is what is important. Your choices in life will give you opportunity to show others what a Christian looks like. Your choices can open doors for you that you never thought possible. Your choices can lead you to help others and changing their lives eternally.

Finally, all of this is a matter of your choices. No one can live your life. The grass always seems greener in the other yard, but it still has to be mowed and taken care of. Living with disappointments, regrets or wishing that you had followed a dream is a tragic and trapped way to live. Choices involve risks. Choices are often hard. But follow the Lord first, and then your heart next. Don’t be afraid to make changes. God opens and closes doors for us. Paul wanted to preach in Asia but God wouldn’t have it. Instead he was sent to Macedonia and what wonderful, wonderful work he did there. Often our Plan A in life isn’t what God has in mind for you. His Plan A may not even be on our list. But things can happen and with hard work, a wonderful life can be built around what the Lord has for us.

I’m glad that I took another path. A park ranger would be ok, but I think I’d get tired of wearing green every day. Loving what you do, making a difference and honoring God is what truly matters. Are you doing that?

Roger

20

Jump Start # 2657

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2657

Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.”

This week, we are looking at “Articles from the West.” These are some thoughts that I pulled from a recent trip to Montana and Wyoming. Beautiful country. Big sky. Big mountains. Big lakes. No photograph, no painting can match what your eye sees. Sometimes folks in the city just need to get out and enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of God’s creation that is often covered up by buildings, pavement and billboards.

The time we spent out West was fantastic. The weather was wonderful. But all around was signs that this wouldn’t last. Snow was on the mountain tops. Several park roads had gates that could be closed. There were many places to pull off to the side of the road and put chains on your tires. Signs even said that. The blue skies and warm days would soon turn into a winter nightmare. In one restaurant, I asked our server how much snow the area got. She said she didn’t know. She always left town before the winter. There are places in Yellowstone that receives more than 400 inches of snow every year. That fact would make me leave town, too.

And, all of this leads us to a thought about Jesus. For those early disciples, who got to hear His voice, see Him heal people and calm storms, they were not watching Jesus in His prime. Jesus never had a prime. We understand that expression with athletes and singers. They start out green, lacking experience and even confidence. Then they hit their prime. They are at their best. Baseballs fly out of the park. Every note is hit and held for a long period of time. But then, time, age and the weariness of life comes. The ole’ pitcher just doesn’t have the speed like he once did. The singer has to adjust the songs because no longer can those high notes be sung. They are past their prime. And, you don’t have to be on stage or a world class athlete to understand that. Look in the mirror. There are lines in your face where they never have been before. Gray spots are in your hair. And, for this preacher, that common prayer, “ready recollection,” sometimes the recollector doesn’t recollect so well.

We live with those three elements. Young and inexperienced. Applying for a job, and you don’t land it because you lack experience. And you wonder, how am I to get experience if no one hires me? Then there is the time of our prime. Hitting on all cylinders. At our best. Ideas flowing. Able to work long and hard. Productive. Strong. Then, there comes the time when the best days are behind us. No longer at our peak. It takes longer to get things done. We get tired a lot quicker. We are becoming forgetful. Names are hard to remember. We realize that we are not what we once were.

Solomon describes this in Ecclesiastes. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians. The outer man decays, he says, and the inner man is renewed, day by day. The inside and the outside are going different directions. Such is life. This is the way we are made. Young. Prime. Aged. Like it or hate it, that’s the path we all travel. All, that is except Jesus.

Jesus never was inexperienced. He didn’t have to learn from mistakes as you and I do. He was without sin. He never had to apologize. He never told a lie. He never had to go and make things right with others. We learn from our mistakes. We learn to hold our tongue, because last time we got in trouble for speaking things that we shouldn’t have. Jesus never experienced that.

Jesus never got better and then got worse. We do. This is why you find senior tees at the golf course. We older guys can’t hit the ball like we once did. I’ve seen athletes and singers who were on the downward slide. People would talk about what they used to do. But now, they are not that way. You don’t find Jesus like that. Look beyond His humanity and His time on earth. We are two millenniums past the Gospel period. Yet, Jesus is all that He was then. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. Jesus is the same for us as He was for Peter and John. The best days are every day for the Lord. He never changes. You haven’t missed anything.

Now from this there are some things we learn:

First, Jesus understands where we are. Some of us are inexperienced and we make mistakes. We have to get our attitude and passion under control. We have to temper our words. Even though the Lord was never like this, He understands. He will be with you. His words will help you.

Second, Jesus understands the wonderful feeling of being busy and doing our best. Prime time is what we call it. Full of energy, ideas, goals and dreams. Jesus sees that. Great time to be alive. Great time to serve the Lord. So many opportunities. So many advantages.

Third, Jesus understands when we can’t do what we once did. The mind, the voice, the body, simply won’t let us. We’d love to teach, but we just can’t commit because of health reasons. We’d love to lead singing, but we no longer have any volume in our voice. We’d like to preach but our mind has a hard time staying focused and remembering what to say. The Lord understands. The Lord also knows that there are other things that we can do. If we can’t teach, we can encourage those who do. If we can’t lead singing, we can give tips to those who can. If we can’t preach, we can be the preacher’s best fan.

Finally, someday, we will be at a place where we will never change. That’s hard for us to understand. Life is about changing. It always changes. Seasons come and seasons go. Puppies become old dogs. Things wear out and fall apart. There is a time to be born and a time to die, Solomon said. That’s here. That’s now. But a time is coming, over on the other side, when we won’t age any more. No more birthdays. No more wrinkles. No more getting older and wearing out. No more becoming tired. No death. No tears. No mourning. The eternal state will find us at our best, not physically, because it’s not a physical place. But spiritually.

One of the things that is hard to put a finger on is trying to understand how an infant who died and an old man who died will be in eternity. The infant knew so little. The old man forgot so much. Will they be equal in knowledge, understanding and love? You think about all those babies that Pharaoh and Herod killed. Or, you think about all those babies that have been aborted. What will they be like in eternity? Some never knew their own name. Some, were never given a name. But on the other side, will they remain as they died or will they be in their prime?

I have always believed that the best is yet to come. The best is on the other side, the eternal side—Heaven. I think we will feel our best. I think we will know our best. I think we will be our best. Only Prime Time in Heaven, is how I like to think about it.

How about you? Have you given this much thought? You’re going to be there for a long, long time.

Roger

19

Jump Start # 2656

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2656

Proverbs 1:15 “My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path.”

Our verse today is the wisdom and advise of a dad to his son. In the context, the father is warning his son about tagging along with sinners. They will entice. They will invite. They are wicked, violent, and lawless. They prey on robbing others and hurting others. The thrill and stolen wealth is no reward for the evil that they do. Don’t walk with them. Keep your feet from their path.

These words take us to our series on “Articles from the West.” While vacationing in Montana and Wyoming, my wife and I hiked and hiked and hiked. I was slow going up hill. She was slow going down hill. We’d stop, especially, going up hill, and allow younger ones to pass us by.

At the beginning of each trail we walked were large signs warning about bears. We were walking in bear country. Each day my wife would ask if I had the “Bear spray” with us. I’d fuss because I didn’t think it was necessary. I had a “bear bell” and that should have been enough. But I brought it along. Our last day, we found a trail that was our favorite. It went through meadows, over a hill and there were bison grazing. Then through a woods and along some geysers and hot thermal basins. It went along a couple of lakes. We had the trail to ourselves. It was very pleasant. I got a book while on our trip. It’s about the deaths at Yellowstone. The book morbidly tells of people who fell into hot geysers, off cliffs and others attacked by bears. I was reading the bear section the other day. The very trail we last walked on, our favorite trail, a person was killed by a grizzly bear just a few years ago. The story told of the very places we had just walked. The couple that was attacked did not have any bear spray with them. And, now I realized how glad I was that I had the bear spray with us.

Warnings are often unpleasant and sometimes they seem to annoy and not be necessary. However, our pride thinks we know better. We don’t need to pay attention to the lower speed limit around a curve. We got this, we say. We don’t need to carry bear spray. Nothing will happen.

Israel was told observing God’s commands was for their good and for their survival (Deut 6:24). And, in this, there is a great lesson for us:

First, we often think we are above some of the laws and warnings of God. I don’t need those things, we say to ourselves. The weaker folks do, but I’m ok. This can even translate to I don’t need to read my Bible daily. I don’t need to attend every service. I’m ok. Reminds me of a foolish guy who didn’t want to take bear spray with him on a hike. Now, I’m glad I did. God knows us better than we know ourselves.

Second, we may not see the serious trouble that sin causes. We tend to minimize how bad things are. Carrying a small bell is a lot easier than a canister of bear spray. But if a bear is charging you, that bell won’t do much good. It might be a dinner call for others to come and join in. A little office flirting is innocent and nothing will come of it. So, thinks the man who gets tangled up in an affair, wrecks his marriage, ruins his reputation and destroys his trust that his children have. A little lying never hurt anyone, so says the person who is headed for a serious crash when those lies catch up with him and people no longer believe what he says. There is no such thing as a little sin. A little sin will kill your soul and cause one to be cast eternally away from God’s presence. A little sin is just as dangerous and damning as a big sin.

How many bites do you think Eve took of that forbidden fruit? How many times do you think Lot’s wife turned around and looked at burning Sodom? One time is just as wrong as fifty times. Sometimes we just do not take warnings very seriously.

Third, we arrogantly believe that we can fix any trouble that we get in. So, what if a bear shows up on the trail? Run. Wrong, you’ll be lunch for the bear. Scream. Wrong, you’ll be toast before you know it. And, those are the two main default modes that people go to on hikes in bear country. They run and they scream. And, tragically, their lives make it to books about people being killed by bears. One story told of park rangers coming upon a bear that had a person’s leg sticking out of it’s mouth. The tennis shoe was still on the foot. There are problems, wrongs, and sins that only God can fix. There are troubles so deep that we need the help of others. We need our shepherds to guide us spiritually. We may need counselors to work through the baggage brought into a marriage. We may need professionals to help us deal with addictions that have troubled us for years. It’s easy to get into trouble. It’s easy to make a mess of things. Sometimes we can’t fix the trouble that we have caused. We need grace. We need to forgive. We need God’s word.

Fourth, we need to be thankful for those who instruct us, guide us and warn us. We need to be thankful that God’s word is not another “Chicken Soup for the Soul” devotional. We need God to be honest, clear and straight with us. We need God to tell us to steer clear of certain situations and certain people. One has to wonder about how many problems have been avoided in his life because he followed God’s word. He listened. He avoided people that were trouble. He resisted the devil. He wore the armor of God. Life has been good because he paid attention. Just carrying bear spray will not keep bears away. One has to be alert. One has to look around. One has to keep their eyes open. One listens for sounds. But one doesn’t walk in fear. One enjoys the day and enjoys the beauty of the area. And, so it is with the word of God. The world is dark and we can be fearful and tremble. But we don’t. We walk with the Lord. We enjoy the day. We count our blessings. The world is dangerous, but we walk with assurance and confidence in the Lord.

Warnings…they serve a purpose.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 2655

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2655

Genesis 7:11 “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.”

We continue our series, “Articles from the West,” based on a recent trip to Montana and Wyoming. In Glacier National Park, we read about the formation of some of the beautiful mountain peaks. The information stated that “ocean floor” was found at the top of the mountains and “intense pressure” caused the twisting of the rock layers. That all sounded like our verse today. It all made sense. Except, the scientist concluded that millions and millions of years caused the mountains to be shaped the way that they are.

And, right here stood an incredible revelation for me. The evolutionist and the creationist look at the same evidence. It’s not that the evolutionist has some secret fossils and rocks that no one else is able to look at. They all look at the same rock. They all see the ocean floor at the top of the mountains. They all see the twisting of rock caused by great pressure. The evidence is there for all to see. Yet, different conclusions are made.

This is telling. It’s not the evidence that leads to certain conclusions but the prejudice and closed mind that refuses to consider anything other than a naturalistic approach. A fair question to ask would be what or who caused the intense pressure that turned those rocks? And, if it just happened, why has it not “just happened” again? Things do not just happen. There are causes, reasons, why things happen.

Our verse today, explaining where the flood waters came from is hard for us to imagine. Looking at the mountains of Glacier Park or the Tetons, one could see these massive rocks being thrust upward from the ocean. The force and the consequential earthquakes and tsunamis that would have followed would have changed the shape of the landscape worldwide. The volume of water in the flood would have been the pressure necessary to twist and turn massive layers of rocks. The “bursting open” from our verse today is likely what gave us the mountain ranges that are so beautiful today.

What would have caused ocean floors to rise to mountain tops? For you and I, the answer is simple. God. You and I can even say when it happened. At the flood. This all makes great sense and it’s a great testimony to the power of God and the truthfulness of the Scriptures.

But stepping outside the realms of geology, naturalism and science, what we witness is a common plague of mankind. Our country is upside down in dealing with the issues of prejudice. Prejudice is more than just disliking someone because of race. Prejudice closes our eyes and hardens our heart. The greatest form of prejudice is against the God of Heaven and earth. All around us, from the stars at night, to the sun in the day, to the beauty of flowers, to the song of birds, God sprinkles evidence of His glory, power, and existence. Yet, millions and millions will close their eyes to this evidence. They have put on blinders and accepted the idea that modern science is greater than the Bible. And, those prejudices affect our society.

Why not treat each other as the golden rule says? Why not turn the cheek when we have been hurt? Why not forgive? Why not be gracious? Why not show generosity? Why not? Because that stuff is from the Bible and everyone knows, we are told, that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of repeated stories from the past. They have lowered Jesus to being nothing more than a common Jewish teacher. They have discredited the miracles. They have rewritten history so prophesy is nothing. And, they have made religion for the weak and feeble who cannot deal with life on their own. And, the hopeless message of a secular generation is, “this is it.” There is nothing beyond this. And, worse, we are on our own. There is no one at the wheel and no one knows where we are headed. By tossing the Bible out of life, society doesn’t get better. It gets worse. Hatred, prejudice, racism, selfishness are not going away. They are only getting worse. Why are things turning south? It’s because we have no guidance, moral compass, or reason to be kind to one another. God is gone and this is what life looks like when we are left to ourselves.

So, what do we learn:

First, smart folks often miss the point. The geologists that have studied the Glacier Mountains are super intelligent. They have been taught and they have bought into the idea to look at all things naturally. God is not allowed to be an option. When one starts with that premise, he will miss the point.

Second, because someone smart says something, that doesn’t mean they are right. This is a lesson that we must teach our children. Museums, documentaries on TV, and books are all filled with evolutionary thought. Big Bang is what is in now. Nothing and then BANG, everything started. What caused the BANG? Who was the big BANGER? No answers to that. How does life come from non-life? No answers to that. If there are millions of primates today and millions of humans today, why are there no “half and half” today? Why no transitional species? Why have the simplest species remained? Why have they not evolved out into higher forms? Lots and lots of questions. No answers. God is not against science. It’s not a choice between God or science. Science is simply a study of existing things. The trouble comes when one puts on colored glasses and can only see things one way.

Third, some people can look squarely at evidence and not see it. Oh, they see the evidence, but they cannot or will not draw the conclusion that leads them to God. This is more than looking at rocks. It’s the way some look at the Bible. How can some look at the same verses you do and conclude that baptism is not necessary? Or, that the modern worship can look like a rock concert? Where do they come up with such conclusions? They simply do not see what is before them.

Finally, we must be careful that we do not find ourselves doing the same thing. The evidence is before us, but we draw a conclusion, not based upon the evidence, but based upon what we want to do. Look at what God says about divorce. Look at what God says about forgiveness. Look at what God says about dedication, commitment, being a servant. If not careful, our eyes can look at things but our hearts will not draw the right conclusion. We wonder how someone can miss seeing the evidence of the flood in a rock. Yet, God may wonder how we can miss the evidence for discipleship that is in His book. We must make sure that we are not doing the same thing that we accuse others of.

Our God is alive. This is why we pray and worship Him. All around us we see the works of His hands. Our world ought to fill our hearts with the glory of the Lord.

Roger