GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE

 

A friend, Larry, and I were talking the other day and he
shared a thought about our human condition and God. The bottom line is that no
matter what happens in our world and our life, God is still on his throne. Another
friend and I have often commented to one another that God still rules in this
world. It really doesn't matter if the world denies that fact, it is still
true.

All through the scripture it gives us insight into that
concept. When Abraham left his home and faced challenges, God was still on his
throne and caused good to happen. When Joseph was sold in to slavery, God was
still on his throne and caused good to happen. When the Children of Israel were
fleeing from the Egyptians and backed up to the sea, God was still on his
throne and caused good to happen. When the Children of Israel were carried off
into Babylonian Captivity, God was still on his throne. When three young men
were thrown into a "Fiery Furnace," God was still on his throne. The
list could go on and on, but you get the idea.

We forget far too often that God IS the most powerful being
in all creation. We forget far too often that he doesn't have to consult us
before he makes his plans. We forget that God doesn't have to let us know how
he plans to use us in this life. We forget that God's ways (thoughts) are far
beyond our understanding. And mostly we forget far too often that God is on his
throne. He always has been; he always will be!

One of the most important things we forget is that when
Jesus was hanging on a cross, God was still on his throne and good things
happened. We would not have understood that if we had been there and many still
don't, but nevertheless, it is true.

In Revelation 15:3-4
we see people in heaven who had won their fight against Satan singing the
following song. (The words are important, they speak of our God.)

"Great
and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are Your
ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your
name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for
Your righteous deeds have been revealed."

In Revelation 19:4 we read: "Then
the twenty four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God,
who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, 'Amen! Praise the LORD!'"

No
matter what happens in our world or in your life, God is sitting on his throne!
Amen! Praise the Lord!

Jiving in your car

I was driving to work about 7 in the morning the other day
and stopped at a traffic light. In front of me was a young woman who was
obviously enjoying her morning more that I was. By observation I would say she
was listening to her radio and "jiving" to the music. She was
twisting and turning, bobbing her head and moving back and forth.

I thought about that and wondered why she should be having a
better morning than I was.  Was it just
that I was having an off day? Perhaps it was, but I know I don't rejoice as much
as I should. It's not that I dislike mornings, in fact I love to see the
sunrise. The Psalmist said of God in Psalm 65:8 "Those
who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the
sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy."

Of course you're familiar with Paul's encouragement to
"rejoice in the Lord always," (Philippians 4:4), so the idea is not new. However, we, being human,
we need to be reminded and reminded often. You see I do rejoice, but not enough
and possibly not exuberantly enough. In fact it seems that lately I have been
too busy dealing with the everyday concerns of life to remember to rejoice.

Satan does a really good job of distracting me. He works his
way into my world and my life, not necessarily to drag me into some terrible or
sinful behavior, but to distract me from what is really important. It's who he
is, the father of lies. Revelation 12:9
describes him this way: "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceives the whole world."

How can we overcome Satan's power? First, if you haven't
already done so, become a Christian or if you have left your first love, return
to God. Second, spend time in God's Word; it reminds you of what is really important.
Third, spend time talking to God about those things that trouble you; it helps
to unload your problems on someone who truly cares. Fourth, spend time with
God's people in worship and if fellowship. You can't be part of the army
fighting to protect one another and fight Satan if you don't show up at boot
camp or for training. You can't fight and protect yourself and others if you
aren’t watching out for others and participating in the battles.

I may not "jive in my car," but I can still
rejoice in my Lord and all he does for me and gives to me. I don't know that I
will try a little "seat dancing" this morning on my way to work, but what
I do know is that "I can do all things through him that gives me
strength," (Romans 8:28). I
know I need to count my blessings and rejoice more. Maybe you should try it!

How are you doing?

The other morning at my workplace someone asked one of the
men, "How are you doing?" He responded: "I'm alive, awake and
God loves me, you can't do better than that!" I loved how he responded! I
just wish I could claim to have said it first. What a positive attitude that
man had. Does that mean he doesn't have any problem? No, of course not, but he
is keeping them in perspective.

Right this minute how would you respond to a question like
that? Be honest, can you be as positive and upbeat as that all of the time; honestly,
not many of us can be. Don't you wish you could be like the apostle Paul and
say, "I've learned to be content what ever situation I get into."
Again, honestly, I have had limited success in doing that. Limited how? Limited
in my mind because I always expect more of myself, I am my own worst critic. Limited
sometimes, because I just flat mess up even when I'm trying to do my best.

Do you know what that makes me? Human! You may not
appreciate that fact and others may not appreciate that fact, but the best we
can be is flawed human beings. We mess up! We sin! And if you don't think so,
then you don't understand who we are.

I met
a man one time that told me, "I never sin." "Since I became a
Christian it's not possible for me to sin." I asked him to turn in his
bible to 1 John1:8-10 and read it
with me. It reads, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

I
asked him what those verses meant, he responded: "I don't know, but they
don't mean what they say." He didn't have much to say about Romans 3:23 either, which read, "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

So,
knowing that we all sin and struggle with problem of this world, how can we
possibly remain upbeat and positive? We do it because we know, as the man said,
"I'm alive, awake and God loves me." Paul also said in " Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So
how are you doing? Could it be time to put a little more trust, a little more
faith in what our God can do for you, in you and through you? Think about it,
you will never find perfection in yourself, but only through your relationship
to God.

Shaving the Cat

A friend, Daryl, shared this story with
me and it got me to thinking about other applications.

Daryl has a real problem with
allergies, especially to hair cat. When he was a youngster he often
visited his best friend who had a cat. Daryl was hesitant to visit,
because of the cat. One day his friend told him he had solved the
problem and Daryl should come on over for a visit. He didn't know
what to expect, but when he got there he was confronted by a extremly
bald and unhappy cat. His friend had shaved the cat for Daryl. Of
course the young man then had to deal with the consequences with his
parents, but can you imagine what he had to go through to shave a
cat? Would you have been committed enough to a friend to do that?

In our world we are constantly
challenged to step up and come to the aid of others. Every day we are
bombarded with advertisments about donating to organizations that
help others. Those are great and needful, but the majority of the
time it requires only the gift of money, not a presonal commitment.
We don't put ourselves at risk, we are not required to become
personally involved.

The question we need to ask ourselves
is who we would be willing to shave the cat for? Do you have friends
and family that are struggling in some way? Maybe someone that you
have just heard of that could use some help that you could supply.
Could it be that your church needs something that only you can
supply.

So the question is, what cat are you
going to have to shave for the benefit of someone else? I would
imagine that shaving a cat has its draw back, cats have claws and
teeth. There is pain involved and it takes more than just a casual
commitment to get the job done. You can't just throw money at the cat
and hope it goes bald. You have to grab hold of it and perhaps suffer
someone else's benefit.

The thing I want you to remember is
that the young man in the story was willing to suffer for the benefit
of his friend. Could it be that you have a friend that needs the
peace and security that only comes from having a relationship with
Christ? Are you willing to shave the cat (so to speak), to give them
what they really need. To face the pain and possible rejection just
because you care for them?

The scripture tells us that: “God so
loved the world that he gave his only son”, (John 3:16). He is not
asking us to do that, but it is our example of what real love is
like. What are you willing to do?

Silence is Golden

If you are a "Baby boomer," or just like music
from the 60's (like me), you might remember Frankie Valli belting out in
mournful tones the words to the song by the name, "Silence is
Golden". In the song he proclaimed the sorrow in the heart of a young man
who saw the girl he loved mistreated by another.

My wife was commenting last night on the changes we go
though in our lives. When we are young, there is rarely a time when we think
that silence (quiet time) is something to be desired, much less valued as much
as gold. As we get older though, we learn to appreciate more and more the times
of quiet in our lives. We have discovered the most important button on the
Television remote control is the "mute" button, followed closely by
the "off" button. Why those buttons? We like those buttons, because
we have learned to appreciate silence more at this time in our lives.

It's was interesting to me to learn that the first recorded use
of the phrase was in 1848. Actually the entire phrase was, "Speech is
silver, Silence is golden". We might say, "just stop speaking and
listen".

I would suggest that in this day and age that we need to
think about those words. Our world is filled with chaos, the daily news reports
seem to carry nothing but reports of unrest, danger and tragedy. When do you
find time to escape the turmoil and pressure of this world?

The writer of Psalm
46 had this to say about our world and the need for silence.

"The nations are in chaos, and their
kingdoms crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts!

The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among
us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:
See how He brings destruction upon the world.

He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the
world."

The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our
fortress." (Psalms 46:6-11)

Yes, sometimes silence truly is golden (of great value), be
cause unless we can shut out the world we can never hear the voice of God. The
storms of life rage, the mountains shift and crumble, fires burn, houses fall,
accidents come, death takes loved ones, but God's voice is a constant source of
strength and promise for us.

Can you stand a little silence in your life? Maybe it's time
to spend time listening to God!

Reunions

I just noticed on my calendar that we have a family reunion
coming up very soon. It will be the first one we will be able to attend in
about 10 years, so I'm looking forward to being reunited with many of my (extended)
family. Yes, we exchange the occasional email and share pictures and family
events on Facebook, but there is nothing that is better than being face to face
with folks.

That's not something new! We still have around us something
which has picked up the name "Snail Mail" or actually writing a
letter with pen and paper and mailing it to someone. But again that's not the way
that touches us in our hearts the most. The apostle John wrote about doing
this. In 2
John_1:12 he wrote: "I have much to write to you, but I do
not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you
face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

I believe that contained within
those sentences is the key to what reunions give us. John wrote: "I
hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be
complete". Our joy is made complete, we share our love of one
another and our spirits are renewed and refreshed, in the presence of those we
love, our joy is made complete.

We have many family members in our
lives who are not blood relatives, but who are made brothers and sisters
through the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Many of those we have not seen
for many years and may never see in this life, but they are no less missed and
loved.

Of course there is the great
reunion yet to come for Christ and His children. Several hymns come to mind
with phrases such as: "Face to face with Christ my Savior,"
or "What a happy day it will be when my Savior's face I see."
I'm sure you could list many, many more, but these express the basis of our
faith don’t they? It's all about reunions. Reunions with loved ones, reunions
with other Saints we have never met, and the great reunion with our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ and His Father.

I don't know about you, but I'm
looking forward to that reunion. 1
Thessalonians 4:13f gives us some insight into the reunion with those who
have gone on before us. But we will only attend the reunion if we first accept
the invitation to come. Jesus said in
Revelation 22:17, "The Spirit and the bride say,
"Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one
who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." And in verse
14 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that
they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into
the city."

Do you want to attend the reunion?
It's all about being a blood relative in Christ. Another old hymn reminds us,
"There is power in the blood," and asks, have you been cleansed by
the life giving blood, washed and made part of a new eternal family? I'm
planning on going to my family reunion, the one at the local pizza parlor and
the one in heaven that provides for all of my needs for eternity. What about
you?

IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE

I had a conversation with my oldest son this past week about
the meaning of the phrase, "The good Lord willing and if the creek don't
rise." I've heard that phrase all of my life and never really thought
about it. For us it always meant that if the water in the creek (crick or
stream) got high it would prevent you from traveling.

I did quite a bit of searching and found there is no
agreement as to the source of the phrase, nor what is the true meaning of the
phrase. One of the more colorful claims is that Colonel Benjamin Hawkins
(1754-1816) first penned these words. It is said that he wrote in response to a
request from President Washington to travel to the capital. It is supposed to
have been written in reference to The Creek Indian Nation; so if The Creek rose
up, he would be unable to leave his post. I like this explanation, but there
doesn't seem to be enough evidence to prove it conclusively.

To tell you the
truth I think I still prefer the local concept of the saying referring to the
local streams (creeks) raising and preventing travel, especially in the times
of storms. Living in the Mid-West we have seen many of those this year and
many, many creeks overflowing their banks.  

Of course it is
the first part of the saying which is really important isn't it. It follows the concept
found in James 4:13-15 of God being
in control of our world. Notice what James writes:

"Now
listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend
a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what
will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a
little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the
Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

There
is no questioning of the fact that storms often come into our lives. The thing
about storms is that you can never completely plan for them in advance. Their
intensity varies greatly with each occurrence; they are simply never the same. The
truth of the matter is that the only way you can survive is truly trusting in
The Lord. We live in an uncertain world and as James says, you ought to say, 'If it is the
Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

I
don't know about you, but I still have a problem in putting that into practice.
So often I plan my plans in infinite detail and then pray that The Lord will
allow things to work out as I have planned. We (and I) need to learn to involve
God in our plans from the very start, before we put the first line on our to do
list or our itinerary.

I
pray that things go as you plan in your life, "The Good Lord willing and if the creek don't rise!"