A NEW HEART

We recently became reacquainted with a high school class
mate of my wife. As we shared the happenings of our life, she shared that she
had received a heart transplant. We were surprised as she told us about this
happening. Her heart became diseased through no fault of her own and was
slowing dying and the doctors were able to give her a "new lease on
life," as they say.

I can remember hearing about the first human heart
transplant taking place many years ago and the feeling of amazement that such a
thing could be done. It's still an amazing thing to me. I can understand some
of the basics regarding the procedure, but no way do I understand the
intricacies involved in all that is done, yet I know it is done on an almost
daily basis. They tell us there are about 2,000 heart transplants per year now.

There are lots of changes that
take place for a person with a heart transplant. They must make lifestyle
changes, change their eating habits, perhaps exercise differently and they are
told, "You'll need to take immunosuppressant medications daily for life to
keep your body from rejecting your donor heart".

As I thought about someone receiving a new heart I realized
it is no different than becoming a child of God. The scripture that came to
mind first was Psalm 51:7-10 where
David writes: "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed
rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me
a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

"Create
in me a new pure heart," what an amazing idea for us, yet it
happens to thousands of people every day, perhaps hundreds of thousands every
year in the spiritual realm. It is possible and no less amazing than a physical
heart transplant.

It's
just like what God promised the Israelite nation in Ezekiel 36:26-27, "And I will give you a new heart, and I will
put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give
you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so that you
will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations."
(NLT)

That
is what God is about, it's what he does, and He takes out our stony, stubborn
heart and gives us a tender, responsive heart. But just like a physical heart
transplant it needs constant care. Perhaps changes need to be made in our life
style and other physical habits and there will definitely be "sin
suppressant" treatments daily for life to keep us from rejecting our new
heart".

Of
course this all comes from having a new relationship with our God and His Word.
This in part comes from having a new relationship with His church. I have met
so many people in my lifetime who say, "I don't need to go to a church to
feel spiritual," but that's like someone saying, "I don't need to go
to the doctor anymore after I receive my heart transplant". They both are
missing a key ingredient to keeping your heart alive.

How
is your stony, stubborn heart doing? Perhaps it's time to listen to God and
make it tender and responsive once again.

Passwords & Pins

Passwords and PIN numbers are part of our everyday life now
aren’t they? Everything we do seems to have some level of protection to it,
especially if you use the internet. It might be dealing with Credit cards,
accounts or even buying groceries… almost everything.

I was reminded of this the other day, by my wife, Melody. I
was getting ready to leave the house and she kissed me lovingly and said, 'Be
careful and come home to me". I said, 'I will!" She looked me deep in
the eyes and said, 'I mean it, you stay safe and come back to me," and
paused.  I was touched at her concern,
then she finished her thought by saying, "After all, you're the only one
who knows all of the passwords." I sometimes forget what a good sense of
humor she has… at least I think she was kidding.

Passwords are important. They help keep us safe and get us
into places we want to go; they are part of the "rules of our modern
world," so to speak. You have to go through the proper procedure.
Identification (ID), user names and passwords are required for us to operate
within the system.

Understanding that, it surprises me at how many people
object to God placing restrictions and requirements on their lives. They want
to have a relationship with God, they want to enter his presence, his kingdom,
yet they don't want to follow his rules.

God, in His Word, says, "Do this," or "Don't
do this." He says, "This is acceptable behavior," and "This
is unacceptable." He says, "If you want to be part of my kingdom and
go to Heaven, here are the rules." Yet people insist on saying, 'God
really didn't mean it, you have to change to rules to meet the times."

Isn't it funny that God ends his wonderful book with these
words in Revelation 22:14-19 "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.
Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the
murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. "I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the
Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." 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. I warn everyone who hears the words of
the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to
that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words
away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any
share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this
scroll."

Funny isn't it that folks want God who offers them eternal
life, but they won't listen to his requirements? Yet, they follow the rules of
their bank and internet businesses strictly and don't think anything of it. How
about you?

THE PAPER CLIP

Paper clips are amazing. They can be put to use in hundreds
of ways other than holding paper. BDT (Before Duct Tape) I even  used them in an emergecy to hold together a
ripped pant leg. Today we used them to hang banners. Here is a short list of
some of the things for which you can use paper clips.

1.     
hem
holder

2.     
cigar
filter unstopper

3.     
spray
bottle unclogger

4.     
eye
glass repair

5.     
hair
barrette

6.     
zipper
tab

7.     
clean
fingernails

8.     
Xmas
ornament holder

9.     
unclog
Elmer's glue bottle

10.  calendar holder

11.  belt holder

12.  emergency cotter pin

13.  emergency diaper pin (boy! do I date myself there!)

14.  strawberry huller

15.  cherry pit remover

16.  hymn marker (for organists)

You get
the idea I'm sure. They are useful and versitile.

Jesus is much like a paper clip for our lives. He helps hold
things together in our lives, he sticks together the rips and tears that the
world leaves in our lives. He gives us purpose and life.

Paul writes to the Colossian church in Colossians
1:12-18  “Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son:   In
whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:  Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature:  For by him
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and
by him all things consist.  And he is the
head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Christ may
be our paper clip, but he is so much more! He holds our lives together when the
world wants to tear them apart.

 I have been a fan of
Science Fiction most of my life. I like the ability it gives me to dream of
places I will never see and imagine things that are greater than our world. It
allows me to travel in space in my mind and participate in heroic adventures.

One of the concepts that has been used more in the past few
years is the concept of an element called "Unobtanium". You can
actually find the word in the dictionary and it is defined in this way: "Since the late 1950s, aerospace engineers have used the term
"unobtainium" when
referring to unusual or costly materials, or when theoretically considering a
material perfect for their needs in all respects, except that it does not
exist." Laughingly "Unobtainium is described as being stronger than helium
and lighter than airium". The term came more to the forefront of thought
by its use to describe the element they were mining in the movie
"Avatar".

To many people God is like Unobtanium. The idea of someone
loving them for who they are with no reservations is like Unobtanium. The idea
of having all of the bad things they have done in their lives erased and
starting with a clean slate is much like Unobtanium, something which just does
not exist.

We
are not alone when we struggle with that problem. Even the Apostle Paul
struggled with this issue in his life. Notice what he says in Romans 7:24: "What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?"

Isn't that the same things we want to know? Who will rescue
us from this body that is subject to death?"

Paul continues in verse 25a with the answer to the problem. He tells
us how to find the Unobtaniam. He writes: "Thanks be
to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We sing a song in our churches that says: "He is able to deliver me!" But far
too often we really don't believe it. God's word says that if we serve him,
when we die, we are going to heaven! Do you really believe that, or are you one
of those who say, "I hope I am." Heaven is not unobtainable, it is a
free gift, a promise to those who love God and obey his word.

Let me share one last verse that is so very hard for some to
really, really believe. John says in 1 John 5:13: "I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you
may know that you have eternal life!" Like the old fellow
said, "God said it, I believe it and that settles it!"

How would you like to get your share of Unobtainium? It's
there waiting for you to Obey God and serve him.

The Theologian Said...

I was reading an article yesterday about some of the current
social turmoil in our country regarding same sex marriage, in which the
headline said (in part) "The Theologian said". Now according to my
dictionary, a "theologian" is a person who is an expert in religious
faith and practices, or an expert in understanding God.

Well, I guess I am not a Theologian according to the world's
standards. The reason being is that this "Theologian" who was quoted
in this national publication, said that God nowhere condemns certain lifestyle
choices. She even quoted out of context a few Old Testament passages, while
completely ignoring clear statements to the contrary throughout God's Word in
both the Old and New Testaments.

Our world likes titles! It loves people who have letters
behind their names, supposedly proving they have achieved some higher level of
understanding. That is the problem we see when we begin to heap respect and
recognition on men and women because they have a title of some kind. The words
they utter, the stances they take are accepted by many, just because they claim
to be an "expert" is some area (perhaps a theologian). Many say,
"Everyone has a right to their own beliefs," and that's true, as long
as you are willing to accept the consequences of your decisions.

Jesus had some very clear words for people like this in Luke 11:52: "What
sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge
from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others
from entering."

Now I don't claim to be an expert, but I have read my bible
through from front to back every year for over 25 years. I do put a fair amount
of study into trying to understand God's will for us today. What that makes me
is a disciple of Christ, an ongoing learner, one who walks by faith and accepts
God Word as true even if it different from what is "Socially
accepted," or "politically correct. It makes me a Christian who says
that God is in charge telling our world what is right or what is wrong. It
makes me one who believes that "God judges the living and the dead," (1 Peter 4:5),
and that we are all accountable to Him for our choices here on this earth.

Yes, people in our world want to believe what they want is
right and nothing else matters. That's not a new desire, the thought was
planted in the mind of Eve in the Garden of Eden by Satan in the very beginning
and he continues to spread the same lie. Jesus however did not agree, in fact
he condemned the idea in Matthew 7:21. Notice his words (another clear
proclamation of Jesus which the many "theologians" reject). "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven."

You may not agree with my thoughts and that's your privilege
to disagree. After all I'm no Theologian, I'm just an old country preacher who
keeps on reading his bible and listening to God and trying his best to do
"the will of my Father who is in heaven".  

Out of the frying pan

Have you ever heard the saying: "Out of the frying pan and into the fire"?

The Italian author Laurentius
Abstemius wrote a collection of
100 fables. Abstemius' fable 20, concerns some fish thrown live into a frying
pan of boiling fat. One of them urges its fellows to save their lives by
jumping out, but when they do so they fall into the burning coals and curse its
bad advice.

The fabulist concludes: 'This
fable warns us that when we are avoiding present dangers, we should not fall
into even worse peril.' Is there a spiritual
application to this? I believe there is!

To start with
Solomon tells us in Proverbs 27:12 "A prudent person foresees danger and takes
precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

What is a phrase we might uses to explain this thought to
someone: "Look before you leap" or "You wouldn’t jump off a
cliff, just because your friends do, would you?"

The question we might ask is "What are spiritual cliffs
that folks jump off of today?"

Sometimes they involve sin, sometimes they involve
relationships, sometimes they just involve making bad decisions and sometimes
our cliffs involve facing challenges…Sometimes your life challenge feels like
you have gone from the frying pan into the fire……

So what has been your cliff, your challenge? Is it physically
or spiritually, and how do you handle it?

Let me make a suggestion for handling difficult things in
your life. One of my favorite passages is Romans 8:28: Paul
writes there: “And we know that God causes everything to
work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to
His purpose for them.”

Let me give you the “Russ Revised Version” of is verse: "Do your best to serve God, love him and no matter how badly
you mess things up,  God will be able to
make something good come from it." Even if you don’t see it
or understand it, God has the power to work it to the good!

So it may seem that you have gone from the frying pan into
the fire, but don’t forget to trust in Him, Our God and King.

That's why Psalm 23:1-6
is so dear to so many of us. It reminds us of who is in control of our world
and our life. David wrote: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in   the house of the LORD for ever."

So face life's challenges trusting in God!

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!