JESUS KNOWS THE ANSWER

I was reading John 6 the other night where Jesus fed
the 5000 with a two fish and 5 loaves of flat 
bread. Although you can read about this in all four Gospel accounts,
John gives us some information you don't read in other places so I found it
especially interesting.

As I read this passage I stuck me that Jesus knows the
answer before we even know the question. In this passage Jesus asked Philip in verse
5 and, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” Then
in verse 6 we read, “Jesus said this to test him, because he
himself already knew what he was going to do.”

I don't know about you, but I really need to work on
remembering this idea. There is an old hymn with these words, “My Jesus knows
just what I need”. That's a difficult concept for us to grasp isn't it, yet
when we have been around someone for a long period of time we can often
anticipate what they need or want. We may realize that they need something even
before they ask. Why then, should it be so difficult to think that our God can
do the same thing?

The scripture tells us that he knew us even while we were in
our mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5). In other words, he has known us for a
long time and he knows what we need, far better than do we.

As we consider John 6, I am sure that the disciples
were shocked and surprised at the solution Jesus offered for feeding 5,000 plus
people. Yet, Jesus already knew exactly what was going to happen and the end
result of collecting 12 baskets of left overs. An unbelievable answer for an
overwhelming question.

How often in our lives do we face difficulties that seem to
have no ready solution? Perhaps we face questions in our lives that have no
easily discerned answer? Could it be that Jesus knows the answer before we even
know how to frame the question? In John 6 we see that a solution to the
problem was reached, but only after the disciples first listened to what Jesus
told them to do and second, then did it.

Maybe you are not like me, 
maybe you don't struggle with as many questions as I; but from what I've
seen of this world, I believe you probably do. Perhaps it's time to spend more
time listening to Jesus speak to us through His Word. If we do, just perhaps he
will supply us with a much needed answer.

When Life gives you lemons… it has a Silver lining

OK, I know it is a mixed metaphor, but it gets your
attention and sets up the idea I want to convey.

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me in some
ways. I injured my Sciatic nerve and have been in quite a bit of pain. I have
seen a doctor and am taking therapy, but the results are somewhat slow in
reliving the pain to say the least. Quite a surprise as I have never had this
type of problem before.

Next I had a filling come out of a tooth and went to the
dentist yesterday for a simple repair. A few hours later I left the office
after having two Wisdom Teeth pulled, a tooth prepared for a crown and three
small fillings. This was a surprise as it is the first of my teeth I have had
to have pulled in almost 68 years and seldom have problems with my teeth.

So, those are some of the lemons (the sour things that make
you scrunch up your mouth and shake your head and say I don't like that). OK, I
know you can make lemonade, but I don't much like that either. Now I can choose
to dwell on those things and say, "Oh, poor me! Why do all of these things
happen to me? I have to admit that I don't like the pain and am praying for
quick relief, however I tend to look for the Silver Lining when I can.

A few weeks ago the church where I had previously preached
in California sent us a house warming gift of a beautiful Boston fern. Now that
the weather has warmed here in Ohio my wife hung it on the back porch and
waters and cares for it regularly. Quite unexpectedly one day she found a
Robin's nest in the fern. Now, day by day we watch it and as of yesterday it
has 4 eggs in it. We also noticed one day, one the Robin's eggs lay broken on
the ground and in the place of the Robin's egg was a smaller brown speckled
egg. We suspect a sneaky Sparrow did this, taking advantage of the Robin's care
for the egg and baby soon to be born. We are looking forward to this with great
expectations.

OK, here's the point. You can choose to dwell on the Lemon's
in your life, or you can look for the Silver Linings around you. I choose to
try and look for the good, the beautiful, possibly the unexpected; for that
which will make me smile and think good thoughts in spite of the pain life
brings. 

Paul wrote these words to us on how to deal with life in Philippians 4:8 (I hope you find them
helpful): "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things". (ASV) Another
paraphrase of this verse says, "fill your
minds with those things that are good".

So how are you dealing with you "Life Lemons"?
Stop and look around you for that Silver Lining," and think on these
things. 

Mother's Day Thoughts

This week my 8 year old grand
daughter said, "Grandpa, come here," and she pulled me into the
living room. She then whispered, "What are you going to do for grandma for
Mother's day?" To which I replied, "Nothing"…. She had a shocked
look on her face and I said, "Allyson, she's not my mother, she is your
dads mother. My mother was great grandma Lawson." She thought for a moment
and say, "Yes, but couldn't you fix her breakfast in bed or
something?" I assured her that I would be doing something special for her
grandmother.

Mother's day is not a religious
holiday or a government recognized holiday, but it is one of the most important
days we celebrate. We pause to recognize the one who is the center of most
homes. Yes fathers are important, but mother's many times do most of the
nurturing and spend the most time with the children. You may feel (but I hope
not), like one young man recently who said, “My mother never did anything for
me”. Our response was, “Yes she did,” “She cared enough to carry you for 9
months and give birth to you”. She cared for you, bathed you; fed you, changed
you when you need it and did it because she loves you”. I mean, really, without
your mother you wouldn't be here.

Many women choose abortion in our
world and the life God has given them as a gift is ended. If you are a woman in
that situation, I'm sorry if these words hurt or offend, but none the less I
believe them to be true.

Mother's we who are your children
are sometimes unappreciative, sometimes hurtful, sometimes difficult to deal
with, but underneath it all, we really do love you. Thank you for loving us
back! But mother's the most important thing you can give your children is an
understanding of and love for God and His Word.

In 2 Timothy 1:5 & 3:14 Paul encourages
Timothy by saying, "You, however, continue in the things you
have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them
[that is, your mother Eunice and through her from your grandmother Lois]; and
that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures [because your mother
taught them to you] which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Thank you mother's and Happy
Mother's Day.

THE PROBLEM

We had a man come into my place
of work the other day and he immediately said, “I want to talk with the store
manager”. The store manager wasn't available for awhile, so he told me his
problem. It seems he had bought a lawnmower a little over a year ago and it
just blew the engine. He wanted the store to give him a new one or credit
towards a more expensive mower. In other words, to redeem the broken one and
make it new in some way...that was a problem…

When the manager arrived he
explained that the store policy is that we will refund or replace up to 60 days
on mowers, but the manufacturer has a one year warranty (which was also past).
I thought the manager did a good job of explaining all of this very patiently,
but it was a problem with no cheap answer to make it right. I mean, that which
regulates the transaction and responsibilities was clearly spelled out in the
papers they were given…so what do you do?

This is similar to the problem
each of us have today isn't it? We as humans are broken and unfixable by human
standards. Each of us has the problem of sin in our lives. It may not be a BIG
easily recognizable sin, but to God, sin is sin. If you don't obey his rules,
then you can't be fixed. God's word tells us that all of us sin and fall short
of God's Glory, (Romans 3:23). While we are told in 1John 1:7-10 that anyone who says they don't sin is
calling God a liar and that His Word is really not part of their lives. That is
a problem isn't it, because sin separates us form the source of life (eternally)
God himself. When we sin, we are responsible for the cost for the damage to our
lives, which is impossible for us to pay.

Fortunately, when God wrote his
rules, he wrote in a redemption clause, an escape clause if you will. It's
spelled out clearly in his rule book (the Bible) in more than one place. Places
like Mark 16:15-16 and Romans
6:1-10. We are told that the redemption we can experience is not dependent
upon our own ability, but upon the willingness of Christ to pay what was
necessary for us. What was required was a payment in blood; a payment of
sacrifice; a payment of suffering to fix what you broke and for which you were
responsible. He paid the debt he did not own, because he loves you that much!
In return he asks the you obey him and commit to living by His rules to the
best of your ability.

Now the man who came into our
store was helped with his problem. We actually gave him a loner mower until he
could check with the manufacturer. Redeemed or fixed no; we were just kind of
able to put a bandage on the sore spot in hopes he can get it fixed properly
some place else.

I see a lot of people who are
putting band aids on their lives, they cover up the sore spot, but something is
missing, something is hurting, something is lacking in their lives. It is the
healing that comes from God when we finally decide to follow the rules in His
Book the Bible. To embrace the need to sacrifice some things in our own lives,
to gain eternal life.

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER

Way back in 1969 a group known as "Three Dog
Night," recorded a song called "One is the loneliest number."
The basic concept is that being alone is no fun and not something most of us
want. I was reminded of that song this week in an unexpected way.

This week I got to re-experience a young children's bible
class. My wife's helper was out of town and I wasn't teaching, so I
"assisted" with the 2^nd grade bible class. You might think
that you couldn't learn much from a class presented for children that young,
but then, you would be wrong.

The class was about a man in the bible with no friends. No
one wanted to be around him; he wasn't nice and didn't treat others very nice
either. In fact that was the main thing he was known for, cheating and
mistreating people. Besides that he looked weird, he was really short and
people probably found it easy to make fun of him because of that, but maybe
that is why he turned out to be such a mean person.

Jesus saw in this man the potential for greater things. He
turned his life around and took the pain of loneliness out of his life. And
just in case you haven't figured it out, the man's name was Zacchaeus and you
can find his story in Luke 19. He was a Tax Collector working for the Romans
collecting taxes and cheating people to line his own pockets. He was so alone
that he was looking for someone to make a difference in his life and so anxious
to find one, he even climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus.

The bible class centered on how difficult it is to feel all
alone and how you would feel in different situations. There are times we all
feel alone, we feel unloved, and unliked. On the outside we may look to others
like we have it all together. We may dress nice, we may have a good job, and we
may have things that the world says means success, but we can still be alone. You
may have none of those things and be alone and miserable because of that. Maybe
that causes you, just like Zacchaeus, to treat others in unkind ways, but Jesus
still is the answer to the loneliness and pain we sometimes feel.

Once
Zacchaeus understood how much Jesus cared, that he could really understand his
pain and loneliness. When Zacchaeus understood that Jesus really wanted to be
his friend, his life was changed as no one else could change it. He literally
became a "new man." In Luke
19:8-10 we read: "Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord
and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have
cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"
Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has
shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and
save those who are lost." "

Some of the most powerful and wonderful words in the bible
are found here, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save
those who are lost." How about you? Are you all alone… are you
lost? Perhaps it's time to start looking for Jesus, even if you have to put
some effort into finding him, like Zacchaeus? 

Celebrating Easter on the green side of the grass

The other morning I asked a co-worker how he was doing. His
response was, "Great, I woke up on the green side of the grass." To
which I replied, "Yes, but it could have been a lot better."

I
think my response confused him and perhaps to you also, because I was thinking
it would be better to go to sleep here and wake up in Heaven!

Do
you remember what the apostle Paul said in Philippians
1:21-25? Let me remind you here: "For to me, living means living for Christ,
and dying is even better But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ.
So I really don't know which is better. 
I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which
would be far better for me.  But for your
sakes, it is better that I continue to live. 
Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue
to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith."

Here we are at the time our world celebrates Easter. In
general what is this all about? It is about a renewal, it is about hope; it is
about the promise of life after death, proven by a resurrected savior.

For many people this is the only time of the year they think
about this great message that demonstrates the power of God even over death.
Death is not the end for those who have chosen to be called Christians,
Children of God, it is only the beginning.

Paul
also gives us these wonderful words on hope in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the
dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.  So you see, just as death came into the world
through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another
Man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs
to Christ will be given new life.  But
there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the
harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.
"

I would suggest to you that this once a year holiday of
Easter, brought about by the imagination of man, is not a just something to be
remembered once a year. We are told in the scripture to remember the death,
burial and resurrection of Christ each and every first day of the week when we
assemble as God's children.

Celebrating Easter on the green side of the grass may be a
good thing to do, but how much better when we celebrate continually in the
presence of our God in Heaven!

Promises

Our Sunday morning Bible class is studying the topic of Promises to us as
Christians. We are looking at the positive side of what our Christian life is
all about. I don't know about you, but I need that reinforcement. Far too often
I seem to concentrate on the "thou shalt not's" and not nearly enough
on the positive aspect of our relationship to God. What is it that you
concentrate upon? Where are your prayers centered? Do we pray that the bumps in
the road be smoothed, or that we can endure the bumps as they come? Truth be
told, a lot of what we are willing to endure depends upon what the rewards at
the end of the journey. Often it is all about the promise....



We have a member of our family a little 7 pound dog named Chewy.
She listens to our promises and remembers. We tell her, "Go potty and
we'll give you a treat". She remembers... We tell her, "We're going
to church and when we get back we'll give you a treat". She remembers (and
if you forget she reminds you). At times, just the mention of the treat has her
wagging from the tip of her tail to the tip of her nose.



What promises from God are special to you? What is it that you remember no
matter what happens in your life? Which ones make you tingle with excitement?
There are so many verses that deal with promises. One of my favorites is Romans
8:28, where Paul reminds us that no matter what is
going on in our lives, in the end it will work out to good if we love and trust
God. Or perhaps in 1 John 1:7-10, where John reminds us, that if we are God's
child, his blood continually cleanses us from all sin. Also, no matter how we
mess up, if we will truly repent and ask for forgiveness, he will forgive us.
And of course his promise that someday we will be with him in heaven, no more
vision problems, no more hearing problems, no more body aches or failure of
body parts to respond (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Everything is going to be brand
new and as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "and
so shall we ever be with the Lord."

How about spending some time thinking about the promises, it
will do you an eternity of good!