A Late Start

I heard this story years ago, so forgive me for not remembering all of the details. It involved a rather famous man who decided to learn a new language after turning seventy years of age. When asked why he wanted to learn at such an advanced age, he simply replied, "It's the youngest age I have left!"

 

That's the way I feel in so many of my endeavors that are much more pressing now than they were in my younger years. I can obviously see how much better it would have been had I started at an earlier age, but the age I have now is the youngest one I have left, so I might as well get started now! There is probably no area of my life this is more true than in the area of serious prayer. I have always been a "dabbler" at prayer, having some periods of my life when I prayed more earnestly than others, but I didn't begin to really get serious about my prayer life until about ten years ago. Oddly, it all began with a movie. To be more accurate, it began with my wife, Carolyn, insisting that I go see that movie.

 

The name of that movie was "The War Room" and it was about prayer. My sweet wife had been encouraging me to go see it for some time, but I really didn't want to go. After all, I was a preacher! I taught people about prayer, I didn't go to the movies to learn about it! But go I did, and I am glad that I did for I began to see prayer in a new light after doing so. Now I don't want you to worry, I am not about to go into a lengthy description of the story - you will just have to go and see it for yourself if you really want to know more. But what I do want you to tell you about is what I am doing now.

 

First, I began to pray with more purpose and intensity. Just Who, after all, did I think I was praying too? Just the Creator of the Universe, that's all! Since I know that I have the right to pray (even though I do not deserve that privilege), I began to pray with a brand new perspective. A few months later, Carolyn and I gathered our family together at a cabin in the town of Utopia, Texas for the specific purpose of starting a new era of prayer for our family. The kids drove hundreds of miles, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Lubbock, Texas to get there, but come they did. Before they came, we asked them to bring a specific prayer request. 

 

Seven people assembled (our entire family at that time) and I revealed the request I had for them. I asked them to begin praying every day, without fail, for the specific need that each one had revealed in their own prayer request. I asked them to include within these prayers an earnest plea to God that not one of our family would ever be lost down through the generations of time. A bold prayer, I know, but that entreaty contained within it the clear understanding that we would then have to be determined to be servants of God for the rest of our lives - something we were already committed to - but it also meant that each of us would have to do our part to raise these future generations to also be servants for life.

 

Ten years have passed since the first gathering, and we are still meeting once a year for the specific purpose of talking about our experiences with the results of last year's prayer requests, as well as revealing the area that we would like our family to be praying for during the next year. Our family has doubled in size, so getting together in a peaceful setting is not as convenient as it once was, but we still somehow manage to make it a priority.

 

I believe these prayers have helped our family grow closer together for two reasons, First, and most important, we are fulfilling a commandment of God to pray for one another. When we do, we have the Creator of the Universe helping us with our hopes and dreams as we seek to use the blessings He gives in His service. Second, by praying for each other every day, without fail, we have each family member on our hearts every day. Included in that is a sense of common purpose as we focus daily on the reason we are here in the first place. 

 

One more thing: Even though Carolyn and I were over fifty years old when we finally started to really take advantage of this gift of prayer, it has completely changed our lives in a way so beautiful it cannot be adequately described. You will simply have to experience it for yourself! And, while we were past our first half-century in age, our children were much younger and have a much greater percentage of their remaining time here on earth to be blessed by this more serious method of prayer. And our grandchildren? Well, they have a lifetime of blessings that will flow from an entire family praying for them every day, without fail.

 

I regret not having gotten an earlier start, but I am glad that we finally did start at the earliest age we had left! How about you?

 

 

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Ricky! What Are You Doing?

I was about four years old, when my Dad asked me this question. We had just been at church and I was ready to get out of my dress clothes as soon as possible. I did not like going to church when I was four. I did not like Bible class, and I did not like worship. The night before you had to take a bath and I hated to take a bath. Then you had to get up out of a comfy bed and get dressed for church. Then you had to go to a place you knew you were only going to get in trouble at, and then most likely get a spanking when you got home. All of these things cut into my play time and fun so, in a very real sense, church got in the way of my otherwise happy and carefree childhood.

 

But I had a plan on that day and I was eager to try it out. As I rode in the back seat on the drive home from church I had untied, unbuttoned and unzipped everything on those hated dress clothes that could be tied, buttoned or zipped. So there I was, getting out of the car and walking up the front walk with my untied shoes clunking whilst I clung to my unbuttoned shirt with one hand to keep it from flying open, and to my unzipped pants with the other hand to keep them from falling down. That's when I heard my Dad ask the question you have already read above, and I knew that I had not escaped another Sunday without another spanking.

 

I did not like church when I was four. I did not agree with King David when he said this, some three thousand years before I came onto the scene:

 

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."

Psalms 122:1, ESV

 

Today, however, I understand. It is not about "going to church", it is about going to worship someone whom you love and adore. It is about singing songs of praise to the Father and the Son. It is about taking part in common prayer, and listening to the Word of God. More than anything else, it is about remembering the sacrifice that was made so that we could have our sins washed away. It is about remembering who we are and what we are doing here upon this earth in the first place. It is about encouraging one another, and all the more as we see the day approaching.

 

In short, it is an honor and a privilege to come together as a body of like minded Christians and to be appreciative for the undeserved chance to serve the King! It is sad when we do not like church at four years old, but is is tragic when we act that way as adults. I now look forward to the worship and to Bible study and to fellowship with my brothers and sisters, but it took time, I am so glad that God, in his mercy gave me that time.  

 

Are you planning on being at the worship this next Sunday? How about at the mid-week Bible studies? If not, Dad's question might be a good one to try and answer:

What are you doing?

 

Choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15, ESV

 

 

 

 

Is Christ Divided? Are We?

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul", another, "I follow Apollos", another, "I follow Cephas", still another, "I follow Christ." 

Is Christ divided?

I Corinthians 1:11-13, NIV (1978)

 

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Matthew 23:15, NIV (1978)

 

Is Christ divided? It's a good question because when He is, it likely means that we are sons and daughters of the wrong kingdom. Division can arise from numerous sources, but two of the main culprits are ignorance and misplaced loyalties. Ignorance because it is easy to mislead people who do not know the Word of God, and misplaced loyalties because so many people follow the religion of those they love and respect, such as their parents and favorite preachers. Since they have not studied the Bible, it is easy to mislead them because they cannot distinguish between the doctrines of men, which are fallible, and the teachings of God, which are perfect.

 

When Christ is divided, look out, for there are few things more dangerous than religious wars. I have been in the occupation of preaching and teaching for over 40 years now, and my observation has been that most will follow the people they trust over the One they should really put their hopes and trust in. This is understandable because most people who preach are sincere. I realize that there are a few prominent ones who would intentionally preach the doctrines of demons and men if it would give them more money or power, but such false teachers are rare. What is far more common are parents and preachers and Bible school teachers who are teaching the wrong things - often the doctrines of demons and men as well, not from improper motives, but because it's what they were brought up to believe. 

 

And it is harder to shake ourselves from a false teaching that we have heard all of our lives, than it is to be convinced of a Bible truth that we are barely familiar with. Another problem is that once we have come to believe a false teaching, it is difficult to set aside that bias when we are reading from the Word of Truth. By that I mean we often read the Bible with preconceived notions that skew and pervert our understanding. For instance, many are taught that a "little white lie" isn't really all that bad, but can actually be a good and noble thing when we use them to save someone's feelings. So, when we read within the Scriptures that lying is wrong, our brains automatically "edit" the truth and decide that it cannot be talking about these small "fibs" but only the really big lies.

 

We can see how easy it is to adjust the pure truths contained in the Bible whenever we come across things that challenge what we have been taught, so hopefully we can see just how vital it is to be on our guard against doing that very thing. We must always keep in mind that we are serving Christ, not Mom and Dad, and that we are trying to find out what God said, not what our favorite and most trusted pastor believes.

 

As we look out at the landscape of the modern day religious world, we cannot help but be distressed. Each community has its various denominations so we can pick and choose from among those which fit our beliefs and lifestyles. We often have within these denominations factions of people who believe they are Christ's favorites, and they look down on those who follow teachings other than the ones they believe. Before you know it we have suspicions towards anyone who believes differently than do we, and those feelings often turn from suspicion to animosity to outright hatred. We then start to support "our side" at all costs, and begin to glean the Bible's teachings for things that support our argument while at the same time minimizing those teachings that would seem to weaken our position.

 

And we get divisions to the point that we cease to concern ourselves with the salvation of others and start to reinforce our positions - much like an army preparing itself for war against a hated enemy... so what is the solution? Is it to become an "I'm okay, your okay" Christian? Is it to stop reading the Word because, after all, no one can really understand the Bible? Is it to just put up with false teachers because no one has their doctrines on straight? Is it to say that we are all going to the same place, just by different paths? We might be tempted to do this, but it is contrary to what God has always expected of His children. So, again, what is the solution? What are we to do?

 

Here is a plan that I believe you will find may work for you: You can begin to actually read the Bible! You can do so be committing yourself to put away all past biases and being determined to find out what God has really commanded. You can add prayer to your studies, humbly requesting God to help you find the truth. There will likely be passages that you do not fully understand, but that's okay - keep on reading! You will likely find the difficult passages are later explained by other Scriptures as you continue to read. Devote yourself to your studies, searching through the Word of God as a man seeking the path of salvation, rather than one preparing for a game of Bible trivia.

 

When you find things that contradict your beliefs, then you must discard those beliefs for the facts presented in God's Word. You will likely find that the truths contained within those sacred pages will even contradict things that your family and friends and even preachers have taught you. When you do, you must obey the clear teachings of God over the confident teachings of the loud voices of men that you have been previously listening to.

 

You will find the truth, eventually, but it will take time. Remember the words of Jesus in His sermon on the mount, when He said, "Seek, and you will find." 

 

One last thing: When you find out that there are people in your life who are wrong, do not treat them as an enemy. They want to please God and you want to please God, they want to get to Heaven and you want to get to Heaven. So, why not ride in the same boat instead of going to war with them? You will not convince everyone of the truths that you will find, but you still have a duty to seek and save the lost. In other words, we are to help one another along the way. We can speak of the things we disagree on, and we can study together to find the truths that only God's Word contains. We will not always agree, but we can all do our best, and we can all try to love one another enough to avoid foolish and silly divisions.

 

Christ died for His church, not yours, so do everything you can to find out what He has said will place you in that holy body. It is true that there will be those who just cannot get along with you or tolerate your beliefs. That's alright because Jesus warned us that His teachings would indeed result in divisions that would even extend to the family at times. Our task, then, is to avoid all unnecessary divisions, while doing our best to be obedient to God.

 

Is Christ divided? The answer is clearly that He is not, but people sometimes will be. Let's do our best to love one anther deeply from the heart, while at the same time seeking God's truths with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. Does all of this seem confusing? The maybe this will help:

 

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men.

Romans 12:18, NIV (1978) 

 

Trusting God

O My God, I trust in thee...

Psalms 25:2, KJV

 

One of the hardest things for me has been trusting God with the good things. I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve and while I feel like I am thankful, I also know that I struggle at times with a lack of trust in regards to those blessings.

 

For instance, I have a beautiful wife, three faithful children - two of whom are married with wonderful spouses, and seven grand-children who provide a continual source of joy. The problem I have is certainly not with the quality of these blessings, but with the maintaining of them. By that I mean that I often have concerns that they will remain safe and healthy, that our kids will remain relatively free of financial problems, and that our grandkids will enjoy good health and have a good world to grow up in.

 

Those of you in similar circumstances will understand: It's not that we are unappreciative for our blessings, so much as we are concerned that we can keep them. The problem is that life does not always work that way. There are evil people in the world who seem to have nothing better to do than disrupt our lives. Add that to the various sicknesses and injuries and accidents and all disasters, both major and minor, and we often find ourselves so worried over the maintaining of our blessings that we can hardly enjoy them.

 

This is why we need to maintain a proper trust in God. Life is uncertain, but God is not. A thousand years from now our physical problems will likely be nothing but a distant memory, if we have any memory of such trivial things at all. The only thing that will matter to us then will be whether we and our children and children's children made it through this life with our soul's intact. It is the matters of the spirit that will be important to us then, so these spiritual matters need to be of primary importance to us now. It is true that the myriad of this life's trials can be quite serious, but if we are saved at the end of these trials then the physical problems will prove to be minor indeed.

 

So, trust God! Easy to say but hard to do, I know, but this is what will get us through. Bad things can happen in our lives that will be difficult to experience, but if we and our loved ones are saved, then those hard times will be gone before we know it. No one likes to experience tragedy  or discomfort, but these are but incidents on the road to Heaven. Our duty is to do our part to see the journey through to the end, and to help as many others along the way as possible. Of course bad things will happen, and of course we will not enjoy those times when they do, but God will help us if...

 

we will simply trust in Him. He has never let us down and He never will, so trust! It will help you to enjoy those wonderful blessings of life now, and this trust will allow you to eventually get to the eternal blessings that God has in store for those who are faithful. Isn't God good!

 

 

He Will Restore Your Soul, Too, If You Let Him

He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Psalms 23:3, KJV

 

King David went through a lot in his lifetime. But long before he was a king, he was a mere boy entrusted with the job of tending his father's sheep. While David was still a youth, God saw something good and right with him, so God took him from the solitary pastures and raised him up to be a king. It was God Himself who indicated why He chose David to shepherd His chosen people - it was because David had a heart after God's heart. Since David had this desire, he became very useful to God.

 

You likely remember the history of David well. God had his prophet Samuel anoint David while yet a shepherd. God gave David powers to serve to go along with a heart that was already willing. When a bear and a lion attacked the flock David was watching over, David was able to kill these predators with his bare hands, Now a man cannot normally do this, but God showed David that He was with him, so David was more than adequate for the task. Later when Goliath, a human tank of a man, confronted God's armies of Israel, it was David who came to the rescue. Normally a youth with a sling shot and a few stones cannot stand against a giant of a man who possessed the most modern and efficient weaponry of his era, but David did because God was with him.

 

At first, Saul, the king of Israel, looked upon David with gratitude, but it didn't take long for Saul to view David as a threat to his own power so he tried to have David killed. Saul used all the resources within a power that only a king possesses to pursue and kill David. David escaped into enemy territory to hide, but Saul and his armies would find him again and again. Though David had but a handful of men with him, he was still able to withstand and escape the powerful armies that wanted his death. Normally the little man cannot resist the full force of mighty nations, but David did because God was with him.

 

Later David would pen the 23rd Psalm, widely regarded as one of the most comforting and faith building passages in all of God's inspired Word. Within that psalm David reveals that it is in fact God who is our shepherd, and that those under this Shepherd's care would never lack any good thing that they needed. David pointed out that it is God Himself who leads us into green pastures and Who leads us beside still waters. It is our trust in this great Shepherd that allows Him to restore our souls.

 

Do you long for such peaceful settings? Do you have need for restoration of your very being? God will provide this very blessing and much, much more if you will only let Him. You likely have enemies in your life that seem like giants at times. God will allow you to escape and even conquer such foes, if you will let Him. In fact, even if you were to walk through that Valley of the Shadow of Death - and you will some day - you will have no need of fear because God will be with you. Surely goodness and mercy will comfort you all the days of your life, because it is God Who will extend these very gifts to you.

 

Normally, a fallible individual such as ourselves could not enjoy the favor of the Most High, but God gives us the right to enjoy such favor. Far in excess of that favor, He has allowed His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for the things we have done that would have prevented our receiving such blessings. What's the catch? I'm glad you asked!

 

You will have to have a heart after God's own heart. You will have to be willing to face the beasts and giants should they ever stand in the way of your service to God. You will have to be willing to go through the bad times, while all the time remaining faithful to God. In short, you will have to do the very things in life that none of us want to go through. Most will shrink from such service, but for those who accept God's terms because they love He and His Son with all of their hearts, there will be supplied all the power needed to get the job done. 

 

You and I are servants of God and of Christ! This is the greatest honor ever afforded mankind! See this opportunity of service for what it is and then boldly serve God for the rest of your life. For some, this will require a change of attitude and a change of heart. But, for those who have a heart after God's very own, you will find that He really will restore your soul! And, if there is one thing we need in this world filled with discouragement and heartache and wickedness, it is restoration!

 

It is yours, for the asking, if you are willing to do your part. Is the LORD your Shepherd?

 

 

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