Mike Tyson famously once said, "Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth." It's amazing how true this is in our lives. We plan to serve God, to keep our words in order, our attitudes correct, to keep ourselves from whatever particular sin we have a weakness for. And then Satan punches us in the mouth and out spills all the things we tried to fix, all the things we thought we had fixed. Once again we fail, once again we go back to God in shame and repentance asking for forgiveness and for help to keep us from sin next time. We can sympathize with Paul's statement in Romans 7:28 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
I was marveling this week at the wonder of the cross. When Jesus left the Garden of Gethsemene, He had a plan. A plan to die and how He would fulfill His part in it. But unlike us, when punched in the mouth and far worse, He never once strayed from that plan. Can you imagine the awesome perfection of Christ dying on that cross, but speaking only the words God would have Him say? After all the torture and abuse, hanging in agony and surrounded by mockers, weary beyond words, thirsty and unable to even catch His breath the only words He's speaking are fulfilling prophecies. He's still doing everything exactly according to plan. Even His attitude is perfect as He prays forgiveness for those who have done this to Him.
In fact, He is so on plan that He knows even the moment when He is to die and does so. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that Jesus cries out with a loud voice and then dies. This is not a man weak and exhausted merely losing the fight for life. This is Christ, right on plan, knowing the moment of His death had come crying with a loud voice showing the strength still in Him and then dying on purpose. Oh what perfection! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? This perfect man, this Christ, this God.
Major Ian Thomas in his sermon, "A Grain of Wheat" said of Jesus, "The life that He lived qualified Him for the death that He died and the death that He died qualifies us for the life that He lived." Go ahead, read that again. It is deep, it is powerful. It is the concept of the exchanged life. Colossians 3:3 says "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." In Christ, I died. Galatians 2:20 says "I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."
My life does not reflect this amazing perfection that Christ lived on the cross. But it can. Our lives can be so aligned with God that nothing that happens to us can budge us from reacting and speaking and thinking exactly as Christ would. His death qualifies us for that life. I am more and more convinced that the secret to living that life is found in prayer. Christ spent the final night of His life preparing for the cross, not by sleeping to save His strength to endure that next day, but in prayer. And in the Garden He found that power. The answer to all our failures is so simple! Simply pray. And as I've learned recently thanks to Andrew Murray's book "The Prayer Life," even the sin of prayerlessness was defeated at that cross. Oh let us return to the power of our forefathers--more, let us pursue the power our descendants will look up to by simply kneeling at Jesus feet and letting Him establish His life in us.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
I am the German Peasant.
It's been a long time since I've posted. Mostly it's because so often I simply don't know what to say. Much of what's happening in my life right now is just personal stuff that doesn't translate into writing. Things like learning how to pray, learning how to read the Bible. What does one say about such things? I'm sure there are some who could put them into words that might have meaning for others besides themselves, but so far that hasn't been the case for me.
But right now there is something stirring in me that seems to scream to be written, that seems to come out in every conversation I have, every email I write. And so, I finally have something to say.
This started with a conversation with my daughter who is going through the yearly section on the Holocaust in history class. This week they were assigned to create a pie chart that assigned blame for the Holocaust to different groups. Choose a percentage of blame for Hitler, his officers, the soldiers who followed orders, Jews who didn't resist or try to escape, people who turned in their Jewish neighbors, even God got a share. And, of course, those German people living near places like Auschwitz. How much were they to blame? And my daughter indignantly and rightly declared, "They should have done something!" I think we can all agree that yes, they should have done something.
But then I asked her what should they have done. And things get difficult. If you're the German peasant living a mile from Auschwitz, what do you do about it? There was famously one church near the train tracks where Jewish prisoners were being transported to these death camps. As they would near the church, the prisoners inside would see the church and begin to scream and cry out for help, thinking surely those in the church would help them. The church responded by playing their pipe organ louder to drown out the screams. After all, what could they do? It's easy for me to criticize them for their cowardice, for the evil indifference they showed, but it's also easy for me to sympathize with them. What could they have done?
You see, in the town where I live there are 5 Auschwitz's. And every day something like 12 innocent babies are forced into these death camps where they are murdered, sometimes tortuously. And for some reason, I've never stormed the place and forced them to stop. For propriety's sake, and so not to offend, I've not even said anything about how evil it is...except of course to those that I know already agree with me. And to my shame, I realized yesterday I had not even prayed that somehow the slaughter of nearly 1.5 million babies in the US each year would stop. After all, what can I do? And do I really believe that if I add my voice to those who have prayed that it would come to an end that it would make a difference?
Oh but if only my own guilt ended there. At least there I can say that there was really nothing I could do about it. I can try and vote for the right people every year, but that's about it. But what if there were something I could do, something easy, inexpensive, convenient even to make the deaths of innocent children stop and I did nothing? How much greater is my guilt then? Because every year over 3.5 million people die from lack of clean water and for just $10 I could provide one person clean water. For just $10 I could provide a mosquito net that would save a child's life. For just $38 a month I could provide a child with the basic needs of food, shelter, education, and the gospel. And for just $30 a month I could sponsor a missionary who will bring the life saving gospel to those dying in sin.
I am not rich, but there are few who live in America who could not afford these. So who is more guilty? The German peasant who stood by seeing the smoke rise from the Nazi ovens, or me when I ate at Chilli's last month? I am very poor at living the Christian life, but surely one cannot know anything about God without feeling at least some of the burden of His heart to save those who are the most vulnerable, the weakest, the helpless. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world-James 1:27. I've only barely begun to live unspotted, surely God has called us all to much more than just to live unspotted from the world. He has called us to visit (from Strong's Concordance To look after, to see how he is, to look upon in order to help or benefit) the fatherless and the widows. To help them not just with water and mosquito nets or their physical needs which any humanitarian might do, but to minister to their greatest need--their need for Christ.
I am the German peasant. I stand before God with blood on my hands, the blood of all the innocent who have died that I could have helped. God forgive me. God transform my life into the image of Your Son, who did not ignore my desperate need of a Redeemer, but came Himself to rescue me. If the God of the universe could humble Himself to do such things, please God make me more like You.
But right now there is something stirring in me that seems to scream to be written, that seems to come out in every conversation I have, every email I write. And so, I finally have something to say.
This started with a conversation with my daughter who is going through the yearly section on the Holocaust in history class. This week they were assigned to create a pie chart that assigned blame for the Holocaust to different groups. Choose a percentage of blame for Hitler, his officers, the soldiers who followed orders, Jews who didn't resist or try to escape, people who turned in their Jewish neighbors, even God got a share. And, of course, those German people living near places like Auschwitz. How much were they to blame? And my daughter indignantly and rightly declared, "They should have done something!" I think we can all agree that yes, they should have done something.
But then I asked her what should they have done. And things get difficult. If you're the German peasant living a mile from Auschwitz, what do you do about it? There was famously one church near the train tracks where Jewish prisoners were being transported to these death camps. As they would near the church, the prisoners inside would see the church and begin to scream and cry out for help, thinking surely those in the church would help them. The church responded by playing their pipe organ louder to drown out the screams. After all, what could they do? It's easy for me to criticize them for their cowardice, for the evil indifference they showed, but it's also easy for me to sympathize with them. What could they have done?
You see, in the town where I live there are 5 Auschwitz's. And every day something like 12 innocent babies are forced into these death camps where they are murdered, sometimes tortuously. And for some reason, I've never stormed the place and forced them to stop. For propriety's sake, and so not to offend, I've not even said anything about how evil it is...except of course to those that I know already agree with me. And to my shame, I realized yesterday I had not even prayed that somehow the slaughter of nearly 1.5 million babies in the US each year would stop. After all, what can I do? And do I really believe that if I add my voice to those who have prayed that it would come to an end that it would make a difference?
Oh but if only my own guilt ended there. At least there I can say that there was really nothing I could do about it. I can try and vote for the right people every year, but that's about it. But what if there were something I could do, something easy, inexpensive, convenient even to make the deaths of innocent children stop and I did nothing? How much greater is my guilt then? Because every year over 3.5 million people die from lack of clean water and for just $10 I could provide one person clean water. For just $10 I could provide a mosquito net that would save a child's life. For just $38 a month I could provide a child with the basic needs of food, shelter, education, and the gospel. And for just $30 a month I could sponsor a missionary who will bring the life saving gospel to those dying in sin.
I am not rich, but there are few who live in America who could not afford these. So who is more guilty? The German peasant who stood by seeing the smoke rise from the Nazi ovens, or me when I ate at Chilli's last month? I am very poor at living the Christian life, but surely one cannot know anything about God without feeling at least some of the burden of His heart to save those who are the most vulnerable, the weakest, the helpless. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world-James 1:27. I've only barely begun to live unspotted, surely God has called us all to much more than just to live unspotted from the world. He has called us to visit (from Strong's Concordance To look after, to see how he is, to look upon in order to help or benefit) the fatherless and the widows. To help them not just with water and mosquito nets or their physical needs which any humanitarian might do, but to minister to their greatest need--their need for Christ.
I am the German peasant. I stand before God with blood on my hands, the blood of all the innocent who have died that I could have helped. God forgive me. God transform my life into the image of Your Son, who did not ignore my desperate need of a Redeemer, but came Himself to rescue me. If the God of the universe could humble Himself to do such things, please God make me more like You.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
GO.
Hudson Taylor told this story at the Perth Conference in 1865. While onboard a ship from Shanghai to Ningpo, he met a man named Peter who knew about the gospel but had never accepted Jesus as his Lord. He spent some time talking to the man, but had gone to his cabin preparing to depart the ship when the cry went out "Man Overboard!" Hudson rushed on deck and learned it was Peter. He persuaded the captain to drop the sails and leapt overboard to try to rescue the man. Unable to find him he discovered a fishing boat nearby with two men casting their fishing nets. He called to the men to come help a man was drowning. But they replied they were busy fishing. He called the more to them, offering them money if they would help, but they asked how much. He replied $5 but they said they would not help for less than $30. He said he did not have that much but would give all he had and they asked how much that was. He finally persuaded them to help and when they first cast their net near him they pulled the man up, but it was too late, he could not be revived.
His listeners were indignant, as you no doubt are reading this. So Hudson told them, " Is the body, then, of so much more value than the soul ? We condemn those heathen fishermen. We say they were guilty of the man's death-because they could easily have saved him, and did not do it. But what of the millions whom we leave to perish, and that eternally ? What of the plain command, 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,'and the searching question inspired by God Himself; 'If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain ; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not ; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it ? and He that keepeth thy soul doth not He know it ? And shall He not render to every man according to his works ? '"
He concluded his address by telling the attendees that in light of what they knew of the millions dying without Christ that the question was not whether they had a special call to go to the mission field, but whether they had some special call to stay home.
How piercing, how true this word is. When Jesus stood before His disciples and gave them the great commission, do you think the disciples looked at each other and asked "Was he talking to you?" Or did they think he was only talking to the inner circle of Peter, James and John? No, of course not! They knew that he was talking to each of the disciples. Think that through a moment. Christ gave the Great Commission, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, to each of His disciples. To each of His disciples.
1 John 2:4 says, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Is the Great Commission just a suggestion? Or does it only apply to Super Christians? Or is it a command? If it is a command and you do not obey then 1 John makes clear that you do not know Christ. John Piper says it simply, "Go, Send, or Disobey." This is strong and clear, but even this weakens the actual command of Christ. The command is Go.
Now you may say that you are called to preach where you are. GOOD! Then do so! But will you honestly tell me that that is where your call is? That you are fulfilling that Commission? Or do you believe God has called you to stay and enjoy another episode of Survivor, stay and spend another hour on Facebook, stay and play Words with Friends and Farmville, stay and play video games.
We cannot go if we are unprepared. That is the only reason God has not moved you to go preach. The disciples could not go until they had waited in the Upper Room for the anointing. Most of us never even make it back to Jerusalem to wait in the Upper Room. We have not fully surrendered our life to God, have not spent the time in His Word, the time praying, the time building our faith to be ready to go. God is not looking for lions of the faith to send out, but lambs meekly obedient to obey His every command. And no command is more dear to our Savior than this, the last command He gave. Preach the gospel. Save the lost. GO!
His listeners were indignant, as you no doubt are reading this. So Hudson told them, " Is the body, then, of so much more value than the soul ? We condemn those heathen fishermen. We say they were guilty of the man's death-because they could easily have saved him, and did not do it. But what of the millions whom we leave to perish, and that eternally ? What of the plain command, 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,'and the searching question inspired by God Himself; 'If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain ; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not ; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it ? and He that keepeth thy soul doth not He know it ? And shall He not render to every man according to his works ? '"
He concluded his address by telling the attendees that in light of what they knew of the millions dying without Christ that the question was not whether they had a special call to go to the mission field, but whether they had some special call to stay home.
How piercing, how true this word is. When Jesus stood before His disciples and gave them the great commission, do you think the disciples looked at each other and asked "Was he talking to you?" Or did they think he was only talking to the inner circle of Peter, James and John? No, of course not! They knew that he was talking to each of the disciples. Think that through a moment. Christ gave the Great Commission, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, to each of His disciples. To each of His disciples.
1 John 2:4 says, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Is the Great Commission just a suggestion? Or does it only apply to Super Christians? Or is it a command? If it is a command and you do not obey then 1 John makes clear that you do not know Christ. John Piper says it simply, "Go, Send, or Disobey." This is strong and clear, but even this weakens the actual command of Christ. The command is Go.
Now you may say that you are called to preach where you are. GOOD! Then do so! But will you honestly tell me that that is where your call is? That you are fulfilling that Commission? Or do you believe God has called you to stay and enjoy another episode of Survivor, stay and spend another hour on Facebook, stay and play Words with Friends and Farmville, stay and play video games.
We cannot go if we are unprepared. That is the only reason God has not moved you to go preach. The disciples could not go until they had waited in the Upper Room for the anointing. Most of us never even make it back to Jerusalem to wait in the Upper Room. We have not fully surrendered our life to God, have not spent the time in His Word, the time praying, the time building our faith to be ready to go. God is not looking for lions of the faith to send out, but lambs meekly obedient to obey His every command. And no command is more dear to our Savior than this, the last command He gave. Preach the gospel. Save the lost. GO!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Waiting with All My Might
Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;18they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Acts tells the story of Jesus' Ascension into heaven. Just after the words spoken above in Mark, Jesus is taken up out of their sight. Before that, He gives them the Great Commission, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel." After that the disciples go into Jerusalem into the upper room and spend the next ten days...waiting. But Jesus told them to go preach! Why are they just sitting there? Because in the same place He tells them to go preach, Jesus says this, "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:4-5 Christ commanded them to wait! Why? To receive the power they would need to follow His other command--Preach!
Can't you just see people who knew the disciples walking by this upper room? "What are they doing up there? I don't know, they're just sitting there, praying some I think. Yeah, but what are they doing? That's it, just sitting there." But they weren't! They were waiting. Waiting for the Promise of the Father. Waiting as they were commanded to. Waiting.
Waiting like Simeon. You remember the story of Simeon? In Luke chapter 2, Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple as prescribed in the law. And here's this man Simeon--waiting. Can't you see people passing by him every day, "Who's that old man?" The other shrugs, "I don't know, he just comes here to the temple every day and stands around the door watching all the people come in like he's looking for someone. Yeah, but what's he doing? That's it, he just sits there." But he's not! He's waiting. He had been shown by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until He had seen the Consolation of Israel. He's waiting on the Promise!!! In fact, Luke says he came "by the Spirit" into the temple. He's waiting! Day after day, he's holding on. He's got this promise from God. CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT FAITH THIS TAKES? To show up day after day, day after day, because God has given you a promise and God cannot lie so you keep coming to the temple. Waiting.
God gave me this promise in Mark. "These signs SHALL follow those that believe" IT'S A PROMISE!!! GOD GAVE ME A PROMISE! And I'm waiting for it with the tenacity of a bulldog. I'M NOT LETTING GO! You can tell me all the reasons to let go, there hasn't been miracles in years. I'M WAITING WITH ALL MY MIGHT! You can build a doctrine of how the age of miracles passed with the apostles. THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THOSE THAT BELIEVE! There are plenty of preachers and teachers better and holier than you are that don't have miracles. I'M WAITING ON THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER!!! HE GAVE ME THIS PROMISE AND I'M NOT LETTING GO! Why? Because I'm obstinate and demand my own way? NO! Because God commanded me to wait. We've got too many preachers and missionaries and lay people out there preaching the gospel who gave up on the waiting part and don't have the power of God. The world needs to see the Power of God in us and I'm waiting.
It may not look like much if you see me. "What's he doing? Just sitting there. Yeah but what's he doing? I don't know, maybe praying some, doesn't look like he's doing anything." I'M WAITING! And every moment I wait reels me in one step closer to that promise. I'M GONNA SEE IT! Proverbs says hope deferred makes the heart sick. Waiting is hard. It's agonizing to keep holding on with this white knuckled grip day after day. It's sickening. It's miserable. BUT I'M WAITING, WAITING WITH ALL MY MIGHT. But what is this wait for? I don't know. Maybe God has a time for it to happen and this just isn't it. I doubt it, but maybe that's it. Maybe there's still something in me that needs to be corrected or I need to grow some before He can give me the Promise. Ok. Or maybe it's something else...
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Maybe, just maybe I'm waiting on you!!! To get up here in this room with me, waiting with me, in one accord with me. To WAIT WITH ALL OUR MIGHT!
Acts tells the story of Jesus' Ascension into heaven. Just after the words spoken above in Mark, Jesus is taken up out of their sight. Before that, He gives them the Great Commission, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel." After that the disciples go into Jerusalem into the upper room and spend the next ten days...waiting. But Jesus told them to go preach! Why are they just sitting there? Because in the same place He tells them to go preach, Jesus says this, "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:4-5 Christ commanded them to wait! Why? To receive the power they would need to follow His other command--Preach!
Can't you just see people who knew the disciples walking by this upper room? "What are they doing up there? I don't know, they're just sitting there, praying some I think. Yeah, but what are they doing? That's it, just sitting there." But they weren't! They were waiting. Waiting for the Promise of the Father. Waiting as they were commanded to. Waiting.
Waiting like Simeon. You remember the story of Simeon? In Luke chapter 2, Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple as prescribed in the law. And here's this man Simeon--waiting. Can't you see people passing by him every day, "Who's that old man?" The other shrugs, "I don't know, he just comes here to the temple every day and stands around the door watching all the people come in like he's looking for someone. Yeah, but what's he doing? That's it, he just sits there." But he's not! He's waiting. He had been shown by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until He had seen the Consolation of Israel. He's waiting on the Promise!!! In fact, Luke says he came "by the Spirit" into the temple. He's waiting! Day after day, he's holding on. He's got this promise from God. CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT FAITH THIS TAKES? To show up day after day, day after day, because God has given you a promise and God cannot lie so you keep coming to the temple. Waiting.
God gave me this promise in Mark. "These signs SHALL follow those that believe" IT'S A PROMISE!!! GOD GAVE ME A PROMISE! And I'm waiting for it with the tenacity of a bulldog. I'M NOT LETTING GO! You can tell me all the reasons to let go, there hasn't been miracles in years. I'M WAITING WITH ALL MY MIGHT! You can build a doctrine of how the age of miracles passed with the apostles. THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THOSE THAT BELIEVE! There are plenty of preachers and teachers better and holier than you are that don't have miracles. I'M WAITING ON THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER!!! HE GAVE ME THIS PROMISE AND I'M NOT LETTING GO! Why? Because I'm obstinate and demand my own way? NO! Because God commanded me to wait. We've got too many preachers and missionaries and lay people out there preaching the gospel who gave up on the waiting part and don't have the power of God. The world needs to see the Power of God in us and I'm waiting.
It may not look like much if you see me. "What's he doing? Just sitting there. Yeah but what's he doing? I don't know, maybe praying some, doesn't look like he's doing anything." I'M WAITING! And every moment I wait reels me in one step closer to that promise. I'M GONNA SEE IT! Proverbs says hope deferred makes the heart sick. Waiting is hard. It's agonizing to keep holding on with this white knuckled grip day after day. It's sickening. It's miserable. BUT I'M WAITING, WAITING WITH ALL MY MIGHT. But what is this wait for? I don't know. Maybe God has a time for it to happen and this just isn't it. I doubt it, but maybe that's it. Maybe there's still something in me that needs to be corrected or I need to grow some before He can give me the Promise. Ok. Or maybe it's something else...
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Maybe, just maybe I'm waiting on you!!! To get up here in this room with me, waiting with me, in one accord with me. To WAIT WITH ALL OUR MIGHT!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Dream of the Two Princes
Glenda had a dream and this is the dream. She was walking along and saw three cats. One was yowling terribly so she came close. Near her who was yowling were two other cats, strong looking and fierce. The one reached out its paw, but its paw was like the hand of a man. It reached inside her who was yowling and took out something from from inside her and ate it. And Glenda knew that the yowling cat was pregnant and that the cat had eaten her kitten. Though she yowled terribly, she did not fight them. The two fierce cats stared at Glenda as if to say, "Now watch what else we'll do" and the one grabbed the yowling cat's paw and ripped her leg off entirely.
And this is what Jehovah says:
The cat in distress is the Church in America. And what is true of the country is true of the state and what is true for the state is true of the city and what is true for the city is true for the local church and what is true for the local church is true for the family.
The two fierce cats beside her are the two Princes of America and their names are Comfort and Ease. And look, these have stolen the fruit out of the very womb so that the church is childless and barren. And though she has been in much distress, she has not fought with the Princes, nor opposed them. And then when the Princes had stolen the fruit of her womb, they also crippled her so that she did not go out to the other nations as before.
And now, you look in fear at the economy and see your wealth failing. You see trouble and distress approaching from every side and you feared it was my judgement on your nation for its sins. But there are those in your nation even now who still follow after me in Holiness and who still seek my face. The trouble you see around you is not my judgement, but my answer to their prayers. I oppose the Princes of your nation as do all those who seek me.
So take now this word to those who are without Comfort and without Ease and these will hear you. And do not seek to bring them back to the Princes of this nation but say to them that their comfort is in me and their ease is in doing my will.
And this is what Jehovah says:
The cat in distress is the Church in America. And what is true of the country is true of the state and what is true for the state is true of the city and what is true for the city is true for the local church and what is true for the local church is true for the family.
The two fierce cats beside her are the two Princes of America and their names are Comfort and Ease. And look, these have stolen the fruit out of the very womb so that the church is childless and barren. And though she has been in much distress, she has not fought with the Princes, nor opposed them. And then when the Princes had stolen the fruit of her womb, they also crippled her so that she did not go out to the other nations as before.
And now, you look in fear at the economy and see your wealth failing. You see trouble and distress approaching from every side and you feared it was my judgement on your nation for its sins. But there are those in your nation even now who still follow after me in Holiness and who still seek my face. The trouble you see around you is not my judgement, but my answer to their prayers. I oppose the Princes of your nation as do all those who seek me.
So take now this word to those who are without Comfort and without Ease and these will hear you. And do not seek to bring them back to the Princes of this nation but say to them that their comfort is in me and their ease is in doing my will.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Great Bank Robbery
Monday morning: First National Bank and Trust. Houston TX
"Hands up! Everyone on the ground! No sudden moves!" Customers hit the ground all around the bank as the man in the black mask waved his gun around menacingly. From the look in his eyes, no one had the slightest doubt as to his intentions. There was a decided dead look in his eyes that no one wanted to even tempt. Four men, however, had just entered the bank and were still just by the door. With a quick glance at each other, they noticed the gunman was looking the other way and they quickly scrambled back out the door. Just as they ran outside they heard the gun go off and people screaming. Happy just to have escaped, they ran from the bank a short ways before finally coming to a stop.
Standing there looking at each other, one of them finally spoke up, "We should do something. Warn others coming to the bank not to go in." A couple of the others nodded, but one guy wrinkled his brow, "The cops will take care of that. No need for me to get involved," and he walked off not looking back.
The others looked at each other for a moment. One was a poor man, dressed hardly better than rags. He looked again at the man walking away and had a wild, desperate look in his eyes. "Can you believe that!? He just walked off. We have to start warning people!" A young woman was walking towards the door of the bank and the man started yelling, "HEY! STOP! There's a man in there with a gun!" The man beside him grabbed his arm, "Hey, you can't be yelling at people like that. They don't like it. You'll just scare people and that's no good. We've got to tell them in a way they'll want to listen to." The wild eyed man looked at him like he was crazy and hurried to the door of the bank yelling about the crazed gunman inside.
The other two looked at each other, the one, a young man, looked at the other and said, "I've got my guitar here in the car, how about we start a little concert and sing to people about how good it'll be to stay outside the bank." The other man looked a little doubtful. "Oh, I know! I've also got some puppets in the car, how about you put on a puppet show about how good it is to stay outside the bank while I sing on the guitar."
The other man just kind of looked tired and said, "I don't know. I'm don't really feel up to doing all that, but you go ahead." The he walked off. As he walked by he stopped a couple of people and mumbled something at them about not going into the bank. The people he talked to didn't really listen to him and so he gave up after a couple of tries.
Meanwhile, the young man was energetically talking to people and had gotten his guitar out. His winning personality and enthusiasm actually convinced a couple of people to join him. They moved out in front of the door a ways and he started to sing and play the guitar while the others put on a little play with the puppets telling everyone how good it was to stay outside the bank. It was an impressive show, no doubt, and the passersby were impressed with the show, the music, the puppets, but they found it...unusual that these people were doing all this about the goodness of staying outside the bank. Some laughed, some ignored them, a few joined them because they liked the show. Those that joined would hang around for awhile, but mostly they gave up and moved on after a time. After all, who really cares about the goodness of staying outside a bank?
All the while, the poor man in the tattered clothes stood right by the door shouting at the top of his lungs, "THERE'S A GUNMAN INSIDE! HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU GO IN THERE! STOP! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT GO IN THAT BANK!" Certainly he frightened all the people who passed by. Many thought he was crazy and went in anyway, though he tried with all his might to stop them. But many heard and believed. Those who believed joined him in his crazed seeming yelling, they almost never gave up, because after all they were saving lives, not extolling the wonders of staying outside the bank. All day they stood there, occasionally trying to convince the band and puppet show to join them, but mostly just yelling with all their might warning people not to go into the bank. Without doubt, they saved many lives that day.
"Hands up! Everyone on the ground! No sudden moves!" Customers hit the ground all around the bank as the man in the black mask waved his gun around menacingly. From the look in his eyes, no one had the slightest doubt as to his intentions. There was a decided dead look in his eyes that no one wanted to even tempt. Four men, however, had just entered the bank and were still just by the door. With a quick glance at each other, they noticed the gunman was looking the other way and they quickly scrambled back out the door. Just as they ran outside they heard the gun go off and people screaming. Happy just to have escaped, they ran from the bank a short ways before finally coming to a stop.
Standing there looking at each other, one of them finally spoke up, "We should do something. Warn others coming to the bank not to go in." A couple of the others nodded, but one guy wrinkled his brow, "The cops will take care of that. No need for me to get involved," and he walked off not looking back.
The others looked at each other for a moment. One was a poor man, dressed hardly better than rags. He looked again at the man walking away and had a wild, desperate look in his eyes. "Can you believe that!? He just walked off. We have to start warning people!" A young woman was walking towards the door of the bank and the man started yelling, "HEY! STOP! There's a man in there with a gun!" The man beside him grabbed his arm, "Hey, you can't be yelling at people like that. They don't like it. You'll just scare people and that's no good. We've got to tell them in a way they'll want to listen to." The wild eyed man looked at him like he was crazy and hurried to the door of the bank yelling about the crazed gunman inside.
The other two looked at each other, the one, a young man, looked at the other and said, "I've got my guitar here in the car, how about we start a little concert and sing to people about how good it'll be to stay outside the bank." The other man looked a little doubtful. "Oh, I know! I've also got some puppets in the car, how about you put on a puppet show about how good it is to stay outside the bank while I sing on the guitar."
The other man just kind of looked tired and said, "I don't know. I'm don't really feel up to doing all that, but you go ahead." The he walked off. As he walked by he stopped a couple of people and mumbled something at them about not going into the bank. The people he talked to didn't really listen to him and so he gave up after a couple of tries.
Meanwhile, the young man was energetically talking to people and had gotten his guitar out. His winning personality and enthusiasm actually convinced a couple of people to join him. They moved out in front of the door a ways and he started to sing and play the guitar while the others put on a little play with the puppets telling everyone how good it was to stay outside the bank. It was an impressive show, no doubt, and the passersby were impressed with the show, the music, the puppets, but they found it...unusual that these people were doing all this about the goodness of staying outside the bank. Some laughed, some ignored them, a few joined them because they liked the show. Those that joined would hang around for awhile, but mostly they gave up and moved on after a time. After all, who really cares about the goodness of staying outside a bank?
All the while, the poor man in the tattered clothes stood right by the door shouting at the top of his lungs, "THERE'S A GUNMAN INSIDE! HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU GO IN THERE! STOP! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT GO IN THAT BANK!" Certainly he frightened all the people who passed by. Many thought he was crazy and went in anyway, though he tried with all his might to stop them. But many heard and believed. Those who believed joined him in his crazed seeming yelling, they almost never gave up, because after all they were saving lives, not extolling the wonders of staying outside the bank. All day they stood there, occasionally trying to convince the band and puppet show to join them, but mostly just yelling with all their might warning people not to go into the bank. Without doubt, they saved many lives that day.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Four Men Blind From Birth
Four men blind from birth walked the King's Highway. As they walked along, one thought he heard something from the side of the road. It sounded as if someone called his name. He paused to listen. Sure enough, a man with a quiet voice called his name. He turned to his right and followed the sound of the voice until at last he sensed he stood before the man.
"You called me? How do you know me?" he asked.
"I was sent by the King. He sent me to tell you you are blind." The quiet man stated simply.
"Blind? What is that?"
"You cannot see. This is why you constantly stumble on the stones in the middle of the road. If you could see, you would not bash your toes against the rocks."
The blind man considered, "I had often wondered why there are so many rocks in the King's road. Surely the King should send someone to clear them out."
The quiet man answered, "The King himself placed the rocks in the road so that when I came to tell you that you are blind that you would understand what it is to be blind. For you see, there is a greater danger than the stones. Just to the other side of the road is a great chasm. In your blind stumbling about, you will certainly stumble off the edge of this chasm one day and be killed."
The quiet man had spoken gently, but the blind man now quaked in fear imagining the deadly peril he had somehow avoided up till now. "Sir, what can I do?" his voice quavered.
"I have some salve here that will open your eyes, but you must understand, this salve belongs to the King himself. If you take the salve, you must also become his servant to do whatever he commands."
The blind man did not hesitate a moment, "Yes, of course! This will save my life. I will do whatever the King asks."
So the quiet voiced man applied the salve to the blind man's eyes and immediately scales fell from his eyes and he could see. Before him stood the quiet voiced man, clothed in the brightest of white, holding a small jar of the blood red salve. The blind man gave a shout of joy and hugged the man and began to jump about and to shout and thank the man profusely. He looked around him for the first time and was struck by the beauty of the countryside around him. As his gaze took in all that he saw, however, he saw for the first time the huge chasm just at the other side of the road. It was many hundred feet deep and jagged rocks lay at the bottom.
His eyes grew wide and he turned to the man all in white. "I should have died in that chasm many a time! Thank you for saving me!"
The man smiled and said, "It was the King who sent me, not I. And remember, now you too are the King's man."
"Yes, yes of course," the man no longer blind replied. "What does the King want me to do?"
"Only this, tell everyone you know about the danger and take this salve and give it to anyone who asks for it." He handed the man the small jar of salve.
"That's all? But of course, I'll do that! Only, this is such a small jar, won't I surely need more?"
The man only smiled sadly and walked away.
No longer blind, the man remembered the three he had been walking with and began to run down the road to catch up with them. He ran! He had never run before and the pure joy of running was enough to make him laugh. He no longer caught his feet on the stones in the road for he could easily see them and avoid them.
He caught up to one of the men he had walked with, a friend of his from childhood. He hollered to the man and when he had stopped, he explained to him about being blind and the chasm near the road and the salve he had been given that could make you see.
His friend only smiled a bit and replied, "Oh, I don't know. I don't stumble against the rocks too often and I don't know about this chasm you're talking about. Since you can't show it to me, how am I to know you're telling the truth? Perhaps you're wrong about this chasm. I don't know that I want to be the King's man anyway."
The man no longer blind tried earnestly to persuade him, but could not. Not knowing what else to do, he went on ahead to catch up with the other two men. Soon, he came upon one of the others he had walked with, a relative of his. Once again, he explained about being blind and the chasm and the salve. He told the man that in return for saving their lives, the King only asked that they take the news of the danger and the salve to anyone who wanted it.
His relative was likewise not convinced. "I'm doing the best I can to avoid stumbling on the stones. As long as I'm careful, I'm sure I won't fall into the chasm. After all, this is the King's Highway, he surely wouldn't let people fall into the chasm as long as they walk carefully."
The man no longer blind tried even harder to persuade his relative, but it was no use, he was convinced he did not need the salve and would not consent to become the King's man.
Discouraged and confused, the man no longer blind continued up the road till he caught up with the third man that he had walked with. The man was old and had walked with him for as long as he could remember. Often, he had called himself the Kings man and had told many people that the King wanted them to walk in a particular way and that as long as they walked in that way, that they would not stumble against the stones. The man no longer blind had tried for many years to walk as the old man described, but it was very difficult and no matter how hard he had tried, he had always stumbled on the rocks.
He described to the old man what had happened to him and how he could see now, certain that this man would gladly take the salve since he already claimed to be the King's man. As he told him what had happened, however, the old man smiled broadly and said, "Oh good! You can see now, too? That's wonderful!"
The man no longer blind was confused, was the old man saying that he wasn't blind? He explained some more and demonstrated how he could now easily walk the road without stumbling. The old man just nodded and said, "Yes, yes. I too received the salve when I was young. I've been able to see for many years. See, I told you if you just walked this particular way that you wouldn't stumble against the rocks. Isn't it wonderful." And he began again, as he often did, to complain that it was because people would not walk as he told them they must that there were so many stones in the road. As the man no longer blind looked at the blind old man, however, he could see that his feet were bruised and bloody just as his had been from stumbling against the rocks. He greatly respected the old man, however, and could not bring himself to disagree with him.
Greatly saddened, he knew there was a group of people on up ahead on the road. Surely he could find someone who would listen...
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